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WSJ What’s News

How Retailers Are Coping With Cautious Consumers

WSJ What’s News

The Wall Street Journal

News, Daily News

4.14.2K Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2026

⏱️ 13 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A.M. Edition for Feb. 12. The GOP-led House rejects President Trump's Canada tariffs, but backs him up on his voter-ID push. Plus, Elon Musk announces a shakeup at xAI as it merges with SpaceX. And WSJ’s Aimee Look and CI&T’s Melissa Minkow discuss how years of rising prices have left consumers increasingly cost-conscious – a trend clearly on display in recent retail earnings. Luke Vargas hosts. Sign up for the WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Some of the best lessons don't come from a classroom.

0:05.2

They come from experience.

0:07.0

On The Power of Advice, a new podcast series from Capital Group,

0:11.2

you'll hear from CEOs, investors, and founders about how they built careers,

0:16.4

took risks, and reinvented themselves.

0:19.2

If you're starting your own journey, this is the kind of

0:21.6

advice you won't want to miss. Available wherever you get your podcast. Published by Capital Client

0:27.5

Group, Inc. The GOP-led House rejects President Trump's Canada tariffs, but backs him up on his voter ID push.

0:39.6

Plus, Elon Musk announces a shakeup at XAI as it merges with SpaceX, and we'll look at how

0:45.9

cautious consumers are reshaping retail.

0:48.7

Even though this consumer continues to be very aware of how expensive items are becoming, it's not necessarily meaning

0:57.5

they'll pull all the way back. It's just meaning that as a retailer, you have to fight harder

1:02.0

for them. You have to bring your A game. It's Thursday, February 12th. I'm Luke Vargas for the

1:07.3

Wall Street Journal, and here is the AM edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories moving your world today.

1:16.8

Six House Republicans have joined Democrats in rejecting President Trump's tariffs on Canada.

1:22.8

Immediately after the vote, Trump said that Republicans who broke rank would suffer the consequences come

1:27.7

election time. Oh, at least one of them, Colorado's Jeff Hurd said he was comfortable with

1:32.8

his decision. Here he was speaking to CNN.

1:35.7

And I say this is somebody that supports the president's agenda of onshore and reshoring

1:39.2

manufacturing. He's absolutely right. There's a lot that we need to be doing. There are a lot

1:43.0

of trade imbalances and trade abuses that are happening, but we need to be doing. There are a lot of trade imbalances and

1:45.2

trade abuses that are happening, but we need to do it the right way, consistent with the

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