Messenger RNA technology made it possible for scientists and drugmakers to quickly develop a Covid-19 vaccine. Now, pharmaceutical companies are racing to use mRNA for other illnesses, including flu, cancer and rare genetic diseases.  Dr. Drew Weissman, one of the researchers who pioneered the mRNA technology that led to the Covid vaccine, joins this episode to talk about his discovery, and the impact it will continue to have on the way patients are treated. Bloomberg’s biosecurity reporter Riley Griffin stops in to discuss Pfizer’s next phase of developing mRNA vaccines. And Bloomberg’s chief medical writer Robert Langreth forecasts how this technology could transform treatment for a variety of illnesses. Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3fm3Bt8 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.

On November 6, leaders around the world will gather for the annual UN Climate Change conference, known this year as COP27. The aim: finding ways to slow the warming of the planet, before it’s too late.  Take Egypt—it’s getting hotter at twice the pace of some other nations, and also happens to be the host of this year’s conference. If it continues to warm at its current rate, the country's crops will wither and the capital, Cairo, will become unlivable. What’s happening in Egypt right now is a glimpse into the future for the rest of us if governments don’t get serious about the climate. Bloomberg climate reporter Laura Millan Lombraña joins this episode from Madrid to walk us through what’s at stake as COP27 is set to begin–and give us the good and bad news about where the Earth’s climate is heading. And energy reporter Salma El Wardany joins from Cairo with perspective from the ground after talking with Egyptian farmers who fear for their futures. Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3DvW6YF  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.

The US is just a week away from the midterm elections, which will decide governors’ races in 36 states--and whether Democrats will keep their majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Some Republicans up for election, though, are still disputing the results of the last election. Taking their cue from former President Donald Trump, hundreds of GOP candidates falsely claim that Trump was the real winner in 2020 and that Joe Biden stole the election from him. In five key states where Trump tried and failed to overturn the results in 2020, Republican nominees for governor and other roles overseeing elections are pushing changes to election laws. If they succeed, it could be easier to dispute the outcome if Trump or another candidate tried to do that again in 2024, when the White House is next at stake. To measure how sound the US election system is, Bloomberg created an “Election Risk Index” that assesses how vulnerable states are to political election interference not just in 2022, but in the years ahead. Ryan Teague Beckwith, one of the reporters on the project, joins this episode to talk through the potential risk these candidates pose, especially for the 2024 presidential election. And US politics editor  Mario Parker gives the latest on key races.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, colleges and universities across the US have promoted the value of having a diverse student body on campus.  The Supreme Court could soon change that. On Oct. 31, the justices will consider two challenges to affirmative action in college admissions, and if they choose to strike it down, there will be enormous repercussions for who gets into the nation’s top schools — and who doesn’t. So what will college campuses look like in an America without affirmative action? And are there other ways for admissions officers to work around a potential ban on the practice?  Bloomberg Senior Reporter Greg Stohr joins with insights on what we can expect from the Supreme Court, and Equality Reporter Kelsey Butler explains how colleges around the country are bracing for massive disruption.  Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3SO4b0m 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.

Remember when everyone loved to complain how there were 150 channels on TV and nothing good to watch? It’s pretty hard to say that now. There are so many good shows being made. Our new complaint: how hard it is to watch all those great shows, especially when they’re spread across so many streaming services—and most of them you have to pay for. How did we get here?  Bloomberg media reporter Felix Gillette has answers.  He’s the co-author of the upcoming book It's Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO.Felix joins this episode to break down why TV has never been better–and yet has never been more frustrating to watch.  Bloomberg’s entertainment reporter Lucas Shaw also stops in to explain how this shift has changed the way Hollywood decides which shows get made--and which ones don't.Read the Book excerpt here: https://bloom.bg/3SI08CA 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.

Hello and welcome to The Big Take Podcast! Today: The good news, and not so good news, about the US middle class. With inflation rising, the stock market ping-ponging and housing prices softening, that broad swath of Americans who form the backbone of the US economy are getting hit on all sides. Bloomberg reporters Shawn Donnan, Alex Tanzi, Claire Ballentine and Airielle Lowe teamed up to take a look at how middle-income Americans are doing. The answer: Not so badly, actually–at least on paper. Even so, they’re worried about what’s next for them. And they have good reason to be. Shawn sits down with Wes to share the results from their exclusive polling and what these precarious economic times mean for the fortunes of working Americans. Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3faCxwM 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.

Each weekday, The Big Take brings you one story—one big, important story that impacts your life. Host Wes Kosova talks to Bloomberg journalists around the world, experts in their fields and the people at the center of the news to help you understand what’s happening, what it means and why it matters. Money, politics, the economy and business, energy, the environment, technology—we cover it all on The Big Take. And we do it in plain English. The Big Take features the best of Bloomberg's in-depth, original reporting from around the globe. Listen each weekday starting on Oct. 27. Learn more about The Big Take www.bloomberg.com/bigtake and subscribe to our daily newsletter https://bloom.bg/3rBmR9g.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.