We're taking a break this week, here's an episode you might have missed. Bloomberg’s Pratik Parija and Kai Schultz join this episode to discuss why the packaged food and beverage industry has its sights set on India—and what that means for the health and wellbeing of the 1.4 billion people who live there. Read more: Junk Food's $30 Billion Opening Is India's Next Health Crisis Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK Have questi...
Jan 01, 2024•20 min
We're taking a break for the holidays, so here's an episode you might have missed. 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 episode to talk about Mattel’s bet that the $100 million Barbie movie debuting July 21 — and the launch of the company’s entertainment division — will revive its biggest brand, reel in new fans and help it reclaim the No. 1 spot of global toymaker. Read more: Mattel's Risky ...
Dec 29, 2023•32 min
We're taking a break for the holidays, so here's an episode you might have missed. The number of rat-related complaints in American cities has spiked in recent years. In the most overrun cities – Chicago, Washington, DC and New York – officials are stepping up efforts to find and kill them. New York is going so far as to hire a rat czar in charge of stamping them out. Good luck with that. Cities have tried and failed for decades to control rats. So what can be done to contain the population of t...
Dec 28, 2023•31 min
We're taking a break for the holidays, so here's an episode you might have missed. 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 92 nuclear reactors and dozens of other plants across Europe and Asia. The US is now trying to change that with a big push to build up its own capabilities. Bloomberg’s Jonathan Tirone and Will Wade join this episode to talk about what it will take for the US and its a...
Dec 27, 2023•24 min
We're taking a break for the holidays, so here's an episode you might have missed. 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 growing number of police departments across the US are seeking to obtain this data from Google to help solve crimes. Bloomberg’s Davey Alba and Julia Love join this episode to weigh the pros and cons of using location data in law enforcement, and the privacy concerns i...
Dec 26, 2023•30 min
We're taking a break for the holidays, so here's an episode you might have missed. Bloomberg Businessweek contributor Mary Pilon joins this episode to talk about the promise–and challenges–of building a fanbase for the Women’s Football Alliance, an all-female, full-contact league that has 60 teams in four divisions across 32 states. And we head to a nighttime practice of the DC Divas, to hear from the players and coaches about why they love the game and what it means for women to play tackle foo...
Dec 25, 2023•32 min
We're taking a break for the holidays, so here's an episode you might have missed. 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 ever more expensive food and toys for their furry friends. But beyond these routine costs, a growing number of owners are also shelling out thousands for veterinary care to treat complex illnesses and keep their pets alive for longer. Bloomberg reporters Brendan Case a...
Dec 22, 2023•26 min
Tensions continue to grow between China and the big economic powers in Europe and the United States. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas are adding global uncertainty. As new geopolitical fault lines form, some nations are emerging as winners, according to an analysis of trade and investment data by Bloomberg Economics and Bloomberg Businessweek. Bloomberg’s Maeva Cousin and Shawn Donnan join Scarlet Fu to walk through the findings, discussing the five winners and w...
Dec 21, 2023•29 min
If you’ve suffered the slights of US public transportation in recent years, brace yourself for more grief. Transit agencies across the country have been grappling with reduced ridership and revenues since the pandemic. By next year, billions of dollars in emergency aid is slated to dry up, making matters that much worse. Budget shortfalls are likely to affect millions of Americans who rely on public transportation every day. Bloomberg reporter Skylar Woodhouse joins host Scarlet Fu to discuss ov...
Dec 20, 2023•21 min
We here at The Big Take are big fans of our colleagues and friends over at the Elon, Inc podcast from Businessweek, hosted by David Papadopoulos. Please enjoy this episode, and hop on over to subscribe to their feed if you like what you hear! ---- When Elon Musk announced his new AI chatbot “Grok” last month, almost everything about it looked like a publicity stunt or a vanity project or both. The product was seemingly built over a matter of months, it was only available to a small group of X us...
Dec 19, 2023•31 min
The past year has been relentless for news, with indictments of a former US president, wars in Europe and the Middle East, and Earth’s hottest year on record. It was a big year, too, for equality news in the US — including headlines that corporations made good on their 2020 vows to hire more people of color. But 2023 also saw challenges to affirmative action and access to abortion medication, and there are more questions for the year ahead. Will a diverse pool of workers hired in 2021, largely t...
Dec 18, 2023•32 min
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Dec 17, 2023•51 sec
During its last two terms, the US Supreme Court and its six-member Republican-appointed supermajority showed its power to shape important policy issues that affect all Americans, bringing down significant and highly controversial rulings on abortion, student loan forgiveness and affirmative action. So what’s next? Bloomberg Supreme Court reporter Greg Stohr looks ahead at which cases are likely to be of greatest consequence this term—spanning gun rights, reproductive rights, speech on social med...
Dec 15, 2023•27 min
Michigan is a key swing state for next year’s presidential election – and despite Democrats controlling the state’s legislature and holding the governor’s seat, former President Donald Trump is ahead in polls. The latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll revealed that 46% of voters in the state said they would vote for Trump, and 42% backed President Joe Biden. The Big Take podcast sits down with Bloomberg’s Wendy Benjaminson and Jeff Green to dig into the data and understand what’s happening ...
Dec 14, 2023•14 min
Most American voters are dissatisfied with both President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump. Barring any health surprises (Biden is 81 and Trump is 77) or other major twists (Trump is a defendant in four felony prosecutions), one of them is almost certainly going to win when voters go to the polls on Nov. 5, 2024. How are these two, currently unpopular candidates poised to become their parties’ presidential nominees without so much as a serious challenge? Bloomberg Businessweek nationa...
Dec 13, 2023•27 min
China is facing the world's biggest exodus of millionaires and growing capital outflows. Yet at least one group is bucking the trend -- the growing number of ultrawealthy Chinese youth who are returning to the mainland. Rising geopolitical tensions, and the perception of increasing hostility abroad toward Chinese nationals, have led children of some of China's richest people to eschew what used to be coveted overseas jobs and foreign citizenship, and recalibrate to a life at home where the mantr...
Dec 12, 2023•12 min
The cost of living in America has increased significantly since 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic triggered a sudden deceleration of the world’s largest economy. Three years later, the spike in inflation that followed is finally easing as the US Federal Reserve aims optimistically for a soft landing. But that doesn’t mean the price of goods and services is falling back to Earth—at least not right away. Bloomberg reporters Reade Pickert and Jennah Haque crunched the numbers to see just how much mo...
Dec 11, 2023•26 min
Reports of crimes targeting Jews, Muslims and Arabs have risen around the world in since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and the Israeli military’s retaliatory operation in Gaza. While previous conflicts in the Middle East also sparked a backlash outside the region, this time it is more intense and the wave of hate may be far from cresting, according to advocacy groups, former law enforcement officials and analysts. In this special edition of The Big Take, Stephen Carroll examines how these c...
Dec 10, 2023•24 min
With winter falling in Ukraine and Russia’s war there poised to enter its third year, supporters of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy are nervous about whether they will have enough arms and military aid to support their defense. The conflict between Israel and Hamas has captured world attention. In the US, Senate Republicans have blocked $66 million in emergency Ukraine aid. And further out, Kyiv is closely watching the 2024 presidential prospects of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, w...
Dec 08, 2023•29 min
The US is selling, lending and donating weapons to its allies all over the world, but its supply chain can't keep up. Increased demand from America's allies, along with a three-decade trend of consolidation in the defense sector, has strained the stockpile of bullets, artillery shells and other weaponry that the country itself might need in the event of a war. The Big Take podcast sits down with Retired Army Major General John Ferrari and Bloomberg News reporter Courtney McBride to understand ho...
Dec 07, 2023•13 min
Across the globe, the housing boom is ending. In the US, a freeze is approaching, creating a barrier to entry for new homebuyers. In countries like New Zealand, Canada, Germany and France, a shortage of homes is colliding with a slowdown of new construction due to higher borrowing rates. And in the UK, landlords are bracing for pain as floating rate mortgages reset and the cost of living hits the highest level in a generation. Bloomberg’s Kara Wetzel and Ari Altstedter join this episode for a lo...
Dec 06, 2023•27 min
We here at The Big Take wanted to introduce you to our colleagues and friends over at the Elon, Inc podcast from Businessweek, hosted by David Papadopoulos. Please enjoy this episode, and hop on over to subscribe to their feed if you like what you hear! ---- This time we assess the aftermath of an especially gonzo week in the life of Elon Musk—one in which the billionaire CEO delivered the first production units of his company’s latest vehicle (the Cybertruck), weighed in on his preferred candid...
Dec 05, 2023•32 min
This episode includes some disturbing descriptions of sexual acts and assault. If you have kids around, you might want to use headphones. And please take care when listening. Artificial intelligence and “generative AI” tools – think ChatGPT or Stable Diffusion – have become ingrained in our daily lives as a way to make aspects of work and life easier when used for its intended purpose. But many of them are open-source and widely available, giving users free rein to alter publicly available photo...
Dec 04, 2023•34 min
The world's attention has been on the pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas, as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine. But US military planners and strategists are laser focused on China’s military capability and the possibility of a Taiwan invasion. Bloomberg’s Peter Martin joins this episode to talk about what Pentagon officials are watching for and whether China’s warfighting capabilities can match its substantial buildup of military hardware. Read more: Can China Fight? The Russia-Ukraine ...
Dec 01, 2023•29 min
Nearly 80% of new homes built for sale in the US are in homeowners’ associations, or HOAs, or similar communities, which are governed by a board charged with keeping up shared spaces. HOAs maintain an often strict code to create an idyllic landscape across a neighborhood intended to protect property values. And for that, they charge monthly dues ranging from hundreds to more than $1,000. On top of that, seemingly small violations can draw big fines. About 20 states allow HOAs to claim the proper...
Nov 30, 2023•17 min
Bloomberg’s Israel Bureau Chief Ethan Bronner and contributor Fadwa Hodali join host Rosalind Matheison for the latest on the truce between Israel and Hamas as negotiations continue over the release of hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at [email protected] . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...
Nov 29, 2023•27 min
China's real estate market was once valued at more than $50 trillion. It made up a full quarter of the country's entire economy and made millions of people really rich. Now, it's in tatters, and upending hundreds of thousands of lives. In this episode, Bloomberg's Lulu Chen and Janet Paskin zoom in on the story of Huailan - a 35-year-old mother of two in North East China - and how her life took a sharp turn when Country Garden, China's biggest developer, defaulted. Read more: China Drafts List o...
Nov 28, 2023•17 min
Bloomberg reporters Shawn Donnan and Claire Ballentine join this episode to discuss the results of a new Harris Poll for Bloomberg News, which found that the US Federal Reserve’s rapid increase in interest rates—aimed at fighting inflation—have more middle-class Americans worried about the economy than a year ago, even amid near-record employment. Read more: Middle-Class Americans Are Rattled by Fed’s Fight Against Inflation Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily...
Nov 27, 2023•23 min
We’re taking a break today for the Thanksgiving holiday. Here’s a favorite episode from August that you might have missed. We’ll be back on Monday with a new episode. Have a great weekend. And thanks for listening! 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. Once complete, the 800-megawatt project is expected to generate enough electricity to power 400,000 homes. But with inflation and risin...
Nov 24, 2023•27 min
We’re taking a break today for the Thanksgiving holiday. Here’s a favorite episode from October that you might have missed. We’ll be back on Monday. Thanks for listening! Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw and Sohee Kim join this episode to talk about Bang Si-Hyuk, South Korea’s enormously successful music mogul. The billionaire has built a K-pop empire with bands like BTS and New Jeans, and he’s now looking to expand on that model with a new, global act based in the US. Read more: The K-Pop Mogul Behind BT...
Nov 23, 2023•24 min
