Big Take

The US Supreme Court on Friday handed President Donald Trump one of the biggest losses of his second term, striking down his signature tariff plan. On today’s Big Take podcast, Sarah Holder talks to one of the people at the heart of the drama: Rick Woldenberg, the CEO of Learning Resources, a toy company that was a lead plaintiff in the case. And she unpacks the decision and its implications with Supreme Court reporter Greg Stohr and global trade editor Brendan Murray.
The Big Take Asia followed Learning Resources throughout 2025 as it formulated its legal response to the new US tariffs and grappled with the challenges of shifting its supply chain from China to some lower-tariff neighbors.
To hear more, listen to these Big Take Asia episodes:
Tariffed: The Toymaker That Took on Trump Part One
Tariffed: The Toymaker That Took on Trump Part Two
Tariffed: The Toymaker That Took on Trump Part Three
The American Toymaker Suing Trump Over Destructive Tariffs
Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press and David Fox; Reported by Greg Stohr and Brendan Murray; Edited by Tracey Samuelson.
Fact-checking by Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 3 of The Sixth Bureau, a series from The Big Take, we follow a spy from China’s Ministry of State Security to the Paris Air Show, and then watch him develop a valuable source, despite his bosses constantly getting in his way.
The Sixth Bureau from Bloomberg News follows an MSS intelligence officer whose mission was to acquire the crown jewels of American aerospace companies. With aliases, blackmail and the occasional break-in, he targeted corporate giants. That is, until his sloppiness — and a cunning FBI sting — led to a stunning reversal: Xu Yanj un became the first Chinese intelligence officer ever convicted on American soil.
The Sixth Bureau is the story of superpowers, their secrets and how one Chinese spy got caught. Listen to Episode 1 and 2 here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Department of Education has been a target of critics for decades. Republicans in the Oval Office have repeatedly tried to shrink the agency, and in his second term, President Trump has vowed to eliminate it altogether.
On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg education reporter Liam Knox and host David Gura talk through what it takes to gut a congressionally approved federal agency: what’s behind the Trump administration’s ‘creative’ efforts to scale back or move some of the Education Department’s trademark programs and what the shift could mean for students, lawmakers and other federal agencies in the administration’s crosshairs.
Read more: How to Shred a Federal Agency
Hosted by David Gura; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Liam Knox; Edited by Tracey Samuelson.
Fact-checking by Editorial team; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the first time in history, Saudi Arabia is allowing international buyers to purchase property in Mecca. This regulatory shift has ignited a building boom, raising concerns over affordability and overdevelopment.
On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Zainab Fattah joins Sarah Holder to discuss what this property gold rush means for the city’s future and Saudi Arabia’s move away from oil.
Read more: Saudi Arabia's MBS Opens Mecca Property Market in Investment Push
Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Reported by Zainab Fattah; Edited by Tracey Samuelson.
Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate and David Fox; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inflation in the US has cooled from pandemic peaks, but there’s a grocery product telling a different story: beef. The price of uncooked ground beef soared by the most since June 2020 in government data released Friday. The broad beef and veal category is up 15% over the past year as of January.
On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporter Enda Curran takes a peek into the American consumer’s grocery basket with host David Gura to understand the perfect storm of factors that’s setting beef apart. And a fifth-generation Oklahoma rancher reflects on the impact that a fragile market has had on her family business.
Read more:
America’s Vanishing Cattle Herd Drives 15% Price Hikes for Beef
US Cattle Herd Stays at 75-Year Low, Keeping Beef Prices High
A Deadly Parasite’s Return Threatens US Ranchers Too Young to Remember It
Hosted by David Gura; Produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky and David Fox; Reported by Enda Curran, Ilena Peng; Edited by Aaron Edwards;
Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate and David Fox; Engineering by Alex Sugiura;
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver; Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.