Big Take

In Disclosure, investigative reporter Jason Leopold and attorney Matt Topic take listeners inside a years long effort to head off document destruction at the White House during President Trump’s first term. Drawing from government documents (and The Big Lebowski), they reveal how the US National Archives and Records Administration tried to alert the feds to potentially illegal record disposal. And they learn why FBI and Justice Department personnel clashed before searching Trump's Florida home, Mar-a-Lago. Voice acting by Mandy Hull.

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Are “natural” diamonds still worth it if you can get a near-identical alternative for a fraction of the cost? With a boost from celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, lab-grown competitors could be coming for the crown.
On today’s Big Take podcast, guest host Stacey Vanek Smith talks to industry insiders and De Beers Group CEO Al Cook about what $12 half-carat earrings could mean for the luxury business’ future and how the old guard is pushing back.
Read more: The Diamond Industry’s Old Guard Wants You to Buy ‘Natural’

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Host: Stacey Vanek Smith; Guests: Al Cook, Edahn Golan, Adelle Archer; Produced by Julia Press; Edited by Aaron Edwards; Engineering by Sean Carter.
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US economic growth is up but consumer sentiment is down. Another rate hike, expected this year, could help lower inflation, but do little to ease the frustrations of much of the middle class, for whom the American dream sits just out of reach.
On today’s Big Take podcast, editors Matthew Boesler and Cristina Lindblad join Sarah Holder to unpack what the data says is happening in the US economy and why consumer sentiment tells another story.
Read more:
The Trump Stock Market Is Lousy for Most
US Consumer Prices Rise by Most Since April in Broad Advance
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Host: Sarah Holder; Guests: Matthew Boesler and Cristina Lindblad; Produced by David Fox; Edited by Paddy Hirsch and Naomi Shavin; Engineering by Emma Munger.
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Energy prices are up — and President Trump is out of time to bring them down before the US midterm elections.
On today’s Big Take podcast, David Gura breaks down the factors keeping prices high and how much it could cost the Republican party with White House reporter Josh Wingrove and Will Kubzansky, who covers gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

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Host: David Gura; Guests: Josh Wingrove and Will Kubzansky; Produced by Julia Press, David Fox, Julia Weaver; Edited by Naomi Shavin; Engineering by Sean Carter.
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When millions of retail investors piled into India’s options market to get rich quick, losses mounted and regulators launched a sweeping crackdown.
On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, guest host Rebecca Choong Wilkins and India equities reporter Savio Shetty break down how the world’s largest options market unraveled, why regulators are struggling to police the country’s latest craze and where traders are placing their bets now.
Read more: How India Built (and Broke) the World’s Biggest Options Casino

Further listening: Inside Jane Street: The Enigmatic Firm That Rules Wall Street
Watch, from Originals: How India's Day Retail Traders Lost Billions
Host: Rebecca Choong Wilkins; Guest: Savio Shetty; Produced by Naomi Ng and Yang Yang; Edited by Crispina Robert and Julia Weaver. Engineering by Sean Carter II.
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