Latest Interviews
Showing 1–15 of 57 transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist8 min
Why does Elon Musk want to put data centres in space? | The Economist
Elon Musk, Tom Standage, Alex Hern
Elon Musk has merged XAI into SpaceX and filed an FCC application to deploy one million satellites, aiming to establish orbital data centers powered by sun-synchronous orbits to achieve terawatt-scale annual capacity. While Musk targets lunar manufacturing and mass drivers to lower launch costs, OpenAI's Sam Altman and industry analysts currently dismiss the concept as technically infeasible due to prohibitive expenses and unrepairable hardware failure rates. Despite this skepticism, competitors including StarCloud, Google, Jeff Bezos, and Eric Schmidt are advancing their own pilot projects or securing launch capacity to test the viability of space-based computing.
- The Economist9 min
How Donald Trump made the Gaza talks happen
Donald Trump, Jason Palmer, Anshel Pfeffer
Amid unprecedented war fatigue, the Trump administration has deployed a high-level delegation led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Sharm El Sheikh to drive an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The proposed Phase 1 plan mandates a full halt to hostilities, a partial Israeli withdrawal, and a reciprocal exchange of 48 Israeli hostages for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners to prevent famine and release military reservists. While long-term governance details regarding disarmament and international security forces remain deferred, the U.S. is aggressively enforcing this framework to bypass previous diplomatic failures and secure a permanent end to the conflict.
- The Economist25 min
Economies of sail: migrant-smuggling entrepreneurs
Rosie Bloor, Joel Budd, Noah Snyder, Oliver Morton, Rachel Dobbs, Ainsley Johnston
An analysis of global security and environmental trends reveals that UK migrant smuggling networks have fragmented into professionalized, decentralized supply chains that evade traditional law enforcement decapitation tactics, while simultaneous extreme wildfires in South Korea and Japan signal accelerating climate impacts in high-latitude regions. Parallel to these physical shifts, international public opinion is undergoing a rapid polarization driven by US political changes, characterized by a sharp decline in favorable views of America across traditional allies like Canada and European nations. These converging dynamics suggest a global landscape where adaptive criminal markets, climate-fueled disasters, and fractured diplomatic trust are reshaping security challenges and cross-border perceptions.
- The Economist25 min
Kurds in the right place: a truce nears
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Pyotr Zalewski, Simon Rabinovich, Danielle Zaslavsky, Henrietta McFarlane
Following secret negotiations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and former hardline leader Devlet Bahçeli have advanced a peace initiative with imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, aiming to end a 40-year conflict through a PKK ceasefire while securing regional stability against Israel and Western alliances. Simultaneously, President Trump's aggressive tariff escalation on China, Mexico, and Canada triggered immediate global market sell-offs and record-low consumer sentiment as nations retaliated, compounding existing economic vulnerabilities in housing and business investment. In a contrasting cultural shift, the $3.1 billion caviar industry is surging toward a projected $4.6 billion valuation by 2029, driven by viral social media trends among young consumers who are adopting unconventional pairings and spurring innovations in cultivated, fish-free alternatives.
- The Economist28 min
Pompcast: Trump rallies Congress
Trump, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, John Priddow, Ana Lankes, Alex Hearn
President Donald Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine following a dispute with Volodymyr Zelensky, triggering retaliatory 25% tariffs from Mexico and Canada and prompting Zelensky to signal readiness for a new minerals deal. In his first congressional address, Trump claimed record-breaking approval swings and erroneously contrasted European and American aid contributions while asserting he ranks alongside George Washington. Simultaneously, Ecuadorian Attorney General Diana Salazar continues high-stakes investigations into corruption linking drug cartels to former President Rafael Correa, with the outcome threatening to determine whether the nation remains a democracy or becomes a narco state before upcoming elections.
- The Economist26 min
Phase transition? Gaza’s shaky peace
Greg Carlstrom, Jason, Rachel Dobbs, Ana Lankes
Negotiations for a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire are stalled as the initial truce approaches expiration, with a short-term extension considered the most likely scenario while future reconstruction plans clash between Arab proposals and Israeli suggestions. Simultaneously, the US faces significant disruption in its federal science sector due to proposed budget cuts of up to 50% and the removal of indirect costs, prompting fears of a mass exodus of scientific talent and a decline in global research output. Meanwhile, Brazil is undergoing a national reckoning with its military dictatorship legacy, driven by the Oscar-nominated film *I'm Still Here*, which has intensified judicial scrutiny over past disappearances like that of Rubens Paiva and underscored political tensions surrounding former President Jair Bolsonaro's pending trial.
- The Economist25 min
Love match: Modi-Trump’s tariffs tussle
Modi, Trump, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Kira Khuyu, Leo Morani, John Fassman
At the White House, President Trump and Prime Minister Modi advanced a "mega-prosperity" partnership marked by the "MIGA" slogan, even as trade tensions over reciprocal tariffs and immigration enforcement disputes threaten the $200 billion bilateral relationship. Concurrently, global aviation faces a decade-long crisis of eroding safety and shrinking airspace due to geopolitical conflicts, granting non-Western carriers a competitive edge while forcing Western airlines to cancel routes. In the entertainment sector, *Saturday Night Live* celebrates its 50th anniversary by maintaining structural consistency under Lorne Michaels' leadership, successfully adapting its political satire for the digital age to sustain high ratings during election cycles.
- The Economist41 min
Scam Inc 1: Pigs in a barrel
Jim Tucker, Shane Haynes, Bill Tucker, David, Su Lin Wong, Zannie Minton-Beddoes, Karina, Evan, Edgar, Sam Colbert, Alizé Jean-Baptiste, Weidong Lin, Darren Ng, Claire Reid, Rosie Blore, Heidi Pett, John Shields
In July 2023, Elkhart, Kansas, Heartland Tri-State Bank collapsed after CEO Shane Haynes transferred $47.1 million to the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken following a sophisticated "pig butchering" scam. Despite the board's secret meeting and unanimous rejection of a recovery plan, federal regulators seized the bank, dissolving its charter and costing local shareholders millions while depositors remained insured. This incident exemplifies the rise of global criminal networks that exploit professional relationships to generate tens of billions in annual losses for victims worldwide.
- The Economist23 min
War hoarse: is Zelensky being heard?
Zelensky, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Ore Ogunbiyi, Vicente Maldonado, Caitlin Talbot, Halen Michael Seaman, Gabe Poirot
President Zelensky warns of grim front-line realities and insists Ukraine will only negotiate with binding U.S. security guarantees, while simultaneously facing funding hurdles for a contingency plan to double the national army. In West Africa, aquaculture startups like Troppo Farms struggle to meet surging local fish demand due to high capital intensity and bureaucratic barriers, despite 60% of global consumption shifting to farming. Meanwhile, TikTok has become a primary driver of religious engagement for Gen Z, where viral influencers bypass traditional institutions to build communities, albeit with risks of spreading misinformation and fragmenting belief systems.
- The Economist24 min
It could happen to you: introducing “Scam Inc”
Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Su Lin Wong, Simon Rabinovich, Tim Cross
Podcast series *Scam Inc.* reveals a multi-billion dollar online fraud industry utilizing violent coercion, AI-driven voice cloning, and psychological exploitation across the globe. Concurrently, the US administration has aggressively implemented sweeping tariff threats on major trading partners, creating significant market volatility while seeking to revitalize domestic manufacturing through protectionist policies. In the sports sector, Magnus Carlsen and Tim Cross are launching a rebranded Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour that employs randomized starting positions and F1-style broadcasting to transform chess into a mass-market entertainment product.
- The Economist25 min
Turkish delight: influencing the new Syria
Mauro Morandi, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Piotr Zalewski, Mike Bird, Anne Rowe
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is re-engaging Syria to secure its 900-kilometer border and suppress Kurdish autonomy while facilitating the return of three million refugees, a strategy that draws cautious interest from regional powers like Saudi Arabia. Simultaneously, the Trump administration has pivoted to integrate cryptocurrencies into the U.S. financial system through an executive order and a new "Doge" body led by Elon Musk, reversing previous restrictions to encourage bank participation. Meanwhile, Mauro Morandi, who lived in isolation on the Italian island of Budeli for three decades, evolved from a recluse into an environmental educator before passing away in his 80s.
- The Economist22 min
Remote control: Rwandan proxies occupy Congo
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Emmett Livingston, Robert Guest, Slaweja Čankova, Vishnu Padmarabhan
Following a collapse of government defenses, the M23 rebel group and alleged Rwandan troops captured Goma, displacing millions while exploiting the region's resources amid accusations of a proxy war strategy. Concurrently, medical research published in the *New England Journal of Medicine* identifies microplastics in half of a patient sample with arterial plaque, linking their presence to a quadrupled risk of heart attacks and stroke. Simultaneously, the global astrology market is surging to $23 billion by 2031 as Gen Z users increasingly turn to AI-driven platforms for guidance amidst declining religious adherence and rising societal stress.
- The Economist25 min
Executive orders of magnitude: Trump’s day one
Trump, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, John Prudhoe, Edward Carr, Nicole Phan
During his second-term inauguration held indoors due to extreme cold, Donald Trump delivered an address centered on reclaiming the Panama Canal, reviving Manifest Destiny, and announcing a goal to plant an American flag on Mars while key Silicon Valley leaders like Elon Musk attended. On his first day in office, he signed executive orders establishing a two-gender policy, declaring a national emergency at the southern border to halt illegal entry, and withdrawing from the World Health Organization and Paris Climate Agreement. Although Trump currently holds peak approval ratings and dominates the Republican Party, legislative constraints from narrow majorities in Congress and potential Supreme Court challenges may limit the long-term durability of his aggressive tariff threats and immigration reforms.
- The Economist22 min
Don’t mention the war: Russia’s internal tensions
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Arkady Ostrovsky, Matthew Holhouse
Analysts predict Vladimir Putin's regime faces potential unraveling due to a fragmented society where a pacifist majority fears total collapse yet creates fertile ground for crisis-driven change, a dynamic paralleling the late Soviet era. Simultaneously, the UK's Labour government confronts severe electoral volatility after securing a parliamentary majority with only 34% of the popular vote, necessitating tangible economic improvements to counter insurgent challenges from Reform UK and the Greens. Finally, corporate research demonstrates that while third-party nicknames enhance brand authenticity, hierarchical workplace nicknaming erodes psychological safety when initiated by management.
- The Economist23 min
Passing mentions: the notable lives lost in 2024
Jason Palmer, Arkady Ostrovsky, Enshul Pfeffer, Anne Rowe, Jerry
This event serves as a comprehensive historical reflection on the deaths of prominent figures across politics, science, and culture, including Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Hamas strategist Yahya Sinwar, and baseball legend Willie Mays. The discourse also commemorates the legacy of Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, whose "Earthrise" photograph catalyzed the modern environmental movement, alongside the career of sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who overcame Nazi trauma to become America's most visible voice on sexual health. Together, these accounts illustrate a spectrum of human achievement and tragedy, ranging from the inevitability of political change in Russia to the enduring impact of individual resilience on global society.