
EU Backs $105 Billion Ukraine Loan
19.12.2025 | 12 Min.
A.M. Edition for Dec. 19. Europe throws Kyiv a fiscal lifeline in a move officials say could give Kyiv more leverage in negotiations over ending the war, but fail to agree on a plan to tap frozen Russian assets. Plus, OpenAI aims to raise as much as $100 billion to pay for its ambitious growth plans in a market that has started to cool on the artificial-intelligence boom. And WSJ Tokyo bureau chief Jason Douglas explains how interest-rate rises in Japan could push up borrowing costs in the U.S. Luke Vargas hosts. Sign up for the WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Economists Are Urging Caution About November’s Inflation Report
18.12.2025 | 11 Min.
P.M. Edition for Dec. 18. Inflation eased to 2.7% in November, lower than economists expected. WSJ’s Chao Deng explains why they are taking the report with a grain of salt. President Trump’s media company and a fusion energy company announced a merger valued at $6 billion. Read more about the Trump family’s growing business empire. And WSJ security reporter Benoit Faucon discusses what the attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach reveals about the threat posed by ISIS. Sabrina Siddiqui hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ‘New Silk Road’ of Cheap Chinese Goods
18.12.2025 | 13 Min.
A.M. Edition for Dec. 18. WSJ reporter Chelsey Dulaney says the redirection of China’s export machine caused by a U.S. crackdown on low-value imports is one of the most dramatic examples of how President Trump’s trade war has rewired global trade. Plus, Trump uses a prime-time address to announce tariff-funded dividends for troops. And Warner Bros. Discovery demands a stronger personal guarantee from Larry Ellison in Paramount Skydance’s $77.9 billion takeover bid. Luke Vargas hosts. Sign up for the WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frustrated Republican Centrists Join Democrats to Force ACA Vote
17.12.2025 | 12 Min.
P.M. Edition for Dec. 17. Some frustrated Republicans have bucked leadership and sided with House Democrats to force a vote on extending expiring healthcare subsidies. WSJ Congressional reporter Siobhan Hughes explains how next year’s midterms are factoring into that decision. Plus, the Oscars are going digital and heading to a new home: YouTube. And WSJ entertainment reporter Joe Flint tells us what options Paramount has left in its pursuit of Warner after the media company rejects its hostile bid. Julie Chang hosts.Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump Takes Aim at Venezuela’s Maduro With Tanker Blockade
17.12.2025 | 12 Min.
A.M. Edition for Dec. 17. President Trump orders a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. Plus, WSJ deputy finance editor Quentin Webb discusses the appetite for IPOs in 2026, after Medical-supplies distributor Medline completes the biggest initial public offering of the year. And America’s white-collar workers are filled with anxiety. WSJ economics reporter Rachel Louise Ensign unpacks the latest jobs report, which is an ominous sign in an era of big corporate layoffs and CEOs warning that AI will replace workers. Luke Vargas hosts. Sign up for the WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices



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