Everybody's Business

One Weird Trick to Get Your Credit Card Charge Reversed? Fraud.

Bloomberg’s daily news podcast Big Take recently released an episode about the increasing amount of credit card disputes in the US, and how the phenomena of “friendly fraud” plays a part in that rise. Please enjoy, and hop on over to subscribe to their feed if you like what you hear!——————— American consumers disputed nearly 30% more credit card transactions in 2025 than they did just four years earlier. Some of those “chargebacks” are legitimate issues or outright scams. But increasingly, many are what Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Amanda Mull says is friendly fraud — transaction disputes that aren’t completely honest or the retailer’s fault. On today’s Big Take podcast, Mull joins host Sarah Holder to discuss the sharp rise in chargebacks, and the consequences of this trend for retailers, banks and consumers. Read more: Credit Card Holders Are Using ‘Friendly Fraud’ to Get Back at Retailers We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Amanda Mull; Edited by Naomi Shavin. Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Sean Carter. Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Gut Check on Political Spending

This week, there’s a lot to digest. Max and Stacey dig into the recent elections in Michigan and what this means for the future of political spending with Businessweek correspondent Wes Kosova. Plus, Deena Shanker unpacks the image problem at the Department of Health and Human Services with the cyclospora outbreak, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new cooking show and cuts to SNAP funding.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wall Street's Big Gamble

There don't seem to be many safe places for investors to turn now that fears about the business models underpinning AI have made the phrase "Magnificent Seven" sound kind of sarcastic. What can Main Street investors do to protect themselves? Plus, as businesses reckon with the latest wave of US tariffs, we hear the latest from a company battling the Trump administration in court. And lastly, prediction markets are becoming far more entwined with politics. What will this mean for elections in the fall? Place your bets...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Economic Odyssey

This week, the economy takes us on a long trip of its own. Rockefeller International's Ruchir Sharma guides Stacey and Max through the siren sound of tariffs, populism and a bubble that may soon pop. Then, AI companies chart a course into an unexpected harbor: merch, with Bloomberg's Sarah Frier joining to explain why OpenAI, Anthropic and Palantir are suddenly selling apparel instead of just algorithms. Plus: a Florida shop paying for pizzas with pythons, and Elon Musk wants an anti-woke OdysseySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How to Profit off a Presidency

Things are feeling a bit scammy lately, and it makes sense because it’s coming right from the top. Max and Stacey talk with Bloomberg Opinion senior executive editor Timothy L. O’Brien about America’s “Grifter-in-Chief”. Plus, Bloomberg senior reporter Randall Williams breaks down why soccer fever has finally caught hold here, and food reporter Deena Shanker is on the case of the missing generic Triscuits.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.