Maria is wildly talented and I’ve known her since American Banker days. Just an awesome reporter with technical depth and a penchant for simplifying and humanizing complex topics. This sucks, I hate this industry and everyone should hire her.

Some personal news, un-fun edition. Proud of my work for NPR, grateful to have spent the past two years learning the joys of audio/broadcasting/podcasting from some wonderful colleagues, and looking forward to what's next. I'm at [email protected]

Cambria’s Marty Davis has held many roles over his career, from Minnesota farmboy to kitchen-countertop mogul. But now his ties to President Trump have turned this wealthy CEO into a business lightning rod. A deep dive into the bitter fights over tariffs, affordability, crony capitalism…and quartz

Fun perk of spending the week in DC: Getting to have this @npr.org Politics Podcast conversation in person! www.npr.org/2026/05/14/n...

The state of state capitalism: Intel is doing amazing, quadrupling the value of the U.S. government's stake...and now President Trump might buy Spirit Airlines? I joined the latest @npr.org Politics Podcast to discuss w/@titonka.bsky.social & Miles Parks: www.npr.org/2026/04/28/n...

Cockroaches, owls, and AI: They're all related to the risky business of "private credit," the huge lending business that's become Wall Street's latest source of anxiety. I wrote about the recent highs and lows, and how they could affect all of us, for @npr.org: www.npr.org/2026/03/19/n...

Free healthcare and ... fancy cocktails? It's always fun joining my @npr.org colleagues @ The Indicator from @planetmoney.bsky.social, who this week featured my reporting on how some employers are making health insurance more affordable: www.npr.org/2026/03/09/n...

The letter comes at a time when President Trump is visibly favoring some companies and investors, some of whom have publicly courted him with personal gifts and donations: www.npr.org/2026/02/04/n...

Davos, Jamie Dimon, Minnesota, crony capitalism and ... Jane Austen? Had a wonderful time joining @wailinwong.bsky.social and my @npr.org colleagues on today's Indicator from @planetmoney.bsky.social: www.npr.org/2026/01/28/n...

One year into President Trump's second term, I discussed my reporting on "crony capitalism" and how he's blurring the lines between business and government for NPR's Consider This podcast and All Things Considered: www.npr.org/2026/01/19/n...

"It's just bad for the economy." Looking back at an eventful (and still-evolving) year for business, politics, and U.S. free-market capitalism. @npr.org www.npr.org/2025/12/22/n...

Sometimes it's nice to report on solutions, however partial ... as even the people behind them are quick to point out: "At the end of the day, the single biggest thing we can do in this country is to get SNAP back online."

"It really stemmed likely from being Canadian. I ... took for granted, 'Oh, of course I don't pay for health care.'" www.npr.org/2025/10/16/n...

Looking forward to joining @whyy.org's Studio 2 shortly to discuss the economy, everything going on in the markets, and the recent surge in gold & silver prices: www.npr.org/2025/10/08/n...

Trump’s new $100K fee for H-1B visas created panic this weekend for some half a million workers, and their employers. I discussed the fallout, and the longstanding bipartisan criticism of H-1Bs, with @michelmartinnpr.bsky.social this morning: www.npr.org/2025/09/22/n...

Had fun joining @tamarakeithnpr.bsky.social and @ashleynpr.bsky.social yesterday to talk all things Fed, and why the economy feels like a summer picnic, for the NPR Politics Podcast: www.npr.org/2025/09/19/n...

"In general for workers, it's kind of take it or leave it. And they really don't have much of a choice but to take it."

New favorite dystopian corporate-speak dropped

Listen to our full conversation on Up First here: one.npr.org?sharedMediaI...

"They are now ground zero for a big polarizing political and cultural issue." Great story by @alinaselyukh.bsky.social and Liz Baker: www.npr.org/2025/08/19/n...

A close read of the complicated, increasingly conflicted (and maybe Chinese-Communist?) relationship between the president and corporate America, for @npr.org: www.npr.org/2025/08/14/n...

"We are woefully dependent on foreign oil." Olive oil, that is: www.npr.org/2025/08/05/n...

About to go on @msnbc.com to discuss the economy, the Fed, tariffs, and corporate America’s weird tariff summer with @nicollewallace.bsky.social www.npr.org/2025/07/26/n...

I joined the greats @sarahmccammon.bsky.social and Mara Liasson for today’s @npr.org Politics Podcast, on the Fed, tariffs, earnings, and this really weird time in markets. one.npr.org/i/1256157825...

"We've done a lot of winning already — and we do have a lot to lose."

Three years ago, as Zaslav put WBD together, I wrote a cover story for Fortune dubbing him one of "the most overpaid CEOs in America." Today, well:

Thanks so much to @lorichung.bsky.social and @spectrumnewsny1.bsky.social for inviting me to discuss my reporting on what Corporate America’s DEI retreat means for everyone working in this once-hot professional field www.npr.org/2025/05/27/n...

This was a fun conversation!

As companies end their DEI promises, what happens to all the people they hired to implement them? “It’s been pretty tough,” one executive told me. She’s one of 2600 people working in DEI whose jobs have been eliminated since 2023, I report for @npr.org: www.npr.org/2025/05/27/n...

Verizon joins T-Mobile in cancelling some DEI policies to win FCC approval of a business deal. The FCC has taken an especially active role in the Trump administration's campaign against diversity, also opening investigations into Comcast/NBC and Disney/ABC over “promoting …DEI discrimination."

UnitedHealth is the fourth-largest company in the United States. Obviously it has a ton of power in health care … but when it has a terrible week(/month/year) like this one, there are also less obvious ripple effects.

UnitedHealth, one of the world's largest companies, is having a publicly awful year: The killing of a top executive, a massive data breach, and mounting costs in its key Medicare business. Today, that all caught up w/ now-former CEO Andrew Witty, I report for @npr.org: www.npr.org/2025/05/13/n...

Some final thoughts from Omaha last weekend about Warren Buffett, and how he used some of his billionaire bully pulpit to mourn Charlie Munger. ladybiz.substack.com/p/love-and-l...

Thanks so much to @nicollewallace.bsky.social for inviting me on @msnbc.com today to discuss tariffs, business uncertainty, and the economic impact on consumers, with Rev. Al Sharpton and @goangelo.bsky.social m.youtube.com/watch?v=fn-u...

Some thoughts about what Warren Buffett stands for — and how deliberately he’s created his media image — in this era of Elon Musk and unpopular billionaires. For @npr.org www.npr.org/2025/05/09/n...

A very eventful day in Omaha, for @npr.org: www.npr.org/2025/05/03/n...

Thanks to @kqedforum.bsky.social & @scottshafer.bsky.social for hosting this conversation about tariff chaos, markets chaos & allegations of insider trading in the White House and in Congress, w/ @erinmansfield.bsky.social @robert-faturechi.bsky.social & @levin.house.gov www.kqed.org/forum/201010...

Coming up at 1 pm ET on @kqedforum.bsky.social, I'm looking forward to discussing my reporting on why some lawmakers and government ethics experts are calling for an investigation into whether President Trump enabled insider trading: www.npr.org/2025/04/10/n...

Listen to me and Scott Simon discuss this week's "unprecedented, uncharted uncertainty," how corporate America is trying to cope, and what it means for us all, on today's @npr.org Weekend Edition: www.npr.org/2025/04/12/n...

"We can't have senior public officials — including the president — talking about ... whether to buy or to sell at the same time as they are making and announcing decisions that have a dramatic impact on stock prices," @rwpusa.bsky.social tells me for @npr.org.

Went on (my first!) @npr.org Politics Podcast yesterday, to discuss w/ Asma Khalid and @francoordonez.bsky.social all things tariffs, markets whiplash, and the role billionaire Wall Street CEOs played this week: www.npr.org/2025/04/10/1...

It’s unlikely we’ll see a shift in direction on tariffs without more voices speaking out—and more pain in financial markets. I joined @mariaaspan.bsky.social on @npr.org to talk about what it may take to change course. www.npr.org/2025/04/07/n...

Gold is timeless. Gold is precious. Gold is so hot right now, as we watch a trade war vaporize our more modern forms of money. open.substack.com/pub/ladybiz/...

The problem with reporting on gold prices, and doing related online research, is that all of my popup ads are now trying to sell me gold. For @npr.org:

Wall Street is worried that President Trump's new tariffs could spark a U.S. recession. On @npr.org’s Up First, I spoke with @steveinskeep.bsky.social about the markets, the tariff whiplash, the U.S. economy ... and the changes in Trump's priorities this term. www.npr.org/2025/03/11/1...

“This administration is really sowing the seeds for the next financial crisis.”— @mayramrvassociates.bsky.social

Had a fun time this week looking into the roots of America’s penny problem for @npr.org … and discovered that I’m part of the problem:

GM, Disney, Pepsi, and many other big companies are scrubbing #DEI from their annual reports to investors, my new investigation for @npr.org finds.

Under the political headlines about DEI, there’s a more subtle question: Did corporate America really think it through in the first place? Read and listen to my analysis for @npr.org

Newslettered about Mexico City, Covid dolls, “nuns with free time” who decided to make clothes for fleas, and this weekend’s tariffs headlines: