Big Take

How long will hostilities in Iran last? Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken says it will likely depend on “markets and munitions.” In an interview with the Big Take podcast, Blinken and host David Gura discuss the Obama and Biden administrations’ efforts to avoid conflict with Iran, the unanticipated ways this war puts the US at risk and how the strikes could reshape the reg...

As the war with Iran widens in the Middle East, legislators on both sides of the aisle have expressed frustration with a lack of advance notice of the strikes and the inconsistencies in the administration’s justifications and goals for the military action. On today’s Big Take, Bloomberg national political correspondent Nancy Cook and national security reporter Jamie Tarabay join the sh...

The US and Israel’s attacks on Iran have entered their third day — and President Donald Trump said Monday that the US military operation could continue for weeks, or more. On today’s Big Take podcast, reporter Golnar Motevalli talks to host Sarah Holder about the widening regional conflict, Iran’s succession plans and what we know about the end game for the US as President...

Targets in Iran, Israel and in the Middle East are under attack in an unprecedented escalation in the conflict between the US and Iran. The combat operations come after weeks of negotiations between the US and Iran over what remains of its nuclear program. On today’s Big Take, Bloomberg’s Jeff Mason and Joumanna Bercetche join host David Gura to discuss the timing and goals of this wee...

After steering one of Wall Street’s iconic investment banks through the financial crisis, former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein is investing his own money and, with the publication of a new memoir, reflecting on his time at the firm. On today’s Big Take podcast, Blankfein tells host David Gura how he uses AI, what he sees as a worrying expansion of opaque investment products and wha...

President Donald Trump says the US has begun major combat operations against Iran. Airstrikes have been carried out by Israel and the US, with multiple provinces hit. Iran in turn has fired back at Israel and targeted US bases and assets in the region, including Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq.  This comes after weeks of talks failed to produce a fresh agreement on Iran’s nuclear...

In Episode 4 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, we follow a spy from China’s Ministry of State Security as he tries to plan a delicate overseas meeting with a valuable source. But the person he’s talking to isn’t working alone. The Sixth Bureau from Bloomberg News follows an MSS intelligence officer whose mission was to acquire the crown jewels of American aerospace...

After US forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January, President Donald Trump said the US would “run” the South American country. What’s actually happened since? On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura has a sweeping conversation with International Crisis Group senior analyst Phil Gunson, who’s based in Caracas and has tracked Lati...

As the “AI scare trade” jolts companies large and small, Apple shares keep doing their own thing. The company has “decoupled” to the greatest degree in 20 years from forces moving the rest of the Nasdaq 100. Why — and how? On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder talks to Bloomberg’s equities reporter Ryan Vlastelica and Chief Apple Correspondent Mar...

President Trump heads into Tuesday evening’s State of the Union address with sagging poll numbers just days after his signature tariff strategy was struck down by the Supreme Court. As a speaker with a history of diverging from script, Trump is expected to defend everything from his record on affordability to his approach to Iran in order to rally his base ahead of midterm elections.  O...

From Brussels to Beijing, the United States’ largest trading partners are digesting the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn President Trump’s signature tariffs — along with his threats to impose new, potentially stickier levies by other means. On today’s Big Take podcast, Big Take Asia host K. Oanh Ha sits down with Bloomberg China economy and government editor Jenni...

The US Supreme Court on Friday handed President Donald Trump one of the biggest losses of his second term, striking down his signature tariff plan. On today’s Big Take podcast, Sarah Holder talks to one of the people at the heart of the drama: Rick Woldenberg, the CEO of Learning Resources, a toy company that was a lead plaintiff in the case. And she unpacks the decision and its implications...

In Episode 3 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, we follow a spy from China’s Ministry of State Security to the Paris Air Show, and then watch him develop a valuable source, despite his bosses constantly getting in his way. The Sixth Bureau from Bloomberg News follows an MSS intelligence officer whose mission was to acquire the crown jewels of American aerospace companies. With...

The Department of Education has been a target of critics for decades. Republicans in the Oval Office have repeatedly tried to shrink the agency, and in his second term, President Trump has vowed to eliminate it altogether. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg education reporter Liam Knox and host David Gura talk through what it takes to gut a congressionally approved federal agency: what&r...

For the first time in history, Saudi Arabia is allowing international buyers to purchase property in Mecca. This regulatory shift has ignited a building boom, raising concerns over affordability and overdevelopment.  On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Zainab Fattah joins Sarah Holder to discuss what this property gold rush means for the city’s future and Saudi Arabia&r...

Inflation in the US has cooled from pandemic peaks, but there’s a grocery product telling a different story: beef. The price of uncooked ground beef soared by the most since June 2020 in government data released Friday. The broad beef and veal category is up 15% over the past year as of January. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporter Enda Curran  takes a peek into the Ame...

It’s an open secret that the Chinese government has engaged in a global campaign to acquire intellectual property from foreign rivals. At the center of that campaign is the Ministry of State Security, China’s elusive intelligence agency. The US has apprehended hundreds of people accused of giving information to the MSS, but the agency’s inner workings have been a mystery —...

In Episode 2 of The Sixth Bureau, a limited-run series from The Big Take, we learn how China’s Ministry of State Security recruits experts in the West — and why intelligence officers shouldn’t keep their secrets backed up to the cloud. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In July, American parents will be eligible to open Trump Accounts on behalf of their children. The administration touts these investment accounts as a way to help the next generation achieve the American dream. But are they the best way to save for college, home-ownership or retirement? And who stands to benefit most? On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Ben Steverman walks host Sa...

The latest jobs report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics is a mixed bag. January’s numbers came in much stronger than expected — but revisions on 2025 data showed a weaker year than previously realized. The report comes on the heels of a number of high-profile job cut announcements, including at Amazon, the Washington Post and Nike. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Ho...

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured a historic election win, positioning her as the nation’s strongest leader in the postwar era. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host Oanh Ha sits down with Bloomberg’s Sakura Murakami to discuss the reaction to Takaichi’s election gamble, her vision for a more assertive Japan and the uphill battle she faces to deliver her ambitious a...

The prospect of US military action in Iran and the possibility of regional war continue to loom over indirect talks between the two countries. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the situation. On today’s Big Take Podcast, Iran reporter Golnar Motevalli joins host David Gura to lay out what the US and Iran each...

What is the best way to tell a climate story? This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi speaks with Booker Prize-winning novelist George Saunders. His new novel  Vigil is an exploration of guilt, told on the deathbed of an oil executive haunted by ghosts. Rathi asks Saunders what he learned about climate change, his thoughts on whether AI complements or compromises human creativity, and why literature...

On today’s Big Take podcast, professional sports gambler Rufus Peabody discusses why he has shifted more of his betting to prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarke. And markets reporter Justina Lee and sports business reporter Ira Boudway sit down with host David Gura to discuss why these markets are drawing pros like Peabody — and the concerns the platforms raise for regulators an...

Shares of Novo Nordisk were down Thursday morning after Hims & Hers introduced a compounded version of its Wegovy pill. The dip came two days after Novo predicted its sales could drop as much as 13% this year as the company factors in competition from generic drugs that could crop up as its patents expire around the world. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporters Naomi Kresge and...