The Journal.

The Pacific Surfliner train in Southern California runs along some of the most beautiful coastlines in America. But some fear it might soon fall into the ocean. WSJ’s Jim Carlton reports on how coastal erosion is impacting an iconic train route and the controversial plans to move parts of the line inland. Further Reading: - The Race to Keep an Amtrak Train From Falling Into the Pacific Further Listening: - What Caused a Train to Derail in East Palestine, Ohio? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Simons pioneered a revolution in financial trading, embracing a computer-oriented, quantitative style in the 1980s well ahead of Wall Street. Following Simons’ recent death, WSJ’s Gregory Zuckerman unpacks his legacy from financial algorithms to philanthropy. Further Reading: -How Did Jim Simons’s Firm Make $100 Billion? He Told His Secrets to Our Reporter -Jim Simons, a Pioneer of Quantitative Trading, Dies at 86 -The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution Further Listening: -Charlie Munger: Curmudgeon, Sage and Investing Legend -Rise and Revolt at Renaissance, Part 1 -Rise and Revolt at Renaissance, Part 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If the upcoming presidential election could be summed up by a song, what would it be? And will voters cast their ballots based on a bright future or a gloomy one? In a live-taping before an audience at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival, Kate Linebaugh and Ryan Knutson sat down with WSJ political reporter Molly Ball to discuss these topics and more. To watch the video, check out the episode on Spotify. Further Reading: -Biden and Trump, In Two Speeches, Speak to Two Visions of America -Arizona is Booming, But Restless Voters Feel Downbeat About Economy Further Listening: -Trump Allies Draft Plans to Rein in the Fed -Why the Fed Is Steering Away From Rate Cuts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For six decades, one man has been largely responsible for creating North Korea’s propaganda machine: Kim Ki Nam. He served all three North Korean dictators and is the architect of many of the myths that have helped to keep the Kim family in power. Last week, Kim Ki Nam died at the age of 94. WSJ’s Timothy Martin reports on his controversial legacy. Further Reading: -The Original Mastermind Behind North Korea’s Cult-of-Personality Propaganda Dies -Kim Jong Un’s New Look Is More Man Than Superhuman Further Listening: -How North Korea’s Hacker Army Stole $3 Billion in Crypto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When FTX collapsed into bankruptcy in 2022, many customers never thought they'd see their money again. But FTX's assets have rebounded. WSJ’s Andrew Scurria unpacks why FTX will have more than enough money to fully repay customers and many creditors. Further Reading: - Crypto Exchange FTX Is the Rare Financial Blowup That Will Repay Victims in Full Further Listening: - The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound, there was Lotte Bjerre Knudsen. In the 1990s, the young scientist at the Danish drug company Novo Nordisk was trying to unlock the key to a new technology for treating Type 2 diabetes. To her bosses, Lotte’s project, which focused on a hormone called GLP-1, looked like a distraction. But as Lotte fought to save her diabetes project from the chopping block, she couldn’t have imagined how much of an impact her breakthrough would have. Her work would pave the way for a hit drug called Ozempic. And it would unleash a new class of blockbuster drugs, pitting two companies in a race to become the world’s first trillion-dollar pharmaceutical company by market cap. Listen to Part 1 of “Trillion Dollar Shot” now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WSJ’s Julie Wernau wanted to test a hypothesis: are there more mentally ill homeless people now, compared to before the pandemic? That question led her to Rob Dart. Once a successful lawyer, in 2022 he went into a downward spiral, which his family has not been able to stop despite their best efforts. Further Reading: - A Lawyer Abandoned Family and Career to Follow the Voices in His Head - A Lawyer’s Slide Into Psychosis Was Captured in a WSJ Profile. He Tells Us His Story. Further Listening: - America's Maternal Mental Health Crisis - Evicted on Wood Street: California's Housing Crisis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starbucks has a problem: Sales at U.S. stores have fallen sharply and now the company is looking to China, its second biggest market, to boost its revenue. But as WSJ’s Spencer Jakab explains, increased competition there is making that a tall order. Further Reading: -Starbucks Is Running Out of Americans to Drink Its Expensive Coffee -The Furious Race for the Future of Coffee Further Listening: -The Underdog Coffee Bean That’s Making a Comeback Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

London and Dubai's international airports have become conduits for billions of dollars of illicit funds, potentially linked to corruption, drug trafficking and other crimes. WSJ's Margot Patrick explains how couriers in one money-laundering operation transported millions in dirty money on flights. Further Reading: - Billions in Dirty Money Flies Under the Radar at World’s Busiest Airports Further Listening: - How The Government Tied One Couple to Billions in Stolen Bitcoin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tesla announced last week that it’s laying off the team responsible for the biggest electric-vehicle charging network in the U.S. The move comes as consumer demand for EVs is dwindling. WSJ’s Jennifer Hiller reports on how the layoffs shocked the industry and how the change will impact efforts to build out a national EV charging network. Further Reading: -Tesla Is Pulling Back From EV Charging, and People Are Freaking Out -As Electric-Vehicle Shoppers Hesitate, Hybrid Sales Surge Further Listening: -Money, Drugs, Elon Musk and Tesla’s Board -How China’s BYD Overtook Tesla Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Walmart is offering higher pay, bonuses and more stock options this year to retain and attract managers. WSJ’s Sarah Nassauer spent a day with one manager, Nichole Hart, to understand why the job is commanding such a high salary these days, and why Hart logs about 20,000 steps a day. Further Reading: - A Day in the Life of a Walmart Manager Who Makes $240,000 a Year - Walmart Takes On Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods With New Premium Brand Further Listening: - What Walmart’s Aisles Say About the American Consumer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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