When you hear "meal deal" you probably think of fast-food chains, like McDonald’s. But as daily life grows more unaffordable, a new tier of chain restaurants are adopting similar options to hang onto their cash-strapped regulars. It's why Panera just launched a new $10 value meal, and analysts expect other fast-casual joints to follow suit. Plus: Data center construction was up nearly 30% in 2025 but had a limited impact on GDP; buy now, pay later for rent payment comes at a price; we discuss the week’s economic headlines.
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President Trump issued an executive order to increase domestic production of glyphosate, commonly used as a weedkiller. It’s the active ingredient in the weedkiller, Roundup.
That order immediately ignited an uproar in the Make America Healthy Again movement. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his supporters have long believed glyphosate is a health risk. But now, Kennedy says he supports Trump’s order.
Helena Bottemiller Evich, founder and editor-in-chief of the Food Fix newsletter, calls MAHA’s response a “marital spat” with the Trump administration, and explains how it could affect Trump’s base going forward.
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Bill Clinton has told a Congressional committee that he was unaware of the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein. Mr Clinton said he saw nothing and did nothing wrong during his acquaintance with the late sex offender. Democrats have described the tone of the closed door hearing as civil, saying Mr Clinton answered every question.
Also in the programme: Pakistan defence minister says country in 'open war' with Afghanistan after strikes; Ramadan in Gaza; and we'll talk to a judge at the International Criminal Court, who was sanctioned by the US after the court issued an arrest warrant for Israel's prime minister.
Trump orders all federal agencies to phase out use of Anthropic technology after company's dispute with Pentagon over AI safety. Oman's foreign minister tells CBS News peace deal possible with Iran. Concern rises over fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Plus: Private credit concerns send Goldman Sachs stocks down. And Dell shares jump after a huge increase in its quarterly sales. Katherine Sullivan 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.
The world of science has been stuck in an existential crisis over whether we actually know the things we thought we knew. Re-running an old study today doesn't always yield the same result. Same with re-enacting old experiments. Collectively, this is known as the “replication crisis.”
Economist Abel Brodeur has come up with one way to help fix this crisis: he’s invented an internationally crowdsourced surveillance system, designed to keep social scientists honest. He calls it the “Replication Games.”
This episode was hosted by Mary Childs and Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. It was produced by James Sneed and Emma Peaslee, with help from Willa Rubin. It was edited by Jess Jiang, fact-checked by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, and engineered by Ko Takasugi-Czernowin. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
P.M. Edition for Feb. 27. After weeks of tension between the Pentagon and Anthropic, President Trump said that all federal agencies will end their use of Anthropic’s technology. WSJ tech policy reporter Amrith Ramkumar joins to discuss the busyweek for AI companies and the military. Plus, the U.S. is building up its preparations for a possible attack on Iran with the arrival of a second aircraft carrier to the region. And markets finish a tumultuous month on a downswing. Alex Ossola hosts.
James Kimmel Jr. joins to argue that revenge is less a moral impulse than a brain chemistry trap. He tells a rural Pennsylvania origin story that starts with bullying, a beagle named Paula, and a mailbox bombing, then ends with the moment his "stop" circuitry saved him from becoming a murderer. His book is The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World's Deadliest Addiction andHow to Overcome It, Plus, Anthropic backs away from its slow down for safety pledge as the Pentagon snarls at Dario Amodei, compelling the sorcerer to conjure smarter weapons.
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
Paramount has won the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, but it was Netflix stock that soared on the news. We cover the latest in buyout news and give some ideas for more companies that should be on the block.
Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Jon Quast discuss:
- Paramount wins WBD
- NVIDIA’s “disappointing” quarter
- Earnings roundup
- Joby and Uber
- Stocks on our radar
Companies discussed: Rocket Lab (RKLB), Mercadolibre (MELI), Netflix (NFLX), Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), NVIDIA (NVDA), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), The Trade Desk (TTD), Snowflake (SNOW), Joby (JOBY), Uber (UBER), Doordash (DASH), Lyft (LYFT), Spotify (SPOT), Live Nation (LYV), Disney (DIS), New York Time (NYT), Garmin (GRMN), Peloton (PTON), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B, BRK-A), PayPal (PYPL).
Host: Travis Hoium
Guests: Lou Whiteman, Jon Quast
Engineer: Dan Boyd
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Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover: 1) The origins of Anthropic's stare-down with the Pentagon 2) Claude's use in the operation to capture Venezuela president Nicolas Maduro 3) Was Claude really being used for autonomous warfare or mass surveillance, and did the military seek it out? 4) Maybe this is just a culture clash 5) Anthropic's marketing win 6) Should AI be used for autonomous warfare? 7) OpenAI raises $110 billion 8) Is that money real? 9) Block to cut nearly half its staff 10) Can AI be helpful in managing large companies? 11) Another science fiction story leads to a market panic.
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