Big Take

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 questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Taiwan-based company Foxconn builds roughly two out of every three iPhones, along with the Google Pixel, Amazon Kindle, Nintendo Switch and a slew of other popular products. Bloomberg’s Reed Stevenson joins this episode to talk about Foxconn’s ambitious new goal: to become a major manufacturer of electric vehicles. Read more: Foxconn Makes Your iPhone. Now It Wants to Make Your Electric Car 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Henry Meyer and Galit Altstein join this episode with an update on the Israel-Hamas war, including the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza; calls from the US and other nations for a pause in the fighting; and the latest on negotiations to free the hundreds of hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza. Read more: Israel’s Step-by-Step Gaza Offensive Risks Longer Deadly War 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In November 2021, President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Act into law. That hasn’t translated into a clear political win for a president seeking reelection, though. According to a recent Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll, only 38% of voters in seven swing states say they trust President Joe Biden to handle infrastructure, compared to 42% who trust former President Donald Trump. That’s not just bad news for Biden, it’s bad news for White House Senior Advisor Mitch Landrieu, the president’s “infrastructure coordinator.” Senior Washington Correspondent Saleha Mohsin sat down with Landrieu for The Big Take. Landrieu discussed the challenges facing an administration that wants credit for uniting Congress on this historic investment, and how his experience in local and state government rebuilding New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina informs his approach.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Zoe Tillman and Sara Forden join this episode for an update on former president Donald Trump’s ongoing legal troubles—including gag orders that restrict what he can say about cases in DC and New York, plea deals in the Georgia case by some of his former lawyers, and attempts to invoke the Constitution to remove Trump from the 2024 ballot in at least two states. 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Agnieszka de Sousa joins this episode to discuss why concerns about food security have become a top issue in elections around the world—including in Argentina, Poland, New Zealand and India. And food security expert Tim Benton of Chatham House talks about what can be done to relieve growing global tensions over food. Read more: Food Is Hot Campaign Issue in Elections From Argentina to Poland 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Jessica Brice and Michael Smith join this episode to talk about how and why the US Commerce Department is helping the firearms industry find overseas buyers for American-made guns. Read more: How Hundreds of US Government Employees Became Gun Industry Sales Reps 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor Swift’s monumental success is due to her talent as a performer — as well as her business acumen. Bloomberg’s Devon Pendleton and Claire Ballentine join this episode to talk about how the pop star has taken ownership of her music, built a fiercely loyal fan base–and become a billionaire in the process. Read more: Taylor Swift Vaults to Billionaire Ranks With Blockbuster Eras Tour 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Wednesday, after a three-week battle in the US House of Representatives, Republicans voted in a new House speaker to replace ousted speaker Kevin McCarthy. Bloomberg congressional editor Megan Scully joins this episode to answer the question people inside Washington and around the US are now asking: Who is Mike Johnson? Read more: What to Know About Trump-Backed Speaker Mike Johnson 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Julie Johnsson and Siddharth Vikram Philip join this episode to discuss Bloomberg’s investigation into sales of airplane components with falsified documentation. Read more: Ghost in the Machine: How Fake Parts Infiltrated Airline Fleets 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Israel Bureau Chief Ethan Bronner joins this episode to talk about the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war.Read more: Hostages and Hezbollah Force Israel to Rethink Gaza Ground War 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Thomas Black joins this episode to talk about the progress being made in developing autonomous trucks—including the 18-wheelers that deliver goods across the US. Three companies are now testing them in Texas, and trucks without drivers could be rolling down US highways as early as next year. Plus, Chris Urmson, CEO of Aurora, one of the companies testing in Texas, discusses the road to developing driverless truck technology. Read more: Goodbye, California. Driverless Trucks Are Headed to Texas 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Rebecca Choong Wilkins joins this episode to talk about this week’s meeting of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Beijing, and what it says about the complicated relationship between the two men and the nations they lead. Read more: Will Xi Jinping’s Gamble on Vladimir Putin Pay Off? 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg's Jackie Davalos joins this episode to talk about Kindbody, a startup that operates fertility clinics around the US—and the challenges the company has faced as it expands. Read more: Embryo Errors, Flooded Clinics: Kindbody and IVF's Risky Business 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 BTS Is Building the Next BTS 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Israel bureau chief Ethan Bronner joins this episode from Tel Aviv to talk about Israel’s expected ground invasion of Gaza, and the intense diplomatic efforts by the US and other nations to avert a broader conflict in the Middle East. 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Ike Swetlitz and Riley Griffin join this episode to discuss what’s driving the shortage of generic drugs in the US, including amoxicillin, and what can be done to restore supplies. Read more: A Key American Plant Making Antibiotics for Kids Risks Shutting Down 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Piotr Skolimowski and Andrea Dudik join this episode to discuss why Poland’s parliamentary elections will determine the nation’s social and political standing in Western Europe. Read more: Europe at War Can’t Ignore Poland’s Bitter Election 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Iger, The Walt Disney Company’s hugely successful CEO, came out of retirement last November and once again took the helm of the entertainment giant. But the company, and the industry, are facing tough new challenges. Bloomberg’s Thomas Buckley joins this episode to talk about Iger’s efforts to put Disney on solid footing for the future. Read more: Has Bob Iger Lost the Magic? 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US Justice Department’s case against Google and the case against Amazon brought by the Federal Trade Commission are considered two of the most consequential antitrust actions of the modern online era. What’s at stake for the companies–and consumers–when it comes to how we search online and what we buy? Bloomberg’s Leah Nylen is covering these cases. She joins this episode to explain the government’s argument that the companies are stifling competition–and what Google and Amazon have to say about it. Read more: Microsoft Considered Investing Billions in Apple Deal to Compete With Google Search 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Rosalind Mathieson joins this episode to discuss the attack on Israel by Hamas, Israel’s swift military response—and concerns about the possibility of an escalating conflict across the region. Read more: A Fractured Israel Unites Around a Singular Goal: Crush the Enemy 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Public schools across the US are getting ready for a financial blow next year, when $190 billion in federal pandemic aid runs out. Bloomberg’s Shruti Singh and Nic Querolo join this episode to discuss the challenges facing school districts, including teacher burnout. And Charles Ebea, a school counselor in the Bronx, New York, shares his perspective. Read more: Pandemic Aid for Public Schools Is Running Out. That’s Leaving Districts Under Pressure 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Chief U.S. Economist Anna Wong joins this episode to make the case for why a recession is still more likely than not. Read more: Why a US Recession Is Still Likely — and Coming Soon 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Big Take, Bloomberg’s Justina Lee and Sam Potter take us inside how artificial intelligence is changing the way financial firms and other market players make decisions about what to buy and sell. Can AI beat the market? Do we want it to? We also hear from Renee Yao, the founder of an investment firm that’s all in on AI. Read more: Can AI Beat the Market? Wall Street Is Desperate to Try 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US established Federal Home Loan Banks almost a century ago to make it easier for people to buy a home. Although these institutions have billions of dollars to lend, many people are still struggling to get approved for a mortgage. Bloomberg’s Heather Perlberg and Noah Buhayar join this episode to talk about why that is—and what’s being done to fix it. Read more: Flawed US Home-Loan System Neglects the Buyers Who Need It Most 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Peter Elstrom and Mackenzie Hawkins join this episode to explain why the microchip inside Huawei’s new Mate 60 Pro phone is alarming the US government. Read more: Huawei Takes Revenge as China Catches Up on Semiconductors 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even with a looming recession, high interest rates and a tight labor market, small businesses have been opening at record rates over the last few years, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. They’ve also been the primary driver of job creation in the US. Bloomberg reporter Enda Curran dug into why small businesses are having a moment—and the challenges owners are facing in this uncertain economy. Plus, meet the owners of a bakery and a microbrewery who discuss how they’ve been keeping their businesses afloat. Read more: The Pandemic Small-Business Boom Is Fueling the US Economy 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US narrowly averted a disruptive and costly shutdown of federal agencies as Congress passed compromise legislation to keep the government running until November 17th. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s embrace of the bipartisan deal has triggered a mutiny by far-right Republicans to depose him from his role. Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Joe Mathieu is joined by Bloomberg's Jack Fitzpatrick and Laura Davison to discuss the road ahead. Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK Have questions or comments for the team? Reach us at [email protected] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 it raises. And Travis Staab, a police detective in Arizona, shares how he and his colleagues have used the information to track down suspects. Read more: Google User Data Has Become a Favorite Police Shortcut 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guatemala-based Megapaca is the number one importer of used clothing from the United States. The company has seen massive success in secondhand retail in Latin America, and now they have their sights set on expanding to the US.Bloomberg’s Adam Minter walks us through this complex, data-driven operation. And Megapaca's back-office manager Jose Rivera talks about the company’s ethos and its goal to become the leading seller of used clothing in the world. Read more: The Massive Guatemalan Operation That Wants to Sell Americans Their Old Clothes Back 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Hannah Miller is back today to explain why Sam Altman’s Worldcoin is collecting iris scans in exchange for crypto tokens. Read more: Worldcoin’s Eyeball-Scanning Crypto Dream Is Under Threat 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests in 2020, corporate America made bold promises to address racial disparities in the workplace. And they delivered. Bloomberg’s Jeff Green and Rebecca Greenfield join this episode to dig into the data about US companies’ DEI efforts. Read more: Corporate America Promised to Hire a Lot More People of Color.It Actually Did. 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hundreds of thousands of people charged with crimes in the US each year are incarcerated while they await trial. Often it’s because they can’t afford to pay bail. New York City’s pretrial supervised release program aims to change that. A judge can opt to release some defendants under the supervision of a caseworker, who monitors their progress as they await their day in court. Bloomberg’s Fola Akinnibi and Sarah Holder join this episode to talk about how the program works, the fraught politics around it–and why it may become a blueprint for other cities and states. Read more: America Is the World Leader in Locking People Up. One City Found a Fix 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catch up on some of the week’s biggest stories from the US and across the globe. Bloomberg’s Rosalind Mathieson, Mario Parker and Ben Sills join this episode to talk about the major issues on the table at the United Nations meeting in New York; the Biden administration’s push for a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia; and the ongoing US auto workers strike. 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Shawn Donnan and Maeva Cousin join this episode to explain how rising political tensions around the world are leading to a re-ordering of trade and commerce into rival economic blocs. Read more: The Global Economy Enters an Era of Upheaval 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Dollar General retail chain has 19,000-plus locations, more than Walmart and Wendy’s combined. Its business model is to open in towns too small to support bigger retailers, sell necessities at low prices and keep staff to a minimum, sometimes as few as one or two people per shift. This bare bones approach has led to profits but also numerous OSHA citations and millions of dollars in proposed fines against the company since 2017. Bloomberg reporters Josh Eidelson and Brendan Case join this episode to talk about their reporting on Dollar General, what current and former employees say about what it’s like to work there–and how the company has responded. Read more: Why Dollar General Might Just Be the Worst Retail Job in America 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Businessweek national political correspondent Joshua Green joins this episode to describe a political phenomenon that’s emerging in parts of the US: red states encroaching on blue cities. In Nashville, Austin and elsewhere, Republican legislatures have successfully used supermajorities to block liberal reforms and enact conservative policies. Read more: The Hostile Takeover of Blue Cities by Red States 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday, US auto workers started an unprecedented strike against all three of the legacy Detroit carmakers. If the standoff isn’t resolved quickly, it could ripple through the US economy. Bloomberg’s Detroit Bureau Chief David Welch joins this episode to talk about what the union is demanding–and whether the companies will give them what they want.Read more: How Auto Executives Misread the UAW and Ignited a Historic Strike 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There were many global issues on the table at the G-20 summit in New Delhi. But arguably the real center of attention at the India meeting was India itself–and the ambitious agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bloomberg’s Sudhi Ranjan Sen and Daniel Ten Kate join this episode to discuss what came out of the gathering of leaders—and how India is asserting itself on the world stage. Read more: India’s Moment Has Arrived, and Modi Wants a New Global Order 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retail work has always been hard – long hours and weekend shifts on your feet, a lower pay scale and dealing with disgruntled customers. But in our post-pandemic economy, those issues have only been amplified with shoppers behaving badly and wages not keeping up with inflation, while employees take on ever-expanding roles. As a result, many workers are deciding the job just isn’t worth it. Bloomberg’s Devin Leonard and Rebecca Greenfield explain the decline of retail workers’ sense of value and respect that is leading them to quit in droves. And retail reporter Olivia Rockeman talks about the broader challenges facing brick and mortar stores as they try to compete with growing online sales. Read more: US Retail Workers Are Fed Up and Quitting at Record Rates 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since the 1970s, carbon capture and storage (CSS) has been held up as one potential tool to help combat global warming. The idea is to capture carbon dioxide released in the production of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas, and store it deep underground–instead of letting it escape into the atmosphere. But despite billions of dollars spent, the technology hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. Bloomberg’s Stephen Stapczynski and David Stringer report that now is the make or break time for carbon capture to prove its worth, and they join this episode to talk about whether it’s up to the challenge of slowing climate change. Read more: Big Oil’s Climate Fix Is Running Out of Time to Prove Itself 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, companies looking to lower costs have resorted to offshoring—moving their manufacturing to China and other nations in Asia. But US-China tensions and a desire to simplify long, complex supply chains are now leading a growing number of businesses that serve US customers to do the reverse—“nearshoring.” They’re relocating some or all of their operations to Mexico. Bloomberg’s Maya Averbuch and Leda Alvim join this episode to talk about Mexico’s manufacturing boom in everything from electric vehicles to baked goods—and why it’s a critical moment for the country’s economy. Read more: Mexico’s Moment: The Biggest US Trading Partner Is No Longer China 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By now, most people across the globe have returned to pre-pandemic routines like traveling and going to the movies. But when it comes to where they work, many remote employees want to leave their offices in the past. Bloomberg’s Matthew Boyle joins this episode to discuss companies’ ongoing battle to lure employees back to in-person work, and where the return-to-office movement has gained the most traction around the world. Read more: Return-to-Office Is a $1.3 Trillion Problem Few Have Figured Out 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A cheap, illegal amphetamine called captagon is raising alarm around the globe after circulating for years in the Middle East. The US and its allies say much of the world’s supply of captagon is made in Syria–and that the government of President Bashar Al-Assad is using captagon sales abroad to cushion the financial blow of Western sanctions on Syria. Bloomberg’s Sam Dagher and Samy Adghirni join this episode to describe captagon’s rise from 1960s German pharmaceutical to pervasive street drug, and why European officials are so concerned about a possible influx within their borders. Caroline Rose, Director of the Captagon Trade Project at the New Lines Institute explains how the US is responding to the spread of captagon. Read more: ‘Poor Man’s Cocaine’ Costing $3 a Pill Threatens to Proliferate 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing sales of electric vehicles around the world have also come with growing pains. In China, outdated models no one wants pile up in vast EV graveyards. In Norway, tax breaks for electric car buyers have been so successful that the government faces a revenue shortfall. Bloomberg’s Linda Lew and Businessweek contributor Willem Marx join this episode to talk about the upsides—and downsides—of the EV boom. And Oslo city councilman Eivind Trædal explains why electric cars can sometimes make the problem of traffic-clogged streets even worse. Read more: China’s Abandoned, Obsolete Electric Cars Are Piling Up in Cities 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Apple “ecosystem” has tremendous appeal – sleek design, genius marketing and a myriad of products and services that are seamlessly compatible. This makes users feel at ease within its closed circuit. Unless they want to try something else.Bloomberg reporter Austin Carr decided to scale Apple’s walled garden to see if the grass was greener in the Android and Windows world. But his attempts to transfer his photos, messages and contacts to his new devices turned into a maddening, months-long saga. In this episode Austin details his experience– and explains why Apple put up those walls in the first place. Read more: iQuit: My Hellish Attempt to Leave Apple’s Walled Garden 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1978, NASA opened its astronaut training program to women. Bloomberg space reporter Loren Grush recounts their challenges and achievements in her new book The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts. She joins this episode to talk about the extraordinary careers of Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid and Rhea Seddon—and the mark each astronaut left on the history and future of space exploration. Read more: How NASA Chose Its First Woman In Space 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] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're taking a break for the Labor Day Holiday in the US, so here's a favorite you might have missed. We'll be back at it tomorrow with a new episode.The tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons is approaching its 50th anniversary and it has never been more popular, attracting players of all ages to its analog charms. Now Hasbro, the toy company that owns it, is betting D&D can be brought into the digital age and become a big moneymaker. Bloomberg correspondent Felix Gillette joins this episode to talk about why Dungeons & Dragons is having a cultural — and economic — moment, and why it might not be so easy to persuade diehard fans to pay for a digital experience. Also, gaming retail store owner Lauren Bilanko shares what it’s like to run a business that caters to the D&D crowd. Read more here: Dungeons & Dragons’ Epic Quest to Finally Make Money 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] episode originally aired in April 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're taking a pause this week to recharge our batteries. Here's one we love that you might have missed. We'll be back with fresh episodes next week.Earlier this year, India’s Supreme Court heard arguments on whether to legalize same-sex marriage. A verdict is expected in the fall. 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 takes a step back to talk about which countries have advanced marriage equality and where it is still outlawed. 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] episode originally aired in March 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're taking a pause this week, so here's a favorite episode you might have missed. We'll be back next week with some fresh episodes. For decades, inventors have tried and failed to make a smart gun. A company called Biofire now appears to have pulled it off. It uses both fingerprint scans and facial recognition so that only a registered user can fire it.But will anyone buy it? Will this technology become yet another point of contention between pro and anti-gun groups? Firearms advocates have long been skeptical of biometric weapons but they’ve also never run across one that actually worked. Bloomberg reporter Ashlee Vance joins this episode to talk about Biofire’s new smart gun, how it works, and what it’s like to use. We also hear from Biofire’s 26-year-old CEO Kai Kloepfer, who started working on the gun after the mass shooting in his home state of Colorado, when he was 15-years-old. Read the story: https://bloom.bg/43DMVBH 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]. This episode originally aired in April 2023.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.