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

The Disturbing Extortion Scheme Targeting Teen Boys

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/fd479b9b-5976-4797-92af-b25d015777ad/transcript

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is tasked with enforcing consumer finance laws and holding some of the country’s most powerful banks, lenders and companies to account. But a new Bloomberg investigation found that over the past 15 months, much of that work has come to a halt.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporters Noah Buhayar and Coulter Jones join host Sarah Holder to talk about how acting director Russell Vought gutted the CFPB, and how the agency has refused to enforce settlements and pursue lawsuits — in some cases letting big businesses pocket millions they’d already agreed to pay consumers.

Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by David Fox; Reported by Noah Buhayar, Coulter Jones, Tedd Mann; Edited by Aaron Edwards, Nicole Beemsterboer.

Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Emma Munger.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is tasked with enforcing consumer finance laws and holding some of the country&rsquo;s most powerful banks, lenders and companies to account. But a new Bloomberg investigation found that over the past 15 months, much of that work has come to a halt.
On today&rsquo;s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg reporters Noah Buhayar and Coulter Jones join host Sarah Holder to talk about how acting director Russell Vought gutted the CFPB, and how the agency has refused to enforce settlements and pursue lawsuits &mdash; in some cases letting big businesses pocket millions they&rsquo;d already agreed to pay consumers.
Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by David Fox; Reported by Noah Buhayar, Coulter Jones, Tedd Mann; Edited by Aaron Edwards, Nicole Beemsterboer.
Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Emma Munger.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

How America’s Consumer Watchdog Became a Corporate Protector

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/265e2e1f-e9df-4fa5-8b84-b45c014b9541/transcript

Indonesia’s free lunch program is a massive operation, feeding tens of millions of people every day across a vast archipelago. 

On this episode of the Big Take Asia podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks with Bloomberg’s Rosalind Mathieson about the challenges facing President Prabowo’s flagship program and whether it can survive the strain.

Read more: Handing Out $15 Billion of Free Meals Strains Indonesia's Budget


Hosted by Rebecca Choong Wilkins; Produced by Naomi Ng; Reported by Rosalind Mathieson, Eko Listiyorini; Edited by Paddy Hirsch.

Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver; Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

Indonesia&rsquo;s free lunch program is a massive operation, feeding tens of millions of people every day across a vast archipelago.&nbsp; On this episode of the Big Take Asia podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks with Bloomberg&rsquo;s Rosalind Mathieson about the challenges facing President Prabowo&rsquo;s flagship program and whether it can survive the strain.
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-04-13/handing-out-15-billion-of-free-meals-strains-indonesia-s-budget?srnd=undefined">Handing Out $15 Billion of Free Meals Strains Indonesia's Budget </a>
Hosted by Rebecca Choong Wilkins; Produced by Naomi Ng; Reported by Rosalind Mathieson, Eko Listiyorini; Edited by Paddy Hirsch.
Fact-checking by Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver; Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

Weekend Listen: Indonesia’s $15 Billion Free Lunch Experiment

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9c0fc85d-ee43-466f-a1dd-b45b00f8b8e3/transcript

The mayor of an affluent suburb of Los Angeles pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of the Chinese government last month. And while cable networks across the US had a field day with the story, Bloomberg’s Drake Bennett and Jordan Robertson have been reporting on cases like this one for years. The two co-hosted the podcast series, The Sixth Bureau, which detailed the inner workings of one of the most powerful and mysterious spy agencies in the world, China’s Ministry of State Security.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Drake and Jordan walk host David Gura through what we know about Wang’s case and what it tells us about the extent of Chinese propaganda and espionage in the United States amid ongoing tensions between the world’s two superpowers.

Further listening: http://swap.fm/l/9guIFZxhu17KqTWLxBFh 

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/features/the-sixth-bureau/

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

Hosted by David Gura; Produced by Julia Press and Victor Yvellez; Reported by Drake Bennett and Jordan Robertson; Edited by Nicole Beemsterboer

Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

The mayor of an affluent suburb of Los Angeles pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of the Chinese government last month. And while cable networks across the US had a field day with the story, Bloomberg&rsquo;s Drake Bennett and Jordan Robertson have been reporting on cases like this one for years. The two co-hosted the podcast series, The Sixth Bureau, which detailed the inner workings of one of the most powerful and mysterious spy agencies in the world, China&rsquo;s Ministry of State Security. On today&rsquo;s Big Take podcast, Drake and Jordan walk host David Gura through what we know about Wang&rsquo;s case and what it tells us about the extent of Chinese propaganda and espionage in the United States amid ongoing tensions between the world&rsquo;s two superpowers.
Further listening:&nbsp;<a href="http://swap.fm/l/9guIFZxhu17KqTWLxBFh">http://swap.fm/l/9guIFZxhu17KqTWLxBFh</a>&nbsp;
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/the-sixth-bureau/">https://www.bloomberg.com/features/the-sixth-bureau/</a>
We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts">Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.</a>
Hosted by David Gura; Produced by Julia Press and Victor Yvellez; Reported by Drake Bennett and Jordan Robertson; Edited by Nicole Beemsterboer
Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

China Is Recruiting US Citizens to Work for Its Government

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d48e3747-0c05-4fdb-b106-b459013fc6b5/transcript

The Disturbing Extortion Scheme Targeting Teen Boys

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