The auto industry is being buffeted from all sides. Consumer tastes have shifted, forcing manufacturers to retool product lines. President Donald Trump is threatening tariffs on imported autos. And the move toward electric vehicles and autonomous cars could have profound implications for our world. Ellen Hughes-Cromwick of the University of Michigan, a former chief economist at Ford and the Commerce Department, discusses these topics with Bloomberg's Scott Lanman.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economic divisions in the U.S. brought an end to World War II as much as the atomic bombs. On the anniversary of Japan's surrender, historian Marc Gallicchio explains how bitter fights between business, unions and Congress marred the final months of the conflict. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do so many Americans ignore their hip pocket? Portions of the country where citizens are increasingly dependent on government programs, like Kentucky, have become the most conservative. This transformation in the nation's economics and politics goes beyond Donald Trump; some of the most anti-government lawmakers come from Kentucky. Cornell University's Suzanne Mettler discusses this paradox with Scott Lanman of Bloomberg News and Daniel Moss of Bloomberg Opinion.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turkey's currency plunged this month after President Donald Trump stepped up economic sanctions in a dispute over a detained pastor. It was already going downhill after the nation's leader vowed to shun the traditional playbook of dealing with soaring inflation. And global investors are spooked. Onur Ant, a reporter for Bloomberg in Turkey, discusses the situation and how we got here with Scott Lanman. Note: This episode was recorded on Tuesday, Aug. 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bitcoin was recently called a combination of a bubble, a Ponzi scheme and an environmental disaster by one of the world's leading authorities on finance and economics. But underneath that sensational description, cryptocurrencies are saddled with underlying technological flaws that will likely prevent them from living up to the hype or merely becoming a more commonly used currency. Hyun Song Shin, head of research at the Bank for International Settlements in Switzerland, discusses the topic with Bloomberg News economics editor Scott Lanman.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not tastebuds or the latest fetish at trendy health food stores that's driving the boom in bug gastronomy. Broad economic forces like climate change and population growth mean insects and grubs are appearing on more menus around the world. Bloomberg's Agnieszka de Sousa talks with Scott and Dan about how little critters can avert a food crisis, while Olympia Yarger talks about her bug-food startup. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump's trade war is hitting a wide variety of goods produced in America, and Alaska's fisheries are caught in the crossfire. The industry has become highly dependent on ties with China, thanks to shipments that head there for processing and are then exported again. How is a state that voted big for Trump and Republicans in 2016 coping with the threat to one of its most vital economic sectors? Alexa Tonkovich, executive director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, and Ralph Townsend, an economist at the University of Alaska Anchorage, discuss the issue with Scott Lanman and Reade Pickert of Bloomberg News.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump's election wasn't a fluke. Nor are tariffs a passing fad. They reflect deep-seated trauma at the country's decline relative to China. So enraged and befuddled is the U.S. that it's a danger to itself, its closest allies and the global trading system, says former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr. A long-time lover of Americana and leader of the Chester A. Arthur Society, Carr is no crazy leftie. He tells Dan Moss of Bloomberg Opinion and Scott Lanman of Bloomberg News why he's just about given up on the U.S.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How many times have you heard India and China mentioned in the same breath? We may be looking at the South Asian giant all wrong. The best comparison might be with the robber-baron era in America, rather than China's state capitalism, says author James Crabtree. Crabtree explains to Dan and Scott what inspired his new book “The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India's New Gilded Age” and how India has become the financial powerhouse of world cricket.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is a trade war or surging debt the biggest threat to China's economy? Try declining fertility. While the nation recently relaxed its one-child policy, such moves are unlikely to head off a projected plunge in population that will constrain the country in coming decades. In the second of a two-part episode on falling global fertility, Scott Lanman talks with Cai Yong, an expert in Chinese demographics at the University of North Carolina, about the challenges facing the world's second-biggest economy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.