Big Take

Jill Ellis has seen soccer from every angle: as an elite player, as the two-time World Cup champion coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team and as an NWSL team president. She is bringing this expertise to FIFA as the organization’s first Chief Football Officer. As one of the chief architects of the global game, she is the ultimate World Cup insider.

In this episode of The Deal, Jill tells Jason and Alex what is worrying and exciting her leading up to the kick off of the 2026 World Cup on June 11th (yes, we talk about ticket prices). She shares some facts and figures around what FIFA is expecting in terms of viewership and revenue. Jill also has her eye toward next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil, telling us about a monumental deal with Netflix and why she is anticipating unprecedented interest in the event.

You can also watch this interview on YouTube.

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By many metrics, Meta is falling behind in the AI race. So CEO Mark Zuckerberg is building one of the largest data centers in the world — a facility the size of about 3,000 football fields in one of the poorest regions in the US.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder sits down with Bloomberg reporter Riley Griffin, who traveled to Richland Parish, Louisiana, to hear from residents about the risks and opportunities they see as Meta comes to town. Will they reap the benefits? Or trade in one uncertain economy for another?

Read more: Meta Goes Big on the Bayou

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Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Riley Griffin; Edited by Aaron Edwards.

Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe and Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

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

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President Rodrigo Paz ended 20 years of socialist rule in Bolivia with promises of unity, democracy and prosperity — and plans to tap the country’s mineral wealth. But when host David Gura went to Bolivia to interview the president, he found a harsher reality: demonstrators blockading La Paz’s streets to demand the president’s resignation.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Gura shows how centuries-old distrust of government is complicating President Paz’s efforts to persuade Bolivians – and investors – that this time is different.

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Hosted by David Gura; Produced by David Fox; Reported by David Gura and Sergio Mendoza; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott and Tracey Samuelson.

Fact-checking by Rachael Lewis-Krisky and Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

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

Special thanks to Simon Hampton, Javier Castaneda, Luke Mailander and Adonai Sierra.

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For more than a decade, the towns north of Dallas, Texas – places like Frisco, Prosper and Celina – have seen an unprecedented housing boom, thanks in part to Indian workers drawn by skilled tech jobs and employers who sponsored their H-1B visas. But in the past year, the market for these houses has fallen and some of Texas’ biggest boomtowns have gone bust.

On today’s Big Take podcast, US housing reporter Prashant Gopal and host Sarah Holder unpack the forces underpinning a growing real estate crisis in Dallas-Forth Worth. They examine how changes to the H-1B visa program forced some residents to rethink their futures and what the dramatic pull back could mean for some of the newest suburbs.

This episode contains mention of suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, a global list of help lines is available at blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/

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Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Reported by Prashant Gopal and Tanaz Meghjani; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott.

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

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

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Samsung recently made headlines when it narrowly averted a strike by offering eye-popping bonuses to its chip workers. But the move has seemingly backfired—sparking deep resentment in other corners of the company and fueling a wider debate over wage equity in South Korea.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s Yoolim Lee break down how the wage dispute took hold in South Korea and discuss its broader global implications as other tech giants weigh how best to share the spoils of their AI windfalls.

Read more: Huge AI Bonuses in South Korea Spark Fight Over Sharing Tech Wealth

Hosted by Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang; Reported by Yoolim Lee; Edited by Patrick Hirsch, Edwin Chan.

Fact-checking by Naomi Ng; Engineering by Taka Yasuzawa

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

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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.

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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.

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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/

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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.

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Free speech lawyers are watching in real time as the US government escalates efforts to unmask anonymous critics of ICE.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Justice Department reporter Jimmy Jenkins and legal reporter Zoe Tillman join host David Gura to break down their exclusive reporting on how the DOJ is deploying an old legal tool in a novel way.

We’ll hear from an attorney defending one of the users and explore what the new strategy means for social media platforms, online anonymity and First Amendment freedoms. 

Read more: The DOJ Wants to Know Who on Reddit and X Is Criticizing ICE's Tactics

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

Hosted by David Gura; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Jimmy Jenkins and Zoe Tillman; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott

Fact-checking by Rachael Lewis-Krisky and Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

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

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The US Justice Department has announced it would establish a $1.776 billion legal fund to compensate people who claim they’ve been targeted unfairly by the federal government. The plan has been met with swift bipartisan backlash, with some lawmakers calling it a “slush fund” that could line the pockets of Trump loyalists and Jan. 6 rioters with taxpayer dollars.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder joins Bloomberg reporters Chris Strohm and Erik Wasson to break down the mechanics of the fund, the Trump administration’s rationale for using it and the mounting questions around its oversight and legal grounds.

Read more: Jan. 6 Rioters Who Beat Police May Get Payouts, Blanche Says

Trump’s $1.8 Billion Settlement Fund Hits Senate GOP Backlash

Why Critics Call Trump’s $1.8B Anti-Weaponization Fund an Abuse of Power

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

Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by David Fox; Reported by Chris Strohm, Erik Wasson; Edited by Aaron Edwards.

Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe, Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Engineering by Emma Munger.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.