Big Take

In 2020, the enormously popular heartburn medication Zantac was pulled from store shelves after samples were found to contain the probable carcinogen NDMA. The drug has since been re-introduced with a new formula that is considered safe to use as directed. But tens of thousands of people who took the old version of the drug, made with the active ingredient ranitidine, are now suing Zantac’s maker,...

Buying a new car today is more painful than ever. Auto prices have risen a shocking 30% in just the past few years. Many used cars aren’t much cheaper. The pandemic crunch is partly to blame – high demand and scarce supply caused prices to spike along with everything else. But car prices remain astronomical even though those shortages have largely eased. For a lot of middle class Americans, a new...

New York and other cities have struggled to fully bounce back from the pandemic, in part because many people who can work from home either part or full time are choosing to do so. That means a lot less money is being spent in shops and restaurants. Expensive office buildings are standing partially empty and fewer passengers are paying subway and bus fares. Reporters Emma Court and Donna Borak join...

At the same time China’s government is working to manage the fallout overseas from the surveillance balloon shot down by the US, it’s also struggling to contain another problem at home—a wave of covid cases that’s overwhelmed the country. Late last year, people in cities across China protested in the streets against the government’s Covid Zero lockdowns. In response to the unrest, President Xi Jin...

The new season of Bloomberg's Foundering podcast retraces the life and gruesome death of John McAfee. In the 1980s and ’90s, the McAfee name was synonymous with computer antivirus software, and he helped establish the modern cybersecurity industry. But afterward, his life took a strange and dark turn. He was accused of murder, an allegation he denied, and then went on the lam. He sought to reinven...

As Iran approaches the 44th anniversary of the revolution it finds itself at a junction. US and European Union sanctions have crippled Iran’s economy. Thousands of citizens have taken to the streets to protest the Islamic government’s strict religious laws, and the brutality of its security forces in crushing dissent. Thousands of protesters have been arrested, and some have been put to death. Yet...

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...

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,...

What started as a curiosity—a Chinese balloon Washington says was equipped with surveillance equipment floating high above the US—now threatens to worsen the already tense rivalry between two world powers. China insists it was a civilian research balloon that had drifted off course. Its government responded with anger after President Joe Biden ordered the vessel shot down Saturday once it was safe...

The number of rat-related complaints in American cities has spiked in recent years. In the most overrun cities – Chicago, Washington, DC and New York – officials are stepping up efforts to find and kill them. New York is going so far as to hire a rat czar in charge of stamping them out. Good luck with that. Cities have tried and failed for decades to control rats. So what can be done to contain th...

Endangered whales getting hit by container ships. Sharks dying on hooks intended for other fish. Pesticides wiping out bees by the millions. Scientists and entrepreneurs are testing new ways to use artificial intelligence and other technologies to try to protect threatened creatures from harm. Bloomberg reporter Todd Woody joins this episode to talk about a project that uses computers to listen ac...

In December, an Anti-Defamation League study found a sharp rise in the number of people who say they’ve encountered white supremacist ideology while playing online video games. The persistent presence of individual gamers and groups spreading hate in gaming communities has led to calls for the industry to do more to stop it.  The question is, how? Bloomberg video game reporter Cecilia D’Anastasio...

Now that China has relaxed its Covid Zero policy, the world’s second largest economy is rumbling back to life. As China once again starts to buy and consume goods and services of all kinds, it’s expected to give the global economy a boost right when it’s needed most. But there’s a potential downside. China’s enormous appetite for oil, soybeans, wheat and everything else could also boost inflation...

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is investing billions of dollars to boost manufacturing and attract foreign investment in his rapidly growing country. Modi’s ambitious goal: To propel India to the top ranks of global economic powers, alongside the US and China. Bloomberg journalists Kai Schultz and Vrishti Beniwal join this episode to explain how he intends to do that–and the tall challenges...

Migrants looking to enter the US from Mexico illegally often pay thousands of dollars to “coyotes,” or smugglers who transport them across the border. Once inside the US, they’re hidden in trailers or the trunks of cars to get past highway checkpoints where law enforcement is on the lookout.  That’s where a largely hidden workforce comes in — people in the US, many of them citizens, who are recrui...

Economists have more information at their fingertips than ever before. And yet, in many ways it’s become more difficult for them to predict if–and when–a recession is coming. Why is that? US economy reporter Katia Dmitrieva joins this episode to talk about how economists peering into the future are turning to all kinds of tools–some expected (employment data), and others….not so expected (men’s un...

Despite headlines about tech giants firing thousands of employees, many companies in the US are struggling to attract and keep workers. There are more jobs available across the country than people willing to fill them. Workers have choices and they’re demanding better pay and work-life balance. Businesses of all kinds are starting to listen–changing old ways and getting creative to keep their empl...

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 pas...

Even though Americans are driving more than ever before, they’re using less fuel to do it. Gasoline demand in the US hasn’t bounced back to pre-Covid levels, and for all kinds of reasons, it likely never will. In the long run, that will mean relief from high gas prices. But the decline of fossil fuels won’t be quick — or painless. As the oil industry recalibrates to meet the new reality and seeks...

The price of everything is going up, but few things have risen as fast as rent. The rule of thumb used to be that housing shouldn’t eat up more than a third of your paycheck. But these days, a lot of people are handing over half or more of their income to the landlord. Why has rent climbed so high so fast–and is there any end in sight? Real estate reporter Prashant Gopal joins this episode to expl...

Companies around the world are competing to produce what’s often called lab-grown meat. It begins with the cells of cows, chickens, fish, or whatever protein you’re trying to recreate–and like the name says, it’s grown in a lab into food-sized portions. How is it made, how long until it appears in your local supermarket, and how…does it taste? Bloomberg reporters Deena Shanker and Priya Anand join...

In December, we told the wild story of drug smugglers who hide tons of cocaine aboard huge container ships bound for Europe from South America. Today, we pick up the saga from there. What happens to all that cocaine once it reaches port? Bloomberg investigative reporters Lauren Etter and Vernon Silver join this episode to talk about how a sophisticated network of drug cartels and traffickers recru...

Tough economic sanctions the US and European Union imposed on Russia and Iran have succeeded in cutting off those nations from much of the world economy. But they’ve also had an unintended effect: Moscow and Tehran are now joining forces to evade some of the crippling trade restrictions.  They’re investing billions of dollars on an 1,800-mile trade route that enables them to move products of all k...

Remember when everyone loved to complain how there were 150 channels on TV and nothing good to watch? It’s pretty hard to say that now. There are so many good shows being made. Our new complaint: how hard it is to watch all those great shows, especially when they’re spread across so many streaming services—and most of them you have to pay for. How did we get here?  Bloomberg media reporter Felix G...

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 mo...