In recent years, most home insurers were fleeing areas of California with high risk for wildfires. But State Farm was there, dominating the market. Then, just months before the devastating L.A. fires, the company dropped 30,000 homeowners from their books. WSJ’s Jean Eaglesham explains how the risk that State Farm unloaded is now a problem for the rest of California.  Further Reading: -State Farm Was All In on California – Until it Pulled the Plug Before the Fires  -Insurers’ Rule Change Puts California Homeowners on the Hook for L.A. Fire  Further Listening: -Their L.A. Neighborhood Burned. Two Residents Find What’s Left.   -Insuring a Home in California Is Getting Harder  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Barnett worked at Boeing for nearly 30 years. Before he left the company, he filed a whistleblower complaint, alleging he was retaliated against for raising safety concerns. Last March, after two days of testimony, he was found dead in his truck. Police ruled his death a suicide. We tell the story of Barnett’s life, and death, as a Boeing whistleblower.  Further Reading: - Boeing CEO Apologizes to MAX Crash Families, Calls Culture ‘Far From Perfect’ - The Disarray Inside Boeing’s 737 Factory Before the Door Plug Blowout  - Can Boeing Be Fixed? Aerospace Leaders Offer a Repair Manual  Further Listening: - The Failures Inside Boeing's 737 Factory  - A Hole in a Plane and a Headache for Boeing  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re off for Presidents Day, but we wanted to reshare this episode.Walmart is offering higher pay, bonuses and more stock options this year to retain and attract managers. WSJ’s Sarah Nassauer spent a day with one manager, Nichole Hart, to understand why the job is commanding such a high salary these days, and why Hart logs about 20,000 steps a day.This episode was originally published in May 2024. Further Reading: -A Day in the Life of a Walmart Manager Who Makes $240,000 a Year  -Walmart Takes On Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods With New Premium Brand  Further Listening: -What Walmart’s Aisles Say About the American Consumer  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the beginning of his presidency, Donald Trump suspended most U.S. foreign aid, causing vast confusion and concern around the world. One affected program was PEPFAR, the bipartisan initiative that works to fight HIV/AIDS globally. WSJ’s Nicholas Bariyo from Uganda and Michael M. Phillips from Kenya report. And we hear from Karl Hoffman, the CEO of the public health organization HealthX Partners.  Further Listening: -Inside USAID as Elon Musk and DOGE Ripped It Apart  Further Reading: -Trump Aid Whiplash Hits Refugees, AIDS Patients Worldwide  -Trump Order Freezing Foreign Aid Halts Programs Worldwide, Prompts Confusion and Rush for Waivers  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a busy month in D.C. for Elon Musk. WSJ’s Tim Higgins joins Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball to discuss what Musk’s strategies as a CEO can tell us about his plans for DOGE and the federal government. Plus, we get into Trump’s relationship with the judiciary and take a question from a listener about American expansionism.  Further Reading: -Musk Brings His Business Playbook to Washington: Move Fast and Claim Victory  -DOGE, Musk and Trump—Our Reporters Answered Your Questions  Further Listening: -R.I.P. CFPB?  -Trump 2.0: Less Foreign Aid, More Tariffs  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dating app companies are seeing a decline in demand, so they’re looking to recruit a new matchmaker: AI. WSJ’s Belle Lin reports on Grindr’s big bet that its new AI “wingman” will help its users find love. And we talk to someone who tried it.  Further Reading: - Grindr Aims to Build the Dating World’s First AI ‘Wingman’  Further Listening: - The Price of Dating Apps   - ‘Love Is Blind’ Is Back. Not All the Drama Is On-Screen  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Netflix’s hit reality show “Love is Blind” returns this Friday with its eighth season. But behind the scenes, there is a legal battle brewing over the treatment of cast members looking for love. We spoke to a former participant and others in the industry about how this could change reality TV.  Further Reading: -How ‘Love Is Blind’ Helped Netflix Crack the Reality-TV Code  Further Listening: -James Bond Is Missing. He's Trapped in a Fight With Amazon.  -Why 'Yellowstone' Is One of TV's Most Expensive Shows  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration's newly installed acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau chief Russell Vought is closing the agency and has ordered staff to halt all work. WSJ’s Brian Schwartz explores what the agency does and why it’s become the next target for Trump allies like Vought and Elon Musk. Further Listening: - Trump 2.0: Less Foreign Aid, More Tariffs  - Inside USAID as Elon Musk and DOGE Ripped It Apart  - Trump’s Tariff Whiplash  Further Reading: - CFPB to Close Office After Vought Tells Staff to Halt All Supervision  - Russell Vought Taking Over as New Acting Head of CFPB  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Denver was named the winner of a new women’s pro soccer franchise last month, in part because it plans to build one of the first stadiums exclusively for the league. WSJ’s Rachel Bachman explains the seismic shift in women’s sports - and the big money that is coming with it. Further Reading: -The Force in Women’s Sports That’s Even More Powerful Than Caitlin Clark  -No One Wanted to Finance Their Stadium. Now Every Game Is a Sellout.  Further Listening: -Can the WNBA Cash in on the Caitlin Clark Effect?  -The Kiss Rocking Women’s Soccer  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve watched any professional sports this year, chances are you’ve seen ad after ad pushing parlay bets. WSJ’s Katherine Sayre explains how parlays became big business for sports betting companies.  Further Listening: - How a Psychiatrist Lost $400,000 on Gambling Apps  - Disney Gets Into Gambling   Further Reading:  - America Has Fallen in Love With Long-Shot Sports Bets  - This Year’s Big NFL Winners: Fans, Not Sportsbooks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WSJ’s Joel Schectman joins Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball to explore the dismantling of USAID and what it means for America’s future as a global leader. Plus, Trump's tariffs, a Gaza proposal and remaking the CIA.   Further Listening:  - Inside USAID as Elon Musk and DOGE Ripped It Apart  - Trump’s Tariff Whiplash  Further Reading: - How Trump Gutted America’s $40 Billion Aid Agency in Two Weeks  - CIA Offers Buyout to Entire Workforce as Part of Trump Makeover  - Democrats Have a New Leader but Haven’t Come to Grips With Failure  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump wants the world's richest man, Elon Musk, to shrink the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency. And one of DOGE's first targets? USAID, the agency that focuses on foreign assistance. We talk to a USAID worker who is out of work this week and to WSJ’s Brian Schwartz about how powerful Musk and DOGE have become. Further Reading: -How Trump Gutted America’s $40 Billion Aid Agency in Two Weeks  -Trump Hints at Curbs on Musk’s Powers After Billionaire Shakes Up Washington  Further Listening: -DOGE: The Plan to Downsize the Government  -Is DEI Done?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vail Resorts is the king of the mountain. But recently, the ski company has been facing issues with overcrowding and labor disputes. WSJ travel reporter Allison Pohle on how Vail Resorts might be a victim of its own success. Further Reading: - Vail Resorts Has an Epic Problem  - Vail Resorts Shareholder Calls for Overhaul, Ouster of Executives Including CEO  Further Listening: - How Target Got Off Target  - A Surprise Turkey and 200 Lemons: Everyday Stories From the Pandemic   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cleared a major hurdle to becoming the nation's chief health officer. WSJ’s Liz Essley Whyte on Kennedy’s history and the heated lead-up to a full Senate vote. Further Reading: -RFK Jr. Clears Committee Vote, Putting Him on Track to Become Health Secretary  -RFK Jr. Backs Vaccines and Trump’s Agenda in Senate Testimony  -How RFK Jr. Transformed From Green Hero to Vaccine Skeptic  Further Listening: -Even Doctors Are Frustrated With Health Insurance  -PepsiCo’s New Healthy Diet: More Potato Chips and Soda  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House announced wide-ranging tariffs against the U.S.'s biggest trading partners: Mexico, Canada and China. At the last minute, both Canada and Mexico negotiated a pause. WSJ’s Gavin Bade unpacks the significance of the tariffs and the latest updates.  Further Reading: -Trump Slaps Tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China in Opening Salvo of Trade War  -Trump Aides Hunt for 11th-Hour Deal to Dial Back Canada-Mexico Tariffs  Further Listening: -Trump 2.0 A Whiplash on Federal Spending  -Trump 2.0: A Fast Start to a Second Term  -How One Business Is Getting Ahead of Trump’s Tariffs  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The collision of American Airlines flight 5342 and an Army helicopter is the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. in 23 years. But there were warning signs. WSJ's Benjamin Katz reports on recent safety concerns about D.C.'s increasingly busy airspace and explains where the investigation goes next. Further Listening: -Your Flight Delay Is Probably New York's Fault  Further Reading: -How a Plane and a Helicopter Collided in a Crowded Airspace Around Reagan Airport  -Washington’s Jam-Packed Airspace Has Prompted Warnings for Years  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball round up the week’s news including nomination hearings, inspectors general firings and the airplane crash in D.C. Plus, they speak to WSJ’s Washington coverage chief Damian Paletta about the administration's freeze on potentially trillions of dollars in government financial assistance. Further Listening: - Trump 2.0: A Fast Start to a Second Term  - Trump’s Immigration Overhaul  Further Reading: - White House Budget Freeze Tried to Flip Script on Busted Budget Process  - Trump Blames DEI, Democrats for Deadly Plane Crash  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2021, President Donald Trump sued Meta after his accounts were suspended in the wake of the January 6 riot. WSJ’s Rebecca Ballhaus explains why Mark Zuckerberg agreed to settle for $25 million yesterday. Further Reading:  - Meta to Pay $25 Million to Settle 2021 Trump Lawsuit  - Meta Ends Fact-Checking on Facebook, Instagram in Free-Speech Pitch  - ABC News to Pay $15 Million to Settle Donald Trump Defamation Lawsuit  Further Listening:  - Corporate America's Embrace of Trump 2.0  - The End of Facebook’s Content Moderation Era  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the Chinese company DeepSeek debuted a new AI model -- and overturned years of conventional wisdom about what it takes to build great AI. The shock unleashed a $1 trillion bloodbath on Wall Street. WSJ’s Stu Woo and WSJ’s Gunjan Banerji unpack DeepSeek's achievement and the market chaos it unleashed. Further Reading: -How China’s DeepSeek Outsmarted America  -The Day DeepSeek Turned Tech and Wall Street Upside Down  Further Listening: -The Company Behind Chat GPT  -The Hidden Workforce That Helped Filter Violence and Abuse Out of ChatGPT  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of the world’s most prominent names in technology are pledging billions to build artificial-intelligence infrastructure in the U.S. in a joint venture called Stargate. Notably missing? Microsoft. WSJ’s Tom Dotan explains how the partnership that launched the AI boom has deteriorated. Further Reading: - Tech Leaders Pledge up to $500 Billion in AI Investment in U.S.  - OpenAI’s Stargate Deal Heralds Shift Away From Microsoft  - Musk Pours Cold Water on Trump-Backed Stargate AI Project  Further Listening: - Artificial: The OpenAI Story  - What's the Worst AI Can Do? This Team Is Finding Out.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices