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“Swatting” Threats Disrupt Schools Across The US Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

Teachers and students in the US are always on alert for the possibility of an active shooter entering their classrooms. Now hundreds of schools around the country are dealing with a new, anxiety inducing disruption: swatting. It’s when police rush to schools in response to fake threats intended to cause chaos.

Bloomberg cybersecurity reporter Jeff Stone joins this episode to talk about the sharp rise of these events in recent months. And New York school district superintendent Matt Landahl shares what it’s like to receive these calls and manage the response in real time.

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Europe’s Best Healthcare Systems Are Starting To Crack Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

Europe’s universal healthcare systems have long been held up as models for other parts of the world. But in many countries they are now under extreme strain. Chronic underfunding, an aging population and labor force, and continuing fallout from the pandemic mean these systems are sometimes failing their patients.

Bloomberg reporters Naomi Kresge and Jonas Ekblom join this episode to explain how this happened and what governments are trying to do about it. And Dr. Tomas Zapata of the World Health Organization talks about how European nations can rebuild the healthcare workforce before it deteriorates.

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How Are the Billions in Biden’s Climate Law Being Spent? Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

It’s been eight months since President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. And already the hundreds of billions of dollars it contains for clean energy and slowing climate change—alongside private venture capital investments—are funding a wide array of climate technology projects, from decarbonization infrastructure to rust-based battery storage.

Bloomberg climate reporter Eric Roston joins this episode with Akshat Rathi, a senior reporter and host of our sister podcast Zero. It’s a weekly show that explores the tactics and technologies taking us to a world of zero emissions. They talk with Wes about how climate tech is no longer a corner of the economy–it’s fast becoming the economy.

And reporter Zahra Hirji joins to talk about some of the ways the IRA’s spending is starting to show up in our everyday lives.

Read the story: https://bloom.bg/3LpNSpZ

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.

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The Dark Side of TikTok’s Algorithm Apr 21, 2023

Show notes

Bloomberg senior investigative reporter Olivia Carville is back with her latest reporting on TikTok. She explains how the superpopular app’s algorithm can serve up a stream of anxiety and despair to teens, including videos about eating disorders and suicide. And Jennifer Harriger, a professor of psychology at Pepperdine University, joins to talk about the effect these messages can have on teens and young adults.

Read the story: TikTok’s Algorithm Keeps Pushing Suicide to Vulnerable Kids

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.

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The US-Saudi Relationship Is In Danger of Falling Apart Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

For decades, the United States and Saudi Arabia maintained an important strategic alliance, which gave the US access to Saudi oil in exchange for guaranteeing the kingdom’s security. But growing tensions between the two nations now threaten to rupture this relationship.
Bloomberg’s Ziad Daoud, Tom Orlik, and Nick Wadhams join this episode to explain what’s behind the US-Saudi rift, and why it could have far-reaching consequences for the US economy and potentially the 2024 presidential election.

Read the story: US-Saudi Oil Pact Breaking Down as Russia Grabs Upper Hand

Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK

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A Gun That Knows Who’s Pulling The Trigger Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

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

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

America’s Allies Are Not Pleased About the Intel Leaks Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

The US intelligence community was relieved when a suspect was arrested last week in the leak of highly sensitive classified documents about America’s friends and adversaries. But the fallout is far from over. The leaks are a huge embarrassment for the Biden administration, which is moving quickly to reassure the UK, Israel, and other allies.

Bloomberg national security correspondent Courtney McBride joins this episode to talk about US efforts to repair the damage and shore up its credibility with leading partners around the world–and what the government is doing to prevent leaks like this from happening in the future.

Listen to The Big Take podcast every weekday and subscribe to our daily newsletter: https://bloom.bg/3F3EJAK

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A Flu Shot That Might Work Better–Thanks to Covid-19 Apr 17, 2023

Show notes

It’s estimated that half a million or more people around the world die of influenza each year. And many of these deaths could be prevented with a highly effective, widely used flu shot.
Now, the mRNA technology we became familiar with during the development of the Covid vaccine is being used to create a new flu shot that promises to work better than the current hit-or-miss version. It also offers the potential to bundle covid, flu, and other common viruses into a single shot.

But with vaccine skepticism running high, will people actually take it?

Bloomberg biotech reporter Angelica Peebles joins this episode to explain how the new flu shot is made, how it works, and whether it can shift how we receive and think about vaccinations.

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.

Dust Off Your Dice–Dungeons & Dragons Is Back Apr 14, 2023

Show notes

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. 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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s Next In the Fight Over the Abortion Pill? Apr 13, 2023

Show notes

This episode was recorded before a federal appeals court ruling partly granted the Biden administration’s request to put on hold a Texas court decision overturning FDA approval of the abortion pill. The appeals court allowed restrictions that were lifted since 2016 to be reinstated.
For details on the ruling read more here.
The appeals court decision leaves mifepristone on the market while a Justice Department appeal works its way through the courts. It overrules a lower court decision in Texas that sought to stop the sale of the drug completely.
But it did agree with one part of the ruling. It left in place a lower court order that blocked changes that the FDA has made since 2016 that made mifepristone more easily available.
The ruling means that unless the US Supreme Court intervenes by Friday, mifepristone will no longer be approved for use after the seventh week and cannot be dispensed by mail.
Bloomberg journalists Kelsey Butler, Cynthia Koons, and Madlin Mekelburg join this episode to explain what’s at stake if mifepristone becomes unavailable. And Supreme Court correspondent Greg Stohr talks about what’s ahead for these cases, which may well end up in the Justices’ hands.

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.

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