Big Take
Episodes
The Prosecutor Who Fought to Arrest Jeffrey Epstein in 2007
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Two decades ago, a federal prosecutor in Florida spent two years investigating Jeffrey Epstein and urged her superiors to charge him. Her frustrations...
What Trump Wants in Cuba
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump says he believes he’ll have the “honor of taking Cuba.” As the island nation suffers from major blackouts and...
$100 to Fill Up Your Tank? Some Drivers Say No Thanks
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As the war with Iran drags out and oil prices remain turbulent, it raises the question of whether — and how — prolonged conflict in the Mi...
The Sixth Bureau Episode 6: Nothing Is Holy
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 6 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, with spy Xu Yanjun in prison, the US government pursues some of his collaborators. Plus,...
The Iran Mine Threat Rattling Global Oil
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Has Iran laid mines across the Strait of Hormuz? With attacks on gas and oil facilities across the Middle East sending energy prices soaring, a key to...
The Iran War Is Complicating How the Fed Makes Rate Decisions
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Open Market Committee announced this afternoon that it would hold interest rates steady. The decision comes in spite of spiking oil prices...
How Asia Became the Frontline of the Global Energy Crisis
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From soaring fuel prices in Pakistan to a shortage of cooking gas in India, Asia is bearing the brunt of the energy crunch sparked by the Iran War. On...
Russia Could Be the Biggest Winner of the Iran War
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As the war in Iran draws in more countries, it’s had unlikely benefits for one of Iran’s key allies: Russia. President Trump has eased som...
Weekend Listen: The Rise and Fall of an Alleged Scam Boss
15 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
By any account, Chen Zhi's ascent was meteoric. At a young age he founded a real estate company in Cambodia, which quickly became the sprawling Prince...
Your Streaming Subscription Could Be the Next Trade Battlefield
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From online banking and social media to digital ads and AI subscriptions, digital services are the fastest-growing segment of global trade. Unlike phy...
Iran War Spotlights the Pentagon’s AI Strategy
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the first 24 hours of US attacks on Iran, the scale of firepower more than doubled that of the US’ initial assault on Iraq in 2003 — an...
Why So Many Private Credit Investors Want Out
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Brian Chappatta and Olivia Fishlow unpack the recent tumult in the world of private credit. How c...
What a $100-Per-Barrel Oil Spike Does to the Global Economy
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After oil soared to nearly $120 per barrel on Sunday, President Donald Trump began to signal that the US had already achieved victory in Iran and coul...
Iran War Could Hinge on Who Runs Low on Munitions First
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A major factor that could limit hostilities in Iran and the Middle East is munitions — what weapons each side is using, and how quickly they mig...
The $240 Million Ad Campaign That Helped Get Kristi Noem Fired
07 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump fired Kristi Noem from her role as head of the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday. One of the reasons for Noem’s...
The Sixth Bureau Episode 5: One Way In, One Way Out
07 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 5 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, a spy from China’s Ministry of State Security travels to an overseas meeting ...
War in Iran Is Exposing Oil Risks Across Asia
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The war in the Middle East is rattling global oil markets, raising the risk of supply disruptions and price shocks for energy‑hungry Asian economies...
Former Secretary of State on the Two Keys to Ending War in Iran
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How long will hostilities in Iran last? Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken says it will likely depend on “markets and munitions.” In...
The White House’s Shifting Explanations for the Iran War
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As the war with Iran widens in the Middle East, legislators on both sides of the aisle have expressed frustration with a lack of advance notice of the...
After Months of Succession Planning, Who’s Leading Iran?
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The US and Israel’s attacks on Iran have entered their third day — and President Donald Trump said Monday that the US military operation c...
The Threat of Iran’s “No Red Lines” Retaliation
01 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Targets in Iran, Israel and in the Middle East are under attack in an unprecedented escalation in the conflict between the US and Iran. The combat ope...
Former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein Says the Market Is Due For a Reckoning
01 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After steering one of Wall Street’s iconic investment banks through the financial crisis, former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein is investing ...
Special Report: US and Israel Strike Iran
28 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump says the US has begun major combat operations against Iran. Airstrikes have been carried out by Israel and the US, with mu...
The Sixth Bureau Episode 4: The Duck Analogy
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 4 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, we follow a spy from China’s Ministry of State Security as he tries to plan a deli...
How the ‘Power Game’ Is Reshaping Venezuela
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After US forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, President Donald Trump said the US would “run” the ...
Is Apple Winning the ‘AI Scare Trade’?
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As the “AI scare trade” jolts companies large and small, Apple shares keep doing their own thing. The company has “decoupled” ...
A Guide to the State of Trump and the Union
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump heads into Tuesday evening’s State of the Union address with sagging poll numbers just days after his signature tariff strategy ...
The Winners and Losers of Trump’s New Tariff Reality
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From Brussels to Beijing, the United States’ largest trading partners are digesting the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn President Tru...
SCOTUS Strikes Down Trump’s Tariffs
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The US Supreme Court on Friday handed President Donald Trump one of the biggest losses of his second term, striking down his signature tariff plan. On...
The Sixth Bureau Episode 3: Suck, Squeeze, Burn, Blow
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 3 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, we follow a spy from China’s Ministry of State Security to the Paris Air Show, and...
Trump’s Plan to Dismantle the Department of Education
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Department of Education has been a target of critics for decades. Republicans in the Oval Office have repeatedly tried to shrink the agency, and i...
The Rush to Buy Real Estate in Mecca
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time in history, Saudi Arabia is allowing international buyers to purchase property in Mecca. This regulatory shift has ignited a buildi...
Why Beef Is Getting So Pricey
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Inflation in the US has cooled from pandemic peaks, but there’s a grocery product telling a different story: beef. The price of uncooked ground ...
The Sixth Bureau, Episode 2: The Spy’s Diary
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 2 of The Sixth Bureau, a limited-run series from The Big Take, we learn how China’s Ministry of State Security recruits experts in th...
The Sixth Bureau, Episode 1: Your Friend From Nanjing
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s an open secret that the Chinese government has engaged in a global campaign to acquire intellectual property from foreign rivals. At the ce...
Trump Accounts Promise Free Money. Is There a Catch?
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In July, American parents will be eligible to open Trump Accounts on behalf of their children. The administration touts these investment accounts as a...
Finally, Some Good News on US Jobs
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The latest jobs report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics is a mixed bag. January’s numbers came in much stronger than expected — but ...
What Takaichi’s Landslide Election Win Means for Japan
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured a historic election win, positioning her as the nation’s strongest leader in the postwar era. On ...
Can the US and Iran Make a Deal?
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The prospect of US military action in Iran and the possibility of regional war continue to loom over indirect talks between the two countries. Israeli...
Weekend Listen: George Saunders Imagines an Oil Exec’s Deathbed
08 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What is the best way to tell a climate story? This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi speaks with Booker Prize-winning novelist George Saunders. His new novel...
Betting on Sunday’s Game? Here’s Who You’re Up Against
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots on Sunday, more than $2.6 billion in wagers will be on the line. A growing share — $8...
Generic Versions of Weight Loss Drugs Will Upend the Market
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Shares of Novo Nordisk were down Thursday morning after Hims & Hers introduced a compounded version of its Wegovy pill. The dip came two days afte...
Has the AI Reckoning Arrived?
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
AI anxiety is coursing through the stock market right now. From Tuesday’s global selloff in software and technology stocks to last week’s ...
Behind Thailand’s Push to Recriminalize Cannabis
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Four years after Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis, its booming market is at a crossroads. Initial high hopes for a ...
Bloomberg Talks: Disney Chairman James Gorman on Bob Iger's Successor Josh D'Amaro
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We at the Big Take Podcast are sharing the audio of Bloomberg's interview with Disney Chairman James Gorman. Bloomberg's Ed Ludlow interviewed Gorman ...
What Is (And Isn’t) in the Latest Epstein Files Release
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Department of Justice released another batch of documents from the so-called Epstein Files on Friday. It brings the total number of pages the DOJ ...
Weekend Listen: Why the Tech World Is Going Crazy for Claude Code
01 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
n the AI industry, there's always a hot new thing. First it was ChatGPT. Then it was the image generators. There was the DeepSeek moment. In the latte...
How Kevin Warsh Could Shape the Fed’s Future
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After months of speculation and a publicized selection process befitting The Apprentice, President Trump has announced his pick to lead the Federal Re...
The Fight Over ICE Funding
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The US Senate failed to advance a government spending package on Thursday, setting up for a partial government shutdown. At the center of the debate i...
Trump Keeps TACOing. What If Markets Stop Caring?
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Not long ago, markets would have lurched if a president threatened to impose tariffs, attack a foreign nation or compromise Federal Reserve independen...
Japan’s Bond Crash Sent Shockwaves Through Global Markets
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From sinking Treasuries to global selloffs, the turmoil in Japan’s bond market is being felt far beyond its borders. On today’s Big ...
Can Europe Break Up With the US?
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From his ambitions to acquire Greenland to his retracted (for now) threats of tariffs on European countries that oppose him, President Donald Trump co...
Weekend Listen: Japan’s $2 Trillion ‘Dementia Money’ Cliff
25 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Japan is home to the world’s oldest population and a growing share of the country’s financial assets – about $2 trillion – are...
Banks Really Hate Trump’s Credit Card Proposal
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump has revived a campaign pledge to cap credit card interest rates at 10%. It’s an effort to address affordability concerns among A...
Why Trump v. Cook Matters
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Across the ideological spectrum, Supreme Court justices appeared wary of President Trump’s attempts to fire Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa ...
Trump Takes His Case for Greenland to Davos
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In an unprecedented speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Donald Trump ruled out taking Greenland by military force, but...
Inside ICE’s Plan to Build Detention ‘Mega Centers’
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
ICE has been open about its aggressive detention and deportation targets. And now, the agency has its sights set on a new kind of facility to house th...
Trump’s Economy, One (Second) Year In
19 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week marks the end of President Trump’s first year back in office. His busy economic agenda included global tariffs, deregulation, tax cuts...
The Domino Effect of the ‘Donroe Doctrine’
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
For Beijing, the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was a mixed bag -- an embarrassing surprise, a wake-up call over its allianc...
Trump’s Latest Target: Corporate Landlords
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Since the 2008 financial crisis, private equity firms and other large investors have bought hundreds of thousands of homes across the US, expanding th...
Pressure Is Mounting on Iran's Regime
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Weeks of protests in Iran started over the high price of food and essential goods. They quickly engulfed the nation and, before long, were met with de...
The Jump in ICE Funding Behind The Minneapolis Surge
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week, following the deadly shooting of Renée Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, the state of Minnesota sued the federal government in a ...
What the DOJ Subpoenas Mean for the Fed
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On Sunday night, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced that the US Department of Justice had served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas threaten...
Why Trump Wants Venezuela’s Oil
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After the Trump Administration’s strike on Venezuela and the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, there’s one word on everyone&rsquo...
All Eyes on Greenland
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Within days of the US raid on Venezuela, President Donald Trump and his administration turned their attention to Greenland, renewing European fears th...
The ACA Subsidies Fight Hits the House Floor
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The US House of Representatives will vote today on whether to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act that bring down health care costs for milli...
How Venezuela Shifts China’s Calculus
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The US strike on Venezuela and capture of President Nicolás Maduro sent shockwaves across the globe — particularly in China, Venezuela&rs...
How the Fall of Maduro Could Echo Around the World
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump announced early Saturday morning that the United States had carried out a strike against Venezuela and captured its president, Nicol&a...
Wall Street’s Predictions for 2026
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Every year, Wall Street’s top minds — strategists, economists and portfolio managers — pack their best ideas into dense market outlo...
How Much Would You Pay to Buy Back Your Time?
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tired Americans are increasingly willing to pay a premium for items or services that save time or ease their fatigue: a laundry machine that both wash...
How China Defied the Odds in 2025
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
China started 2025 with deflation, a property crisis and fears of a “lost decade” damping sentiment. By year’s end, it had stunned t...
Why African Startups Are Embracing DeepSeek
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chinese tech companies Huawei and DeepSeek are teaming up to offer cloud computing and AI services. And they’re pitching African startups on usi...
Doing the Math on Toy Tariffs
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Since the start of his second term, US President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs – especially on China, where most toys are made. ...
How to Make It in India (Instead of China)
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The US-China trade war has upended global manufacturing, forcing companies like Chicago-based Learning Resources to fundamentally change how and where...
The American Toymaker Caught in Trump’s Trade War
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump’s trade threw American businesses, which source everything from aircraft parts to baby strollers from China, into chaos. Over th...
Why Instacart Backtracked on an AI-Pricing Experiment
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This month, the think-tank the Groundwork Collaborative, Consumer Reports and the news nonprofit More Perfect Union released a report finding that Ins...
Even a US Blockade of Venezuela Isn’t Spiking Oil Prices
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From OPEC powerhouses and US shale producers to countries like Guyana, global producers are drilling more oil and driving down prices. And with the po...
Weekend Listen: Lynsey Addario Keeps Going Back to Photograph War
21 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lynsey Addario’s life work means taking great risks to tell other people’s stories. She is a Pulitzer Prize winning war photographer...
Inside Disney and OpenAI’s Billion Dollar Deal
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As AI-generated images ping pong around the internet, the Walt Disney Company has been mostly playing defense, using litigation to protect its intelle...
Truckers Are Aging Out. Who Will Replace Them?
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The trucking industry has long been dominated by older white men. But as those truckers steer toward retirement, who will replace them? On today...
Many Cancer Drugs Don’t Extend Life
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Treating cancer is a massive business. In 2024 alone, cancer treatments generated at least $200 billion in worldwide sales for the pharmaceutical indu...
The $2 Billion Flood Control Scandal Rocking the Philippines
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Philippines is no stranger to typhoons, but this year’s storms exposed something far uglier: a vast corruption scandal. On today’s Big...
Wait, Weren’t We Supposed to Have a Recession in 2025?
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
All year, the jobs market, consumer sentiment, AI and inflation flashed warning signs about the economy — but 2025 managed to avoid a recession....
Weekend Listen: The Man Driving Microsoft’s New AI Strategy
14 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mustafa Suleyman co-founded AI lab DeepMind when he was just 26 years old. Four years later, it was acquired by Google for a reported $400 million. He...
How to Invest in AI Right Now
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Depending on who you talk to, AI is the key to remaking industries and jobs – or a bubble ripe to pop. And if you’re an investor, you&rsqu...
A Fifth Generation Farmer on Trump’s $12B Bailout
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From rising costs to shifting markets, American farmers are struggling to make ends meet. Now, the White House is stepping in. On today’s Big Ta...
The Fed Just Cut Rates Again. Here’s What’s Ahead for 2026
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee cut rates by 25-basis points. It was the scenario a lot of close watchers of the Federal Reserve expec...
India Wanted to Become The World’s Toymaker. Then Tariffs Happened
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The US tariff war with China sent American companies scrambling to find alternative manufacturing hubs. India looked promising until the White House u...
What to Expect in the DOJ Epstein Files Release
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After last month’s passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the US Department of Justice is on the clock to release an enormous cache of d...
Weekend Listen: Salman Rushdie Isn’t Afraid of Free Speech
07 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Salman Rushdie was nearly killed when he was stabbed 15 times on stage in upstate New York in 2022. His injuries were so severe that he lost an eye. I...
Netflix’s $82 Billion Power Play for Warner Bros.
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
News broke overnight that Netflix is acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $82.7 billion. It’s a deal raisin...
How Microsoft Excel Conquered Corporate America
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Excel. If you work in corporate America, that word either inspires laser-focused productivity or pure dread. Over the last 40 years, the spreadsheet s...
Are We Headed For Another ‘Crypto Winter’?
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Back in October, Bitcoin reached a record high. Just a few weeks later, its price had plunged, taking out over $1 trillion dollars in assets along wit...
Hong Kong's Deadly Fire Triggers Rare Public Outrage
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hong Kong’s worst fire disaster in decades has stirred up public anger over negligence, safety standards and official accountability. On today&r...
Where US-Russia Talks Leave Ukraine
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff flew to Moscow, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited France. Witkoff is expected to meet with Ru...
Weekend Listen: Ken Burns Says Gratitude Is the Missing Ingredient in Our Politics
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ken Burns has been telling stories about America for almost 50 years. The lauded documentary filmmaker has a new series on PBS, The American Revolutio...
The Big Business of the Doodle Boom
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Goldendoodles, bernedoodles, labradoodles, cockapoos, everywhere you look, it seems like doodles — those fluffy, adorable poodle mixes — a...
Wanted: Fed Chair. Must Run World’s Largest Economy, Manage Up
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Weeks before the Trump administration is expected to name its pick for the next US Federal Reserve chair, current White House economic adviser Kevin H...
All Eyes on Japan and China Tensions After Taiwan Remark
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After a rare public comment on Taiwan from Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, relations between the two nations are at a historic low &...
Inside Trump’s Retribution Campaign
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, a federal judge threw out the criminal cases filed by the Department of Justice against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorn...