Americans Are Grumpy About Prices. Why Are They Still Spending?

When Jimmy Buffett died in 2023 he had set up a $275 million trust, naming his widow Jane as the sole beneficiary. Now, as WSJ’s Katherine Sayre reports, the family and Buffett’s former business manager are locked in a legal dispute over that Margaritaville fortune. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening: - The Case of the Missing $15 Billion Fortune: Part 1- The Case of the Missing $15 Billion Fortune: Part 2 Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Americans are more upset than ever about the economy as inflation continues to rise. But even so, consumers keep spending. WSJ’s Jeanne Whalen explains why U.S. shoppers are so unstoppable. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? The Inflation Election - Inflation Forces the Fed’s Hand Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the White House asked her to step down, Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned from her position as the U.S. Ambassador to Greece. A Wall Street Journal investigation laid out a series of text messages in which Guilfoyle asked a conservative supporter for a payment of $100,000 to her American Express account. WSJ’s Dana Mattioli reports on the messages that led to Guilfoyle’s fall. Imani Moise hosts. Further Listening: Jared Kushner’s Albania Headache: Flamingos, Contested Land and Cocaine  Kristi Noem’s $200 Million Mistake Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Red, White and Who?” The Journal’s election mini-series is back to cover the midterms. Every Wednesday for the next five weeks, Ryan Knutson talks with reporters around the country about issues important to voters. This week: President Trump's focus on the economy helped clear his way to the White House in 2024. But two years later, Trump initiatives like the war in Iran and global tariffs, have made life more expensive for voters. WSJ's Eliza Collins and producer Pierce Singgih visited a suburb in Arizona, home to one of the most competitive House races in the country, to see how voters feel about the economy and Republican party in 2026.  Further Listening: - Red, White and Who? The Anti-AI Voters Sign up for WSJ’s Politics newsletter. Illustration: James Walton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The smart ring company Oura has grown quickly. Its wearable tech seems to be everywhere: in slick ad campaigns, on celebrities’ social media, and on the fingers of regular people hoping to improve their health. Yet when Oura tried to go public late last month, it couldn’t find enough buyers. So the company stalled its listing. WSJ’s David Wainer explains what this delay reveals about investors’ appetites. Imani Moise hosts. Further Listening: - The Great IPO Frenzy of 2026 - $25 Billion to Zero: Bill Ackman’s Bungled IPO Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Composer Ludwig Göransson has scored films like “Black Panther” and “Oppenheimer,” and his latest is Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” In My Monday Morning, a new Journal video series inspired by the longstanding column of the same name, Lane Florsheim sits down with Ludwig to talk about his Christmassy oatmeal, writing music with 40 bronze gongs during the LA fires and the bottom shelf where he keeps his Oscars. Photo: Austin Hargrave Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years Xbox was the console of choice for serious gamers. But after a failed bet that it could revolutionize gaming through its streaming platform GamePass, the brand has been languishing. Now, a new CEO is overseeing a major turnaround effort. WSJ’s Ben Fritz lays out the new strategy. Imani Moise hosts. Further Listening: Is the Hottest Investment Pokémon Cards? Microsoft’s CEO Has a Message: Don’t Let AI Eat the Economy Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

U.S. aviation officials and industry insiders have long whispered about a deadly problem with air travel: rogue pilots with severe mental health issues intentionally crashing planes. WSJ’s Andrew Tangel reports on why this issue is a struggle for the airline industry, why pilots are afraid to ask for help and how engineers are trying to solve the problem. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening: An Air Traffic Controller Speaks Out About Newark Airport The Life and Death of a Boeing Whistleblower Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world’s biggest chemical industry is in China. For years, Chinese factories have also been a major producer of ingredients used to make fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that has contributed to thousands of deaths in the U.S. After a recent crackdown in China, WSJ’s Patricia Kowsmann reports that some of those same factories are now entering a new booming U.S. market: bootleg peptides. Imani Moise hosts. Further Listening: - Peptides Are Everywhere. Businesses Are Cashing In. - How Cocaine is Flooding in Europe Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Red, White and Who?” The Journal’s election mini-series is back to cover the midterms. Every Wednesday for the next five weeks, Ryan Knutson talks with reporters around the country about issues important to voters. This week: in Ohio, a backlash against AI data centers is scrambling old political loyalties. WSJ’s Cameron McWhirter and producer Matt Kwong travel across the state, where some Republicans say the issue is changing how they view the Senate race between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Jon Husted. Further Listening:- A Data Center Offered $26 Million for Her Land. She Said No. - A Data Center Revolt in Missouri Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices