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☆ Profits Comeback Paired With Rate Cuts Make a Powerful Mix
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Justin Lahart | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Soft landing the U.S. economy is like an economic nirvana: inflation is low and the job market is strong. WSJ’s Nick Timiraos explains why and how the Federal Reserve is trying to make one happen. Photo illustration: Ryan TrefesProfits are growing again, and the Federal Reserve looks as if it will start cutting rates sometime this year. It is an unusual combination and, for the stock market, possibly a potent one. It is early days still, but the rebound in profits that began in the third quarter looks poised to continue.

Persons: Nick Timiraos, Trefes Organizations: Federal Reserve, Federal, London Stock Exchange Group

☆ What It Takes to Be in the 1%—of Taylor Swift Fans
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Ann-Marie Alcántara | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

With 500 million monthly users, Spotify is the world’s largest music streaming service. Here’s an inside look at how the platform uses machine learning technology to generate personalized recommendations. Photo illustration: Ryan TrefesGiven Taylor Swift ’s epic year—the billion-dollar Eras tour, four simultaneous Billboard top-10 albums, a blockbuster movie, Travis Kelce—it’s no surprise she also took the top spot as the most streamed artist in Spotify’s year-end Wrapped roundup. Fans listened to her songs more than 26.1 billion times, Spotify announced Wednesday. The Wrapped results also told Swifties how they ranked among their peers.

Persons: Ryan Trefes, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, it’s, Swifties Organizations: Spotify

☆ What It Takes to Be in the One Percent—of Taylor Swift Fans
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Ann-Marie Alcántara | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Ryan Trefes, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, it’s, Swifties Organizations: Spotify

☆ George Santos ‘Blatantly Stole’ From Own Campaign, House Ethics Committee Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rep. George Santos recently pleaded not guilty to 13 felony charges. WSJ’s Ashby Jones breaks down those charges and what’s next for the New York Republican. Photo Illustration: Ryan TrefesWASHINGTON—The House Ethics Committee said Thursday that it found substantial evidence that Rep. George Santos (R., N.Y.) stole money from his campaign and used his connections to high value donors to get additional money through questionable business dealings but stopped short of recommending that lawmakers boot him from Congress. “Representative Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit” and “blatantly stole from his campaign,” the report said. The committee said Santos’s conduct “warrants public condemnation, is beneath the dignity of the office, and has brought severe discredit upon the House.”

Persons: George Santos, WSJ’s Ashby Jones, what’s, Ryan Trefes WASHINGTON, Santos, “, ” Organizations: New York Republican, “ Locations: N.Y

☆ Drought Leaves Midwest Towns ‘Drier Than the Dust Bowl’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Shannon Najmabadi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

As the nation’s pipes and treatment plants age, water-main breaks and boil-water advisories are becoming increasingly common. WSJ explains how decades of disinvestment brought the country’s water infrastructure to a tipping point. Photo illustration: Ryan TrefesTowns in Mid-America are facing water shortages as they grapple with a multiyear drought. The southeast Kansas city of Caney will run out of water by March 1 without rain, officials said. Four wells in Belle Plaine, Iowa, are producing 40% as much water as usual.

Persons: disinvestment, Ryan Organizations: Ryan Trefes Towns Locations: Ryan Trefes, Mid, America, Kansas, Caney, Belle Plaine , Iowa, Osceola, Des Moines

☆ Marvel’s Bomb Won’t Blow Up Hollywood’s Formula
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Photo illustration: Ryan TrefesWanted by Hollywood: World-famous intellectual property that no one has yet thought to make into a movie. Disney ’s Marvel Cinematic Universe has been the most successful movie franchise in history, grossing nearly $30 billion globally over 33 films to date. But this past weekend provided the latest sign that the lucrative stable of superheroes is in need of some rescuing. “The Marvels” grossed a mere $47 million for its domestic box-office debut—a record low for the franchise and a major disappointment even against other recent Marvel movies that have been showing signs of strain. The nine other Marvel movies that have opened since the pandemic closed movie theaters in 2020 have averaged a domestic opening weekend of about $136 million, according to data from Box Office Mojo.

Persons: Ryan Trefes Organizations: Star, Hollywood, Marvel, Office Mojo

Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings and private life have provided political fodder for Republicans seeking to pin wrongdoing on his father. Here’s what you need to know about the legal challenges facing the president’s son. Photo Illustration: Ryan TrefesThe yearslong criminal investigation into Hunter Biden has aired a lot of dirty laundry about the president’s son’s attempts at foreign business and his descent into drug addiction. A parallel congressional probe is now airing a lot of dirty laundry about the government officials investigating him. The younger Biden was indicted in September on three felony gun charges and pleaded not guilty last month in Delaware federal court.

Persons: Hunter, Ryan Trefes, Hunter Biden, Biden Organizations: Republicans, Internal Revenue Locations: Delaware

☆ Spotify Hit All the Right Notes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Spotify is the world’s largest music-streaming service by monthly users. Photo illustration: Ryan TrefesSpotify ’s position as a middleman doesn’t always win it a lot of fans. Spotify said Tuesday morning that it added six million new paying subscribers during the third quarter, which was well over the four million the company had forecast three months ago. It projected adding nine million new paying subscribers in the fourth quarter, topping the eight million analysts had been projecting. The company also predicted that it would end the year with more than 600 million monthly active users—a mix of paying subscribers and those listening to the service’s free, ad-supported tier.

Persons: Ryan Trefes, doesn’t, isn’t Organizations: Spotify

☆ Tesla Confirms Probe Into Executive Perks and Related-Party Deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Dave Michaels | Denny Jacob | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A WSJ analysis of dashcam footage and data from a Texas crash shows Tesla’s Autopilot system failed to recognize stopped emergency vehicles. Photo illustration: Ryan TrefesFederal prosecutors have sent subpoenas to Tesla seeking information about executive perks, deals with related parties and decisions to hire or fire employees, the electric-vehicle maker disclosed Monday. Tesla’s quarterly report to investors confirmed the investigation previously reported by The Wall Street Journal. The Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office is scrutinizing personal benefits that Tesla may have provided Elon Musk since 2017, including a proposed house for the chief executive, the Journal reported in September.

Persons: Ryan, Tesla, Elon Musk Organizations: Wall Street, Manhattan U.S, Attorney’s Locations: Texas

☆ Tesla Received Subpoenas Over Personal Benefits, EV Driving Range
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Denny Jacob | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A WSJ analysis of dashcam footage and data from a Texas crash shows Tesla’s Autopilot system failed to recognize stopped emergency vehicles. Photo illustration: Ryan TrefesThe Justice Department has requested additional information, including through subpoenas, from Tesla as it investigates the electric-vehicle manufacturer for a range of issues, including whether certain personal benefits might have been provided to Chief Executive Elon Musk. Federal prosecutors have sought information from Tesla regarding matters involving personal benefits, related parties, vehicle range and personnel decisions, the company disclosed in a regulatory filing Monday. The Justice Department is also requesting documents related to the company’s Autopilot technology.

Persons: Ryan Trefes, Elon Musk Organizations: Ryan Trefes The Justice, Chief, Federal, Justice Locations: Texas, Tesla

☆ Watch: Video Analysis Shows Gaza Hospital Hit By Failed Rocket Meant for Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A video analysis by The Wall Street Journal using security cameras and live feeds inside Israel and Gaza shows how a failed rocket caused the deadly explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital. Photo illustration: Ryan Trefes

Persons: Ryan Trefes Organizations: Wall, Ahli Arab Hospital Locations: Israel, Gaza, Al, Ahli

☆ Watch: Video Analysis Shows Gaza Hospital Was Hit by Failed Rocket Meant for Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A video analysis by The Wall Street Journal using security cameras and live feeds inside Israel and Gaza shows how a failed rocket launched from inside Gaza and meant for Israel caused the deadly explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. Photo illustration: Ryan Trefes

Persons: Ryan Trefes Organizations: Wall, Ahli Arab Hospital Locations: Israel, Gaza, Al, Ahli

☆ Low-Cost Trans-Atlantic Airlines Could Soon Run Out of Runway
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( George Downs | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Prigozhin Is Dead: A Timeline of the Wagner Boss Since His Failed Mutiny The final two months of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s life were full of speculation about his whereabouts and status. We break down what happened between his failed mutiny and his death in a Russian plane crash. Photo illustration: Ryan Trefes

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Ryan Trefes Organizations: Wagner Group Locations: Russian

☆ Who Would Trump Pick for VP in 2024? The Field Is Wide Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Eliza Collins | Siobhan Hughes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to press former Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election results is a cornerstone of federal prosecutors’ case against the former president. Here’s what the latest indictment reveals about their relationship. Photo Illustration: Ryan TrefesFormer President Donald Trump and many of his supporters say he has locked up the race for the Republican nomination even with the first contests months away. That has prompted early jockeying among top Republicans to potentially be his running mate.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Mike Pence, Ryan Trefes, Donald Trump Organizations: Republican

☆ Why the FTC’s Lina Khan Is Taking on Big Tech, Even if It Means Losing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Fueling Jets With Trash? Investment Flows Into Sustainable Aviation Fuel Used cooking oils, animal byproducts—and soon your trash—are being used to cut a major source of global emissions: air travel. WSJ explores whether the recent surge in investment in sustainable aviation fuel will help the industry finally take off. Photo Illustration: Ryan Trefes

Persons: Ryan Trefes Organizations: Aviation

☆ Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu on the Rise of the Ultra-Orthodox
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

What Burger King’s New Logo Says About Its StrategyBurger King revealed its first total rebrand in over 20 years as it looks to win back sales from rivals like McDonald’s and Wendy’s. A branding expert and reporter explain what Burger King is trying to say with its new logo. Photo illustration: Ryan Trefes