China is building the largest power plant the world has ever seen, in a very remote corner of Tibet. But the $167 billion hydropower dam has environmentalists and neighboring countries concerned. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host Menaka Doshi speaks to Bloomberg’s Dan Murtaugh about the engineering and geopolitical challenges, and the impact construction will have on the country’s economy. Read more: Xi Ties His Legacy and China’s Economy to $167 Billion Dam Further listening: China's Plans...
Jul 29, 2025•15 min
For months, the impact of President Trump’s aggressive trade policy has largely felt theoretical. But with an Aug. 1 tariff extension on the horizon and a consequential week ahead for the president’s broader economic agenda, the cracks are beginning to show. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg senior economic writer Shawn Donnan joins David Gura to break down the tariff fallout hiding in plain sight, and which sectors and countries are being hit the hardest. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...
Jul 27, 2025•18 min
On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura sits down with former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. In a wide-ranging conversation, they discuss Sullivan’s tenure in the Biden White House, the consequences of President Trump’s cuts to foreign assistance and government staff, and what Sullivan sees as the most pressing foreign policy challenges facing the current administration. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 25, 2025•32 min
With more than $50 billion under management, Harvard has the largest college endowment in the United States. But the University of Texas is not far behind. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Janet Lorin joins host David Gura to discuss how the University of Texas harnessed land and oil to build the second-largest endowment in higher education and why it’s now adding new kinds of energy — and new ventures — to its portfolio. Read more: Oil-Rich University of Texas Wants to Cash In on AI, Cr...
Jul 24, 2025•11 min
Bob Zoellick and Mike Froman spent years crisscrossing the globe as US Trade Representatives for George W. Bush and Barack Obama, respectively. They hammered out deals that accelerated an era of free trade. As President Donald Trump’s August 1 tariff deadline approaches and Japan strikes a major deal with his trade team, David Gura brings the two former trade officials together to get their take on the president’s efforts to reshape the global economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...
Jul 23, 2025•25 min
This week, top European Union leaders are traveling to Beijing for a high-level summit which could set the tone for the relationship between the EU and China for years to come. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s Alan Crawford examine the shifting ties between Brussels and Beijing and the effect Trump is having on the relationship. Read more: US Tariffs Are Changing Europe’s Approach to Chinese Investment Further listening: The American Toymaker Suing Trump Over Des...
Jul 22, 2025•17 min
Over many decades of public service, Robert Gates has served as secretary of defense for two presidents and the director of the CIA. On today’s Big Take podcast, Gates sits down with host David Gura and shares his perspective on what makes this moment one of “the most perilous” in history. It’s the first of several interviews David did with some of the biggest names in foreign policy and national security at the Aspen Security Forum. We’ll publish those conversations on The Big Take over the nex...
Jul 21, 2025•28 min
Incumbent NYC Mayor Eric Adams didn't run in the Democratic primary. But he'll be on the ballot in November, running as an independent against Zohran Mamdani and probably a couple of other candidates as well. So what is his vision for addressing affordability? What can the Mayor do about crime, trash, and other quality of life issues? On this episode of Bloomberg's Odd Lots, we're joined by Eric Adams to talk about the city's future and his plan for securing re-election. Read more: Ex-NYPD Commi...
Jul 20, 2025•46 min
If you’ve been to a store like CVS, Walgreens or Target in the last few years, you may have noticed a trend: more and more essentials are locked up behind plexiglass walls. The strategy started as an anti-theft measure. But there’s little evidence that it’s worked. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Amanda Mull takes host Sarah Holder through the causes and consequences of the retail lock-up era — and how it’s changed the way we shop. Read more: Retailers Locked Up Their Products—and Broke...
Jul 18, 2025•16 min
Jane Street is one of Wall Street’s most profitable and secretive firms. And when Indian regulators accused it of market manipulation earlier this month, it rocked the finance world. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg finance reporter Katherine Doherty joins host Sarah Holder to go inside Jane Street’s unique trading strategy, and what new regulatory scrutiny could mean for the high frequency trading industry. Read more: Jane Street’s Trading Secrets Spill Into Open and Face Rivals’ Scrutiny...
Jul 17, 2025•15 min
At over 16,000 feet, Peru’s Rainbow Mountain is hard to reach — and its bright colors are hard to miss on social media. After a community effort to build an access road and usher in tourists succeeded, fame has proven to be a blessing and a curse for the Indigenous community that sits beneath it. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Marcelo Rochabrun and Sarah Holder trace how the community turned Rainbow Mountain into a global tourism destination — and the money, violence and tragedy that f...
Jul 16, 2025•18 min
A leaked phone call between Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodia's Hun Sen has ignited a significant political crisis in Thailand, leading to large-scale protests and her suspension from office. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Patpicha Tanakasempipat about the political fallout and its impact on the powerful Shinawatra clan, which has dominated Thai politics for almost three decades. Read more: Humbled Thai Billionaire Is a Warning ...
Jul 15, 2025•19 min
Last week, President Trump sent markets into a tizzy, when he proposed tariffs on one of the world’s most valuable commodities: Copper. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s economic statecraft reporter Joe Deaux joins host David Gura to discuss the president’s ongoing push to bring copper manufacturing back to the US. Why 50% levies on copper could affect everything from your car and iPhone to the nation’s electrical grid, and what the copper industry is doing to get ahead. Read more: Trump’...
Jul 14, 2025•17 min
On today’s Big Take podcast, we examine what the disaster in Kerr County, Texas reveals about the growing risk of flooding across the country as the climate changes — and the difficult economic choices facing communities grappling with these new risks. Read more: No Alerts Heard in Deadly Texas Flash Flood as 161 Still Missing See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 11, 2025•20 min
Japan’s hottest banking talent is in high demand as Wall Street goes all out to woo new hires with fancy dinners, strong-arm tactics and higher salaries. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, Bloomberg’s Lisa Du talks to host K. Oanh Ha about why firms are resorting to extreme measures and the problems they face in hiring top talent. Further listening: Can’t Get Enough of Matcha? Too Bad – Japan Is Running Low South Korea Has Plenty of Botox But Not Enough Doctors Why China’s Investment Bankers Are ...
Jul 10, 2025•13 min
OPEC+, a coalition of some of the world’s top oil producers, surprised markets over the weekend with plans to boost production by more than half a million barrels a day. The increase comes at a time when investors are worried about oversupply. So what was behind the decision? Bloomberg’s Joumanna Bercetche breaks it all down with Big Take host David Gura from Vienna, where members of the oil cartel and executives from around the world are gathered for the Ninth OPEC International Seminar. See om...
Jul 09, 2025•14 min
In a remote part of China's northwestern Xinjiang region, dozens of data centers rise from the desert. A Bloomberg analysis of investor and tax documents and company filings found Chinese companies plan to buy more than 115,000 high-tech Nvidia chips — chips the US has banned from being exported to China – to power these centers, which could then be used for training AI models. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Andy Lin and James Mayger about the story, and w...
Jul 08, 2025•16 min
In late April, shortly after President Trump’s announcement of sweeping reciprocal tariffs sent markets reeling, the White House announced a 90-day pause on when those tariffs would go into effect. That pause is about to end and while the Trump administration has announced a few tentative trade agreements — including one with the UK and another with Vietnam — they’re nowhere near 90. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Brendan Murray and host David Gura discuss what the White House has acco...
Jul 07, 2025•16 min
For decades, the penny has cost more to produce than it’s worth. Now, the US government is finally stopping production of the one-cent coin for good. So, how did we get here? And what does it mean for those little Abraham Lincolns stuck behind your couch cushions? On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Steven Dennis takes us through the life and death of the penny, and explores what it reveals about the way the US government works. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 04, 2025•16 min
After weeks of legislative wrangling, the House passed President Trump’s signature tax bill, sending it to his desk just before his July 4 deadline. It's the latest in a sweep of major victories on legislative, military and legal fronts, all of which could impact how Trump enacts his agenda going forward. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s White House and government editor Mario Parker joins Sarah Holder to discuss what the events of the last two weeks could mean for the rest of Trump’s te...
Jul 03, 2025•18 min
The auto sector saw buyers race to dealerships after President Trump announced 25% tariffs on car imports and parts from outside the US. And according to new data this week, sales from major automakers appear to be losing steam ahead of Trump’s July 9 tariff deadline. Today on the Big Take, host David Gura sits down with Bloomberg’s Detroit bureau chief David Welch to break down how Trump’s trade war could impact car companies including Tesla, GM and Ford, and what that means for car buyers head...
Jul 02, 2025•16 min
Trump’s trade war has thrown American businesses, which source everything from aircraft parts to baby strollers from China, into chaos. Now some companies are challenging the president’s tariff rulings in the courts. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha is joined by Rick Woldenberg, CEO of the toy company Learning Resources, and Bloomberg’s Lucille Liu, to talk about the impact of the trade war on US importers and Chinese manufacturers and what it ultimately means for American consu...
Jul 01, 2025•16 min
The cruise industry is an outlier right now. Even as US summer travel is down, cruise companies are setting sail with record numbers of passengers this year. But as the industry tries to keep up with this demand, it’s facing growing pains in the port cities it relies on most. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporter Redd Brown travels to Galveston, Texas — a port city that’s at the center of the industry’s ambitious expansion plans, and that is wrestling with the challenges that opportuni...
Jun 30, 2025•16 min
Late last week, the Buss family, longtime owners of the Los Angeles Lakers, announced that they would sell the franchise for a record-breaking $10 billion valuation. On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura and Bloomberg’s sports business reporter Randall Williams break down what we know about the deal so far and discuss why America’s wealthiest families seem to be getting out of the game. Read more: Los Angeles Lakers Confirms Majority Stake Sale to Mark Walter See omnystudio.com/listener f...
Jun 27, 2025•19 min
At the start of 2025, Gap was cool again. The legacy American brand had started to turn around sales and rebuild its image. It was in the middle of a splashy ad campaign with the actress Parker Posey. Influencers were posting its clothes online. But then President Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporters Amanda Mull and Lily Meier walk host Sarah Holder through Gap’s history, its recent re-invention and the challenges it faces now. Plus, we h...
Jun 26, 2025•17 min
China is Iran’s biggest trading partner, and sources about 14% of its oil from the country. Between China’s economic relationship with Iran and its ongoing trade negotiations with the US, the conflict between Israel and Iran, and especially US involvement, has put China in a difficult position. Today on Big Take Asia, host Oanh Ha is joined by John Liu, who oversees Bloomberg’s China coverage from Beijing, to discuss what’s at stake for China in Iran and how the conflict could change China’s gam...
Jun 25, 2025•16 min
President Trump lashed out at Iran and Israel today over concerns that a ceasefire between the two was already breaking down. But going from a fragile truce to lasting peace is complicated, particularly as Iran tries to advance its nuclear ambitions. On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura sits down with former US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who helped negotiate an Iran deal reached in 2015, and with Bloomberg’s Nick Wadhams. They discuss the current state of Iran’s nuclear program, what...
Jun 24, 2025•18 min
The conventional wisdom used to be that war in the Middle East would send oil prices soaring. Not anymore. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg Opinion’s Javier Blas and host Sarah Holder talk about the emergence of the US as the world’s largest oil producer — and how that new power dynamic is playing out in the war in Iran. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 23, 2025•18 min
The United States conducted airstrikes on three of Iran’s nuclear sites over the weekend, marking a dramatic escalation of the US’s involvement in Israel’s deepening war with Tehran. On today’s Big Take Podcast, Bloomberg national security and intelligence reporter Natalia Drozdiak and Israel Bureau Chief Ethan Bronner join host Sarah Holder to talk through what led to President Trump’s decision to strike, how the surprise attack happened and what comes next. Read more: A Weakened Iran Can Still...
Jun 23, 2025•13 min
Global tariff wars, multi-country travel bans, detentions and phone-seizures at the border. President Trump’s “America first” policies create a grim picture for one group in particular: international tourists. Foreign visitors to the US have been on the rise since the pandemic, with analysts previously expecting 2025 to be a bumper year for tourism. That is, until President Trump’s second term began. This drop in tourism is forecasted to cost the American economy $12.5 billion this year. On Toda...
Jun 20, 2025•14 min
