Big Take

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 In China, outdated models no one wants pile up in vast EV grave...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 — ...

This Robot Wants to Make Your Lunch

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Automation has crept into the way all kinds of products are manufactured, but machines have also been making inroads into a different type of industry...

Team Favorite: Your Pet Is Costing You A Fortune And You Don't Care

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Big Take team is taking a knee for the holiday, so we wanted to share one of our favorite episodes. Enjoy, we'll be back tomorrow!-------The globa...

The Beginning Of The End Of The US Oil Boom

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The shale revolution has powered the US economy, shaken up oil markets, and shaped America’s foreign policy. That may soon begin to change as the gr...

VPNs Promise Online Privacy. Do They Deliver?

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Virtual private networks, or VPNs, first emerged in the 1990s as a way for employees to securely log in to their office computer from home. Now, VPN p...

China Wants The Yuan To Rival The Almighty Dollar

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The US dollar is the world’s most-used currency for global transactions. Now China aims to elevate its currency as an alternative. Over the past yea...

A Loud Shakeup in the Quiet World of Golf

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The PGA Tour has long been the dominant force in US professional golf. But LIV Golf, an upstart backed with billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia, has...

The Details Of Your Online Life Are Up For Auction

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

By now we’re all aware advertisers and apps collect data about our online lives. But the kind of information they compile about us–and the sheer a...

BONUS: The Reality Of Student Loan Debt

21 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Who doesn't love a little Sunday extra? Our team here at The Big Take wants to introduce you to the 1A Podcast, hosted by Jenn White, from WAMU and NP...

Another Cost Of Wildfires: Breathing Toxic Smoke

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Black Summer bushfires devastated Australia in 2019 and 2020. As wildfires become more frequent in the US, Europe, and around the globe, Bloomberg...

A Multibillion Dollar Bet to Make Chips In The US

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Since the CHIPS and Science Act passed in 2022, the US Commerce Department has been working to create a network of research and development sites arou...

The G-7 Still Matters. Here's Why

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, world leaders will convene in Hiroshima, Japan for the annual Group of Seven summit. Bloomberg executive editor Flavia Krause-Jackson and n...

How Concerned Should We Be About Bird Flu?

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cases of avian flu in birds have hit record levels globally—but so far, there’s no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Bloomberg reporters Su...

Women's Pro Tackle Football Takes The Field

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bloomberg Businessweek contributor Mary Pilon joins this episode to talk about the promise–and challenges–of building a fanbase for the Women’s ...

Introducing - Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Coming soon: When nerdy gamer Sam Bankman-Fried rocketed to fame as the world’s richest 29-year-old, he pledged to donate his billions to good cause...

A Coke Can. A Chemist. And The Chinese Government.

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bloomberg reporters Drake Bennett and Jordan Robertson join this episode to tell the wild, winding tale of Shannon You, a chemist once employed by Coc...

The US Braces For a Post-Covid Immigration Surge

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The emergency restrictions on immigration that the Trump administration invoked during the COVID-19 pandemic expire tonight. The White House is now pr...

Should The Supreme Court Be Allowed to Police Itself?

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s failure to disclose lavish vacations paid for by a Texas billionaire have cast a harsh light on the High ...

Washington Is Watching Turkey’s Election—So Is Moscow

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been in power for two decades. But he now faces a challenge in the country’s May 14 elections from a c...

Can Joe Biden Beat Donald Trump Again?

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

President Joe Biden surprised exactly no one when he announced he’s running for re-election. But with high inflation, an uncertain economy, turmoil ...

Does Returning to the Moon Need To Be This…Complicated?

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On April 20, the SpaceX Starship Super Heavy rocket made its first test flight. And even though it exploded after just a few minutes in flight, that d...

No, Really. Are We Finally Heading Toward a Recession?

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

First Republic Bank is the latest financial institution to fail amid turmoil across the industry. Meanwhile, inflation is still high. Layoffs are rock...

Why Some States Are Loosening Child Labor Laws

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The tight US labor market has prompted several Republican-led states to roll back child labor laws, which are aimed at protecting teenagers by restric...