peHUB First Read

* Strange Bedfellows: David Rubenstein (Carlyle Group) and Leo Garard (U.S. Steelworkers Union) co-author a blog post on the future of U.S. manufacturing. * KKR pays its Amersterdam-listed affiliate $200 million, to buy the affiliate's stakes in five KKR portfolio companies. Moreover, there's now talk that KKR just might buy the entire affiliate, which would scuttle the firm's existing plans to go public on the NYSE via a reverse merger. * Morning Call: U.S. futures point higher, European shares rise for fifth-straight session, London up 1.5% at mid-day, the Nikkei jumps and Hong Kong climbs 3.6 percent. * Destroying civilization with nanotechnology. Paging Steve Jurvetson... * President Obama today is expected to announce new steps to aid small businesses, including a cut in lending fees and boost in loan guarantees. * It's been a year since Bear went bust. Where are its leaders now?