WSJ What’s News

P.M. Edition for April 24. A new study found that hospital mergers drive up healthcare costs. The Wall Street Journal’s Melanie Evans discusses how consumers are paying the price. And McKinsey is under criminal investigation for opioid-related consulting services. Plus, major business groups are suing to block a new federal rule banning employee noncompete agreements. Sabrina Siddiqui hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A.M. Edition for April 24. Tesla’s stock soars off hours after CEO Elon Musk announced it would accelerate the launch of new models, including at more affordable prices. Plus, the Senate passes a long-delayed foreign aid package. And WSJ reporter Jack Pitcher explains why Cathie Wood’s ARK funds are facing an investor exodus despite this year’s market rally. Luke Vargas hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

P.M. Edition for April 23. The Democratic Party faces an electoral test over Israel in Pennsylvania’s primary today. WSJ reporter Kris Maher discusses how the war is impacting voters in that crucial swing state. And the U.S. Federal Trade Commission votes to ban noncompete clauses that restrict job switching. The WSJ’s Dave Michaels has more. Plus, Tesla reports a sharp drop in first-quarter earnings. Sabrina Siddiqui hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A.M. Edition for April 23. Washington is drafting sanctions against some Chinese lenders as it seeks to stop Beijing from helping Russia rebuild its war machine. Plus, colleges struggle to stem the fallout from campus confrontations over the Israel-Hamas war. And as efforts to ban books soar across the U.S., WSJ’s Joseph De Avila discusses some of the targeted titles and the groups calling for the bans. Luke Vargas hosts. Correction: The proposed merger between Coach and Michael Kors is worth $8.5 billion. An earlier version of this podcast incorrectly said the deal was worth $8.5 million. (Corrected April 24) Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

P.M. Edition for April 22. The so-called Magnificent Seven stocks shed a combined $950 billion in market value last week, the largest on record. Wall Street Journal banking reporter Charley Grant says upcoming earnings offer an opportunity to stop the slide. And OpenAI CEO Sam Altman invests in a company tackling artificial intelligence’s big appetite for clean energy. Climate finance reporter Amrith Ramkumar has more. Plus, opening statements kick off Trump’s hush-money trial in Manhattan. Sabrina Siddiqui hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A.M. Edition for April 22. The House over the weekend passed a $95 billion foreign aid-package, along with a bill that would force the sale of TikTok by its Chinese-controlled owner. WSJ congressional reporter Natalie Andrews explains how those measures are likely to fare in the Senate. Plus, reporter William Boston on the state of the car industry after VW workers vote to join the UAW and Tesla cuts prices. And the Supreme Court takes on homelessness. Luke Vargas hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tesla’s stock has fallen by about 40% this year. Last week, the company announced layoffs and a recall of its newest electric vehicle, the Cybertruck, due to a faulty accelerator pedal months after it was released. Other car makers are reporting weakened demand for EVs, and a lot more interest in hybrid cars from American consumers. So, what happened to the high hopes of America’s electric car future? WSJ’s Stephen Wilmot and Mike Colias answer listener questions on what’s going on in the EV market and what it means for consumers, investors and the automakers like General Motors, Ford and Toyota. Annmarie Fertoli hosts. Further Reading The Six Months That Short-Circuited the Electric-Vehicle Revolution Biden’s EPA Gives Automakers More Leeway to Phase Out Gas-Engine Cars Tesla Agrees to Settle Lawsuit Over Autopilot’s Involvement in 2018 Fatal Crash  The Inside Tale of Tesla’s Fall to Earth  How Electric Vehicles Are Losing Momentum with U.S. Buyers, in Charts  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did United Airlines' earnings land with investors? And why are subscribers not enough for Netflix? Plus, what troubles Live Nation? Host Francesca Fontana discusses the biggest stock moves of the week and the news that drove them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

P.M. Edition for April 19. We end our series on inflation in Zimbabwe. The country recently launched a new currency, but will it help locals who struggle with inflation and can’t save? Producer Anthony Bansie reports. Plus, Tesla recalls 3,878 Cybertrucks to repair or replace faulty accelerator pedals. Annmarie Fertoli hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A.M. Edition for April 19. WSJ correspondent Dov Lieber explains what’s known about Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Iran, which appear to have been narrow in scope to avoid further escalation. Plus, Apple yanks popular messaging applications like WhatsApp and Threads from its Chinese App Store after a fresh censorship order from Beijing. And voters in India begin casting ballots in the largest democratic exercise in the world. Luke Vargas hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

P.M. Edition for April 18. More than a dozen U.S. states are fighting healthcare acquisitions backed by private equity. WSJ Pro private-equity reporter Chris Cumming explains. And banking reporter Charley Grant explains why pension funds are pulling hundreds of billions of dollars out of stocks. Plus, U.S. mortgage rates rise and home sales fall. Annmarie Fertoli hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A.M. Edition for April 18. After long relying on militias in its deadly fight with Israel, Iran’s direct attack on Israel last weekend marked a major shift in strategy. WSJ correspondent Jared Malsin explains what prompted Tehran to emerge from the shadows. Plus, House Republicans prepare to fast-track a bill that could ban or force the sale of video-sharing app TikTok. And how slumping car demand and efforts to unionize factories are adding to pressure on the automobile sector. Luke Vargas hosts. Amplification: This podcast was updated to remove certain language about Big River Services' and Amazon’s practices under its Project Curiosity. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

P.M. Edition for April 17. Economists raised their expectations for U.S. growth, inflation and the level of future interest rates in the latest WSJ quarterly survey. Markets and economics reporter Sam Goldfarb has more. Plus, Boeing’s quality issues take center stage at a congressional hearing. WSJ aerospace reporter Sharon Terlep has the details. And U.S. House speaker Mike Johnson pushes ahead with a high-stakes vote on a foreign aid package. Annmarie Fertoli hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A.M. Edition for April 17. President Joe Biden is calling for a steep rise in tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum. The WSJ’s Jason Douglas says the tariffs could be the first step in a range of protectionist measures against a surge in Chinese exports that has alarmed the White House. Plus, the jury begins to take shape in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial. And Tesla delays deliveries of its much-hyped Cybertruck. Luke Vargas hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

P.M. Edition for April 16. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said firmer-than-expected inflation and hiring have weakened the case for pre-emptive interest-rate cuts. And the International Monetary Fund says the global economy is picking up steam this year, but the poorest countries are falling behind. Economics reporter Paul Kiernan has more on the revised expectations. Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in a case that could affect hundreds of January 6th, 2021 prosecutions. Legal affairs correspondent Jan Wolfe has more. Annmarie Fertoli hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A.M. Edition for April 16. China is reporting 5.3% GDP growth for the first quarter as efforts to boost the country’s factories begin to show results. However, ifo Institute economist Andreas Baur and WSJ reporter Jason Douglas explain that foreign businesses’ moves to diversify their supply chains could complicate Beijing’s plans. Plus, the Justice Department prepares to sue concert promoter Live Nation. And as conflict scrambles energy markets, traders bet producers will step in before oil hits $100 a barrel. Luke Vargas hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

P.M. Edition for April 15. Interest-rate cuts could be further down the line than many investors had hoped. Markets reporter Hardika Singh explains what keeping rates higher for longer could mean for the stock market. And Tesla plans to cut more than 10% of its workforce. Autos reporter Ryan Felton has more. Plus, investment banking and trading power earnings at Goldman Sachs. Annmarie Fertoli hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A.M. Edition for April 15. After the U.S. helped Israel repel the first direct attack by Iran, WSJ correspondent Dov Lieber says President Joe Biden is now tasked with trying to prevent the wider war in the Middle East he’s sought to avoid. Plus, Samsung moves past Apple to become the top global smartphone provider. And Donald Trump’s day in court arrives in his hush money criminal trial. Luke Vargas hosts.  Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to the numbers, the U.S. jobs market is doing well. The Labor Department says employers added 303,000 jobs in March, 100,000 more than most economists expected, and the unemployment rate remains close to lows not seen since the 1960s. So why do so many Americans feel frustrated by their employment prospects? Wall Street Journal reporter Harriet Torry and columnist Calum Borchers answer your questions on the labor market. Luke Vargas hosts. Further Reading Brisk Hiring Bolsters Fed’s Cautious Stance on Rate Cuts  These College Seniors Locked In Job Offers. Here’s How They Did It.  How Gen Z Is Becoming the Toolbelt Generation  Americans Don’t Care as Much About Work. And It Isn’t Just Gen Z.  What’s Wrong With the Economy? It’s You, Not the Data  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices