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What’s Next in the Fight Over Healthcare Subsidies Dec 22, 2025

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A.M. Edition for Dec. 22. Congress breaks for the holidays without renewing enhanced ACA subsidies. The WSJ’s Sabrina Sidiqui explains what could break the impasse, as millions face higher healthcare premiums and lingering uncertainty. Plus, after seizing a second tanker over the weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard hunts another ship involved in moving Venezuelan oil. And a former Tesla staffer who clashed with Elon Musk shakes up the race to run General Motors. Daniel Bach hosts.

Listen to the full interview with Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack on WSJ’s Take On the Week.

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The Struggle to Keep America’s Workers Safe Dec 21, 2025

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For over 100 years, keeping Americans safe on the job has challenged the country's free-market economy. Businesses often preferred to regulate their workplaces without government oversight. But that track record is mixed. And federal efforts at safeguarding job sites at times have fallen short. Host Katherine Sullivan explores how far we've come since Frances Perkins helped put employee safety in the spotlight and what American workers still face now when they go to work.

This episode is part of The Wall Street Journal’s USA250: The Story of the World’s Greatest Economy, a collection of articles, videos and podcasts aiming to offer a deeper understanding of how America has evolved.

Additional reading and listening:

A Timeline of Key Moments in the History of Work in America

Coal Miners’ Trade Off: Trump Boosts Production but Slashes Safety Programs

An Economy Built on Speculation—for Better and for Worse

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What’s News in Markets: Memory Chips, Corporate Drama, Mega IPO Dec 20, 2025

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What did Micron’s earnings tell us about the AI boom? And what’s behind the corporate drama at Warner Bros. Discovery and Lululemon? Plus, does Medline's IPO splash bode well for future offerings? Host Francesca Fontana discusses the biggest stock moves of the week and the news that drove them.

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DOJ Releases First Batch of Jeffrey Epstein Files Dec 19, 2025

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P.M. Edition for Dec. 19. The Justice Department releases the first batch of files tied to its investigation of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. U.S. home sales rise to their highest level since February. And WSJ’s Kelly Crow explains how the art market is adapting younger buyers. Sabrina Siddiqui hosts.

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EU Backs $105 Billion Ukraine Loan Dec 19, 2025

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A.M. Edition for Dec. 19. Europe throws Kyiv a fiscal lifeline in a move officials say could give Kyiv more leverage in negotiations over ending the war, but fail to agree on a plan to tap frozen Russian assets. Plus, OpenAI aims to raise as much as $100 billion to pay for its ambitious growth plans in a market that has started to cool on the artificial-intelligence boom. And WSJ Tokyo bureau chief Jason Douglas explains how interest-rate rises in Japan could push up borrowing costs in the U.S. Luke Vargas hosts.

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Why Economists Are Urging Caution About November’s Inflation Report Dec 18, 2025

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P.M. Edition for Dec. 18. Inflation eased to 2.7% in November, lower than economists expected. WSJ’s Chao Deng explains why they are taking the report with a grain of salt. President Trump’s media company and a fusion energy company announced a merger valued at $6 billion. Read more about the Trump family’s growing business empire. And WSJ security reporter Benoit Faucon discusses what the attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach reveals about the threat posed by ISIS. Sabrina Siddiqui hosts.

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The ‘New Silk Road’ of Cheap Chinese Goods Dec 18, 2025

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A.M. Edition for Dec. 18. WSJ reporter Chelsey Dulaney says the redirection of China’s export machine caused by a U.S. crackdown on low-value imports is one of the most dramatic examples of how President Trump’s trade war has rewired global trade. Plus, Trump uses a prime-time address to announce tariff-funded dividends for troops. And Warner Bros. Discovery demands a stronger personal guarantee from Larry Ellison in Paramount Skydance’s $77.9 billion takeover bid. Luke Vargas hosts.

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Frustrated Republican Centrists Join Democrats to Force ACA Vote Dec 17, 2025

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P.M. Edition for Dec. 17. Some frustrated Republicans have bucked leadership and sided with House Democrats to force a vote on extending expiring healthcare subsidies. WSJ Congressional reporter Siobhan Hughes explains how next year’s midterms are factoring into that decision. Plus, the Oscars are going digital and heading to a new home: YouTube. And WSJ entertainment reporter Joe Flint tells us what options Paramount has left in its pursuit of Warner after the media company rejects its hostile bid. Julie Chang hosts.
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Trump Takes Aim at Venezuela’s Maduro With Tanker Blockade Dec 17, 2025

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A.M. Edition for Dec. 17. President Trump orders a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. Plus, WSJ deputy finance editor Quentin Webb discusses the appetite for IPOs in 2026, after Medical-supplies distributor Medline completes the biggest initial public offering of the year. And America’s white-collar workers are filled with anxiety. WSJ economics reporter Rachel Louise Ensign unpacks the latest jobs report, which is an ominous sign in an era of big corporate layoffs and CEOs warning that AI will replace workers. Luke Vargas hosts.

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U.S. Unemployment Rises to Highest Level Since 2021 Dec 16, 2025

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P.M. Edition for Dec. 16. A long-awaited government report on jobs adds to questions about the economy’s strength. Watch the WSJ Q&A for more takeaways on the labor market. Plus, Heard on the Street columnist Jonathan Weil discusses how efforts to make it easier for small companies to go public in the U.S. have helped fuel a wave of scams. And in Europe, officials are reversing course on a ban on new sales of gasoline-powered cars. WSJ reporter Kim Mackrael tells us why the EU is watering down its rules as the transition to electric vehicles proves more difficult than policymakers anticipated. Sabrina Siddiqui hosts.

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