The Tiny Nation Suddenly Swimming In Oil

The US asylum process is meant to offer a fair shot at safe haven. But new reporting from Bloomberg uncovers how the difference between those who are granted asylum and those who are denied often boils down to chance.On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg investigative reporter Monte Reel joins host David Gura to trace the arc of one man’s journey and discuss new data analysis that reveals the flaws at the core of the US asylum system.Read more: Justice Is Beside the Point in America’s Immigration CourtsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Sep 202418min

X users might have noticed a new kind of artificial intelligence-generated image proliferating: strange visions of Elon Musk next to Disney characters carrying guns, or Donald Trump in all kinds of, well, weird situations. This was what followed a new release of Musk’s Grok AI tool, which can now make images—unsurprisingly with fewer guardrails than other image-creating machines out there.On this episode we’ll talk about Grok’s new skillset and also get into the semiotics of the Cybertruck. Initially conceived of as a mass-market truck, it’s slid into another category: marker of a certain kind of right-wing flex, the kind Musk himself has engaged in on his struggling social network. Joining David to discuss is Davey Alba, a Bloomberg technology reporter, along with Max Chafkin and Dana Hull. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Sep 202430min

The taxis of the future are already here. And they’re airborne. After years of research and development and billions in investment, autonomous flying taxis are finally poised to take off. Companies working on these pilotless vehicles have been quietly working on prototypes — and recently, Bloomberg reporter Colum Murphy took a test flight in one of the first models operating in China.But once the technology is proven, new challenges begin: the industry will have to navigate regulatory hurdles, which can vary country to country, and find a customer base that will trust this new form of air-travel. On today’s episode, Murphy takes the Big Take on his flying taxi ride, and his colleague Angus Whitley explains why it’s a make or break moment for the industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 Aug 202416min

The World Health Organization declared the last mpox global emergency over in May 2023. And just over a year later, here we are again. Since the start of 2024, a deadlier, more transmissible strain of the virus has killed about 575 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and infected 30 times more. New cases have recently appeared in Europe and Asia. In August, the WHO declared a new mpox global health emergency.  Bloomberg’s Ashleigh Furlong joins host Sarah Holder to explain why the latest outbreak could have been avoided — and what it will cost to beat it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Aug 202413min

Call centers in the Philippines, the world’s second-biggest outsourcing center after India, are embracing artificial intelligence - and it’s radically changing what it looks and sounds like to work there.  On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins demos the Sanas AI app and talks to Bloomberg's Saritha Rai about the industry's rapid transition and what it might mean for workers around the world. Read more: The World's Call Center Capital Is Gripped by AI Fever — and FearSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Aug 202416min

The time has finally come for a rate cut. That was the takeaway of Fed Chair Jerome Powell's remarks in Jackson Hole on Friday when he let the world know to expect a cut at the next ​​Fed meeting in September.Bloomberg’s Mike McKee joins host Sarah Holder from Jackson Hole to discuss what that cut could look like — and what it would mean for the economy, the US election and the American consumer.Read more: Powell’s Pivot Leaves Traders Debating Size, Path of Rate CutsListen more: The Federal Reserve's Tricky Economic and Political TerrainSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26 Aug 202416min

A Chinese businessman persuaded officials to establish a special economic zone in a remote part of Laos. The gamblers arrived first. Then came the drug runners, human traffickers and scammers.On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Matt Campbell about his investigation into the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone and how it became a criminal’s paradise. Read more: Dodge CitySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 Aug 202418min

For the first time in more than a decade, Burning Man has not sold out.  The gathering prides itself on its counter-cultural roots, and draws tens of thousands of people to the Nevada desert every year for a week of art, music and adventure. But it’s also gradually moved further into the mainstream, becoming a rite of passage for a certain set of Silicon Valley elites. Whether it’s because of last year’s rain, economic strains, or something deeper, one thing is clear: this year, demand for Burning Man tickets is down. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg technology reporter Ellen Huet joins host Sarah Holder to grapple with a burning question: has Burning Man peaked? Read more: Has Burning Man Peaked?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 Aug 202415min