Big Take
Episodes
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...
Checking the Math on Trump’s $2,000 Checks
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Under new pressures over inflation and affordability, President Donald Trump has been talking up a plan to share tariff revenues with Americans, in th...
Weekend Listen: The Godmother of AI, Fei-Fei Li
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Stanford University Professor Fei-Fei Li has been at the forefront of artificial intelligence research for 25 years, which is why she’s been cal...
Harassment Concerns at Oxford Went Unaddressed for Years
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Oxford University has repeatedly been slow to act when confronted with allegations of harassment, assault and inappropriate behavior by male academics...
Nvidia Silences AI Skeptics (For Now)
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nvidia released its third quarter earnings Wednesday, crushing estimates and easing Wall Street’s concerns about an AI bubble. On today’s ...
The Hot Market for Jobs No One Wants
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After a period characterized as “low-hire, low-fire,” the American labor market is seeing a surge of layoffs from companies like Amazon, S...
China Tests the Limits in the Race for Biotech Power
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
China is investing heavily in cutting-edge genetic experiments. It’s part of their quest to become a biotech superpower. On today’s Big Ta...
How Private Equity Got Its Hands on Billions in Americans’ Retirement Money
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Apollo Global Management reinvented how pensions could be managed and paid out — by taking them over and moving the risks offshore. Other firms ...
Weekend Listen: Former UK Spy Chief Was Paid to Steal Secrets, Not Solve Mysteries
16 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For almost 40 years, Richard Moore was a career spy in Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service. Only his closest friends and family knew what he d...
They Voted for Trump. His Tariffs Took Down Their Family-Owned Sawmill
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For years, Mackeys Ferry Sawmill in North Carolina relied on exporting its goods to China and Vietnam after a dip in domestic demand for high-quality ...
The Most Worrying — and Reassuring — Signals in the US Economy
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In recent weeks, a number of economic warning signs have put investors on edge, from growing skepticism over the possibility of an AI bubble to bankru...
Trump Promised Revenge. He’s Using the DOJ to Make It Happen
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When President Trump took office in January, he made it clear that retribution against his perceived political enemies was a key part of his second-te...
Wall Street Speeds Up India Expansion
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wall Street banks are on a hiring spree across India, recruiting workers for everything from software engineering to risk management as part of a deca...
Why a K-Shaped US Economy Is Raising Red Flags
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The US economy appears remarkably resilient right now, but if you look closer, you’ll see a different picture emerge: a growing divide between A...
Weekend Listen: Julia Ioffe Wants You to Know Russia Is Bigger Than Putin
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you tell the history of a whole country through its women? And what can it tell us about the world today? These are the questions Russian-Ameri...
What’s Trump’s Venezuela Endgame?
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The United States has struck more than a dozen boats off the coast of Venezuela over the last two months, killing more than 60 people.The Trump admini...
How the Longest Government Shutdown Is Impacting the Economy
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The ongoing US government shutdown has broken historic records — and its economic consequences could prove even longer-lasting. Today on the Big...
Mamdani Won on Affordability. Can He Win Over NYC’s 1 Percent?
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Zohran Mamdani clinched New York City’s mayoral race by campaigning against wealth inequality and promoting affordability. Now, he faces the cha...
How APEC Become a Battleground for US-China Influence
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Asian nations are walking a tightrope between Washington and Beijing – juggling trade, tech and security pressures as the heavyweights vie for i...
It’s Not Just You. There Are a Lot of Layoffs Happening
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The last time the United States saw layoff numbers this high was during the Covid-19 pandemic. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg US Economy...
Weekend Listen: Nobel Laureate Believes US Pressure on Maduro Is the Only Way
02 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Three weeks after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado finds herself supporting US interventi...
WNBA Players Want More of the League’s Revenue. Can They Get It?
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The WNBA is bigger than ever. From soaring ticket sales and to record TV viewership, the W is one of the fastest-growing sports leagues in the world. ...
Trump Got an ‘Amazing’ Meeting. China Got Much-Needed Time
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Thursday, President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping of China announced a one-year truce in their trade war, capping six contentious months of...
Is the Fed Flying Blind?
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points, following its 25-basis-point cut in September. But amid a government shutd...
An American Toymaker Struggles to Break Up With China
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The US-China tariff war has upended global manufacturing, forcing companies like Chicago-based Learning Resources to fundamentally change how and wher...
New York’s MTA Chief on Trump’s Funding Threats
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Running North America’s largest transportation network is no easy task. Janno Lieber, the CEO and Chair of New York’s Metropolitan Transpo...
Weekend Listen: Nigel Farage Thinks Britain Has Had Too Many Unifiers
26 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After successfully pushing for Brexit, political disruptor Nigel Farage announced his retirement. Last year, he returned to frontline politics as the ...
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Shutdown Day 23
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On day 23 of the second-longest government shutdown in American history, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sits down with Big Take Host David Gura...
How Did an Alaska Native Corporation Become an ICE Detention Giant?
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the last decade, Nana Regional Corp. — an Alaska Native corporation based in a small community roughly 30 miles north of the Arctic Circle ...
Xi’s Rare Earths Bargaining Chip Is a Trade War Game Changer
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
China’s dominance of rare earths has given Xi Jinping powerful leverage over Donald Trump ahead of their expected meeting next week. On to...
The Race to Buy Warner Bros. Discovery
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some of the biggest names in tech and Hollywood are training their sights on Warner Bros. Discovery, the media and entertainment conglomerate that own...
A Brazen, 7-Minute Jewelry Heist at the Louvre
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In just seven minutes, thieves in France made off with a cache of royal necklaces, tiaras and earrings in a robbery at Paris’s famous Louvre &md...
Weekend Listen: Mishal Husain Interviews Canadian PM Mark Carney
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney talks to Mishal Husain about trade battles, Vladimir Putin's miscalculations and what he's learned from Donald Tru...
Amex v. Chase: Who Will Win the Battle for America’s Top Shoppers?
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The competition for America’s wealthiest shoppers is heating up, with credit card companies like American Express and Chase using every perk in ...
Why Global Economic Leaders Are Predicting a Slowdown
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are holding their annual meetings in Washington, DC and so is the Institute of Internati...
What’s Driving The Rush to Invest in Gold
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gold always shines during uncertain times, but escalating tensions between the US and China and signals from the Federal Reserve that we could see at ...
Having a Baby? This Company Will Give You $72,000
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
South Korean companies are offering workers tens of thousands of dollars (tax free) to have babies. But are cash incentives enough to address the coun...
The Front Lines of Trump's Trade War? Look at Kentucky
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s an unexpected place starting to feel the impact of US President Donald Trump’s trade war: Kentucky. Bloomberg’s Josh W...
The Rebel Army Behind One of the World’s Major Rare-Earth Supplies
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Myanmar is the world’s third-largest producer of rare earths and a critical supplier for neighboring China. But rebels have recently taken contr...
The International Pressure That Led to the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Escalating international and economic pressure led to a new peace deal in Gaza. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder is joined by Bloo...
The AI Deals Raising Fears of a New Tech Bubble
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
OpenAI and AMD. OpenAI and Nvidia. Oracle and OpenAI. Nvidia and Oracle. There is so much AI-on-AI dealmaking happening in the industry right now, it ...
The Rise of Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ and Its Political Shift to the Right
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time in history, Japan’s ruling party has elected a woman as its leader. Sanae Takaichi, 64, is an unconventional figure — a...
Pay Up Or Move Out: The Americans Losing Their Homes to ‘Zombie’ Mortgages
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
They’re called “zombie” mortgages: old second loans from the subprime era that many homeowners had good reason to believe were cance...
Will the Shutdown Lead to DOGE 2.0?
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the Big Take, we hear from our colleagues over at Everybody's Business, Stacey Vanek Smith and Max Chafkin. This week’s topics inc...
Welcome to Undergrad. Meet Your 81-Year-Old Classmate
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A growing number of colleges and universities across the US are trying to address dwindling student enrollment and tight finances by opening their doo...
Even Six Figures Can’t Save You From NYC’s Rent Crisis
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The rent is too high…even for high-earning New Yorkers. In the wake of unprecedented rent hikes, residents across America's largest city are fi...
The Shutdown Will Make the Fed’s Decisions Harder
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The US government shutdown will have serious implications for the collection and distribution of federal economic data used to gauge the health of the...
AI Data Centers Use a Lot of Energy. You May Be Paying for It
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI needs a lot of energy — and a new Bloomberg investigation has found that those soaring costs are being passed on to consumers who live near d...
What a Looming Shutdown Means for Markets
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The US government is facing its first potential shutdown in nearly seven years, and the clock is ticking. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg...
The Kindbody Story: E5, The Baby Project
27 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A Kindbody employee discovers the company is helping an imprisoned billionaire father multiple children through surrogates and egg donors. In this epi...
The Kindbody Story: E4, Fertility Care, Meet Sales Targets
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kindbody implements quotas requiring doctors to perform more lucrative procedures, internal company documents show. In Episode 4 of IVF Disrupted: The...
Argentina’s Economy Is Struggling. Why Is the White House Stepping In?
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent surprised markets when they signaled broad economic support — including a...
Trump vs. the UN
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The United States is responsible for about 20% of the UN’s annual budget. But it hasn’t paid its dues in months. And the UN Secretary-Gene...
Breaking Down the Proposed US-China TikTok Deal
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After months of negotiation, the US and China have reached a tentative agreement to secure TikTok’s future in the US. On today’s Big Take ...
How Private Equity Lost Its Mojo
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fewer deals. Long wait times for returns on investments. Struggles with fundraising. Even with an interest rate cut, private equity, which thrives on ...
The Kindbody Story: E3, Rocketship to Nowhere
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kindbody doubles its size overnight through a major acquisition, with executives telling employees they'll be rich enough to buy private jets. In Epis...
The Kindbody Story: E2, The Embryo Mixup
20 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dina and B arrive at Kindbody for the embryo transfer they've dreamed about for years. But their doctor delivers news that will make them question whe...
The Kindbody Story: E1, The Fertility Spa
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2018 a startup emerged, aiming to revolutionize fertility care with spa-like clinics and Silicon Valley swagger. Kindbody attracted millions from i...