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