A Chinese businessman persuaded officials to establish a special economic zone in a remote part of Laos. The gamblers arrived first. Then came the drug runners, human traffickers and scammers.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Matt Campbell about his investigation into the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone and how it became a criminal’s paradise.

Read more: Dodge City

A Chinese businessman persuaded officials to establish a special economic zone in a remote part of Laos. The gamblers arrived first. Then came the drug runners, human traffickers and scammers. On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Matt Campbell about his investigation into the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone and how it became a criminal’s paradise.
Read more: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-golden-triangle-special-economic-zone/?srnd=phx-businessweek">Dodge City</a>

The Big Take from Bloomberg News brings you inside what’s shaping the world's economies with the smartest and most informed business reporters around the world. The context you need on the stories that can move markets. Every afternoon.

The Big Take from Bloomberg News brings you inside what’s shaping the world's economies with the smartest and most informed business reporters around the world. The context you need on the stories that can move markets. Every afternoon.

Big Take

Inside Southeast Asia’s Most Notorious Crime Hub

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/adc3dd15-870d-41c9-bed7-b1d4013fef54/transcript

Republicans in Texas, hoping to lock in more seats in Congress, kicked off a redistricting frenzy that saw several other states redraw their congressional maps. Today on the show, host David Gura sits down with Bloomberg Texas Bureau Chief Julie Fine and Senior White House reporter Josh Wingrove to talk through why that gamble may not pay off.

Read more:
Trump Calls for Peltola to Be Banned From Alaska Senate Race
Joe Rogan’s Microphone Goes Quieter on Trump Ahead of Midterms
Economic Pain Turns Nebraska Into Unexpected Senate Battleground

We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Host: David Gura; Guests: Julie Fine and Josh Wingrove; Produced by David Fox; Edited by Nicole Beemsterboer and Naomi Shavin; Engineering by Sean Carter.

Republicans in Texas, hoping to lock in more seats in Congress, kicked off a redistricting frenzy that saw several other states redraw their congressional maps. Today on the show, host David Gura sits down with Bloomberg Texas Bureau Chief Julie Fine and Senior White House reporter Josh Wingrove to talk through why that gamble may not pay off.
Read more:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-28/trump-calls-for-peltola-to-be-banned-from-alaska-senate-race">Trump Calls for Peltola to Be Banned From Alaska Senate Race</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-10-28/joe-rogan-turns-more-critical-of-trump-ahead-of-2026-midterms">Joe Rogan&rsquo;s Microphone Goes Quieter on Trump Ahead of Midterms</a></li>
<li><a href="https://news.bgov.com/bloomberg-government-news/economic-pain-turns-nebraska-into-unexpected-senate-battleground">Economic Pain Turns Nebraska Into Unexpected Senate Battleground</a></li>
</ul>
We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts">Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.</a>
Host: David Gura; Guests: Julie Fine and Josh Wingrove; Produced by David Fox; Edited by Nicole Beemsterboer and Naomi Shavin; Engineering by Sean Carter.

The Uniquely American Experience of Redrawing Political Maps

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e602e4aa-1865-4bd6-9a74-b4f1015e0d21/transcript

Anthropic’s initial public offering, set for November, will be the first by a company whose primary focus is developing frontier AI models. It could surpass SpaceX’s recent IPO as the biggest on record. And it’s risky. In 94 pages, the company laid out how its plans could be knocked off course by regulation, energy costs, climate change — or catastrophic risks to humanity caused by its own models.

In today’s episode, host Sarah Holder, Bloomberg Opinion columnist Dave Lee and Michael Regan, managing editor for US equities, talk about why the company is leaning into its risk prospectus, what a successful IPO would mean for competitors and markets and how much is riding on next week’s US midterm elections.

We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Host: Sarah Holder; Guests: Dave Lee, Michael Regan; Produced by David Fox; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott; Engineering by Sean Carter.

Anthropic&rsquo;s initial public offering, set for November, will be the first by a company whose primary focus is developing frontier AI models. It could surpass SpaceX&rsquo;s recent IPO as the biggest on record. And it&rsquo;s risky. In 94 pages, the company laid out how its plans could be knocked off course by regulation, energy costs, climate change &mdash; or catastrophic risks to humanity caused by its own models.
In today&rsquo;s episode, host Sarah Holder, Bloomberg Opinion columnist Dave Lee and Michael Regan, managing editor for US equities, talk about why the company is leaning into its risk prospectus, what a successful IPO would mean for competitors and markets and how much is riding on next week&rsquo;s US midterm elections.
We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts">Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.</a>
Host: Sarah Holder; Guests: Dave Lee, Michael Regan; Produced by David Fox; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott; Engineering by Sean Carter.

The IPO

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/49861f97-a649-4827-9281-b4f00155b4cf/transcript

France is caught between two powerful forces: protesters demanding that the government protect public services and social benefits and a bond market that can’t stomach the idea of France’s deficit getting any larger. 

But the fight over France’s budget is also reviving a longstanding debate at the heart of the euro zone: How much control does a country really have over its economic future when it shares a currency with its neighbors? On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s John Stepek joins host Sarah Holder to discuss the competing forces shaping France’s financial future — and what’s at stake for the rest of Europe.

Read more:
A Turning Point for France Looks a Long Way Off
A French Accident Waiting to Happen
French Bond Risk Falls Most Since 2020 as Downgrade Avoided

Further Listening: 
French Bond Markets and AI Neoclouds Feel The Pressure


We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Host: Sarah Holder; Guest: John Stepek; Produced by Julia Press and Naomi Shavin; Edited by Tracey Samuelson; Engineering by Emma Munger.

France is caught between two powerful forces: protesters demanding that the government protect public services and social benefits and a bond market that can&rsquo;t stomach the idea of France&rsquo;s deficit getting any larger. But the fight over France&rsquo;s budget is also reviving a longstanding debate at the heart of the euro zone: How much control does a country really have over its economic future when it shares a currency with its neighbors? On today&rsquo;s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg&rsquo;s John Stepek joins host Sarah Holder to discuss the competing forces shaping France&rsquo;s financial future &mdash; and what&rsquo;s at stake for the rest of Europe.
Read more:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-10-22/money-distilled-a-turning-point-for-france-looks-a-long-way-off?srnd=undefined">A Turning Point for France Looks a Long Way Off</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-10-23/a-french-accident-waiting-to-happen">A French Accident Waiting to Happen</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-26/french-markets-rebound-after-nation-avoids-moody-s-downgrade?srnd=homepage-americas">French Bond Risk Falls Most Since 2020 as Downgrade Avoided</a></li>
</ul>
Further Listening:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="http://swap.fm/l/GfmTa1sMYjCWjsDJYsYA">French Bond Markets and AI Neoclouds Feel The Pressure </a></li>
</ul>
We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts">Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.</a>
Host:&nbsp;Sarah Holder; Guest: John Stepek; Produced by Julia Press and Naomi Shavin; Edited by Tracey Samuelson; Engineering by Emma Munger.

Does France Answer to Its Citizens or the Bond Market?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b925ce5c-e668-4db5-aff8-b4ef01630259/transcript

Inside Southeast Asia’s Most Notorious Crime Hub

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