Right turn at a broken traffic light: Germany’s AfD

2024-12-05

An alliance of the far right and the left has sacked (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/12/04/frances-parliament-fires-the-prime-minister?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) Prime Minister Michel Barnier; out goes his budget and the government. Can President Emmanuel Macron find a stable path between the political extremes? We ask why employees seem so much more comfortable using generative artificial intelligence than their employers

2024-11-29

In an interview with Javier Milei (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/11/28/javier-milei-my-contempt-for-the-state-is-infinite?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), our correspondent probes how far the “anarcho-capitalist” president plans to push his promise to slash spending and reform the state. Can seaweed (https://www.economist.com/business/2024/11/28/could-seaweed-replace-plastic-packaging?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 other fibrous packaging replace plastic (11:51)? And remembering Celeste Caeiro

2024-10-08

Donald Trump’s machine is already gearing up to fight a loss in America’s presidential election. If Kamala Harris wins he won’t give up without a fight. Just how messy could things get?

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See Harris and Trump’s latest polling numbers: https://econ.st/4dtMpK7

What will happen if America’s election result is contested?: https://econ.st/3BwJPWA

2024-10-04

Whoever wins Pennsylvania will probably win the presidency: according to it’s the most likely tipping point state. We’ve travelled to three different areas to assess how the campaign is going, and try to read the electoral tea leaves. Who’s winning in Pennsylvania? (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/09/19/pennsylvania-the-crucial-battleground-in-americas-election?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=checksandbalance&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners)

John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon.

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts (http://economist.com/podcasts)

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

2024-10-02

After JD Vance and Tim Walz squared off against each in last night’s vice-presidential debate (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/10/02/the-vice-presidential-debate-was-surprisingly-cordial?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), our correspondent assesses their performance – and its effect on the US election. In Britain the pro-European cause (https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/09/04/why-are-remainers-so-weak-in-post-brexit-britain?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 popular, but its advocates are ineffective (10:53). And

2024-09-25

Sudan’s war is the world’s worst—but widely ignored. We explain the story behind the fighting. Watch part 2 here:

Sign up to our Africa newsletter: https://econ.st/3Xzy2Oj

“Hell on earth”: satellite images document the siege of a Sudanese city: https://econ.st/3XI7PNU

Why Sudan’s catastrophic war is the world’s problem: https://econ.st/4ewYeQF

Anarchy in Sudan has spawned the world’s worst famine in 40 years: https://econ.st/4ewVNO6

The ripple effects of Sudan’s war are being felt across three continents: https://econ.st/3XDAeEN

2024-08-07

Tim Walz, a folksy Midwesterner who came late to politics, is on the Democratic ticket. We ask how he got there (https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/08/06/why-kamala-harris-picked-tim-walz-as-her-running-mate?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 whether he was the best tactical pick. A visit to Lebanon reveals a sense of foreboding, as a sharper war between Israel and Hizbullah seems inevitable

2024-07-30

The dearth of fixed-line infrastructure that allowed the continent to leapfrog into the mobile-phone age now holds it back. We ask how to ensure (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/07/25/how-to-ensure-africa-is-not-left-behind-by-the-ai-revolution?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 even spread of AI’s dividends. A stinking Seine (https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/07/25/the-seine-may-determine-athletes-success-at-the-paris-olympics?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) has delayed the Olympic triathlon, but the river could one