Join Jason Palmer and Rosie Blau for noise-cancelling news and analysis from The Economist's global network of correspondents. Every weekday this award-winning podcast picks three stories shaping your world—the big shifts in politics, business and culture, plus things you never knew you needed to know. On Saturdays, download The Weekend Intelligence to dive deep into a single story, vividly told.
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We go deep inside the Chernobyl nuclear-power plant and the surrounding exclusion zone, recounting the history of the accident on April 26 1986, and speaking with plant workers who were on shift that day. A pre-eminent Chernobyl historian discusses the lessons learned and yet to be learned from the disaster. And we consider the science still being done at Chernobyl. In 2024 “The Weekend Intelligence” went to Ukraine to consider the aftermath of the Russian invasion and occupation of Chernobyl, a...
We examine what our forecast model predicts so far —and consider what might change its confident prediction for one house of Congress and toss-up call for the other. Our correspondent sits down with Steve Reich, a pioneering classical composer who is nearing his 90th birthday. And the surprising reason why firstborns tend to have more-successful lives. Additional music courtesy of Steve Reich (Nonesuch Records), Erik Hall (Western Vinyl) Guests and host: Dan Rosenheck, data editor Jon Fasman, se...
The decision of Anthropic, an AI giant, to keep its Mythos model sequestered surely makes for good press. But there seems to be more to it than that—and it might change the whole industry’s approach. Indian politicians are chasing female voters more than ever; we question the means and the outcomes . And next in our World Cup contender-country profiles: Senegal. Guests and host: Alex Hern, AI writer Kira Huju, Asia correspondent Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent Jason Palmer, co-host of “...
Tim Cook is stepping down after overseeing 15 years of spectacular growth. We take a look at his successor . Japan’s rural women are disproportionately heading to cities, and their home towns are working hard to lure them back. And a historical examination of boredom, and why Britons have perhaps less of it than they should . Guests and host: Tom Lee-Devlin, business editor Moeka Iida, Japan reporter Catherine Nixey, culture correspondent Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence” Jason Palmer, c...
This week’s peace talks are endangered after American forces fired on and boarded a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. We visit Chernobyl’s ruined reactor to assess the damage done by a Russian drone to its enormous safety structure. The likes of McDonald’s and KFC have long been in China’s cities; now they are expanding at pace in the countryside. Guests and host: Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent Sarah Lawrynuik, deputy editor of “The Intelligence” Don Weinland, China business and fi...
When America seized Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro in January, it left the rest of his regime intact. Three months on, our correspondent finds optimism and some loosening of repression. Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado fled to America, now she explains her ambitions for the country. And celebrating the life of Nick Pope , who spent decades investigating UFOs. Guests and host: Kinley Salmon, Latin America correspondent Ann Wroe, obituaries editor Rosie Blau, host of “The I...
After six weeks of Israel’s offensive against Hizbullah, Lebanon’s president and Israel’s prime minister are due to talk today. What can they achieve? Britain’s “triple lock” pensions are unsustainable. And Uzbekistan’s footballers prepare for the World Cup. Vote for The Economist at the Webby Awards: “ The Last Boat ” podcast, TikTok channel and language series. Guests and host: Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent Josh Roberts, capital markets correspondent Jon Fasman, senior culture correspon...
The Iran conflict and blockades in the Strait of Hormuz are slowing supply not just of fuel, but food and fertiliser. Geophysics could worsen the approaching hunger crisis: an El Niño weather event is predicted for this year. Anti-conversion laws are resulting in horrific scenes at Christian burial sites in India. And why Britain’s vets are struggling. Guests and host: Catherine Brahic, environment editor Avantika Chilkoti, global business writer Kira Huju, Asia correspondent Carla Subirana, new...
After the failure of talks at the weekend, America is now stopping all ships from using Iranian ports and coastal areas. Our correspondent analyses the rationale. Burkina Faso ’s government is committing war crimes. And which type of fizzy water tastes best? Vote for “The Economist” in the Webby Awards: “ The Last Boat ” podcast and Lane Greene on languages Guests and host: Shashank Joshi, defence editor Tom Gardner, Africa correspondent Jon Fasman, senior culture writer Rosie Blau, co-host of “...
In a momentous election, Viktor Orban has lost power in Hungary after 16 years of increasingly autocratic rule. Our correspondent explains how the country’s opposition led by Peter Magyar ousted a corrupt regime. Why cows in Britain are producing too much milk. And celebrating the giant rat that helped sniff out landmines in Cambodia. Guests and host: Matt Steinglass, Europe editor Harry Taunton, Britain writer Vishnu Padmanabhan, Asia correspondent Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence” Jaso...
Also on the daily podcast: what the Artemis Moon mission really accomplished and remembering a brave Soviet psychiatrist SHOW-NOTES TEXT (60ish wds) Binyamin Netanyahu says his strikes against Hizbullah are separate from the Iran-war ceasefire. That assertion is putting cracks in the deal, and in Israel’s relationship with America . We look at the stated and the unstated goals of the Artemis mission to the Moon—both achieved. And a tribute to Semyon Gluzman , who exposed the Soviet ruse of label...
President Donald Trump has long threatened to pull America out of the alliance. We examine why the Iran war has made this time look significantly more serious . Westerners are fleeing their countries in record numbers —with economic consequences for their origins and destinations. And our series profiling the countries contesting the World Cup starts with Spain. Guests and host: Anton La Guardia, diplomatic editor Callum Williams, senior economics writer Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent ...
With little time to spare before a threatened civilisation-ending attack, America agreed a pause in fighting with Iran. We ask how the temporary deal was reached and how likely a permanent one is. China has an ever-expanding, state-led IVF programme : can that actually reverse a deepening demographic crisis? And the right way to think about AI’s entry into literature . Guests and host: Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent Carla Subirana, news editor Andrew Miller, special correspondent Ros...
President Donald Trump’s rhetoric has grown yet more bellicose—and sweary. His stated ploy to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants would be ruinous for Iran, and Iran’s planned retaliation ruinous for the region. AI-driven job losses predicted for India’s IT sector are looking more likely to be job gains. And why Gen Z is taking up boomers’ hobbies. Guests and host: Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent Gavin Jackson, South Asia business and economics correspondent Caitlin Talbot, digita...
Viktor Orban , Hungary’s prime minister, is an idol to the global nationalist conservative right. Losing the next election would have far-reaching consequences. Could tourists help boost jaguar populations in South and Central America? And the number of Catholic saints is soaring. Guests and host: Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence” Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence” Matt Steinglass, Europe editor Ana Lankes, Brazil correspondent Catherine Nixey, culture correspondent Topics cover...
A giant leadership reshuffle is underway in China, but one job will stay the same: Xi Jinping is almost certain to secure another five-year term at next year’s party congress. Reasons to be optimistic about Europe’s tech future. And the life of controversial winemaker, Michel Rolland . Guests and host: James Miles, global China writer Guy Scriven, global business writer Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence” Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence” ...
NASA has successfully launched its first crewed space mission in over a decade. Our correspondent explains why America wants to build a moonbase. AI models underperform in languages other than English. And meet China’s social-media stars: influencer-officials . Guests and host: Oliver Morton, senior editor Deena Mousa, science writer Gabriel Crossley, China correspondent Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered: Artemis II, moon, NASA AI, LLMs, language China, Chinese Communist Part...
Ukraine’s resistance to Russia relies on the clever use of drones . Much of that strategy is down to a single person, a former grain trader with a great idea. Our correspondent meets him. Since the Brexit vote a decade ago, Britain has become more like Europe. And why American universities are abandoning the notorious swimming test . Guests and host: Oliver Carroll, Ukraine correspondent Matthew Holehouse, Britain public policy editor Doug Dowson, data journalist Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Inte...
An Economist investigation reveals that Iran is profiting from the war as it evades sanctions and oil prices surge. India’s government has promised to crush the country’s Maoist insurgency . Our correspondent visits a former rebel stronghold. And why understudies , a theatre’s insurance policy, are underestimated. Guests and host: Rachana Shanbhogue, business affairs editor Kira Huju, Asia correspondent Hamish Clayton, culture writer Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered: Oil, Ir...
The Iran conflict is escalating with little prospect of an end in sight. Our correspondent explains why a US ground invasion is likely. In an ongoing history series , we look at how America’s attitude to migrants changed as it got richer. And “ Project Hail Mary ” is a sci-fi film drawing wide audiences. Guests and host: Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent Annie Crabill, a news editor in New York Alexandra Suich Bass, Culture editor Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence” Jason Palmer, ...
Even before America crimped Cuba’s oil, the country was teetering . We ask what is to blame for the Cuban people’s plight, and whether anything better is in prospect. The craze of injecting peptides is not only scientifically unsupported—it is potentially dangerous. Chuck Norris once got mad at dinosaurs. Just once. Our obituaries editor recounts his unlikely rise to international manly stardom. Guests and host: Sarah Birke, Central America and Caribbean bureau chief Natasha Loder, health editor...
A jury in California agreed with a plaintiff who argued that Meta and Google, two social-media giants, designed their platforms to be addictive. That opens the floodgates to more litigation and perhaps to regulatory change. We examine the world’s maritime chokepoints and how they shape geopolitics—littorally, not figuratively. And how digitally animated films came to dominate the box office. Guests and host: Tom Wainwright, media editor Anton La Guardia, diplomatic editor Alex Selby-Boothroyd, h...
In the daily tea leaves one might read that President Donald Trump would prefer a deal with Iran to a continuing military campaign. Where would that leave Israel and its goals ? Cryptocurrencies have gained a particular foothold in Asian economies; will they become real financial infrastructure or just tools of fraud? And tracing the history of mafias through the ages. Guests and host: Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent Sue-Lin Wong, Asia correspondent Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent ...
Air strikes and border raids have turned cross-border tensions into hot conflict . We ask what raised the temperature, and whether the Iran war may act to lower it. Meanwhile that war’s oil shock brings with it fears of rising inflation; we examine how recent disruptions might inform policy decisions. And “ listening parties ”, once for music-industry insiders, are becoming the norm. Guests and host: Tom Sasse, south Asia bureau chief Joshua Roberts, capital markets correspondent Caitlin Talbot,...
As the war in Iran progresses, none of the options available to Donald Trump looks good. We examine each of them. Thailand’s Buddhist monks are implicated in lots of lawless and dodgy behaviour—but clearing out the bad apples is more complicated than it seems. And gene-editing comes to the fruit bowl : we look at what science is serving up next. Guests and host: Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent Alizée Jean-Baptiste, Asia senior podcasts producer Maria Lisik, news editor Rosie Blau, co-...
As attention has focused on war in Iran, Israel sees an opportunity to crush a weakened Hizbullah in Lebanon. Our correspondent says it would be far better for the Lebanese state to do so. As south-east Asia is modernising, Islam is counterintuitively gaining greater primacy in civic life. And a tribute to Jürgen Habermas , Germany’s and perhaps Europe’s most prominent intellectual. Guests and host: Gareth Browne, Middle East correspondent Sue-Lin Wong, Asia correspondent Ann Wroe, obituaries ed...
A rash entry into a war of choice exposes President Donald Trump in a number of ways—and he may prove more dangerous as he becomes weaker . Turkey’s foreign entanglements mask the democratic backsliding at home; that is bad news for an opposition figure whose trial just began . And Americans seem to be taking their anger out on food-delivery robots . Guests and host: Robert Guest, deputy editor Piotr Zalewski, Turkey correspondent Rebecca Jackson, Southern correspondent Jason Palmer, co-host of ...
Cancelled flights, longer routes, higher prices: the war in Iran is taking its toll on the airline industry. The conflict may force lasting change on the big Gulf carriers. We ask why the once-frothy fake-meat industry is losing its bite . And why PDFs, one of technology’s most pervasive file types, may meet their end thanks to AI. Guests and hosts: Simon Wright, industry editor Hollie Berman, news editor Shera Avi-Yonah, business writer Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence” Jason Palmer, co...
The Intelligence investigates Aliko Dangote's enormous oil refinery in Nigeria, examining its impact on the nation's energy security and his broader vision for African industrialization, alongside criticisms of his business model. It then shifts to the Iranian diaspora in Los Angeles, known as "Tehrangeles," highlighting their varied perspectives on US involvement in Iran. Finally, the episode discusses a Danish study revealing an unexpected correlation between cancer diagnoses and a subsequent rise in criminal activity, exploring economic and social factors at play.
Control of the Strait of Hormuz has become the focus of the war in Iran. The options available point to an acute risk of a broadening regional conflict. China is making great strides in building humanoid robots —but so far they are more about entertainment than utility. And a look at the science to help you get power naps right. Guests and hosts: Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent Don Weinland, China business and finance editor Harry Taunton, audience editor Rosie Blau, co-host of “The I...
