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The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

The most important stories about money, business and power. Hosted by Ryan Knutson and Jessica Mendoza. The Journal is a co-production of Spotify and The Wall Street Journal.

Get show merch here: https://wsjshop.com/collections/clothing

The Journal.

Chinese criminals have made more than $1 billion from scam text messages sent out across the U.S. and the world. The texts warn of unpaid fines and lure unsuspecting victims to fork over their credit-card details. WSJ’s Robert McMillan explains how the scheme works and why it’s been so hard to stop. Jessica Mendoza hosts. 

Further Listening:

Pig-Butchering: A Texting Scam With a Crypto Twist

The Slaves Sending You Scam Texts

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No, Your Toll Payment Is Not Overdue

Once among the world's fastest-growing religions, Mormonism is facing a 21st-century reckoning, driven by social media. Across Tiktok and Instagram an army of #exmo creators take on controversial aspects of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ history. WSJ’s Georgia Wells reports on the growing online #exmo community and how the church is pushing back. Jessica Mendoza hosts. 

Further Listening:

- Why Utah Is Regulating Mom Influencers

- The Mormon Church's $100 Billion Secret Fund

Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

‘Exmo’ Influencers Are Taking On Mormonism

Steve Happ was packing to leave Tennessee for an evangelical mission to Uganda in 2023 when Bank of America told him it was canceling his church’s bank account and his credit cards. Happ soon became the symbol of a conservative complaint: Financial institutions are allegedly ’debanking’ people because of their religious or political views. WSJ’s Alexander Saeedy on President Trump’s fight with the banks over debanking. Ryan Knutson hosts. 

Further Listening:

-How a New 'Anti-Woke' Bank Stumbled

-Outcry at Bank of America Over Dangerous Workloads

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are Conservatives Being 'Debanked'?

For decades, one of the biggest questions fueling conspiracy theories has been: is the U.S. government hiding secret knowledge of extraterrestrial life? But when the Pentagon started investigating, it uncovered a different kind of coverup. WSJ's Joel Schectman reports on what's in that investigation, and what the government ultimately decided to leave out of it. Jessica Mendoza hosts.

Further Listening: - How a Balloon Burst U.S.-China Relations Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pentagon's UFO Coverup

16 days into the government shutdown, services are unavailable and federal workers are facing instability. Both sides have dug in, with Democrats and Republicans pointing fingers at each other. WSJ’s Siobhan Hughes explains what it would take to end the shutdown. Ryan Knutson hosts.

Further Listening: 

-Why This Government Shutdown Is Different

-Kathy Hochul on Mamdani, Trump and Where Democrats Went Wrong

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Government Shutdown: Who Will Blink First?

Deep in a heavily guarded mountain hideout in the heart of the Sierra Madre mountains, a new drug king is reigning. He is 59-year-old Nemesio “Mencho” Oseguera and his cartel has achieved dominance capitalizing on America’s resurgent love of cocaine and the Trump administration’s escalating war on fentanyl. WSJ’s José de Córdoba recounts the rise. Ryan Knutson hosts.

Further Listening: - The Drug You’ve Never Heard of Wreaking Havoc Across Europe- A Cocaine Kingpin and the Rise of Drug Violence in Europe

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mexico's New Cocaine Kingpin is Cashing In

Tech giants are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on an AI building boom, constructing massive data centers like a sprawling new complex in Texas. Is this a necessary investment for the future, or are we witnessing the next tech bubble? WSJ’s Berber Jin and Eliot Brown follow the money and consider whether or not it adds up. Jessica Mendoza hosts.

Further Listening:

-Artificial: The OpenAI Story

-The Hidden Workforce That Helped Filter Violence and Abuse Out of ChatGPT

-The Unraveling of OpenAI and Microsoft's Bromance

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the AI Boom… a Bubble?

We’re off today for the holiday, but wanted to share this episode. 

Sonos, the high-end speaker company, is still reeling from its disastrous app update over a year ago. WSJ’s Ben Cohen explains how the company lost revenue and approximately $600 million in market capitalization. Then came the layoffs and a CEO exit. Jessica Mendoza hosts.

This episode was first published in March 2025.

Further Listening: 

The Glitch That Crashed Millions of Computers

The Snowballing Problems at Vail Resorts

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The Botched Software Update That Cost $600 Million

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has a lot to juggle, from a federal government shutdown to immigration enforcement to the state’s affordability crisis. In a conversation taped at The Journal live event, Hochul joins host Ryan Knutson to talk about how she’s managing those challenges, what her private conversations are like with President Donald Trump, and her take on New York City’s next potential mayor, Zohran Mamdani. 

Further Listening: 

- Why This Government Shutdown Is Different

- Is NYC’s Mayoral Race All About Rent?

Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kathy Hochul on Mamdani, Trump and Where Democrats Went Wrong

A man in rural South Carolina calls 911 about a reckless driver. A reckless driver with a gun. Minutes later, a man is killed on Camp Swamp Road. Police say this was a clear-cut case of self defense. WSJ reporter Valerie Bauerlein reconstructs that night using 911 calls, police dash-camera and body-camera recordings.

Read the Reporting:

Police Say He Killed in Self-Defense. His Phone Tells Another Story. 

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Camp Swamp Road Ep. 1: Mess Around, Find Out

After decades of brutal dictatorship in Syria, the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell in a matter of days. WSJ’s Yaroslav Trofimov reports on the rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani and how regional players are responding to political change in Syria.

Further Listening:

- What the Ceasefire in Lebanon Means for the Middle East 

- Ten Days That Shifted Power in Syria 

Further Reading:

- The 11-Day Blitz by Syrian Rebels That Ended 50 Years of Assad Rule 

- Assad’s Downfall Marks a New Realignment in the Middle East 

- How a Syrian Rebel Went From an American Jail to Seizing Aleppo 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Assad's Regime Falls. What's Next For Syria?

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