WSJ What's News – Detailed Episode Summary

Episode: Apps, Websites Hit by Major Outage at Amazon Web Services
Date: October 20, 2025
Host: Caitlin McCabe (B)
Guests/Contributors: Juan Ferrero (D), Rebecca Fang (C), Sam Scheckner (F)

Episode Overview

This Monday morning update from WSJ’s “What’s News” focuses on a major Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage that disrupted numerous global platforms, President Trump’s escalating pressure on Latin America—particularly Colombia—over drug smuggling, warning signs beneath the US stock market’s highs, and breaking stories including China’s slowing economy and a daring heist at the Louvre.

Major AWS Outage Shakes Digital Infrastructure

• [00:51] The show’s headline covers a significant outage at AWS, which impacted a wide array of websites and apps, including Facebook, Amazon, Snapchat, Roblox, as well as financial services like Coinbase, Robinhood, and Venmo.
• Key Details:
  • The outage began around 3am Eastern, affecting both consumer sites and crucial business platforms.
  • The issue originated in AWS's Northern Virginia data centers, which are central to much of the global internet ecosystem.
  • Even the Wall Street Journal itself was affected, highlighting the outage’s breadth.
  • By 5:30am, Amazon announced many impacted systems were starting to recover.
• Quote:
  "Internet users around the world are struggling to access their favorite apps and sites this morning as a result of a major outage at Amazon Web Services." – Caitlin McCabe [00:51]

US-Colombia Tensions: Trump Turns Up the Heat

• [01:51 & 02:50] President Trump publicly vowed to end US aid to Colombia unless President Gustavo Petro immediately cracks down on drug trafficking, calling him an “illegal drug dealer.”
• This follows recent US military action targeting Venezuelan drug routes, signaling a pivot in US focus toward Colombia.
• Juan Ferrero explains Colombia's defiant response:
  • Colombia’s President Petro rebuffed Trump’s accusations, calling his comments “rude and ignorant.”
  • The shift in rhetoric could jeopardize a key US security partnership in Latin America.
• Quote:
  "Colombia has been defiant in responding to Trump. Petro come out with numerous tweets where he has said that the US President is rude and ignorant about Colombia." – Juan Ferrero [03:23]
• The US hopes to pressure other regional leaders by making the cost of non-cooperation “miserable.”

Gaza Update: Ceasefire Tensions

• [03:52] Following deadly airstrikes and the killing of Israeli soldiers, Israel briefly halted humanitarian aid to Gaza amid calls for stronger retaliation against Hamas. Aid is set to resume after a temporary pause.

Stock Market Warning Signs Despite Highs

• [05:31] The S&P 500 has seen 33 record closes in 2025, yet beneath the surface investors are showing caution.
• Rebecca Fang provides context on defensive market moves:
  • Investors are reducing exposure to economically sensitive sectors: regional banks, retailers, homebuilders, airline stocks.
  • Funds are pivoting toward recession-resistant sectors: utilities, healthcare, consumer staples.
  • Bond market: The 10-year Treasury yield fell below 4% for the first time in a year last week.
  • Precious metals, notably gold and silver, are hitting successive record highs.
• Quote:
  "We're seeing investors pulling back from holdings that are more sensitive to a slowing economy... investors are turning to industries that sort of reliably churn out profits no matter how the economy is doing." – Rebecca Fang [05:57]
• Market volatility traces back to renewed US-China trade tensions, recent corporate bankruptcies (First Brands, Tricolor), and fears of unaddressed economic vulnerabilities.

Consumer Health & Labor Concerns

• [07:11]
  • Ongoing worries center on a “still sluggish labor market,” especially signs that lower-income consumers face challenges.
  • Earlier pandemic-fueled discretionary spending has faded, impacting earnings and share prices.
• Quote:
  "One analyst was noting that the low end consumer is hurting. This is kind of reflected by increases in discretionary spending that we saw post Covid have pretty much tempered.” – Rebecca Fang [07:17]

China’s Economic Slowdown & Global Impact

• [07:34] China’s Q3 GDP rose 4.8% (vs. 5.2% prior quarter), marking the slowest pace in a year.
• The deceleration occurs as policymakers begin planning for the next five years, eyeing both high-tech investments and domestic spending boosts.

Louvre Jewel Heist: A Daring Robbery

• [08:51] French authorities are investigating an audacious daytime jewelry theft at the Louvre.
• Sam Scheckner recounts:
  • Four thieves, two motorcycles, a truck, and a portable furniture elevator were used in a meticulously planned operation.
  • Thieves broke into the Apollo Gallery roughly 30 minutes after opening, using power tools to steal eight pieces of the French Crown Jewels. One, Empress Eugenie’s crown, was dropped during the escape.
• Quote:
  "They used angle grinders to cut through the display cases and made off with eight priceless pieces of French royal jewelry. They happen to drop one on the way out, though. The crown of Empress Eugenie..." – Sam Scheckner [09:10]
• Security concerns are mounting amid recent audits, staff strikes, and government criticism of museum vulnerabilities.
• The heist took just seven minutes, prompting blame-shifting among French officials.
• Quote:
  "It's a failure that people were able to park a furniture elevator on a public sidewalk in front of the museum and in and out in seven minutes. But that's still more than enough time for police to come if they had been alerted." – Sam Scheckner quoting Justice Minister [09:54]

Notable Quotes

• Caitlin McCabe on AWS crisis:
  "Any problems with the network can have a major impact on the wider Internet and many mobile apps." [01:24]
• Rebecca Fang on market behavior:
  "Investors are sort of sheltering in bonds... and gold and silver are hitting another series of new records." [06:23]
• Juan Ferrero on diplomatic fallout:
  "So there's been a bit of a strong response from Colombia toward the United States." [03:36]

Key Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|------------| | AWS Outage & Initial Impacts | 00:51–01:50| | Trump Shifts Focus to Colombia | 02:50–03:41| | Israel-Hamas Update | 03:52–04:24| | Stock Market Underlying Risks | 05:31–07:34| | China's Slowing Growth | 07:34–08:11| | Louvre Crown Jewels Heist | 08:51–10:26|

Summary

This episode details how a single AWS failure sent shockwaves across the globe, leaving users and major financial services offline, a stark illustration of just how reliant the modern digital economy is on cloud infrastructure. Simultaneously, U.S. policy toward Latin America is growing more combative, particularly regarding drug enforcement and relations with Colombia. The episode also highlights cracks in the otherwise jubilant US stock market, with investors quietly bracing for potential turbulence. Internationally, China’s waning growth and a spectacular art heist in Paris round out a morning packed with complex, fast-moving developments.