Trying to strengthen ties with eu allies. Hans nichols is in the belgian capital. What will be the tone in brussels . It started somber when the president visited fields of flanders. On wars inective past centuries and the responsibilities of the current. Eneration all unit given the situation with ukraine. Technically, heres what is happening today. Theyre making technicall assessments on which industries in europe would be affected by another round of sanctions against sectors and companies. Obama mentioned energy, finance, arms industry. They seem to be far away from pulling the trigger on another round of sanctions, there would have to be another incursion. Rom russia into ukraine thank you, hans nichols. In washington, the senate moves closer to adding a two ukraine. The bill advantage the provision the bill abandons the provision that would have boosted the imf and guarantees 1 billion in loans and 100 million in direct aid. Sandy levin of michigan, Ranking Member of the house ways and Means Committee is joining us. Thank you very much. Do you expect do using the u. S. Is doing enough to help ukraine . The imf provision was droppe d, but the senate will act tomorrow and we are moving in the house to provide u. S. Assistance. Tohave to really go extraordinary lengths to make sure that ukraine is supported by us. It is important for ukraine and important for the u. S. It is important for europe and import for freedom. It is important in every respect. What other support what you like to see . You are speaking of supplies and military aid . Lets go back to the imf provision, which was dropped because of republican resistance and the senate. Lets remember john mccain and senator corker, they supported the imf provision. It was dropped to expedite the action. In the house, there was also resistance from many republicans, but not all. I hope we can return to that. Ssue the imf is indispensable in terms of having the changes. Kraine has to make you favorite the u. S. Working with the imf to support ukraine . Both. There has to be u. S. Assistance but some involvement of the imf, it is not either or. What assistance would you like to see from the u. S. Directly to the ukraine . There has to be some military assistance, we have to be careful about that. Is looking for an excuse and i do not think we should give him that. We need to be absolutely firm that there is an important principle here. Ukraine is now struggling to make sure it can maintain its freedom. There have to make sure is no further incursion by russia. We have to make steps to make sure that does not happen. [indiscernible] the principle here. The administration discussing economic sanctions, what would be your bread line to issue them . I am not sure we need to talk about red lines, we have to make not cross thees line. I am in favor of considering further sanctions. Has to mr. Putin understand that there is unity, there is firmness led by our president and the europeans. We need to make very clear what our position is and we were very upset, more than that, in terms of crimea. Cleartin has to receive a message, including additional sanctions. I would like to move onto a debate you are passionate about unemployment insurance. The senate set to that on thursday on a bill to extend. Nemployment insurance it seems like it will pass the senate, House Speaker john boehner has all but kill it. What kind of pressure have you been putting on your fellow congressman . Is 2. 8nse pressure, it Million People who are involved. These are people looking for work, these are people who have not been able to find work. We have not had this percentage of unemployed, unemployed over six months since the last since the great depression. Mete are people i have with them. They are looking for work. People of all ages and backgrounds and professions. From every walk of life in this country. For us to say you are out in the cold, while they are looking for work this is not the answer. When the senate acts, and hope it is very soon, i have some believe the house will step up to the plate. I think john boehner needs to look at what is going on in ohio, for example. As well as the rest of the country. He needs to essentially say look, there are close to 3 Million People involved, plus their families. They work for their unemployment insurance, in a real sense. We need to respond. It does seem like the bill will not even get to the house floor. What is the democratic plan be. Comes to there it floor, we are saying to john boehner, give us a vote. If there is a go, it will pass. We are going to really work together, i hope with republicans, and really make it clear this is a matter of the lifeline for people looking for work. I have talked to people losing their houses. They are being foreclosed. They do not have gas to go to look for work. These are people desperately wanting work. And the notion is they are sitting around on couches. I say talk to the people involved here. Once you hear their stories, the house will have no option but to act. A little more optimistic that it will make it to the floor and pass. I want to end on a light note, are you a fan of candy crush . Again . I am not very good at that. I just downloaded it yesterday, maybe if you join now, you can beat me. Sandy levin of michigan, thank you. Thank you for having me. Moving and shaking this hour, oculus ceo just got a little bit richer after facebook announced it would buy their Virtual RealityDevice Company for 2 billion, oculus makes a ski goggle like device that people can wear to play 3d games. Bendan iribe spoke with bloomberg recently. Goggle, a decade from now, our goal is to get closer to sunglasses. Out, ray ban sunglasses that look cool. They are wearable and they are portable. You can throw them in your the competition with google and sony, for more on this deal, David Kirkpatrick joins us from detroit. Ceo and founder of a tech company and author of the facebook effect. Get past the 2 billion valuation. What was your biggest take away . The big take away for me is if you look at whatsapp as facebook s purchase to secure growth and the poor parts of the world by adding inexpensive and free , this is a way of trying to bolster business among the rich part of the world. The people who have money and will do the highend technology experiences. It is stunning that they have made another big acquisition this soon. This company is extremely aggressive, Mark Zuckerberg is extremely optimistic about the ways he can push his company and the future markets. What does this wind up telling you about the company that facebook will he in 10 years . What does it look like . Is a greatat question. I have been watching the question i have been watching the company for eight years or nine years and am amazed at how is is changing. It is becoming more of a portfolio of businesses, that is the key. If you look at what is happening with oculus, it may not be a part of the Facebook Service as we know it today in the longterm. In the shortterm, it will help games. In the long term, it could be a platform on its own. What part of this was defensive to compete with google and apple in 10 years . At it as look defensive, it is longterm defensive, i dont think you can think of this as a shortterm defensive. This company does not even have a commercial product yet, oculus. It is trying to be competitive by visiting by envisioning a computerized future that does not yet exist and trying to position facebook for a strong position there. They are thinking, ok, mobile is the top platform today. Theyre working very hard with whatsapp and instagram. Nextare thinking the platform could be a more virtual sensing true immersion, we are in the same place together even though we are not, kind of tie for. They would like to have the leading position for that. It is a gamble. What you think the conversation was behind closed doors . Was there any one saying it is a lot of money for a technology we do not know is going to work in 10 years . Yeah, a lot of people are saying now. I was onstage with Mark Zuckerberg and barcelona talking about stuff. Somebody asked him the question, you have just spent 16 billion on whatsapp, what is next . Zuckerberg said after you do Something Like that, we are not going to do too much right away. I actually said to him, with you, i never know. Inside his Company People are saying wait, you are doing another big deal . Are you sure . Think heaggressive, i convinced them. Are you a Virtual Reality game player . I think you are. I would if i had an oculus. I think it is very cool. It will be a success, facebook owning it will make it more of a success. People are going to enjoy playing these games. David, thank you so much. David kirkpatrick. Still ahead, how the worlds most successful ceos blog. A new battleground emerges in the fight for stricter gun control. The National Implications of to allow gunsosal in schools, bars, churches, and airports. Coming up next on in the loop. We are focusing on the debate over gun control. These new laws schools, and airports. Not surprisingly, the law is puzzling to antigun violence group. I am joined by Pulitzer Prize winning author and chair of the university of virginias Miller Center forum. Good morning. Is thisstartling to me seems to have broadbased Political Support in georgia. What about businesses and the public . You are seeing in georgia around the legislation has a lot more to do with politics than with gun ownership. There is an epic battle developing in that state. It is one of several in the south trending towards democrats in recent years. President obama polls at about 45 in the last president ial election. An issue around gun control is an effort by strong conservative groups, Tea Party Style groups, who controlled state legislature, to try to stake a flag on a hot button issue at a time there is a big division. Business groups actually view this kind of legislation or the sound trepidation. It is curious to see hardcore conservatives passing laws that forces every church to take a position on gun control. The law wind up changing as we get through politics as usual . Gubernatorial election fits and and the senate seat, they factor in and related ways. In georgia, you have the grandson of jimmy carter, a democrat, now a member of the state legislature, jason carter is running for governor against a republican governor, who will likely sign this legislation. Carter isats, jason the first serious democratic contender for governor of georgia in many years. In the u. S. Senate race, which is open now in georgia, you have the daughter of former u. S. Love can serve a democrat beloved conservative democrat making a bid for the senate seat. Over not that people all georgia are insisting they get to carry guns in the open going to church every sunday. It is not really about that. Fightabout this political where groups are trying to mobilize their core supporters. This is something that has mobilized a lot of hardcore conservatives. Nra playsrt of the into this . How are they doing politics in georgia . The nra has played out what its strategy in georgia, which has been his strategy for some years in many places. Essentially to take the position that every possible expansion of statutory requirements that allow people to carry guns into spaces, eliminating any doubt about where guns might be prohibited, the strategy of the nra has been to push the boundary as far as they can and remove doubts about what the Second Amendment means. Georgia is the headquarters of one of the largest and most influential Tea Party Organizations. Between progun forces and the tea party, even in cases where the Tea Party Organizations to not specifically endorse something. I want your take on what state will come next in this extreme legislation . That is hard to predict. As you know, a lot of states, since the massacre at sandy hook is that more states have made it easier to obtain guns then states who have made it harder. There is not really a Regional Focus to this. It is a mistake to assume this south. Thing about the attitudes among rural georgians are not much different than the attitudes of rural residents of pennsylvania and new york. Thank you so much for joining of university of virginias Miller Center. Coming up, target executives will testify about a data breach affecting millions of customers. When we come back. You are watching in the loop, live on Bloomberg Television and streaming on your phone in bloomberg. Com. I am alix steel. Approaching 26 minutes after the hour, bloomberg is on the markets. Features continuing to claw higher for a second day in a row as investors wait for durable goods orders coming out in a few minutes. On the markets again in 30 minutes. Heres a look at our top headlines. Russia learning the cost of annexing crimea. The country has been subject to sanctions from the u. S. And u k and will need to spend six point 8 billion dollars of emergency budget reserves to subsidize crimea. Putin facing the weakest Economic Outlook since 2009. Blackrocks larry fink taking on activist investors. The head of the Worlds Largest money manager warned Big Companies that dividends and buybacks might create returns at the expense of longterm investment. Janet yellen says rates would rise at the end of qe. When will qe end . We pose that question to Federal Reserve president james bullard. There is ambiguity about when will qe end. Cember, de january . There are different interpretations. The committee has not really talked about that. That is what is getting the timing a little bit off. To stress, this is not a calendarbased policy. , some kind ofsed sketch of a timeline that people have in their head that does not mean that is what the committee is going to do. What were going to do will depend on data. Time for deep ache number the umber, 2 billion dollars. Face but paying to acquire oculus, the company that makes a Virtual Reality gaming headset. 00 million in cash. An additional 300 million is oculus meets performance targets. Facebook intends to use it for communication, media, and other forms of entertainment. Mark zuckerberg said yesterday the Virtual Reality has the potential to be the next great computing evolution. The acquisition follows billiondollar deals. What is unique about this strategy is that it does not involve bankers. Cristina alesci is here with more on that angle. How unusual is that . A couple companies do business without bankers. Such a Young Company likes to advisors around. Mark zuckerberg thanks he has got the right stuff like comes to dealmaking. There are a couple things that work in his favor when it comes to making deals. One is the company has a reasonable amount of cash. Lets not forget most of this you do notstock, necessarily need any financing from bankers. That only do you have stock, you have a very valuable stock. One that he realizes is probably pretty expensively valued. He is going to try to use that currency to make deals. For example, the whatsapp deal, 12 billion of that was in stock, too. The timeline of these deals they are coming together in four or five days. This one was a marathon session at facebook headquarters. Is oculus protected . Outbook is only shelling 400 million in cash, what about oculus . They do not even have a product yet. Getting 400 million in backing for one of the most powerful companies in the world. This is a stellar deal for them. They need development money. You can spend millions of dollars on advisors and that goes into pockets of the bankers. Why not keep that for yourself . Are bankers looking at these deals and getting nervous they are missing out . Tol they be taking steps court popular startups . Bankers always try to get to popular startups. Heres the thing with bankers, i have had conversations with them. Bout these highprofile deals the bottom line is it is great to be on them from a branding perspective. Sometimes you get so checked down on fees it is not worth the. Assle the leverages on the side of the company itself. A lot of Big Companies, especially fortune 500 companies these days will actually start at the beginning of the year with a certain dollar size they know they will pay banks, a wallet. They are not going to move on that. Theres a lot of tense fortiation on fees highprofile deals. A thinker says i can go in the middle of the country and help a Paper Company or Steel Company with a 500 million deal and get paid more than i will trying to work for a High Profile Company like facebook. Thank you so much, we really appreciate it Cristina Alesci. We have some breaking news on durable goods. Michael mckee is at or breaking news desk. Interesting news from the durable goods up 2. 2 . The expectation was for a. 8 gain. Transportation only up. 2 on the month. Capital goods, nondefense, aircraft, the proxy for business spending, it is down 1. 3 . That is the second loss in the last three months. Does not look like businesses are ramping up a lot. Most of the change seems to be in the transportation area. That seems to be a little bit because of additional boeing sales and because Auto Companies were building their inventories, that is a worrisome trend down the road. It does not look like a great report at this point, the headline number is good. Thatents,. 9 gain, suggests the First Quarter might not be as slow as it had been pointing to. Alix . Thank you so much, mike mckee on the breaking news for durable goods. Active facebooks purchase of oculus. Focusing on ceos like Mark Zuckerberg and how they get the message out blogs