Share Sounds.

With both probable Presidential candidates facing legal challenges, Professor Tim Evans says that America is at its most divided since the Civil War, a terrifying prospect for those who believe in democracy and the rule of law. He wonders if we might be at an inflexion point where the old order is falling apart. Tony Blair claimed that a future generation will take the UK back into the EU but is the EU what it was and will it continue to be appealing to those who opposed Brexit? And he looks at Japan's falling birth rate and ageing population and points out how similar problems are facing many other countries, with massive implications for the sustainability of the welfare state.

James Cameron-Wilson reports on an extraordinary week for the UK box office, up 92% WOW and 190% YOY. Barbie, starring Margot Robbie, enters at #1 with an impressive £18.5m weekend take. James found it original, smart, funny, timely and moving, considering it "a cinematic miracle". Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer was #2 with £10.9m. With an all-star cast led by Cillian Murphy, he found it timely and relevant and full of extraordinary moments, let down by an unwieldy final hour (of three). Perhaps not surprisingly, no other big movies are due to open against these two behemoths next week.

James Cameron-Wilson takes Simon Rose through the revitalised UK box office which, although down 25% WOW, is still up 137% on this time last year. Barbie, still #1, has taken £48m after just 10 days and is already the 3rd highest grossing film of the year. Oppenheimer remains #2 with a £27.7m total. In at #5 is Australian horror Talk To Me, which James thought a real original. Despite being a hardened fan of the genre, he thought it deeply unnerving. He also enjoyed The Beanie Bubble, the story of Beanie Babies, which is streaming on Apple TV+.

Laith Khalaf of A J Bell talks to Simon Rose about the Bank of England's latest interest rate rise, the 14th in a row, taking it to 5.25%. As he points out, two MPC members wanted to increase it to 5.5%. Laith looks at the BoE's latest inflation forecasts (which will be a relief to the PM) and discusses the ramifications of Fitch downgrading the United States' credit rating. Investors, he says, shouldn't get too caught up in all this but should stick to their knitting and keep a long-term view.

Steve Caplin delves into the latest tech. He is excited about a room-temperature superconductor, producing no heat, which could have extraordinary ramifications. There's a camping induction cooker, a cryptocurrency where you have to prove you're human, Meta's AI chatbot in the persona of Abraham Lincoln, Australian doctors being told not to use ChatGPT for writing medical notes, a new way to recycle tech, an E-trike like a go-cart and Steve's favourite gadget of the year, an autonomous crowd-funded drone that follows you with a palm takeoff and landing.

This episode is more about handling the psychology of self-discipline than losing weight per se: developing a balanced approach which doesn't rule out enjoying special occasions such as holidays or going out with friends, but at the same time doesn't put a coach and horses through regular routines: such as losing weight with a regular approach to dieting. It's about making good decisions for the moment, but not letting standards slip, and it can apply to other walks of life such as careers, investments , friendships etc ..

Meta has our attention but will we follow Mark Zuckerberg into the metaverse? Asit Sharma and Deidre Woollard discuss Meta’s soaring ad impressions amid a tough advertising market, if Mark Zuckerberg will need to choose between AI and the metaverse, and how Chipotle is using robots to boost efficiency. Plus, 20 minutes in, Matt Frankel interviews Walker & Dunlop CEO Willy Walker on commercial real estate debt and the challenges facing multifamily housing development. Companies discussed: META, CMG, SBUX, WD. Host - Deidre Woollard; Guests - Asit Sharma, Matt Frankel, Willy Walker

The earnings parade is on, and this quarter it pays to be in the black. Matt Argersinger and Emliy Flippen discuss the Fed’s latest rate hike and why another seems in the cards, why earnings updates ended epic runs for Chipotle and Spotify, and how big tech’s cost cutting is going. Then, 19 minutes in, bonus earnings coverage from Matt and Emily on Roku, Mastercard, Coca-Cola, and Live Nation. Finally, 31 minutes in, Emily and Matt break down two stocks on their radar: BorgWarner and Invitation Homes. Stocks discussed: CMG, SPOT, META, GOOG, GOOGL, MSFT, ROKU, MA, KO, LYV. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Matt Argersinger, Emily Flippen

Energy firms have had their feet held to the fire this week. The industry as a whole has been blasted by the regulator Ofgem over poor customer service, while our investigation revealed that 200 customers don't think Ovo has been billing them properly. Meanwhile, British Gas has been in the spotlight for its bumper profits, which jumped by a whopping 889 per cent for the first half of this year. These firms are certainly making plenty of money - so should they be spending more of it to help their customers? Lee Boyce, Helen Crane and Georgie Frost ask why things are going so wrong, and what people can do if they don't think they are being billed correctly. We also look at what's going on with bank accounts. Crisis-hit Natwest is winning the switching battle thanks to its tasty cash incentives, and it’s not just Farage being 'de-banked'. We hear the story of one vulnerable couple who were left unable to pay bills and buy food after HSBC closed their account. Inheritance tax has also been in the news, as there are noises it might be scrapped - but the Treasury are raking in even more money from it. Will it go? Finally, we explain what blended families need to know about making a will - after one woman was forced to bid for her late mother's belongings at auction when her stepfather amended their mirror wills after she had died.

Dame Meg Hillier is Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, which has published its 25-page report into Child Trust Funds following the recent National Audit Office analysis. HMRC is asked to follow a series of recommendations to link young adults to their unclaimed accounts, including getting account providers to take more action. Young adults from disadvantaged households are most in need of the c. £2,000 waiting to be claimed in their Child Trust but an estimated one million 18-20 year-olds are not claiming their money because they don't know anything about it. As we said on 22nd May, don't waste the Child Trust Fund harvest! Background music: The Plan's Working - Cooper Cannell Image by Richard Townshend