The Journal. - The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

Latest Episodes:

How CVS Went From Drugstore to Healthcare Juggernaut Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

CVS’s plan to buy Oak Street Health, a network of senior-focused clinics, is the latest sign of the growing tie-ups between health insurers and primary-care doctors. WSJ’s Anna Wilde Mathews unpacks why the deal is happening and how it’s cementing CVS’s status as a healthcare giant.

Further Reading:

- CVS Reaches $10.6 Billion Deal to Buy Clinic Owner Oak Street Health

- CVS Looks to Add Doctors to Its Payroll

- CVS Completes $70 Billion Acquisition of Aetna

Further Listening:

- Is Healthcare Amazon's Next Big Thing?

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The Price of Dating Apps Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

How much are you willing to pay for love? Dating apps are asking users to pay more for features and access to matches as a way to counter slowing growth. WSJ's Heard on the Street columnist Laura Forman talks about the pressure on Match Group, the company behind some of the most popular dating apps.

Further Reading and Watching:

- The Price Is Wrong In Online Dating

- Why Our Love Affair With Tinder Might Never Quite End

- Online Dating Is Great—for Investors. For Customers, It’s Complicated.

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How a Balloon Burst U.S.-China Relations Feb 13, 2023

Show notes

In just over a week, the U.S. has shot down four flying objects — one from China and three others of unknown origins. WSJ’s James T. Areddy on balloons, unidentified flying objects and the deterioration of relations between the two countries.

Further Reading:

-China’s Balloon Program Grew From a Humble Start

-How a Balloon Opened a New Flashpoint in U.S.-China Ties

-China Says U.S. Flew Balloons Through Its Airspace More Than 10 Times

Further Listening:

-China’s Accidental Dissidents

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A Spy Turned Up Dead in Ukraine. Who Was He Working For? Feb 10, 2023

Show notes

Days after Russia invaded Ukraine, a corpse turned up on a sidewalk in the center of Kyiv. The dead man, a 45-year-old banker named Denys Kiryeyev, was accused of being a traitor and a Russian spy. But as WSJ’s Brett Forrest reports, his work and allegiances were more complicated than they seemed.

Further Reading:

- Russian Spy or Ukrainian Hero? The Strange Death of Denys Kiryeyev

Further Listening:

- Ukrainian President Zelensky's Fight Against Corruption

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Is the Party Over for Best-Selling Drug Humira? Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

After decades of patent protection, the wildly successful arthritis and autoimmune drug Humira is finally facing competition. WSJ’s Jared Hopkins on what that could mean for patients and the drug industry.

Further Reading:

- Blockbuster Arthritis Drug Humira Faces Competition From First Lower-Price Copycat in U.S.

- AbbVie Aims for New Drugs to Boost Sales as Competitors Target Humira

Further Listening:

- How Big Pharma Lost Its Swagger

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Why Is the U.K.'s Free Healthcare Service Falling Apart? Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

For more than a decade, the British government has run its National Health Service, the world’s largest government-run healthcare system, on a tight budget. Now, hospitals are so full they are turning patients away, and thousands of paramedics and nurses have walked out over pay. WSJ’s Max Colchester explains how budget cuts, Covid delays and an aging population are stressing the system.

Further Reading:

-The U.K.’s Government-Run Healthcare Service Is in Crisis

-U.K. Nurses Stage Biggest Ever Strike as Health System Strains

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Consumers Are Starting to Freak Out Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

Consumer spending accounts for roughly 70% of the economy. So when it slows, the U.S. economy risks a recession. Right now, U.S. consumers are spending less on groceries, travel and dining, breaking into their savings accounts, and putting more on their credit cards. To understand why consumers are pulling back, we sat down with one.

Further Reading:

- The U.S. Consumer Is Starting to Freak Out

- Households Burn Through What’s Left of Their Pandemic Savings

Further Listening:

- What Walmart’s Aisles Say About the American Consumer

- The New Layoff: On a Wednesday On Zoom

- What Will the Economy Look Like in 2023?

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The Short Seller Costing the Adani Group Billions Feb 06, 2023

Show notes

Gautam Adani is ubiquitous in India. His energy and infrastructure conglomerate, the Adani Group, touches the lives of millions of Indians on a daily basis. But last month, Hindenburg Research, a U.S. short seller, alleged that the company was engaged in wide-ranging fraud. WSJ’s Shan Li explains a fallout that has cost Adani billions.

Further Reading:

- How Gautam Adani Made (and Could Lose) a $147 Billion Fortune

- Adani Plans $1.1 Billion Loan Repayment After Share Collateral Plummets

Further Listening:

- The Firm Tanking Some of Wall Street's Hottest Stocks

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China’s Accidental Dissidents Feb 03, 2023

Show notes

Cao Zhixin and her friends went to a rally to honor people who died in a fire. Several weeks later, they were detained by Chinese authorities and now face years in prison. WSJ's Shen Lu explains why Beijing is cracking down on a new kind of protester.

Further Reading:

- In China, Young Women Become Accidental Symbols of Defiance

- Under Xi Jinping, Women in China Have Given Up Gains

- The Exposure of China’s ‘Bought Wives’

Further Listening:

- China’s Biggest Protests in Decades

- What the End of Zero-Covid Means for China

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'Putin's Chef' Now Serving Up Gains for Russia in Ukraine Feb 02, 2023

Show notes

Russia’s invasion forces have tightened the noose around Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine with help from a paramilitary outfit called the Wagner Group. Heading the group is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s close confidants -- Yevgeny Prigozhin. WSJ’s Benoit Faucon explains why the Wagner Group has been drawing condemnation for its deployments in several global hotspots.

Further Reading and Watching:

- Wagner: How Russian Mercenaries Help Putin in Ukraine

- Russia Tightens Grip Around Bakhmut as Ukraine Awaits Western Tanks

- As Russian Army Falters in Ukraine, Paramilitary Leader Close to Putin Flexes Power

- Russia Leans on Mercenary Forces to Regain Global Clout

Further Listening:

- Russia’s Campaign to Leave Ukraine in the Dark

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