Big Take

The mayor of an affluent suburb of Los Angeles pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of the Chinese government last month. And while cable networks across the US had a field day with the story, Bloomberg’s Drake Bennett and Jordan Robertson have been reporting on cases like this one for years. The two co-hosted the podcast series, The Sixth Bureau , which detailed the inner workings of one of...

Free speech lawyers are watching in real time as the US government escalates efforts to unmask anonymous critics of ICE. On today’s Big Take podcast, Justice Department reporter Jimmy Jenkins and legal reporter Zoe Tillman join host David Gura to break down their exclusive reporting on how the DOJ is deploying an old legal tool in a novel way. We’ll hear from an attorney defending one...

The US Justice Department has announced it would establish a $1.776 billion legal fund to compensate people who claim they’ve been targeted unfairly by the federal government. The plan has been met with swift bipartisan backlash, with some lawmakers calling it a “slush fund” that could line the pockets of Trump loyalists and Jan. 6 rioters with taxpayer dollars. On today’s...

The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Cuba’s regime. Just this month, it indicted former President Raúl Castro, announced the deployment of additional military assets to the region and released a video message — featuring Secretary of State Marco Rubio — blaming Cuba’s economic troubles on its government. The push comes less than five months after the US...

The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo may have been spreading for months, according to the World Health Organization. On this week’s episode of the Next Africa Podcast, Jennifer Zabasajja is joined by healthcare reporter Janice Kew and Congo Country Director for the Danish Refugee Council, Caitlin Brady. They discuss the impact of aid cuts on the outbreak and how serious...

Beyond this month's talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, there’s an epic tale that has been unfolding for decades. It’s a battle to be the world’s number one power and a much bigger story than the latest meeting of these two men.  Kishore Mahbubani is a former Singaporean diplomat who served as president of the United Nations Security Cou...

The global bond market buckled over the past week. Yields on 30-year US Treasuries hit their highest level in almost 20 years, while long-term debt yields in the UK and Japan reached multi-decade highs. It’s a signaling effect, Bloomberg’s Enda Curran says, that investors around the world are increasingly convinced higher inflation is here to stay. On today’s Big Take podcast, Cu...

Graduation is here — but the jobs aren’t. On today’s Big Take podcast, we check in with recent graduates facing a brutal hiring landscape where 42% are underemployed. We look at what’s driving today’s low-hire, low-quit market, how the AI boom could hamper the job search and what happens when top-tier students finish school without a clear path forward. Read more:&nbs...

 For months, Democrats and Republicans have been locked in a fierce battle over the way districts are drawn across the US. As both parties try to gain an edge ahead of midterms in November, efforts to redistrict could reshape Congress in the final two years of Trump’s second term — and regional economies for decades to come. On today’s Big Take podcast, guest host Stacey Van...

SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has made a $60 billion bet on OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman – a commitment that has some insiders worried. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Min-Jeong Lee about how Son became captivated by Altman and what’s at stake for his reputation – and the company – as the AI race intensifies. We have a...

Trade was one of the most contentious issues heading into the Beijing summit between Presidents Trump and Xi. But while the summit generated “good vibes” between the two, it ended with few clear directives, especially regarding trade and tariffs. On today’s Big Take podcast, Brendan Murray, who leads Bloomberg’s trade coverage, sits down with host Sarah Holder to discuss th...

Amazon is everywhere, from your doorstep to outer space. So, what is the current state of the Everything Store? This week on Everybody's Business, hosts Max Chafkin and Stacey Vanek Smith look at the company that is more utility than retailer with Bloomberg Businessweek editor-in-chief Brad Stone. Plus, have you wondered why the stock market has been doing so well even though lots of things don't...

Tensions between the US and China have deepened since the last time a US president traveled to Beijing for a summit, in 2017. President Trump’s return to China, in a swirl of dinners and festivities, generated positive optics for host and guest alike, but brought less apparent progress on some of the biggest bilateral sticking points, from tariffs and trade to US arms sales to Taiwan. On tod...

The oldest Gen Alphas are still in high school, but some of the early reviews have been scathing. Unruly. Nihilistic. Bad at reading. Yet when Bloomberg Businessweek’s Stacey Vanek Smith dug into the research, she emerged with a more optimistic view on the most online generation yet. Tech savvy. Globally minded. Also, preternaturally good at skincare. On today’s Big Take podcast, Smith...

This year has seen an uptick in falsified videos and other online disinformation with a common theme: advancing Kremlin interests. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg investigative reporter Stephanie Baker tells Sarah Holder how she identified nearly 200 social media posts and videos that bear the hallmarks of a Russian influence operation that researchers call Storm-1516. Baker, who has...

Despite India facing economic headwinds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party defied expectations with a stunning state election sweep — capped by a historic win in opposition stronghold West Bengal. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Menaka Doshi about how the BJP secured a shock victory and what an emboldened Modi might mean for India...

After eight years as chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell’s term concludes this week. On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura sits down with Bloomberg Fed correspondents Catarina Saraiva and Amara Omeokwe to look back at Powell’s successes, missteps and legacy — and what shape the central bank could take in the future. Read more: Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s...

As a high-stakes Trump–Xi summit looms, tensions over the Iran war and defiance of US sanctions threaten to derail what could be one of the year’s most consequential meetings. On Trumponomics, Bloomberg's Stephanie Flanders is joined by Jennifer Welch, chief geoeconomics analyst for Bloomberg Economics and Bloomberg News executive editor Dan Ten Kate to unpack whether the talks will ha...

Supporters of the Make America Healthy Again movement helped put President Trump in office for a second term. But just months ahead of the US midterm elections, key voices in the coalition say they feel betrayed. On today’s Big Take podcast, guest host Tim Stenovec and Bloomberg Businessweek’s Deena Shanker track MAHA’s growing frustrations with the White House, from the fallout...

The Federal Reserve in the United States has struggled to return inflation to its 2% target while navigating criticism from President Trump and scrutiny from the Department of Justice. On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura and Bloomberg’s Maria Eloisa Capurro discuss her interview with Boston Fed President Susan Collins. They explore inflation, the economic fallout of the confli...

Can NASA put astronauts on the moon in 2028? Why does the US need a lunar base? NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman joins guest host Tim Stenovec on today’s Big Take podcast episode to discuss the new space race with China, how NASA can compete for talent with SpaceX and Blue Origin – and why he doesn’t think we’re alone in the universe.  Read more: www.bloomberg.com/spa...

China’s decision to block Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus stunned the global AI industry. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Newley Purnell and Lulu Chen about how the deal crumbled and what it signals for Chinese startups trying to go global. Read more:  China’s Meta Backlash Renders Manus Model ‘Off...

For global airlines, this year was supposed to be a big one. The industry projected record profits — backed by more than 5 billion passengers — and a busy summer travel season ahead. But then came the war in Iran, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and major disruptions to global jet fuel supplies. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Global Aviation Editorial Leader B...

For more than 30 years, the Indian-born writer Amitav Ghosh has built a global following with novels that draw on deep historical research.  But his latest offering, Ghost-Eye, is more esoteric. The plot moves back and forth between India and the US, using past lives to explore the ties between the personal and the political. The plot centers on a psychiatrist treating a 3-year-old who shocks...

Game apps like High 5 Casino and Monopoly GO! are wildly popular. Players pay up for perks and the mobile game industry makes money – a lot of money. But scrutiny on these kinds of games and what some players call addictive, gambling-like qualities could challenge the way they do business. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder and Bloomberg reporter Vernon Silver go inside the...