The Democratic congressman for Silicon Valley represents a district home to tech industry titans. Anne McElvoy asks him how their power can be checked. Can Capitol Hill regulate online hate speech without impinging on free speech? Plus, how does the deputy whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus see his wing’s relationship with the rest of the party? Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions:www.economist.com/podcastoffer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Economist Podcasts

The Economist Asks: Ro Khanna

BioNTech, the German firm behind the first licensed coronavirus jab, reveals its attempts to stuff its technology into shipping containers—to be used where they are most needed. In the second instalment of our French-election series, we ask what is left of the country’s left. And, as the Olympics wrap up, putting numbers to judges' biases that favour their compatriots. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sharpest tools, in a box: miniature vaccine factories

Persistently high inflation has brought back fears of a wage-price spiral. Our economics team Soumaya Keynes, Simon Rabinovitch and Callum Williams explore how expectations of high inflation become reality. We look at the data on whether workers or firms are winning the battle over wages. And, as they reach for all the tools at their disposal, are central banks still in control?With Julia Coronado, founder of MacroPolicy Perspectives; Ethan Harris, head of global economics at Bank of America; Dario Perkins, head of global macro at TS Lombard; and Ricardo Reis of the London School of Economics.Sign up for our new weekly newsletter dissecting the big themes in markets, business and the economy at economist.com/moneytalks For full access to print, digital and audio editions, subscribe to The Economist at www.economist.com/podcastoffer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Money Talks: How high?

Last summer President Kais Saied nobbled the legislature; now he has abolished the judiciary. We ask where the country is headed, and why there is so little protest. Brazil’s modern-art scene, born a century ago this week, flourished despite rocky politics—but the current president has a chokehold on it. And the Thai army’s quixotic mission to evict Bangkok’s legendary street-food hawkers. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Judge, jury and executive: another power-grab in Tunisia

Elon Musk’s rocketry firm SpaceX has announced that its monstrous, dirt-cheap Starship rocket will soon be ready for its maiden voyage into orbit. Host Alok Jha explores the project’s potential impact on space travel, scientific discoveries and human connectedness on Earth. We also examine the business philosophy that has helped SpaceX innovate, and the risks that could hinder its ambitions.For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/podcastoffer and sign up for our weekly science newsletter at economist.com/simplyscience.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Babbage: A Starship is born

Today’s figures showing the first annual economic growth in three years may seem promising. But the grand plans of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio resemble past policies that have not worked. The finely tuned government of Bosnia is under grave threat from some of the same forces that caused its brutal war. And why roadkill is now on the menu in Wyoming.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Yen here before: Japan’s “new capitalism”

A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, what would happen if financial markets crashed? We also profile China’s thinker-in-chief (11:25) and explore how new spinal implants allow the paralysed to walk, swim and cycle again (18:45) Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions:www.economist.com/podcastoffer   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Editor’s Picks: February 14th 2022

It has become much more than a fight against proof-of-vaccination strictures. The anti-government mood has spread in Canada and abroad. What happens next? Haiti has received billions upon billions in foreign assistance but its situation remains dire; we ask why all that aid has not aided much. And Reader’s Digest, a surprisingly influential American snappy-excerpts magazine, turns 100.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Not trucking around: Canada’s protests spread

Next term the Supreme Court will hear two cases challenging race-conscious admissions programmes. The court’s conservative supermajority is likely to rule for the plaintiffs. What difference would a ban on affirmative action make to higher education in America? The Economist’s Tamara Gilkes Borr explains how she switched from opposing to supporting affirmative action. We tell the story of the man who coined the term. And The Economist’s Steve Mazie takes us through the Supreme Court cases, and considers if the process for replacing Justice Stephen Breyer is a form of affirmative action. John Prideaux presents with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon.For full access to print, digital and audio editions as well as exclusive live events, subscribe to The Economist at economist.com/uspod  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

​​Checks and Balance: Affirmative reaction

Since American forces left, pessimism has skyrocketed—and with good reason. Starvation is driving Afghans to sell their organs and even their children in order to eat. The artificial snow of this year’s winter Olympics is unsustainable and environmentally troubling; we meet a “snow consultant” pioneering a better way. And remembering Lata Mangeshkar, who gave voice to a newly liberated India.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Withdrawal symptoms: Afghanistan goes hungry

As the Republican Party prepares for crucial mid-term elections in November, host Anne McElvoy asks Senator Tim Scott what the GOP now stands for as it deals with the fallout from the 2020 election. The party’s only African-American senator discusses racial discrimination, police reform and Donald Trump’s chances.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Economist Asks: Senator Tim Scott

The state-legislature poll in Uttar Pradesh is in effect a vote on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s increasingly stringent Hindu-national agenda—and will hint at his party’s chances in 2024. Oil majors are getting points for selling off their dirtiest oil-and-gas operations; we ask who is buying them. And which countries are up and which are down in our annual Democracy Index. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Which way UP: India’s bellwether election

Over the past 15 years power and risk in financial markets have shifted radically. New investors have flooded in and, buoyed by pandemic stimulus, most have had an incredible ride. But as policymakers put the brakes on, global financial markets are starting to wobble. How might this new high-tech, bank-light system fare under a serious stress test?Mike Bird hosts with Alice Fulwood, The Economist’s US finance correspondent; Greg Jensen, co-chief investment officer of Bridgewater Associates; Robert Shiller, professor of economics at Yale University and author of “Narrative Economics”; and The Economist’s Buttonwood columnist, John O’Sullivan.Sign up for our new weekly newsletter dissecting the big themes in markets, business and the economy at economist.com/moneytalks For full access to print, digital and audio editions, subscribe to The Economist at www.economist.com/podcastoffer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Money Talks: The next financial crisis

So far Germany’s new chancellor has been all but invisible at home and on the international stage. We examine the motives behind his reticence—and his abilities during a European crisis. As space becomes a battleground and satellites become targets, new research aims to bring nuclear power to bear. And visiting a red-hot art exhibition in three ways at once. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The quiet man of Europe: Olaf Scholz

Web3 is the latest Silicon Valley buzzword, referring to a third iteration of the internet built on blockchain technology. Backers say it will reinvent cyberspace but scepticism is growing. Host Kenneth Cukier investigates the hype and the potential.For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/podcastoffer and sign up for our weekly science newsletter at economist.com/simplyscience.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Babbage: What is web3?

Every weekday our global network of correspondents makes sense of the stories beneath the headlines. We bring you surprising trends and tales from around the world, current affairs, business and finance—as well as science and technology.

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The Economist Podcasts

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