Big Take

Since the start of his second term, US President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs – especially on China, where most toys are made. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host Oanh Ha talks with Rick Woldenberg, CEO of fourth‑generation toymaker Learning Resources, about his company’s battle against tariffs in stores and in court – and what it reveals about the true cost of America’s trade war. Read more: Cutting Ties With China Is Harder Than Companies Expected Tariffs Unravel India’s Dream of Challenging China in Toymaking Further listening: An American Toymaker Struggles to Break Up With China India Wanted to Become The World’s Toymaker. Then Tariffs HappenedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US-China trade war has upended global manufacturing, forcing companies like Chicago-based Learning Resources to fundamentally change how and where its products are made, even as it challenges the tariffs in court. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, K. Oanh Ha heads to India, where the toymaker has begun shifting production of its popular children’s toys. We examine how the company is managing the complex shift from China – where its toys have been made for decades, what the factory boom means for communities on the ground in India and how all of this will impact toy prices. Further listening: The American Toymaker Suing Trump Over Destructive TariffsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump’s trade threw American businesses, which source everything from aircraft parts to baby strollers from China, into chaos. Over this year, some companies challenged the president’s tariffs in court — including Illinois-based toymaker Learning Resources, whose case is now before the Supreme Court. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha is joined by Rick Woldenberg, CEO of Learning Resources, and Bloomberg’s Lucille Liu, to talk about the impact of the trade war on US importers and Chinese manufacturers – and what it ultimately means for American consumers. Read more: Chinese Toymaker Takes Drastic Action to Survive Trump’s TariffsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month, the think-tank the Groundwork Collaborative, Consumer Reports and the news nonprofit More Perfect Union released a report finding that Instacart had been using an AI tool to run algorithmic price experiments on shoppers around the country. As a result, shoppers were being charged different prices for the exact same items from the exact same stores. At a time when inflation has driven grocery costs higher, the revelation that Instacart was charging some consumers more for the same goods struck a chord. On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder speaks with Bloomberg’s antitrust reporter Leah Nylen and the Groundwork Collaborative executive director Lindsay Owens about the report’s findings and impact — and Instacart’s decision to end their experiment. Read more: Instacart to Pay $60 Million to Settle FTC Consumer Protection Case Hosted by: Sarah Holder; Produced by: Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Reported by: Leah Nylen; Edited by: Naomi Shavin and Aaron Edwards; Fact-checking by: Julia Press; Engineering by: Katie McMurran. Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin. Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From OPEC powerhouses and US shale producers to countries like Guyana, global producers are drilling more oil and driving down prices. And with the potential for a ceasefire in Russia and pressure on Maduro in Venezuela, even more oil could flood the market in 2026. On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura sits down with Bloomberg oil trading reporter Alex Longley and Opinion columnist Javier Blas to discuss the forces driving the oil market right now, how they’re impacting different countries and why even lower prices could be on the way. Read more: The World Is Awash With Oil and Prices Are Poised to Keep Falling Hosted by: David Gura Produced by: Julia Press Reported by: Alex Longley and Javier Blas Edited by: Jeff Grocott Fact-checking by: Rachael Lewis-Krisky and David Fox Engineering by: Katie McMurran Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver Executive Producer: Nicole BeemsterboerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.