Perimeter Desk
Perimeter Listening / Business
What’s News draws on Wall Street Journal reporting to explain significant business, economic and general news developments. Luke Vargas leads the morning edition and Alex Ossola the afternoon edition, with other journalists contributing across the feed. The format combines quick updates with reporter conversations that supply context. It is a broad news habit with a strong business lens, rather than a dedicated stock-selection or personal-finance program.
Listen for
The show
Headlines and short reporter interviews · The Wall Street Journal
The Desk’s listening note
Use the morning edition for context and the afternoon edition to follow how an important story has developed.
Who it’s for
Listeners who want business and economic headlines placed alongside major political and global developments, with direct explanations from the reporters following each story.
A useful place to start
Try the latest morning or afternoon edition, then compare its main business story with the next update to see how the reporting develops.
From connected public feeds
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The people behind the microphone
Luke Vargas is the A.M. host and Alex Ossola hosts the P.M. edition. Other presenters and correspondents appear, particularly in additional or weekend programming.
Morning host, WSJ What’s News
Luke Vargas hosts the morning edition of The Wall Street Journal’s What’s News podcast. He joined the Journal in 2021 after serving as senior producer of the Skimm’s Skimm This. Earlier, he worked as a United Nations correspondent and hosted The World in 2:00, bringing experience in international reporting and concise radio news to his podcast work.
Host profile Official profile
Host and producer, WSJ What’s News
Alex Ossola hosts and produces The Wall Street Journal’s What’s News podcast in New York. She previously reported and produced for the Journal’s Future of Everything podcast and worked at Quartz and Futurism. Her education includes Hamilton College and NYU’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program, a background that informs her reporting across science, technology and business.
Host profile Official profileSources & further reading
Profile checked September 18, 2026. Editorial notes are Perimeter’s interpretation.