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

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

How AI will divide the best from the rest: https://econ.st/3X8yVhv
After DeepSeek, America and the EU are getting AI wrong: https://econ.st/3ELKkgX
Chinese AI is catching up, posing a dilemma for Donald Trump: https://econ.st/4hUcDs0

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Google DeepMind and Anthropic founders, Demis Hassabis and Dario Amodei are profoundly worried about how AGI will change the world. Our editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, asks whether they could become the Oppenheimers of our time, in a conversation for Visionaries Club

We investigate China’s under-the-radar push (https://www.economist.com/international/2025/02/09/chinas-stunning-new-campaign-to-turn-the-world-against-taiwan?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) to get other countries to change their official language on Taiwan’s independence. Would it make a difference in a bid to reunify by force? The case of a nurse jailed for killing babies exposes deep problems

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

Shashank Joshi, our defence editor, explains why Donald Trump risks overturning the very basis of the NATO alliance’s mutual defence clause #uspolitics #geopolitics #trump #defence #nato #europe

Lab-grown diamonds have become increasingly popular in recent years but, with prices now falling, have they started to become too successful for their own good?

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

On February 12th, President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin, without co-ordinating the details beforehand with Ukraine, and announced that negotiations to end the war would start “immediately”.

It was exactly the sort of unilateral American move that, just hours earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky warned against in this interview with The Economist. “If Russia is left alone with America, Putin with Trump, or their teams, they will receive manipulative information,” the Ukrainian president warned.

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

How do you run a scam operation?

Perks, recruitment, outsourcing and a monthly landscaping budget—this is Scam Inc.

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Who are the scammers?

They aren’t who you think.

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You wouldn’t fall for a scam—would you?

A small town in Kansas is left reeling after one of its best and brightest gets sucked in.

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In an interview with The Economist ahead of the Munich Security Conference, Ukraine’s president (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) is pessimistic that Trump can end the conflict. How fish farming in West Africa could improve food security (11.57). And contemplating the holy hashtags of FaithTok (https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/02/06/how-tiktok-became-a-religious-pulpit?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) (17:10).

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to

The winner of Germany’s upcoming election will also play a crucial role in Europe. The Economist’s editor-in-chief speaks to Friedrich Merz (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/02/10/germanys-business-model-is-gone-warns-friedrich-merz?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners), the front-runner for chancellor, on the scale of the problems–and his rather cautious solutions. Taiwan faces Chinese infiltration (https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/02/06/china-is-infiltrating-taiwans-armed-forces?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) of its armed

The Big Mac index was invented by The Economist in the 1980s as a lighthearted guide to whether currencies are over- or under-valued. Here‘s how it works.

Some of the most frenetic innovation of Ukraine’s war happens in the electromagnetic spectrum: detecting and denying signals to and from materiel. This invisible battle (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/02/05/fighting-the-war-in-ukraine-on-the-electromagnetic-spectrum?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) will play out elsewhere. Cycling is notorious for doping scandals, but the latest way

Greenland, the world’s largest island, could be at the centre of the greatest resource rush ever seen. President Trump has said he wants it. So why is Greenland so valuable?

How do you run a scam operation?

Perks, recruitment, outsourcing and a monthly landscaping budget—this is Scam Inc.

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If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, 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 FAQs (https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts) page or watch our video () explaining how to link your account.

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Who are the scammers?

They aren’t who you think.

To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ (https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus).

If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, 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 FAQs (https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts) page or watch our video () explaining how to link your account.

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Donald Trump is the first president in more than a century to call for new American territory. He says he’s interested in acquiring Canada, Greenland, the Panama Canal, and now, Gaza. Does he really harbour imperial fantasies, or is this all just a negotiating ploy? #DonaldTrump #Greenland #uspolitics #Geopolitics #Canada #panamacanal #politics #usa #republican

Our new podcast series (https://www.economist.com/audio/podcasts/scam-inc?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) is a shocking look at transnational organised crime (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/02/06/the-vast-sophisticated-and-fast-growing-global-enterprise-that-is-scam-inc?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): nearly as big as the illegal-drug trade and far more sophisticated than you might think. Beware. After a week that started with bold tariff moves by the Trump administration, what can be gleaned

We meet the opposition leader (https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/01/30/who-is-lee-jae-myung-south-koreas-possible-next-president?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) who is likely to be the next president. Cleaning up the domestic mess after an alleged coup would seem easy compared with his tasks on the international stage. Our correspondent reports on renewed violence (https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2025/01/30/armed-groups-are-terrorising-colombias-border-with-venezuela?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) in Colombia; again, or

The details President Donald Trump laid out for American ownership and redevelopment (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/02/05/donald-trumps-eye-popping-plan-to-make-gaza-american?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) of the Gaza Strip took everyone by surprise—not least Israel’s prime minister. As improbable as it all is, though, it may play into Binyamin Netanyahu’s hands. As a second-world-war-era dispute reignites

From media-studies dropout to international jihadist to Syria’s ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa has an unlikely résumé. He speaks with our editor-in-chief, sharing hopeful-sounding hints (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/02/03/syrias-new-president-ahmed-al-sharaa-gives-his-first-interview?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) of his vision—but precious little detail. Japan’s economy has been hobbled by low inflation for years; is that now in the past

President Donald Trump followed through on his tariff threats, starting with Canada, Mexico and China. We look at the first skirmishes (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/02/02/trumps-brutal-tariffs-far-outstrip-any-he-has-imposed-before?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners) in what promises to be a painful trade war (10:30). A Concorde-style supersonic passenger jet could soon be flying again, if one company

Donald Trump takes office with a mandate to address illegal immigration. The question is not just whether his plan of mass deportations is possible – but whether America can even afford it #uspolitics #usnews #deportation #trump

Jan Piotrowski, our business columnist, explains why bosses appalled by the billionaire’s right-wing antics are cheering him on in the visa fight #business #economics #tech #musk #usa

The Mahabharata is one of India’s two great Hindu epics. It is thousands of years old and thousands of pages long. Over the past 75 years archaeologists in India have been searching for evidence that this mythological story might be based on true events. The Economist’s Leo Mirani travels to Delhi to unearth the story behind the story, and asks who gets to control the past?

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Europe’s far right is on the rise, and with Elon Musk voicing his support, concerns are growing. How worried should we be? Berlin bureau chief, Tom Nuttall, explains

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Austria could soon have a first far-right leader since 1945: https://econ.trib.al/4D9wE9T
How the AfD got its swagger back: https://econ.trib.al/ygoar59
The hard-right Vox party is winning over Spain’s youth: https://econ.trib.al/KmhqNJ2