Once the Housing and Urban Development Secretary under President Obama, Shaun Donovan now runs a nonprofit devoted to increasing housing supply and advancing equity. In a conversation about America’s housing affordability crisis, Sec. Donovan explains how the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit in President Trump’s spending bill incentivizes private investment. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) touts his wins in the spending bill and shares his perspective on monetary policy. Speaker Johnson also weighs in on the Epstein files, saying he and the President believe in transparency. Plus, Netflix reported a strong second quarter, top Federal Reserve official Christopher Waller is calling for a rate cut this month, and The Late Show will end, come next May.

Shaun Donovan - 13:46

Speaker Mike Johnson - 20:27

In this episode:

Mike Johnson, @SpeakerJohnson

Melissa Lee, @MelissaLeeCNBC

Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk

Zach Vallese, @zachvallese

The 5 things you need to know before the stock market opens today: Chevron has prevailed in its mediation with Exxon over oil assets in Guyana, Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell has officially responded to White House concerns about Fed building renovations, Amazon is laying off some cloud computing staffers, and the Commerce Department will impose anti-dumping duties on graphite imported from China and used in EVs.

Squawk Box is hosted by Joe Kernen, Becky Quick and Andrew Ross Sorkin. Follow Squawk Pod for the best moments, interviews and analysis from our TV show in an audio-first format.

President Trump has said he won’t attempt to fire sitting Fed Chair Jerome Powell, but change is coming to the central bank regardless. On Wall Street and in Washington, names floated for the next Federal Reserve chair have included current NEC director Kevin Hassett and former Fed governor Kevin Warsh. In an extended interview, Kevin Warsh calls for a regime change at the bank, positing a revised theory of inflation and sharing lessons from his own history in finance. Plus, President Trump announced that Coca-Cola agreed to use cane sugar in its U.S. drinks, and the House of Representatives has voted to bring forward crypto legislation.

Kevin Warsh - 18:39

In this episode:

Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk

Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick

Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin

Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie