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Clear all filters- 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 Economist23 min
Buck off: US pauses Ukraine aid
Rosie Bloor, Shashank Joshi, Carlos Superana, Alexandra Sewich Bass
The White House has suspended over $1 billion in US military aid to Ukraine as leverage to force President Zelensky into negotiations, threatening long-term logistical deficits in artillery, air defense, and intelligence sharing despite immediate front-line stability. Simultaneously, stablecoin adoption has surged in Turkey to 40% of global transactions for inflation hedging and commerce, prompting tightening global regulations and US legislative efforts to harness digital assets for dollar dominance while addressing audit risks. In a separate cultural pivot, the Louvre launched its first fashion gala to raise $800 million for renovations by pairing high-fashion designs with historical artifacts, distinguishing its revenue model from criticized commercial exhibitions.
- The Economist25 min
Conversation peace: can Europe bargain with Russia?
Rosie Bloor, Ed Carr, Mia Dahl, Anne Rowe
Convened at London's Lancaster House, European leaders signaled solidarity with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while pledging a European-led coalition for Ukraine peace, though the initiative remains critically dependent on uncertain US support and binding financial commitments. Simultaneously, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's limited deployment of National Guard troops to the US border failed to address the structural causes of the fentanyl crisis, prompting experts to emphasize that reduced overdose deaths stem from US health policy shifts rather than increased border enforcement. In a separate tragic development, Mohsen Hendrix, the world's first openly gay imam, was killed in South Africa after decades of reinterpreting Islamic scripture to defend LGBTQ+ rights and fostering inclusive communities.
- The Economist24 min
Ode to dread: Europe after Trump
Rosie Bloor, Shashank Joshi, Tom Gardner, Vishnu Padmanabhan
European leaders express deep anxiety over the reliability of the US security umbrella, highlighting critical deficits in defense spending, recruitment, and essential capabilities that would make a European deployment to Ukraine impossible without heavy American support. Concurrently, France is dismantling its military presence in Africa, a move that has triggered a security vacuum filled by the Russian Wagner Group and fueled by rising extremism across the Sahel region. In a separate geopolitical shift, India's Maha Kumbh Mela drew 700 million attendees, serving as a powerful platform for the ruling BJP to fuse Hindu nationalist ideology with aspirations of national identity despite a fatal stampede.
- The Economist23 min
Heir-raising: the boom in inheritance
Callum Williams, Joan Hoey, Benjamin Sutherland
Global inheritances are projected to reach $6 trillion this year as the aging Baby Boomer generation transfers wealth, creating an "inheritocracy" that increasingly distorts economic incentives in nations like France and the UK. Simultaneously, global democracy scores declined to 5.17 in 2024 due to a rise in authoritarian regimes, though political participation surged alongside significant upcoming elections in Germany and Canada. While cold exposure consistently boosts dopamine and endorphins, recent scientific reviews offer mixed evidence regarding its physiological benefits for inflammation or immunity, contradicting some claims of the Wim Hof Method.
- 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 Economist23 min
Emmanuel dexterity: Trump and Macron chat
Emmanuel, Trump, Macron, Jason Palmer, Sophie Petter, John Joe Devlin, Eva Torstad, Dr. Kelrong Utne, Henrik Weiss, Dolly Sesson
French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump concluded a three-hour Washington meeting where Macron corrected Trump's Russia narrative and framed a potential European-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine as a strategic turning point. This diplomatic exchange highlighted a broader shift toward European strategic autonomy as leaders address NATO defense spending gaps and questions regarding American reliability. Simultaneously, Norway's wild salmon collapse, driven by aquaculture parasites and shifting oceanic conditions, has prompted immediate fishing bans and calls for escape-free farming technologies. Finally, the Michelin Guide is adapting to the digital age by expanding into new markets like India and prioritizing sustainable, informal dining over traditional luxury to maintain authority against social media critics.
- The Economist24 min
Left, right and centre: Germany’s election
Jason Palmer, Tom Nottel, Anton LaGuardia
Friedrich Merz is poised to become Germany's next Chancellor following a decisive CDU-CSU victory that left the SPD in opposition after smaller parties failed to reach the parliamentary threshold. His administration faces the immediate challenge of forming a coalition to address six years of economic stagnation while navigating constitutional hurdles to relax debt limits and managing a potential diplomatic rift with the SPD over strict immigration proposals. Merz has signaled a shift toward European defense autonomy due to concerns over US reliability, aiming to finalize these coalition negotiations by April to address urgent security and economic imperatives.
- The Economist25 min
Friends (the one with estrangement): Europe without the US
Pableaux Johnson, Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Christopher Lockwood, Alex Domas, John Fasman
Vice President J.D. Vance and President Trump have shifted US policy to prioritize European security autonomy, sparking fears of a NATO unraveling if the US withdraws its commitment to Ukraine in favor of a bilateral deal with Vladimir Putin. In response, European leaders from France, Germany, and the UK are urgently convening to bridge a massive defense spending gap and develop a collective security strategy capable of operating without American participation. Simultaneously, global labor markets face potential restructuring as economists propose a "work-from-home tax" model, though current employer mandates and worker leverage have so far stalled the implementation of salary reductions in exchange for remote flexibility.
- The Economist21 min
Young, gifted and black: Africa’s next generation
Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Ore Ogunbiyi, Simon Rabinovich, Wendelin von Bredow
Economists dismiss the Department of Government Efficiency's projected $2 trillion savings as structurally impossible given that mandatory spending dominates the federal budget, leaving only discretionary funds for superficial cuts to agencies like USAID. Meanwhile, deep economic distress in Africa drives widespread youth dissatisfaction with democratic institutions and high emigration rates toward Western nations, while Germany's generous sick leave policies generate billions in annual costs for employers without addressing underlying health metrics. These three distinct analyses highlight the friction between ambitious fiscal targets, geopolitical labor shifts, and the unintended economic consequences of social welfare structures.
- The Economist9 min
How more women can become CEOs
While the FTSE 100 recently achieved gender parity among non-executive directors, the path to equal female representation in CEO roles remains decades away due to the persistent "motherhood penalty" and structural hiring biases. High-profile departures in 2023, often driven by the "glass cliff" phenomenon where women are appointed during crises, highlight the urgent need to replace ineffective training with behavioral design and Nordic-style family support policies. Experts argue that accelerating these systemic changes is essential to unlock the superior decision-making and success rates associated with fully utilizing the female talent pipeline.
- The Economist23 min
Colour visions: a German-election lookahead
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Tom Nuttall, Moeka Iida, Jeff Goddard, Charlotte Kilpatrick
Germany's upcoming federal election features a fragmented parliament where Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz leads polling but faces complex coalition hurdles due to the AfD's exclusion and the precarious status of smaller parties like Die Linke and the BSW. Simultaneously, Japan is undergoing a cultural reckoning following the resignation of celebrity Nakai Masahiro for assault, sparking public outrage that exposes deep-rooted legal and societal barriers despite recent reforms raising the age of consent. In London, the traditional pie and mash shops that defined Cockney culture since the Victorian era are vanishing due to rising rents and demographic shifts, forcing surviving establishments to diversify menus with vegan options to adapt to changing customer bases.
- The Economist14 min
AI bosses on what keeps them up at night
Demis Hassabis, Dario Amodei, Zanny Minton Beddoes
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis offer diverging timelines for Artificial General Intelligence, with Amodei predicting arrival by 2026–2027 and Hassabis estimating a 50% probability only by 2030. Both leaders warn of severe geopolitical risks from authoritarian dominance and catastrophic safety failures, advocating for an international "CERN for AGI" framework and new global institutions akin to the IAEA to manage the technology. While Amodei emphasizes the danger of a self-improving threshold moment and the potential for lab-tested autonomous agents to cause immediate harm, Hassabis highlights regulatory imbalances and the medium-term potential for AI to solve major scientific challenges like curing diseases.
- The Economist23 min
Get your Strait facts: China’s quiet Taiwan push
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Jeremy Page, Georgia Banjo, Amelia Wood
U.S.-China-Taiwan diplomatic tensions have escalated following the State Department's removal of anti-independence language and a surge in Global South endorsements of Beijing's unification claims amid warnings of a 2027 PLA invasion capability. Simultaneously, the Lucy Letby murder conviction faces scrutiny from international medical experts and statisticians who argue that circumstantial evidence supports natural causes, prompting a potential referral to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. In the sports sector, top European football clubs generated record revenues exceeding €11 billion while star player salaries remained stagnant relative to earnings a decade ago, shifting investment focus toward non-sporting revenue streams and future Middle Eastern deals.
- The Economist25 min
Munich insecurity conference: a re-ordering begins
Jason Palmer, Zannie Minton-Beddoes, Shashank Joshi, Anne Rowe
The 2025 Munich Security Conference marked a historic rupture in transatlantic relations as Vice President J.D. Vance framed internal European political fractures as the primary security threat, prompting a swift diplomatic backlash from Chancellor Olaf Scholz and an emergency summit convened by President Emmanuel Macron. Amidst contradictory US signals regarding Ukraine negotiations and potential troop withdrawals, European leaders like Zelenskyy and Starmer began rallying around the concept of a new European defense force while demanding direct inclusion in peace talks. These tensions have fundamentally shifted alliance expectations, forcing NATO members to prepare for defense spending exceeding 3% of GDP and accelerating the decoupling of European security strategy from unpredictable American policy.