Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s Make America Healthy Again movement is leading an effort to stop people from spending food stamps on soda. WSJ’s Laura Cooper explains how one state is leading the charge and how beverage companies are pushing back. See The Journal live! Take our survey!   Further Reading: -RFK Jr. And His Allies Target Trump’s Beloved Soda  Further Listening: -PepsiCo’s New Healthy Diet: More Potato Chips and Soda -Who Wants Non-Alcoholic Beer? Everyone, Apparently.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump delivered a celebratory speech to Congress, declaring that he had swiftly notched several wins for the American people. WSJ’s Andrew Restuccia joins Kate Linebaugh and Molly Ball to discuss the roadmap Trump laid out and what it means for the next few years. See The Journal live! Take our survey!  Further Listening: -The Trade War With China Is On  -Trump's Tariffs Cause Chaos in Auto Industry  -Inside DOGE's Campaign of Secrecy  Further Reading: -An Annotated Fact-Check and Analysis of Trump’s Speech to Congress  -How Trump’s Polite Meeting With Zelensky Descended Into Acrimony  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sonos, the high-end speaker company, continues to reel from its disastrous app update last May. The company lost revenue and approximately $600 million in market capitalization. Then came the layoffs and a CEO exit. WSJ’s Ben Cohen explains.  See The Journal live! Take our survey!  Further Listening: - The Glitch That Crashed Millions of Computers  - The Snowballing Problems at Vail Resorts  Further Reading: - The $500 Million Debacle at Sonos That Just Won’t End  - Sonos Finally Hits the Hard Reset Button  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the last month, the Trump Administration has levied 20% tariffs on imports from China. We speak to the CEO of an American home goods company about the impact of the trade war. WSJ’s Hannah Miao explains how it’s already affecting manufacturers and the economy in China. See The Journal live! Take our survey!  Further Reading: - The Tariff Pain Is Getting Real for Chinese Companies  - Chinese Manufacturers Speed Up Efforts to Dodge Trump Tariffs  Further Listening: - Why Trump Wants Ukrainian Minerals  - Trump 2.0: Shaking Up Europe  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump’s 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada took effect first thing Tuesday. The American auto industry will be hit hard by these tariffs since many parts and materials come from Mexico and Canada. WSJ’s Mike Colias and a U.S. a uto parts supplier talk about the impact of the tariffs.  Further Listening: -Trump’s Tariff Whiplash  -How One Business Is Getting Ahead of Trump’s Tariffs  Further Reading: -Auto Executives Try to Sway Trump on Tariffs, EV Subsidies  -Tariff Threat Prompts Automakers to Find New Suppliers, Consider Higher Prices  -Canada and Mexico Gambled on a Free Trade Future. The Bet Is Turning Sour.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Zizians, a cult-like group of militant vegans, has been connected to six killings across the country. The violence has sent shockwaves throughout Silicon Valley. WSJ’s Zusha Elinson explains how the Zizians splintered from a Bay Area intellectual movement concerned with AI safety.    Further Reading: -A Silicon Valley Intellectual Society Kicked Them Out. Now They’re Tied to a Killing Spree.  -How a Fervent Belief Split Silicon Valley—and Fueled the Blowup at OpenAI  Further Listening: -The Fall of Crypto’s Golden Boy  -The Story Behind the Stabbing of a San Francisco Tech Exec  -The Biotech Founder Facing Murder Charges   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first few minutes of the Trump presidency, Elon Musk’s programmers made a surprise incursion into a key personnel agency. Since then, DOGE programmers operating in the shadows have burrowed into systems across the government, resulting in thousands of layoffs. WSJ’s Scott Patterson explains how DOGE has entered vast parts of the federal bureaucracy.  Further Reading: -Inside DOGE’s Clash With the Federal Workforce  -DOGE Claims It Has Saved Billions. See Where.  Further Listening: -Trump 2.0: The Musk-Trump Bromance  -Inside USAID as Elon Musk and DOGE Ripped It Apart  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives narrowly passed a budget resolution this week that serves as a first draft of the “big, beautiful bill” President Trump has been seeking. WSJ’s Siobhan Hughes joins Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball to discuss how Congress is working with Trump. Plus, we take a look at what impact recent rulings from the judicial branch might mean for Trump's agenda.  Further Reading: - The Weight of Trump’s Agenda Sits on Mike Johnson’s Shoulders  Further Listening: - Why Trump Wants Ukrainian Minerals  - Trump 2.0: Shaking Up Europe  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paramount Global is wrestling with whether to settle President Trump’s lawsuit against its CBS unit. At the same time, the company is waiting for regulatory approval from the Trump administration for its merger with Skydance Media. WSJ’s Jessica Toonkel explains.   Further Reading: -CBS Owner Discusses Settling Trump Suit, With Merger Review on Tap  -FCC Requests ‘60 Minutes’ Harris Interview Material as It Reviews Paramount-Skydance Merger  -Paramount Executives Ask: Could They Be Sued for Settling Trump’s $20 Billion CBS Lawsuit?  Further Listening: -Mayhem at Paramount as Merger Looms  -Why Buying Paramount Global Won’t Be Easy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you landed on a flight from Europe to New York recently, you might have been an unwitting participant in a high-stakes, high-altitude gold trade. WSJ’s Joe Wallace explains what's going on with the gold market, and why gold bars have been flying commercial.  Further Reading: -Why Dealers Are Flying Gold Bars by Plane From London to New York  Further Listening: -Trump's Tariff Whiplash  -The Underground Battle for Colombia's Richest Gold Mine  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the U.S. fights a persistent bird flu outbreak, the cost of eggs has skyrocketed. The owner of a brunch cafe tells us about the impact of high-priced eggs on his business and WSJ’s Patrick Thomas unpacks one possible fix that the egg industry wouldn't consider – until now. Further Reading: - Soaring Egg Prices Reignite Debate Over Bird Flu Vaccinations  - At the ‘Wall Street of Eggs,’ Demand Is Surging  - First Cows, Now Cats. Is Bird Flu Coming for Humans Next? Further Listening: - Bird Flu and the High Price of Eggs  - Farm-to-Table Pioneer on Why We Still Need Better Food  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration is pushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to hand over mineral rights worth hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. Zelensky said a deal is possible but he wants better terms. WSJ's James Marson explains why these minerals are so valuable and what this potential deal could mean for ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. Further Listening: - Trump 2.0: Shaking Up Europe  - Ukraine's $30 Billion Problem  Further Reading: - A Guide to U.S.-Russia Talks on Ending the War in Ukraine  - Ukraine’s Zelensky Wants Better Terms on Minerals Deal Demanded by Trump  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, Germany has relied on manufacturing and exports – a model that made it the world’s third largest economy. But that model is breaking down, and the country’s leaders are offering few alternatives in the upcoming election. WSJ’s Tom Fairless and Bertrand Benoit discuss Germany’s downturn and what can be done about it. Further Reading:  - Germany’s Economic Model Is Broken, and No One Has a Plan B  - Why Germany’s Confidence Is Shattered and Its Economy Is Kaput  Further Listening:  - Trump 2.0: Shaking Up Europe  - Germany’s Difficult Breakup with Russian Energy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump Administration turns its focus to Europe as President Trump signals a willingness to cooperate with Russia. WSJ’s Alex Ward joins Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball to discuss what that means for an end to the war in Ukraine. Further Reading: -Trump’s Turn to Russia Spooks U.S. Allies Who Fear a Weakened NATO  -Trump’s Attack on Zelensky Signals New World Order Taking Shape  Further Listening: -Trump 2.0: The Musk-Trump Bromance  -R.I.P. CFPB?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A controversy among YouTube influencers has led to a series of lawsuits accusing browser extensions like PayPal Honey of swiping their commissions. PayPal said it disagrees with the claims in these lawsuits and look forward to defending itself. The litigation shines a light on the sometimes murky world of affiliate marketing, a $12 billion business.  Further Reading: -Creators Insist Coupon Browser Extensions Are Stealing Their Money. Will the Courts Agree?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent years, most home insurers were fleeing areas of California with high risk for wildfires. But State Farm was there, dominating the market. Then, just months before the devastating L.A. fires, the company dropped 30,000 homeowners from their books. WSJ’s Jean Eaglesham explains how the risk that State Farm unloaded is now a problem for the rest of California.  Further Reading: -State Farm Was All In on California – Until it Pulled the Plug Before the Fires  -Insurers’ Rule Change Puts California Homeowners on the Hook for L.A. Fire  Further Listening: -Their L.A. Neighborhood Burned. Two Residents Find What’s Left.   -Insuring a Home in California Is Getting Harder  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Barnett worked at Boeing for nearly 30 years. Before he left the company, he filed a whistleblower complaint, alleging he was retaliated against for raising safety concerns. Last March, after two days of testimony, he was found dead in his truck. Police ruled his death a suicide. We tell the story of Barnett’s life, and death, as a Boeing whistleblower.  Further Reading: - Boeing CEO Apologizes to MAX Crash Families, Calls Culture ‘Far From Perfect’ - The Disarray Inside Boeing’s 737 Factory Before the Door Plug Blowout  - Can Boeing Be Fixed? Aerospace Leaders Offer a Repair Manual  Further Listening: - The Failures Inside Boeing's 737 Factory  - A Hole in a Plane and a Headache for Boeing  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re off for Presidents Day, but we wanted to reshare this episode.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.This episode was originally published in May 2024. 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 Premium Brand  Further Listening: -What Walmart’s Aisles Say About the American Consumer  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the beginning of his presidency, Donald Trump suspended most U.S. foreign aid, causing vast confusion and concern around the world. One affected program was PEPFAR, the bipartisan initiative that works to fight HIV/AIDS globally. WSJ’s Nicholas Bariyo from Uganda and Michael M. Phillips from Kenya report. And we hear from Karl Hoffman, the CEO of the public health organization HealthX Partners.  Further Listening: -Inside USAID as Elon Musk and DOGE Ripped It Apart  Further Reading: -Trump Aid Whiplash Hits Refugees, AIDS Patients Worldwide  -Trump Order Freezing Foreign Aid Halts Programs Worldwide, Prompts Confusion and Rush for Waivers  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a busy month in D.C. for Elon Musk. WSJ’s Tim Higgins joins Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball to discuss what Musk’s strategies as a CEO can tell us about his plans for DOGE and the federal government. Plus, we get into Trump’s relationship with the judiciary and take a question from a listener about American expansionism.  Further Reading: -Musk Brings His Business Playbook to Washington: Move Fast and Claim Victory  -DOGE, Musk and Trump—Our Reporters Answered Your Questions  Further Listening: -R.I.P. CFPB?  -Trump 2.0: Less Foreign Aid, More Tariffs  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices