Votes & Verdicts

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Episodes

163

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Votes and Verdicts is a series that examines the intersection of business, policy and law. It features conversations between Bloomberg Intelligence's team of litigation and policy analysts and thought leaders discussing legal and policy issues affecting markets and business decisions across many sectors.

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60 recent

August 21, 202631 min

Disney, Meta, Biofuel, IRS Shrinkage, Crypto

A lawsuit filed by Disney to halt the FCC’s early TV license renewal review of Disney’s broadcast TV stations, as well as lawsuits that could potentially expose Meta to billions in settlements against cases involving social media addiction lead Bloomberg Intelligence’s latest Votes and Verdicts podcast. The discussion led by BI’s Nathan Dean also looks at how refiners such as PBF Energy, CVR Energy and HF Sinclair could get at least partial relief from the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2026-27 renewable-fuel blending requirements from a lawsuit against the agency. The team also discusses the impact the shrinking of the Internal Revenue Service may have on companies, as well as an update on crypto developments after a White House meeting with executives from Coinbase and Robinhood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

August 14, 202637 min

Crypto Law, NEC Trial, NIL Tax, Trump v. Fed

The outlook for crypto legislation and rulemaking, with implications for Coinbase, Circle and others, leads this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Votes and Verdicts. We also discussed a CFPB open banking proposal and what it means for banks like JPMorgan and Bank of America as well as fintechs like Plaid. Elsewhere, Mead Johnson’s liability exposure will likely be clarified in the first federal test trial in lawsuits alleging preterm infant formula causes necrotizing enterocolitis. Fox, Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have the clearest exposure if Congress enacts a federal framework for college sports. President Donald Trump’s renewed bid to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook probably fails, and the midterm elections could threaten the Supreme Court’s business-friendly tilt. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

August 7, 202633 min

Crypto Bill, TV Owner Caps, Movie & AI Taxes

Nathan Dean’s analysis of the likelihood of a government shutdown and potential passage of a crypto bill - with implications for Coinbase, Circle and others - leads this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence's Votes and Verdicts podcast. He also discussed a proposed bill to impose sanctions on Russia and a bill to ease regulations for banks like Truist, Zions, PNC, Regions Financial and others. Matt Schettenhelm analyzed the FCC's Aug. 6 vote to scrap the 39% US national TV-ownership cap and why Nexstar, Sinclair, Scripps and Gray may benefit. Andrew Silverman discussed federal film-production tax credits that would cut annual taxes for Paramount Skydance, Disney, Netflix and Warner Bros. He also explained why tax policy matters for AI infrastructure and hyperscalers like Alphabet, Amazon.com, Meta and Microsoft. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 31, 202631 min

Paramount-WBD, Meta Trial, J&J Talc Pact

Analysis of litigation challenging Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery leads this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Votes and Verdicts podcast. We also discuss why Meta’s request to the Ninth Circuit to put on hold an Aug. 18 social-media-addiction trial probably won’t succeed. Lastly, we look at the implications of Johnson & Johnson’s $5.5 billion settlement in litigation alleging the company’s talcum powder products caused cancer. For more of Bloomberg Intelligence’s litigation and policy research, please visit BI LAWS <GO>. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 24, 202643 min

The End of Corporate Tax Inversions?

Corporate tax inversions once dominated international tax planning, prompting decades of congressional action and Treasury regulations with the result that we still had some of the largest cross-border mergers in history. Yet, despite the rollback of the last round of anti-inversion regulations in 2017, large US companies have largely stopped leaving the country. In this episode of Votes and Verdicts, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Government Analyst Andrew Silverman and PKF O’Connor Davies Tax Partner Chris Migliaccio discuss why inversions have faded, whether the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act fundamentally changed corporate tax incentives and what Bloomberg Intelligence’s latest research says about how multinational tax planning has evolved over the past decade. They also examine whether future tax increases or global tax reforms could ever make inversions attractive again. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 17, 202630 min

Lindsey Graham; Apple vs. OpenAI; Kenvue Blow

Senator Lindsey Graham’s passing makes some of US President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, particularly a reconciliation 3.0 package, harder. This episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Votes & Verdicts podcast centers on the implications of Graham’s death and the outlook of Apple’s suit accusing OpenAI of stealing trade secrets. Elsewhere, an appeals court reinstated some of the plaintiffs’ experts in federal cases against Johnson & Johnson and spinoff Kenvue alleging that Tylenol causes autism and ADHD, making settlement more likely. Hyperscalers like Alphabet, Amazon.com and Microsoft potentially face further data-center bans following New York’s one-year moratorium. Trump Organization entities are filing amended claims accusing Capital One of debanking them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 10, 202626 min

$1.4 Trillion Meta Suit, SpaceX, Data Centers

The settlement implications of a $1.4 trillion demand by states in an upcoming trial against Meta related to allegedly addictive features leads this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s Votes and Verdicts podcast. We also discussed why Meta can cut $10 billion from a $22 billion IRS tax case in connection with IP offshoring. An NAACP lawsuit against SpaceX’s xAI unit seeks to shut down the gas turbines powering its Colossus 2 data center and could jeopardize part of its $45 billion contract with Anthropic. Hyperscalers like Alphabet, Amazon.com and Microsoft face heightened nationwide policy risk after New York passed what appears to be the first data-center ban in the US. Prediction market litigation is poised for Supreme Court review, with New Jersey’s Aug. 4 deadline to seek high court review of its loss to Kalshi. Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 2, 202658 min

Policy & Litigation 2H Catalysts for Investors

The November midterm elections, potential litigation challenging the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, and President Donald Trump’s ongoing bids to fire Federal Reserve Governors Jerome Powell and Lisa Cook are among key catalysts Bloomberg Intelligence policy and litigation analysts will be watching in 2H. In this episode of Votes and Verdicts, we also discuss crypto legislation to bring clarity for companies like Coinbase, deregulation to ease capital rules for banks such as JPMorgan and Bank of America, relaxed TV-ownership caps for companies like Nexstar and Sinclair and rulemaking and litigation concerning prediction markets like Kalshi. Further, we explore antitrust cases against Live Nation and Google, BNP Paribas’ Sudan genocide appeal, and class actions against Bayer and Reckitt’s Mead Johnson. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

June 26, 202649 min

Trump’s Cuba Plan and Business Implications

What is the Trump administration’s approach to Cuba? How does it differ from President Donald Trump’s first term? And what happens next in the short term and the longer term? Ricardo Herrero, executive director of the Cuba Study Group, joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s Elliott Stein and Nathan Dean on this episode of the Votes and Verdicts podcast to discuss these and other related questions. Herrero also discusses the risks and opportunities for companies operating or seeking to operate in Cuba, and explores implications for banks like Santander and BBVA, for hotels like Melia and Iberostar and for crypto companies like Coinbase, among other sectors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

June 18, 202629 min

Bayer Roundup Suit’s SCOTUS Chances, Risks

Bayer, facing tens of thousands of lawsuits over weedkiller Roundup, has set its sights on the Supreme Court. Dale Mullen, partner and co-chair of the business and corporate law section at Whiteford, joins Bloomberg Intelligence litigation analyst Holly Froum on this episode of the Votes and Verdicts podcast to discuss Bayer Monsanto’s appeal to the US Supreme Court of a $1.25 million verdict holding it liable for failing to warn that Roundup causes cancer. They discuss Bayer’s arguments, the company’s chance of success on appeal, risks that remain even if it secures a Supreme Court victory and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.