President Donald Trump wants the world's richest man, Elon Musk, to shrink the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency. And one of DOGE's first targets? USAID, the agency that focuses on foreign assistance. We talk to a USAID worker who is out of work this week and to WSJ’s Brian Schwartz about how powerful Musk and DOGE have become. Further Reading: -How Trump Gutted America’s $40 Billion Aid Agency in Two Weeks  -Trump Hints at Curbs on Musk’s Powers After Billionaire Shakes Up Washington  Further Listening: -DOGE: The Plan to Downsize the Government  -Is DEI Done?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vail Resorts is the king of the mountain. But recently, the ski company has been facing issues with overcrowding and labor disputes. WSJ travel reporter Allison Pohle on how Vail Resorts might be a victim of its own success. Further Reading: - Vail Resorts Has an Epic Problem  - Vail Resorts Shareholder Calls for Overhaul, Ouster of Executives Including CEO  Further Listening: - How Target Got Off Target  - A Surprise Turkey and 200 Lemons: Everyday Stories From the Pandemic   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cleared a major hurdle to becoming the nation's chief health officer. WSJ’s Liz Essley Whyte on Kennedy’s history and the heated lead-up to a full Senate vote. Further Reading: -RFK Jr. Clears Committee Vote, Putting Him on Track to Become Health Secretary  -RFK Jr. Backs Vaccines and Trump’s Agenda in Senate Testimony  -How RFK Jr. Transformed From Green Hero to Vaccine Skeptic  Further Listening: -Even Doctors Are Frustrated With Health Insurance  -PepsiCo’s New Healthy Diet: More Potato Chips and Soda  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House announced wide-ranging tariffs against the U.S.'s biggest trading partners: Mexico, Canada and China. At the last minute, both Canada and Mexico negotiated a pause. WSJ’s Gavin Bade unpacks the significance of the tariffs and the latest updates.  Further Reading: -Trump Slaps Tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China in Opening Salvo of Trade War  -Trump Aides Hunt for 11th-Hour Deal to Dial Back Canada-Mexico Tariffs  Further Listening: -Trump 2.0 A Whiplash on Federal Spending  -Trump 2.0: A Fast Start to a Second Term  -How One Business Is Getting Ahead of Trump’s Tariffs  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The collision of American Airlines flight 5342 and an Army helicopter is the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. in 23 years. But there were warning signs. WSJ's Benjamin Katz reports on recent safety concerns about D.C.'s increasingly busy airspace and explains where the investigation goes next. Further Listening: -Your Flight Delay Is Probably New York's Fault  Further Reading: -How a Plane and a Helicopter Collided in a Crowded Airspace Around Reagan Airport  -Washington’s Jam-Packed Airspace Has Prompted Warnings for Years  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball round up the week’s news including nomination hearings, inspectors general firings and the airplane crash in D.C. Plus, they speak to WSJ’s Washington coverage chief Damian Paletta about the administration's freeze on potentially trillions of dollars in government financial assistance. Further Listening: - Trump 2.0: A Fast Start to a Second Term  - Trump’s Immigration Overhaul  Further Reading: - White House Budget Freeze Tried to Flip Script on Busted Budget Process  - Trump Blames DEI, Democrats for Deadly Plane Crash  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2021, President Donald Trump sued Meta after his accounts were suspended in the wake of the January 6 riot. WSJ’s Rebecca Ballhaus explains why Mark Zuckerberg agreed to settle for $25 million yesterday. Further Reading:  - Meta to Pay $25 Million to Settle 2021 Trump Lawsuit  - Meta Ends Fact-Checking on Facebook, Instagram in Free-Speech Pitch  - ABC News to Pay $15 Million to Settle Donald Trump Defamation Lawsuit  Further Listening:  - Corporate America's Embrace of Trump 2.0  - The End of Facebook’s Content Moderation Era  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the Chinese company DeepSeek debuted a new AI model -- and overturned years of conventional wisdom about what it takes to build great AI. The shock unleashed a $1 trillion bloodbath on Wall Street. WSJ’s Stu Woo and WSJ’s Gunjan Banerji unpack DeepSeek's achievement and the market chaos it unleashed. Further Reading: -How China’s DeepSeek Outsmarted America  -The Day DeepSeek Turned Tech and Wall Street Upside Down  Further Listening: -The Company Behind Chat GPT  -The Hidden Workforce That Helped Filter Violence and Abuse Out of ChatGPT  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of the world’s most prominent names in technology are pledging billions to build artificial-intelligence infrastructure in the U.S. in a joint venture called Stargate. Notably missing? Microsoft. WSJ’s Tom Dotan explains how the partnership that launched the AI boom has deteriorated. Further Reading: - Tech Leaders Pledge up to $500 Billion in AI Investment in U.S.  - OpenAI’s Stargate Deal Heralds Shift Away From Microsoft  - Musk Pours Cold Water on Trump-Backed Stargate AI Project  Further Listening: - Artificial: The OpenAI Story  - What's the Worst AI Can Do? This Team Is Finding Out.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump has wasted no time in dismantling DEI programs in the federal government and pressuring private companies to do the same. As WSJ's Chip Cutter reports, Trump’s actions could reshape corporate America. Further Listening: - Corporate America's Embrace of Trump 2.0  - One Man’s Campaign Against DEI Further Reading: - How Trump’s Assault on DEI Will Ripple Across Corporate America  - Why Costco Isn’t Joining the Backlash Against DEI  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An iconic chain that became known for its fun cocktails and family dining, TGI Fridays has seen a sharp decline in recent years, leading to a bankruptcy filing in November. WSJ’s Heather Haddon explains the company’s unraveling and a former CEO talks about his plans to keep the chain alive. Further Listening: - Red Lobster's New CEO Plots Its Comeback  - McDonald’s Wants To Offer Quality And Value. Can It Do Both?  Further Reading: - The Epic Mess at TGI Fridays  - TGI Fridays Ex-CEO Blanchette to Take Over Chain’s Management  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball are back! This time to unpack the new administration's first 100 days. Today, we discuss President Trump’s slew of executive orders and what they tell us about the next four years. Plus, they speak to WSJ’s Sadie Gurman about changes taking shape at the Justice department.  Further Listening: - Trump Declares a ‘Golden Age’ for America  - Trump’s Immigration Overhaul   Further Reading: - Trump’s Immigration Playbook: Breaking Down His Moves This Week  - Trump Takes Office Determined to Bend Government to His Singular Will  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crypto industry has hailed President Trump as a savior. But shortly before his inauguration, Trump made a surprise move that shook the crypto world. WSJ’s Vicky Ge Huang explains the president’s new cryptocurrency and why it has ruffled feathers. Further Reading: -$TRUMP Is Already Worth Billions. What to Know About the Meme Coin.  -Crypto Thought Trump Would Bring It Legitimacy. Then He Launched a Meme Coin.  Further Listening: -Bitcoin Hit $100k. What's Next?  -Inside the Trump Crypto Bromance  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shortly after taking office on Monday, President Trump signed several immigration executive orders. WSJ’s Michelle Hackman reports on the new administration’s plans to curtail legal and illegal immigration and on the new border czar who’s leading the efforts. Further Listening: - Trump Declares a ‘Golden Age’ for America  - Why Biden Is Cracking Down on Asylum at the Border  Further Reading and Watching: - Why Trump’s Immigration Plans Will Upend U.S. Agriculture  - The Trump Border Czar Who Wants to Combine MAGA With Realism  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump tried to ban TikTok during his first term, but now he’s being hailed as the app’s savior. WSJ’s Georgia Wells explains the saga to make a deal with the Chinese-owned social media app.  Further Reading: -TikTok Restoring Service for U.S. Users, After Trump Signals He Will Save It  -What Happens Now That TikTok’s Gone Dark?  Further Listening: -The TikTok Ban Goes to the Supreme Court  -Readers Can’t Get Enough of BookTok. Publishers Are Cashing In.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Donald Trump was sworn in as president for a second time. WSJ’s Natalie Andrews discusses Trump’s inaugural address. And we hear from Trump supporters who gathered in Washington D.C. to celebrate.  Further Listening: -The Scramble Is on to Fill Trump’s Cabinet  -What a Republican Congress Could Mean for Trump Further Reading: -President Declares New 'Golden Age' for the U.S.  -Trump Trashed Washington for Years. Now He’s Vowing to Make Over the City.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a special video edition of The Journal, WSJ's Ryan Knutson sits down with Ben Shapiro of The Ben Shapiro Show and Preet Bharara of Stay Tuned with Preet in the Spotify mobile studio in Washington DC. We discuss how new media has shaped politics and how politics has shaped a new era of media.  Further Listening:  Corporate America’s Embrace of Trump 2.0 The End of Facebook’s Content Moderation Era Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CEOs of major companies are preparing for a second Trump administration, taking trips to Mar-a-Lago and contributing millions to his inauguration fund. WSJ's Chip Cutter explains corporate America's new strategy for engaging with the incoming U.S. president. Further Reading: -The CEOs Who Are Tearing Up the Policies Trump Hates  -Corporate America Drew Back From DEI. The Upheaval Isn’t Over.  Further Listening: -DOGE: The Plan to Downsize the Government  -How One Business Owner Is Getting Ahead of Trump's Tariffs  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Wednesday, mediators announced a deal between Israel and Hamas to pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip, opening up a pathway to end the 15-month war. But Israel has yet to finalize the deal. WSJ’s Anat Peled unpacks what we know about the deal and the sticking points to getting it done.  Further Listening: -The Risk of an All-Out War in the Middle East  -What the Ceasefire in Lebanon Means for the Middle East  -The Brutal Calculation of Hamas's Leader Further Reading: -Israel, Hamas Agree to Deal to Pause Fighting in Gaza  -Netanyahu Strikes Cautious Tone on Gaza Cease-Fire as He Tries to Hold Government Together-Israel Delays Cabinet Vote on Cease-Fire Deal, Blames Hamas for Reneging  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After harrowing probes in the 1990s, Swiss banks thought they’d come to terms with their WWII-era ties to Nazis. But WSJ’s Margot Patrick explains how documents newly unearthed from bank archives include shocking revelations.  Further Reading: -Nazi Ties to Credit Suisse Ran Deeper Than Was Known, Hidden Files Reveal  Further Listening: -What Just Happened at Credit Suisse?  -The Financial Legacy of the Nuclear Tests on Bikini Atoll  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices