Slate Money

This week: Elon Musk posted enough misinformation on social media to get a bill blocked and necessitate a government shutdown. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Anna Szymanski discuss the multi-billionaire’s tweetstorm that convinced congress not to pass a bi-partisan spending bill and how he has been able to so blatantly buy that power. Then, Anna helps break down the economic crisis that is unfolding in Brazil and gets wonkish on the latest Fed rate cut and trade deficit. And finally, Amazon and Starbucks workers across the country have gone on strike. Emily explains the subtleties of the disputes. In the Slate Plus episode: What’s your gift giving strategy? 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: Crypto companies are being debanked but they’re not the only ones. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers break down the conspiracy theory that debanking is a government attack on crypto. Then, Netflix has pared down their extreme leave policy. What does that signal about the direction of the company? And Spotify is finally making a profit and is acting like it.   In the Slate Plus episode: Crumbl and rise of meme foods.  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. Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Money Talks: The collapse of Synapse and resulting fallout highlights how regulators are failing fintech users. Felix Salmon is joined by CNBC’s Hugh Son who has been closely following the situation. They unpack the chain of events that led to thousands of users losing access to their funds, the complexities of FDIC insurance, and how regulators allowed this massive scandal. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: South Korea and France are the latest governments to fall apart. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the public conversation around the failures of the US healthcare system that was sparked by the shocking murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.Then, South Korea and France follow Germany in having a governmental meltdown. What’s going on with all of this political chaos? And finally, the hosts discuss a piece in The Ringer about why headlights are just way too bright and what, if anything, is being done about it.  In the Slate Plus episode: The conclusion on Felix and Emily’s year long bet about ETFs and Bitcoin.  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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices