On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled that the U.S. President cannot use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad tariffs. That decision removes a key legal basis behind the 2025 tariff program— but it does not remove uncertainty for global business.

In this episode of Down to Business English, Skip Montreux and Samantha Vega get Down to Business with the court decision that reshaped the U.S. tariff story. They review the timeline of how the tariff policy expanded in 2025 — including reciprocal tariffs that ranged from 10% to 50% and were framed as a response to U.S. trade deficits. Then they break down the Court’s main point in plain English: “regulating” trade is not the same thing as taxing imports — and under the U.S. Constitution, Congress (not the President) controls taxes and duties. Finally, they look at how other countries are reacting and ask the next big business question: if companies paid tariffs under IEEPA, what happens now — and will refunds be possible?

Skip and Samantha's conversation gives listeners a clear, practical look at tariff policy — while helping you build your Business English. In this episode, you will learn:

1. What ‘SCOTUS’ and ‘IEEPA’ mean, and why legal details matter for global firms.
3. The timeline of the US tariff since Donald Trump to office in January 2025.
4. Why tariff refunds are complicated and why it may take time to sort out.
5. What ‘Plan B’ looks like: a temporary global tariff under Section 122 — and why uncertainty may continue even after a major court ruling.

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Contact Skip, Dez, and Samantha at

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Netflix has won the bidding battle for Warner Bros. Discovery’s major entertainment assets — and the deal is now moving into its next phase. Even though the final paperwork isn’t fully complete, the competitive fight is effectively over. Paramount’s rival bid failed to gain enough shareholder support, and Netflix’s all-cash offer is the one Warner’s board is backing.

In this episode of Down to Business English, Skip Montreux and Samantha Vega get Down to Business with Netflix’s successful bid to acquire key Warner Bros. assets. They walk listeners through the “roller coaster” timeline that began in early December, when Netflix and Warner announced acquisition talks, and peaked when Paramount attempted to derail the deal with a hostile bid aimed directly at shareholders. In this first of a two part report, Skip and Samantha compare the two offers, explain why Warner’s board favored Netflix, and clarify what Netflix is (and isn’t) buying — including Warner’s film and TV studios, major titles, and the HBO / HBO Max brand.

Skip and Samantha's conversation gives listeners a clear, practical introduction to how major acquisitions play out — while helping you build your Business English. In this episode, you will learn:

1. What a ‘hostile bid’ is, and how it bypasses a company’s board.
3. The difference between a ‘partial acquisition’ and buying an entire company.
4. Why funding confidence can matter more than a higher price.
5. What an ‘all-cash deal’ signals — and why ‘cash is king’ in negotiations.
6. How shareholder behavior can determine whether a rival bid succeeds or fails.

Become a D2B Member today for to access to our -- NEW!!!-- interactive audio scripts, PDF Audio Script Library, Bonus Vocabulary episodes, and D2B Member-only episodes.

Visit d2benglish.com/membership for more information.

Follow Down to Business English on Apple podcasts, rate the show, and leave a comment.

Contact Skip, Dez, and Samantha at

downtobusinessenglish@gmail.com

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Skip Montreux on Linkedin

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AI-generated content is spreading fast — from strange social media videos to fake product reviews and “polished” workplace writing that says very little. This flood of low-quality output is often called AI slop, and it is creating real problems for consumers, platforms, and businesses.

In this episode of Down to Business English, Skip Montreux and Samantha Vega get Down to Business with AI slop — the growing wave of low-quality, AI-generated content that is showing up across the internet. They explain what AI slop looks like on platforms like YouTube, how it is impacting online shopping through fake or exaggerated reviews, and why it is now appearing inside companies as so-called ‘workslop’ — AI-written emails, reports, and documents that sound professional but lack substance.

Skip and Samantha's conversation gives listeners a clear, practical introduction to how AI-generated content is reshaping online trust and business communication — while helping you build your Business English. In this episode, you will learn:

1. What ‘AI slop’ means, and why it is becoming so common online.
3. Why fake or AI-written reviews create real risk for shoppers and brands.
4. What ‘workslop’ is, and how low-quality AI writing can reduce productivity inside companies.
5. Why human oversight matters if companies want AI to create value, not noise.

Become a D2B Member today for to access to our -- NEW!!!-- interactive audio scripts, PDF Audio Script Library, Bonus Vocabulary episodes, and D2B Member-only episodes.

Visit d2benglish.com/membership for more information.

Follow Down to Business English on Apple podcasts, rate the show, and leave a comment.

Contact Skip, Dez, and Samantha at

downtobusinessenglish@gmail.com

Follow Skip & Dez

Skip Montreux on Linkedin

Skip Montreux on Facebook

Dez Morgan on Twitter

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