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Big Take DC

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Bloomberg’s Saleha Mohsin shares one reported story a week about how money, politics, and power shape Washington — and the consequences for people in America and all over the world.
21 Episodes
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The US public’s trust in the media, and the government, is markedly low. A recent Gallup poll found only about 30 percent of Americans trust the media — and Pew Research found only 16 percent trust their government. Bloomberg’s Jason Leopold is using records to try to change that. He’s filed over 9,000 requests through the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA — a Cold War era law meant to ensure the right to transparency from the US government. On this week’s Big Take DC, host Saleha Mohsin and Jason dissect the FOIA process, the challenges of sifting through redacted documents from secretive government entities and the stories FOIA records have brought to light. Subscribe to the FOIA Files newsletter: https://www.bloomberg.com/account/newsletters/foia-filesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tires and doors falling off mid-flight. A top US official stranded because of a 737 jet maintenance issue. Boeing is facing the ire of US lawmakers, scrutiny from its key regulator, and pressure from Wall Street ahead of an earnings report — all as it struggles to rebuild trust with passengers after a string of crises.On this week’s Big Take DC, Saleha Mohsin digs into Boeing’s rise and fall with reporter Julie Johnsson, global aviation editor Benedikt Kammel, and long-time pilot and accident investigator Captain John Cox.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Japanese company’s bid to buy US Steel has sparked a fight with the United Steelworkers union — and put the company at the center of the 2024 presidential contest. Today on the Big Take DC, reporters Joe Deaux and Josh Wingrove trace why the deal came to a halt, how the company fits into Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s brands of political nostalgia, and why the fate of this deal could have an outsized impact on the election.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After years of letting the private tax e-filing industry run the show, the IRS is finally piloting an online tool that’s supposed to make tax season easier – and free – for thousands of taxpayers in a dozen states.  On this episode of The Big Take DC podcast, we explore how the idea got off the ground, who can use it, and whether the program could ever compete with the powerful private tax-filing industry.Corrects date the Free File Alliance was launched in podcast published April 4.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Immigration has become a top issue for voters in the 2024 election cycle, but people on the border want action now — not after November. On the Big Take DC podcast, Bloomberg's Washington Bureau Chief Peggy Collins visits Eagle Pass, Texas, to explore why the US-Mexico border is shaping up to be a dominant campaign issue and what the needs on the ground really are. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill with an ultimatum for TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance: sell the app, or be banned in the US. Today on The Big Take DC podcast, Bloomberg’s Dan Flatley and Alex Barinka cover the national security concerns behind this bill and the potential geopolitical and tech industry consequences.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is trying to navigate a tricky economy – stubborn inflation and persistent fears of a recession. Now, two men hoping for a second term in the White House are drawing the central bank into the political fray. “We can expect that things are going to get a little spicy,” Bloomberg’s Kate Davidson, who covers the Fed, joins the Big Take DC podcast to talk about the battle to maintain the central bank’s independence in the glare of 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Donald Trump faces four criminal trials amounting to 91 felony counts, and three civil cases. None of this has fazed his base as he runs for election. “If he was in jail, I sure would vote for him,” said Ralph Hunter, a South Carolina resident. He told the Big Take DC podcast that while he doesn’t like Trump “as a person,” he was impressed with his presidency.Trump’s electability is intact – but his finances are another story. Today on the Big Take DC: How Trump’s legal woes are hitting his wallet and his re-election bid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fifteen states voted in the presidential primary contest on Super Tuesday, marking a decisive point in the election cycle. Former President Donald Trump’s campaign notched a clear victory as he marches down the path to clinching the Republican nomination. For President Joe Biden, between Super Tuesday and his State of the Union on Thursday, it’s officially the beginning of campaign season. Is Trump’s grip on the GOP’s future solidified? Will Biden be able to rekindle Trump angst to compete with Trump nostalgia? Host Saleha Mohsin and Bloomberg politics editor Mario Parker talk about the vulnerabilities each candidate faces, and what lies ahead in 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On today’s episode, the US military’s mysterious project to bring modern artificial intelligence to the battlefield — told by the defense official behind it, whose job was so secretive he couldn’t even tell his wife about it. Bloomberg’s Katrina Manson takes host Saleha Mohsin behind the scenes for an unclassified look at Project Maven.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Two years after the Kremlin's forces invaded Ukraine, US-led sanctions have certainly changed Russia's economy – but they haven’t stopped the war. The US Treasury’s chief sanctions economist contends the effort is working. But an analyst who worked at Russia’s central bank before fleeing in 2022 counters that the economy is very much alive. In this episode of the Big Take DC, we find out about Russia’s “brain drain,” how an economy that was shrinking is projected to beat earlier expectations in 2024 and whether Russia will ever regain global prestige.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
American voters are so disillusioned by their options in the presidential election that pollsters have come up with a term for it: “Double-hater.” These are people who don’t like President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump, who leads the race for the GOP nomination. And yet, when asked by the Big Take DC podcast if an outsider candidate could break through in 2024, Ralph Nader, who ran for president outside the two major parties four times, gave a simple, “No.” Still, there are some indications that third-party candidates could cause trouble for the frontrunners. In this episode of Big Take DC, we examine the impact an outsider candidate could have on the general election and efforts from groups like No Labels to offer a viable alternative.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
China’s economy has been in rough shape, and the government is trying to address it. But there’s another threat on the horizon: the US election.During their presidencies, both Joe Biden and Donald Trump backed policies that drove the US and China further apart. Now, they're both campaigning for re-election on continuing on that trajectory.In this episode, Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway from the Odd Lots podcast speak with Tom Orlik, chief economist at Bloomberg Economics, and Mackenzie Hawkins, US industrial policy reporter for Bloomberg News. They’ve measured what a Trump or Biden victory in 2024 could mean for China’s economy, and beyond. Subscribe to Odd Lots to get all of their episodes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
America’s use of sanctions has grown by almost 1,000% since 9/11. So why isn’t Congress giving the office in charge of them more resources?Today on the Big Take DC podcast, host Saleha Mohsin talks to John Smith, a former director of the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, and Bloomberg National Security editor Nick Wadhams about OFAC’s scrappy operation and why lawmakers aren’t giving it more to work with.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When the US borrows money, just like any borrower, it needs to pay its loans back with interest.The national debt right now is $34 trillion and rising. Soon, America will need to spend more each year paying interest on the debt than it spends on national defense.Phillip Swagel, director of the Congressional Budget Office, and Bloomberg reporter Liz McCormick join the Big Take DC to discuss the US government’s debt spiral, and what it would take to rein it in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain has been in the news almost nonstop for successfully negotiating a new contract for union members and, most recently, endorsing President Joe Biden for re-election.But that endorsement is at odds with many rank-and-file union members who support Donald Trump. And Fain's next industry battle could be much harder.In setting his sights on electric vehicle makers like Tesla and rallying his union members (many in swing states) around Biden, Fain is trying to propel the UAW back to its former industry might and political sway.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Last year, as the US Federal Reserve kept raising interest rates to rein in inflation, Chair Jerome Powell kept pointing to one category of data that was guiding its decision: The labor market. But it’s possible that the labor market data-of-choice may have been faulty.Having a clear picture of how Americans are really doing is crucial during a presidential election cycle. Bloomberg’s Saleha Mohsin talked with Claudia Sahm, an ex-Fed economist, and with Odd Lots podcast hosts Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway about whether economists have the best data to make key decisions about the US economy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The biggest individual donors have been notably absent in the GOP primaries: Wall Street investors.  So far, big investors haven’t opened their wallets for Republican frontrunner and former President Donald Trump. But they haven’t rallied around any of his challengers, either. In fact, they’re just as fatigued by the options as everyday American voters, many of whom grimace at the thought of a rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden.  Bloomberg’s Saleha Mohsin talks with Kyle Bass, who is plugged into the world of political money and is close with major donors, and Bloomberg politics editor Laura Davison about what investors want out of the 2024 election, the impact of their donations and what their hesitancy means for this consequential election.Corrects to remove reference to billionaire in podcast and third paragraph.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Big Take DC podcast has a special episode from Iowa to unpack the results of the first contest in the race for the Republican nomination. Former President Donald Trump’s landslide win was called before some caucus sites had even started debating. And the race for No. 2? Ron DeSantis won, with Nikki Haley coming in third. Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin is joined by Bloomberg’s Nancy Cook and Josh Green to unpack the outcome of the caucuses, what it means for the Republican party, and what it could tell us about the 2024 presidential race ahead.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds gives an exclusive interview just days before her state kicks off the 2024 presidential cycle. After months of debates and polling, the Iowa caucuses will be the nation's first state-level contest for the next Republican presidential nominee.Bloomberg’s Saleha Mohsin talks with Reynolds about why Ron DeSantis has her vote, and what she’ll do if Donald Trump becomes the party’s nominee.This interview has been condensed for clarity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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