The economy that Donald Trump inherited from Joe Biden had low unemployment, slowing inflation, and a growing GDP. So what is he trying to achieve by imposing heavy tariffs on our allies and trading partners? 

Guest: Stephanie Ruhle, NBC business analyst and the host of The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Ethan Oberman, and Rob Gunther.

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In this Money Talks: How does America assert its power globally? The short answer is money. For the long answer, Felix Salmon calls in authors Edward Fishman (Chokepoints) and Saleha Mohsin (Paper Soldiers) who both recently published books on the subject. They’ll discuss how the US dollar managed to become the world’s reserve asset, the ways it’s been weaponized in the past, and what that global status means under an “America First” president. 

This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock weekly bonus episodes of Slate Money—you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen. 

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

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With a Trump-friendly Supreme Court and a contentious relationship with the press, could Donald Trump follow through on his 2016 campaign goal of making it easier to sue media companies for libel—and imperil America’s free press?

Guest: David Enrich, business investigations editor at the New York Times and author of “Murder The Truth.”

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This week: The US Stock Market is plummeting during Trump’s second term. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers explain why headlines very rarely affect the movements of the Stock Market–and discuss whether we're currently living one of those exceptions. Then, the Wall Street Journal has reported that the Trump family is in talks to invest in the US arm of crypto giant Binance. If true, the move would almost certainly be an attempt to buy a pardon for billionaire founder CZ, who pled guilty to violating U.S. anti-money-laundering requirements under Biden. And finally, Youtube megastar MrBeast, made popular among the Gen Alpha set for giving away fabulous prizes, is turning his fame into fortune via his candybars. Are they any good? Elizabeth will decide!

In the Slate Plus episode: How many days a year should we all really spend at work?

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

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The public’s anger towards Elon Musk and DOGE has found an outlet in the form of Musk’s car company Tesla. How long can the company put up with a sinking reputation and stock price? 

Guest: Pranshu Verma, tech reporter for the Washington Post. 

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort.

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After the election, Mark Zuckerberg announced that he was doing away with Facebook’s fact-checking apparatus in the US. With content creators getting paid based on reach, and content spreading wider and faster the more extreme it is, is Facebook the perfect environment for misinformation to flourish? 

Guest: Craig Silverman, technology reporter for ProPublica.

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This week: Trump’s tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China went into effect – only for him to turn around and suspend many of them. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Trump’s love of tariffs and the political effects of his trade war. Then, Egg Watch gets a whole segment this week as Chenya Roth joins to discuss the economics of egg demand and the question of if eggs even should be super cheap. And finally, an elaborate scheme to buy every lottery ticket and guarantee a jackpot went down in Texas. The hosts debate whether there is actually anything wrong with that. 

In the Slate Plus episode: The Trump bump has become quite a slump

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

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To understand the second Trump administration, you have to understand the internet culture that gave birth to it.

Guest: Elle Reeve, CNN correspondent who reported on the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA for Vice News.

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort.

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This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss President Trump’s authoritarian address to Congress and whipsawing on tariffs; the outright betrayal of Ukraine and alliance with Russia on naked display in the Oval Office; and the ways the Covid pandemic caused and accelerated change in America.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss Andrew Cuomo, the NYC mayoral race, and its relevance to national politics.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with author Rich Benjamin about his new book, Talk to Me: Lessons From a Family Forged by History.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

 Research by Emily Ditto

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In this Money Talks: Emily Peck is joined by journalist and author Adam Chandler to discuss what he discovered about how Americans think about work while writing his book 99% Perspiration. They’ll get into America's often misguided and misinformed obsession with rugged individualism, the long-term effects of de-emphasizing community, and of course, Emily in Paris. 

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

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