Are China’s armed forces a match for America?

2025-12-06

Why are more Americans being executed? Rebecca Jackson, our Southern correspondent, and Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss how politicians and the Supreme Court have helped usher in a new era of capital punishment.

Chapters:
00:00 – Why is America increasing the number of executions?
00:57 – Do Americans actually support executions anymore?
01:40 – If public support is low, what’s driving the surge in executions?
03:06 – With declining support, will execution rates continue to rise?
03:54 – Are states pushing the Supreme Court to expand executions even further?

Links:
Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/4iDfvuR
More Americans are being executed: https://econ.st/49Zm3Sc
Sign up to our weekly newsletter: https://econ.st/3J0xzBr

#TheEconomist #Florida

2025-12-04

Sir Keir Starmer called Reform UK, Nigel Farage’s populist right-wing party, “pro-Putin or Putin-neutral”. In an interview with The Economist’s editor-in-chief, @ZannyMintonBeddoes, Britain’s embattled prime minister said a Reform government would harm Britain and potentially break the West.

The full interview will be available to watch at 4pm UK time. Click the link to watch: https://www.economist.com/insider

2025-11-27

Is Britain’s budget a failure? Tom Carter, our Britain economics correspondent, and Jason Palmer, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss why this is a missed opportunity for the Labour Party and why the government’s new policies are anti-growth.

00:45 – What is the economic backdrop to the budget?
01:31 – Was the government’s economic windfall put to strategic use?
02:38 – Did the budget cause "violent market reactions"?
03:23 – Was this a good budget for Labour?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/4rpIndI
This bodge-it budget does not give Britain what it needs: https://econ.st/4p9Hl4c
Sign up to our weekly newsletter: https://econ.st/3J0xzBr

#TheEconomist #Budget2025 #Labour

2025-10-17

America’s economy continues to grow, despite Donald Trump’s tariffs. Our editors ask whether they were wrong about the President’s trade policy in the latest episode of Insider.

2025-10-12

Why is Saudi Arabia investing in the world’s biggest gaming firms? Our Media Editor, Tom Wainwright, and Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss the Middle Eastern kingdom’s bid to become a video game superpower.

0:39: Who’s buying EA?
1:06: What does a gaming superpower look like for Saudi Arabia?
2:01: Why is Saudi Arabia investing in gaming?
2:46: Is there more to this than MBS’s love of gaming?
3:26: Is this game-washing—like sportswashing?
5:01: Will Saudi influence change the games themselves?
6:47: What does the future of Saudi-influenced games look like?

#TheEconomist #SaudiArabia #EA

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/3IU4lEA
With Electronic Arts, Saudi Arabia scores a record buy-out: https://econ.st/4h1Li7K
Sign up to our weekly newsletter:

2025-10-07

The decades-long succession saga is finally over—Rupert Murdoch’s media empire will be inherited by his son, Lachlan. Our media editor, Tom Wainwright, delves into the details of Murdoch’s “eldest boy”.

2025-06-26

Is China becoming a cultural phenomenon? From Labubu dolls to high-tech exports China is making waves abroad. Our producer Jiehao Chen and China correspondent Gabriel Crossley speak on the Drum Tower podcast to discuss China’s pursuit of soft power.

00:00 – China’s softening image
01:07 – What does China’s Communist Party stand to gain?
02:23 – IShowSpeed’s livestream in China
04:08 – So is China cool?

Listen to the rest of the episode: https://econ.st/4epPhtJ
It’s not just Labubu dolls, Chinese brands are booming: https://econ.st/4k9wtzS
Sign up to our weekly newsletter: https://econ.st/4lphUcu

2025-06-17

Israel has hit some of Iran’s most important nuclear sites but doing lasting damage to Iran’s nuclear ability is extremely difficult, as our defence editor, Shashank Joshi, explains