Crash Course

Bloomberg
  • 4.7 (147)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Crash Course

Hosted by Bloomberg Opinion senior executive editor Tim O'Brien, Crash Course will bring listeners directly into the arenas where epic business and social upheavals occur. Every week, Crash Course will explore the lessons to be learned when creativity and ambition collide with competition and power -- on Wall Street and Main Street, and in Hollywood and Washington.

  1. FEB 13

    Taylor Swift vs. The World

    Taylor Swift embodies a rare cultural presence and moment – and she’s everywhere. She inhabits her presence (amid an unusual amount of glare) with an unusual amount of grace. But now, a lot of weird conspiracy theories from Fox and conservative commentators have attached themselves to her. Nevertheless, Taylor Swift has kept her wits about her when everyone else is losing theirs. Emma Gray co-writes a culture Substack called Rich Text, is the author of “A Girl’s Guide to Joining the Resistance,” and is a columnist with MSNBC. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    36 min

  2. FEB 6

    Black Voters vs. The 2024 Election

    Joe Biden secured a victory in the Democratic primary in 2020 after Rep. Jim Clyburn threw his support, and that of his Black constituents in South Carolina, behind the candidate. Black voters – and young Black voters in particular – appear to be much less enthusiastic about Biden these days. They’re the most unenthusiastic they’ve been about a Democratic president in decades. Republicans have also intentionally thrown roadblocks in front of efforts to mobilize the full power of the Black vote: think gerrymandering, voter ID laws and the like. Nia-Malika Henderson is a political columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    44 min

  3. JAN 30

    Latinos vs. The 2024 Election

    Latinos represent the US electorate’s second fastest-growing voting group, with about 36.2 million Latinos expected to vote in the 2024 presidential election. Latino voters have tended to have low turnout rates in elections, but this hefty increase in that electoral pool is due to the mobilization of enthusiastic and engaged younger and US-born Latino voters. Latino voters have strong regional differences in their cultures and values and this plays out around what they care about: Entrepreneurial opportunities, abortion, voting rights, citizenship, and immigration, among other issues. Latino voters played a pivotal role in Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and they will figure prominently in a 2024 presidential race in which Donald Trump can leverage strides he’s made courting them. Maria Teresa Kumar is the CEO of Voto Latino, an influential advocacy group that mobilizes Latino voters around a range of issues.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    44 min

  4. JAN 23

    Biden, Trump, and a Presidency in Play

    The first act in the Republican Party’s presidential primary season, the Iowa caucuses, has come and gone. Other contests in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan, and the collection of 15 Super Tuesday states all lie ahead. Donald Trump registered a resounding win in Iowa and if polls are to be believed, he is situated to easily continue his sprint to the GOP nomination – the flagbearer of a party shaping itself in his image. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden comes to the race with his own strengths and weaknesses. Nancy Cook is a political reporter for Bloomberg News.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    46 min

  5. JAN 16

    Putin vs. Ukraine’s Forgotten War

    In early 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a sprawling, brutal follow-up to his land-grab of Crimea in 2014. The war initially produced an international show of support for Ukraine and its embattled leader, Volodymyr Zelenskiy – after all, the broader fate of Western Europe hung in the balance, a consequential geopolitical reality for the United States, as well. The Gaza War has now captured the world’s attention and headlines, diverting attention from Ukraine, and further financial and military aid for Ukraine from Europe and the U.S. has dried up. Yet the stakes haven’t changed, and the world remains at risk. Marc Champion is a columnist with Bloomberg Opinion who has lived and worked in Russia.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    42 min

  6. JAN 9

    Our Year in Review

    It’s been one year since Crash Course launched, and what a year it’s been! From Trump to Putin, Climate Change to Artificial Intelligence, SVB to SBF, Florida to Gaza, the Supreme Court to Barbie, and so much more – we covered a lot of ground this year, and we learned a lot. That’s a key part of Crash Course: we want to learn something new in every episode. So to mark the one year anniversary of Crash Course, Tim wanted to listen back through the tape and remember some of the key learnings from the past year. We’ll remember the people, conflicts, and cultural moments that made this year one for the history books. The full episodes mentioned in this episode include:  Elon Musk vs. the Twitterverse Putin’s Russia vs. Ukraine Sam Bankman-Fried vs. the Crypto Grift Trump vs. The Law Israel vs. Hamas Silicon Valley Bank vs. the Fed Fox News vs. The Big Lie Mother Nature vs. Life As We Know It Pity City vs. The Workplace Artificial Intelligence vs. Humanity Barbie vs. The Men, and The Real World See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    24 min

  7. JAN 2

    Conservatives vs. ESG

    Robert Netzly is an Evangelical Christian trying to realize his values and stay true to his own beliefs while working in investing – and he personifies a bigger war going on in the investment world and American politics over a little acronym called ESG. In the last year, there’s been a Republican backlash to the trillions of dollars committed to investing practices that take environmental, social, and governance concerns (such as climate change and gender inequalities) into account. We first published this special episode last spring, based on reporting Bloomberg News' ESG reporter Saijel Kishan did for a fascinating piece called “What Would Jesus Buy: Investor Charts Course for $2 Billion Fund.” In this special episode, she shares more of that story, which is a tale of two conflicts, in a way. Should there be biases in the investing world, be it faith-based or social activism? And should ESG exist at all? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    42 min

  8. 12/26/2023

    Small Businesses vs. The Pandemic

    Remember the early days of COVID-19 lockdowns when, practically overnight, it seemed that every shop closed its doors? Do you remember how all of those small businesses you might have taken for granted – the ones that gave life and an identity to your community – suddenly felt essential to you? Tim watched lots of small businesses in his small town in New Jersey struggle, including his favorite local bakery, Montclair Bread Company. We first published this episode back in March, marking three years since the initial lockdowns in the US. But the holiday season is the most important time of year for small businesses, so it feels fitting to share this episode again now. In this episode, Tim tracks the trials and tribulations this unimaginable public health and economic crisis threw at the bakery and its owner, Rachel Wyman.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min
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4.7
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About

Hosted by Bloomberg Opinion senior executive editor Tim O'Brien, Crash Course will bring listeners directly into the arenas where epic business and social upheavals occur. Every week, Crash Course will explore the lessons to be learned when creativity and ambition collide with competition and power -- on Wall Street and Main Street, and in Hollywood and Washington.

Information

  • Channel
    Bloomberg
  • Creator
    Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    2024 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
  • Show Website
    Crash Course
  • Provider
    Bloomberg L.P.

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