The Journal. - The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

Latest Episodes:

One Man’s Campaign Against DEI Aug 14, 2024

Show notes

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

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China Is Finally Doing Something About the Fentanyl Crisis Aug 13, 2024

Show notes

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

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Boeing's Long Flight Delay – in Space Aug 12, 2024

Show notes

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

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Will Tracking Cocoa Beans Help Save the Rainforest? Aug 09, 2024

Show notes

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

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$25 Billion to Zero: Bill Ackman’s Bungled IPO Aug 08, 2024

Show notes

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

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Judge Rules ‘Google Is a Monopolist’ Aug 07, 2024

Show notes

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

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What the Stock Market Panic Says About the Economy Aug 06, 2024

Show notes

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

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Who is Filing Thousands of Disability Lawsuits Against Businesses? Aug 05, 2024

Show notes

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

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'Phony' and 'Weird.' Trump and Harris Size Each Other Up Aug 02, 2024

Show notes

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

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The Historic U.S.-Russia Prisoner Swap Aug 01, 2024

Show notes

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

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