What makes rare earths so critical?
2026-01-19
Rare earths are integral to modern daily life, yet China has a near-monopoly on them. Rachana Shanbhogue, The Economist’s business affairs editor, explains how these metals ended up being used as a bargaining chip in economic warfare.
Video supported by @mishcondereya
What China’s military learnt from Trump’s Venezuela raid
2026-01-17
Has Trump’s Venezuela raid helped China plan military strikes? Jeremy Page and Sarah Wu, co-hosts of the Drum Tower podcast, discuss whether America’s extraction of Nicolás Maduro could offer lessons for a possible future attack on Taiwan.
#theeconomist #venezuela #china
Could Donald Trump end Iran’s internet blackout?
2026-01-14
Iran is experiencing its sixth day of a nationwide internet blackout, as authorities try to quell some of the biggest protests the country has ever seen. President Trump has said he wants to “rescue” the protesters and help restore the internet—can he?
Has the world reached “peak Trump”?
2025-11-26
There is no love lost between Donald Trump and John Bolton, his former national security adviser. Mr Bolton made a dramatic exit from the first Trump administration after months of tension. Since then he has been a fierce critic of the president’s character and competence. He has also been indicted for transmitting and storing classified information—which he denies. Mr Bolton joins David Rennie, our geopolitics editor, to dissect Mr Trump’s worldview, evaluate his America-first foreign policy and consider the future of American power.
00:00 – Is Donald Trump on a “downhill slope”?
02:19 – What Trump could do as a lame-duck president
03:29 – Has Trump damaged America’s institutions irreparably?
05:21 – The long-term impact of ‘America-First’ foreign policy
Watch the full interview:
Why pig organ transplants are closer than ever
2025-11-22
Will transplanting animal organs into humans become normal? Emilie Steinmark, our Science correspondent and Alok Jha, host of Babbage podcast, discuss the logic behind transplanting genetically-modified pig organs into humans and if this might help resolve the global organ-donor shortage.
00:00 – Why is xenotransplantation interesting again in 2025?
00:12 – Why do scientists use pigs for organ transplants?
01:05 – What risks come from using organs from animals?
02:10 – How do you prepare a pig organ for a human transplant?
03:39 – How do scientists edit pig genes to reduce rejection?
06:03 – Will pig-to-human organ transplants become normal in the future?
Links:
Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/3X9oIkA
How pig-organ transplants might soon save lives:
How Donald Trump made the Gaza talks happen
2025-10-06
How did Donald Trump make the Gaza talks happen? Jason Palmer, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, and Anshel Pfeffer, our Israel correspondent, discuss the ongoing peace negotiations in Egypt and how America’s president was pivotal in making them happen.
Is NASA close to finding life on Mars?
2025-10-03
How close is humanity to discovering life on Mars? NASA scientist Dr Katie Stack Morgan joins Alok Jha, host of The Babbage podcast, to discuss new research that might finally answer the age-old question.
Thumbnail image source: NASA
00:00 – What makes Perseverance the most advanced Mars rover ever?
02:02 – What exactly did Perseverance discover in Sapphire Canyon?
03:39 – Could the “poppy seeds” and “leopard spots” on the Martian rock be signs of life?
06:11 – When did scientists start thinking this might be biological?
07:55 – What needs to happen to confirm life on Mars?
08:46 – Will these Martian samples ever make it back to Earth?
09:49 – What would it mean to prove life once existed on Mars?
#TheEconomist #Mars #nasa
Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/4nC5Ru2
NASA has
Will President Trump’s peace plan work?
2025-09-30
Following pressure from Donald Trump, Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has been strong-armed into a Gaza peace deal. Our Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom considers whether Hamas will agree to the deal.