James Bond is one of Hollywood's most famous characters. So when Amazon bought the rights to distribute Bond, executives had big plans for the brand?s intellectual property. But so far, Amazon hasn't made a single Bond movie. WSJ?s Erich Schwartzel takes us inside the feud that?s tying up the franchise.  Further Reading: -Where Is James Bond? Trapped in an Ugly Stalemate With Amazon  Further Listening: -Why Hollywood Is Betting Big on 'Wicked' -Why 'Yellowstone' Is One of TV's Most Expensive Shows  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The killing of a top health insurance executive outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel this month triggered an outpouring of public anger at private health insurance companies. WSJ?s Julie Wernau reports that many doctors are among the aggrieved. And two doctors explain how dealing with health insurers is getting worse. Further Listening: - The Suspect in the UnitedHealth Killing  Further Reading: - Doctors Say Dealing With Health Insurers Is Only Getting Worse  - Clues Left by a Killer Echo Widespread Anger at Health Insurers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BookTok, the corner of TikTok that?s all about books, has shaken up the publishing world. Over the last few years, the platform has pulled in new readers, especially in the romance and fantasy genres. And now some of the largest publishers in the U.S. are finding new talent and rethinking their strategies because of TikTok. We hear from an author, a bookstore owner and a publisher about how TikTok has transformed the book industry. Further Listening: -The Rise of the Tween Shopper  -Inside One Publisher?s Fight Against Book Bans  -Scholastic's Succession Drama  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After nearly a decade and $10 billion in development, General Motors is ending its robotaxi program. WSJ?s Christopher Otts explains why Cruise wasn?t working for the legacy car company. Further Reading: -General Motors Scraps Cruise Robotaxi Program  -GM?s Self-Driving Car Unit Skids Off Course  Further Listening: -How Waymo Won Over San Francisco  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intel?the company whose chips were ?inside? your ?90s desktops?has fallen behind in recent years. Now, the CEO hired to turn things around is suddenly out. WSJ?s Asa Fitch explains how the once-dominant chip brand lost its edge. Further Reading: - He Was Going to Save Intel. He Destroyed $150 Billion of Value Instead.  - Intel Co-CEOs Outline Strategy Following Pat Gelsinger?s Ouster  Further Listening: - America?s Answer to the Chip Shortage  - Why Washington Went to Wall Street to Revive the Chips Industry  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the war in Ukraine began, strange attacks have been happening across Europe, including a plot to set DHL packages on fire. WSJ?s Bojan Pancevski on Russia?s escalating shadow war in Europe.     Further Reading: -Chinese Ship?s Crew Suspected of Deliberately Dragging Anchor for 100 Miles to Cut Baltic Cables  -Russia Suspected of Plotting to Send Incendiary Devices on U.S.-Bound Planes  -The Misfits Russia Is Recruiting to Spy on the West  Further Listening: -Elon Musk?s Secret Conversations with Vladimir Putin  -How Ukraine Built a Weapon to Control the Black Sea  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, a federal judge blocked a proposed $20-billion merger between the U.S.?s two largest supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons. WSJ?s Patrick Thomas reports on what happened in the trial, why the two chains turned on one another and what?s next for the grocery business. Further Listening: - The Fight for 7-Eleven  - Why the FTC is Challenging a $25 Billion Supermarket Merger  Further Reading: - Albertsons Sues Kroger, Terminates Merger After Judge Blocks Supermarket Megadeal  - Kroger-Albertsons Merger Blocked by Court, Handing Victory to Biden Antitrust Enforcers  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the price of Bitcoin reached $100,000 per coin, an all-time-high as President-elect Donald Trump promises his administration will be crypto-friendly. WSJ?s Alexander Osipovich breaks down the outlook for cryptocurrency. Further Reading: -Bitcoin Hits $100,000, Lifted by Hopes of a Crypto-Friendly Washington  -Crypto Players Celebrate SEC Pick, Bitcoin Touches $100,000  Further Listening: -Inside the Trump Crypto Bromance  -Coinbase?s CEO on the Future of Crypto  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a manhunt lasting nearly a week, authorities have arrested and charged a suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson. WSJ?s Joshua Chaffin unpacks what we know about the alleged killer, his possible motivations, and the public rage that has bubbled up as the search continued.  Further Reading: - Suspect in UnitedHealth Killing Was Ivy Leaguer With Anticapitalist Leanings  - Manhunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO Killer Meets Unexpected Obstacle: Sympathy for the Gunman  - Murder at Dawn: A Top Executive?s Final Moments in Manhattan  Further Listening: - The Story Behind the Stabbing of a San Francisco Tech Exec  - Why So Many Emergency Rooms Are Failing Kids in America  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Last month, Maurizio Cattelan?s ?Comedian,? a piece of conceptual art that consists of a banana duct taped to a wall, sold at a Sotheby?s auction for $6.2 million. WSJ?s Kelly Crow traces the banana?s origins from Art Basel Miami in 2019 to the top of the art market this year. Further Listening: - A Russian Billionaire, an Art Dealer and an Epic Feud  - The Basquiat Sisters on Managing One of Art's Hottest Brands Further Reading: - A $6.2 Million Banana and the Unexpected Return of the Art Market  - Someone Just Paid $6.2 Million for a Banana Duct-Taped to a Wall  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Target used to be a cheap and chic place to shop, but now the retailer is in a sales funk, losing market share to competitors like Walmart, Costco, and Amazon. WSJ?s Sarah Nassauer explores what happened to the beloved box store?s numbers and the strategies executives may be discussing to get back on target.   Further Reading: -Target?s Slide From Cheap Chic to Dull Chore  Further Listening: -What Went Wrong at Bed Bath & Beyond?  -Old Navy Tried to Make Sizes for All. It Backfired.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President-elect Donald Trump has proposed radically downsizing the federal government, and two of his allies are going to be in charge: Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. WSJ?s John McCormick walks us through the plans for DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency. Further Reading: - Musk, Ramaswamy Want Federal Workers in the Office Full Time. There?s a Hitch.  - Vivek Ramaswamy?s Marching Orders: Cut Trillions for Trump  Further Listening: - Uncovering Elon Musk's Secret Political Donations  - The Scramble Is on to Fill Trump?s Cabinet  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As President-elect Donald Trump lays out his plan for increasing tariffs on goods made in China and Mexico, some U.S. businesses are stockpiling. Small business owner Jason Junod explains what he thinks the impacts of the proposed tariffs will be, and why he hasn?t been able to go fully ?Made in America.? Further Reading: -American Companies Are Stocking Up to Get Ahead of Trump?s China Tariffs  -Trump Fires Salvo on North American Trade Pact  Further Listening: -China, an Alabama Business and a 20-Year Battle  -Why China Is Risking a Trade War  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To ease flight delays and staffing shortages in the New York City area, the FAA shifted oversight of Newark Airport?s airspace to Philadelphia earlier this year. But WSJ?s Andrew Tangel reports that problems remain and new risks have surfaced.  Further Listening: -How Spirit Airlines Landed in Bankruptcy  -How Southwest Airlines Melted Down  Further Reading: -Why Fixing New York Air Traffic Has Been a Bumpy Ride  -To Ease Newark Flight Delays, the FAA Turned to Philly. Here?s Why.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Thanksgiving! This episode was originally published in November 2023. Ocean Spray?s farmers are responsible for 65% of the world?s cranberries. It?s not a publicly traded company. It?s not a traditional private company, either. It?s a cooperative founded nearly a century ago and owned by roughly 700 families. WSJ?s Ben Cohen tells the story of how the cranberry got into the can and how the company is planning for a future beyond your Thanksgiving table.  Further Reading: -These People Are Responsible for the Cranberry Sauce You Love to Hate  Further Listening: -Are Rotisserie Chickens 'Inflation-Proof'?  -The Twinkie: From Bankruptcy to Billions  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Israel and Lebanon have reached a ceasefire agreement that ends more than a year of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group, Hezbollah. WSJ?s Jared Malsin takes us inside the deal and explores what it could mean for the region. Further Reading: -Israel Says Cease-Fire Takes Effect in Lebanon  -Israel Approves Cease-Fire With Lebanon Aimed at Ending Hezbollah Conflict  Further Listening: -The Risk of an All-Out War in the Middle East  -Exploding Pagers and the Risk of a Spreading War  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After two weeks of uncertainty, Donald Trump nominated Scott Bessent, a longtime Wall Street investor, as his next Treasury secretary. The pick capped a behind-the-scenes battle one advisor called a ?knife fight.? WSJ?s Andrew Restuccia takes us inside the decision, explores why Bessent triumphed and unpacks what his tenure could mean for the U.S. economy. Further Reading: -How Scott Bessent Won the ?Knife Fight? to Be Trump?s Treasury Secretary  -Scott Bessent Sees a Coming ?Global Economic Reordering.? He Wants to Be Part of It.  Further Listening: -Gaetz, Bondi and Trump's Department of Justice  -The Scramble Is on to Fill Trump's Cabinet  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The movie musical ?Wicked? collected a blockbuster $114 million in its opening weekend. Over the past year, Universal and its parent company Comcast have launched an all-out marketing blitz to blanket the world in ?Wicked.? WSJ?s Erich Schwartzel reports on how it is the new Hollywood playbook. Further Listening:- The Curtain Closes on Phantom of the Opera  - The Rise of the Minions  - Why 'Yellowstone' Is One of TV's Most Expensive Shows  Further Reading: - Inside Hollywood?s Big ?Wicked? Gamble  - ?Wicked? Flies High on Big Screen, With $114 Million Opening Weekend  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After recognizing his nomination was facing an uphill battle, former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration for U.S. Attorney General. WSJ's Sadie Gurman describes how president-elect Donald Trump's first pick unraveled and why he chose former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for the role instead. Further Reading: -Trump Picks Pam Bondi for Attorney General After Gaetz Withdraws  -Matt Gaetz Withdraws From Consideration as Trump's Attorney General  -Matt Gaetz Had Sex With 17-Year-Old, Witness Told House Ethics Committee  Further Listening: -The Scramble Is on to Fill Trump?s Cabinet -What a Republican Congress Could Mean for Trump  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When TNT lost the rights to broadcast NBA games this year, fans worried that the network?s long-running popular show ?Inside the NBA? would also end. But, as WSJ?s Joe Flint explains, a complicated trade has allowed the show to live on.  Further Listening: - The NBA?s Media Rights Are Up For Grabs. Billions Are At Stake.  - The Media Mogul Taking an Ax To Hollywood  Further Reading: - Warner Bros. Discovery, NBA Settle Legal Battle Over TV Rights  - Warner?s TNT Sues NBA, Alleging Breach of Media-Rights Contract  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, Spirit Airlines soared with a low-cost, no-frills business model. This week, it came in for a bumpy landing. WSJ's Alison Sider explains how the big airlines learned to compete with Spirit??and helped put the carrier in bankruptcy. Further Listening: -The Love Triangle Over Spirit Airlines  -Frontier, Spirit and the Future of Low-Cost Airlines  Further Reading: -How Spirit Airlines Went From Industry Maverick to Chapter 11 Bankruptcy  -Discount Airline Spirit Files for Bankruptcy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this year, Canadian convenience store company Alimentation Couche-Tard put in a bid to acquire 7-Eleven. Then, management from inside 7-Eleven?s parent company, Seven & i, proposed a record-breaking buyout to counter. WSJ?s Jinjoo Lee on the drama around who will own the world?s largest convenience store chain.  Further Listening: -The Fight Over U.S. Steel and the Community Caught in the Middle  -Why the FTC is Challenging a $25 Billion Supermarket Merger  Further Reading: -The Fight for 7-Eleven Isn?t Just About Money  -Talk of a 7-Eleven Takeover Has Japan Worried About the Rice Balls  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grocery bills are going up for a lot of reasons. One has to do with how food gets on grocery store shelves. WSJ?s Jesse Newman explains a hidden layer of fees that are getting passed down to the consumer.  Further Reading: - The Mysterious Fees Inflating Your Grocery Bill  - After Years of Raising Prices, Food Companies Hit Consumers? Limits  Further Listening: - The Twinkie: From Bankruptcy to Billions  - Food Fight: PepsiCo vs. Carrefour  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Onion, the satirical news outlet, wants to buy Infowars, the platform conspiracy theorist Alex Jones used to defame families of the Sandy Hook massacre. Onion CEO Ben Collins shares why and John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, explains what it means to Sandy Hook families and the fight against disinformation. Further Reading: -The Onion Is Buying Alex Jones?s Infowars Site  -Alex Jones Files for Bankruptcy Following Sandy Hook Trial Losses  Further Listening: -How Much Will Alex Jones Pay for his Sandy Hook Lie?  -What One School District Is Doing About Rising Gun Violence  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leaders from around the world are meeting in Azerbaijan for the U.N.?s COP29 climate conference. With Donald Trump?s recent election victory looming over the event, the U.S.?s role will be diminished. WSJ?s Matthew Dalton explains why this moment might be China?s chance to shine. Further Listening: -The Oil Giant Hosting This Year?s U.N. Climate Summit  -The Fight Over Climate Change's Price Tag  Further Reading: -Trump Victory Leaves China Calling the Shots at COP29 Climate Negotiations  -Welcome to Baku, a City Built on Oil Hosting the World?s Climate Conference  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The famous investor and muti-billionaire CEO of Berkshire Hathaway is doing something unusual: selling stocks and hoarding cash. WSJ?s Spencer Jakab breaks down possible reasons why and what everyday investors can learn from his choices. Further Reading: - Does Warren Buffett Know Something That We Don?t?  - A $150 Billion Question: What Will Warren Buffett Do With All That Cash?  Further Listening: - Charlie Munger: Curmudgeon, Sage and Investing Legend  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After abortion access wins in 2022, Democrats made a bet that voters backing abortion on states? ballot measures would also back Democratic candidates. WSJ?s Laura Kusisto explains why that bet turned out to be wrong. Further Listening: The Scramble Is on to Fill Trump?s Cabinet  What a Republican Congress Could Mean for Trump  Further Reading: Voters Continued to Back Abortion Rights. It Didn?t Help Democrats.  A State-by-State Guide to Abortion Access in the U.S.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The incoming Trump administration has just named its White House chief of staff and more appointments will be coming soon. WSJ?s Andrew Restuccia on who is in the running and how this transition could be different from 2016. Further Reading: -The Scramble Is On to Fill Out Trump?s Cabinet   -Lutnick Consults With Musk, Kushner, Wall Street in Rush to Staff Trump White House   -Meet the Wall Street Bigwig Who Has Become Trump?s Headhunter in Chief   Further Listening: -Red, White and Who? Why Trump Won and Where Democrats Go Next  -What a Republican Congress Could Mean for Trump  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The race is over! Molly Ball and Ryan Knutson dive into the election results to understand what the electorate is feeling. Plus, where did it all go wrong for Democrats and what will day one of a Trump presidency look like? Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? It?s Trump.  - Red, White and Who? An Electoral College Blowout?  Further Reading: - How Trump Won the Economy-Is-Everything Election  - Trump Win Marks a Blow to Biden?s Legacy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former president Donald Trump is now president-elect. But that wasn?t the only win this week for the GOP. Republicans have also secured a majority in the Senate, and they?re poised to win the House of Representatives. WSJ?s Siobhan Hughes breaks down what this Republican trifecta could look like. Further Reading: -Republicans Poised to Keep Control of House After Winning Senate  -How Republicans Regained Control of the Senate  Further Listening: -Red, White and Who? It's Trump.  -How Donald Trump Pulled Off a Historic Comeback  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republican former president Donald Trump defeats Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, reclaiming the White House. WSJ?s Alex Leary reports on Trump?s winning strategy and the campaign that fueled it. Further Listening: -Red, White and Who? Playlist  Further Reading: -Trump Defeats Harris, Marking Historic Comeback  -How Donald Trump Won?by Being Donald Trump  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After flipping Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, Donald Trump will become the 47th President of the United States. In the early hours of the morning, Molly Ball and Ryan Knutson discuss election night and Trump's victory. Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? An Electoral College Blowout?  - Red, White and Who? The Undecided Voters Who Could Decide The Election  Further Reading: - Live Coverage from WSJ  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Election night is here, and the U.S.?and the world?is watching as the votes come in. WSJ's Politics Editor Ben Pershing walks us through what he's keeping a close eye on, and how long it might take before a winner is called. Further Reading: -Election Day 2024 Live: It's Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump as America Votes  -A (Don?t Hold Us to It) Hour-by-Hour Guide to Election Night  Further Listening:  -Harris, Trump and the Inflation Election  -Red, White and Who? An Electoral College Blowout?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tomorrow is Election Day, and both Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump have campaigned on bringing down inflation. WSJ?s Nick Timiraos breaks down how both candidates? plans will impact everyday costs. Further Listening: -Why Trump and Harris Aren?t Talking About the $1.8 Trillion Deficit  -Red, White and Who? Playlist  Further Reading: -Economists Warn of New Inflation Hazards After Election  -Inflation Continues Its Bumpy Decline With Mixed September Reading  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, activists and lawmakers have tried to change the way child care works in the U.S. But they haven?t had much success. More recently, a fight has been brewing at the local level. This Tuesday, several places around the country will vote on whether to subsidize childcare. WSJ?s Harriet Torry explains what that could mean for one county in Texas. Further Reading: -Are American Taxpayers Ready to Foot the Bill for Child Care?  -Child Care, Rent, Insurance: Where Inflation Hits Hardest Now  Further Listening: -How Employer-Funded Child Care Can Work  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel Humphreys and Molly Ball share dispatches from two major campaign events with Ryan Knutson. Molly analyzes the closing arguments and outlines what to expect on election day. Plus, we finally answer listeners? most asked question: What?s up with the electoral college?  Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? The Undecided Voters Who Could Decide The Election  - Red, White and Who? The Desperation Stage  Further Reading: - America Is Having a Panic Attack Over the Election  - Pennsylvania Has Already Become Ground Zero for Election-Fraud Claims  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a rocky start, self-driving car company Waymo seems to have won over riders in San Francisco. WSJ?s Meghan Bobrowsky talks about the company?s push to convince the public its robotaxis are safe and the challenges of replicating that progress elsewhere. Further Reading: -How San Francisco Learned to Love Self-Driving Cars  -America?s Most Tech-Forward City Has Doubts About Self-Driving Cars  Further Listening: -The Future of Self-Driving Cars Is Here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For four generations, the Merwin family has worked in Boeing?s factories in Washington state. But for the last six weeks, Tony Merwin and his son Patrick have been on strike, along with 33,000 machinists. They explain why they?re demanding higher wages and pension benefits.  Further Reading: -For This Boeing Family, the Job Is the Same. The Payoff Isn?t  -Boeing Strike Extended After Union Machinists Reject Contract  -Boeing?s CEO Is Shrinking the Jet Maker to Stop Its Crisis From Spiraling  Further Listening: -Why 33,000 Boeing Workers Walked Off the Job  -Boeing's Long Flight Delay ? in Space  -Boeing Agrees to Felony Plea. Now Its Future Is Up in the Air.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the Trump administration, Chris Krebs was the top cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security. He spoke with WSJ?s Rolfe Winkler at WSJ Tech Live about the upcoming U.S. election and growing cyber threats from foreign governments. Further Listening: -The Chinese Hackers Spying on U.S. Internet Traffic  -Red, White and Who? Playlist  Further Reading: -China-Linked Hackers Breach U.S. Internet Providers in New ?Salt Typhoon? Cyberattack  -U.S. Wiretap Systems Targeted in China-Linked Hack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the past two years, tech billionaire Elon Musk has been having regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. WSJ?s Thomas Grove reports on what we know about the nature of their conversations and why that contact raises potential national security concerns for some in the current administration. Further Reading: - Elon Musk?s Secret Conversations With Vladimir Putin  - Musk Says He Thwarted Attack on Russian Fleet in Ukraine?s Crimea  Further Listening: - Uncovering Elon Musk's Secret Political Donations  - The Russian Military is Using Elon Musk?s Starlink  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hans Zimmer, Academy Award-winning composer, and Golnar Khosrowshahi, CEO of Reservoir Media, discuss AI in the music industry, why human creation is still unique and whether or not Zimmer approves of ?The Journal? theme music. Further Listening: -Artificial: The OpenAI Story -When AI Comes for Your Art Further Reading: -Hans Zimmer, Movie Maestro -Music Labels Take On AI Startups With New Lawsuits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five undecided voters in swing states speak to Rachel Humphreys about how they're feeling as election day looms. Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball unpack the stakes. Plus, will betting markets predict the winner? Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? Playlist  - Red, White and Who? The Desperation Stage  - How Betting on U.S. Politics Is Getting Big  Further Reading: - Trump Takes Narrow Lead Over Harris in Closing Weeks of Race  - Meet the Traders Making Money Off the Trump Shooting and Biden?s Stumbles  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Jeffries, former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, was arrested and charged with running an international sex-trafficking ring. WSJ?s Khadeeja Safdar describes the alleged crimes and the potential fallout for the company. Further Reading: -Former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries Is Arrested, Charged in Sex-Trafficking Case  Further Listening: -The Resurrection of Abercrombie & Fitch  -JPMorgan's $75 Million Jeffrey Epstein Settlement  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Across the country, elections officials are bracing for a potentially contentious election day. At the same time, a network of conservative election integrity groups are preparing to challenge the result. WSJ's Rebecca Ballhaus reports on the billionaire-funded effort to contest the election, and WSJ's Jim Carlton reports how Maricopa County, Arizona is preparing for the worst. Further Reading: -The Secretive Billionaire Network Funding ?Stop the Steal? 2.0  -?It Feels Very Dystopian.? Republican County Officials Brace for Election Deniers?Again  Further Listening: -Red, White and Who? The Desperation Stage   -Uncovering Elon Musk's Secret Political Donations  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For 17 days last year, unidentified drones swarmed an area in Virginia that is home to a military base and other sensitive intelligence sites. WSJ?s Gordon Lubold looked into why it was so difficult for U.S. officials to stop them.  Further Reading: -Mystery Drones Swarmed a U.S. Military Base for 17 Days. The Pentagon Is Stumped.  Further Listening: -How Ukraine Built a Weapon to Control the Black Sea  -Cheap Drones Are Transforming the Battlefield  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clouds are gathering over the Sunshine State?s housing market. Especially along the state?s Gulf Coast, housing inventory is up and buyer interest is slowing. WSJ?s Deborah Acosta talks through the cooling-off of one of America?s biggest housing booms and what it says about what it means to live in Florida now. Further Listening: - Is Asheville No Longer a 'Climate Haven?  - Years After Surfside Collapse, Florida Condos Are In Crisis  Further Reading: - The Great Florida Migration Is Coming Undone  - Why the Tampa Area Is So Vulnerable to a Hurricane  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, China?s foreign minister, Qin Gang, suddenly disappeared. Qin was a rising star in Chinese politics and a protegé of China?s strongman leader, Xi Jinping. In the first episode of our three-part investigation, we chart Qin?s rise and begin to untangle the mystery of his disappearance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second episode of our investigation, we examine the life and career of Fu Xiaotian: the prominent Chinese TV host who had an affair with Qin Gang. Like Qin, Fu was sharp and ambitious, but her high-flying career would come to an abrupt halt. And like Qin, she would also mysteriously disappear.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our final episode, we get a break in the case of the missing minister: According to our sources, Chinese officials were told that Qin disappeared due to an explosive allegation. We dig into that story and its consequences for Fu and for Qin ? Xi Jinping?s trusted aide.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices