Mayhem at Paramount as Merger Looms

The high price of baby eels has triggered an upsurge in illegal fishing and criminal activity in Canada. Earlier this year, the country announced a ban on baby-eel fishing in an attempt to contain the violence and to protect dwindling fish stocks. We speak to WSJ’s Paul Vieira and to a baby-eel fisherman about how a tiny fish has created a turf war in a remote Canadian community. Further Reading: Guns and Death Threats Spur Canada to Reel in Baby-Eel Fishing  Further Listening: Will Florida’s Plan to Get Cheap Drugs From Canada Work?  Canada’s Historic Settlement with Indigenous People  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Basketball Association is in advanced stages of a new round of media-rights deals. WSJ’s Amol Sharma unpacks why several major media players are jostling for the lucrative rights. Further Reading: -NBC Prepares $2.5-Billion-a-Year Bid to Pluck NBA Rights From TNT  -Amazon, YouTube Vie for NBA Streaming Rights as League’s Media Talks Heat Up  Further Listening: -Why Three Media Giants Are Betting on Sports Streaming  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, Bob Bakish stepped down as CEO of Paramount, one of America’s most iconic media companies. WSJ’s Jessica Toonkel reports on how Bakish’s relationship with Shari Redstone, chair of Paramount, has deteriorated amidst one of the messiest merger dramas in recent history.  Further Reading: - A Media Heiress’s Bid to Sell Sets Off Mayhem Inside Paramount  - How Bob Bakish, the Anti-Mogul CEO, Struggled to Rescue Paramount  - Shari Redstone’s Path to Power  Further Listening: - Why Buying Paramount Global Won’t Be Easy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump's allies have drafted plans to curb the Federal Reserve’s independence, should Trump win a second term. WSJ’s Andrew Restuccia unpacks the proposals, which include giving the president a say in interest-rate decisions. Further Reading: -Trump Allies Draw Up Plans to Blunt Fed’s Independence  -Why Inflation Is Biden’s Most Stubborn Political Problem  -Even If the Fed Cuts, the Days of Ultralow Rates Are Over  Further Listening: -Why the Fed Is Steering Away From Rate Cuts  -The Man Who Waged War on Inflation  -The President, the Fed, and the Cut  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For almost a decade, Amazon staff went undercover on Walmart, eBay and other marketplaces selling products under the guise of a company called ‘Big River.’ WSJ’s Dana Mattioli reports on the secret arm of Amazon that surreptitiously gathers intelligence on its competitors. Further Reading: -Inside Amazon’s Secret Operation to Gather Intel on Rivals  -Inside Amazon’s Push to Crack Trader Joe’s—and Dominate Everything  Further Listening: -TikTok Wants to Be More Like Amazon. Amazon Wants to Be More Like TikTok.  -What Is Amazon’s Secret ‘Project Nessie’?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jamie Dimon discusses his concerns about the future of the economy, the effect of overseas wars and the importance of U.S. leadership in a wide-ranging interview with WSJ’s Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker. Further Watching: -Jamie Dimon on the Economy, Geopolitical Risks and AI: Full Interview  Further Listening: -Why the Fed Is Steering Away From Rate Cuts  -Janet Yellen on Inflation and the U.S. Economy  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a fresh round of pro-Palestinian protests sweeping campuses nationwide, university administrators are cracking down. WSJ’s Melissa Korn explains what students are demanding and what it could mean for campus life going forward. Further Reading: -At Columbia, Discontent Grows Over Shafik’s Handling of Crisis  -Pro-Palestinian Protests Force Colleges to Rethink Graduation Plans  Further Listening: -Big Donors Clash with Universities Over Antisemitism, Free Speech  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Less than six years after a Supreme Court ruling paved the way for legal sports gambling, U.S. sports leagues are facing an onslaught of betting scandals. The latest example is Jontay Porter, a little-known NBA player, who has been given a lifetime ban for betting on games. WSJ’s Jared Diamond unpacks how major leagues are confronting the darker sides of sports betting with alarming frequency. Further Reading: -NBA Player Banned for Life for Betting on Games  -America Made a Huge Bet on Sports Gambling. The Backlash Is Here.  Further Listening: -How a Psychiatrist Lost $400,000 on Gambling Apps  -Disney Gets Into Gambling  ​​-FanDuel CEO on Sports Gambling's Big Boom  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the course of 19 days, U.S. officials raced to contain escalating tensions between Israel and Iran amid a series of attacks. WSJ’s Michael R. Gordon on what was going on behind the scenes as the White House worked to prevent a bigger conflict. Further Reading: -Inside the White House’s Frenetic Scramble to Avert a Full-Blown Middle East War  -How the U.S. Forged a Fragile Middle Eastern Alliance to Repel Iran’s Israel Attack  Further Listening: -A Deadly Strike on Aid Workers in Gaza  -A Deadly Drone Attack and Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former President Donald Trump is expected to spend the next six weeks in a Manhattan courtroom, defending himself against accusations he covered up a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. WSJ’s Corinne Ramey was in the courtroom for opening statements and WSJ’s Molly Ball unpacks what this trial could mean for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.  Further Reading: -Trump’s Hush-Money Trial: What to Know as the Case Begins  -Donald Trump Played Central Role in Hush Payoffs to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal  Further Listening: -Donald Trump Is Charged on 34 Felony Counts  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices