Big Take DC – Details, episodes & analysis

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 Reckonings

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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.

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From big questions about Biden’s performance that have sent Democrats into panic over whether he should be on the ticket to Trump’s misleading statements on January 6th, the first 2024 US presidential debate may have been billed as a rematch, but it was full of surprises.

Inside the spin room in Atlanta, Big Take host David Gura talks to Bloomberg senior politics editor Wendy Benjaminson and politics reporter Stephanie Lai to dig into those moments, discuss what the candidates said about inflation, taxes and immigration, and what it all means for the rest of the campaign cycle.

Read more: Panicked Emails, Gallows Humor: The Aftermath of Biden's Debate Disaster 

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The long tail of the Great Recession and the aftermath of the pandemic have resulted in a major housing affordability crisis in the US — and it’s hitting everyone from homeowners to renters.

Today, Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin digs into how we got here and whose problem it is to fix. She’s joined by Shaun Donovan, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis, and by Daryl Fairweather, a chief economist at Redfin.

Read more: Mortgages Stuck Around 7% Force Rapid Rethink of American Dream

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US politicians just can’t seem to stay out of court. New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is standing trial for charges that sound like a TV crime drama: alleged bribery, hidden gold bars and a secret FBI recording at a Washington steakhouse. But these allegations don’t just impact Menendez’s career–they could hurt Democrats as they fight an uphill battle to hold onto the Senate.

Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin talks with Bloomberg legal reporter Patricia Hurtado and Congress editor Megan Scully about the trial’s intrigue and how it could harm the Democratic party’s image.

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While President Biden meets with Europe's leaders this week, he is continuing to push for Israel and Hamas to support a cease-fire proposal. But violence is continuing to escalate on the ground in Gaza, raising questions about what it would take to end the conflict.

Today on the Big Take DC, host Saleha Mohsin speaks with Bloomberg White House correspondent Justin Sink and Israel bureau chief Ethan Bronner about the hurdles facing the proposal and what Biden and Netanyahu might do next.

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A New York jury found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former US president to be convicted of a felony.

Bloomberg legal reporter David Voreacos, who has been following the case from inside the courthouse, and Washington Bureau senior editor Wendy Benjaminson join host David Gura to discuss the trial, its historic outcome and how this could shape the rest of the 2024 election cycle.

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The US government was built on a system of checks and balances. But there’s always been a tug of war over just how much power the president has — on paper and in practice.

Law professor and author Dan Farber joins Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin on the powers and limits of the US president, how they’ve evolved since the country’s founding, and what’s at stake if a Commander-in-Chief ignores the office’s unwritten rules and precedents.

Read more: A Hidden Variable in the Presidential Race: Fears of ‘Trump Forever’

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Trump’s 2017 tax cuts were 30 years in the making. Some expire next year, and a nasty battle is brewing over whether to renew them.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg politics editor Laura Davison and Bipartisan Policy Center senior vice president Bill Hoagland join DC host Saleha Mohsin to break down the 2017 tax cuts, what they’ve meant for taxpayers and the US economy, and how a Biden or Trump win could affect their future.

Read more: Ultra-Rich Should Pay to Save Social Security, Swing-State Voter Poll Shows

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Team Trump is up against historic criminal trials and a failed reelection bid in 2020. Despite this, his 2024 campaign is organized, frugal – and getting results.

On today’s Big Take podcast, DC host Saleha Mohsin takes stock of the 2024 Trump campaign through the lens of his past two runs, speaking with former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci and Bloomberg politics reporter Nancy Cook.

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