Votes & Verdicts

The US midterm elections have reshaped the policy landscape for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term, with Democrats winning control of both the House and Senate and ushering in a divided government. On Nov. 4, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Nathan Dean, Elliott Stein, Holly Froum, Matt Schettenhelm, Andrew Silverman and Justin Teresi broke down the Nov. 3 results and assessed the implications for energy, defense, technology, financial services, tariffs, taxes and federal regulation. BI’s policy and litigation analysts examined how Democratic control of Congress may constrain Trump’s legislative agenda while increasing the importance of executive authority, regulatory actions, appropriations and congressional oversight - and what those shifts mean for companies, sectors and investor allocations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the enforcement environment for companies in the US under the Trump administration? What should investors expect in terms of Congressional investigations of corporations if Democrats win one or both houses of Congress? Adam Schwartz, a partner with the law firm A&O Shearman, joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s Elliott Stein and Nathan Dean on this episode of the Votes and Verdicts podcast to discuss these and other questions. The conversation included discussion of enforcement areas where the Trump administration has been somewhat similar to the Biden administration — for example, AML fines of TD Bank and Bank of America — as well as areas where it’s been different, such as recent False Claims Act fines of companies like Accenture and IBM for falsely certifying compliance with federal anti-discrimination requirements. The discussion also covered anticipated targets of Congressional investigations by Democrats, including crypto and AI companies, and Boeing’s non-prosecution agreement.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The potential market impacts of the US midterm elections leads this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Votes and Verdicts podcast, recorded on Oct. 22. Nathan Dean discusses that and explains how President Donald Trump will rely on deregulation and executive authority to advance his policy goals, affecting banks like JPMorgan, crypto companies like Coinbase, prediction markets like Kalshi, and retailers like Nike. Elliott Stein explains why Senate elections matter for the business-friendly Supreme Court and to a lesser extent the Federal Reserve. Justin Teresi discusses a proposed bill to undo Trump’s diesel deal with Russia. Matt Schettenhelm examines litigation against Uber related to alleged sexual assault by its drivers, which exposes the company to potentially $500 million in settlement costs. And Andrew Silverman explains why the midterm elections might matter for the SALT (state and local tax deductions) cap and the potential negative effects for real estate brokers like Compass, and mortgage lenders like Rocket and UWM.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is earned wage access and who should regulate it – the states or the federal government? Should it be regulated as a loan or something else, and why does that matter? How has the Trump administration approached this product and what is Congress doing about it? Kevin Lefton, global general counsel of Stream, one of the country’s leading earned wage access providers, joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s Elliott Stein and Nathan Dean on this episode of the Votes and Verdicts podcast to discuss these and other questions. Lefton also discusses how he and Stream navigate political uncertainty and what earned wage access looks like in five to 10 years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The future of the US mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is discussed in depth in this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Votes and Verdicts podcast. BI's Ben Elliott speaks with Don Layton, former Freddie Mac CEO and JPMorgan vice chairman, about President Donald Trump’s push for a GSE stock offering and why such a transaction alone wouldn't constitute a meaningful exit from conservatorship. Layton examines whether release could be achieved before January 2029, the extensive groundwork around capital and policy that would need to come first, and the future of Treasury’s senior preferred stock and warrants. He also discusses which post-crisis reforms and taxpayer protections must survive, what can be accomplished administratively and whether conservatorship could become the permanent political equilibrium.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.