Holy smoke! An American pope

<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>