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Latest Episodes:

A Street Drug From Syria Is Alarming The US And Europe Sep 08, 2023

Show notes

A cheap, illegal amphetamine called captagon is raising alarm around the globe after circulating for years in the Middle East. The US and its allies say much of the world’s supply of captagon is made in Syria–and that the government of President Bashar Al-Assad is using captagon sales abroad to cushion the financial blow of Western sanctions on Syria.

Bloomberg’s Sam Dagher and Samy Adghirni join this episode to describe captagon’s rise from 1960s German pharmaceutical to pervasive street drug, and why European officials are so concerned about a possible influx within their borders.
Caroline Rose, Director of the Captagon Trade Project at the New Lines Institute explains how the US is responding to the spread of captagon.

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.

Abandoned Electric Cars ‘As Far As The Eye Can See’ Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

Growing sales of electric vehicles around the world have also come with growing pains. In China, outdated models no one wants pile up in vast EV graveyards. In Norway, tax breaks for electric car buyers have been so successful that the government faces a revenue shortfall.

Bloomberg’s Linda Lew and Businessweek contributor Willem Marx join this episode to talk about the upsides—and downsides—of the EV boom. And Oslo city councilman Eivind Trædal explains why electric cars can sometimes make the problem of traffic-clogged streets even worse.

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.

Want To Leave Apple For Android? Good Luck Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

The Apple “ecosystem” has tremendous appeal – sleek design, genius marketing and a myriad of products and services that are seamlessly compatible. This makes users feel at ease within its closed circuit.
Unless they want to try something else.
Bloomberg reporter Austin Carr decided to scale Apple’s walled garden to see if the grass was greener in the Android and Windows world. But his attempts to transfer his photos, messages and contacts to his new devices turned into a maddening, months-long saga. In this episode Austin details his experience– and explains why Apple put up those walls in the first place.

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 Women Astronauts Who Shattered The Highest Glass Ceiling Sep 05, 2023

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In 1978, NASA opened its astronaut training program to women. Bloomberg space reporter Loren Grush recounts their challenges and achievements in her new book The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts. She joins this episode to talk about the extraordinary careers of Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid and Rhea Seddon—and the mark each astronaut left on the history and future of space exploration.

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.

TEAM FAVORITE: Dust Off Your Dice–Dungeons & Dragons Is Back Sep 04, 2023

Show notes

We're taking a break for the Labor Day Holiday in the US, so here's a favorite you might have missed. We'll be back at it tomorrow with a new episode.
The tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons is approaching its 50th anniversary and it has never been more popular, attracting players of all ages to its analog charms. Now Hasbro, the toy company that owns it, is betting D&D can be brought into the digital age and become a big moneymaker.

Bloomberg correspondent Felix Gillette joins this episode to talk about why Dungeons & Dragons is having a cultural — and economic — moment, and why it might not be so easy to persuade diehard fans to pay for a digital experience. Also, gaming retail store owner Lauren Bilanko shares what it’s like to run a business that caters to the D&D crowd.

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 in April 2023.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TEAM FAVORITE: India Weighs An Historic Expansion of Marriage Rights Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

We're taking a pause this week to recharge our batteries. Here's one we love that you might have missed. We'll be back with fresh episodes next week.
Earlier this year, India’s Supreme Court heard arguments on whether to legalize same-sex marriage. A verdict is expected in the fall.

Bloomberg reporters Muneeza Naqvi and Kai Schultz join this episode from New Delhi to explain India’s rapid march toward affirming rights for LGBTQ people, and how a ruling in favor of same-sex marriage would be felt not just within the country but across Asia and beyond.

Then, Gurchaten Sandhu, program director at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association in Geneva takes a step back to talk about which countries have advanced marriage equality and where it is still outlawed.

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 in March 2023.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TEAM FAVORITE: A Gun That Knows Who’s Pulling The Trigger Aug 31, 2023

Show notes

We're taking a pause this week, so here's a favorite episode you might have missed. We'll be back next week with some fresh episodes.

For decades, inventors have tried and failed to make a smart gun. A company called Biofire now appears to have pulled it off. It uses both fingerprint scans and facial recognition so that only a registered user can fire it.
But will anyone buy it? Will this technology become yet another point of contention between pro and anti-gun groups? Firearms advocates have long been skeptical of biometric weapons but they’ve also never run across one that actually worked.

Bloomberg reporter Ashlee Vance joins this episode to talk about Biofire’s new smart gun, how it works, and what it’s like to use. We also hear from Biofire’s 26-year-old CEO Kai Kloepfer, who started working on the gun after the mass shooting in his home state of Colorado, when he was 15-years-old.

Read the story: https://bloom.bg/43DMVBH

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 in April 2023.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TEAM FAVORITE: Summer Heat Is Straining The US Power Grid. Winter Cold Could Be Worse. Aug 30, 2023

Show notes

We're taking a break this week, so here's a favorite you might have missed. We'll be back with fresh episodes next week.

Record temperatures in Texas and across the southern US this summer put immense strain on the electric grid, as residents battled the heat by cranking up the AC. But experts say grid pressure could get even worse this winter. Bloomberg’s Naureen Malik joins this episode to discuss whether America’s infrastructure can support an increasingly electrified economy—and what can be done to avoid mass blackouts in the coming months.

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 in June 2023.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TEAM FAVORITE: Chatbots And Deepfakes Are Coming For Your Election Cycle Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

We're taking a pause this week, so here's a favorite episode you might have missed. Thanks for listening. We'll be back with new episodes next week.

As the saying goes: a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its pants on. As AI is increasing productivity across industries, it’s also raising concern about how to regulate its output and keep it from putting many of us out of work. And as the next campaign season approaches, another question comes into focus: What about its potential to quickly create and spread misinformation about political rivals?

Bloomberg’s Laura Davison and Emily Birnbaum raise the curtain on the little regulated and largely vexing ability to disseminate political hay and deepfakes via a chatbot.

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 in July 2023.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TEAM FAVORITE: How A Satellite Hack Became a Cybersecurity Wakeup Call Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

We're taking a break this week, so here's a favorite episode you might have missed. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back with new episodes next week.

People around the world rely on satellites for their internet connections, credit card transactions–and even to keep track of time. Last year, a suspected Russian-led satellite hack exposed how vulnerable they are to security breaches, from individual hackers seeking to pilfer information for profit and governments looking to weaken their adversaries.

Bloomberg reporter Katrina Manson joins this episode to discuss the fallout of the hack, and what companies and governments are doing to harden their systems against future attacks. Plus, James Pavur, a hacker and Pentagon cybersecurity expert, walks us through how satellites are compromised, and what we can do to keep our own data from being stolen.

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 in March 2023.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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