A New Milestone for U.S. Debt: $40 Trillion episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 19, 2026 · 9 MIN

A New Milestone for U.S. Debt: $40 Trillion

from WSJ What’s News · host The Wall Street Journal

P.M. Edition for Aug. 19. Today the total U.S. debt passed $40 trillion. WSJ economics reporter Matt Grossman discusses what that means for how the government functions. Plus, a successful trial of a mRNA vaccine for melanoma could mean potential new treatments for a deadly cancer–and news of the trial results more than doubled Moderna’s stock price. And the Federal Trade Commission says retailers have to let shoppers know when they’re using their personal data to raise prices. Dave Michaels, who covers corporate law enforcement for the Journal, explains how personalized pricing works, and how the FTC is looking to rein it in. Alex Ossola hosts. How Governments in the U.S. and Europe Are Stalling the AI Buildout Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 19, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

A New Milestone for U.S. Debt: $40 Trillion

0:00 9:38

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of WSJ What’s News?

This episode is 9 minutes long.

When was this WSJ What’s News episode published?

This episode was published on August 19, 2026.

Can I download this WSJ What’s News episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!