Whack of all trades: America’s economy

From The Economist. No surprises here: The Economist reckons tariffs are a terrible trade tool. But what is most clearly harming American businesses and scaring off investors is persistent uncertainty (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/03/27/the-unpredictability-of-trumps-tariffs-will-increase-the-pain?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) about them. Our correspondent sees the effects of one non-military donor to Ukraine: help not to fight but to preserve something worth fighting for…

Is therapy in prison the answer?

From The Economist. His Majesty’s Prison Grendon treats hardened criminals through therapy, with one study showing that inmates who spent 18 months at Grendon had a 20% chance of reoffending within two years, compared with 50% for other prisons. Noel Smith, ex-criminal, speaks with our public-policy correspondent, Tom Sasse, about his experiences there

You spin me right round: Europe’s populists reckon with Trumpism

From The Economist. For Europe’s hard-right politicians, Donald Trump’s second White House bid looked like validation and opportunity. Now that he is in it, the tensions and trade-offs are becoming clear (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/03/23/trump-is-a-problem-for-europes-most-important-hard-right-leaders?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners). The Houthis’ grip over Yemen and the Red Sea is only strengthening (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/03/20/americas-strikes-on-the-houthis-could-whip-up-a-regional-tempest?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), even as other Iranian proxies are waning (10:03). And a…

Canuck of the draw: Canada’s election campaigns

From The Economist. The Conservative Party, led by a Trump-tinged populist, once had the polls locked up. That is changing radically (https://www.economist.com/interactive/2025-canada-election?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) now that Donald Trump is seen as a threat to the nation. Amid America’s foreign-policy misfires, China might choose to smooth diplomatic feathers and make friends; instead it, too, is muscle-flexing (https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/03/20/chinas-cynicism-offensive-in-asia?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (8:14).…

The chat is out of the bag: a stunning leak

From The Economist. Put aside for the moment the outrageous security breach (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/03/24/a-shambolic-leak-reveals-team-trumps-contempt-for-allies?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) of a journalist being brought in on classified military planning: a leaked group chat reveals much about the Trump administration’s transactional, anti-European ethos. The story of a Nigerian senator (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/03/20/nigerian-politics-is-a-nasty-place-for-women?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) shows how vile politics can be for the country’s women (10:23). And…

Bibi driver: battles led by and within Israel

From The Economist. The ceasefire in Gaza is in tatters (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/03/18/israels-strikes-may-be-only-the-start-of-a-new-offensive-in-gaza?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners); the campaign against Hizbullah is flaring up again. Yet the most telling battles are those happening inside Israel. Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, is coolly dealing (https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/03/20/will-donald-trump-shape-the-mexican-presidents-domestic-agenda?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) with the fitful aggression of her northern neighbour (10:25). And our obituaries editor pays tribute to Richard Fortey…

Spy-fall: Trump imperils intelligence pact

From The Economist. America’s international intelligence-sharing relationships have been decades in the making and rely not on a treaty but trust. Could Donald Trump damage (https://www.economist.com/international/2025/03/16/trump-v-the-spies-of-five-eyes?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) the powerful spy alliance? Why we may soon be buying cutting-edge medicines developed in China (https://www.economist.com/business/2025/02/16/its-not-just-ai-chinas-medicines-are-surprising-the-world-too?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (11:00). And introducing a new regular feature, “What to watch this weekend (https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/03/14/what-to-watch-this-weekend?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners)”…

Not so delightful: Erdogan arrests rival

From The Economist. Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/03/19/erdogan-arrests-the-candidate-who-could-beat-him?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) just days before he was likely to be elected leader of Turkey’s opposition. Where does this leave Turkish democracy? What Panama’s concessions (https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/03/13/panamas-giveaway-game?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) teach us about how to deal with Donald Trump (9:49). And why you should go to a zoo–not a hospital–to treat a poisonous snakebite…

Cold call: Putin thwarts Trump

From The Economist. Donald Trump hoped Vladimir Putin would agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. Instead he made marginal concessions (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/03/18/putin-woos-trump-with-a-partial-ceasefire-and-big-geopolitical-deal?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), then launched a missile attack. Our correspondent assesses the implications. Tesla’s falling sales (https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/02/27/erotic-writing-is-becoming-more-explicit?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) are not just down to Elon Musk’s politics (9:42). And a flowering of literary erotica (https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/02/27/erotic-writing-is-becoming-more-explicit?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (15:40). Listen to what…

Peace broken: war returns to Gaza

From The Economist. After Israel launched dozens of missiles into Gaza overnight, what does this mean for the prospect of a lasting ceasefire (https://www.economist.com/topics/war-in-the-middle-east?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners)? As two stranded astronauts are rescued from the International Space Station, our correspondent explains how private investment has changed space exploration (9:10). And a cutesy animation (https://www.economist.com/china/2025/03/06/a-new-film-is-breaking-box-office-records-in-china?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) wins plaudits from the…

In sickness and in stealth: threats to America’s CDC

From The Economist. Donald Trump’s team has called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/03/10/how-doge-is-driving-americas-public-health-guardians-mad?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) “the most incompetent and arrogant agency” in the federal government. Our correspondent talks to staff who fear that jobs and crucial public-health projects are under threat. Is silver (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/03/05/why-silver-is-the-new-gold?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) the new gold (10:56)? And why live albums (https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/02/27/why-are-live-albums-back-in-fashion?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) are…

Wheels of justice: the ICC gets Duterte at last

From The Economist. The International Criminal Court has arrested Rodrigo Duterte, a former president of the Philippines. The case highlights both the strengths and the weaknesses (https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/03/11/the-global-importance-of-rodrigo-dutertes-arrest?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) of international justice. We examine the spate of bombings (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/02/27/swedish-businesses-are-being-bombed?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) plaguing Sweden—carried out by young people who are in it for the money (8:18). And remembering Athol Fugard…

Can foreign aid work?

From The Economist. Donald Trump’s decision to dismantle USAID is an extreme example of a global trend: rich countries are pulling back on foreign aid. Our international economics correspondent, Cerian Richmond Jones, travels to Malawi to find out whether decades of aid has worked

When the levy doesn’t break: a trade-war world adjusts

From The Economist. The Trump administration’s dedication to tariffs now seems more fervent than the first time around. Markets (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/03/10/how-trump-provoked-a-stockmarket-sell-off?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) are noticing (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/03/11/will-americas-stockmarket-convulsions-spread?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners). We ask what might temper the trade war. Europe’s once-fringe hard-right parties are now leading polls (https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/02/28/hard-right-parties-are-now-europes-most-popular?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), even if not yet leading governments; we look at where things are headed (11:07). And…

Donald Trump’s mafia-style diplomacy

From The Economist. Bullying allies, making threats and demanding tribute: Donald Trump’s style of diplomacy is one Don Corleone might recognise. Will his mob boss approach make America richer and stronger, or isolated and weaker? #uspolitics #trump #donaldtrump #diplomacy

Thirty-day trial? A Ukraine-ceasefire proposal

From The Economist. The ceasefire proposal (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/03/11/ukraine-hopes-its-ceasefire-offer-will-turn-the-tables-on-russia?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) hatched by American negotiators and agreed by Ukraine is now a matter for Russia to consider. We ask how the not-yet-a-breakthrough will land in both countries. Our correspondents ask one of NATO’s very-top brass about Europe’s defence stance and how it should shift (10:44). And the shockingly life-shortening…

Sects and balances: a violent flare-up in Syria

From The Economist. Horrifying attacks on Alawites, the sect of deposed leader Bashar al-Assad, throw into question the power—or the will—of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the country’s leader, to maintain peace (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/03/10/a-horrific-killing-spree-shakes-syria?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners). For the first time in decades it now makes more sense to pay off a mortgage early (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/02/13/why-you-should-repay-your-mortgage-early?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (10:36). And high-end satellite data, once the…

No question, Mark: Canada’s new PM

From The Economist. The governing Liberal party is enjoying a stunning turnaround in the polls, and now it has a new leader. We ask how Mark Carney will tussle (https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/03/10/mark-carney-must-keep-an-expansionist-america-at-bay?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) with Donald Trump’s tariffs and taunts. China has a vibrant new wintertime economic sector: skiing and snowy tourism (https://www.economist.com/china/2025/02/13/hail-chinas-new-ice-and-snow-economy?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (10:45). And a tribute to Rose…

One week in the life of Volodymyr Zelensky

From The Economist. After a turbulent seven days (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/03/04/the-lesson-from-trumps-ukrainian-weapons-embargo?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), how will President Volodymyr Zelensky tackle the domestic and international challenges ahead? Our correspondent attends “Ode to Resilience”, a concert of defiance in Ukraine (9:55). And how “The Economist” reported on the Allies’ advance across Europe in the second world war: a sample from our interactive…

Kurds in the right place: a truce nears

From The Economist. The leader of Turkey’s Kurdish rebels has called on the group (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/02/27/one-of-the-worlds-longest-conflicts-may-be-ending?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) to disband. That could end one of the world’s longest running conflicts. How tariffs and political volatility may affect the American economy (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/03/02/america-is-at-risk-of-a-trumpian-economic-slowdown?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (10:16). And the craze for eating caviar (https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/02/27/caviar-is-the-internets-favourite-indulgence?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners)… with chicken nuggets (18:33). Listen to what matters most,…

Pompcast: Trump rallies Congress

From The Economist. American presidents often use their first meeting with Congress as a chance to lay out their agenda for the next four years. Donald Trump, by contrast, treated last night’s address (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/03/03/trumps-new-tariffs-are-his-most-extreme-ever?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) like a campaign rally. Meet Ecuador’s tenacious anti-corruption champion (https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/02/27/the-bravest-woman-in-latin-america?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (12:18). And co-host Jason Palmer plays an AI bot (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/02/26/how-artificial-intelligence-can-make-board-games-better?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) of…

Buck off: US pauses Ukraine aid

From The Economist. In an effort to bring Ukraine to the negotiating table, America has paused military help (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/03/03/as-trump-suspends-military-aid-what-are-the-brutal-chokeholds-on-ukraine?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) to the war-torn country. What will this mean on the ground? Our correspondent explores a new cryptocurrency craze, visiting Turkey’s bazaars to meet people trading goods using stablecoins (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/02/23/stablecoins-the-real-crypto-craze?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (9:43). And why the Louvre is staging…

Conversation peace: can Europe bargain with Russia?

From The Economist. European leaders met in London this weekend (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/03/02/europe-vows-to-defend-ukraine-but-prays-for-trumps-support?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) after Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky’s public row shattered hopes for a US-led truce in Ukraine. What did the summit achieve? Our correspondent visits Mexico’s border (https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/02/23/mexico-deploys-10000-troops-to-the-us-border?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) to find out if strengthened force will stem the flow of fentanyl to America (9:46). And remembering…

Ode to dread: Europe after Trump

From The Economist. This week European leaders have lined up to charm Donald Trump. But the broad smiles belie a bigger fear: what would it mean for the continent’s security if America forsakes its security guarantees (https://www.economist.com/international/2025/02/25/can-europe-confront-vladimir-putins-russia-on-its-own?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners)? What the pull-out of French (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/02/01/frances-bitter-retreat-from-west-africa?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) forces will mean for Africa (10:56). And the Maha Kumbh Mela (https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/02/27/how-overt-religiosity-became-cool-in-india?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners)…

Who controls the West Bank?

From The Economist. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the occupied West Bank in the last month because of Israel’s latest operation. It’s reignited a long-standing question about the Palestinian territory: who controls the West Bank?

Heir-raising: the boom in inheritance

From The Economist. As the baby-boom generation starts to die and economic growth slows many more people are getting rich from family wealth. Are we returning to the age of Jane Austen? The latest EIU Democracy Index (https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2024?utm_campaign=MA00001507&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=eiu-intelligence-podcast) reveals what a bumper election year did to country rankings (9:36). And our correspondent takes an ice…

Phase transition? Gaza’s shaky peace

From The Economist. The first phase of Gaza’s ceasefire is near its end (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/02/12/instead-of-luxury-condos-gaza-faces-a-resumption-of-war?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), but planning for the even more fraught second phase has hardly begun. What chance for near-term peace? We examine the harmful outcomes from the Trump administration’s slashing (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/02/19/how-the-trump-administration-wants-to-reshape-american-science?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) funding for America’s science institutions (9:45). And “I’m Still Here”, an Oscar-tipped film,…

Emmanuel dexterity: Trump and Macron chat

From The Economist. The meeting between France’s and America’s presidents had a familiarly chummy feel. We ask whether Emmanuel Macron’s charm offensive (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/02/25/has-emmanuel-macron-managed-to-reason-with-donald-trump?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) might have changed Donald Trump’s mind on security matters. Norway’s stocks of wild salmon are in trouble—owing in part to their farmed brethren (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/11/13/norways-atlantic-salmon-risks-going-the-way-of-the-panda?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (9:42). And how the Michelin Guide (https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/01/30/the-michelin-guide-is-no-longer-the-only-tastemaker-in-town?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) is…

Left, right and centre: Germany’s election

From The Economist. Instead of needing three parties to cobble together a majority, the country’s two traditional main ones have the numbers (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/02/23/friedrich-merz-wins-germanys-election-but-forming-a-coalition-will-be-hard?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners). What to expect once the talks are done? Donald Trump claims America has supported Ukraine far more than Europe has; we comb through the data (https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/02/13/parliament-is-advertising-for-a-new-black-rod?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) that prove him wrong (10:38). And…

Is Trump playing the “madman”?

From The Economist. Donald Trump seems to relish causing chaos. But what if there’s a method to the madness? Adam O’Neal, our Washington Correspondent, explains the “madman theory”  #donaldtrump #uspolitics #madman #madmantheory #nixon #diplomacy

What does Putin really want?

From The Economist. Three years after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, it is still not clear what “winning” his war really means. As talks with the Trump administration begin our Russia editor, Arkady Ostrovsky, explains what Putin really wants #ukrainewar #vladimirputin #geopolitics #war #warinukraine #zelensky

Friends (the one with estrangement): Europe without the US

From The Economist. Europe must move boldly (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/02/20/how-europe-must-respond-as-trump-and-putin-smash-the-post-war-order?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) as the American-led world order shatters beneath it; we explain how. Many people view the freedom to work from home as a perk. Some academics reckon there should be, in effect, a tax on it (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/02/06/when-will-remote-workers-see-their-pay-cut?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) (10:41). And we pay tribute to Pableaux Johnson (https://www.economist.com/obituary/2025/02/20/pableaux-johnson-peerless-host-and-chronicler-of-new-orleans?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), a New…

Young, gifted and black: Africa’s next generation

From The Economist. Africa’s young are educated, ambitious side-hustlers. But they are hampered by their economies and dispirited by their politicians. How to harness their vast potential? America’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is, in a real-world accounting (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/02/12/elon-musk-is-failing-to-cut-american-spending?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), not actually budging the budget much (8:25). And why Germans take more days off sick (https://www.economist.com/business/2025/01/23/germans-are-world-champions-of-calling-in-sick?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners)…

How more women can become CEOs

From The Economist. Only around 10% of Britain’s and America’s biggest companies have female CEOs. Addressing the "motherhood penalty" and making recruitment processes uniform are two ways to redress this imbalance. Video supported by @mishcon_de_reya 00:00 – Will CEO gender parity happen? 00:50 – Vodafone CEO, Margherita Della Valle 01:51 – Women CEOs: why so…

Colour visions: a German-election lookahead

From The Economist. The possibilities for an inevitable coalition government are a head-spinning colour wheel of party logos. We look at the most likely outcomes (https://www.economist.com/interactive/2025-german-election-polls-prediction-forecast?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), and the smaller parties that may well play kingmakers. A series of scandals (https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/02/06/japan-could-finally-face-its-own-metoo-crisis?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) in Japan has propelled the country to a belated #MeToo crisis (10:35). And London’s once-abundant…

AI bosses on what keeps them up at night

From The Economist. Google DeepMind and Anthropic founders, Demis Hassabis and Dario Amodei, are two of the world’s foremost leaders in artificial intelligence. Our editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, sat down with them to discuss AI safety, timelines for artificial general intelligence and whether they fear becoming the Oppenheimers of our time, in a conversation for…

Get your Strait facts: China’s quiet Taiwan push

From The Economist. We investigate China’s under-the-radar push (https://www.economist.com/international/2025/02/09/chinas-stunning-new-campaign-to-turn-the-world-against-taiwan?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) to get other countries to change their official language on Taiwan’s independence. Would it make a difference in a bid to reunify by force? The case of a nurse jailed for killing babies exposes deep problems (https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/02/10/it-increasingly-looks-as-if-lucy-letbys-conviction-was-unsafe?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) with British justice (10:10). And how top footballers get…

Munich insecurity conference: a re-ordering begins

From The Economist. Backing away from European security guarantees and seeking mineral rights in Ukraine as recompense for military aid: at the Munich Security Conference the Trump administration made its convention-trashing, transactional nature clear (https://www.economist.com/international/2025/02/16/donald-trumps-assault-on-europe?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners). What Europe will or even can do is not so obvious. And a tribute to Donald Shoup (https://www.economist.com/obituary/2025/02/13/donald-shoup-knew-how-to-get-cities-going?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), whose studies…

Love match: Modi-Trump’s tariffs tussle

From The Economist. The American president and Indian prime minister have long been friends. But when the two met at the White House yesterday, they had many thorny issues (https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/02/11/is-maga-great-for-india?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) to discuss, including trade and immigration. Why the skies are getting smaller (https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2024/11/18/the-skies-are-getting-smaller-and-more-dangerous?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners)–and more crowded (10:40). And “Saturday Night Live” (https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/02/13/the-secret-to-the-success-of-saturday-night-live?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) at 50 (17:57). Listen…

Zelensky fears being sidelined by Trump

From The Economist. On February 12th, President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin, without co-ordinating the details beforehand with Ukraine, and announced that negotiations to end the war would start “immediately”. It was exactly the sort of unilateral American move that, just hours earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky warned against in this interview…

With this ring: Trump and Putin omit Ukraine

From The Economist. During a 90-minute telephone conversation, the American and Russian presidents started negotiating (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/02/12/donald-trump-starts-immediate-talks-with-vladimir-putin-on-ukraine?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) a future for Ukraine. What will this mean for Europe? Our correspondent interviews a leader (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/02/06/a-leader-of-congos-rebels-vows-to-fight-on?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) of the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 in Goma, Congo (9:44). And how Bridget Jones (https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/02/12/six-of-the-best-films-about-love?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) changed cinema (and Chardonnay) (18:08). Listen to what…