P.M. Edition for Feb. 13. Annual inflation slowed to 2.4% in January, more than economists expected. WSJ chief economics commentator Greg Ip discusses how this is affecting consumers, and what it means for the Federal Reserve. Plus, it’s rare to get a granular look at a billionaire’s finances. Journal economics reporter Rachel Ensign tells us what she learned about Leon Black’s financial life from documents in the Jeffrey Epstein files. And, barring an unlikely last-minute deal, the Department of Homeland Security is expected to shut down overnight. If it lasts, it might mean longer security lines at airports. Alex Ossola hosts.
Today on The Gist, Mike breaks down Judge Richard Leon's ruling that Pete Hegseth's attempt to strip Senator Mark Kelly of his rank was absolute "horse feathers." Then, Ben Terris of New York Magazine joins to discuss his feature on the health of the President in 2026. They discuss the "talking points" held by Walter Reed doctors, the vanity behind the hand bruises, and the difficulty of assessing Trump's mental acuity when his inner circle has committed to the bit.
Produced by Corey Wara
Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig
Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com
Plus: EV-maker Rivian expects to begin deliveries of its new $50,000 R2 model in the second quarter. And shares of Coinbase and Applied Materials close up, while DraftKings stock slides. Julie Chang hosts.
An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.
We saw a rush of earnings reports this week and while results looked solid, stocks often cratered on fear of AI and disruption. We discuss our takeaways and where there may be value for investors. Then we discuss how a tiny company took a bite out of trucking and logistics stock this week, plus stocks on our radar.
Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Jason Moser discuss:
- The top earnings reports of the week.
- Artificial intelligence coming for trucking stocks?
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Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We're also joined by Steven Adler, ex-OpenAI safety researcher and author of Clear-Eyed AI on Substack. We cover: 1) The Viral "Something Big Is Happening" essay 2) What the essay got wrong about recursive self-improving AI 3) Where the essay was right about the pace of change 4) Are we ready for the repercussions of fast moving AI? 5) Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6 model card's risks 6) Do AI models know when they're being tested? 7) An Anthropic researcher leaves and warns "the world is in peril" 8) OpenAI disbands its mission alignment team 9) The risks of AI companionship 10) OpenAI's GPT 4o is mourned on the way out 11) Anthropic raises $30 billion
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Live from Melbourne, Jon, Lovett, Tommy, and Dan react to Democrats’ decision to stand firm on ICE funding and force a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, Pam Bondi’s epic meltdown in front of the House Judiciary Committee, Megyn Kelly’s unhinged response to the Bad Bunny halftime show, and what really happened with the the laser weapon that shut down El Paso airspace. Then, the Australian crowd and American hosts attempt to answer questions from each other's citizenship test.
Noise cancelling headphones filter out sound waves that we don’t want to hear. Listener Ahmed in Libya loves wearing his and, as he was listening to them, he had a thought: ‘Could we cancel out light waves in a similar way to how noise cancelling headphones do it?’
He sent his question to CrowdScience and now presenter Alex Lathbridge is getting deep into the physics, to find out if light cancelling devices could replace curtains and shutters.
Alex starts at the Ray Dolby Centre in Cambridge in the UK, built to honour Ray Dolby’s invention of noise cancelling technology. In this amazing building he meets Jeremy Baumberg, Professor of Nanophotonics at Cambridge University. With the help of a tuning fork and a laser beams, Jeremy shows Alex that manipulating light is no easy feat.
Undeterred, Alex tracks down Stefan Rotter, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Vienna Technical University in Austria. Stefan and his colleagues around the world have been pushing forward the development of a device called the ‘anti-laser’. Alex and Stefan explore whether this could be the light-cancelling device of Ahmed’s imagination.
And once we've created a light-cancelling device, what do we do with it? Mary Lou Jepsen is an inventor and the founder of health tech firm Openwater. She tells Alex about how she’s using light wave manipulation to open up new possibilities for medical imaging, and even treatment.
This programme includes clips from:
Surrounded by Sound: Ray Dolby and the Art of Noise Reduction https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002bswq
CrowdScience: Can we trap light in a box? https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cswvwy
As global tensions rise and the world order seems increasingly imperiled, the nation of Iran is suffering a massive crisis of legitimacy. A collapsing currency, economic chaos, exploding prices, a water crisis and brutal government oppression have led to an unprecedented wave of protests. The government responded by blacking out the internet, and cracking down on civilians with torture, arrests, live fire and murder. In today's episode, the guys make contact with Conspiracy Realists in the country to learn more about what's really going on in Iran -- and what may happen next.
