Big Take

First Republic Bank is the latest financial institution to fail amid turmoil across the industry. Meanwhile, inflation is still high. Layoffs are rocking some industries. And labor shortages are throttling others. So… are we about to face the recession that economists have been predicting for months now? Today, Bloomberg reporter Reade Pickert and senior executive editor Chris Nagi read the tea leaves on where the economy is headed.

Read more: First Republic Becomes Second-Largest Ever US Bank Failure.

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The tight US labor market has prompted several Republican-led states to roll back child labor laws, which are aimed at protecting teenagers by restricting where and how long they can work. Bloomberg Industry Group reporters Rebecca Rainey and Chris Marr join this episode to talk about where this is happening and who’s pressing for these changes. And labor historian Betsy Wood explains how today’s arguments about whether kids should be put to work mirror the same fights going back decades.

Read more: States Look to Ease Child Labor Laws as Federal Scrutiny Grows

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With the economy in flux and prices continuing to rise, more consumers are saying yes to buy now, pay later offers. And not just for instant gratification on big-ticket items like a couch or a laptop. Struggling families are using it to spread out payments for essentials like food.

Bloomberg reporters Augusta Saraiva and Paulina Cachero join this episode to talk about the popularity of buy now, pay later services–and the fees for those who fall behind on payments. And we hear from a single mother who reluctantly uses the services to help make ends meet.

Read more: Americans Go Deeper Into Debt as They Use Buy Now, Pay Later Apps for Groceries.

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Europe’s ambitious climate targets are putting pressure on airlines and airplane makers to come up with sustainable alternatives to dirty jet fuel. Bloomberg reporters Siddharth Philip in London and William Wilkes in Frankfurt join this episode to talk about some ideas on the drawing table for cleaner jet engines–from battery powered concepts to aircraft that run on hydrogen.

Read the story here: Why Europe Is Emerging as a Green Aviation Test Bed

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Have questions or comments for Wes and the team? Reach us at [email protected].

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Pharmaceutical companies and insurance providers are at odds over a new class of drugs that have proven quite effective at helping people living with obesity lose weight. Bloomberg’s Robert Langreth and Emma Court join this episode to share their reporting on recent advancements in weight loss treatments–and the fight over who should pay for them. And Dr. Angela Fitch, a physician and president of the Obesity Medical Association, talks about the challenges of treating obesity.

Read their reporting here: Good Luck Paying for Those $10,000 Obesity Drugs Everyone’s Talking About

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Despite the rain-soaked year California has had, the ongoing issues of drought and limited water remain. Bloomberg reporters Peter Waldman, Mark Chediak, and Sinduja Rangarajan join this episode to talk about how farms that grow lucrative cash crops like almonds and pistachios are digging deeper and deeper wells to tap the state’s dwindling groundwater supply–leaving people in some communities with less to drink.

Read the investigation here: Groundwater Gold Rush

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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 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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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 

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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 [email protected].

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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