Author: The Wall Street Journal & Gimlet

After 60 years in charge, Warren Buffett is stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway later this year. Jessica Mendoza talks to WSJ’s Jason Zweig and Karen Langley about Buffet’s prolific career and Greg Abel, the man he chose to succeed him as CEO. 

Further Listening:

- Does Warren Buffett Know Something We Don't? 

- The Life of One of Wall Street's Greatest Investors 

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A little-known trade provision is ending, and it will likely upend business for e-commerce companies and raise prices for consumers. De minimis has allowed companies to avoid duties on shipments to the U.S. that are worth $800 or less. It’s a program that many companies, especially e-commerce giants, Shein and Temu, have taken advantage of to keep prices low. WSJ’s Shen Lu explains how President Donald Trump has now ended that program for products from China and Hong Kong. We also speak with the CFO of shoe company Kuru about how the new rules could change their business. Jessica Mendoza hosts. 

 

Further Listening:

-Shein: Fast Fashion, Slow IPO 

-The Billionaire Caught Between Trump and China 

-China Unleashes a Trade War Arsenal 

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In our capstone episode, Kate Linebaugh and Molly Ball break down Trump's first 100 days in office with WSJ’s Aaron Zitner, digging into the highs and lows, where things stand with voters and what’s next for the administration and the country.  

Further Listening:

-Canada’s New Leader Is Ready to Take On Trump 

-Trump 2.0: Where is the Economy Headed 

-Taking Stock of the ‘Sell America’ Trade 

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Before committing suicide live on X, Arnold Haro had a request: "If I die, I hope you guys turn this into a meme coin." His dying wish came true. Haro’s followers created a meme coin that skyrocketed in value to $2 million. WSJ's Kevin Dugan digs into a seedy online world where anything can be turned into crypto. Annie Minoff hosts.

Further Listening:

- Inside the Trump Crypto Bromance  

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The Davos conference brings together the world’s elites to try to make the world a better place. But according to some current and former employees, the leader of the organizing body behind Davos fosters a toxic workplace. WSJ’s Shalini Ramachandran discusses her investigation into the World Economic Forum and the impact of a recent anonymous whistleblower letter. Annie Minoff hosts. 

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Mark Carney, a former banker, won Canada’s national election on Monday. Carney ran on an anti-Trump platform, and he's promised to try to decouple his country’s economy from its biggest trading partner and, lately, its biggest threat. WSJ’s Vipal Monga explains how Trump’s trade war and threats to annex Canada have upended the election. Annie Minoff hosts. 

Further Listening:

- Why Justin Trudeau Stepped Down 

- Guns and Death Threats in Canada's Baby-Eel Fisheries 

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Suleiman al-Youssef’s son, Shadi, has been missing since the beginning of the Syrian civil war. After the Assad regime was overthrown, Suleiman found new hope when he discovered a video of a man who looked like his son outside the country’s most notorious prison. WSJ’s Ben C. Solomon on Suleiman’s search for his son and Syria’s thousands of other missing loved ones like him. Kate Linebaugh hosts.

Further Listening:

- Assad’s Regime Falls. What’s Next For Syria? 

- Ten Days That Shifted Power in Syria 

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Andy Wirth and Tony Harris moved halfway across the world to help build Neom: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s futuristic new city in the Saudi desert. But what they found wasn’t the desert utopia of Neom’s marketing. Instead, they found a project bleeding cash, led by a screaming CEO, where very little was actually being built. 

WSJ’s Rory Jones and Eliot Brown explain how Neom fell years behind schedule – and went billions of dollars over-budget – thanks to a culture of runaway spending and never telling the boss “no.” Hosted by Ryan Knutson. 

Further Listening:

- Neom, Pt 1: Skiing in the Desert 

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In 2017, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious, young leader, Mohammed bin Salman, unveiled Neom: a futuristic new city Saudi Arabia would build in the desert. Neom would be a hotspot for tourism like the French Riviera, a center of innovation like Silicon Valley, and a global melting pot like Dubai. It would help transform the Saudi economy. But over the years, that already bold plan grew even more ambitious.  

In the first of two episodes about Neom, WSJ’s Rory Jones and Eliot Brown explain how an effort to pivot the Saudi economy away from oil grew to encompass plans for a desert ski resort and skyscrapers the length of Connecticut. Plus we hear from two people who uprooted their lives and moved to Neom to help make MBS’s dream a reality. Hosted by Ryan Knutson. 

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President Trump’s deportations, tariffs, federal layoffs and funding suspensions have generated nonstop headlines and frayed confidence, yet left surprisingly little trace on the economy. Hiring, spending and inflation look a lot like they did under Joe Biden. As Trump’s first 100 days draw to a close, Kate Linebaugh and Molly Ball explore the state of the U.S. economy with Chief Economics Commentator Greg Ip and try to understand what might be coming next. 

Further Listening:

- Taking Stock of the ‘Sell America’ Trade 

- Inside the Harvard vs. Trump Battle 

- How Frog Embyros Landed a Scientist in ICE Detention 

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