Economist Podcasts

We look at the peace that has settled over Khartoum, the ruined capital. War rages on elsewhere, and a slim chance at a settlement rests largely with the belligerents’ foreign patrons. We ask why President Donald Trump has picked a fight over a new bridge between Canada and America. And remembering Betye Saar, who provided profound second lives for discarded objects.

Watch extended clips from Insider here.

Guests and host:
Tom Gardner, Africa correspondent
Annie Crabill, senior digital editor
Ann Wroe, obituaries editor
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
Sudan war, proxy war, geopolitics
Canada-America relations, Gordie Howe Bridge
Betye Saar, art

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We examine one of America’s primary races, in which a sharply lefty candidate beat the establishment figure. What does that reveal about changes in the Democratic Party? For decades China’s Yangtze River was a polluted, overfished mess. We look at the wins from cleaning it up—and who loses. And a fond look back at postcards as they fade from use.

Guests and host:
John Prideaux, executive editor and host, “Checks and Balance”
Gabriel Crossley, China correspondent
Catherine Nixey, Britain correspondent
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
America’s primary season, Democratic Socialists of America, Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed
China, Yangtze River, remediation
postcards, second world war, British history

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fewer clouds, shrinking ice caps, changing pollutants: all result in less of the sun’s energy being reflected back into space. Which is more bad news for a changing climate. Our correspondent explains why so much more of the world’s cocaine is passing through west Africa. And the data that reveal Americans’ discomfort about wives earning more than their husbands.

Guests and host:
Oliver Morton, planetary-affairs editor
Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, Africa correspondent
Doug Dowson, data journalist
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
climate change, albedo, global temperatures
Africa, cocaine, smuggling
wage equality, gender pay gap

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Donald Trump’s claim that Hamas had agreed to disarm in Gaza was, at best, premature. We examine the sticking points of a lasting deal. New-business applications are on a tear in America. We ask why so many people are working for themselves—but not doing much hiring. And the enduring popularity of radio in Africa, aided rather than degraded by social media.

Guests and host:
Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent
Shera Avi-Yonah, business correspondent
William Finlator, contributor to The Economist
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Board of Peace
American business, entrepreneurship
Africa, media, radio

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The deadly rush of migrants into the Spanish exclave has deep roots in a wider North African conflict—and implications for a far wider European fight about immigration. Our India columnist presents an incomplete list of falling objects as a way to examine public-safety failures. And a data dive that reveals how AI writing is forever shifting.

Guests and host:
Michael Reid, Spain correspondent and writer at large
Leo Mirani, Ashoka columnist
Caitlin Talbot, digital culture correspondent
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:
Ceuta, migration, Spain, EU, Schengen
India, public safety
AI writing, waning human primacy

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.