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We’re taking The Big Take to DC. Every Thursday, Bloomberg’s Saleha Mohsin digs into how money, politics, and power shapes Washington - and the consequences for voters across America.


Big Take DC

From inflation data to unemployment rates, the US government releases numbers every month that move markets and shape policies. But the agencies responsible for gathering that data are struggling — and President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to find cuts across agencies could further strain their resources.
 
On today’s Big Take DC podcast, Bloomberg economics editor Molly Smith joins host Saleha Mohsin to dig into what’s at stake if the federal government scales back on its investment in economic data.
 
Read more: 
 
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Market-Moving Data Under Threat as Trump Returns to Washington
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 BLS Needs Culture Revamp After Botched US Releases, Review Finds 
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Market-Moving US Economic Data Is Under Threat

In his final month as the United States’ chief diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is racing around the globe, responding to conflicts in the Middle East and the latest developments in the war in Ukraine. 

During a stop in New York, he sat down with host David Gura to talk about how he is preparing to hand over the country’s sprawling foreign policy portfolio to the incoming Trump administration.
 

Read more: Syria: Blinken Says US Weighs Sending Officials for Talks - Bloomberg
 
 

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Antony Blinken: The Exit Interview

US intelligence officials say that a hacking campaign known as “Volt Typhoon” has the potential to disrupt critical infrastructure systems in Guam — a significant hub for the US military that holds particular importance in US-China relations. 
 
On today’s Big Take DC podcast, Bloomberg national security reporter Katrina Manson shares what she’s learned about the threat and how it could limit America’s ability to push back if China were to invade Taiwan.
 
Read more: The US’s Worst Fears of Chinese Hacking Are on Display in Guam

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The ‘Everything, Everywhere, All at Once’ Cyber Threat

Scott Bessent is President-Elect Trump’s pick to be the treasury secretary, a role that spans oversight of the $28 trillion market for US government debt to economic sanctions.
 
Today on the show, Big Take DC’s Saleha Mohsin joins host David Gura to discuss the tightrope act that landed Bessent the nomination: winning over both MAGA and Wall Street. 
 

Read more: How Scott Bessent Won Over MAGA and Wall Street
 
 

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How Scott Bessent Made His Way Into Trump’s Inner Circle

With Donald Trump back in the White House, global business leaders attending the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland this week seem to be falling into line with the US president’s “America First” agenda.
 
Today on the show, host David Gura talks to Bloomberg’s Ted Mann about Trump’s influence over Davos, and the CEOs who missed the opening of the conference — including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg — but had front-row seats at his inauguration.
 
Read more: ‘Which Time Were You Lying?’: The Great CEO Flip-Flop Over Trump Hits Davos
 
Further listening: Davos Is Learning the ‘Art of the Deal’ With Trump

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The Most Influential Person in Davos Isn’t There

It’s been a tough stretch for Boeing. Its new CEO Kelly Ortberg is trying to rebuild public trust and turn the company’s finances around, all while navigating pressure from President Trump to deliver new Air Force One jets and working with the founder of one of Boeing’s chief rivals, Elon Musk.
 
On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg senior aerospace reporter Julie Johnsson joins host David Gura to explain the turbulent road ahead for the US planemaker.
 
Read More: Elon Musk’s Air Force One Scrutiny Tests Boeing’s Path to Recovery

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How Trump and Musk Are Testing Boeing’s Path to Recovery

Is it a trade war or is it whiplash? 
 
On Saturday, President Trump announced new 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods. On Sunday, he said tariffs were coming for the European Union, too.

The tariffs were initially supposed to take effect at 12:01 am Tuesday morning eastern time, but since that weekend announcement, the tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods have been delayed for one month. Meanwhile, the tariffs on Chinese goods are proceeding as scheduled.
 

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s global economy reporter Enda Curran and host Sarah Holder make sense of the news — and discuss how this could disrupt the US economy and reshape global commerce.

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The Tariff Wars Are Here — And They’re Messy

Trump says the president should be able to decide how to spend taxpayer money – not Congress. Part of his plan? Impoundment: A controversial maneuver that could wrest control of trillions of dollars in federal spending away from Congress.
 
Bloomberg politics reporter Gregory Korte joins Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin to explain what impoundment is, the pushback against Trump’s efforts and how the battle over its legality could play out.
 
Is there an idea in the news that you want explained? Email us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.
 
Read more: Trump Vows to ‘Impound’ Money Congress Appropriates. Can He Do It?

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Trump Is Trying to Take Control of Spending From Congress. Will It Work?

Nine days after his swearing in, Scott Bessent sat down with Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin at the US Treasury Department. 

They discussed topics in his purview dominating the headlines — Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts, tariffs — and his plans for taxes, trade, the Fed and more.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on DOGE, Taxes and the Fed

President Trump’s attacks on a key international aid agency, USAID, has left its work frozen and kicked off a fierce legal battle between his administration and US courts over its future. 
 
On today’s Big Take DC podcast, we hear from Bloomberg’s Simon Marks and health care workers on the ground in Nairobi about how the fight playing out more than 7,000 miles away is affecting HIV treatment there. And national security editor Nick Wadhams explains why Trump has taken aim at USAID and what a gutting of the agency could mean for US soft power.
 
Read more: 
 
 USAID Cuts in Kenya Reveal Risks to Lives and American Influence Worldwide After DOGE's Chaotic USAID Shutdown: Wasted Supplies, Layoffs and Lawsuits 
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The Battle Over USAID Is Heating Up

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.

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Putin’s War Persists As Sanctions Warp Russia’s Economy

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