Big Take DC

Over the last week, President-elect Donald Trump has announced his nominees for the top jobs in his administration. But one key position that hasn’t been filled yet is Treasury secretary, and the person Trump picks will play a crucial role in shaping US economic policy. Senior Washington correspondent and host Saleha Mohsin joins David Gura to tick through the top candidates under consideration and how each might shape the Treasury’s priorities if chosen and confirmed.  Read more: Bessent Hails Trump Agenda as Candidates Vie for Treasury Post Become a Bloomberg.com subscriber using our special intro offer at bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. You’ll get episodes of this podcast ad-free and unlock access to deep reporting, data and analysis from reporters around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Less than two days after Donald Trump won a second term, the Federal Reserve announced a rate cut. But speaking to reporters, Fed’s Powell faced difficult questions about the path forward for interest rates — and for him — under Trump. Bloomberg economic policy editor Kate Davidson joins host Saleha Mohsin to discuss how Powell’s answers today set up for a rematch between him and Trump over the Fed’s mission and independence.  Read more: Trump’s Victory Casts a Shadow Over the Federal Reserve Become a Bloomberg.com subscriber using our special intro offer at bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. You’ll get episodes of this podcast ad-free and unlock access to deep reporting, data and analysis from reporters around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As America heads to the polls for Election Day, thousands of poll workers and local officials are taking extreme measures to keep things running smoothly and to convince the public that they can trust the results. On today’s Big Take podcast, we hear from election officials and from Bloomberg national security reporter Chris Strohm on efforts to ensure the safety and integrity of the 2024 US election. Read more: ‘What Worries Me? Everything’: Officials Brace for US Election Day Become a Bloomberg.com subscriber using our special intro offer at bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. You’ll get episodes of this podcast ad-free and unlock access to deep reporting, data and analysis from reporters around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world is watching for instability after the US election next week. If there’s a repeat of the chaos that followed the 2020 results, it could damage not just American democracy, but something else: the global financial system that America dominates. Today on the show, host Saleha Mohsin is joined by former Senator Pat Toomey to unpack what’s at stake for a world that runs on US dollars if a peaceful transfer of power is no longer a given in the world’s oldest democracy. Read more: Election-Violence Risk Threatens US Dollar Dominance Further listening: Bloomberg’s Trump Interview: Inside His Economic Vision for a Second Term Bloomberg wants to hear from you! Help make shows like ours even better by taking the Bloomberg audience survey and have a coffee on Bloomberg for doing so. Become a Bloomberg.com subscriber using our special intro offer at bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. You’ll get episodes of this podcast ad-free and unlock access to deep reporting, data and analysis from reporters around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg News and Morning Consult have spent the past year polling voters in the seven key swing states that could decide the election: Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. The results are in for the last poll before Election Day — and the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris could hardly be closer. Senior editor Wendy Benjaminson leads Bloomberg’s polling coverage. She joins Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin to unpack the state of the race and the economic concerns motivating these voters as November 5 approaches. Read more: Two Weeks Out, Trump and Harris Are Locked in a Dead Heat Bloomberg wants to hear from you! Help make shows like ours even better by taking the Bloomberg audience survey and have a coffee on Bloomberg for doing so. Become a Bloomberg.com subscriber using our special intro offer at bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. You’ll get episodes of this podcast ad-free and unlock access to deep reporting, data and analysis from reporters around the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since 2023, more than 165 lawsuits have been filed challenging nearly every dimension of this year's presidential election. Across 37 states, including all seven swing states, these court cases could determine who can vote, how they vote, and how those votes will be counted. Bloomberg’s Zoe Tillman is tracking these cases as Election Day nears, and joins host Saleha Mohsin to discuss the role courts will play in the outcome of the presidential race — and what this all means for public trust in the voting process. Read more: More Than 165 Lawsuits Are Already Shaping the 2024 US Presidential ElectionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will we know the result of the 2024 US Presidential election on election night? Or will the new normal look like 2020, when Americans had to wait days for the final call? Bloomberg politics reporter Gregory Korte joins Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin to break down what’s changed since former President Donald Trump began contesting the results of his 2020 loss, and what could happen if a drawn-out election call stokes uncertainty in the electoral process.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the first and only vice presidential debate of the 2024 US election cycle, Tim Walz and JD Vance had two objectives: Keep the momentum going for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, and do no harm. But one of the most surprising takeaways of the policy-forward debate was just how respectful the conversation was.  Bloomberg senior editor Wendy Benjaminson joins host Sarah Holder to break down key moments – from the cordial to the confrontational – and what Vance and Walz’s performances mean for their tickets.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the past year, Bloomberg News and Morning Consult have been polling voters in swing states. Former President Donald Trump has had a consistent lead when it comes to the question of who voters trust on the economy. But a new poll of likely voters shows Vice President Kamala Harris closing that gap in key states. Today, senior editor Wendy Benjaminson joins the Big Take DC to dig into how this polling works and what we can learn from the results. Read more:  Kamala Harris Holds Razor-Thin Lead Across Swing States in Tight 2024 RaceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talk of de-dollarization has been gaining momentum among China, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa in the wake of significant US led sanctions on Russia. Former US President and candidate Donald Trump has said the currency is under attack — and that any country that shuns it would face new tariffs on imports if he is elected. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Saleha Mohsin about the unique role the dollar plays in the world economy — and what, if anything, could replace it. Read more: The Dollar’s Dominance, ExplainedFurther listening: Odd Lots Podcast – How the US Dollar Became an International Weapon of WarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since Vice President Kamala Harris took over the Democratic presidential ticket, she’s faced criticism from voters who say they don’t know what she stands for. But we know two Bloomberg reporters who do: California bureau chief Karen Breslau, who’s been following Harris’ career for two decades, and Josh Wingrove, who covers her campaign.  Today on the show, they join host Sarah Holder to discuss what we know about Harris’ economic message and what a Harris presidency could mean for everything from domestic taxes to global trade. Read more: Understanding Kamala Harris Further listening: Donald Trump Sits Down With Bloomberg BusinessweekSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Federal Reserve announced a highly anticipated rate cut of half a percentage point today — larger than many watchers anticipated. Which industries and companies will feel this interest rate cut the most, and what will it mean for everyday consumers? Bloomberg’s Enda Curran joins host Sarah Holder to talk about what effects we can expect to see as the rate cut ripples through the US economy and the world — and hits our wallets.Read more: Rent Is the Stubborn Part of the Inflation StorySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates for the first time in over four years. And there’s debate over how big the cut will be and how soon it will impact the economy. Bloomberg’s Kate Davidson joins host David Gura to discuss this turning point for the economy, and what else Fed policymakers have in store for the future.   Read more: Fed Ready to Unshackle US Economy With Soft Landing at Stake Further listening: What a September Cut Could Mean for the Economy and the ElectionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The year started with the door of an airplane falling off mid-flight. Frustrations with air travel have mounted since then. It’s up to Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation Secretary, to address those problems — which include everything from Boeing’s woes to the shrinking value of airline loyalty points. Buttigieg joined the Big Take DC podcast in an exclusive interview to talk about the future of air travel, and his political future after his tenure in the Biden administration ends.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a wide-ranging debate on Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly put former President Donald Trump on the defensive. Harris leaned into her past as a prosecutor, needling Trump on issues ranging from immigration to the economy and abortion. He attempted to criticize her record and define her as a radical unfit for the presidency. Bloomberg senior editor Wendy Benjaminson and host David Gura unpack the viral moments from the night, analyze the candidates’ performance, and discuss what comes next. Read more: How Kamala Harris Baited Trump Into a Debate on Her TermsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With two months until election day, Kamala Harris’ campaign is outpacing Donald Trump's on fundraising. But this late into the race, how much does money matter? Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin sits down with Bloomberg money and politics editor Laura Davison to break down both campaigns’ finances, how they might spend their money, and how much impact cash could actually have in the race.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In June, two NASA astronauts flew to the International Space Station on a Boeing spacecraft for a week-long test mission. But problems with the machinery mean they’ll be stuck there for 8 months… and when they come back in February, they won’t be flying Boeing. Instead, they’re hitching a ride with the company’s biggest rival in commercial space travel: Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Today on the show: space reporter Loren Grush and Boeing reporter Julie Johnsson on the challenges facing Boeing’s space program, the rise of SpaceX, and the future of NASA’s ambitions beyond our planet. Further listening: Boeing Faces Washington and Wall Street ReckoningsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, the Democratic Party has counted on support from Black voters. But former President Donald Trump has tried to leverage voter dissatisfaction with Democrats to bite into the party’s edge with that key demographic. And for a while, it seemed to be working – until the first Black woman to lead a major presidential ticket shook up the race. On today’s Big Take DC podcast, host Saleha Mohsin hears from voters and speaks to Bloomberg reporters Akayla Gardner and Hadriana Lowenkron about how Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has flipped the script for Trump, and for Democrats attempting to reverse President Joe Biden’s losses with Black Americans who were key to his win in 2020.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seven key states will play an outsized role in determining the outcome of the 2024 US election. A new analysis from Bloomberg found that as a group those states’ economies pose a challenge for Kamala Harris and an opening for Donald Trump. On today’s Big Take DC podcast, host Saleha Mohsin goes inside this “battleground economy” with Bloomberg senior writer Shawn Donnan and hears directly from voters on how this economic reality is influencing the communities that will choose between Trump and Harris. Read more: The Swing-State Economic Realities Shaping the US ElectionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last weekend, Donald Trump became the first American president to address a crypto conference, telling an audience in Nashville that “if Bitcoin is going to the moon, I want America to be the nation that leads the way.” It’s a stark contrast from five years ago, when Trump said Bitcoin’s value was based on “thin air.” Is his conversion from crypto skeptic to crypto cheerleader real – or just a canny attempt to get donations? On today’s Big Take DC podcast, host David Gura speaks to Bloomberg investigative reporter Zeke Faux about the surprising opinions he heard on-the-ground at the world’s biggest Bitcoin conference – and what that could mean for the future of the 2024 presidential election. Read more: Trump Became Crypto Believer After Falling in Love With NFTs of HimselfSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.