The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments this morning in Trump v. Slaughter, a case that has broad implications for consumers and workers. The justices are considering whether the president has the power to fire the leaders of independent federal agencies — in this case, the Federal Trade Commission. Plus, we hear about data on consumers' AI use during holiday shopping and visit a Michigan wood factory that hires and houses employees in addiction recovery.

From the BBC World Service: The latest economic data from China shows that while exports to the U.S. crashed over the past year, China's towering annual trade surplus surpassed $1 trillion for the first time last month. The data reveals what economists and Chinese officials have said for a while now: Chinese manufacturers can find other buyers. Then, lawmakers in France's divided parliament have been at odds for weeks over the country's budget.

How wired into your brain are tech companies? Spotify offers us a clue. The streaming company runs its Spotify Wrapped marketing campaign every December, taking user data and AI to create a personalized year-in-review for every listener — and it's an incredibly effective marketing move that consumers want to be a part of. Also: a preview of the last Fed meeting of the year and a manufacturing CEO's thoughts on tariffs and factory activity.

At the moment, it seems like it — according to Bloomberg, Warner Bros. Discovery is in exclusive talks with Netflix over a deal. Warner Bros. would sell its film and TV studios and HBO Max streaming service to Netflix and spin off its cable channels. But some lawmakers are already raising antitrust concerns. Then, as part of our lunar economy mini-series, we hear what a lack of private interest oversight could mean for an economy beyond the clouds.

From the BBC World Service: Major airports in India have descended into chaos after the airline IndiGo either canceled or delayed hundreds of flights for the fourth consecutive day. IndiGo says there have been technical issues with aircraft or winter schedules that have delayed some flights, but the biggest reason is a pilot shortage. Also, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have signed a peace deal, and some countries are boycotting Eurovision over Israel's involvement.

These days, Americans are drinking less alcohol. While that may be a positive from a health perspective, it’s not great news for California grape growers. Industry groups predict that 2025 will be the smallest harvest since the mid-’90s. These changing consumption habits are changing the landscape of California vineyards. Also, the Trump administration is reducing fuel efficiency standards, and layoffs are running high ahead of the next Federal Reserve meeting.

The Transportation Security Administration announced earlier this week that passengers without a REAL ID or other acceptable documents (like a passport or tribal ID) will have to pay a $45 fee for the extra screening required to get through security. We'll hear more. Plus, as part of our continued lunar economy series, we'll learn about what developing infrastructure or communications systems on the moon might look like.

From the BBC World Service: European antitrust regulators have just launched an investigation into Meta over its rollout of artificial intelligence features on WhatsApp for European users. This move marks the latest action by European regulators against large technology firms, as the trade bloc seeks to balance support for the sector with efforts to curb its expanding influence. Then, air travelers in India face continued disruptions, and Japan tries to regain a stronghold in semiconductor chip manufacturing.