Big Take

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...

People Are Using Buy Now, Pay Later Just To Make Ends Meet

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With the economy in flux and prices continuing to rise, more consumers are saying yes to buy now, pay later offers. And not just for instant gratifica...

We've Got Electric Cars. Why Not Electric Airplanes?

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Europe’s ambitious climate targets are putting pressure on airlines and airplane makers to come up with sustainable alternatives to dirty jet fuel. ...

Those New Obesity Drugs Really Work–If You Can Afford Them

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pharmaceutical companies and insurance providers are at odds over a new class of drugs that have proven quite effective at helping people living with ...

“Deeper Pockets, Deeper Wells”

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the rain-soaked year California has had, the ongoing issues of drought and limited water remain. Bloomberg reporters Peter Waldman, Mark Chedi...

“Swatting” Threats Disrupt Schools Across The US

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Teachers and students in the US are always on alert for the possibility of an active shooter entering their classrooms. Now hundreds of schools around...

Europe’s Best Healthcare Systems Are Starting To Crack

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Europe’s universal healthcare systems have long been held up as models for other parts of the world. But in many countries they are now under extrem...

How Are the Billions in Biden’s Climate Law Being Spent?

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been eight months since President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. And already the hundreds of billions of dollars it contain...

The Dark Side of TikTok’s Algorithm

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bloomberg senior investigative reporter Olivia Carville is back with her latest reporting on TikTok. She explains how the superpopular app’s algorit...

The US-Saudi Relationship Is In Danger of Falling Apart

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, the United States and Saudi Arabia maintained an important strategic alliance, which gave the US access to Saudi oil in exchange for guar...

A Gun That Knows Who’s Pulling The Trigger

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, inventors have tried and failed to make a smart gun. A company called Biofire now appears to have pulled it off. It uses both fingerprint...

America’s Allies Are Not Pleased About the Intel Leaks

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The US intelligence community was relieved when a suspect was arrested last week in the leak of highly sensitive classified documents about America’...

A Flu Shot That Might Work Better–Thanks to Covid-19

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s estimated that half a million or more people around the world die of influenza each year. And many of these deaths could be prevented with a hi...

Dust Off Your Dice–Dungeons & Dragons Is Back

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons is approaching its 50th anniversary and it has never been more popular, attracting players of all...

What’s Next In the Fight Over the Abortion Pill?

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was recorded before a federal appeals court ruling partly granted the Biden administration’s request to put on hold a Texas court decis...

Germany Cautiously Rebuilds Its Military Might

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, Germany has downplayed military spending. But after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the government reversed its longstanding ban on sendi...

How To Protect Your Money In a Rocky Economy

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a whole lot happening in the economy that’s impacting your wallet. Inflation is slowing down, but it’s still high. Layoffs have rocked e...

Ron DeSantis Is a Little Bit Woke on Climate Change

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Florida’s governor–and likely presidential candidate–Ron DeSantis has pledged billions to restore Florida’s Everglades. Among other good thing...

Team Favorite: Revolt Of The Dairy Farmers

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re taking a break today for the holiday. Here’s a favorite episode from December that you might have missed–and one that’s still very much ...

Iran and Saudi Arabia Agree To Talk…With China’s Help

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Iran and Saudi Arabia surprised many governments in March when they announced an agreement to restore diplomatic relations–ending a seven-year freez...

A Record Number of Anti-LGBTQ Bills Across the US

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

More than 400 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in U.S. state legislatures this year, and more than twenty have been signed into law. That’s gre...

What If The IRS Did Your Taxes For You–For Free?

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tucked into President Biden’s massive Inflation Reduction Act is a pot of money–$15 million–for the Internal Revenue Service to study a long-tal...

What Comes Next For Donald Trump

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s been a ton of news coverage and commentary around Donald Trump’s indictment in New York on Thursday. But the Manhattan case is only one of...

What Would You Do With The Fastest Computer In The World?

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Last May, the Oak Ridge National Lab, run by the US Department of Energy, unveiled Frontier–the world's fastest supercomputer. It’s capable of per...

Paying For Childcare So You Can Work...To Pay For Childcare

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a working parent, finding childcare is almost certainly a source of stress in your life. It’s often a struggle to find an opening and wh...

What’s a Guardianship?

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Guardianships in the US are supposed to help vulnerable people who can’t help themselves.  But a Bloomberg Law investigation reveals a loosely regu...

Can The US Really Ban TikTok? It’s Complicated

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s at least one thing Democrats and Republicans in Washington have in common: suspicions about TikTok’s ties to China. The Biden administrati...

The Banking Crisis Is Opening a New Chapter of Capitalism

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A lot has been said about the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse. But one important thing revealed by those closely scrutinized failure...

Your Pet Is Costing You A Fortune and You Don’t Care

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The global pet economy is expected to reach nearly half a trillion dollars by 2030. After a pandemic surge in pet adoptions, more people are buying ev...

Will ChatGPT Steal Your Job?

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the technology powering artificial intelligence keeps improving, it’s getting harder to tell the difference between human and machine. And that m...

Apple Looks To Grow Some New Roots

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The story of Apple’s rise to become the world’s most valuable company is also the story of its relationship with China. Apple’s vast manufacturi...

Washington Takes Aim At Those Hated Non-Compete Agreements

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The US Federal Trade Commission is weighing restrictions on many non-compete agreements in employment contracts. These clauses dissuade workers from s...

How Are US Chips Ending Up In Russian Weapons?

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

US sanctions against Russia are supposed to cut off Moscow’s access to all kinds of goods, including semiconductors, which are used in missiles and ...

Israel’s Leader Wants To Weaken The Courts. People Are Furious

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For months, Israeli citizens—including CEOs, doctors, hedge fund executives, lawyers, and soldiers—have protested in the streets against Prime Min...

Congress Won’t Let The US Default on Its Debt. Right?

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The White House and Congress are battling over raising the nation’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling. If they don’t act and the US defaults on its debt...

Will Self-Driving Cars Be ‘Just Five Years Away’... Forever?

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For years now, we’ve been hearing that autonomous vehicles are just around the corner. Google, Uber, General Motors, Tesla, and other companies inve...

What Does The Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank Mean For Your Money?

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The biggest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis is stoking fears of a larger financial meltdown across regional US banks. Silicon Valley Bank...

How A Satellite Hack Became a Cybersecurity Wakeup Call

12 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

People around the world rely on satellites for their internet connections, credit card transactions–and even to keep track of time.  Last year, a s...

India Weighs An Historic Expansion of Marriage Rights

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This month, India’s Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether to legalize same-sex marriage.  Bloomberg reporters Muneeza Naqvi and Kai Schultz ...

Why Employers Will Soon Be Fighting Each Other To Hire You

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The future of US competitiveness is taking shape in a field in Licking County, Ohio. It’s the site of a new Intel semiconductor plant, part of the B...

Two Space Missions Shake Up Our View Of The Past–And Future

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two significant advances in science and technology are helping us examine our own planet, as well as galaxies near and far. The first is the James Web...

Cities Test A New Way To Reduce Police Violence

07 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Traffic stops are the most common way people come into contact with the police. After the January death of Tyre Nichols, who was beaten following a po...

Is the Pentagon Losing Its Edge?

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In his 1961 farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower famously warned about the dangers of the business of war–what he called the “military in...

The World’s Food Security is In The Hands of China and Russia

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One unexpected consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: It highlighted how just a handful of countries–notably Russia and China–supply much ...

A ‘90s Rapper. A Fugitive. And the FBI

02 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pras Michel, the famed rapper and founding member of The Fugees, goes on federal trial later this month. The US government has charged him with numero...

A Brain Implant To Use An iPhone With Your Thoughts

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Startups pioneering invasive and noninvasive devices that interact with the brain seek to alleviate everything from ALS symptoms to epilepsy to treatm...

Countries Cautiously Weigh A Return to Nuclear Power

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Twelve years after the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, Japan is now considering restarting its shuttered nuclear reactors to comb...

The Not So Shiny Aluminum in Ford’s New Electric Truck

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It takes hundreds of pounds of aluminum to build Ford’s “Truck of the Future,” the electric F-150. A lot of that aluminum comes from a long, com...

Will The Supreme Court Kill Student Loan Relief?

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden’s plan to forgive federal student loan debt for millions of Americans has been frozen since a handful of Republican-led states sued ...

Nigeria Is In Turmoil. Can A New President Fix It?

23 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As Nigerians decide on a new president, the country’s economy is reeling. Nigeria’s public debt is growing, inflation is soaring, and half of adul...

How Does Ukraine Continue to Beat Back Russia?

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

February 24 marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin believed the country’s military would be defeated quickly ...

How Long Will You Have To Wait To Retire?

21 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Around the world, a looming problem is making workers nervous–and angry. People in many countries are living longer, and at some point governments w...

Team Favorite: The Copper You Need Is Stuck In A 30-Mile Traffic Jam

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re taking a break for President’s Day here in the US. So here’s one of our favorite stories you might have missed. We’ll be back tomorrow w...

Doubts About Biden, Fears About Trump

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s hard to believe, but the 2024 presidential election is already off and running, and there’s grumbling in both parties. Some Republicans want ...

It’s Really Hard To Help Syria’s Earthquake Victims

16 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The recent earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria have left millions of people in desperate need of help. But those seeking to bring food, medic...

Thousands Claim A Blockbuster Drug Gave Them Cancer

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2020, the enormously popular heartburn medication Zantac was pulled from store shelves after samples were found to contain the probable carcinogen ...

Why Car Prices Are Still Crazy High

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Buying a new car today is more painful than ever. Auto prices have risen a shocking 30% in just the past few years. Many used cars aren’t much cheap...

The Real Price of Work From Home

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

New York and other cities have struggled to fully bounce back from the pandemic, in part because many people who can work from home either part or ful...