Scam Inc 3: The bottom line

2025-02-07

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

2025-02-01

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?

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ (https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus)

For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page (https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts) or watch our video (-4vU) explaining how to link your account.

Music by Blue dot

2025-01-27

Though thousands of Palestinians are going back to northern Gaza, rebuilding their lives and homes will take years. Just a week into the ceasefire (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/01/23/trump-should-try-to-end-not-manage-the-middle-easts-oldest-conflicts?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 says peace already looks fragile. Why Russian drones (https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/01/18/russian-pilots-appear-to-be-hunting-ukrainian-civilians?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) are being targeted at

2025-01-14

Though central banks have cut interest rates, uncertainty about the future has sent yields sky-high (https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/01/12/why-global-bond-markets-are-convulsing?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 explains why expectations diverge from the economic data, and the impact on borrowers. Donald Trump’s desire to control Greenland

2024-11-19

Trade ties between the two countries (https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/11/17/brazil-courts-china-as-its-musk-feud-erupts-again?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) have been increasing for over a decade. The election of Donald Trump for a second term means the relationship could now become even closer. Going to space (https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/10/30/space-may-be-worse-for-humans-than-thought?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) could harm human health (7:57). And why Britain has such miserable

2024-11-05

Are you mulling your sleep-schedule in preparation to watch the US election results tonight? We can help. Our political data scientist breaks down when key battleground states are likely to be called and explains why we might have a result quicker than you might think.

Keep these two charts handy as the votes come in: https://econ.st/3YOEX8j
See the latest polling here: https://econ.st/3NUN9gS
See our prediction model and the live results here: https://econ.st/3YOEX8j
Sign up to our US politics newsletter: https://econ.st/3UtTB2i

2024-09-26

For now, Israel’s moves (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/09/25/hizbullah-seems-to-have-miscalculated-in-its-fight-with-israel?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) seem to be posturing, a means to intimidate Hizbullah into backing down. But there remains a prospect of a ground invasion—and another pointless war. Our swing-state series starts with a state that only recently became swing-y: North Carolina

2024-09-20

After Israeli fires rockets (https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/09/18/israel-has-bloodied-hizbullah-but-is-stuck-in-a-war-of-attrition?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) into Lebanon and Hizbullah warns of “red lines” crossed, the Middle East is braced for further attacks. As the planet warms, sport is getting harder (https://www.economist.com/international/2024/09/12/sport-is-getting-hotter-harder-and-deadlier?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 deadlier (6:32). And celebrating Francisco Lopera