Big Take
Episodes
Poland’s Divisive Election Has Europe’s Full Attention
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bloomberg’s Piotr Skolimowski and Andrea Dudik join this episode to discuss why Poland’s parliamentary elections will determine the nation’s soc...
Can Bob Iger Save Disney, Again?
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bob Iger, The Walt Disney Company’s hugely successful CEO, came out of retirement last November and once again took the helm of the entertainment gi...
The US Government vs. Google and Amazon
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The US Justice Department’s case against Google and the case against Amazon brought by the Federal Trade Commission are considered two of the most c...
The Devastating Hamas Attack Unites A Divided Israel
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bloomberg’s Rosalind Mathieson joins this episode to discuss the attack on Israel by Hamas, Israel’s swift military response—and concerns about ...
Public Schools Brace For The End Of Pandemic Aid
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Public schools across the US are getting ready for a financial blow next year, when $190 billion in federal pandemic aid runs out. Bloomberg’s Shrut...
Everyone's Hoping For A Soft Landing. A Recession Is More Likely
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bloomberg’s Chief U.S. Economist Anna Wong joins this episode to make the case for why a recession is still more likely than not. Read more: Why a...
Can AI Beat The Market? Do We Want It To?
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today on The Big Take, Bloomberg’s Justina Lee and Sam Potter take us inside how artificial intelligence is changing the way financial firms and oth...
One Reason Buying A House Can Be So Hard
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The US established Federal Home Loan Banks almost a century ago to make it easier for people to buy a home. Although these institutions have billions ...
A New Smartphone From China Has Washington On Edge
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bloomberg’s Peter Elstrom and Mackenzie Hawkins join this episode to explain why the microchip inside Huawei’s new Mate 60 Pro phone is alarming t...
Despite Recession Fears, Small Businesses Keep Opening. Can They Survive?
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Even with a looming recession, high interest rates and a tight labor market, small businesses have been opening at record rates over the last few year...
Shutdown Averted, McCarthy In The Hot Seat
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The US narrowly averted a disruptive and costly shutdown of federal agencies as Congress passed compromise legislation to keep the government running ...
Police Are Tracking Down Suspects With Google User Data
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Google is able to collect a lot of information about the people who use its products on their phones, including where they are at any given time. A gr...
Megapaca Is Making Millions Off The Clothes You Toss Away
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Guatemala-based Megapaca is the number one importer of used clothing from the United States. The company has seen massive success in secondhand retail...
This Cryptocurrency Wants To Scan Your Eyeball
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bloomberg’s Hannah Miller is back today to explain why Sam Altman’s Worldcoin is collecting iris scans in exchange for crypto tokens. Read more: W...
US Companies Pledged To Improve Workplace Diversity. And They Have
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests in 2020, corporate America made bold promises to address racial disparities in the workplace....
NYC Tries Supervised Release Instead Of Jail. Other Cities Are Watching
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hundreds of thousands of people charged with crimes in the US each year are incarcerated while they await trial. Often it’s because they can’t aff...
Big Take News Wrap: UN General Assembly. US-Iran Prisoner Swap. UAW Strike
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Catch up on some of the week’s biggest stories from the US and across the globe. Bloomberg’s Rosalind Mathieson, Mario Parker and Ben Sills join t...
Geopolitics Is Shaking Up Economic Alliances
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bloomberg’s Shawn Donnan and Maeva Cousin join this episode to explain how rising political tensions around the world are leading to a re-ordering o...
Here's How Workers Describe Dollar General. Brace Yourself
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Dollar General retail chain has 19,000-plus locations, more than Walmart and Wendy’s combined. Its business model is to open in towns too small ...
It’s Tough Being A Blue City In A Red State
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bloomberg Businessweek national political correspondent Joshua Green joins this episode to describe a political phenomenon that’s emerging in parts ...
What Do Striking US Auto Workers Want?
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday, US auto workers started an unprecedented strike against all three of the legacy Detroit carmakers. If the standoff isn’t resolved quickly...
India Flexes Its Growing Global Power
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There were many global issues on the table at the G-20 summit in New Delhi. But arguably the real center of attention at the India meeting was India i...
Low Pay, Long Hours, Rude Customers. Retail Workers Have Had It
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Retail work has always been hard – long hours and weekend shifts on your feet, a lower pay scale and dealing with disgruntled customers. But in our ...
Carbon Capture’s Make Or Break Moment
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since the 1970s, carbon capture and storage (CSS) has been held up as one potential tool to help combat global warming. The idea is to capture carbon ...
‘Made In Mexico’ Is The New ‘Made In China’
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, companies looking to lower costs have resorted to offshoring—moving their manufacturing to China and other nations in Asia. But US-Chin...
Companies Are Pressing Return-To-Office. Workers Want To Stay Remote.
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By now, most people across the globe have returned to pre-pandemic routines like traveling and going to the movies. But when it comes to where they wo...
A Street Drug From Syria Is Alarming The US And Europe
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A cheap, illegal amphetamine called captagon is raising alarm around the globe after circulating for years in the Middle East. The US and its allies s...
Abandoned Electric Cars ‘As Far As The Eye Can See’
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Growing sales of electric vehicles around the world have also come with growing pains. In China, outdated models no one wants pile up in vast EV grave...
Want To Leave Apple For Android? Good Luck
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Apple “ecosystem” has tremendous appeal – sleek design, genius marketing and a myriad of products and services that are seamlessly compatibl...
The Women Astronauts Who Shattered The Highest Glass Ceiling
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1978, NASA opened its astronaut training program to women. Bloomberg space reporter Loren Grush recounts their challenges and achievements in her n...
TEAM FAVORITE: Dust Off Your Dice–Dungeons & Dragons Is Back
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking a break for the Labor Day Holiday in the US, so here's a favorite you might have missed. We'll be back at it tomorrow with a new episode....
TEAM FAVORITE: India Weighs An Historic Expansion of Marriage Rights
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking a pause this week to recharge our batteries. Here's one we love that you might have missed. We'll be back with fresh episodes next week....
TEAM FAVORITE: A Gun That Knows Who’s Pulling The Trigger
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking a pause this week, so here's a favorite episode you might have missed. We'll be back next week with some fresh episodes. For decades, inv...
TEAM FAVORITE: Summer Heat Is Straining The US Power Grid. Winter Cold Could Be Worse.
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking a break this week, so here's a favorite you might have missed. We'll be back with fresh episodes next week. Record temperatures in Texas...
TEAM FAVORITE: Chatbots And Deepfakes Are Coming For Your Election Cycle
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking a pause this week, so here's a favorite episode you might have missed. Thanks for listening. We'll be back with new episodes next week. A...
TEAM FAVORITE: How A Satellite Hack Became a Cybersecurity Wakeup Call
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're taking a break this week, so here's a favorite episode you might have missed. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back with new episodes next...
Xi Jinping’s Economic Plan: Let China Struggle
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
China’s economic slowdown is catching the attention of countries around the world as they brace for a possible hit to their own economies. Bloomberg...
Why Is The US Dependent On Russian Uranium?
24 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
About half of the enriched uranium that nations around the world use for nuclear power comes from Russia. It supplies almost a quarter of America’s ...
Chris Christie's Anti-Trump Strategy: Act Like Trump
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump says he’ll be a no-show tonight at the first Republican debate of the 2024 US presidential campaign. Still, at least one of his rivals ...
The Latest AI Scams Look And Sound Just Like You
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By now we’re familiar with the many ways hackers and scammers try to fool us into handing over our personal data–and our money. But the thieves ke...
Massive Wind Turbines Are Rising From The Atlantic Ocean
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
America’s first major offshore wind farm in the Atlantic Ocean is now under construction 15 miles south of Nantucket, off the coast of Massachusetts...
Are Tensions Easing Between The US And Iran?
18 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The US and Iran recently announced a surprise agreement: Both nations will release prisoners, and the US will unfreeze billions of dollars in Iranian ...
What’s Behind Washington’s Sudden Fascination With UAPs?
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The recent congressional hearing on unidentified aerial phenomenon–also known as UAPs– gave a high-profile platform to what we used to call UFOs. ...
Trump Faces A Powerful Anti-Corruption Law In Georgia
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump was indicted on Monday for the fourth time since he left office. But this sweeping case, which zeroes in on Trump’s efforts to overturn...
Avoiding War With China Is The Top Issue In Taiwan's Election
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Taiwan’s current Vice President, Lai Ching-te, leads the polls in the upcoming January presidential election. The winner will have a lot to co...
Worrying About Money Is A Great Equalizer In America
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You might think America’s top 10 percent would consider themselves rich – but a new Bloomberg survey finds that many of them don’t feel that way...
Big Take News Wrap: 2024. Drones In The Black Sea. A Bumpy Global Economy
11 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Catch up on some of the week’s biggest stories from the US and across the globe. Bloomberg’s Marc Champion, Courtney McBride and Jordan Fabian joi...
A New Housing Development With A Firm Rule: No Cars Allowed
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Real estate planners often think about how to reduce a project’s carbon footprint. A new apartment complex under construction in Arizona is taking t...
Tesla Owners Love Their Cars. They're Not That Into Elon Musk
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Tesla built the Model 3 — the first electric car for the masses — it was a breakthrough for the company and the start of a new chapter for th...
The US Lures Top Companies From Allies With 'Made In The USA' Push
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Inflation Reduction Act has given the US an edge in future manufacturing, with billions of dollars in incentives to lure battery plants and chip m...
In Hollywood, Fears of AI Scripts Performed By AI Actors
07 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Three months into the writers’ and actors’ strike, the role of artificial intelligence in Hollywood has emerged as a central issue in the dispute ...
New Technology Is Here To Fight Climate Change. Will We Use It?
04 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Despite global efforts to slow the effects of climate change, July was the hottest month on record in over 125,000 years. The good news is, powerful n...
Trump’s Back In Court On New Criminal Charges. Now What?
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump is expected to appear today in federal court in Washington, DC, where he faces criminal conspiracy charges that allege he interfered with...
Kevin McCarthy Gave Right Wing Members More Power. They're Using It
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In early January, after a grueling 15 rounds of voting, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated some concessions with members of the far-right Freedom...
A ‘Great Reset’ Is Shifting How The World Trades
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In what’s being hailed as a ‘Great Reset,' how the world does business looks very different now than it did before Covid. Bloomberg Markets magazi...
The EU Is Leading The Charge On AI Regulation
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The European Union became one of the first in the world to take wide-reaching action to regulate artificial intelligence when it passed a draft law in...
Biden Still Wants To Tackle Student Debt After The Supreme Court's Ruling
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Biden administration is preparing a new plan to cancel debt for some student loan borrowers, after the Supreme Court struck down its original atte...
Giorgia Meloni Faces Big Tests On China, Russia And The EU Economy
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni came to power with a string of superlatives. She’s the country’s first female prime minister, and she’s br...
There’s A Lot You Don’t Know About The US Space Force
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The US Space Force, established in 2019, is the first new branch of the military to be created since 1947, and its mission is vast: defend US interest...
US-Made Guns Are Fueling Global Shootings
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
American-made guns are pouring into countries all over the globe, even more so after the US made it easier to export guns in 2020. Even as America’s...
Rhino Horn Poachers Are Forcing Rangers To Innovate
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For years, park rangers in South Africa have tried to stop poachers who kill rhinos for their valuable horns. But it’s impossible to keep up–and r...
Big Take News Wrap: Biden. Trump. Ukraine. China
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re trying something new today. Instead of bringing you just one important story, we’re rounding up some of the week’s biggest news from the U...
Have We Hit Peak Social Media?
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Meta’s new Twitter-like social media platform called Threads is signing up users at a record pace. But will it last–and will it be a “Twitter ki...
Millions Of Americans Still Don’t Have Broadband. That’s About To Change
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Seven percent of US households and businesses lack basic broadband internet. The Biden administration plans to remedy that with $42 billion in federal...
‘Battery Belt’ Factories Promise A Bright Future. Workers Need Convincing
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The US Battery Belt, which stretches from Michigan to Georgia, has emerged as a regional hub for building electric vehicle batteries and other compone...
You Never Think About Your Car’s Catalytic Converter—Until Thieves Saw It Off
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Catalytic converters are a vital part of emissions reduction in gas-powered vehicles. But that’s not why they’ve been making headlines. Thieves ac...
Everyone’s Making Money On The Women’s World Cup—Except The Women
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The world can’t wait for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which starts later this month. Ticket sales are on track to smash records, and viewership has...
Washington Is Knocking On Crypto’s Door
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The epic crash and burn of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX crypto empire in November was huge global news. Eight months later, the crypto world is still fee...
Chatbots And Deepfakes Are Coming For Your Election Cycle
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the saying goes: a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its pants on. As AI is increasing productivity across ind...
Kids Were Given Cough Syrup From India. Dozens Of Them Died
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, India has been a top player in global pharmaceuticals. But its drug regulatory system came under scrutiny after toxic chemicals were foun...
The Bumpy Road From Reagan-Thatcher To Johnson-Trump
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What it means to be a conservative has changed dramatically in the decades since Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. Bloomberg Opinion’s Global Bus...
Mattel Bets Big On Barbie's Pink Carpet Debut
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
She’s been an astronaut, a scientist and the president of the United States. Now Barbie is a movie star. Bloomberg’s Kelly Gilblom joins this epis...
An Expanding NATO Reinforces Itself Against Russia
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year’s NATO summit begins next week in Vilnius, Lithuania—and once again, the alliance’s response to the war in Ukraine is top of mind. Blo...
A Frustrated Middle Class Wants More Than Promises In 2024
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The American middle class is feeling the squeeze: inflation, wages that haven’t kept up, higher interest rates and fluctuating markets are all addin...
TEAM FAVORITE: Women's Pro Tackle Football Takes The Field
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Big Take team is taking a break for the Fourth of July holiday in the US, so we wanted to share this episode you might have missed. Back tomorrow!...
Summer Heat Is Straining The US Power Grid. Winter Cold Could Be Worse
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Record temperatures in Texas and across the southern US are putting immense strain on the electric grid, as residents battle the heat by cranking up t...
The Supreme Court’s Power Is Growing. The Public’s Confidence Is Shrinking
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The US Supreme Court is wrapping up yet another eventful term, with decisions in major cases that will have a lasting impact on Americans’ lives. Bl...
It Started As A Huawei 5G Bid. It Became A Mole Hunt
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2019, telecommunications companies were vying for a lucrative contract to upgrade Denmark’s cellular network to 5G. The competition came down to ...
Germany Is Europe’s Economic Engine. It’s Starting To Sputter
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, Germany has been the driving force of Europe’s economy. But now, as it emerges from a winter recession, the nation’s resilience is sh...
Bringing Government Services Into The 21st Century. One Text At A Time
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of Americans depend on public assistance programs to help pay for food and make ends meet. But it’s not always easy for them to manage the ...
An Armed Uprising Punctures Putin’s Aura of Invincibility
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Moscow is quiet again after an armed insurrection in Russia over the weekend ended as quickly as it began. But the uprising has left President Vladimi...
America Is Divided Over Everything...Except Chicken
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Americans love beef, and always have. But when it comes to the meat they actually choose to eat, chicken takes the crown. Bloomberg’s Matt Townsend ...
Microsoft's Big Investment In AI Is Paying Off
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Microsoft is a household name when it comes to Word docs, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations, but it’s not the first name many people t...
Aging Boomers Will Need Lots Of Care. We're Not Ready
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By 2030, people over the age of 65 in the US will outnumber those under 18. That’s in part because people are living longer—a testament to modern ...
Canada's Ambitious Immigration Experiment, Explained
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Anti-immigration sentiment has been rising on the right in many countries around the world, including the US, UK, France and Italy–even as these nat...
Team Favorite: Banks Vowed To Help Black Homebuyers. What Happened?
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
NOTE: This episode originally aired in December 2022.---In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, some of the biggest mortgage lenders in the US ...
Here Comes El Nino Again, And It's Packing A Punch
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re on the cusp of a natural – but significant – shift from a cooling weather phase known as La Niña to its considerable opposite–El Niño....
States Tell Cities: Yes, You’ve Got to Build Housing
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
America’s affordable housing shortage has been getting worse for decades. Now, some states are trying to ease this crisis by enacting what's been ca...
Yet Another AI Blind Spot: Biased Images
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As pressure mounts on lawmakers to regulate artificial intelligence, another problem area of the technology is emerging: AI-generated images. Early re...
Donald Trump Faces His First Federal Charges
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump enters a Miami courtroom today to hear federal criminal charges related to his handling of classified documents that he took with him whe...
South Korea Is Over Being Called An 'Emerging Market'
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
South Korea’s stock market is one of the largest in Asia. The nation is home to huge conglomerates including Samsung and Hyundai. And yet Korea is s...
BONUS: Another Cost Of Wildfires: Breathing Toxic Smoke
10 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cities up and down the eastern coast of the US are experiencing record levels of air pollution from the recent Canadian wildfire smoke. The worsening ...
California Creates A Reparations Blueprint For African Americans
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, African American activists, scholars, and elected officials have called for reparations to address the long legacy of slavery and racism ...
Why Are Foreign Investors Buying Up Europe's Football Clubs?
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
European football is one of the world’s most popular sports, and billionaires, hedge funds, and sovereign wealth funds want a piece of it. They’re...
Early Registration, Applications, Waitlists. College? Nope. Summer Camp.
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since the 1940s, summer camp has offered adventure, lifelong friendships, and…much-needed childcare for families. But these days, it’s fraught wit...
Arab Nations Bring Isolated Syria Back Into The Fold
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Syria is back in the 22-nation Arab League bloc after more than a decade of isolation. So what does this mean for countries outside the region, like t...
Crisis Averted On The Debt Ceiling. For Now
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The months-long fight over raising the debt ceiling is finally over. That means the threat of the US defaulting on its debts, and the resulting econom...
Why Are Those AI Whistleblowers So Worried?
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In two recent open letters, leaders and developers of artificial intelligence called for a pause of large AI projects to take stock of their impact. I...
A Debt That Could Stunt China's Economy
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hegang, a remote coal town in northern China that faced a mountain of debt, was forced to undergo an unprecedented financial restructuring. And it’s...
What Is Adidas Without Yeezy?
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is Adidas without Yeezy? It’s making a lot less money for starters. Last year, longtime collaborator Ye — previously known as Kanye West — ...