The Journal.
The most important stories about money, business and power. Hosted by Kate Linebaugh and Ryan Knutson, with Jessica Mendoza. The Journal is a co-production of Spotify and The Wall Street Journal. Get show merch here: https://wsjshop.com/collections/clothing
Episodes
May 16, 2024 • 19 mins
Jim Simons pioneered a revolution in financial trading, embracing a computer-oriented, quantitative style in the 1980s well ahead of Wall Street. Following Simons’ recent death, WSJ’s Gregory Zuckerman unpacks his legacy from financial algorithms to philanthropy.
Further Reading:
-How Did Jim Simons’s Firm Make $100 Billion? He Told His Secrets to Our Reporter
-Jim Simons, a Pioneer of Quantitative Trading, Dies at 86
-Th...
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May 15, 2024 • 24 mins
If the upcoming presidential election could be summed up by a song, what would it be? And will voters cast their ballots based on a bright future or a gloomy one? In a live-taping before an audience at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival, Kate Linebaugh and Ryan Knutson sat down with WSJ political reporter Molly Ball to discuss these topics and more. To watch the video, check out the episode on Spotify.
Further Reading:
-Biden and Trump...
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May 14, 2024 • 18 mins
For six decades, one man has been largely responsible for creating North Korea’s propaganda machine: Kim Ki Nam. He served all three North Korean dictators and is the architect of many of the myths that have helped to keep the Kim family in power. Last week, Kim Ki Nam died at the age of 94. WSJ’s Timothy Martin reports on his controversial legacy.
Further Reading:
-The Original Mastermind Behind North Korea’s Cult-of-Persona...
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May 13, 2024 • 19 mins
When FTX collapsed into bankruptcy in 2022, many customers never thought they'd see their money again. But FTX's assets have rebounded. WSJ’s Andrew Scurria unpacks why FTX will have more than enough money to fully repay customers and many creditors.
Further Reading:
- Crypto Exchange FTX Is the Rare Financial Blowup That Will Repay Victims in Full
Further Listening:
- The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy
Learn more about ...
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May 13, 2024 • 41 mins
Before Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound, there was Lotte Bjerre Knudsen.
In the 1990s, the young scientist at the Danish drug company Novo Nordisk was trying to unlock the key to a new technology for treating Type 2 diabetes. To her bosses, Lotte’s project, which focused on a hormone called GLP-1, looked like a distraction.
But as Lotte fought to save her diabetes project from the chopping block, she couldn’t have imagined...
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May 10, 2024 • 27 mins
WSJ’s Julie Wernau wanted to test a hypothesis: are there more mentally ill homeless people now, compared to before the pandemic? That question led her to Rob Dart. Once a successful lawyer, in 2022 he went into a downward spiral, which his family has not been able to stop despite their best efforts.
Further Reading:
- A Lawyer Abandoned Family and Career to Follow the Voices in His Head
- A Lawyer’s Slide Into Psychosis Was ...
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May 9, 2024 • 17 mins
Starbucks has a problem: Sales at U.S. stores have fallen sharply and now the company is looking to China, its second biggest market, to boost its revenue. But as WSJ’s Spencer Jakab explains, increased competition there is making that a tall order.
Further Reading:
-Starbucks Is Running Out of Americans to Drink Its Expensive Coffee
-The Furious Race for the Future of Coffee
Further Listening:
-The Underdog Coffee Bea...
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May 8, 2024 • 25 mins
London and Dubai's international airports have become conduits for billions of dollars of illicit funds, potentially linked to corruption, drug trafficking and other crimes. WSJ's Margot Patrick explains how couriers in one money-laundering operation transported millions in dirty money on flights.
Further Reading:
- Billions in Dirty Money Flies Under the Radar at World’s Busiest Airports
Further Listening:
- How The Gove...
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May 7, 2024 • 17 mins
Tesla announced last week that it’s laying off the team responsible for the biggest electric-vehicle charging network in the U.S. The move comes as consumer demand for EVs is dwindling. WSJ’s Jennifer Hiller reports on how the layoffs shocked the industry and how the change will impact efforts to build out a national EV charging network.
Further Reading:
-Tesla Is Pulling Back From EV Charging, and People Are Freaking Out
-As...
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May 6, 2024 • 18 mins
Walmart is offering higher pay, bonuses and more stock options this year to retain and attract managers. WSJ’s Sarah Nassauer spent a day with one manager, Nichole Hart, to understand why the job is commanding such a high salary these days, and why Hart logs about 20,000 steps a day.
Further Reading:
- A Day in the Life of a Walmart Manager Who Makes $240,000 a Year
- Walmart Takes On Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods With New Pre...
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May 3, 2024 • 21 mins
The high price of baby eels has triggered an upsurge in illegal fishing and criminal activity in Canada. Earlier this year, the country announced a ban on baby-eel fishing in an attempt to contain the violence and to protect dwindling fish stocks. We speak to WSJ’s Paul Vieira and to a baby-eel fisherman about how a tiny fish has created a turf war in a remote Canadian community.
Further Reading:
-Guns and Death Threats Spur C...
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May 2, 2024 • 20 mins
The National Basketball Association is in advanced stages of a new round of media-rights deals. WSJ’s Amol Sharma unpacks why several major media players are jostling for the lucrative rights.
Further Reading:
-NBC Prepares $2.5-Billion-a-Year Bid to Pluck NBA Rights From TNT
-Amazon, YouTube Vie for NBA Streaming Rights as League’s Media Talks Heat Up
Further Listening:
-Why Three Media Giants Are Betting on Sports Stre...
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May 1, 2024 • 18 mins
On Monday, Bob Bakish stepped down as CEO of Paramount, one of America’s most iconic media companies. WSJ’s Jessica Toonkel reports on how Bakish’s relationship with Shari Redstone, chair of Paramount, has deteriorated amidst one of the messiest merger dramas in recent history.
Further Reading:
- A Media Heiress’s Bid to Sell Sets Off Mayhem Inside Paramount
- How Bob Bakish, the Anti-Mogul CEO, Struggled to Rescue Paramoun...
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April 30, 2024 • 18 mins
Donald Trump's allies have drafted plans to curb the Federal Reserve’s independence, should Trump win a second term. WSJ’s Andrew Restuccia unpacks the proposals, which include giving the president a say in interest-rate decisions.
Further Reading:
-Trump Allies Draw Up Plans to Blunt Fed’s Independence
-Why Inflation Is Biden’s Most Stubborn Political Problem
-Even If the Fed Cuts, the Days of Ultralow Rates Are Over
F...
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April 29, 2024 • 21 mins
For almost a decade, Amazon staff went undercover on Walmart, eBay and other marketplaces selling products under the guise of a company called ‘Big River.’ WSJ’s Dana Mattioli reports on the secret arm of Amazon that surreptitiously gathers intelligence on its competitors.
Further Reading:
-Inside Amazon’s Secret Operation to Gather Intel on Rivals
-Inside Amazon’s Push to Crack Trader Joe’s—and Dominate Everything
Furth...
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April 26, 2024 • 18 mins
Jamie Dimon discusses his concerns about the future of the economy, the effect of overseas wars and the importance of U.S. leadership in a wide-ranging interview with WSJ’s Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker.
Further Watching:
-Jamie Dimon on the Economy, Geopolitical Risks and AI: Full Interview
Further Listening:
-Why the Fed Is Steering Away From Rate Cuts
-Janet Yellen on Inflation and the U.S. Economy
Learn more about y...
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April 25, 2024 • 20 mins
With a fresh round of pro-Palestinian protests sweeping campuses nationwide, university administrators are cracking down. WSJ’s Melissa Korn explains what students are demanding and what it could mean for campus life going forward.
Further Reading:
-At Columbia, Discontent Grows Over Shafik’s Handling of Crisis
-Pro-Palestinian Protests Force Colleges to Rethink Graduation Plans
Further Listening:
-Big Donors Clash wit...
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April 24, 2024 • 19 mins
Less than six years after a Supreme Court ruling paved the way for legal sports gambling, U.S. sports leagues are facing an onslaught of betting scandals. The latest example is Jontay Porter, a little-known NBA player, who has been given a lifetime ban for betting on games. WSJ’s Jared Diamond unpacks how major leagues are confronting the darker sides of sports betting with alarming frequency.
Further Reading:
-NBA Player Bann...
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April 23, 2024 • 16 mins
Over the course of 19 days, U.S. officials raced to contain escalating tensions between Israel and Iran amid a series of attacks. WSJ’s Michael R. Gordon on what was going on behind the scenes as the White House worked to prevent a bigger conflict.
Further Reading:
-Inside the White House’s Frenetic Scramble to Avert a Full-Blown Middle East War
-How the U.S. Forged a Fragile Middle Eastern Alliance to Repel Iran’s Israel Att...
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April 22, 2024 • 19 mins
Former President Donald Trump is expected to spend the next six weeks in a Manhattan courtroom, defending himself against accusations he covered up a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. WSJ’s Corinne Ramey was in the courtroom for opening statements and WSJ’s Molly Ball unpacks what this trial could mean for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Further Reading:
-Trump’s Hush-Money Trial: What to Know as the Case B...
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