Democrats kept control of the US Senate in November’s midterm elections. So why is the political world so obsessed with who’ll win Tuesday’s Senate runoff election in Georgia between Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker? Bloomberg’s US politics editor Mario Parker, White House correspondent Nancy Cook and National editor Craig Gordon join Wes to answer that question–and explain how this single seat will determine the outcome of political battles heading into the 2024 presidential election.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.

Senior executive editor John Liu joins Wes from Beijing to talk about the protests happening across China, as anger at the government’s Covid Zero policy boils over. John walks through why and how the demonstrations began, what the government is doing to tamp them down and what he saw and heard on the streets. Learn more about this story: https://bloom.bg/3H5cVNt  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.

Online gambling is enormously popular in the UK. Millions of people spend hours a day playing  catchy games on their phones that keep them spinning–even when they’re losing big. No surprise that online gambling addiction is a serious issue.Now, some US states are loosening their gambling laws. And with it comes concerns that the problems gamblers in the UK are experiencing will soon play out on an even larger scale in America. Bloomberg reporters Gavin Finch and Harry Wilson join this episode to talk about the UK gambling boom, and what’s in store for the US. We also hear from Stewart Kenny, a co-founder of the gambling company Paddy Power, who walked away from the industry and is now one of its most vocal critics. Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3iq35LM  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.

A heads up: This episode is on a difficult subject and some of it isn’t easy to listen to. You might want to listen with headphones if children are nearby. In just a few short years, TikTok has become as ubiquitous as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The brief videos and fun dance challenges that TikTok’s one billion users post on its app often become viral sensations.  But there’s a darker side to the platform, and one TikTok is having a hard time fixing. Young children who aren’t supposed to have full access to the app are finding ways around the company’s safeguards and logging on. When they do, they're exposed to some content that's not suitable for kids, including viral videos that challenge users to do dangerous things– sometimes, with tragic results. Bloomberg senior reporter Olivia Carville joins this episode to discuss her investigation of how kids are using TikTok–and what the company is doing about it.   You can read Olivia’s full investigation here: https://bloom.bg/3isBcmo  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 China seeks to grow its economy and increase its global influence, it’s lending billions of dollars to help governments around the world fund big, expensive projects that otherwise would be out of reach. In Asia, Africa–and, notably, in Latin America, next door to the US.  That money could pay off politically, too, in the ongoing rivalry between Washington and Beijing.  For a look at China’s global projects–and what its leaders hope to accomplish with them–Rebecca Choong Wilkins joins this episode. She’s a Bloomberg government reporter based in Hong Kong. We then talk with Jonathan Gilbert, a reporter based in Buenos Aires, who describes what happens when China comes calling with lots of cash. And Dan Ten Kate, who oversees Bloomberg’s government coverage in Asia, stops by to explain why the US has been so slow to respond to China’s advances in the region. Read more about this story: https://bloom.bg/3ijEYOS  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.

A good boss can make the difference between a job you love and one you can’t stand. Workers are more willing to suffer bad bosses when the job market is tight. But when they have choices–like now in the US–they’re quicker to demand better working conditions, or up and quit. One place taking notice of employee discontent: America’s business schools. Senior reporter Matthew Boyle joins this episode to talk about why top MBA programs are now teaching classes on how to be a better boss. Wes also talks to two recent MBA grads about how their experience changed the way they think about running a business–and treating employees. Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3Vv2mHk  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.

Green bonds are surging in popularity across the globe, as companies and governments want to show they’re investing in environmentally friendly projects–and people want to feel good about where they’re putting their money. The thing is, it’s not always easy to tell if a green bond is actually going toward a cleaner future–or if it’s mostly a marketing ploy. Aaron Rutkoff, Executive Editor at Bloomberg Green, joins this episode to spell out what green bonds are, how they work and how to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s hype. Wes also speaks to Hong-Kong based Bloomberg reporter Rebecca Choong Wilkins, who worked on a big story about the explosion of green bond spending in China.  And producer Federica Romaniello takes us to a construction site in London to look at how green bonds are being used to fund a project to clean up the River Thames. Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3i6bRye  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.

Apple retail workers express discontent with the company's shift towards upselling and the loss of the low-key, no-pressure showcase. Unionization efforts have already begun at some stores. The podcast also explores the rising trend of unionization in tech and retail companies, including Starbucks, and the challenges companies face in reaching bargaining agreements.

Shein is one of the biggest fast-fashion brands in the world. Young women and girls film their “Shein hauls” for TikTok — showing off piles of trendy, cheap clothes they bought from the Chinese company. It’s on track this year for sales around $8 billion in the US alone. But a new investigation traces the origin of the cotton in some Shein clothing to the Xinjiang region of China, where the US and other Western nations say the Chinese government has imprisoned Uyghur Muslims and carried out a campaign of forced labor. Bloomberg senior writer Sheridan Prasso joins this episode to talk about her investigation–and about the downsides of the world’s demand for more and more cheap clothes. Ayesha Barenblat of Remake, a group that advocates for stronger ethics in the fashion industry, also comes on the podcast.  She explains how to find out if your favorite clothing brands are acting responsibly–or cutting corners.   Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3XjC24E  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.

What happens when a small country all of a sudden strikes it fantastically rich? The South American country of Guyana, is finding out in a big way. A nation of just 800,000 people, its economy centered on agriculture and mining–until 2015, when Exxon discovered a massive oil field beneath Guyana’s territorial waters.Now, Guyana is flush with oil riches. Monte Reel, a Bloomberg investigative reporter, joins this episode to tell the story of the unusual way the government plans to spend some of it– future-proofing the country from rising water that threatens its shores. But in 2015, Guyana — more specifically Exxon — struck oil. Billions and billions of barrels worth of oil. Now the country is going all in on its oil discovery — even as it navigates a warming planet.  Monte Reel is an investigative reporter for Bloomberg and recently spent time in Guyana. He joins this episode to share how this small country is navigating this massive influx of oil money. Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3UMLv2P Listen to The Big Take podcast on iHeart, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. 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.