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 manufacturing and supply chain operation there has been one of the keys to its success. So why is Apple looking to expand its operations to India and other countries? Bloomberg’s chief technology correspondent Mark Gurman joins this episode to look at how shifts in the global economy, and rising tensions between Washington and Beijing, have led Apple to diversify w...
Mar 22, 2023•28 min
The US Federal Trade Commission is weighing restrictions on many non-compete agreements in employment contracts. These clauses dissuade workers from switching jobs and impact roughly one in five Americans—including physicians, hair stylists, even fast food workers. Bloomberg reporter Leah Nylen joins this episode to explain the FTC’s efforts to dial them back. And reporters Jo Constantz and Josh Eidelson , and White House editor Mario Parker , talk about how non-competes became a way for compani...
Mar 21, 2023•29 min
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 drones. But US officials allege a secret supply chain has illegally funneled these chips, some of them American-made, to Russia, where they’ve been used in weapons deployed against Ukraine. Bloomberg reporter Ben Bartenstein joins this episode to talk about one alleged chip smuggling scheme. And US national security editor Nick Wadhams explains why s...
Mar 20, 2023•29 min
For months, Israeli citizens—including CEOs, doctors, hedge fund executives, lawyers, and soldiers—have protested in the streets against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to diminish the authority of the nation’s Supreme Court. The government aims to give Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, the power to overrule the court’s decisions with a simple majority vote. It could have far-reaching consequences within Israel—and for its standing as a strong democracy in a volatile region of the world...
Mar 17, 2023•29 min
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 this summer, the economic shockwaves will be felt across the nation and around the world. Even so, the conventional wisdom in many parts of Washington and Wall Street seems to be: don’t worry, in the end of course they’ll reach a deal. But relying on conventional wisdom is often…unreliable. Though congressional leaders managed to overcome their differ...
Mar 16, 2023•26 min
For years now, we’ve been hearing that autonomous vehicles are just around the corner. Google, Uber, General Motors, Tesla, and other companies invested huge sums in hopes of realizing the dream of a car that drives itself on the open road. And yet, after more than a decade of effort and prototypes, driverless cars still appear to be a long way off. Why is that? Bloomberg reporter Max Chafkin joins this episode to talk about the industry’s persistent roadblocks — and what’s ahead. And Anthony Le...
Mar 15, 2023•27 min
The biggest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis is stoking fears of a larger financial meltdown across regional US banks. Silicon Valley Bank, a key lender for startups and the tech industry, collapsed last week. As regulators take over, many people around the country are left wondering if their own money is safe. Bloomberg personal finance reporter Suzanne Woolley joins this episode to talk about what the collapse of SVB means for everyday savers and investors. And Ben Bain, who leads ...
Mar 14, 2023•22 min
People around the world rely on satellites for their internet connections, credit card transactions–and even to keep track of time. Last year, a suspected Russian-led satellite hack exposed how vulnerable they are to security breaches, from individual hackers seeking to pilfer information for profit and governments looking to weaken their adversaries. Bloomberg reporter Katrina Manson joins this episode to discuss the fallout of the hack, and what companies and governments are doing to harden th...
Mar 12, 2023•32 min
This month, India’s Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether to legalize same-sex marriage. Bloomberg reporters Muneeza Naqvi and Kai Schultz join this episode from New Delhi to explain India’s rapid march toward affirming rights for LGBTQ people, and how a ruling in favor of same-sex marriage would be felt not just within the country but across Asia and beyond. Then, Gurchaten Sandhu, program director at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association in Geneva take...
Mar 10, 2023•25 min
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 Biden administration’s effort to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US, with a focus on high tech products like semiconductors. But those ambitious plans have exposed a looming problem: The number of skilled workers needed to build factories and fill those jobs is shrinking. It’s a demographic reality that will only become more acute in the decades ...
Mar 09, 2023•33 min
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 Webb Space Telescope—an instrument that’s already transmitting game-changing data from a million miles away. The second is NASA’s SWOT mission, named for its exploration of Earth’s surface water and ocean topography. Using remote sensing technology, it aims to be the first-ever global survey of its kind. Bloomberg space reporter Loren Grush joins this...
Mar 08, 2023•29 min
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 police stop in Memphis, some cities are trying to limit how often these stops occur. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and the state of Virginia have taken measures to curb stops for minor violations, which disproportionately affect people of color–and sometimes turn violent. Bloomberg reporters Sarah Holder and Fola Akinnibi join this episode...
Mar 07, 2023•26 min
In his 1961 farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower famously warned about the dangers of the business of war–what he called the “military industrial complex.” Now, more than six decades later, that warning still rings true. The US military is the most powerful – and expensive – in the world, but the Pentagon bureaucracy is vast, inefficient, and often slow to adapt to a rapidly changing world. Bloomberg reporters Peter Martin , Courtney McBride , and Roxana Tiron join this episode to talk ...
Mar 06, 2023•36 min
One unexpected consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: It highlighted how just a handful of countries–notably Russia and China–supply much of the fertilizer needed to feed the world. Amid geopolitical tensions and humanitarian concerns, the race for fertilizer has become a priority for the U.S. and its allies. Bloomberg reporter Elizabeth Elkin joins this episode to talk about how concerns about fertilizer shortages have nations looking for alternatives. Read more: https://bloom.bg/3KUmT62 ...
Mar 03, 2023•22 min
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 numerous crimes related to his dealings with the fugitive Malaysian businessman allegedly at the center of one of the largest financial scandals in history. Michel maintains he’s innocent. This real-life international tale of intrigue involves a long cast of characters, including A-list Hollywood celebrities, the Chinese government, and both the Obama an...
Mar 02, 2023•32 min
Startups pioneering invasive and noninvasive devices that interact with the brain seek to alleviate everything from ALS symptoms to epilepsy to treatment-resistant depression. In this episode, a look at the science behind this rapidly advancing technology. Dr. Thomas Oxley, a neurointerventionist and CEO of Synchron, gives us a tour of his lab in Brooklyn, New York, where his company is developing an implant that allows paralyzed people to control devices. Then Bloomberg reporter Sarah McBride j...
Mar 01, 2023•27 min
Twelve years after the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, Japan is now considering restarting its shuttered nuclear reactors to combat rising energy prices. It’s a slow process, and one where the government and the public are conflicted about the advantages and risks of nuclear power. Around the world, countries that turned off their reactors in the wake of Fukushima, or have closed old or expensive reactors, are doing a similar about-face, with rising energy prices and clean e...
Feb 28, 2023•30 min
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, complicated supply chain that it would be difficult to describe as environmentally friendly. The chain begins in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, at a mine with a legacy of pollution. It leads next to a refinery down the Amazon River where thousands of people are suing, claiming the industry harmed the fragile ecosystem, contaminated their water, and made t...
Feb 27, 2023•29 min
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 to stop it. They argue the president doesn’t have the power to wipe away billions of dollars of debt on his own. It’s now up to the US Supreme Court to decide if they’re right. Bloomberg Supreme Court correspondent Greg Stohr joins this episode to talk about the arguments on both sides, and where the 6-3 conservative majority might come down. And per...
Feb 24, 2023•27 min
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 adults can’t find steady work. People wait in line for hours at gas stations to fill their cars and light their homes with generators because the shaky power grid can’t keep up. Kidnapping for ransom is a growing problem. What can be done to turn things around? Bloomberg journalists Neil Munshi in Lagos, Nigeria and Ruth Olurounbi in Abuja, the capital, jo...
Feb 23, 2023•25 min
February 24 marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin believed the country’s military would be defeated quickly and Kyiv, the capital, would fall. Instead, Ukraine’s clever, nimble — and motivated — military has fought back Russia’s forces despite being vastly outgunned. But the war has taken a terrible toll. Thousands of people have died. Cites have been devastated and millions of displaced Ukrainians are now living as refugees in other countries. Bloomberg j...
Feb 22, 2023•32 min
Around the world, a looming problem is making workers nervous–and angry. People in many countries are living longer, and at some point governments will run out of money to pay their retirement benefits. One solution some politicians are pushing: raising the retirement age for workers. Which…is about as popular as it sounds. So what is the answer? Ben Sills , who leads Bloomberg’s government and economics coverage in Europe, and White House and politics reporter Nancy Cook join this episode to so...
Feb 21, 2023•31 min
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 with a new episode. Thanks for listening! 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 toward a world in which more and more things in our lives plug in or charge up–not just your phone, but electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines that will power th...
Feb 20, 2023•27 min
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 to put Donald Trump behind them, and some Democrats worry 80-year-old Joe Biden might not be up to the long slog of a presidential campaign. Bloomberg’s managing editor for US government Flavia Krause-Jackson, national political correspondent Joshua Green, and White House correspondent Jordan Fabian join this episode to tell us what to pay attention to...
Feb 17, 2023•30 min
The recent earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria have left millions of people in desperate need of help. But those seeking to bring food, medicine, and supplies into the country face daunting obstacles. Syria’s government wants to control aid shipments and who gets them. Strict economic sanctions imposed on Syria’s government by the US and Europe make it difficult to conduct any transactions there. Governments, banks and humanitarian aid groups are sometimes wary of triggering penalties i...
Feb 16, 2023•29 min
In 2020, the enormously popular heartburn medication Zantac was pulled from store shelves after samples were found to contain the probable carcinogen NDMA. The drug has since been re-introduced with a new formula that is considered safe to use as directed. But tens of thousands of people who took the old version of the drug, made with the active ingredient ranitidine, are now suing Zantac’s maker, then called Glaxo and now known as GSK. They claim the medication gave them cancer and are seeking ...
Feb 15, 2023•28 min
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 cheaper. The pandemic crunch is partly to blame – high demand and scarce supply caused prices to spike along with everything else. But car prices remain astronomical even though those shortages have largely eased. For a lot of middle class Americans, a new car is now out of reach. And that’s just fine with some major automakers. Bloomberg reporters David ...
Feb 14, 2023•28 min
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 full time are choosing to do so. That means a lot less money is being spent in shops and restaurants. Expensive office buildings are standing partially empty and fewer passengers are paying subway and bus fares. Reporters Emma Court and Donna Borak join this episode to talk about how work from home is transforming city life and costing downtowns billi...
Feb 13, 2023•29 min
At the same time China’s government is working to manage the fallout overseas from the surveillance balloon shot down by the US, it’s also struggling to contain another problem at home—a wave of covid cases that’s overwhelmed the country. Late last year, people in cities across China protested in the streets against the government’s Covid Zero lockdowns. In response to the unrest, President Xi Jinping eased the restrictions, and China is opening back up. As anticipated, millions of people once a...
Feb 10, 2023•24 min
The new season of Bloomberg's Foundering podcast retraces the life and gruesome death of John McAfee. In the 1980s and ’90s, the McAfee name was synonymous with computer antivirus software, and he helped establish the modern cybersecurity industry. But afterward, his life took a strange and dark turn. He was accused of murder, an allegation he denied, and then went on the lam. He sought to reinvent himself as a cryptocurrency guru and as a candidate for US president. Reporter Jamie Tarabay inter...
Feb 09, 2023•2 min
