The Journal.
Hosted by Jessica Mendoza & Ryan Peterson · 52 decoded episodes · newest Oct 7, 2026
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
Episodes 52
- Oct 7, 2026 · 16 minChinese chemical suppliers move from fentanyl to peptidesThe episode shows how weak oversight and strong U.S. demand are helping an unapproved peptide market expand across borders.
- Oct 7, 2026 · 23 minOhio’s data center boom scrambles Senate politicsThe fight over farmland, water, power costs and corporate incentives is turning AI infrastructure into a test of Ohio’s political loyalties.
- Oct 6, 2026 · 16 minXi’s Health Raises Questions About China’s SuccessionXi Jinping’s centralized rule and absent successor could turn a private health concern into a political and economic risk for China and the world.
- Oct 5, 2026 · 22 minGoogle’s classroom AI raises doubts about learningSchools are adopting AI faster than researchers can establish whether it strengthens learning or erodes the skills students need to use it responsibly.
- Oct 4, 2026 · 19 minArtemis commander frames lunar missions as exercises in trustRandy Bresnik explains how Artemis III is meant to reduce risk for future lunar landings—and how astronauts manage pressure when the stakes are high.
- Oct 2, 2026 · 20 minNarco boats overwhelm Spain’s cocaine defensesEurope’s expanding cocaine trade is exposing a widening gap between adaptable trafficking networks and the resources available to stop them.
- Oct 1, 2026 · 21 minOne investigator exposes the machinery behind job scamsAs unemployment and financial pressure give scammers more targets, fake recruiters can steal applicants’ information, money, and time.
- Sep 30, 2026 · 21 minMeta’s AI agent turns convenience into a privacy gambleMuse can handle shopping, childcare, and calendars, but its mistakes and appetite for personal access expose the stakes of delegating daily life to AI.
- Sep 29, 2026 · 19 minChina’s blueberry boom turns Driscoll’s success into a squeezeThe episode shows how foreign companies can create a lucrative market in China only to face copied innovations, subsidized competition, and collapsing margins.
- Sep 28, 2026 · 17 minDinner planning exposes the hidden cost of modern family lifeDinner has become a daily negotiation over time, money, health and competing needs, with women still carrying much of the invisible planning work.
- Sep 27, 2026 · 23 minNYC weighs rent relief against housing supplyA rent freeze could offer immediate relief while intensifying the longer-term tradeoffs facing tenants, landlords, and New York’s limited housing stock.
- Sep 25, 2026 · 21 minLululemon’s founder reopens a fight over the brand’s futureLululemon must restore growth and sharpen its identity while its founder challenges the leadership responsible for its next phase.