In his 1961 farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower famously warned about the dangers of the business of war–what he called the “military industrial complex.” Now, more than six decades later, that warning still rings true. The US military is the most powerful – and expensive – in the world, but the Pentagon bureaucracy is vast, inefficient, and often slow to adapt to a rapidly changing world.  Bloomberg reporters Peter Martin, Courtney McBride, and Roxana Tiron join this episode to talk about their deep reporting about concerns inside and outside the Pentagon that the US military is in danger of falling behind rivals including China, and what the Defense Department is doing to change.  Michèle Flournoy, a former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, also joins to give perspective on how the Pentagon works, what it does right, and what it needs to do better. Read more: https://bloom.bg/3JiAnXW  Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.This podcast is produced by the Big Take Podcast team: Supervising Producer: Vicki Vergolina, Senior Producer: Kathryn Fink, Producers: Mo Barrow, Rebecca Chaisson, Michael Falero and Federica Romaniello, Associate Producers: Sam Gebauer and Zaynab Siddiqui. Sound Design/Engineers: Raphael Amsili and Gilda Garcia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One unexpected consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: It highlighted how just a handful of countries–notably Russia and China–supply much of the fertilizer needed to feed the world. Amid geopolitical tensions and humanitarian concerns, the race for fertilizer has become a priority for the U.S. and its allies. Bloomberg reporter Elizabeth Elkin joins this episode to talk about how concerns about fertilizer shortages have nations looking for alternatives. Read more: https://bloom.bg/3KUmT62  Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pras Michel, the famed rapper and founding member of The Fugees, goes on federal trial later this month. The US government has charged him with numerous crimes related to his dealings with the fugitive Malaysian businessman allegedly at the center of one of the largest financial scandals in history. Michel maintains he’s innocent. This real-life international tale of intrigue involves a long cast of characters, including A-list Hollywood celebrities, the Chinese government, and both the Obama and Trump White Houses. Bloomberg reporters Anthony Cormier, Jason Leopold and Matthew Campbell have captured the whole saga in a story for Businessweek and they join this episode to tell us what they found. Read the story: https://bloom.bg/3ZiFi0W  Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Startups pioneering invasive and noninvasive devices that interact with the brain seek to alleviate everything from ALS symptoms to epilepsy to treatment-resistant depression. In this episode, a look at the science behind this rapidly advancing technology.Dr. Thomas Oxley, a neurointerventionist and CEO of Synchron, gives us a tour of his lab in Brooklyn, New York, where his company is developing an implant that allows paralyzed people to control devices.  Then Bloomberg reporter Sarah McBride joins Wes for a look at other startups making these brain-computer interfaces–and where the industry goes from here.  Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twelve years after the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, Japan is now considering restarting its shuttered nuclear reactors to combat rising energy prices. It’s a slow process, and one where the government and the public are conflicted about the advantages and risks of nuclear power.Around the world, countries that turned off their reactors in the wake of Fukushima, or have closed old or expensive reactors, are doing a similar about-face, with rising energy prices and clean energy commitments changing their calculus. That’s inevitably raised questions about the safety of potentially running these aging behemoths to more than double their expected lifespan. Bloomberg’s Japan energy reporter Shoko Oda joins this episode to talk about the country’s decision to restart its nuclear reactors and lingering anti-nuclear sentiment in the country. Power and renewable energy editor Will Wade also joins to describe how governments around the world are rethinking their nuclear stances, squeezed by rising energy prices and climate targets.  And Dr. Jessica Lovering of Good Energy Collective, a pro-nuclear think tank, makes an advocate’s case for how nuclear power fits into the mix for clean energy over the next 30+ years. Read more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3m9HTvi  Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.netSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It takes hundreds of pounds of aluminum to build Ford’s “Truck of the Future,” the electric F-150. A lot of that aluminum comes from a long, complicated supply chain that it would be difficult to describe as environmentally friendly. The chain begins in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, at a mine with a legacy of pollution. It leads next to a refinery down the Amazon River where thousands of people are suing, claiming the industry harmed the fragile ecosystem, contaminated their water, and made them sick. Bloomberg senior reporters Sheridan Prasso and Jessica Brice join this episode to talk about their investigation–and how Ford responded to what they found. Read the investigation: https://bloom.bg/3xRXC4V  Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Biden’s plan to forgive federal student loan debt for millions of Americans has been frozen since a handful of Republican-led states sued to stop it. They argue the president doesn’t have the power to wipe away billions of dollars of debt on his own. It’s now up to the US Supreme Court to decide if they’re right.Bloomberg Supreme Court correspondent Greg Stohr joins this episode to talk about the arguments on both sides, and where the 6-3 conservative majority might come down. And personal finance reporter Claire Ballentine explains what happens next for Americans with student debt if the court upholds Biden’s plan–or knocks it down. Read more: https://bloom.bg/3ktdt6P  Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Nigerians decide on a new president, the country’s economy is reeling. Nigeria’s public debt is growing, inflation is soaring, and half of adults can’t find steady work. People wait in line for hours at gas stations to fill their cars and light their homes with generators because the shaky power grid can’t keep up. Kidnapping for ransom is a growing problem.  What can be done to turn things around? Bloomberg journalists Neil Munshi in Lagos, Nigeria and Ruth Olurounbi in Abuja, the capital, join this episode to talk about what’s at stake in this election–and how the candidates vying for the job say they’ll address these problems. Then, Cheta Nwanze, lead partner at SBM Intelligence, explains why it’s so difficult to attract companies, and money, to Africa’s largest economy. Read more: https://bloom.bg/3XUUzU5 Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

February 24 marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin believed the country’s military would be defeated quickly and Kyiv, the capital, would fall. Instead, Ukraine’s clever, nimble — and motivated — military has fought back Russia’s forces despite being vastly outgunned. But the war has taken a terrible toll. Thousands of people have died. Cites have been devastated and millions of displaced Ukrainians are now living as refugees in other countries. Bloomberg journalists Daryna Krasnolutska and Marc Champion in Kyiv, and Rosalind Mathieson in London join this episode to take stock of all that has happened in the past year, and what lies ahead for Ukraine. Read the story: https://bloom.bg/3IL2hMf  Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Around the world, a looming problem is making workers nervous–and angry. People in many countries are living longer, and at some point governments will run out of money to pay their retirement benefits.One solution some politicians are pushing: raising the retirement age for workers. Which…is about as popular as it sounds.So what is the answer? Ben Sills, who leads Bloomberg’s government and economics coverage in Europe, and White House and politics reporter Nancy Cook join this episode to sort through the tough economics and fraught politics of retirement. And pensions reporter Amy Bainbridge, personal finance reporter Ainsley Thomson, and senior editor Emily Cadman talk about how governments all over are trying to get hold of the problem before it becomes a crisis. Read more: https://bloom.bg/3SapcUf Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.