Big Take
Episodes
How We’re (Not) Preparing For the Next Pandemic
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Covid-19 isn’t quite done with us yet, but virologists are urging governments around the world to start preparing for the next pandemic. They warn i...
Clean Up Your Water And We’ll Lower Your Debt
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a new way for some countries struggling under piles of debt to get relief: by agreeing to spend part of the difference on the environment. T...
What The Heck Is Elon Musk Thinking?
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been nothing but mayhem at Twitter since Elon Musk took the helm of the social media company late last year and began shaking things up in ways...
How Safe Is All That Money In Your Pension?
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of Americans–union workers, school teachers, firefighters, office employees at major corporations–are counting on a pension to support th...
Wall Street's Trillion-Dollar Decade
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In just the past ten years, the biggest US banks made an eye-popping trillion dollars in profit. To help get our heads around that staggering number, ...
London Strong-Arms Drivers To Go Electric
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some big, crowded cities like New York and London have tried to reduce traffic jams and air pollution with congestion fees that make it expensive to b...
Ron DeSantis Is Coming For MAGA Voters
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One big obstacle for any Republican dreaming of becoming president in 2024: figuring out how to get past Donald Trump–without angering his legions o...
Crypto Explained, In Plain English
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If all the news lately about cryptocurrencies–and the fall of Sam Bankman-Fried and his FTX exchange–have left you wishing you had a better handle...
The Men Who Helped Carlos Ghosn Flee Japan In A Box
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It was huge news when Carlos Ghosn, the once-celebrated auto executive, vanished from Japan in 2019 after being charged with financial crimes. He late...
Declining ALS Patients Are Waiting On The FDA's Next Move
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For many years, pharmaceutical companies have tried and failed to find a treatment to slow symptoms of ALS–the debilitating, fatal illness also know...
We All Eat The Same Stuff
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From Beijing to Boston, the food on our dinner plates is starting to look more and more alike. It used to be, we ate the local fruits, vegetables and ...
A Favorite Loophole of the Rich Is Leaving Charities High and Dry
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Billionaires are increasingly taking advantage of a provision in the US tax laws that lets them park money designated for charity in something called ...
Banks Vowed To Help Black Homebuyers. What Happened?
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, some of the biggest mortgage lenders in the US promised to extend billions in new loans to Black homebu...
When A Coal Mine Shuts Down, Locals Get The Shaft
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the US coal industry dwindles, big mining companies that once made a fortune are packing up–and leaving behind a staggering mess of destroyed lan...
20 Extra Tons of — Ahem — Cargo
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 2019, US officials seized a massive cargo ship called the MSC Gayane in the Port of Philadelphia. On board, they found containers filled with produ...
An Important Step Forward For #MeToo
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This year saw some important advances for #MeToo. The US Congress passed two bills, now signed into law, that protect the rights of women who come for...
Meet The Most Fascinating People In The World
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Well, some of them anyway. Each year, Businessweek’s Bloomberg 50 list introduces you to people in business, entertainment, finance, politics, scien...
Fentanyl Deaths Are Overwhelming Cities
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While everyone was focused on Covid over the past few years, America’s decades-old opioid crisis entered a new deadly phase – largely because of o...
Teen TikTok is More Complicated Than You Think
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bloomberg Investigative reporter Olivia Carville has spent months delving into TikTok, the hugely popular video social network. In November, she joine...
Revolt of The Dairy Farmers
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our insatiable appetite for meat, eggs and cheese means there are billions of chickens, pigs and cows the world over. One consequence: animal agricult...
Ticketmaster v. Swifties
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A group of Taylor Swift fans is suing Ticketmaster, the big live event ticket provider, after sales for her upcoming concert tour went haywire. It’s...
The Richest Family In the World
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The secretive Al Nahyan family of Abu Dhabi has amassed a fortune of $300 billion–and they’re investing it around the globe, in everything from gr...
Heavy Sedation Saved People From Covid–At a High Price
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the early, scary days of the coronavirus pandemic, before vaccines, patients hospitalized with severe cases were often put on ventilators to keep t...
Why A Plus One Matters in the US Senate
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Democrats kept control of the US Senate in November’s midterm elections. So why is the political world so obsessed with who’ll win Tuesday’s Sen...
Why China’s Citizens Have Had Enough of Covid Zero
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Senior executive editor John Liu joins Wes from Beijing to talk about the protests happening across China, as anger at the government’s Covid Zero p...
The UK’s Gambling Nightmare Is Heading to the US
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Online gambling is enormously popular in the UK. Millions of people spend hours a day playing catchy games on their phones that keep them spinning–...
Young Kids Love TikTok–and That’s a Serious Problem
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A heads up: This episode is on a difficult subject and some of it isn’t easy to listen to. You might want to listen with headphones if children are ...
China Sets Up Shop Right Next Door to the US
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As China seeks to grow its economy and increase its global influence, it’s lending billions of dollars to help governments around the world fund big...
Be Honest– Do You Like Your Boss?
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A good boss can make the difference between a job you love and one you can’t stand. Workers are more willing to suffer bad bosses when the job marke...
Just How ‘Green’ Are Green Bonds?
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Green bonds are surging in popularity across the globe, as companies and governments want to show they’re investing in environmentally friendly proj...
Inside A Culture Clash At Apple
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A growing number of workers at Apple Stores across the US believe the company they once loved to work for is changing–and they’re not happy about ...
You Might Think Twice Before Buying Those New Jeans
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Shein is one of the biggest fast-fashion brands in the world. Young women and girls film their “Shein hauls” for TikTok — showing off piles of t...
The Tiny Nation Suddenly Swimming In Oil
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a small country all of a sudden strikes it fantastically rich? The South American country of Guyana, is finding out in a big way. A ...
Virtually Reviving Ukraine’s Bombed Buildings
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Russia’s military has targeted libraries and museums across Ukraine that housed irreplaceable books and documents and works of art. Now, with the ...
How Inflation Ends: Painfully
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
High prices for just about everything are making us all suffer–and there’s no end in sight. Why is inflation hanging on for so long, and when will...
We Name Hurricanes, Why Not Heat Waves?
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’re talking about heat in this episode. That might strike you as a bit odd, especially if you live in the northern hemisphere where summer’s lon...
Small Gun Makers Are Testing The Limits Of Gun Control Laws
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US Supreme Court has ruled that Americans have a Second Amendment right to keep guns in their homes for self-defense and to carry them in public. ...
Where Does All Your Recycling Really Go?
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder what actually happens to all the plastic you dutifully toss in the recycling bin? Kit Chellel, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg, se...
The Mighty Mississippi Is Backed Up
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The mighty Mississippi River cuts the United States essentially in half from Northern Minnesota all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. It has a lot o...
The Tiny Lab Finding Poison In Your Pills
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US Food and Drug Administration is supposed to make sure the medications we take are effective–and safe. But when a small independent lab in Con...
Choose One: Heat Your Home or Feed Your Family?
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Here's a thought experiment. It's the middle of winter and you can't afford to pay for both heat and electricity. Which do you stop using first? The l...
US, EU Seized Russian Billionaires' Yachts. Then Came the Bill
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the US and other Western nations have imposed economic sanctions on scores of Russian billionaires close to ...
The Copper You Need Is Stuck In A 30-Mile Traffic Jam
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Here’s a random yet important fact: Copper is one of the very best conductors of electricity of all metals. And that matters, because as we move tow...
The Covid Vaccine Is Fueling A Race For All Kinds Of Cures
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Messenger RNA technology made it possible for scientists and drugmakers to quickly develop a Covid-19 vaccine. Now, pharmaceutical companies are racin...
Climate Change Is Already Wreaking Havoc On The COP27 Host
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On November 6, leaders around the world will gather for the annual UN Climate Change conference, known this year as COP27. The aim: finding ways to sl...
The US Midterms Will Decide If the 2024 Election Can Be Stolen
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US is just a week away from the midterm elections, which will decide governors’ races in 36 states--and whether Democrats will keep their majori...
What Happens if the Supreme Court Kicks Affirmative Action Off Campus?
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, colleges and universities across the US have promoted the value of having a diverse student body on campus. The Supreme Court could soo...
Clash of the Streaming Titans
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Remember when everyone loved to complain how there were 150 channels on TV and nothing good to watch? It’s pretty hard to say that now. There are so...
The US Middle Class Is Doing Fine. Why Are They So Worried?
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hello and welcome to The Big Take Podcast! Today: The good news, and not so good news, about the US middle class. With inflation rising, the stock mar...
Introducing: The Big Take
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Each weekday, The Big Take brings you one story—one big, important story that impacts your life. Host Wes Kosova talks to Bloomberg journalists arou...