WSJ What’s News: "Trump’s Beef With Inflation"

Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Luke Vargas (The Wall Street Journal)
Episode Focus:
An incisive look at the Trump administration’s response to persistent food inflation—especially soaring beef prices—along with updates on antitrust scrutiny, global conflicts, Israeli detention conditions, and anticipated Federal Reserve actions.

Main Theme

The episode unpacks rising food prices as a continued economic headache, the administration's efforts to combat inflation, the ripple effects on American households, government scrutiny of big business deals, and high-stakes developments on the global and legal stage.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. White House Actions on Food Inflation

• Record High Beef Prices:
  • Steak and ground beef have hit peak costs, fueling broader concerns about food inflation that’s persisted since 2021.
• Broader Food Price Surge:
  • Bananas and coffee have also soared (coffee up ~40% in the past year).
  • Despite rolling back some tariffs, food costs remain stubbornly high.
  • Chelsea Delaney on consumer frustration:
    • “A lot of food prices are continuing to climb… and this is really frustrating to a lot of people because the narrative coming into this year was that inflation was going to keep going down and then stagnated.” (01:18)
• Impact on American Households:
  • Lower-income Americans are more pessimistic, spending habits are shifting, while higher-income groups see stock market gains.
    • Delaney describes:
      • “The economy is sort of splitting… Low and middle income Americans are becoming more pessimistic… On the other hand, you have high income Americans which are continuing to see these big gains in the stock market.” (02:00)
• Trump Administration Moves:
  • President Trump called for DOJ and FTC task forces to investigate possible anti-competitive practices in the food supply chain (esp. meatpacking).
  • DOJ antitrust probe into meatpacking is formally under way.

2. Supreme Court Case: Presidential Power Over Agencies

• Context:
  • Stemming from Trump’s firing of a Democratic FTC member in March—potentially broadening president’s authority to remove appointed officials.
  • Outcome could let the president “intensify his mission of directing agencies to implement his agenda.” (02:33)
  • A ruling is expected by July.

3. Escalating Thailand-Cambodia Tensions

• Ceasefire Collapse:
  • US-brokered truce falls apart after Thai airstrikes following border skirmishes.
• US Leverage:
  • Trump had previously withheld tariff negotiations to pressure both sides into peace.
  • “The main way he pressured Thailand and Cambodia was… he would stop any negotiations on lowering very high tariff rates on both Cambodia and Thailand until they stopped fighting. And they did. And now… what is he going to do if they keep fighting?” – Gabrielle Steinhauser (03:45)

4. Israeli Detention Conditions Report

• Audit Details:
  • Israeli Public Defender’s office finds extreme overcrowding, hunger, denied medical care, and routine violence in detention facilities post-October 2023.
  • 90% of Palestinian prisoners below 3 square meters per person; some prisons double their official capacity.
  • “Some of the most severe allegations… was a lot of violence. So the prisoners said that they suffered severe and unprovoked violence from prison staff on an almost routine basis.” – Anat Peled (06:24)
• Official Responses:
  • Israel’s far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has publicly taken pride in worsening conditions.
  • The prison service blames overcrowding on the war, admits space issues but does not address allegations of abuse.
  • “We should also note… at least 98 Palestinian prisoners have died since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.” – Anat Peled (08:30)

5. Business and Market News

• Big Media Merger in Focus:
  • Trump signals potential regulatory resistance to Netflix’s $72 billion acquisition of Warner Brothers.
    • “The takeover could be a problem because of the market share Netflix would control. He also said he had a lot of respect for Netflix.” – Luke Vargas (10:28)
• IBM-Confluent Acquisition Talks:
  • IBM nearing $11 billion acquisition of Confluent, a real-time data and AI infrastructure company.
• Federal Reserve Anticipation:
  • Markets expect an imminent Federal Reserve rate cut (now 90% probability, up from under 50% a month ago).
    • “If the Fed opts to cut rates, that will provide a boost to stocks.” – Hannah Aaron Lang (Markets reporter) (11:49)
  • Labor market data will be pivotal to the Fed’s final decision.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Chelsea Delaney on consumer pressures:

  • "For a lot of consumers, food prices are a lot more expensive than they were before the pandemic. And so that's weighing on... especially on the lower end of the income range." (01:18)

• Economy splitting by income:

  • “Low and middle income Americans are becoming more pessimistic... high income Americans… are continuing to see these big gains in the stock market.” – Chelsea Delaney (02:00)

• On the Palestinian prisoner conditions:

  • “Prisoners were suffering from extreme starvation… Some prisoners said that they were restricted from accessing drinking water.” – Anat Peled (06:24)
  • “90% of Palestinian prisoners is below 3 square meters… in one prison… double its capacity.” – Anat Peled (06:24)
  • “Ben-Gvir has actually taken pride in worsening conditions of living.” – Anat Peled (09:54)

• On the Netflix/Warner Brothers merger:

  • "The takeover could be a problem because of the market share Netflix would control." – Luke Vargas (10:28)

• On the Fed rate cut:

  • "We had less than 50% chance of a cut... we're now at 90%. So the vast majority of traders are expecting an interest rate cut at the meeting this week." – Hannah Aaron Lang (11:49)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Food Inflation & White House Response: 00:18–02:37
• Supreme Court Agency Power Case: 02:34–03:21
• Thailand-Cambodia Conflict: 03:21–04:44
• Israel Detention Audit: 05:36–10:20
• Media Merger & Tech Acquisition News: 10:28–11:25
• Federal Reserve Preview: 11:25–12:27

Conclusion

This tightly packed episode highlights the Trump administration’s balancing act with inflation, growing regulatory scrutiny in major sectors, international tensions, and human rights challenges. Through clear reporting and timely interviews, it outlines economic divides in the US, regulatory uncertainty for big business, and simmering geopolitical unrest—a vital roundup for anyone looking to understand the shifting currents shaping today’s headlines.