For the past year, Bloomberg News and Morning Consult have been polling voters in swing states. Former President Donald Trump has had a consistent lead when it comes to the question of who voters trust on the economy. But a new poll of likely voters shows Vice President Kamala Harris closing that gap in key states. Today, senior editor Wendy Benjaminson joins the Big Take DC to dig into how this polling works and what we can learn from the results. Read more: Kamala Harris Holds Razor-Thin Lead ...
Sep 26, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Skyrocketing tuition costs, COVID and fewer high school graduates have been straining the survival of smaller American colleges, leading many to shut down. Now, some are joining a surprising new path: mergers and acquisitions. Bloomberg reporter Francesca Maglione sits down with Big Take host David Gura to discuss why some colleges are eager to merge with others, and what this new dynamic might mean for the future of higher education. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 25, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Talk of de-dollarization has been gaining momentum among China, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa in the wake of significant US led sanctions on Russia. Former US President and candidate Donald Trump has said the currency is under attack — and that any country that shuns it would face new tariffs on imports if he is elected. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Saleha Mohsin about the unique role the dollar plays in the world economy — and what, if anything...
Sep 24, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fighting has escalated in the Middle East after thousands of pagers and walkie talkies held by Hezbollah operatives exploded across Lebanon last week. That attack is the most recent example of supply chain interference — a global problem that national security officials say is now “rampant.” Bloomberg cybersecurity reporter Katrina Manson and defense and intelligence reporter Peter Martin sit down with Big Take host Sarah Holder to break down what we know about how and when the Hezbollah pagers ...
Sep 23, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Computers have outplayed humans in chess and Go for decades. But poker was long considered unhackable. The game requires not just crunching numbers, but creativity and complex strategy. That only started to change about 10 years ago, when a new generation of unbeatable poker bots began to appear online. The makers of the technology remained in the shadows, so Bloomberg’s Kit Chellel set out to find them. On today’s Big Take podcast, he joins David Gura to share the story of how a group of Russia...
Sep 20, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Since Vice President Kamala Harris took over the Democratic presidential ticket, she’s faced criticism from voters who say they don’t know what she stands for. But we know two Bloomberg reporters who do: California bureau chief Karen Breslau, who’s been following Harris’ career for two decades, and Josh Wingrove, who covers her campaign. Today on the show, they join host Sarah Holder to discuss what we know about Harris’ economic message and what a Harris presidency could mean for everything fro...
Sep 19, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Federal Reserve announced a highly anticipated rate cut of half a percentage point today — larger than many watchers anticipated. Which industries and companies will feel this interest rate cut the most, and what will it mean for everyday consumers? Bloomberg’s Enda Curran joins host Sarah Holder to talk about what effects we can expect to see as the rate cut ripples through the US economy and the world — and hits our wallets. Read more: Rent Is the Stubborn Part of the Inflation Story See o...
Sep 18, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, the Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates for the first time in over four years. And there’s debate over how big the cut will be and how soon it will impact the economy. Bloomberg’s Kate Davidson joins host David Gura to discuss this turning point for the economy, and what else Fed policymakers have in store for the future. Read more: Fed Ready to Unshackle US Economy With Soft Landing at Stake Further listening: What a September Cut Could Mean for the Economy and the Elec...
Sep 16, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast A controversial AI safety bill was just passed by California’s legislature. It’s been spurned by OpenAI and Nancy Pelosi, championed by Elon Musk – and could radically reshape the future of the technology’s development not just in the state, but globally. On today’s podcast, host Sarah Holder speaks with California State Senator Scott Wiener, the author of SB 1047, about why he thinks California needs to take a lead in regulating AI. And Bloomberg tech reporter Shirin Ghaffary explains why even ...
Sep 13, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast The year started with the door of an airplane falling off mid-flight. Frustrations with air travel have mounted since then. It’s up to Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation Secretary, to address those problems — which include everything from Boeing’s woes to the shrinking value of airline loyalty points. Buttigieg joined the Big Take DC podcast in an exclusive interview to talk about the future of air travel, and his political future after his tenure in the Biden administration ends. See omnystudio...
Sep 13, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a wide-ranging debate on Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly put former President Donald Trump on the defensive. Harris leaned into her past as a prosecutor, needling Trump on issues ranging from immigration to the economy and abortion. He attempted to criticize her record and define her as a radical unfit for the presidency. Bloomberg senior editor Wendy Benjaminson and host David Gura unpack the viral moments from the night, analyze the candidates’ performance, and discus...
Sep 11, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Apple is at a turning point. It ascended from a scrappy tech underdog to the most valuable company in the world through selling devices like iPhones, Macs and Apple watches. But now, a significant portion of its revenue comes from digital services. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Austin Carr tells host Janet Paskin what this shift means for Apple’s appetite for risk, its battles with regulators in the US and Europe, and what that means for all of us. Read more: How Apple Rules the World...
Sep 10, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast On today’s podcast, host David Gura speaks to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about everything from the health of the economy to negotiating with China. He also accompanies her on a trip to an IRS processing facility in Texas to talk about tax cheats and what to do about them. Read more: Yellen Says Jobs Report Confirms Labor Market ‘Quite Healthy’ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 09, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Eleven million people have been let go in the US so far this year. And the job market they’re entering isn’t easy: the latest jobs report showed the economy added just 142,000 jobs in August. But ever since the pandemic, the way we experience — and process — getting laid off has fundamentally changed. It’s no longer just a source of shame. It’s become social media content. Today on the show, host Sarah Holder speaks with a tech worker who’s at the forefront of the hottest new job market trend: p...
Sep 06, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast With two months until election day, Kamala Harris’ campaign is outpacing Donald Trump's on fundraising. But this late into the race, how much does money matter? Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin sits down with Bloomberg money and politics editor Laura Davison to break down both campaigns’ finances, how they might spend their money, and how much impact cash could actually have in the race. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 05, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Billionaire brothers Clark and Dan Hunt, co-owners of the Kansas City Chiefs, aren’t resting on their laurels after back-to-back Super Bowl victories. They’re hoping for another title, and they’re growing their family’s sports portfolio. The Hunts want to boost the NFL’s popularity overseas, and as co-owners of FC Dallas, they’re also trying to capitalize on the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Bloomberg reporter Randall Williams shares highlights from a recent conversation he had with the Hunt brothers abo...
Sep 04, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast The US asylum process is meant to offer a fair shot at safe haven. But new reporting from Bloomberg uncovers how the difference between those who are granted asylum and those who are denied often boils down to chance. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg investigative reporter Monte Reel joins host David Gura to trace the arc of one man’s journey and discuss new data analysis that reveals the flaws at the core of the US asylum system. Read more: Justice Is Beside the Point in America’s Immigra...
Sep 03, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast X users might have noticed a new kind of artificial intelligence-generated image proliferating: strange visions of Elon Musk next to Disney characters carrying guns, or Donald Trump in all kinds of, well, weird situations. This was what followed a new release of Musk’s Grok AI tool, which can now make images—unsurprisingly with fewer guardrails than other image-creating machines out there. On this episode we’ll talk about Grok’s new skillset and also get into the semiotics of the Cybertruck. Ini...
Sep 02, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast The taxis of the future are already here. And they’re airborne. After years of research and development and billions in investment, autonomous flying taxis are finally poised to take off. Companies working on these pilotless vehicles have been quietly working on prototypes — and recently, Bloomberg reporter Colum Murphy took a test flight in one of the first models operating in China. But once the technology is proven, new challenges begin: the industry will have to navigate regulatory hurdles, ...
Aug 30, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast In June, two NASA astronauts flew to the International Space Station on a Boeing spacecraft for a week-long test mission. But problems with the machinery mean they’ll be stuck there for 8 months… and when they come back in February, they won’t be flying Boeing. Instead, they’re hitching a ride with the company’s biggest rival in commercial space travel: Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Today on the show: space reporter Loren Grush and Boeing reporter Julie Johnsson on the challenges facing Boeing’s space pro...
Aug 29, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast The World Health Organization declared the last mpox global emergency over in May 2023. And just over a year later, here we are again. Since the start of 2024, a deadlier, more transmissible strain of the virus has killed about 575 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and infected 30 times more. New cases have recently appeared in Europe and Asia. In August, the WHO declared a new mpox global health emergency. Bloomberg’s Ashleigh Furlong joins host Sarah Holder to explain why the latest o...
Aug 28, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Call centers in the Philippines, the world’s second-biggest outsourcing center after India, are embracing artificial intelligence - and it’s radically changing what it looks and sounds like to work there. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins demos the Sanas AI app and talks to Bloomberg's Saritha Rai about the industry's rapid transition and what it might mean for workers around the world. Read more: The World's Call Center Capital Is Gripped by AI Fever — and Fear See o...
Aug 27, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast The time has finally come for a rate cut. That was the takeaway of Fed Chair Jerome Powell's remarks in Jackson Hole on Friday when he let the world know to expect a cut at the next Fed meeting in September. Bloomberg’s Mike McKee joins host Sarah Holder from Jackson Hole to discuss what that cut could look like — and what it would mean for the economy, the US election and the American consumer.Read more: Powell’s Pivot Leaves Traders Debating Size, Path of Rate Cuts Listen more: The Federal R...
Aug 26, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast For decades, the Democratic Party has counted on support from Black voters. But former President Donald Trump has tried to leverage voter dissatisfaction with Democrats to bite into the party’s edge with that key demographic. And for a while, it seemed to be working – until the first Black woman to lead a major presidential ticket shook up the race. On today’s Big Take DC podcast, host Saleha Mohsin hears from voters and speaks to Bloomberg reporters Akayla Gardner and Hadriana Lowenkron about h...
Aug 24, 2024•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast A Chinese businessman persuaded officials to establish a special economic zone in a remote part of Laos. The gamblers arrived first. Then came the drug runners, human traffickers and scammers. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Matt Campbell about his investigation into the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone and how it became a criminal’s paradise. Read more: Dodge City See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 22, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast For the first time in more than a decade, Burning Man has not sold out. The gathering prides itself on its counter-cultural roots, and draws tens of thousands of people to the Nevada desert every year for a week of art, music and adventure. But it’s also gradually moved further into the mainstream, becoming a rite of passage for a certain set of Silicon Valley elites. Whether it’s because of last year’s rain, economic strains, or something deeper, one thing is clear: this year, demand for Burnin...
Aug 21, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ports often make the news when they break: like the bridge collapse that shut down Baltimore's port earlier this year. But every day, ports in cities around the world keep supply chains humming and feed local economies; every year, they help move 80% of the things we buy. As conflicts between world powers intensify, ports are also the latest battlefields where geopolitical power is won and lost. On today’s episode, Bloomberg’s Brendan Murray tells host Sarah Holder how ports, from Belgium to Per...
Aug 20, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast After ten months of fighting in the Gaza Strip, Israel and Hamas could be close to a cease-fire deal. As of Monday afternoon, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Israel had agreed to a cease-fire proposal. Hamas had yet to officially respond. If an eventual deal is achieved… the question becomes: How could the Gaza Strip rebuild? On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporters Fares Alghoul, Fadwa Hodali, and Dan Williams take stock of the international cooperation — and money — it w...
Aug 19, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast There is nearly $13 trillion invested in exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. ETFs that mirror the S&P 500. ETFs for gold. ETFs for bitcoin. There’s even a Vegan ETF. How did this market get so big and varied? And just what goes into one? On today’s podcast, our Bloomberg Explains series continues with Bloomberg Intelligence senior ETF analyst and co-host of the Trillions podcast Eric Balchunas. He tells host David Gura about the unlikely duo who created the first-ever ETF in a last-ditch bid to ...
Aug 16, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
