The Intelligence from The Economist

<p>Tariffs against China were the centrepiece of Donald Trump’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/05/07/america-and-china-prepare-for-an-alpine-trade-clash?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">“Liberation Day”</a> trade plans. Our correspondent explains the significance of a new 90-day hiatus. Will <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/05/11/uncertainty-and-tension-ahead-of-possible-ukraine-peace-talks?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ukraine and Russia</a> come to the negotiating table this week (7:51)? Why new techniques to <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/05/07/compressed-music-might-be-harmful-to-the-ears?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">compress </a>the contrast between loud and quiet music could be damaging our hearing (15:35). And help us improve the show by taking <a href="http://www.economist.com/TIsurvey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this survey</a>. </p><br><p><br></p><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The choice of Robert Prevost reflects a desire for <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/05/08/what-it-means-to-have-an-american-on-the-throne-of-st-peter?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unity and compromise</a>. But insofar as Pope Leo XIV represents a middle path, how will he lead on the church’s trickiest questions? The Trump administration has <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/05/08/donald-trump-is-right-to-ditch-joe-bidens-chip-export-rules?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">axed</a> Biden-era export controls on AI chips. Good. Now they must enact simpler, more-effective ones (11:29). And remembering <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2025/05/01/martin-graham-was-determined-to-see-his-dream-come-true?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Martin Graham</a>, founder of the Longborough Festival Opera (19:34).</p><br><p><em>Economist Education is running a new six-week online course on international relations—a window into shifting geopolitical trends and a guide to navigating uncertainty and risk. Listeners to “The Intelligence” can save 15% by clicking </em><a href="https://education.economist.com/intelligence" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em> and using the code INTELLIGENCE.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Eighty years since the surrender of Nazi forces, we consider the differing ways that nations frame that distant history for today; none does so more gravely than Russia. Our “<a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/archive-1945?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Archive 1945</a>” project relives <em>The Economist</em>‘s reporting on the last days of war in Europe. And we examine how European defence has changed, and how Britain’s celebrations hint at a world perhaps forever lost. </p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Two weeks after a terrorist attack in Kashmir, Indian missiles <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/05/06/india-strikes-pakistan-to-avenge-a-terrorist-attack?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">streaked into Pakistan</a>. Will the retaliation end this latest flare-up or intensify it? Our correspondent meets <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/04/16/the-judge-who-would-rule-the-internet?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alexandre de Moraes</a>, a swashbuckling Brazilian supreme court justice who is taking sides in the global free-speech fight (8:35). And appetite for Sweden’s rare-earth minerals will pose difficulties for the Sami people <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/04/24/europe-wants-swedens-minerals-thats-more-bad-news-for-the-sami?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">and their reindeer</a> (tk).</p><br><p><em>Please take a moment to fill out our </em><a href="http://www.economist.com/TIsurvey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>listener survey</em></a><em>—let us know what you like about the show, and what you don’t.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>In a post-war first, Germany’s round of parliamentary voting for a chancellor did not produce one. We ask why members of <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/05/01/germanys-staid-seeming-new-chancellor-has-a-mercurial-streak?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Friedrich Merz</a>’s coalition turned on him, and what happens next. Daring raids on scam compounds in Myanmar freed many <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2025/02/06/online-scams-may-already-be-as-big-a-scourge-as-illegal-drugs?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slave-labour scammers</a>—but thousands remain trapped there (9:42). And diving into the data that show young Americans are getting (slightly) <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/03/11/young-americans-are-getting-happier?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">happier</a> (16:23).</p><br><p><em>Economist Education is running a new six-week online course on international relations—a window into shifting geopolitical trends and a guide to navigating uncertainty and risk. Listeners to “The Intelligence” can save 15% by clicking </em><a href="https://education.economist.com/intelligence" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em> and using the code INTELLIGENCE.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Good bosses are rare. They don’t have to be. The skills of management can be learned.</p><br><p><em>The Economist</em>’s management columnist, Andrew Palmer, is here to help. The second season of Boss Class features leaders at some of the world’s best performing companies, from Levi’s to Novo Nordisk to Google. </p><br><p>New episodes are out weekly starting May 12th. </p><br><p>To listen to the full series, subscribe to <a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Economist Podcasts+</a>. </p><p><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus</a></p><br><p>If you’re already a subscriber to<em> The Economist</em>, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our <a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQs</a> page or watch our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">video</a> explaining how to link your account.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Many people view <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/04/16/dont-overlook-the-many-benefits-of-plastics?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">plastic</a> as an environmental disaster that blights landscapes and chokes marine life. Our correspondent argues that instead we need to better understand this miracle material. To make prison work, governments need to have better strategies for managing <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/04/03/what-happens-when-britain-frees-thousands-of-prisoners-at-once?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inmates’ release</a> (10:04). And could <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/04/09/what-your-boss-makes-of-your-apology?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">saying sorry</a> harm your career (16:16)? </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Australia’s Conservative party was on the ascent until Donald Trump took office in January. At the <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/05/01/aussies-are-doing-a-political-pivot?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">polls this weekend</a>, the dominant concern is who will stand up to the new White House administration. How India’s revolution in <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/02/20/indias-other-little-known-infrastructure-revolution?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">road-building</a> is transforming rural lives (10:32). And a new <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2025/04/03/athletics-pays-less-than-other-sports-michael-johnson-wants-to-change-that?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sports league</a> for athletes who want more than gold medals (17:19). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>America and <a href="https://www.economist.com/topics/ukraine-at-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ukraine</a> have signed a deal to share the profits of extracting natural resources. Our correspondent explains its significance. How the <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2025/04/30/can-shein-and-temu-survive-trumps-trade-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trade war with China</a> will hit US shoppers (8:29). And a century on, why <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/04/16/a-century-on-art-deco-is-as-stylish-as-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Art Deco</a> is still in style (17:36). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Since <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/04/24/trump-is-a-revolutionary-will-he-succeed?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a> took office, there has been a deluge of news. Our correspondent considers what might happen next. Fifty years on from the <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/04/24/the-vietnam-war-made-american-culture-bolder-and-more-varied?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fall of Saigon</a>, we meet the Vietnamese who fled the country (10:47). And our obituaries editor celebrates the life of busker and star Alice Tan Ridley (18:06). <em>Music credit: Seikilos Epitaph with the Lyre of Apollo by Lina Palera</em></p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Canada’s election campaign was dominated by Donald Trump’s threats against the nation. Now the Liberal party has <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/04/29/mark-carney-leads-canadas-liberals-to-a-remarkable-victory?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">won</a>, it faces a tougher fight: confronting the US president. <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/03/27/japanese-people-are-starting-to-quit-their-jobs?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Japanese salarymen</a> used to take a job for life, now they are finally switching companies – and even careers (9:32). And Volkswagen brings out the <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2025/04/24/for-volkswagen-things-go-from-bad-to-wurst?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>wurst</em></a> (16:07).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Tensions between India and Pakistan have flared after the terrorist <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/04/27/tensions-soar-as-india-weighs-how-to-hit-pakistan?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">attack in Kashmir </a>last week. Our correspondent explains what Narendra Modi may do next. Why even <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/03/27/even-priests-need-the-free-market?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">priests and the clergy</a> need the free market (8:56). And the surprising survival of <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/04/08/doge-is-coming-for-american-officials-magnetic-tape?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cassette tapes</a> (15:45).  </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Canada’s sovereignty has loomed large in the federal <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/04/23/captain-canada-carney-gains-in-the-maple-leaf-v-maga-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">election campaign</a>, but beyond the show of national unity the country’s media and political landscape is riven with division. To counter China’s capabilities, America may have to start <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/02/20/only-asia-can-help-america-counter-chinas-shipbuilding-prowess?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">building ships</a> in Asia (11:26). And how “The Economist” reported the defeat of the Nazis: a sample from our <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/archive-1945?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1945 interactive</a> archive (20:33). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>First, Jerome Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve, was for the chop; then he was safe. As elsewhere President Donald Trump’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/04/23/president-trumps-attacks-on-the-fed-are-not-over?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flip-flopping</a> chips away at American credibility. After years of working from home, data <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/04/21/unlike-everyone-else-americans-and-britons-still-shun-the-office?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">make clear</a> which demographic likes to do more of it (10:40). And electric vehicles <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/04/11/electric-vehicles-also-cause-air-pollution?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">do pollute the air</a>—just not from the tailpipe (17:19).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The United Arab Emirates projects an image of level-headed calm in the Gulf. Its actions abroad, however, betray a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/04/16/the-uae-preaches-unity-at-home-but-pursues-division-abroad?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far more divisive</a> and ideological agenda. Japan’s recent <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/04/10/japan-faces-a-reckoning-over-rice?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rice crisis</a> is in part about market reforms—but solving it is mostly about making farmers happier (10:29). And a romp through the linguistics (and culture-war triggers) of <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/04/10/pronouns-have-become-extremely-divisive?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">personal pronouns</a> (17:08). </p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>As the cardinals of the coming conclave prepare, our correspondent considers what will guide them. <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2025/04/21/the-coming-struggle-to-choose-the-next-pope?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Which of the church’s challenges</a> will the next pope be elected to address? In Mexico the discovery of a ranch littered with clothing adds <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/03/25/a-newly-discovered-killing-site-shocks-mexico?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">disturbing evidence</a> to a torrent of mysterious disappearances (9:24). And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/04/14/feral-minecraft-movie-fans-spark-irritation-and-optimism?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">wild goings-on</a> at cinema screenings of “A Minecraft Movie” (15:55).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>He shunned fancy vestments and paid surprise visits to prisons and hospitals: our obituaries editor reflects on the life of a <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2025/04/21/pope-francis-changed-the-catholic-church-but-not-as-much-as-he-hoped?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reform-minded pontiff</a> who preferred to be among his flock. <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2025/03/06/catering-to-protein-rich-diets-is-a-tasty-business?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">High-protein snacks</a> are on an absolute tear, and one explanation is linked to new weight-loss drugs (7:49). And the thorny business of nudging an employee towards <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2025/02/13/how-to-get-people-to-resign?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">resigning</a> (14:31).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>It is a Nobel-winning idea with untold promise in health care, agriculture and more. We examine <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/02/26/crispr-technologies-hold-enormous-promise-for-farming-and-medicine?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">what must change</a> in order to capture those benefits. Asia’s love affair with gold has long been chalked up to cultural motives; our correspondent finds <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/04/13/why-asias-love-affair-with-gold-persists?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">far more going on</a> (10.45). And for all the draw of New Zealand’s verdant chill, lots of natives <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/03/06/why-new-zealanders-are-emigrating-in-record-numbers?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">want out</a> (17:58). </p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>President Xi Jinping’s style of negotiating is staid, distanced, a quiet projection of power. President Donald Trump’s is not. That dynamic is <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2025/04/15/xi-jinpings-trump-sized-puzzle?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">complicating</a> their gargantuan standoff. Spain ends up with more and more remains of migrants who die on their journeys—and its morgues <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/04/10/spanish-morgues-are-straining-to-identify-migrants?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cannot keep up</a> (10:29). And in an age of video games pinball is not only surviving, it’s flipping <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/02/27/do-you-play-a-mean-pinball?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">thriving</a> (18:11).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>For the 23rd time the International Monetary Fund will cough up, this time to the tune of $20bn. But the reforms stipulated by the loan, alongside promising changes already under way, suggest this time <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/04/14/javier-mileis-big-move-to-normalise-argentinas-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">might be different</a>. Near America’s border with Mexico, high-speed chases have become more common—and <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/03/27/texas-troopers-are-in-more-and-more-lethal-car-chases?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more deadly</a> (9:08). And myriad uncertainties are making Europe a <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/03/27/the-prospect-of-war-has-turned-europe-into-a-continent-of-preppers?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">continent of preppers</a> (15:08).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Falling trust in the greenback is most apparent in bond-market moves. How close is the dollar to <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/04/13/a-flight-from-the-dollar-could-wreck-americas-finances?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">losing its status</a> as the world’s go-to currency, and what could take its place? We take a look at <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/04/04/jordan-bardella-the-french-hard-rights-young-hope?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jordan Bardella</a>, the young, polished, ever-rising star of France’s far right (11:56). And Hong Kong’s notoriously gruff cab drivers are told to smile more…<a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2025/03/13/hong-kongs-taxi-drivers-are-told-to-smile-more?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">or else</a> (18:26).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>President Donald Trump called the weekend strike on Sumy a “mistake”; other leaders called it a war crime. We examine the prospects for peace when Russia is brazenly <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/04/13/russia-continues-to-rain-down-death-on-ukrainian-cities?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hitting civilian targets</a>. As scientists flee American institutions, Europe is trying <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/03/27/trump-is-driving-american-scientists-into-europes-arms?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to woo them</a> (10:29). And Britain’s historical <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/03/20/comparing-apples-and-oranges-and-also-small-caged-mammals?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">consumer-price index</a> as a fascinating window into how shoppers’ tastes have shifted (17:24).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Donald Trump is now aiming his <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/04/10/can-china-fight-america-alone?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trade war</a> squarely at China. As the tit-for-tat tariff battle keeps escalating, investors are fleeing to safe assets. What will happen next? Germany’s Friedrich Merz finally signs a deal for a <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/04/09/germanys-new-centrist-government-is-reassuring-but-bland?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">coalition government</a> (10:12). And remembering <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2025/04/10/betty-webb-never-spoke-about-her-work-until-she-had-to?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Betty Webb</a>, who worked at Britain’s wartime codebreaking centre Bletchley Park (19:36). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Just 12 hours after Donald Trump launched his searing regime of tariffs, he <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/04/09/trumps-tariff-pause-brings-investors-relief-but-worries-remain?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">paused</a> many of them for 90 days. What's next for global trade? An outlandish proposal to <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/04/09/could-data-centres-ever-be-built-in-orbit?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">build data centres</a> in space (8:14). And why “<a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/03/14/at-100-the-great-gatsby-is-as-urgent-as-ever-old-sport?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Great Gatsby</a>” is just as relevant, 100 years on (15:58).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>As Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs take effect, our correspondent explains how one of America’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2025/04/04/apple-gets-caught-in-a-trade-war-nightmare?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">most profitable companies</a> may navigate the trade war. Are <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/03/24/new-data-show-that-the-class-divide-in-britain-may-not-be-so-wide?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">class divides</a> in Britain softening (9:28)? And <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/03/06/the-women-vying-to-make-conservatism-fashionable-online?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Republican influencers</a> define what it is to be a conservative woman (16:08).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>More than <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/04/01/britains-plan-to-smash-people-smuggling-gangs-has-a-big-problem?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">36,000 migrants</a> crossed the English Channel in small boats last year. Our correspondent investigates the increasingly sophisticated business strategies of the criminals who smuggle them. As the planet heats, wildfires in East Asia are becoming fiercer and more frequent (10:36). And why ordinary Americans are falling <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/03/31/schooled-by-trump-americans-are-learning-to-dislike-their-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">out of love</a> with their former international allies (18:31).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Since Donald Trump announced punishing tariffs on “Liberation Day” last week, stock markets have fallen and governments and businesses scrambled to respond. Our correspondent discusses the impact on the <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/04/06/trumps-trade-war-threatens-a-global-recession?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">global economy</a>. Do personalised diets really improve <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/03/20/zoe-a-british-personal-nutrition-app-is-growing-fast?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">gut health</a> (9:16)? And gasp at the science of how <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/03/20/why-dont-seals-drown?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">seals</a> spend so long underwater without breathing (16:13). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>South Korea has been paralysed since its president declared martial law in December. Even after <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/04/04/yoon-suk-yeol-south-koreas-disgraced-president-is-ousted?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">his impeachment</a>, politicians face a divided polity and battered economy. Why governments should pay attention to the “<a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/03/26/who-will-speak-for-henry?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Henry</a>” – High Earner, Not Rich Yet (9:49). And what <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/01/27/tofu-never-judge-a-food-by-its-political-reputation?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tiffs over tofu</a> teach us (15:38).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Even in the run-up to Donald Trump’s “<a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/04/03/trump-takes-americas-trade-policies-back-to-the-19th-century?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Liberation Day</a>” tariff hikes, few had expected such colossal levies. Our correspondent explains how they will shake America’s economy and global trade. After Sudanese government forces <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/03/30/khartoum-changes-hands-heralding-a-new-phase-in-sudans-civil-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">retake Khartoum</a>, will this alter the course of the civil war (10:32)? And <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/03/27/how-shonda-rhimes-became-a-billion-dollar-asset-for-streamers?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shonda Rhimes</a> is shaping watching habits (18:12).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Months ago, <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/03/30/zelensky-trump-and-putin-may-all-have-done-u-turns-on-elections-in-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">holding an election</a> in wartorn Ukraine seemed impossible. Now plans are being made. Our correspondent explains the prospects for the campaign – and the chance of a ceasefire, which must precede it. How did “The Economist” cover American <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/finance-and-economics/2025/03/06/donald-trumps-tariffs-are-a-throwback-to-the-1930s?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tariff hikes</a> in the 1930s (8:29)? And why daylight savings time may not be so brilliant for your health (16:14). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/03/31/barring-marine-le-pen-is-a-political-thunderbolt-for-france?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marine Le Pen</a> is one of France’s most popular politicians, who has brought the National Rally party to the heart of the political landscape. Our correspondent explains the implications of a court ruling that stops her running for president in 2027. Why <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/03/16/why-rents-are-rising-too-fast?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rents keep rising</a> in the rich world (8:29). And remembering <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2025/03/26/oleg-gordievsky-worked-for-both-sides-in-the-cold-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Oleg Gordievsky</a>, the Russian spy turned British agent (13:03). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Civil war in Myanmar is <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/03/30/the-juntas-spite-worsens-myanmars-catastrophic-quake?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hampering relief efforts</a> after the devastating earthquake on Friday, as the ruling military regime intensifies attacks on resistance fighters. The impact of Donald Trump’s attempt to silence “<a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2025/03/19/donald-trump-shoots-his-own-global-mouthpiece?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Voice of America</a>” and other federally-funded broadcasters (8:45). And, “The Economist” reveals the best places to be a working woman in 2025 in its annual <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/glass-ceiling-index?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">glass-ceiling index</a> (17:37). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>No surprises here: <em>The Economist</em> reckons tariffs are a terrible trade tool. But what is most clearly harming American businesses and scaring off investors is <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">persistent uncertainty</a> 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 (10:57). And why “<a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/03/27/why-adolescence-has-become-a-global-smash-hit?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Adolescence</a>” tops Netflix’s viewing numbers the world over (19:54).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>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 <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">becoming clear</a>. The Houthis’ grip over Yemen and the Red Sea is <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">only strengthening</a>, even as other Iranian proxies are waning (10:03). And a look at the boom in <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/03/13/christian-entertainment-has-risen?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Christian entertainment</a> (15:51).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The Conservative Party, led by a Trump-tinged populist, once had the polls locked up. That is <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">changing radically</a> 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 <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">muscle-flexing</a> (8:14). And an <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/03/10/a-new-novel-is-published-amid-a-boom-in-dystopian-fiction?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unsettling new book</a> typifies a rise in dystopian fiction (13:45).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Put aside for the moment the <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">outrageous security breach</a> 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 <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nigerian senator</a> shows how vile politics can be for the country’s women (10:23). And why not to be too bothered by colleagues <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2025/03/06/the-behaviour-that-annoys-colleagues-more-than-any-other?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stealing your ideas</a> (16:26).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The ceasefire in Gaza is <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in tatters</a>; the campaign against Hizbullah is flaring up again. Yet the most telling battles are those happening inside Israel. Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, is <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">coolly dealing</a> with the fitful aggression of her northern neighbour (10:25). And our obituaries editor pays tribute to <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2025/03/20/richard-fortey-remade-the-world-with-fossils?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Richard Fortey</a>, a fossil obsessive who spent a career telling the world about trilobites (16:50).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>America’s international intelligence-sharing relationships have been decades in the making and rely not on a treaty but trust. Could <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Donald Trump damage</a> the powerful spy alliance? Why we may soon be buying cutting-edge medicines <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">developed in China</a> (11:00). And introducing a new regular feature, “<a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">What to watch this weekend</a>” (17:39). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Ekrem <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Imamoglu was arrested</a> just days before he was likely to be elected leader of Turkey’s opposition. Where does this leave Turkish democracy? What <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Panama’s concessions</a> teach us about how to deal with Donald Trump (9:49). And how zoos help hospitals treat venomous <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/01/09/when-treating-snakebites-american-hospitals-turn-to-zoos?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">snakebites</a> (19:16).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Donald Trump hoped Vladimir Putin would agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. Instead he made <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">marginal concessions</a>, then launched a missile attack. Our correspondent assesses the implications. <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tesla’s falling sales</a> are not just down to Elon Musk’s politics (9:42). And a flowering of <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">literary erotica</a> (15:40).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>After Israel launched dozens of missiles into Gaza overnight, what does this mean for the prospect of a <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lasting ceasefire</a>? 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 <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cutesy animation</a> wins plaudits from the Chinese Communist Party (18:09).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Donald Trump’s team has called the <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> “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 <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">silver</a> the new gold (10:56)? And why <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">live albums</a> are staging a comeback (15:50).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The International Criminal Court has arrested Rodrigo Duterte, a former president of the Philippines. The case highlights both <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the strengths and the weaknesses</a> of international justice. We examine the <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spate of bombings</a> plaguing Sweden—carried out by young people who are in it for the money (8:18). And remembering <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2025/03/13/athol-fugard-spoke-truth-to-apartheid-south-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Athol Fugard</a>, a playwright who spoke truth to power in South Africa’s apartheid era (17:04).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The Trump administration’s dedication to tariffs now seems more fervent than the first time around. <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Markets</a> are <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">noticing</a>. We ask what might temper the trade war. Europe’s once-fringe hard-right parties are now <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">leading polls</a>, even if not yet leading governments; we look at where things are headed (11:07). And tackling the mythology behind people’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/02/27/finding-meaning-in-peoples-first-words-and-their-last?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">very first and very last words</a> (16:47).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ceasefire proposal</a> 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 <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/02/19/do-lonely-people-have-shorter-lives?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">life-shortening</a> effects of loneliness (18:55).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>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 <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">maintain peace</a>. For the first time in decades it now makes more sense to <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pay off a mortgage early</a> (10:36). And high-end satellite data, once the preserve only of spies, could soon be available <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/02/25/spy-satellite-grade-images-could-soon-become-available-to-everyone?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to all</a> (16:19).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The governing Liberal party is enjoying a stunning turnaround in the polls, and now it has a new leader. We ask how Mark Carney <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">will tussle</a> with Donald Trump’s tariffs and taunts. China has a vibrant new wintertime economic sector: <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">skiing and snowy tourism</a> (10:45). And a tribute to <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2025/03/06/stitch-by-stitch-rose-girone-kept-her-family-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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rose Girone</a>, knitter extraordinaire and the oldest known Holocaust survivor (17:22).</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>After a <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">turbulent seven days</a>, 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 <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/archive-1945?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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">interactive archive</a> (18:22).</p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>The leader of Turkey’s Kurdish rebels has <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">called on the group</a> to disband. That could end one of the world’s longest running conflicts. How tariffs and political volatility may affect the <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">American economy</a> (10:16). And the craze for eating <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">caviar</a>… with chicken nuggets (18:33). </p><br><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a></p><br><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account. </em></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>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 <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">last night’s address</a> like a campaign rally. Meet Ecuador’s tenacious <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">anti-corruption champion</a> (12:18). And co-host Jason Palmer plays an <a href="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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AI bot</a> of Magnus Carlsen at chess (21:39).</p><br><p>Jason Palmer v AI Magnus Carlsen: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 Qe7 5. Nxd4 d5 6. Bb5 Qxe4+ 7. Ne2 Qxg2 8. Rg1 Qe4 9. Nd2 Qe7 10. b3 Nf6 11. Ba3 Qxa3 12. Nb1 Qe7 13. Qd4 Bf5 14. Rg5 g6 15. Rg3 Bh6 16. Re3 Bxe3 17. Fxe3 18. Qf4 Ng4 19. h3 Nxe3 20. a4 Ng2+ 21. Kf2. Nxf4 22. Nxf4 Qh4+ 23. Kg2 Qxf4 24. Na3 Be4+ 25. Kg1 Qg3+ 26. Kf1 Qf3+ 27. Ke1 Qxc3+ 28. Kd1 Qxa1+ 29. Kd2 Qxa3 30. Ke3 Qxb3+ 31. Kf4 Qf3+ 32.Kg5 f6+ 33. Kh6 Qxh3#</p><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>