Big Take

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Latest Episodes:

All Eyes on Japan and China Tensions After Taiwan Remark Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

After a rare public comment on Taiwan from Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, relations between the two nations are at a historic low — and Beijing is ramping up its economic retaliation.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host Oanh Ha talks with Bloomberg’s James Mayger and Isabel Reynolds about the political calculation behind Takaichi’s move, the historical grievances fueling the dispute and the real economic risks facing Tokyo.

Further listening: How APEC Become a Battleground for US-China Influence

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Inside Trump’s Retribution Campaign Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

On Monday, a federal judge threw out the criminal cases filed by the Department of Justice against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

When President Trump took office in January, he made it clear that retribution against his perceived political enemies was a key part of his second-term agenda. The cases against Comey and James were a high profile part of that strategy, and the White House does not seem inclined to accept this outcome.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder is joined by Bloomberg senior national political reporter Nancy Cook and Department of Justice reporter Chris Strohm to discuss the stakes of the Comey and James cases, the role the DOJ has played in carrying out Trump’s second-term agenda — and what to expect next.

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Checking the Math on Trump’s $2,000 Checks Nov 24, 2025

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Under new pressures over inflation and affordability, President Donald Trump has been talking up a plan to share tariff revenues with Americans, in the form of $2,000 checks. But there are several major problems with this plan — and he’s lacking support among some of his most ardent allies.

On today’s Big Take episode, host Sarah Holder is joined by Bloomberg senior national political reporter Nancy Cook and US Treasury reporter Dan Flatley to discuss how Trump’s latest proposal fits into the economic debate that could define midterm elections – and how the Supreme Court, the Republican party and Trump’s own cabinet could throw a wrench in his plans.

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Harassment Concerns at Oxford Went Unaddressed for Years Nov 21, 2025

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Oxford University has repeatedly been slow to act when confronted with allegations of harassment, assault and inappropriate behavior by male academics, a new Bloomberg investigation has found.

Katherine Griffiths, the city editor of Bloomberg’s London bureau, spoke to dozens of academics, staffers and women who have studied at Oxford to understand how the storied institution has handled misconduct concerns — and why it lags behind its peers. On this episode of the Big Take podcast, she shares her findings about the barriers to addressing misconduct at Oxford, and the lasting consequences for women.

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Nvidia Silences AI Skeptics (For Now) Nov 20, 2025

Show notes

Nvidia released its third quarter earnings Wednesday, crushing estimates and easing Wall Street’s concerns about an AI bubble.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg Tech’s Ed Ludlow sits down with David Gura to discuss his post-earnings interview with Jensen Huang – what the Nvidia CEO had to say about the company’s breakneck growth, so-called circular deals, and potential expansion into China.

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The Hot Market for Jobs No One Wants Nov 19, 2025

Show notes

After a period characterized as “low-hire, low-fire,” the American labor market is seeing a surge of layoffs from companies like Amazon, Starbucks, UPS and Target. And that’s pushing more job applicants towards traditionally less-desirable occupations, like substitute teaching, traffic flagging and waste management.

Today on the Big Take, Sarah Holder is joined by economic reporter Mike Sasso to discuss what’s happening in this often-overlooked corner of the labor market and what it means for the economy overall.

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China Tests the Limits in the Race for Biotech Power Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

China is investing heavily in cutting-edge genetic experiments. It’s part of their quest to become a biotech superpower.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha, Bloomberg’s Karoline Kan and Oxford University geneticist Andy Greenfield discuss China’s pharmaceutical ambitions and the loose regulatory environment that allows the animal testing industry to thrive.

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How Private Equity Got Its Hands on Billions in Americans’ Retirement Money Nov 17, 2025

Show notes

Apollo Global Management reinvented how pensions could be managed and paid out — by taking them over and moving the risks offshore. Other firms have followed suit and ushered hundreds of billions of dollars in American retirement savings into accounts that retirees and economists say are exposed to higher risk.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder sits down with Bloomberg reporters Alex Rajbhandari and Tom Schoenberg, who investigated this phenomenon and explain what it means for the people whose nest eggs ended up on private equity’s opaque balance sheets.

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They Voted for Trump. His Tariffs Took Down Their Family-Owned Sawmill Nov 14, 2025

Show notes

For years, Mackeys Ferry Sawmill in North Carolina relied on exporting its goods to China and Vietnam after a dip in domestic demand for high-quality hardwood. But President Donald Trump’s trade war with China dealt a blow that the mill’s owners say they couldn’t come back from. In July, just months after the president announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs, they decided to shut it down.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg economics reporter Shawn Donnan goes to the “Old North State” to understand the ripple effect of tariffs on one of the oldest industries in America and how the mill’s owner feels about Trump and his policies, one year after voting for him in the ballot booth.

Listen more: The Most Worrying — and Reassuring — Signals in the US Economy

Hosted by David Gura; Produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Reported by Shawn Donnan; Edited by Aaron Edwards.

Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate and Dina Katgara; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

Photo by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

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The Most Worrying — and Reassuring — Signals in the US Economy Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

In recent weeks, a number of economic warning signs have put investors on edge, from growing skepticism over the possibility of an AI bubble to bankruptcies that have rocked the private credit market.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg Opinion columnist and senior markets editor John Authers and host David Gura tackle the question: How worried should we be about the US economy?

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