Big Take

Bloomberg’s Jessica Brice and Michael Smith join this episode to talk about how and why the US Commerce Department is helping the firearms industry find overseas buyers for American-made guns. Read more: How Hundreds of US Government Employees Became Gun Industry Sales Reps  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.

Pop star Taylor Swift has taken ownership of her music, built a fiercely loyal fan base, and become a billionaire. The podcast discusses her astute business decisions, her battle to regain control of her music catalog, the success of her re-recordings, and her influence on NFL viewership and sales. It also explores the meticulous process of evaluating her wealth and discusses her future plans, including her transition from country to pop and her upcoming international tour.

On Wednesday, after a three-week battle in the US House of Representatives, Republicans voted in a new House speaker to replace ousted speaker Kevin McCarthy. Bloomberg congressional editor Megan Scully joins this episode to answer the question people inside Washington and around the US are now asking: Who is Mike Johnson? Read more: What to Know About Trump-Backed Speaker Mike Johnson 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.

Julie Johnsson and Siddharth Vikram Philip join this episode to discuss Bloomberg’s investigation into sales of airplane components with falsified documentation. Read more: Ghost in the Machine: How Fake Parts Infiltrated Airline Fleets  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.

Bloomberg’s Israel Bureau Chief Ethan Bronner joins this episode to talk about the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war.Read more: Hostages and Hezbollah Force Israel to Rethink Gaza Ground War 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.

Thomas Black, Bloomberg's expert in autonomous trucks, and Chris Urmson, CEO of Aurora, discuss the progress and safety concerns of developing autonomous trucks in Texas. They highlight the need to gain public trust, the programming and safety measures behind self-driving trucks, and the challenges faced by autonomous truck companies in going driverless. They also discuss the milestones in developing autonomous vehicles and people's transition from skepticism to acceptance of autonomous trucks.

Bloomberg’s Rebecca Choong Wilkins joins this episode to talk about this week’s meeting of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Beijing, and what it says about the complicated relationship between the two men and the nations they lead. Read more: Will Xi Jinping’s Gamble on Vladimir Putin Pay Off? 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.

Jackie Davalos, Bloomberg reporter specializing in startup companies and healthcare, joins this episode to talk about the challenges faced by Kindbody, a fertility startup operating in the US. The podcast discusses issues like the bonus-driven business model, understaffed clinics, inconsistent safety protocols, and the lack of data and regulation in the fertility industry. It also explores the complexities of comparing success rates, future plans of the startup, mistakes, growing pains, and potential government regulation in the booming fertility tech sector.

Bang Si-Hyuk, South Korea’s enormously successful music mogul, is creating a new global act based in the US. The podcast discusses the global success of BTS, their journey to fame, and their impactful collaborations. Bang's ambitious project of creating the first US-based K-pop girl band, the Debut Dream Academy, is explored. The importance of building a large fan base quickly and the potential expansion of the dream academy model worldwide is also discussed.

Bloomberg’s Israel bureau chief Ethan Bronner joins this episode from Tel Aviv to talk about Israel’s expected ground invasion of Gaza, and the intense diplomatic efforts by the US and other nations to avert a broader conflict in the Middle East. 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.