Big Take

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 & Drag...

This episode was recorded before a federal appeals court ruling partly granted the Biden administration’s request to put on hold a Texas court decision overturning FDA approval of the abortion pill. The appeals court allowed restrictions that were lifted since 2016 to be reinstated. For details on the ruling read more here . The appeals court decision leaves mifepristone on the market while a Just...

For decades, Germany has downplayed military spending. But after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the government reversed its longstanding ban on sending weapons into war zones, and announced a plan to spend an additional 100 billion euros to upgrade its armed forces. Bloomberg senior editor Alan Crawford joins this episode to explain why the country’s defense industry is booming—and why that’s divid...

There’s a whole lot happening in the economy that’s impacting your wallet. Inflation is slowing down, but it’s still high. Layoffs have rocked every industry. And rent prices keep surging. Is it a good time to quit your job–or ask for a raise? Should you buy a house (if you can find one)? And which investments are safe when markets are all over the place? Bloomberg personal finance journalists Cla...

Florida’s governor–and likely presidential candidate–Ron DeSantis has pledged billions to restore Florida’s Everglades. Among other good things, that will help lower Florida’s carbon footprint and potentially combat some of the effects of climate change. But you won’t hear him boasting about those benefits. As a Republican trying to lure away Donald Trump’s voters with promises to attack “woke” po...

We’re taking a break today for the holiday. Here’s a favorite episode from December that you might have missed–and one that’s still very much in the news . We’ll be back on Monday with a new episode. Have a great weekend. And thanks for listening! Our insatiable appetite for meat, eggs and cheese means there are billions of chickens, pigs and cows the world over. One consequence: animal agricultur...

Iran and Saudi Arabia surprised many governments in March when they announced an agreement to restore diplomatic relations–ending a seven-year freeze. Just as surprising: The deal was brokered by China. Bloomberg correspondents Golnar Motevalli and Sam Dagher join this episode to explain how this landmark agreement came together and what each side hopes to gain from it. And Jonathan Fulton, a nonr...

More than 400 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in U.S. state legislatures this year, and more than twenty have been signed into law. That’s greater than the last five years–combined. Some of these pieces of legislation seek to outlaw access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth. Others would make it easier to ban books from school libraries. Bloomberg reporter Ella Ceron joins...

Tucked into President Biden’s massive Inflation Reduction Act is a pot of money–$15 million–for the Internal Revenue Service to study a long-talked-about idea: Building an online IRS platform that would enable taxpayers to file their taxes easily and for free. If it moves ahead, it could mean an end to frustratingly complex forms and fees to accountants and tax prep companies. There are plenty of...

There’s been a ton of news coverage and commentary around Donald Trump’s indictment in New York on Thursday. But the Manhattan case is only one of several criminal investigations and civil cases swirling around the former president—from the US Justice Department’s inquiry into the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol and the investigation of Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Geo...

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...

If you’re a working parent, finding childcare is almost certainly a source of stress in your life. It’s often a struggle to find an opening and when you do, it can be crazy expensive. This presents a tough choice: pay for childcare to be able to work, or become a caregiver and forgo a second income. And for single parents, there is no choice at all. Bloomberg reporter Olivia Konotey-Ahulu has been...

Guardianships in the US are supposed to help vulnerable people who can’t help themselves.  But a Bloomberg Law investigation reveals a loosely regulated system in which those placed under guardianships can find themselves trapped, and sometimes exploited, by the people entrusted with their care. Bloomberg Law correspondents Ronnie Greene and Holly Barker join this episode to discuss their five-par...

There’s at least one thing Democrats and Republicans in Washington have in common: suspicions about TikTok’s ties to China. The Biden administration and members of congress from both parties are urging the social media platform’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance Ltd., to sell its stake in TikTok or risk being banned in the US.  Sound familiar? That’s because two and a half years ago, former...

A lot has been said about the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse. But one important thing revealed by those closely scrutinized failures has largely gone unnoticed: the changing relationship between governments and banks.  Bloomberg Editor-In-Chief John Micklethwait joins this episode to talk about how the idea that finance is an arm of the state is back –and why that will have far-...

The global pet economy is expected to reach nearly half a trillion dollars by 2030. After a pandemic surge in pet adoptions, more people are buying ever more expensive food and toys for their furry friends. But beyond these routine costs, a growing number of owners are also shelling out thousands for veterinary care to treat complex illnesses and keep their pets alive for longer.  Bloomberg report...

As the technology powering artificial intelligence keeps improving, it’s getting harder to tell the difference between human and machine. And that means companies are looking to capitalize on its uses. ChatGPT’s maker OpenAI is quickly rolling out new iterations, like the more powerful version of the product called GPT-4. Google has introduced its own version, albeit with some early stumbles. And...

The story of Apple’s rise to become the world’s most valuable company is also the story of its relationship with China. Apple’s vast manufacturing and supply chain operation there has been one of the keys to its success. So why is Apple looking to expand its operations to India and other countries?  Bloomberg’s chief technology correspondent Mark Gurman joins this episode to look at how shifts in...

The US Federal Trade Commission is weighing restrictions on many non-compete agreements in employment contracts. These clauses dissuade workers from switching jobs and impact roughly one in five Americans—including physicians, hair stylists, even fast food workers. Bloomberg reporter Leah Nylen joins this episode to explain the FTC’s efforts to dial them back. And reporters Jo Constantz and Josh E...

US sanctions against Russia are supposed to cut off Moscow’s access to all kinds of goods, including semiconductors, which are used in missiles and drones. But US officials allege a secret supply chain has illegally funneled these chips, some of them American-made, to Russia, where they’ve been used in weapons deployed against Ukraine. Bloomberg reporter Ben Bartenstein joins this episode to talk...

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 con...

The White House and Congress are battling over raising the nation’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling. If they don’t act and the US defaults on its debt this summer, the economic shockwaves will be felt across the nation and around the world. Even so, the conventional wisdom in many parts of Washington and Wall Street seems to be: don’t worry, in the end of course they’ll reach a deal. But relying on co...

For years now, we’ve been hearing that autonomous vehicles are just around the corner. Google, Uber, General Motors, Tesla, and other companies invested huge sums in hopes of realizing the dream of a car that drives itself on the open road. And yet, after more than a decade of effort and prototypes, driverless cars still appear to be a long way off. Why is that? Bloomberg reporter Max Chafkin join...

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...

People around the world rely on satellites for their internet connections, credit card transactions–and even to keep track of time.  Last year, a suspected Russian-led satellite hack exposed how vulnerable they are to security breaches, from individual hackers seeking to pilfer information for profit and governments looking to weaken their adversaries. Bloomberg reporter Katrina Manson joins this...