Big Take (Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts)

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

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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, could replace it.

Read more: The Dollar’s Dominance, Explained

Further listening: Odd Lots Podcast – How the US Dollar Became an International Weapon of War

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Jerry Seinfeld is a billionaire, thanks in part to earnings from his iconic 1990s sitcom, Seinfeld. After co-creating and starring in the TV show, Seinfeld parlayed his comedy into big money – but changes to the entertainment industry could make it a challenge for others to follow suit.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg wealth reporter Annie Massa talks to host Sarah Holder about how the Bloomberg Billionaires Index valued Seinfeld’s net worth for the first time, and what made his eponymous show such an enduring – and lucrative – classic.

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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.

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Americans are more and more likely to get health care not from doctors, but from nurse practitioners. It’s one of the fastest-growing professions in the US — and the number of nurse practitioners in the country is expected to climb 45% by 2032. But training for the booming profession has never been standardized, and some students worry they’re not being set up for success.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder talks to investigative reporters Caleb Melby and Polly Mosendz about what the rapid rise of nurse practitioners has meant for their education — and their patients.

Read more: The Miseducation of America’s Nurse Practitioners

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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 if the bill is vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom, the questions it has raised about AI regulation could be long-lasting.

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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

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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 

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Omaha, Nebraska, is billionaire Warren Buffett’s hometown. A quirk in the state’s election law also means it could wind up deciding the 2024 presidential election.

On this episode, Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin talks to Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb and Bloomberg White House reporter Josh Wingrove, who traveled to Nebraska, to understand the fight to secure Omaha’s vote and the possibility of Warren Buffett entering the fray.

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Moscow is quiet again after an armed insurrection in Russia over the weekend ended as quickly as it began. But the uprising has left President Vladimir Putin weakened in the eyes of many Kremlin watchers, including US and European officials. Bloomberg’s Flavia Krause-Jackson joins this episode to talk about what this unprecedented threat to Putin’s authority means for his hold on power. And how turmoil inside the Kremlin and at the top of the military could further complicate Russia’s war in Ukraine.

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Shein is one of the biggest fast-fashion brands in the world. Young women and girls film their “Shein hauls” for TikTok — showing off piles of trendy, cheap clothes they bought from the Chinese company. It’s on track this year for sales around $8 billion in the US alone.

But a new investigation traces the origin of the cotton in some Shein clothing to the Xinjiang region of China, where the US and other Western nations say the Chinese government has imprisoned Uyghur Muslims and carried out a campaign of forced labor.

Bloomberg senior writer Sheridan Prasso joins this episode to talk about her investigation–and about the downsides of the world’s demand for more and more cheap clothes. Ayesha Barenblat of Remake, a group that advocates for stronger ethics in the fashion industry, also comes on the podcast.  She explains how to find out if your favorite clothing brands are acting responsibly–or cutting corners.  

Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3XjC24E 

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Deadly wildfires in the Los Angeles area have forced nearly 180,000 residents to evacuate their homes. As they wait to learn the extent of the damage, another crisis is on the horizon: whether private and state-funded insurance can handle a disaster on track to be one the worst in the region’s history. 

Today on the show, Bloomberg Green reporter Leslie Kaufman discusses why this fire has been so destructive and the state of wildfire insurance in California. 

Read more: Los Angeles Fires Become Existential Test for California’s Stopgap Insurer

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Millions of Americans–union workers, school teachers, firefighters, office employees at major corporations–are counting on a pension to support them when they retire. Pensions have always been seen as secure and reliable. But in recent years, some of the nation’s biggest pensions have run into trouble. Underfunded or underperforming, they don’t have enough to pay out. Increasingly, that means taxpayers are being asked to step in so retirees aren’t left with nothing. Which means the shaky pension pension system is very well costing you money–even if you don’t have one yourself.

Bloomberg reporters Neil Weinberg, Suzanne Woolley and Akayla Gardner join this episode to explain why the nation’s $4 trillion pension system is having such a rough time–and how much it will cost the rest of us to pick up the slack.

Read more about this story HERE. 

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Bloomberg News Now is a comprehensive audio report on today's top stories. Listen for the latest news, whenever you want it, covering global business stories around the world.     

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The commercial real estate market has been upended by changing office habits and rising interest rates. For years, lenders and global investors did not have to confront these plunging building values. But with deals picking up again, the reality can no longer be ignored.

On today's Big Take podcast, Bloomberg real estate reporters Natalie Wong and Patrick Clark share how these losses may ripple across the global financial system.

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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 allies to free themselves from Russian uranium.

Read more: The Manhattan Project to Wean the World Off Russian Uranium

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This episode was produced by: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producer: Federica Romaniello, Associate Producer: Zaynab Siddiqui. Sound Design/Engineer: Gilda Garcia.

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Senior executive editor John Liu joins Wes from Beijing to talk about the protests happening across China, as anger at the government’s Covid Zero policy boils over. John walks through why and how the demonstrations began, what the government is doing to tamp them down and what he saw and heard on the streets.

Learn more about this story: https://bloom.bg/3H5cVNt 

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The US has a plumber shortage. And as more and more baby boomer plumbers reach retirement, there aren’t enough young people coming in to fill the gap.

On today’s Big Take podcast, we talk to Bloomberg’s US Economy reporter Enda Curran about why there’s a shortage and what it means for America’s infrastructure and economy. Plus – we hear from Chris Biondi, a plumber struggling to clear the way for future generations in the industry.

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Bloomberg Investigative reporter Olivia Carville has spent months delving into TikTok, the hugely popular video social network. In November, she joined the podcast to talk about children who have died copying dangerous video challenges of the kind that can be seen on the app. Today, Olivia is back to talk about her latest story about TikTok for Bloomberg Businessweek. 

It follows the life of a 16-year-old girl from Florida whose provocative videos have won her millions of followers–and many detractors who say TikTok shouldn’t allow this kind of content from minors on the platform. 

Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3Ph6mJz

Listen to the first conversation with Olivia about TikTok’s problem moderating the dangerous challenges HERE.

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Donald Trump was indicted on Monday for the fourth time since he left office. But this sweeping case, which zeroes in on Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, is different from the other criminal cases brought against him in New York, Florida and Washington, DC. Most notably: the former president has been charged under racketeering laws often associated with efforts to prosecute mobsters. And some of Trump’s closest aides are also charged in the 41-count indictment, including his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, along with 16 other people.

Bloomberg’s Zoe Tillman and Erik Larson join this episode to talk about how the case will unfold from here–and why Trump will have a harder time securing a pardon–or avoiding prison–if he’s convicted.

Read more: Trump’s Fourth Indictment: Five Ways Georgia Is Different

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For decades, colleges and universities across the US have promoted the value of having a diverse student body on campus. 

The Supreme Court could soon change that. On Oct. 31, the justices will consider two challenges to affirmative action in college admissions, and if they choose to strike it down, there will be enormous repercussions for who gets into the nation’s top schools — and who doesn’t.

So what will college campuses look like in an America without affirmative action? And are there other ways for admissions officers to work around a potential ban on the practice? 

Bloomberg Senior Reporter Greg Stohr joins with insights on what we can expect from the Supreme Court, and Equality Reporter Kelsey Butler explains how colleges around the country are bracing for massive disruption. 

Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3SO4b0m

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Elections this year will determine the leadership of 40% of the world’s population, spanning the United States, to Taiwan, to Mexico, to Senegal. On today’s Big Take podcast: What democracy’s big test means for the economy.

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It’s estimated that half a million or more people around the world die of influenza each year. And many of these deaths could be prevented with a highly effective, widely used flu shot.

Now, the mRNA technology we became familiar with during the development of the Covid vaccine is being used to create a new flu shot that promises to work better than the current hit-or-miss version. It also offers the potential to bundle covid, flu, and other common viruses into a single shot. 

But with vaccine skepticism running high, will people actually take it? 

Bloomberg biotech reporter Angelica Peebles joins this episode to explain how the new flu shot is made, how it works, and whether it can shift how we receive and think about vaccinations.

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Adrian Cheng, the third-generation scion of property dynasty New World Development, seemed poised to take over his family’s $20 billion empire. But last month, in a surprising twist, he was replaced as CEO by someone outside of his family.  

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Shawna Kwan about the succession drama at New World, the possible ripple effects on other family dynasties in the region, and what it all could mean for the future of one of Hong Kong’s major property developers.

Read more: New World Scion’s Fall Upends Succession at $23 Billion Dynasty

Further listening: $200 Billion, Four Heirs and One Might Indian Empire

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What happens when new weight-loss drugs like Ozempic transform a community? Bloomberg healthcare reporter Madison Muller went to Bowling Green, Kentucky to find out. That area has one of the highest concentrations of weight-loss drug prescriptions in the US.

On today’s Big Take podcast, we explore what that means for people who live there, how these drugs are reshaping the local economy, and what it could look like in other places when Ozempic comes to town.

Read more: What Happens When Ozempic Takes Over Your Town

Listen more: Are Cheaper Ozempic Knockoffs Safe?

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Every year, billions of dollars of sanctioned Iranian oil finds its way to China, even though on paper the country hasn’t imported a single drop in more than two years. How? On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Serene Cheong on her team’s investigation into a clandestine shipping hub off the coast of Malaysia that funnels Iranian crude to China.

Read more: The Clandestine Oil Shipping Hub Funneling Iranian Crude to China

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The data is in: The number of Black first-year students at Harvard Law fell dramatically after the Supreme Court’s decision to ban the consideration of race in admissions.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg higher education reporter Janet Lorin shares what she’s learned about how Harvard has changed its application process and what the institution has historically meant for generations of Black leaders. Plus, we hear from a Harvard Law student who’s involved in efforts to recruit more Black students.

Read more: Harvard Law’s Fast Track to the American Elite Is Losing Black Students

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The government of French President Emmanuel Macron collapsed Wednesday after losing a no-confidence vote. The outcome brings the country one step closer to a far-right government — the one thing President Macron has sought to avoid at all costs.

Bloomberg’s Stephen Carroll and Big Take co-host David Gura break down the current pressures on France’s government, what led to the vote and what we know about what comes next. 

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Millions of Americans depend on public assistance programs to help pay for food and make ends meet. But it’s not always easy for them to manage the red tape required to keep those benefits coming. Bloomberg Businessweek contributor Bryce Covert joins this episode with the story of a nonprofit called Code For America. It works with states to make navigating government bureaucracies less of a hassle. And we also hear from Code For America’s Genevieve Miller.

Read more: How Many People Does It Take for the Government to Send a Text?

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Last fall, Amazon agreed to pay the NFL a whopping $1 billion a year for 11 years to air Thursday Night Football exclusively on its Prime streaming service. The high price tag made headlines–and executives at broadcast television networks, cable companies and other streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV+ are watching closely to see if Amazon’s risk is rewarded.

As Super Bowl LVII approaches, Bloomberg reporters Gerry Smith and Felix Gillette join this episode to explain why this deal has drawn so much scrutiny: If Amazon is successful in luring viewers, and dollars, away from the networks, it could shake up the way we watch not just football but other sports–and eventually TV of all kinds. And maybe not in ways we like.

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With the economy in flux and prices continuing to rise, more consumers are saying yes to buy now, pay later offers. And not just for instant gratification on big-ticket items like a couch or a laptop. Struggling families are using it to spread out payments for essentials like food.

Bloomberg reporters Augusta Saraiva and Paulina Cachero join this episode to talk about the popularity of buy now, pay later services–and the fees for those who fall behind on payments. And we hear from a single mother who reluctantly uses the services to help make ends meet.

Read more: Americans Go Deeper Into Debt as They Use Buy Now, Pay Later Apps for Groceries.

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The US public’s trust in the media, and the government, is markedly low. A recent Gallup poll found only about 30 percent of Americans trust the media — and Pew Research found only 16 percent trust their government.

Bloomberg’s Jason Leopold is using records to try to change that. He’s filed over 9,000 requests through the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA — a Cold War era law meant to ensure the right to transparency from the US government.

On today’s episode, Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin and Jason dissect the FOIA process, the challenges of sifting through redacted documents from secretive government entities and the stories FOIA records have brought to light.

Subscribe to the FOIA Files newsletter: https://www.bloomberg.com/account/newsletters/foia-files

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We're taking a break this week, here's an episode you might have missed.

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 the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.

This episode was produced by: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producers: Michael Falero and Mo Barrow. Sound Design/Engineer: Gilda Garcia.

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The CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, has become one of the most prominent leaders in the development of artificial intelligence. But some people – including current and former OpenAI employees – have questioned how trustworthy Altman is, and whether he is doing enough to inform the public about the technology.

On today’s show, Host David Gura is joined by Ellen Huet, host of Bloomberg Technology’s podcast Foundering: The OpenAI Story. Huet spent months talking to people who know Altman, including some of the world’s biggest investors, his mentors and even his sister.

Bloomberg.com subscribers can listen to the entire series of Foundering right now. Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts for early access.

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Seven key states will play an outsized role in determining the outcome of the 2024 US election. A new analysis from Bloomberg found that as a group those states’ economies pose a challenge for Kamala Harris and an opening for Donald Trump.

On today’s Big Take DC podcast, host Saleha Mohsin goes inside this “battleground economy” with Bloomberg senior writer Shawn Donnan and hears directly from voters on how this economic reality is influencing the communities that will choose between Trump and Harris.

Read more: The Swing-State Economic Realities Shaping the US Election

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For decades, Singapore’s Kwek family, owners of one of the city’s biggest developers, looked to be the model of a successful family-run business. But that image was shattered when the family patriarch filed a lawsuit against his son.

On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha sits down with Bloomberg’s Sheryl Lee and Dexter Low to examine what happened behind the boardroom doors of City Developments and how investors are navigating its fallout. 

Further listening: A New Breed of Scammer Is Targeting Asia's Ultra-Rich 

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Since Donald Trump’s reelection, Bitcoin has surged to its highest value ever, surpassing $89k per coin on Tuesday. It’s a trend playing out across cryptocurrency, an industry that could benefit from deregulation under President Trump. 

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s stacy-marie ishmael and David Gura break down whether the recent “melt up” in crypto prices is part another of boom-bust cycle or if the US’s first crypto-friendly president is likely to usher in a new era in digital assets.

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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 to come. 

Bloomberg senior economics writer Shawn Donnan joins this episode to explain why America’s workforce is shrinking, and what a labor shortage now means for the nation’s manufacturing future. And Gabriela Cruz Thompson of Intel Labs talks about how a big company like hers plans to recruit workers in an increasingly competitive job market.

Read the story: https://bloom.bg/3J0Z9KV 

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This podcast is produced by the Big Take Podcast team: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producers: Mo Barrow, Rebecca Chaisson, Michael Falero and Federica Romaniello, Associate Producers: Sam Gebauer and Zaynab Siddiqui. Sound Design/Engineers: Raphael Amsili and Gilda Garcia.

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President Joe Biden surprised exactly no one when he announced he’s running for re-election. But with high inflation, an uncertain economy, turmoil on the Southern border, and roiling culture wars–along with persistent questions about his age–can Biden persuade voters he deserves a second term?  Bloomberg’s Nancy Cook, Jordan Fabian and Joshua Green join this episode to size up the early stages of the presidential race, and the top-of-mind issues that will decide who’ll win the White House in 2024.

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 bigtake@bloomberg.net.

This episode was produced by: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producer: Rebecca Chaisson, Associate Producer: Sam Gebauer. Sound Design/Engineer: Gilda Garcia.

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President Donald Trump is calling April 2nd “Liberation Day” — that’s when the president says the world can expect the biggest salvo in his widening trade war. While the specifics are not yet clear, the symbolism is: Trump wants to usher in an era of American protectionist policy that could re-order global trade.

Today on the show, Bloomberg’s Shawn Donnan joins host David Gura to discuss what we know about these new tariffs and the lessons from similarly broad tariffs in 1930. Plus, a new Bloomberg analysis of the economic impact the tariffs could have on the US economy.

Read more: Trump's Tariffs Set to Make History and Break a System MAGA Loathes

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When the US borrows money, just like any borrower, it needs to pay its loans back with interest.

The national debt right now is $34 trillion and rising. Soon, America will need to spend more each year paying interest on the debt than it spends on national defense.

Today on Bloomberg’s Big Take DC, host Saleha Mosin talks to Bloomberg reporter Liz McCormick and Phillip Swagel, director of the Congressional Budget Office, on what it would take to rein in the US's government's debt spiral.

Get this episode and Big Take DC episodes a day earlier by subscribing to Big Take DC.

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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.

Bloomberg’s Israel Bureau Chief Ethan Bronner joins this episode from Tel Aviv to talk about what’s at stake—and why so many Israelis from all walks of life are demanding Netanyahu withdraw the plan.

Read more: https://bloom.bg/408gubM 

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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 

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India is posting some of the most robust economic growth rates right now in the world. And with China slowing, India could become the new engine of global economic growth. 

But it will take strategic investments, increased labor participation and more for India to achieve its economic ambitions. Today on the show, Bloomberg’s New Delhi-based economics and politics reporter Dan Strumpf joins host Sarah Holder to discuss India’s roadmap, and what its success could mean for the rest of the world.

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Messenger RNA technology made it possible for scientists and drugmakers to quickly develop a Covid-19 vaccine.

Now, pharmaceutical companies are racing to use mRNA for other illnesses, including flu, cancer and rare genetic diseases. 

Dr. Drew Weissman, one of the researchers who pioneered the mRNA technology that led to the Covid vaccine, joins this episode to talk about his discovery, and the impact it will continue to have on the way patients are treated. Bloomberg’s biosecurity reporter Riley Griffin stops in to discuss Pfizer’s next phase of developing mRNA vaccines. And Bloomberg’s chief medical writer Robert Langreth forecasts how this technology could transform treatment for a variety of illnesses.

Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3fm3Bt8

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In early January, after a grueling 15 rounds of voting, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated some concessions with members of the far-right Freedom Caucus – more congressional power in exchange for their votes – to secure his speakership. McCarthy is now feeling the squeeze of their influence in several battles consuming the House. Bloomberg’s Megan Scully and Billy House join guest host Craig Gordon for a play-by-play of how the Freedom Caucus is exerting their brawn.Read more: McCarthy Ramps Up Talk of Potential Biden Impeachment

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After a messy, public competition between hopefuls, President-elect Donald Trump nominated hedge fund manager Scott Bessent to be the next Treasury secretary. 

On today’s Big Take DC podcast, hosts Saleha Mohsin and David Gura discuss why Trump chose Bessent, and how Bessent might approach the job.

Become a Bloomberg.com subscriber using our special intro offer at bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. You’ll get episodes of this podcast ad-free and unlock access to deep reporting, data and analysis from reporters around the world.

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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 how Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has flipped the script for Trump, and for Democrats attempting to reverse President Joe Biden’s losses with Black Americans who were key to his win in 2020.

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The Hopeful Primitive Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Georgia, has been standing for two hundred years. Now, with a huge, private equity-backed data center coming to town, it will soon be surrounded by towering power poles — and power lines will run through the yards of more than a hundred homes and private properties.

Today on the show, energy reporter Josh Saul reports on the AI boom, the demand it’s creating for data centers, and what it looks like on the ground in the communities where those are being built. Plus, the pastor from Hopeful Primitive Baptist talks about the community’s response.

Read more: Blackstone’s Data-Center Ambitions School a City on AI Power Strains

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A record 600,000 people traveled to South Korea for medical procedures in 2023, with roughly half of those visiting dermatology and plastic surgery clinics.

On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks to Bloomberg's Oanh Ha about the rise of the medical tourism industry, and how it’s colliding with a shrinking supply of doctors and a struggling medical system.

Further listening: Netflix’s Big Bet On ‘Squid Game’

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The US intelligence community was relieved when a suspect was arrested last week in the leak of highly sensitive classified documents about America’s friends and adversaries. But the fallout is far from over. The leaks are a huge embarrassment for the Biden administration, which is moving quickly to reassure the UK, Israel, and other allies.

Bloomberg national security correspondent Courtney McBride joins this episode to talk about US efforts to repair the damage and shore up its credibility with leading partners around the world–and what the government is doing to prevent leaks like this from happening in the future.

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This podcast is produced by the Big Take Podcast team: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producers: Mo Barrow, Rebecca Chaisson, Michael Falero and Federica Romaniello, Associate Producers: Sam Gebauer and Zaynab Siddiqui. Sound Design/Engineers: Raphael Amsili and Gilda Garcia.

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We're taking a break this week, here's an episode you might have missed.

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

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Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.

This episode was produced by: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producer: Federica Romaniello, Associate Producer: Zaynab Siddiqui. Sound Design/Engineer: Raphael Amsili.

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In April of 2023, a man carrying a small, black box walked into one of the nation’s most secure buildings, right next to the White House. In the box were ingredients that could be used to create a bioweapon. What the man revealed about how he got his hands on these ingredients was even scarier: an AI chatbot had given him the recipe.

On today’s Big Take, host David Gura speaks to Bloomberg healthcare reporter Riley Griffin about why that stunt alarmed White House officials and woke them up to the potential dangers of AI-made bioweapons. 

Read more: AI-Made Bioweapons Are Washington’s Latest Security Obsession

Further listening: 

• We Can’t Opt Out of AI (But We Can Try)
• AI Wreaks Havoc on Global Power Systems

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Today on the Big Take podcast, we visit the hedge fund with one of the world’s largest collections of catastrophe bonds, Fermat Capital Management, to see how they place their bets to get record returns. And we hear how the growing industry is helping fill a need in the global insurance market.

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In 2019, telecommunications companies were vying for a lucrative contract to upgrade Denmark’s cellular network to 5G. The competition came down to two finalists: The Swedish telecom Ericsson, and the Chinese technology giant Huawei.

Then things got weird.

Bloomberg Businessweek writers Jordan Robertson and Drake Bennett are back again with another captivating investigation–this one featuring eavesdropping, a drone and the frantic hunt for a suspected leaker.

Read more: When a Huawei Bid Turned Into a Hunt for a Corporate Mole

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The deaths of Iran’s president and foreign minister in a helicopter crash were followed by a declaration of an official mourning period ahead of a new election.

It also has led to new speculation about who is poised to succeed Iran’s supreme leader, which could have regional and global ramifications.

On today’s episode, hosts David Gura and Sarah Holder discuss the fallout of the president’s death with Bloomberg’s Middle East, Europe and Africa news director Rosalind Mathieson and national security editor Nick Wadhams.

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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 the future–copper is in increasingly high demand. Worldwide, about 21 million metric tons of it are hauled up from the ground each year. And demand will soon double.

Some of the richest reserves of copper are found in Southern Africa. But getting it from deep underground and trucking it thousands of miles to buyers can be a harrowing journey.

Without more production or new mines, the world could be looking at shortages, and soaring prices for copper and the products that use it. Joining this episode are Santiago-based commodities reporter James Attwood, and Yvonne Yue Li, a metals and mining reporter in New York. They’ll explain what a coming copper shortage could mean for us all.

Reporter Matthew Hill also stops by to describe his visit to a huge mine in Zambia, where he descended thousands of feet underground to see copper being blasted from the rock–and talked to the truckers who risk their safety bringing it to port. 

Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3fxYXrQ 

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South Korea’s stock market is one of the largest in Asia. The nation is home to huge conglomerates including Samsung and Hyundai. And yet Korea is still listed as an emerging market — not a developed one — by MSCI, the investment research firm that provides influential market indexes. Korea argues it should be elevated to MSCI’s World Index, where it would sit alongside the US, UK, Germany and other developed economic powers. The company is expected to decide this month.

Bloomberg’s Youkyung Lee and Henry Ren join this episode to talk about why this move matters so much to South Korea — and why some companies and market watchers are having second thoughts about whether such a move is a good idea — or even worth it. 

Read more: Why Bringing a $1.8 Trillion Stock Market to the Big Leagues Could Backfire

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SHOW DESCRIPTION

New Year’s Eve. Levittown, New York. Word travels swiftly as one young woman tells the next: “You’re on the website.” Dozens of recent high-school graduates are finding out that their photos have been scraped from their social media accounts, manipulated and posted to a porn website.

Who would have done this? And can the women get the images taken down? Told there isn’t much the police or anyone else can do, they set out to catch whoever did this. 

Along the way, they get some help from a global band of investigators and hackers who could take risks that police and prosecutors sometimes couldn't.

Levittown is a real-life horror story for the AI generation. In this six-part series from Bloomberg, Kaleidoscope and iHeart Podcasts, reporters Olivia Carville and Margi Murphy take listeners from quiet suburbs of New York to as far as New Zealand and into the darkest corners of the Internet. Where tech moves faster than the law, and it’s up to everyday people to hold back a rising tide of explicit deepfakes.

EPISODE 1:  Me… But Not Me

Stuck in her childhood home during the pandemic, Kayla is shocked to learn that photos of her, altered to make her look naked, are posted to a website where men swap violent fantasies about women. A conversation with police leaves Kayla discouraged.

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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 Bloomberg’s coverage of how Washington regulates Wall Street, explains how the government has responded and the plan to stem the bleeding now — and prevent future failures.

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US politicians just can’t seem to stay out of court. New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez is standing trial for charges that sound like a TV crime drama: alleged bribery, hidden gold bars and a secret FBI recording at a Washington steakhouse. But these allegations don’t just impact Menendez’s career–they could hurt Democrats as they fight an uphill battle to hold onto the Senate.

Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin talks with Bloomberg legal reporter Patricia Hurtado and Congress editor Megan Scully about the trial’s intrigue and how it could harm the Democratic party’s image.

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Perrier, the popular French bottled water brand, has long been a symbol of luxury. But it’s now under scrutiny after regulators found trace amounts of fecal matter and pesticides where its water is sourced.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg consumer goods reporter Dasha Afanasieva joins host David Gura to talk about how Perrier and its parent company, Nestlé, have responded — and ask bigger questions about sustainability in the global water business.

Read more: Perrier Well Contamination Sparks Scrutiny for Luxe Water Brand

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An arrest in Levittown kicks off the next phase of an investigation. The central question for the prosecutors is: Is any of this a crime? And they’re on the clock.

Levittown is a real-life horror story for the AI generation. In this six-part series from Bloomberg, Kaleidoscope and iHeart Podcasts, reporters Olivia Carville and Margi Murphy take listeners from quiet suburbs of New York to as far as New Zealand and into the darkest corners of the Internet. Where tech moves faster than the law, and it’s up to everyday people to hold back a rising tide of explicit deepfakes.

For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittown

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Americans love beef, and always have. But when it comes to the meat they actually choose to eat, chicken takes the crown. Bloomberg’s Matt Townsend and Leslie Patton join this episode to explain how poultry came to dominate the American diet. And historian Emelyn Rude shares what the past can tell us about where the industry goes from here.

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Over the last week, President-elect Donald Trump has announced his nominees for the top jobs in his administration. But one key position that hasn’t been filled yet is Treasury secretary, and the person Trump picks will play a crucial role in shaping US economic policy.

Senior Washington correspondent and host Saleha Mohsin joins David Gura to tick through the top candidates under consideration and how each might shape the Treasury’s priorities if chosen and confirmed. 

Read more: Bessent Hails Trump Agenda as Candidates Vie for Treasury Post

Become a Bloomberg.com subscriber using our special intro offer at bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. You’ll get episodes of this podcast ad-free and unlock access to deep reporting, data and analysis from reporters around the world.

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LVMH has a sprawling portfolio of brands synonymous with luxury: Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Bulgari, Celine, Tiffany & Co., Hennessy and Veuve Clicquot. Its CEO, Bernard Arnault, almost never speaks to journalists and doesn’t have the name recognition of the likes of Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, but regularly vies with them for the title of richest person in the world and has an almost impossible-to-measure influence over the business world.

Bloomberg Businessweek’s Brad Stone and reporter Angelina Rascouët recently landed a rare interview with Arnault, where they learned how he built his empire from the ground up. And they consider a burning question: At 75 years old with five grown children in the business, what are his plans for succession?

Read more: The House of Arnault

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The US Supreme Court is wrapping up yet another eventful term, with decisions in major cases that will have a lasting impact on Americans’ lives. Bloomberg’s Greg Stohr and Zoe Tillman join this episode to talk about how in recent years, the high court has become more willing to assert its power and enhance its role among the three branches of government. At the same time, ethics controversies and rising public perception that the justices are sometimes overtly political have lowered confidence in the court.  

Read more: An Aggressive Supreme Court Reshapes the US as Its Standing Erodes

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* This episode introduction was updated on Friday, 6/30 to reflect the two Supreme Court rulings out Friday morning.

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Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 took off from Kuala Lumpur just after midnight on March 8, 2014. Aviation officials lost contact with the flight less than an hour later. MH370 never made it to its destination, and the 239 people on board were never found. Ten years later, what happened to the plane is still aviation’s biggest mystery.

In the wake of the accident, regulators proposed a key safety change that could prevent a plane from disappearing again. But after a decade, most planes are still not outfitted with the proposed tracking tools. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporter Angus Whitley shares why the airline industry has been slow to learn from the lessons of MH370 — and what that means for the odds of another disaster like it happening again.  

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When Wall Street investors Tom Wagner and Greg O’Hara took over Hertz, they had ambitious plans. They aimed to revolutionize the car rental business by bringing a record number of electric vehicles into Hertz’s fleet, including 100,000 Teslas. And when Hertz’s IPO launched in 2021, it seemed Wagner and O’Hara had just made a visionary deal. 

EVs were hot when Hertz started buying them. But as Bloomberg reporters Erik Schatzker and David Welch tell host Sarah Holder, the company would soon discover that making them work in the rental market was another challenge entirely.

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One big obstacle for any Republican dreaming of becoming president in 2024: figuring out how to get past Donald Trump–without angering his legions of loyal supporters. One person who just may crack that code is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. He won re-election in November by a huge margin, one of few bright spots for Republicans in a disappointing year. And he did it by doing something no other Republican has been able to do–appealing to Trump voters (along with independents and even some Democrats) while removing Trump himself from the conversation. 

Bloomberg’s national political correspondent Joshua Greene joins this episode to talk about how DeSantis has so far managed to out-Trump Trump, and whether his strategy will work outside Florida–and possibly take him all the way to the White House.

Red more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3IoNUx7

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The US Battery Belt, which stretches from Michigan to Georgia, has emerged as a regional hub for building electric vehicle batteries and other components critical to emerging technologies. But the push to bolster US manufacturing—soon to be flush with billions of dollars from Washington—is rubbing up against a shortage of skilled workers. Bloomberg reporters Mackenzie Hawkins and Reade Pickert join this episode to talk about Tennessee, a key Battery Belt state, where an education-focused plan is underway to recruit and train tomorrow’s workforce. 

Read more: The US is Building Factories Again, But Who Will Work There?

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The US government was built on a system of checks and balances. But there’s always been a tug of war over just how much power the president has — on paper and in practice.

Law professor and author Dan Farber joins Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin on the powers and limits of the US president, how they’ve evolved since the country’s founding, and what’s at stake if a Commander-in-Chief ignores the office’s unwritten rules and precedents.

Read more: A Hidden Variable in the Presidential Race: Fears of ‘Trump Forever’

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If you’re a comic book or sci-fi fan, you’ve likely read about the far-off idea of hitching a ride on an asteroid and mining it for precious metals and ice. But it’s not science fiction anymore. In this episode, we’ll take a look at two real-life asteroid-mining missions in the works.

Dr. Dante Lauretta, who leads NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, talks about what they’ve gathered from the Bennu near Earth asteroid, which will arrive back home later this year.

We also speak with Matt Gailich, co-founder and CEO of AstroForge–a company sending up two missions this year with the ultimate goal of mining asteroids for platinum and other valuable metals needed for electric cars and other technology. 

Bloomberg’s space reporter Loren Grush then joins to give a bigger-picture view of other breakthroughs on the horizon in the fast-growing race to space.

Learn more: https://bloom.bg/3YaZK32 

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American voters are so disillusioned by their options in the presidential election that pollsters have come up with a term for it: “Double-hater.” These are people who don’t like President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump, who leads the race for the GOP nomination. And yet, when asked by the Big Take DC podcast if an outsider candidate could break through in 2024, Ralph Nader, who ran for president outside the two major parties four times, gave a simple, “No.” Still, there are some indications that third-party candidates could cause trouble for the frontrunners. 

In this episode of Big Take DC, we examine the impact an outsider candidate could have on the general election and efforts from groups like No Labels to offer a viable alternative.

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Frequent flyer programs began as a way for airlines to build loyalty and fill empty seats. They’ve since morphed into a complex financial ecosystem that’s drawn the ire of even the most savvy consumers and the scrutiny of the US Department of Transportation.

Bloomberg’s global aviation editor Benedikt Kammel joins David Gura to talk about points, miles, qualifying trips — and how we got here in the first place.

Read more: The Airline Rewards Game Is Getting Tougher to Win

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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

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We're taking a break this week, here's an episode you might have missed.

Taiwan’s current Vice President, ​​Lai Ching-te, leads the polls in the upcoming January presidential election. The winner will have a lot to contend with–and at the top of the list is how to keep the peace with China amid rising tensions. Bloomberg Businessweek editor Joel Weber sat down with Vice President Lai for several wide-ranging interviews in Taiwan. 

Joel and Taipei deputy bureau chief Cindy Wang join this episode to talk about the challenges the next president will face in preserving a democratic Taiwan, and public concerns about the possibility of military conflict with China. 

Read more: Taiwan’s Election Is All About War

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 bigtake@bloomberg.net.

This episode was produced by: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producers: Michael Falero and Mo Barrow Sound Design/Engineer: Gilda Garcia.

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We're taking a break this week, so here's a favorite you might have missed. We'll be back with fresh episodes next week.

Record temperatures in Texas and across the southern US this summer put immense strain on the electric grid, as residents battled the heat by cranking up the AC. But experts say grid pressure could get even worse this winter. Bloomberg’s Naureen Malik joins this episode to discuss whether America’s infrastructure can support an increasingly electrified economy—and what can be done to avoid mass blackouts in the coming months.

Read more: America’s Biggest Power Source Wasn’t Built for Extreme Weather

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 bigtake@bloomberg.net.

This episode originally aired in June 2023.

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President Trump’s attacks on a key international aid agency, USAID, has left its work frozen and kicked off a fierce legal battle between his administration and US courts over its future. 

On today’s Big Take DC podcast, we hear from Bloomberg’s Simon Marks and health care workers on the ground in Nairobi about how the fight playing out more than 7,000 miles away is affecting HIV treatment there. And national security editor Nick Wadhams explains why Trump has taken aim at USAID and what a gutting of the agency could mean for US soft power.

Read more: 

• USAID Cuts in Kenya Reveal Risks to Lives and American Influence Worldwide
• After DOGE's Chaotic USAID Shutdown: Wasted Supplies, Layoffs and Lawsuits

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Republicans are back in charge of the US House of Representatives after winning a narrow majority in November’s midterm elections. They’ve got a long list of things they want to accomplish: spending cuts are near the top, as well as investigating Joe Biden and his administration.

The hitch? The Senate is still in Democratic hands, which means they can block just about any legislation the House passes. And Republican leaders often have a difficult time keeping their own fractious members in line (just look at how hard some Republicans fought to keep Kevin McCarthy from becoming House speaker).

Bloomberg congressional reporter Steven Dennis joins this episode to talk about what’s ahead this year in congress–and how to sort out what to pay attention to, and what’s just noise.

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 bigtake@bloomberg.net.

This podcast is produced by the Big Take Podcast team: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producers: Mo Barrow, Rebecca Chaisson, Michael Falero and Federica Romaniello, Associate Producers: Sam Gebauer and Zaynab Siddiqui. Sound Design/Engineers: Raphael Amsili and Gilda Garcia.

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Last May, the Oak Ridge National Lab, run by the US Department of Energy, unveiled Frontier–the world's fastest supercomputer. It’s capable of performing a quintillion calculations per second, breaking what's called the exascale barrier. 

The system requires its own power plant, 6,000 gallons of water to keep it cool, and a highly trained staff to operate. So what can it do? And who gets to use it?

We set out for Knoxville, Tennessee to try to wrap our brains around Frontier’s limitless potential.

See more about Frontier here: It Takes 6,000 Gallons of Water to Cool the World’s Fastest Supercomputer

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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

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For a small business, going viral might sound like a good thing. But when a TikTok video turns a shop into an overnight success, that attention can come with major challenges. 

On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder visits small business owners riding the wave of overnight success, and explores the economics of virality with Amanda Mull.

Read more: 

• How Online Influencers Got Addicted to Swedish Candy
• Amanda Mull’s “Buying Power” column

Bloomberg wants to hear from you! Help make shows like ours even better by taking the Bloomberg audience survey and have a coffee on Bloomberg for doing so.

Become a Bloomberg.com subscriber using our special intro offer at bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. You’ll get episodes of this podcast ad-free and unlock access to deep reporting, data and analysis from reporters around the world.

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The world can’t wait for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which starts later this month. Ticket sales are on track to smash records, and viewership has grown significantly since its 1991 inception. But when it comes to equity between the men’s and women’s tournaments,  there’s still a long way to go. Bloomberg’s Jennah Haque joins this episode to talk about why the Women’s World Cup still lags behind the men’s tournament in pay, prize money and all-important  media rights–and what’s being done to close the gap.

Read more: World Cup Turns Up the Pressure for TV to Embrace Women's Soccer

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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 to entry-level jobs, be retained and promoted? How will working parents and especially mothers, who benefited from pandemic-era flexible work, weather shrinking childcare options? Bloomberg Equality reporter Kelsey Butler and Businessweek senior writer Claire Suddath join Nancy Cook to discuss these and other stories they’re watching.

Read more: The Fight for Equality in 2023 Is a Very Long Game

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Scott Bessent is President-Elect Trump’s pick to be the treasury secretary, a role that spans oversight of the $28 trillion market for US government debt to economic sanctions.

Today on the show, Big Take DC’s Saleha Mohsin joins host David Gura to discuss the tightrope act that landed Bessent the nomination: winning over both MAGA and Wall Street.  

Read more: How Scott Bessent Won Over MAGA and Wall Street

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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 communities are confronting a global surge in hate speech and hate crimes.

Read more: A Wave of Hate Crime Unleashed by Israel-Hamas War Is Testing the World

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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. 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.

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With the US presidential election just over a week away, most major polls, including the latest Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll, show Vice President Harris and former President Trump in a dead heat. But Wall Street seems increasingly convinced Trump is going to win. And that is manifesting in what's come to be called “The Trump Trade.”

Today on the Big Take podcast, Bloomberg Opinion’s John Authers sits down with host David Gura to break down what the trade is, and what it reveals about how Wall Street sees this election and the future of the economy.

Read more: Prediction Markets Reflect That the Clock Favors Trump

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Pharmaceutical companies and insurance providers are at odds over a new class of drugs that have proven quite effective at helping people living with obesity lose weight. Bloomberg’s Robert Langreth and Emma Court join this episode to share their reporting on recent advancements in weight loss treatments–and the fight over who should pay for them. And Dr. Angela Fitch, a physician and president of the Obesity Medical Association, talks about the challenges of treating obesity.

Read their reporting here: Good Luck Paying for Those $10,000 Obesity Drugs Everyone’s Talking About

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Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party lost its majority in India’s parliament. The stunning blow is forcing Modi to rely on allies to form a government for the first time since he stormed to power a decade ago.

On today’s episode of The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha digs into India’s 2024 general election results with Bloomberg reporter Sudhi Ranjan Sen on the ground in New Delhi. And Milan Vaishnav, senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, delves into what the results mean for both India and the world. 

Read more: India Election Results

To hear more from Milan Vaishnav listen to his podcast, Grand Tamasha.

To hear more about our coverage of Narendra Modi, listen to our series, The Rise of Modi.

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2024 was the year AI broke into the music industry. Record labels that had fought AI-generated songs at every turn started to consider how they might want to use AI tools. But as the technology creeps into more parts of the music production process, not everyone agrees on where to draw ethical and legal lines.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Grammy Award-winning producer Timbaland, Universal Music Group executive Michael Nash, Bloomberg audio reporter Ashley Carman and host Sarah Holder examine who stands to benefit from the AI-music boom — and who has the most to lose.

Read more: Ashley Carman’s Soundbite newsletter

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Shuibei, in southern China, is home to one of the world's biggest retail markets for gold. Over the past year, it's seen a boom in demand for the jewelry, sold by thousands of stallholders, as the Chinese property crisis and slowing economy spurred a flight into gold. So much so that Chinese consumers helped propel the global gold price to record highs in 2024.

On today's Big Take Asia podcast, K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg's Chongjing Li about the enduring appeal of the precious metal in China, and what lies ahead.

Read more: The Epicenter of China’s Gold Craze Is a Former Fishing Village

Watch, from Bloomberg Originals: What Gold’s Crazy Run Says About China

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For decades, Germany has been the driving force of Europe’s economy. But now, as it emerges from a winter recession, the nation’s resilience is showing signs of breaking down–and that could mean trouble for the rest of the continent. Bloomberg’s William Wilkes and Jana Randow join from Frankfurt to talk about why Germany has lost its economic edge–and what it will take to get it back.

Read more: Europe’s Economic Engine Is Breaking 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 bigtake@bloomberg.net.

This episode was produced by: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producer: Federica Romaniello, Associate Producer: Zaynab Siddiqui. Sound Design/Engineers: Raphael Amsili.

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A New York jury found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former US president to be convicted of a felony.

Bloomberg legal reporter David Voreacos, who has been following the case from inside the courthouse, and Washington Bureau senior editor Wendy Benjaminson join host David Gura to discuss the trial, its historic outcome and how this could shape the rest of the 2024 election cycle.

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Covid-19 isn’t quite done with us yet, but virologists are urging governments around the world to start preparing for the next pandemic. They warn it’s just a matter of time before it happens, and with good planning lessons learned from the current response can keep us from getting caught flat-footed again. So far, though, such calls haven’t been met with much enthusiasm by politicians who have more immediate concerns in front of them. 

Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist with the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan, joins this episode to explain where the next virus is likely to come from, and how to get in front of it. And Bloomberg reporters Riley Griffin and Josh Wingrove talk about what governments learned from covid pandemic–and what if anything they’re doing to brace for what’s to come.

Read more about this story HERE.

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Catch up on some of the week’s biggest stories from the US and across the globe. Bloomberg’s Marc Champion, Courtney McBride and Jordan Fabian join this episode to discuss the latest on the US presidential race and the coming Republican debates; rising tensions in the Black Sea; and the uneven global economic recovery. Plus, the stories they’ll be keeping a close eye on in the weeks ahead.

Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK 

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As climate risks grow, some private home insurance providers  are retreating from US regions most vulnerable to catastrophe. And homeowners who can’t get coverage through the private market are increasingly turning to insurance “plans of last resort,” created by states.

The amount of liability taken on by these types of insurance plans is staggering, and growing: by some estimates, they’re holding more than $1 trillion of risk.

On today’s Big Take podcast, climate reporter Leslie Kaufman and California reporter Nadia Lopez share an investigation into how skyrocketing enrollment in state-created plans could create the conditions for a financial crisis. 

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We're taking a break this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, so here's an episode you might have missed. We'll be back on Monday with a new episode.

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 bigtake@bloomberg.net.

This episode originally aired 9/25/23.

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The UK is in the midst of a green energy transformation, with more than 40% of its electricity coming from wind power as of December. But wind can be unpredictable and the grid can’t always handle the power wind turbines generate on blustery days — and so to protect the grid, operators sometimes pay wind farms to power off. 

After Bloomberg’s investigations team received a tip about troubling inaccuracies in the data used to calculate these payments, our reporters went looking for answers. And they found a big problem lurking in the UK’s renewable energy market: some wind farm operators were routinely overestimating their production forecasts, and traders and market experts say that, in effect, they’re getting paid to stop producing power that they wouldn’t have produced anyway. 

According to Gavin Finch and Todd Gillespie, the reporters who led this investigation, the price tag for consumers is in the millions of pounds. And with the UK aiming to triple the number of wind turbines in the country by the end of the decade, those costs could increase.

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