The Journal.

Earlier this year, Canadian convenience store company Alimentation Couche-Tard put in a bid to acquire 7-Eleven. Then, management from inside 7-Eleven’s parent company, Seven & i, proposed a record-breaking buyout to counter. WSJ’s Jinjoo Lee on the drama around who will own the world’s largest convenience store chain.  Further Listening: -The Fight Over U.S. Steel and the Community Caught in the Middle  -Why the FTC is Challenging a $25 Billion Supermarket Merger  Further Reading: -The Fight for 7-Eleven Isn’t Just About Money  -Talk of a 7-Eleven Takeover Has Japan Worried About the Rice Balls  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grocery bills are going up for a lot of reasons. One has to do with how food gets on grocery store shelves. WSJ’s Jesse Newman explains a hidden layer of fees that are getting passed down to the consumer.  Further Reading: - The Mysterious Fees Inflating Your Grocery Bill  - After Years of Raising Prices, Food Companies Hit Consumers’ Limits  Further Listening: - The Twinkie: From Bankruptcy to Billions  - Food Fight: PepsiCo vs. Carrefour  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Onion, the satirical news outlet, wants to buy Infowars, the platform conspiracy theorist Alex Jones used to defame families of the Sandy Hook massacre. Onion CEO Ben Collins shares why and John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, explains what it means to Sandy Hook families and the fight against disinformation. Further Reading: -The Onion Is Buying Alex Jones’s Infowars Site  -Alex Jones Files for Bankruptcy Following Sandy Hook Trial Losses  Further Listening: -How Much Will Alex Jones Pay for his Sandy Hook Lie?  -What One School District Is Doing About Rising Gun Violence  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leaders from around the world are meeting in Azerbaijan for the U.N.’s COP29 climate conference. With Donald Trump’s recent election victory looming over the event, the U.S.’s role will be diminished. WSJ’s Matthew Dalton explains why this moment might be China’s chance to shine. Further Listening: -The Oil Giant Hosting This Year’s U.N. Climate Summit  -The Fight Over Climate Change's Price Tag  Further Reading: -Trump Victory Leaves China Calling the Shots at COP29 Climate Negotiations  -Welcome to Baku, a City Built on Oil Hosting the World’s Climate Conference  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The famous investor and muti-billionaire CEO of Berkshire Hathaway is doing something unusual: selling stocks and hoarding cash. WSJ’s Spencer Jakab breaks down possible reasons why and what everyday investors can learn from his choices. Further Reading: - Does Warren Buffett Know Something That We Don’t?  - A $150 Billion Question: What Will Warren Buffett Do With All That Cash?  Further Listening: - Charlie Munger: Curmudgeon, Sage and Investing Legend  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After abortion access wins in 2022, Democrats made a bet that voters backing abortion on states’ ballot measures would also back Democratic candidates. WSJ’s Laura Kusisto explains why that bet turned out to be wrong. Further Listening: The Scramble Is on to Fill Trump’s Cabinet  What a Republican Congress Could Mean for Trump  Further Reading: Voters Continued to Back Abortion Rights. It Didn’t Help Democrats.  A State-by-State Guide to Abortion Access in the U.S.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The incoming Trump administration has just named its White House chief of staff and more appointments will be coming soon. WSJ’s Andrew Restuccia on who is in the running and how this transition could be different from 2016. Further Reading: -The Scramble Is On to Fill Out Trump’s Cabinet   -Lutnick Consults With Musk, Kushner, Wall Street in Rush to Staff Trump White House   -Meet the Wall Street Bigwig Who Has Become Trump’s Headhunter in Chief   Further Listening: -Red, White and Who? Why Trump Won and Where Democrats Go Next  -What a Republican Congress Could Mean for Trump  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The race is over! Molly Ball and Ryan Knutson dive into the election results to understand what the electorate is feeling. Plus, where did it all go wrong for Democrats and what will day one of a Trump presidency look like? Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? It’s Trump.  - Red, White and Who? An Electoral College Blowout?  Further Reading: - How Trump Won the Economy-Is-Everything Election  - Trump Win Marks a Blow to Biden’s Legacy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former president Donald Trump is now president-elect. But that wasn’t the only win this week for the GOP. Republicans have also secured a majority in the Senate, and they’re poised to win the House of Representatives. WSJ’s Siobhan Hughes breaks down what this Republican trifecta could look like. Further Reading: -Republicans Poised to Keep Control of House After Winning Senate  -How Republicans Regained Control of the Senate  Further Listening: -Red, White and Who? It's Trump.  -How Donald Trump Pulled Off a Historic Comeback  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republican former president Donald Trump defeats Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, reclaiming the White House. WSJ’s Alex Leary reports on Trump’s winning strategy and the campaign that fueled it. Further Listening: -Red, White and Who? Playlist  Further Reading: -Trump Defeats Harris, Marking Historic Comeback  -How Donald Trump Won—by Being Donald Trump  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After flipping Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, Donald Trump will become the 47th President of the United States. In the early hours of the morning, Molly Ball and Ryan Knutson discuss election night and Trump's victory. Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? An Electoral College Blowout?  - Red, White and Who? The Undecided Voters Who Could Decide The Election  Further Reading: - Live Coverage from WSJ  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Election night is here, and the U.S.–and the world–is watching as the votes come in. WSJ's Politics Editor Ben Pershing walks us through what he's keeping a close eye on, and how long it might take before a winner is called. Further Reading: -Election Day 2024 Live: It's Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump as America Votes  -A (Don’t Hold Us to It) Hour-by-Hour Guide to Election Night  Further Listening:  -Harris, Trump and the Inflation Election  -Red, White and Who? An Electoral College Blowout?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tomorrow is Election Day, and both Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump have campaigned on bringing down inflation. WSJ’s Nick Timiraos breaks down how both candidates’ plans will impact everyday costs. Further Listening: -Why Trump and Harris Aren’t Talking About the $1.8 Trillion Deficit  -Red, White and Who? Playlist  Further Reading: -Economists Warn of New Inflation Hazards After Election  -Inflation Continues Its Bumpy Decline With Mixed September Reading  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, activists and lawmakers have tried to change the way child care works in the U.S. But they haven’t had much success. More recently, a fight has been brewing at the local level. This Tuesday, several places around the country will vote on whether to subsidize childcare. WSJ’s Harriet Torry explains what that could mean for one county in Texas. Further Reading: -Are American Taxpayers Ready to Foot the Bill for Child Care?  -Child Care, Rent, Insurance: Where Inflation Hits Hardest Now  Further Listening: -How Employer-Funded Child Care Can Work  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel Humphreys and Molly Ball share dispatches from two major campaign events with Ryan Knutson. Molly analyzes the closing arguments and outlines what to expect on election day. Plus, we finally answer listeners’ most asked question: What’s up with the electoral college?  Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? The Undecided Voters Who Could Decide The Election  - Red, White and Who? The Desperation Stage  Further Reading: - America Is Having a Panic Attack Over the Election  - Pennsylvania Has Already Become Ground Zero for Election-Fraud Claims  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a rocky start, self-driving car company Waymo seems to have won over riders in San Francisco. WSJ’s Meghan Bobrowsky talks about the company’s push to convince the public its robotaxis are safe and the challenges of replicating that progress elsewhere. Further Reading: -How San Francisco Learned to Love Self-Driving Cars  -America’s Most Tech-Forward City Has Doubts About Self-Driving Cars  Further Listening: -The Future of Self-Driving Cars Is Here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For four generations, the Merwin family has worked in Boeing’s factories in Washington state. But for the last six weeks, Tony Merwin and his son Patrick have been on strike, along with 33,000 machinists. They explain why they’re demanding higher wages and pension benefits.  Further Reading: -For This Boeing Family, the Job Is the Same. The Payoff Isn’t  -Boeing Strike Extended After Union Machinists Reject Contract  -Boeing’s CEO Is Shrinking the Jet Maker to Stop Its Crisis From Spiraling  Further Listening: -Why 33,000 Boeing Workers Walked Off the Job  -Boeing's Long Flight Delay – in Space  -Boeing Agrees to Felony Plea. Now Its Future Is Up in the Air.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the Trump administration, Chris Krebs was the top cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security. He spoke with WSJ’s Rolfe Winkler at WSJ Tech Live about the upcoming U.S. election and growing cyber threats from foreign governments. Further Listening: -The Chinese Hackers Spying on U.S. Internet Traffic  -Red, White and Who? Playlist  Further Reading: -China-Linked Hackers Breach U.S. Internet Providers in New ‘Salt Typhoon’ Cyberattack  -U.S. Wiretap Systems Targeted in China-Linked Hack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the past two years, tech billionaire Elon Musk has been having regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. WSJ’s Thomas Grove reports on what we know about the nature of their conversations and why that contact raises potential national security concerns for some in the current administration. Further Reading: - Elon Musk’s Secret Conversations With Vladimir Putin  - Musk Says He Thwarted Attack on Russian Fleet in Ukraine’s Crimea  Further Listening: - Uncovering Elon Musk's Secret Political Donations  - The Russian Military is Using Elon Musk’s Starlink  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hans Zimmer, Academy Award-winning composer, and Golnar Khosrowshahi, CEO of Reservoir Media, discuss AI in the music industry, why human creation is still unique and whether or not Zimmer approves of “The Journal” theme music. Further Listening: -Artificial: The OpenAI Story -When AI Comes for Your Art Further Reading: -Hans Zimmer, Movie Maestro -Music Labels Take On AI Startups With New Lawsuits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five undecided voters in swing states speak to Rachel Humphreys about how they're feeling as election day looms. Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball unpack the stakes. Plus, will betting markets predict the winner? Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? The Desperation Stage  - How Betting on U.S. Politics Is Getting Big  Further Reading: - Trump Takes Narrow Lead Over Harris in Closing Weeks of Race  - Meet the Traders Making Money Off the Trump Shooting and Biden’s Stumbles  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Jeffries, former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, was arrested and charged with running an international sex-trafficking ring. WSJ’s Khadeeja Safdar describes the alleged crimes and the potential fallout for the company. Further Reading: -Former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries Is Arrested, Charged in Sex-Trafficking Case  Further Listening: -The Resurrection of Abercrombie & Fitch  -JPMorgan's $75 Million Jeffrey Epstein Settlement  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Across the country, elections officials are bracing for a potentially contentious election day. At the same time, a network of conservative election integrity groups are preparing to challenge the result. WSJ's Rebecca Ballhaus reports on the billionaire-funded effort to contest the election, and WSJ's Jim Carlton reports how Maricopa County, Arizona is preparing for the worst. Further Reading: -The Secretive Billionaire Network Funding ‘Stop the Steal’ 2.0  -‘It Feels Very Dystopian.’ Republican County Officials Brace for Election Deniers—Again  Further Listening: -Red, White and Who? The Desperation Stage   -Uncovering Elon Musk's Secret Political Donations  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For 17 days last year, unidentified drones swarmed an area in Virginia that is home to a military base and other sensitive intelligence sites. WSJ’s Gordon Lubold looked into why it was so difficult for U.S. officials to stop them.  Further Reading: -Mystery Drones Swarmed a U.S. Military Base for 17 Days. The Pentagon Is Stumped.  Further Listening: -How Ukraine Built a Weapon to Control the Black Sea  -Cheap Drones Are Transforming the Battlefield  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clouds are gathering over the Sunshine State’s housing market. Especially along the state’s Gulf Coast, housing inventory is up and buyer interest is slowing. WSJ’s Deborah Acosta talks through the cooling-off of one of America’s biggest housing booms and what it says about what it means to live in Florida now. Further Listening: - Is Asheville No Longer a 'Climate Haven?  - Years After Surfside Collapse, Florida Condos Are In Crisis  Further Reading: - The Great Florida Migration Is Coming Undone  - Why the Tampa Area Is So Vulnerable to a Hurricane  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, suddenly disappeared. Qin was a rising star in Chinese politics and a protegé of China’s strongman leader, Xi Jinping. In the first episode of our three-part investigation, we chart Qin’s rise and begin to untangle the mystery of his disappearance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second episode of our investigation, we examine the life and career of Fu Xiaotian: the prominent Chinese TV host who had an affair with Qin Gang. Like Qin, Fu was sharp and ambitious, but her high-flying career would come to an abrupt halt. And like Qin, she would also mysteriously disappear.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our final episode, we get a break in the case of the missing minister: According to our sources, Chinese officials were told that Qin disappeared due to an explosive allegation. We dig into that story and its consequences for Fu and for Qin – Xi Jinping’s trusted aide.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With millions of votes already cast, the race is on for each campaign to get their supporters to the polls. Ryan Knutson talks with Molly Ball about the different strategies Trump and Harris are taking, and why election denial is such a big issue in Arizona. Plus, Rachel Humphreys speaks to a Gen Z Voter. Further Listening:  - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? Foreign Policy and the Rise of Donald Trump Jr.  - Red, White and Who? Veep Veep! All Eyes on Vance and Walz  Further Reading: - Republicans Rush to Bolster Trump’s Ground Game  - Kari Lake’s 2022 Fraud Claims Are Costing Her in 2024  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lilly Ledbetter, equal pay trailblazer, died on Saturday. WSJ’s Joseph De Avila reports on how Ledbetter faced pay discrimination at her job and sued her employer, taking her case all the way to the Supreme Court. And WSJ’s Lauren Weber discusses the persistence of the gender pay gap.  Further Reading: -Fair-Wage Advocate Lilly Ledbetter Dies at 86  -Data Show Gender Pay Gap Opens Early  Further Listening: -The TikTok That Changed College Hoops  -What Corporate America Can Learn From Coke’s Reckoning With Race  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Investigators say that Arion Kurtaj’s life in cybercrime began at age 11, and ultimately led to his participation in the hacks of major companies like Nvidia, Microsoft, and Uber. WSJ’s Robert McMillan explains how Kurtaj’s case has brought worries about a new breed of fearless young hackers. Further Reading: -This Teenage Hacker Became a Legend Attacking Companies. Then His Rivals Attacked Him.  -Hackers Leaked ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Footage, Rockstar Games Says  Further Listening: -Hack Me If You Can, Part 1: The Making of a Russian Hacker  -How North Korea’s Hacker Army Stole $3 Billion in Crypto  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the summer, an outbreak of listeria in Boar’s Head products killed 10 people and sickened dozens more. In the months after the crisis, the family that runs the company has said little. WSJ’s Sarah Nassauer dug through court documents to piece together a decades-long story of a family fighting over ownership of a deli meat empire. Further Reading: - Inside the Half-Century Feud Dividing the Boar’s Head Family  - Boar’s Head Closing Virginia Factory Tied to Deadly Listeria Outbreak  Further Listening: - Farm-to-Table Pioneer on Why We Still Need Better Food  - Food Fight: PepsiCo vs. Carrefour  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TD Bank’s U.S. entity pleaded guilty and agreed to pay more than $3 billion in penalties, acknowledging it failed to properly monitor money laundering by drug cartels and other criminal groups. WSJ’s Dylan Tokar unpacks the investigation that led to such a historic deal. Further Listening: -The Suitcases Full of Cash Flowing Through Airports  Further Reading: -TD Bank Agrees to $3 Billion in Penalties and Growth Restrictions in U.S. Settlement  -TD Pays Hefty Penalties as Prosecutors Detail Nearly a Decade of Lax Controls  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball explore what we know about both candidates’ approach to foreign policy. Plus, Molly shares what she learned about the future of MAGA from an interview with Donald Trump Jr. and JD Vance. Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? Veep Veep! All Eyes on Vance and Walz  - Red, White and Who? It's Always the Economy!  Further Reading: - How Donald Trump Jr. Became the Crown Prince of MAGA World  - JD Vance’s Version of Trump Is Better Than the Real Thing  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. budget deficit topped $1.8 trillion in the last fiscal year. Meanwhile, both candidates for president are proposing plans that would increase the deficit for years to come. WSJ’s Richard Rubin explains how the deficit got so large and why the candidates don’t talk about it.  Further Listening: -The Economy: Trump vs. Harris  -The Clock Is Ticking on the Debt Ceiling  Further Reading: -Federal Deficit Hit $1.8 Trillion for 2024, CBO Says  -Federal Debt Is Soaring. Here’s Why Trump and Harris Aren’t Talking About It.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon Musk's financial support for Republican causes has been much more extensive and started earlier than previously known. WSJ’s Dana Mattioli reports on Musk’s rightward political shift and explains how he hid his donations.  Further Listening: - Elon Musk and Silicon Valley Turn Towards Trump  Further Reading: - Elon Musk Gave Tens of Millions to Republican Causes Far Earlier Than Previously Known  - Inside Elon Musk’s Hands-On Push to Win 800,000 Voters for Trump  - How Elon Musk Broke With Biden and the Democrats Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WSJ reporting has revealed a major cyberattack from a group tied to the Chinese government. Hackers penetrated the networks of several broadband providers and gained access to the U.S. domestic wiretapping system. Dustin Volz unpacks what the attack could mean for national security. Further Listening: - ‘Hack Me If You Can’  - Hacking the Hackers  Further Reading: - U.S. Wiretap Systems Targeted in China-Linked Hack  - Chinese-Linked Hackers Breach U.S. Internet Providers in New ‘Salt Typhoon’ Cyberattack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Asheville, North Carolina, was thriving until floodwaters and heavy wind from Hurricane Helene ripped through the region and destroyed large parts of the city's commercial districts. We talk to two business owners who are trying to figure out what comes next.  Further Reading: -The Hurricane That Threatens to Sink Asheville’s Feel-Good Success  -North Carolina in Crisis Mode as Helene Rescues Continue  Further Listening: -Hot, Dry and Booming: A Texas Climate Case Study  -‘Everything Is Gone’ — One Resident on the Maui Wildfires  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month, Microsoft and Constellation Energy announced a deal to restart Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island, the site of the country’s worst nuclear power accident. WSJ’s Jennifer Hiller reports that the goal is to power the tech giant’s growing artificial intelligence ambitions. Further Listening: - Artificial: The OpenAI Story  - Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's Big Bet on AI  Further Reading: - Three Mile Island’s Nuclear Plant to Reopen, Help Power Microsoft’s AI Centers  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The vice-presidential candidates took center stage at a debate this week. Ryan Knutson talks with Molly Ball about the important takeaways, and Rachel Humphreys speaks to a listener about why she’s thinking about climate change this election.  Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? It's Always the Economy!  - Red, White and Who? Why Ohio Could Decide the Senate  Further Reading: - JD Vance’s Version of Trump Is Better Than the Real Thing  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Under CEO John Donahoe, Nike pulled away from retailers and ramped up production of its classic sneaker lines. Now sales have plummeted, the company has lost market share to competitors and Donahoe is stepping down. WSJ's Inti Pacheco discusses what went wrong. Further Reading: -Nike CEO John Donahoe Stepping Down After Rocky Tenure  -How Nike Missed the Boom in Running Culture  -Nike Reverses Course as Innovation Stalls and Rivals Gain Ground  Further Listening: -Nike’s Sneaky Sneaker Thieves  -How Allbirds Lost Its Footing  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Israel is now fighting on multiple fronts, after clashing with Hezbollah in Lebanon and sustaining Iranian strikes yesterday. WSJ’s Michael Amon explains the growing risk of an all-out regional war.   Further Reading: - Israel Clashes With Hezbollah in Lebanon  - Israeli Response to Iran’s Attack to Set Course of Widening War  - Israeli Review Shows Minor Damage From Iran’s Missile Barrage  Further Listening: - Exploding Pagers and the Risk of a Spreading War  - The Brutal Calculation of Hamas’s Leader  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In less than two years, OpenAI—the company behind ChatGPT—has gone from a little-known nonprofit lab to a world-famous organization at the forefront of an artificial intelligence revolution. But the company has faced a series of challenges, culminating last week in another high-profile departure and the decision to become a for-profit corporation. WSJ’s Deepa Seetharaman discusses the permanent change to OpenAI's ethos and what it could mean for the AI industry. Further Listening: - Artificial: The OpenAI Story  - Artificial: Episode 1, The Dream  Further Reading: - Turning OpenAI Into a Real Business Is Tearing It Apart  - OpenAI’s Complex Path to Becoming a For-Profit Company  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Department of Justice is taking Visa, the largest card network in the U.S., to court, accusing the company of illegally monopolizing the debit card market. WSJ's Angel Au-Yeung breaks down the Justice Department's allegations. Further Listening: - The Unusual Economics of the Bilt Credit Card  - The Deal That Could Change Credit Cards  - The Trustbuster Taking on Ticketmaster  Further Reading: - Justice Department Sues Visa, Alleges Illegal Monopoly in Debit-Card Payments  - Google Faces Blockbuster Antitrust Case—Again  - Getting Oasis Tickets Was a Nightmare. Ticketmaster Is Again Being Asked for Answers.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The mayor of America’s largest city likes to say he’s been “rejected, arrested and then elected.” Now, he’s been indicted. WSJ’s Jimmy Vielkind unpacks the unprecedented federal foreign bribery case against Eric Adams. Further Listening: -Gold Bars, Cash and a Mercedes: A U.S. Senator's Corruption Trial  Further Reading: -Inside the Eric Adams Indictment  -After the Eric Adams Indictment, What’s Next?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After two big economic speeches this week, Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball discuss the candidates’ different economic strategies. Plus, voting has begun! We explore mail in voting and its impact on this election! Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? Why Ohio Could Decide the Senate  - Red, White and Who? A Swing-State Debate  Further Reading: - Harris Puts Government Intervention at Heart of Economic Policy  - Trump Says Plan Will Convince Foreign Companies to Shift Jobs to U.S.  - Voters Love the Policies That Economists Love to Hate  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Milton Magnus, an Alabama businessman who runs one of the last makers of wire hangers in the U.S., has waged a decades-long tariff battle against Chinese manufacturers to try to stay afloat. We hear from Magnus and we talk to Chao Deng about th e effectiveness of tariffs as the trade tool becomes more popular with politicians.  Further Listening: -Why China Is Risking a Trade War  -The Fight Over U.S. Steel and the Community Caught in the Middle  Further Reading: -The Family Business in Alabama That Fights China for Survival  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former president Donald Trump wants to be the crypto president. With stops at a bitcoin conference and a bitcoin-themed bar, Trump is tapping into an industry that’s eager to support a crypto-friendly candidate. WSJ’s Vicky Huang explains how Trump and the crypto industry have cozied up ahead of the 2024 election. Further Reading: - Trump Hitches His Campaign to the Crypto Crowd  - That Time Donald Trump Walked Into a Bar and Bought a Round Using Bitcoin  - The Crypto Industry Is Trying to Elect Political Allies. The Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher.  Further Listening: - Elon Musk and Silicon Valley Turn Towards Trump  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month, Red Lobster emerged from bankruptcy. At the helm of the restaurant chain is its new CEO, 35-year-old Damola Adamolekun. Ryan Knutson talks to Adamolekun about what brought about Red Lobster’s decline and his plan to revitalize the company.  Further Listening: - McDonald’s Wants To Offer Quality And Value. Can It Do Both?  Further Reading: - The 35-Year-Old CEO Plotting Red Lobster’s Comeback  - Red Lobster Exits Chapter 11 Bankruptcy With New Owners, CEO  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christian filmmakers have surprised Hollywood with a series of box office hits and now investors are pouring in millions. WSJ’s John Jurgensen explains how their successes could change the entertainment industry. Further Reading:  - Religious Movies Are Sweeping Hollywood. Rich Investors Are Pouring In Millions.  - Fans Pour Funding - and Faith - Into a Hit Drama About Jesus  - A Child-Trafficking Thriller Is Taking on Hollywood. Who’s behind it?  Further Listening:  - With Great Power, Part 1: Origin Story  - Mattel Bets Big on Barbie  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates this week, after a two year battle with inflation. David Uberti explains how that will impact the economy and we hear from two couples about what they hope this means for their finances.  Further Listening: - A Fed Insider on the Looming Rate Cut  - What the Stock Market Panic Says About the Economy  - Trump Allies Draft Plans to Rein in the Fed  Further Reading: - Americans Are Desperate for Relief. The Rate Cut Is a Glimmer of Hope.  - The Fed Aims to Repeat Greenspan’s 1990s Masterpiece  - Fed Cuts Rates by Half Percentage Point  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Knutson talks with Molly Ball and Rachel Humphreys about their recent trip to Ohio, where they talked to voters about a tight Senate race and why it might matter so much for both parties. Plus, look at another important Senate race in Montana. Further Listening:  - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? A Swing-State Debate  - Red, White, and Who? How Abortion Plays for Trump and Harris  Further Reading: - A Populist Democrat Fights to Survive the Trump-Fueled Populist Wave  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday afternoon, thousands of pagers issued to Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon exploded at the same time, killing 12 people and injuring more than 2,800. The next day, walkie-talkies detonated in a similar way. Michael Amon reports on one of Israel’s most ambitious covert operations and what the attacks could mean for a broader war. Further Listening: -The Brutal Calculation of Hamas’s Leader  -Why Israel and Hamas Could Be Headed Into a Forever War  Further Reading: -How a Covert Attack Against Hezbollah Unfolded Across Lebanon’s Streets and Malls  -Israel Scored a Stunning Blow Against Hezbollah. Its Path to Victory Is Less Clear.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Organized crime used to be considered a remote threat in much of Western Europe, but ruthless violence by criminal gangs is now rattling the peace in some of the world’s safest societies. WSJ’s Sune Rasmussen explores the rise of one drug kingpin and how his brutal tactics have spread around the continent.  Further Reading: - Violent Drug Gangs Bring Mayhem to Western Europe  Further Listening: - The Push to Test Drugs for Fentanyl  - Afghanistan's Desperation Economy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, a trial got under way to determine whether Rupert Murdoch can change a trust holding the family’s assets for his children. Murdoch wants to ensure that when he dies control of the trust passes to his oldest son, Lachlan. Three of his other children, James, Elisabeth and Prudence, oppose the change because they would stand to lose voting power. Amol Sharma reports.  Further Listening: - Media Giant Rupert Murdoch Is Stepping Down  - Behind the Breakup of Fox and Tucker Carlson  Further Reading: - The Family Rift Driving Rupert Murdoch to Redo His ‘Irrevocable’ Trust  - Murdochs Face Off in a Reno Courthouse Over Family Trust  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tens of thousands of Boeing’s unionized workers are on strike after they rejected a new contract last week. WSJ’s Sharon Terlep reports on the rising tensions that have led to this breaking point and what it could mean for the only American manufacturer of both commercial and military aircraft. Further Reading:  - Boeing Freezes Hiring, Delays Pay Raises as Strike Worsens Finances  - Boeing Union Goes on Strike, Halting 737 Production  Further Listening:  - Boeing's Long Flight Delay – in Space  - Boeing Agrees to Felony Plea. Now Its Future Is Up in the Air.  - The Failures Inside Boeing's 737 Factory  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scammers are exploiting retailers’ online return programs like never before, fueled by websites and messaging apps. WSJ’s Liz Young reports on the bind retailers now find themselves in, stuck between helping their customers and stopping the fraud.   Further Reading: - Online Returns Fraud Finds a Home on Telegram, Costing Retailers Billions  - Brick-Filled Boxes. Bogus Receipts. Retailers Battle Fraudulent Returns.  Further Listening: - How Cyber Thieves Are Disrupting U.S. Goods  - The Slaves Sending You Scam Texts  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a tense debate, Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball unpack a busy election week and examine what’s next for both campaigns in crucial swing states like Pennsylvania. Plus, could a state like Nebraska decide the election? Further Listening: - Red, White, and Who? How Abortion Plays for Trump and Harris  - For Kamala Harris, a Big Interview and a Narrow Lead  - Is the Trump Campaign Going Off Track?  Further Reading: - We Asked Undecided Voters Who Won the Trump-Harris Debate  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden, Vice President Harris and former President Trump have all signaled their opposition to the planned sale of U.S. Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel. But, as Kris Maher reports, views on the deal are more complex in the place it could matter most: Pittsburgh. Further Listening: -Why China Is Risking a Trade War  Further Reading: -Biden Prepares to Block $14 Billion Steel Deal  -Japan Bid for U.S. Steel Runs Up Against U.S. Politics  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Testosterone therapy is booming, touting a boost at the gym and in the bedroom, but the potential side effects (like infertility) are less well known. WSJ’s Rolfe Winkler on the clinics making millions on this growing industry. Further Reading: - Testosterone Clinics Sell Virility. Some Men End Up With Infertility.  Further Listening: - Trillion Dollar Shot, Episode 1: Birth of a Blockbuster  - The Rise of Botox and the Wrinkle in Its Future  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

North Korean cybercriminals have developed a new way to access networks in corporate America: getting IT jobs. According to U.S. officials, hundreds of U.S. companies have unknowingly hired North Korean operatives in information-technology roles. Dustin Volz explores how these spies get hired, and one CEO describes how his company fell for the scheme. Further Listening: - How North Korea’s Hacker Army Stole $3 Billion in Crypto  - North Korea’s Propaganda Mastermind  - The Cyberattack That’s Roiling Healthcare  Further Reading: - North Korean Spies Are Infiltrating U.S. Companies Through IT Jobs  - Kim Jong Un Wants to Block All North Koreans From Escaping. It Isn’t Working.  - A North Korean Diplomat Managed a Rare Defection: A Flight Out of Cuba  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WSJ’s Alexander Osipovich explores the world of political betting. We meet a trader making big money making predictions on the upcoming U.S. elections over a platform called Polymarket and examine the fight that is brewing with regulators over the practice.   Further Reading: - Meet the Traders Making Money Off the Trump Shooting and Biden’s Stumbles  - Judge Holds Off on Allowing Election Bets–For Now  - The Hot New Trade That Everyone Is Watching: Will Biden Drop Out?  Further Listening: - How Gambling Scandals Are Rocking Sports Leagues  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kyle, Texas is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. It is also facing heat and drought that has been exacerbated by climate change and is expected to get worse. Matt Wirz reports on the tensions in Kyle as the city continues to build, even as it runs low on water.  Further Listening: - A Plan to Hack the Planet Further Reading: - This Texas City Is Too Hot, Short on Water—and Booming  - Welcome to Y’all Street, Texas’ Burgeoning Financial Hub  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who will win the race to the White House? A new series from The Journal podcast explores the issues that are shaping this election. This week, Ryan Knutson and WSJ’s Molly Ball delve into reproductive rights, examining how the issue is playing out for both Democrats and Republicans. Plus..what makes a state a swing state? Further Listening: - For Kamala Harris, a Big Interview and a Narrow Lead  - Hope, Unity (and Some Nerves at the DNC)  - Is the Trump Campaign Going Off Track?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month, for the first time in over two years, the U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut interest rates. Mary Daly, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, is one of 12 people who will decide how aggressive that cut should be. She talks to Kate about inflation, unemployment, the economy and Taylor Swift.  Further Listening: - What the Stock Market Panic Says About the Economy  - Why the Fed Is Steering Away From Rate Cuts  Further Reading: - The Make-or-Break Moment That Will Determine the Economy’s Fate  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tweens, or kids aged 8 to 12, have learned to shop online. Brands are taking note. WSJ’s Chavie Lieber spoke to TikTok-er Demetra Dias and explains the impact of influencers like her on young shoppers and the brands that court them. Further Reading: - Teen Girls Are Spending Big. She Tells Them What to Buy.  - Why Tweens Are Obsessed With This $110 Sweatsuit  Further Listening: - How the Stanley Cup Became the Internet's Favorite Water Bottle  - Teens Are Falling Victim to AI Fake Nudes  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pavel Durov, the CEO of the messaging app Telegram, was arrested in France last month. He was charged with a host of crimes, including complicity in distributing child pornography, illegal drugs and hacking software on the app. Matthew Dalton reports on how the charges represent a major escalation by the French government in holding tech executives accountable for the content that appears on their platforms. Further Reading: - Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Charged by French Authorities  - Exclusive | Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Was Wooed and Targeted by Governments  Further Listening: - Is Fighting Misinformation Censorship? The Supreme Court Will Decide.  - What Happens to Privacy in the Age of AI?  - Meta Is Struggling to Boot Pedophiles Off Facebook and Instagram  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kamala Harris is trying to step out of President Biden’s shadow without distancing herself from their administration’s policies. Molly Ball breaks down a new WSJ poll that shows Harris has a narrow lead in the presidential election and unpacks the VP’s first big interview. She also takes your questions.   Further Reading: - Harris Has Taken Narrow Lead Over Trump, WSJ Poll Finds  - Race Is On To Reach the Rapidly Shrinking Pool of Undecided Voters  Further Listening: - Is the Trump Campaign Going Off Track?  - Kamala Harris, In Context   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world’s most lucrative sports league is allowing private equity to buy into teams. WSJ’s Andrew Beaton and Miriam Gottfried unpack why the NFL is opening up, and what it could mean for owners and fans. Further Reading: -Private Equity Ownership Is Coming to the NFL  -College Sports Is About to Turn Pro. Private Equity Wants In.  Further Listening: -Why Three Media Giants Are Betting on Sports Streaming  -ESPN’s Big Bet on an F-Bomb-Throwing YouTube Star  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Faced with stagnating economic growth, Chinese leader Xi Jinping decided to go all in on manufacturing and exporting. But, as Lingling Wei reports, the increase in low-cost Chinese goods is squeezing businesses around the world and raising the specter of a new trade war. Further Listening: - How Xi Jinping's Dream Slowed China's Economy  - The Political Cost of China's Faltering Economy  Further Reading: - Why China Is Starting a New Trade War  - China Revives Socialist Ideas to Fix Its Real-Estate Crisis  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, he borrowed $13 billion dollars from several banks to complete the deal. Now, it looks like the banks may not get all their money back. WSJ’s Alexander Saeedy on what the banks didn’t take into account when they made those loans. Further Reading: -Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover Is Now the Worst Buyout for Banks Since the Financial Crisis  -Elon Musk’s Hard Turn to Politics, in 300,000 of His Own Words  Further Listening: -Elon Musk and Silicon Valley Turn Towards Trump -Tesla’s Multibillion-Dollar Pay Package for Elon Musk -Why Elon Musk’s Twitter Is Losing Advertisers  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For almost 20 years, Etsy has been a popular website for handmade and specialized goods on the internet. But as the company grew, many current and former sellers say the platform has changed and is now full of mass-produced goods. They’ve also complained about increased seller fees. The CEO, Josh Silverman, responds, saying Etsy is still true to its original mission to keep commerce ‘human.’  Further Listening: - What’s Behind Amazon’s Review Problem  - The Resurrection of Abercrombie & Fitch  Further Reading: - Temu’s U.S. Entry Is an Orange Flag for Etsy  - Etsy to Cut 11% of Marketplace Workforce in Restructuring  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last night, Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination. It capped off a boisterous, speaker-packed week in Chicago as the Harris campaign tries to reach a broad swath of American voters. Molly Ball reports from Chicago.  Further Listening: - Is the Trump Campaign Going Off Track?   - Takeaways from the RNC: Trump Is in Control  Further Reading: - Kamala Harris Defines the Democrats’ New Normal  - Democrats’ Upbeat Convention Has Nancy Pelosi to Thank  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In May, an associate at Bank of America died unexpectedly after working long hours on a big acquisition. The death sparked an outcry about the all-nighters and 100-hour weeks that grind down young investment bankers. WSJ’s Alexander Saeedy spoke to over three dozen current and former employees about a pervasive culture of overwork at the bank. Further Reading: -How Bank of America Ignores Its Own Rules Meant to Prevent Dangerous Workloads  -Bank of America Urges Bankers to Sound Alarm on Overwork After WSJ Investigation  Further Listening: -Lewd Photos, Booze and Bullying: Inside the FDIC’s Toxic Culture  -JPMorgan's $75 Million Jeffrey Epstein Settlement  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, Starbucks ousted its CEO Laxman Narasimhan and replaced him with Brian Niccol, the current leader of Chipotle. Lauren Thomas reports on the dramatic leadership change, as Starbucks struggles to turn around its business and contend with activist investors.   Further Listening: - Can Chinese Customers Rescue Starbucks?   - The Underdog Coffee Bean That’s Making a Comeback  Further Reading: - Inside Starbucks’s Surprising CEO Firing and Hiring  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Democratic National Convention is underway in Chicago, where the party aims to unite behind its new nominee for president, Kamala Harris. But the war in Gaza, and American military aid for Israel, is dividing the party. WSJ’s Sabrina Siddiqui explains why that fracture could impact the Harris campaign. Further Reading: -DNC 2024 Live Updates  -DNC Protesters Have a Message for Kamala Harris: ‘Talk Is Cheap’  -Pro-Gaza Activists Size Up Kamala Harris  Further Listening: -The Economy: Trump vs. Harris  -Trump Courts the Union Vote  -Pro-Palestinian Protests and Arrests at U.S. Colleges  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the two presidential candidates put forward some specific policy proposals about the economy. WSJ’s Andrew Restuccia breaks down what each candidate is proposing. Further Reading: - Harris Calls for Expanded Child Tax Credit, 3 Million New Housing Units  - Harris, Trump Propose Divergent, Costly Solutions for Inflation  Further Listening: - Is the Trump Campaign Going Off Track?  - 'Phony' and 'Weird.' Trump and Harris Size Each Other Up  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WSJ’s Molly Ball breaks down the past week for the Trump campaign as the former president continues to try and counter a surge of support for Harris. Plus, do undecided voters truly exist? Molly answers your questions. Further Reading: - Race Is On To Reach the Rapidly Shrinking Pool of Undecided Voters  - Inside Elon Musk’s Hands-On Push to Win 800,000 Voters for Trump  Further Listening: - The Week that Changed the Presidential Race  - Kamala Harris, In Context   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki died last week at the age of 56. WSJ’s Miles Kruppa shares how Wojcicki developed a reputation as perhaps the most important Google employee that few people have heard of outside of the company’s walls. Further Reading: -Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Dies at Age 56  -YouTube’s Susan Wojcicki on Transforming the Video Service  Further Listening: -Why the DOJ Is Suing Google Again  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the past three months, Robby Starbuck has fueled social-media attacks that have led to two companies rolling back their diversity initiatives. He is part of a larger movement that is pushing back against diversity, equity and inclusion policies at companies. WSJ’s Chip Cutter reports.  Further Listening: -Conservatives Come for ESG  Further Reading: -The Activist Pushing Companies to Ditch Their Diversity Policies  -Diversity Goals Are Disappearing From Companies’ Annual Reports  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of pressure from the U.S., China is imposing new restrictions on chemicals used in the production of fentanyl. WSJ’s Brian Spegele says the move marks a small step forward after nearly a decade of sometimes-tense negotiations. Further Reading: -China Restricts Fentanyl Chemicals After Years of U.S. Pressure  Further Listening: -The Push to Test Drugs for Fentanyl  -How a Balloon Burst U.S.-China Relations  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In June, Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft successfully docked at the International Space Station. But issues with its propulsion system have called into question its safety. Now, NASA is weighing alternatives to bring the astronauts home. WSJ’s Micah Maidenberg shares how the Starliner program has faced a bevy of problems and what it means for Boeing. Further Reading: - Boeing Sent Two Astronauts Into Space. Now It Needs to Get Them Home.  - NASA Says Starliner Astronauts Could Return With SpaceX—Next Year  - Two Astronauts Are Stuck in Space. Here’s How They’re Passing the Time.  Further Listening: - Elon Musk’s Unusual Relationships With Women at SpaceX  - The New Race to the Moon  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world’s rainforests have shrunk dramatically in recent decades due to the expansion of land for growing cash crops, like cocoa. The European Union is trying to limit destruction with a new law which aims to track where cocoa is grown. Farmers who want to sell to Europe— the world’s largest cocoa market— are racing to meet the law's requirements, or lose out. WSJ’s Alexandra Wexler details how the law will impact millions of cocoa farmers in West Africa. Further Reading: - Chocolate Prices Have Soared. A New Law Threatens to Keep Them High.  - Your Sweet Tooth Is Getting Expensive  Further Listening: - How Indonesia Tamed Rainforest Destruction  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Ackman has pressed pause on the initial public offering of a new fund aimed at everyday investors after a lack of demand. Ackman originally aimed to raise around $25 billion in the offering, hoping to capitalize on his social-media celebrity but his fund goals shrunk dramatically. WSJ’s Peter Rudegeair unpacks what happened.  Further Reading: -Can Bill Ackman Turn Social-Media Stardom Into a Blockbuster IPO?  -What Bill Ackman Got Wrong With His Bungled IPO  Further Listening: -The Life of One of Wall Street’s Greatest Investors  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a historic decision this week, a federal judge ruled that Google acted to illegally maintain a monopoly in online search. The case was the first of several antitrust lawsuits the U.S. government has brought against some of the nation’s leading tech companies, and the ruling marks a major victory for its efforts to reign in big tech. WSJ’s Miles Kruppa explains how this decision could shake up Google’s business and potentially change how we search the internet.  Further Reading: -Google’s Antitrust Loss Set to Reshape Search and Mobile Industries  -Google Loses Antitrust Case Over Search-Engine Dominance  Further Listening: -Why the DOJ Is Suing Google Again  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slow job growth in the U.S. and interest rate cuts in Japan triggered a global stock market sell off on Monday. WSJ’s Nick Timiraos breaks down how it happened, what it says about the economy, and what it means for the Federal Reserve’s long-term goal of a soft landing. Further Listening: -Live from Seattle: A Weird Economy + Election = ??  -Why the Fed Is Steering Away From Rate Cuts Further Reading: -Market Selloff Upends Fed Rate-Cut Calculus  -Lousy Jobs Report Forces Fed to Reckon With Hard Landing  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Under the Americans With Disabilities Act, businesses are supposed to make their websites accessible to the visually impaired. WSJ's Ruth Simon found that this requirement has led to an explosion of lawsuits, many of which are against small businesses. Further Reading: - The Law Firm Hitting Businesses With Thousands of Disability Suits  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign gets underway, Democrats and Republicans are rushing to define her. And Democrats are shifting the way they talk about the GOP. WSJ’s Molly Ball explores the strategies behind how both sides are framing each other.  Further Listening: - The Week That Changed the Presidential Race  - Takeaways from the RNC: Trump Is in Control  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russia freed wrongfully convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and more than a dozen others on Thursday as part of the largest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War. WSJ’s Joe Parkinson and Drew Hinshaw report on the effort to bring Gershkovich home.  Further Listening: -Russia Tries a WSJ Reporter in a Secret Court  -Two Parents on a Crusade to Free Their Son  Further Reading: -Inside the Secret Negotiations to Free Evan Gershkovich  -WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich Is Free  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After ten years of sales, 500 million Amazon smart devices have found their way into homes around the world. But the company is losing billions of dollars on the devices. WSJ’s Dana Mattioli discovered an accounting tool that’s kept the huge losses under wraps.  Further Reading: -Alexa Is in Millions of Households—and Amazon Is Losing Billions  Further Listening: -Amazon's Secret Operation to Gather Intel on Rivals  -What Is Amazon's Secret 'Project Nessie'?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Olympics officials in Paris postponed the men’s triathlon because of elevated E. coli levels in the River Seine, where the event was set to take place. WSJ’s Joshua Robinson reports on how decades of trying to clean up the river may not have been successful.  Further Reading: - Paris Olympics Postpones Triathlon Because of Pollution in River Seine  - Yes, They’re Actually Doing Olympic Swimming in the River Seine. Gulp.   - Herculean Feat in Paris Olympics: Make the Seine Safe to Swim   Further Listening: - Simone Biles and the Power of Saying No  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever thought about who is behind your scam texts? WSJ reporter Feliz Solomon spent months investigating and discovered that many of these texts are coming from slaves trapped in scam dens in Southeast Asia. She talked to one person who had been imprisoned there and learned how he became ensnared in a growing criminal empire. Further Listening: - Pig Butchering: A Texting Scam With A Crypto Twist  Further Reading: - Posing As ‘Alicia,’ This Man Scammed Hundreds Online. He Was Also A Victim.  - ‘She Hooked Me’: How An Online Scam Cost A Senior Citizen His Life’s Savings  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2024 presidential election has taken a major turn after Biden dropped out of the race. WSJ’s Molly Ball charts how the 2024 political election has hit a reset and what Harris’s candidacy could mean for her party and the country.  Further Listening: - Takeaways from the RNC: Trump Is in Control  Further Reading: - Biden Withdrawal Caps Weeks of Epic Political Turbulence  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

USAntibiotics's plant in Tennessee is one of the last plants in the United States that makes amoxicillin, the crucial antibiotic that has been in shortage in some forms since 2022. But the plant isn’t breaking even, financially. WSJ’s Liz Essley Whyte reports on why it is so hard for American-made generic drugs manufacturers to survive. Further Listening: - Will Florida’s Plan to Get Cheap Drugs From Canada Work?  - Trillion Dollar Shot  Further Reading: - Drug Shortages in America Reach a Record High  - Drug Shortages Trigger FTC Probe  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats are rallying around Vice President Kamala Harris as she takes over President Biden’s campaign. WSJ’s Tarini Parti discusses some key moments in her political career and explores what they reveal about her as a candidate. Further Listening: - Biden Taps Out. Harris Taps In.  - Takeaways from the RNC: Trump Is in Control  Further Reading: - Inside the Slow-Building Biden-Harris Relationship  - How Kamala Harris Views Policy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last Friday, 8.5 million computers around the world stopped working. All kinds of businesses were impacted, from airlines to banks to hospitals. The cause was a routine update sent out by a software company called CrowdStrike. WSJ’s Robert McMillan explains how the meltdown happened and why Microsoft’s software was especially vulnerable. Further Reading: - Blue Screens Everywhere Are Latest Tech Woe for Microsoft  - CrowdStrike Made Its Name Fighting Technology Problems. Now It Has Caused One.  Further Listening: - The Computer Glitch That Caused Nearly 1,000 Convictions  - Hacking the Hackers  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Sunday, President Joe Biden ended his bid for re-election and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. Annie Linskey reports on Biden’s big decision and what lies ahead for Harris and the Democratic Party.  Further Listening: - Takeaways from the RNC: Trump Is in Control  - Will Biden Stay in the Race?  Further Reading: - How the Bet on an 81-Year-Old Joe Biden Turned Into an Epic Miscalculation  - Biden Drops Out of Presidential Race, Endorses Harris  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Republican National Convention came to a close Thursday night with a speech by presidential nominee Donald Trump that called for unity while also returning to familiar rhetoric. WSJ’s Molly Ball says it’s a remarkable turnaround for a candidate who was once an outsider, and has now remade the party in his image. Plus, Jessica Mendoza and Jacob Gallagher give the convention a fit check. Further Reading: - Trump Hasn’t Changed, but the GOP Has  - Crypto Dads, Trump Suits and Four-Letter Words: Scenes from the Cultural Frenzy at the RNC  Further Listening: - Elon Musk and Silicon Valley Turn Towards Trump  - Trump Courts the Union Vote  - The Secret Service’s Failure to Protect Trump  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon Musk has said he is committing around $45 million a month to a pro-Trump super PAC, according to people familiar with the matter. He is the biggest name in tech now turning Donald Trump’s way. WSJ’s Emily Glazer reports on how Musk and others in Silicon Valley are throwing their support and money behind Trump’s campaign for president.  Further Listening: - Tesla’s Multibillion-Dollar Pay Package for Elon Musk  - Money, Drugs, Elon Musk and Tesla’s Board  - Trump Courts the Union Vote  Further Reading: - Musk Turbocharges Silicon Valley Support for Trump  - Elon Musk Has Said He Is Committing Around $45 Million a Month to a New - Pro-Trump Super PAC  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices