Big Take

Bloomberg reporters Shawn Donnan and Claire Ballentine join this episode to discuss the results of a new Harris Poll for Bloomberg News, which found that the US Federal Reserve’s rapid increase in interest rates—aimed at fighting inflation—have more middle-class Americans worried about the economy than a year ago, even amid near-record employment.  Read more: Middle-Class Americans Are Rattled by Fed’s Fight Against Inflation  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.

We’re taking a break today for the Thanksgiving holiday. Here’s a favorite episode from August that you might have missed. We’ll be back on Monday with a new episode. Have a great weekend. And thanks for listening! America’s first major offshore wind farm in the Atlantic Ocean is now under construction 15 miles south of Nantucket, off the coast of Massachusetts. Once complete, the 800-megawatt project is expected to generate enough electricity to power 400,000 homes. But with inflation and rising interest rates stifling progress on some other wind projects, will the Biden administration reach its 2030 goal of generating 30 gigawatts of power from offshore turbines? Bloomberg’s Will Wade went out to see the Massachusetts project, and he joins this episode to explain the promise–and the problems–of erecting wind power on such a large scale. And Nick Schulz, a commercial diver working on the project, describes what it's like to build a massive turbine installation in deep water. Read more: Atlantic’s Biggest Offshore Wind Turbine to Rise Next Week in US 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.

We’re taking a break today for the Thanksgiving holiday. Here’s a favorite episode from October that you might have missed. We’ll be back on Monday. Thanks for listening! Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw and Sohee Kim join this episode to talk about Bang Si-Hyuk, South Korea’s enormously successful music mogul. The billionaire has built a K-pop empire with bands like BTS and New Jeans, and he’s now looking to expand on that model with a new, global act based in the US. Read more: The K-Pop Mogul Behind BTS Is Building the Next BTS 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.

We're taking a break this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, so here's an episode you might have missed. We'll be back on Monday with a new episode. The US Space Force, established in 2019, is the first new branch of the military to be created since 1947, and its mission is vast: defend US interests in space. But what exactly is the Space Force? And what does defending US interests in space mean or look like practically? As the nearly $900 billion defense spending bill winds its way through Congress, Wes went to the Pentagon to sit down with General David Thompson, the Vice Chief of Space Operations to learn what US interests in space are, and how the branch is developing. Bloomberg cybersecurity reporter Katrina Manson joins later to describe her visit to Space Command in Colorado and the importance of the US keeping a watch on its adversaries in zero gravity. 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 episode originally aired on 7/26/23.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're taking a break this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, so here's an episode you might have missed. We'll be back on Monday with a new episode. Hundreds of thousands of people charged with crimes in the US each year are incarcerated while they await trial. Often it’s because they can’t afford to pay bail. New York City’s pretrial supervised release program aims to change that. A judge can opt to release some defendants under the supervision of a caseworker, who monitors their progress as they await their day in court. Bloomberg’s Fola Akinnibi and Sarah Holder join this episode to talk about how the program works, the fraught politics around it–and why it may become a blueprint for other cities and states. Read more: America Is the World Leader in Locking People Up. One City Found a Fix 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 episode originally aired 9/25/23.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're taking a break this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, so here's an episode you might have missed. We'll be back on Monday with a new episode. Even with a looming recession, high interest rates and a tight labor market, small businesses have been opening at record rates over the last few years, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. They’ve also been the primary driver of job creation in the US. Bloomberg reporter Enda Curran dug into why small businesses are having a moment—and the challenges owners are facing in this uncertain economy. Plus, meet the owners of a bakery and a microbrewery who discuss how they’ve been keeping their businesses afloat. Read more: The Pandemic Small-Business Boom Is Fueling the US Economy 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 episode originally aired on 10/2/23.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catch up on some of the week’s biggest US stories. Bloomberg’s Mario Parker, Megan Scully and Zoe Tillman join this episode to talk about the Congressional stopgap bill that has temporarily averted a government shutdown; the latest on Donald Trump’s legal battles; and the narrowing Republican presidential field. Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Congress averted a government shutdown with days to spare. The way lawmakers did it — by leaving out deep spending cuts and relying on a bipartisan coalition to pass the bill — has already put House Speaker Mike Johnson on thin ice with some hardliners in his party.
 That disdain for compromise among members of the right flank of the GOP is one of the factors that cost the previous speaker his job. None of the infighting came as a surprise to former Representative Denver Riggleman, who served one term in Congress as a Republican for Virginia’s fifth congressional district before losing a primary challenge from a more conservative candidate. 
 Like many in his party, Riggleman supported small government, the Second Amendment, and border security — but he also supported legalizing marijuana and providing some exceptions for abortion.
 “I was told I was a new type of Republican,” Riggleman said on the Big Take podcast.
 On this episode, Riggleman shares the story of his brief and explosive tenure in congress. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The transition from combustion engines to electric vehicles is well under way. It's a critical part of a historic transformation that will soon affect all consumers and businesses alike. In the race to dominate the market for EVs, China has been the standout as US companies struggle to become competitive.  Bloomberg’s Colin McKerracher and Malcolm Scott join host Rosalind Mathieson to dig into how the EV revolution is shaking up the global economy. Read more: EV Market’s Surge Toward $57 Trillion Sparks Global Flashpoints Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK  Have questions or comments for the team? Reach us at bigtake@bloomberg.net.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Paige Smith and Scott Carpenter join this episode to talk about why the subprime auto loan market is thriving—and what that means for lower-income car owners who face high interest rates and the possibility of losing their vehicles. Read more: How Wall Street Makes Millions Selling Car Loans Customers Can’t Repay  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.