Author: The Wall Street Journal & Gimlet

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.

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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. 

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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.

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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 

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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. 

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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 

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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.

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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 

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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. 

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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  

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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 

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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 

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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 

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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 

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