You Might Think Twice Before Buying Those New Jeans

As Iran approaches the 44th anniversary of the revolution it finds itself at a junction. US and European Union sanctions have crippled Iran’s economy. Thousands of citizens have taken to the streets to protest the Islamic government’s strict religious laws, and the brutality of its security forces in crushing dissent. Thousands of protesters have been arrested, and some have been put to death. Yet despite international economic pressure and rising internal discontent, there are few signs that Iran’s government is weakening. Bloomberg senior international affairs correspondent Marc Champion joins the episode to discuss the turmoil happening now. Ali Vaez, Iran Project Director at the International Crisis Group, joins to weigh in on tensions between Iran and the West that could boil over and how governments might prevent that from happening. Read more: https://bloom.bg/3x6sGgL 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.

9 Feb 202325min

If you’re a comic book or sci-fi fan, you’ve likely read about the far-off idea of hitching a ride on an asteroid and mining it for precious metals and ice. But it’s not science fiction anymore. In this episode, we’ll take a look at two real-life asteroid-mining missions in the works.Dr. Dante Lauretta, who leads NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, talks about what they’ve gathered from the Bennu near Earth asteroid, which will arrive back home later this year. We also speak with Matt Gailich, co-founder and CEO of AstroForge–a company sending up two missions this year with the ultimate goal of mining asteroids for platinum and other valuable metals needed for electric cars and other technology.  Bloomberg’s space reporter Loren Grush then joins to give a bigger-picture view of other breakthroughs on the horizon in the fast-growing race to space. Learn more: https://bloom.bg/3YaZK32  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.

8 Feb 202334min

Last fall, Amazon agreed to pay the NFL a whopping $1 billion a year for 11 years to air Thursday Night Football exclusively on its Prime streaming service. The high price tag made headlines–and executives at broadcast television networks, cable companies and other streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV+ are watching closely to see if Amazon’s risk is rewarded. As Super Bowl LVII approaches, Bloomberg reporters Gerry Smith and Felix Gillette join this episode to explain why this deal has drawn so much scrutiny: If Amazon is successful in luring viewers, and dollars, away from the networks, it could shake up the way we watch not just football but other sports–and eventually TV of all kinds. And maybe not in ways we like. 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.

7 Feb 202330min

What started as a curiosity—a Chinese balloon Washington says was equipped with surveillance equipment floating high above the US—now threatens to worsen the already tense rivalry between two world powers. China insists it was a civilian research balloon that had drifted off course. Its government responded with anger after President Joe Biden ordered the vessel shot down Saturday once it was safely off the coast of South Carolina. What information can a balloon like that collect? And what does this incident mean for US-China relations? Rosalind Mathieson, who oversees Bloomberg’s government and political coverage around the world, joins this episode to sort out what this was all about—and where things go from here. 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.

6 Feb 202322min

The number of rat-related complaints in American cities has spiked in recent years. In the most overrun cities – Chicago, Washington, DC and New York – officials are stepping up efforts to find and kill them. New York is going so far as to hire a rat czar in charge of stamping them out. Good luck with that. Cities have tried and failed for decades to control rats. So what can be done to contain the population of these rapidly reproducing rodents? To answer that question, Big Take podcast producers Kathryn Fink, Rebecca Chaisson and Sam Gebauer hit the streets with a rat control squad in Washington and rodentologist Dr. Bobby Corrigan in New York. We also speak with New York Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The good news: we can bring rats under control. The bad news: human nature means we probably won’t. 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.

3 Feb 202331min

Endangered whales getting hit by container ships. Sharks dying on hooks intended for other fish. Pesticides wiping out bees by the millions. Scientists and entrepreneurs are testing new ways to use artificial intelligence and other technologies to try to protect threatened creatures from harm. Bloomberg reporter Todd Woody joins this episode to talk about a project that uses computers to listen across oceans for whales--and automatically warn ship captains when they’re on a collision course with a giant underwater mammal. We visit a company in the UK working on a device that sends a signal to repel sharks from fishing lines. And reporter Coco Liu describes a new food supplement for bees that turbo-charges their energy levels and replaces nutrients lost to habitat destruction. 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.

2 Feb 202322min

In December, an Anti-Defamation League study found a sharp rise in the number of people who say they’ve encountered white supremacist ideology while playing online video games. The persistent presence of individual gamers and groups spreading hate in gaming communities has led to calls for the industry to do more to stop it.  The question is, how? Bloomberg video game reporter Cecilia D’Anastasio joins this episode to explain why it’s so difficult to police virtual worlds, and what companies are and aren’t doing to confront the problem. Alex Newhouse, deputy director of the Middlebury Institute’s Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism, talks about his work trying to help the gaming industry stamp out toxic culture on its platforms. For More on Cecilia’s story: https://bloom.bg/3Dx2yzo  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.

1 Feb 202331min

Now that China has relaxed its Covid Zero policy, the world’s second largest economy is rumbling back to life. As China once again starts to buy and consume goods and services of all kinds, it’s expected to give the global economy a boost right when it’s needed most. But there’s a potential downside. China’s enormous appetite for oil, soybeans, wheat and everything else could also boost inflation at the same time central banks are trying to contain rising prices.Bloomberg chief economist Tom Orlik and senior Asia economics correspondent Enda Curran join this episode to discuss what China’s reopening means for the global economy and anyone trying to make ends meet. Read more on this story here: https://bloom.bg/40cPY1U  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.netSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

31 Jan 202326min