The Journal. - The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

Latest Episodes:

China’s Plans for Its Unemployed Youth: Send Them Away Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

An economic downturn in China has resulted in historically high youth unemployment. At the same time, China’s leader Xi Jinping thinks the countryside is in need of rejuvenation. WSJ’s Brian Spegele explains how the Chinese leader is trying to tackle both issues in one fell swoop.

Further Reading:

-China Has an Idea for Its Legions of Unemployed Youth: Send Them Away

-How Bad is China’s Economy? Millions of Young People Are Unemployed and Disillusioned

Further Listening:

-Why Millions of Chinese Young People Are Unemployed

-China’s Property Market Crisis

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: What Happens Next? Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried is over. Rachel Humphreys and Caitlin Ostroff reflect on their month at court and answer outstanding questions about what happened at FTX, the trial and what comes next. Plus they reveal the final court cafeteria coffee tally.

Further Reading:

- Smoked Fish, Shaggy Hair and Tears: 8 Unforgettable Moments From Sam Bankman-Fried’s Trial

Further Listening:

- The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He Thought Instagram Was Safe. Then His Daughter Got an Account. Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

Former Meta engineer Arturo Bejar thought he could help make Instagram safer after his daughter experienced harassment on the platform. But Bejar said that his concerns were not sufficiently addressed by senior leadership at the company and that teens are still at risk for harassment and bullying on Meta's platforms.

Further Listening:

-The Facebook Files

Further Reading:

-His Job Was to Make Instagram Safe for Teens. His 14-Year-Old Showed Him What the App Was Really Like.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oregonians Decriminalized Hard Drugs. Now Many Regret It. Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

Oregon became the first state to decriminalize all drugs in 2020. The goal was to steer people to treatment who otherwise might have faced jail time. WSJ’s Zusha Elinson explains why many in Oregon have since turned against the decriminalization initiative.

Further Reading:

- Oregon Votes to Decriminalize All Drugs, Allow Psilocybin for Mental-Health Treatment

Further Listening:

- The Highs and Lows of Diversifying the Cannabis Industry

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WeWork: From $47 Billion Unicorn to Bankruptcy Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

WeWork, the office space coworking company, filed for bankruptcy yesterday. The company’s decision comes after it struggled with debt and a slump in the commercial real estate market. WSJ’s Eliot Brown recounts how the embattled startup ended up in bankruptcy.

Further Listening:

-WeWork’s CEO on the Future of Work

-WeWork: The Enablers

Further Reading:

-Adam Neumann Wounded WeWork. An Office Market Bust Finished It Off.

-WeWork, Once Valued at $47 Billion, Files for Bankruptcy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Case of Conspiracy in Real Estate Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

Home buyers and sellers face the prospect of major changes to the ways they pay their real-estate agents, following a historic verdict against the National Association of Realtors and large residential brokerages. WSJ’s Laura Kusisto explains the stakes.

Further Reading:

-The Way You Pay to Buy or Sell a Home Is About to Change

-Jury Finds Realtors Conspired to Keep Commissions High

-Real-Estate Commissions Could Be the Next Fee on the Chopping Block

Further Listening:

-Homeowners Don’t Want to Sell. So Builders Are Cashing In.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Our Refinery Is On Fire': Two Brothers and a Deadly Explosion Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

Brothers Ben and Max Morrissey were killed over a year ago by an explosion at their workplace, an oil refinery co-owned and operated by the oil giant BP in Ohio. WSJ's Jenny Strasburg talks to family members the brothers left behind and investigates what went wrong at the refinery.

Further Reading:

-He Feared His Refinery Job. His Brother Stayed to Help. The Explosion Hit at 6:46 P.M.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Guilty On All Counts Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

A jury convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried of stealing billions of dollars from customers and lenders, in what prosecutors called one of the biggest financial frauds in U.S. history. Rachel Humphreys and Caitlin Ostroff were inside the courtroom for the verdict.