Latest Interviews
Showing 256–270 of 718 transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist7 min
The World Bank chief on Donald Trump
Donald Trump, Ajay Banga, Zanny Minton Beddoes, RJ Banga
The event analyzes the structural shift in global trade toward nearshoring and bilateral deals driven by the Trump administration's tariff policies while detailing the World Bank's strategic pivot to prioritize climate resilience and local consumption in the Global South. To bridge the funding gap for emerging markets, the institution has raised its climate financing target to 45% by 2025 and actively mobilizes private capital through expanded political risk guarantees and local currency swaps. Despite these efforts, the discussion concludes that current investment levels remain insufficient and that the Bank maintains a cautious stance on nuclear energy, waiting for Small Modular Reactors to achieve commercial viability before providing direct support.
- The Economist25 min
Kyiv calm and carry on: Trump’s win may benefit Ukraine
Trump, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Oliver Carroll, Katherine Nixie
Amidst a deteriorating military situation in Ukraine characterized by Russian offensives toward Pokrovsk and internal morale crises, the incoming Trump administration's potential peace plans, including neutrality proposals from J.D. Vance, face skepticism regarding their feasibility within a 24-hour window. Simultaneously, African diaspora churches are experiencing rapid global expansion and financial integration through tithes and digital innovation, while the release of *Gladiator II* sparks cultural debate over its departure from the original film's democratic optimism in favor of modern themes like anti-elitism and racial diversity. These divergent developments highlight a geopolitical landscape shifting under new leadership, a religious sector adapting to Western demographics, and entertainment reflecting contemporary societal anxieties about institutional trust.
- The Economist24 min
The Peking order: Can China’s army surpass the US?
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Shashank Joshi, Avantika Chalkoti, Anne Rowe
At the Zhuhai Airshow, China officially debuted the J-35A stealth fighter and new drone vessels while signaling a strategic pivot toward quality over quantity to achieve military parity with the US by 2049. Despite retaining advantages in carrier experience and AI, American forces face a narrowing gap in hypersonic capabilities and vertical launch system numbers that analysts predict China will surpass by 2026. Concurrently, the global luxury e-commerce sector is undergoing a contraction driven by macroeconomic pressures, prompting major players like Farfetch and Net-a-Porter to be sold or restructured as consumers shift toward in-store experiences and direct brand channels.
- The Economist25 min
Needs Musk: Donald Trump’s new appointments
Musk, Donald Trump, Rosie Bloor, John Priddo, Matt Steinglass, Leo Morani
The Trump administration appointed Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new commission for government efficiency while filling key national security and State Department roles with figures aligned to a hardline agenda. Concurrently, European agricultural sectors face intensifying labor shortages due to migration policy shifts, forcing nations like the Netherlands to balance reliance on migrant workers against rising exploitation and regulatory reforms. In India, a trend of "nominal inflation" sees officials appending lengthy ideological titles to public spaces and programs, a practice critics argue creates bureaucratic burdens and reflects a fundamental unseriousness toward modernization.
- The Economist24 min
Parting Scholz: what next for Germany?
Scholz, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Tom Nuttall, Sasha Nauta, Duncan Robinson
Germany's "traffic light" coalition collapsed on November 6 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Finance Minister Christian Lindner clashed over the constitutional debt break, triggering a minority government that will face a confidence vote and a general election scheduled for February 23. Simultaneously, a re-analysis of a 2020 medical study debunked earlier claims that Black doctors significantly improve survival rates for Black infants, attributing the original statistical anomaly to uncontrolled variables regarding very low birth weight rather than physician race. In the United Kingdom, London's King's Cross district has evolved from an industrial wasteland into a premier global tech hub anchored by major corporations like Google and OpenAI, though analysts caution that such regeneration relies on unique assets that limit its replicability outside central London.
- The Economist24 min
Some like it hot: could Trump derail climate talks?
Trump, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Oliver Morton, Henry Tricks, Catherine Nixie
Microsoft and OpenAI are exploring a shift away from exclusive Azure partnerships to host OpenAI models on Amazon Web Services, a move driven by revenue diversification and regulatory pressures that align with Microsoft's broader AI portfolio expansion. Simultaneously, COP29 in Baku confronts the urgency of 2024's record-breaking heat and potential US withdrawal under a second Trump administration while attempting to establish new climate finance baselines to replace the 2015 Paris Agreement's ad hoc targets. In cultural affairs, the Remembrance Day poppy has evolved from a unifying WWI memorial into a contested symbol of modern identity politics, with its commercial sales and varying interpretations now sparking polarized public debates as living historical memory fades.
- The Economist27 min
Look at who’s talking: divining Trump’s Middle East plans
Trump, Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Greg Karlstrom, Andy Laidlaw, Tom Sass, Anne Lowe
Donald Trump's anticipated second term presents a complex Middle East dynamic where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks relief from diplomatic pressure while Iranian leaders brace for potential nuclear sanctions and a return to "maximum pressure" tactics driven by a fractured advisory circle. Concurrently, Western European nations face a severe prison overcrowding crisis, prompting British officials to reject the long-standing "prison works" ideology in favor of decarceration models proven effective in the Netherlands and select US states. The era is further marked by the passing of Quincy Jones at 91, whose career broke racial barriers in music and film while producing historic works like *Thriller* and the charity single "We Are The World."
- The Economist24 min
Do the after math: how Trump won
Trump, Jason Palmer, Dan Rosenheck, Slavia, Vishnu Padmanabhan
Kamala Harris conceded the 2024 election as Republicans secured a trifecta amid a broad repudiation of the Biden administration, while polling errors and a significant Latino voter realignment cemented Donald Trump's victory. Concurrently, experts are redefining ADHD as a spectrum of executive function rather than a binary disorder, urging a shift toward environmental accommodations and neurodiversity models over traditional medicalization. Meanwhile, India's religious sector is undergoing a massive digital transformation with fundraising surging to $51 million, driven by a cultural embrace of faith-tech and a projected religious market value exceeding $60 billion.
- The Economist23 min
Don of a new age: Trump’s decisive win
Trump, Jason, John Prudhoe, Charlotte Howard, Idris Kalloun, Tamara Gilkes-Boer, Adam O'Neill, Aaron Braun
Donald Trump is projected to secure the presidency and a unified Republican trifecta, becoming the only president since Grover Cleveland to win non-consecutive terms while defeating Kamala Harris across key swing states. The campaign's "base-first" strategy drove significant gains among working-class and cross-racial demographics, allowing Trump to potentially appoint new Supreme Court justices and pursue an unchecked legislative agenda. Conversely, the Democratic Party faces intense internal scrutiny over its nomination process and policy failures as Republicans prepare to leverage their control of Congress and the judiciary for a second term.
- The Economist27 min
Vote! Our election-day special
Jason Palmer, Idris Kahloun, Aaron Braun
The 2024 U.S. presidential election will likely hinge on a razor-thin margin across seven swing states, with Pennsylvania serving as the critical tipping point for either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump to reach the 270 electoral votes required for victory. While economic concerns drive voter sentiment, the outcome faces significant uncertainty due to heightened security threats, potential legal challenges, and a potentially split Congress where control of the House remains volatile. International allies are closely monitoring the result, as the winner's approach to trade, NATO commitments, and geopolitical stability will determine the trajectory of global affairs in the coming years.
- The Economist24 min
Last-ditch pitch: America’s campaigns conclude
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Daniel Franklin, Piotr Zalewski, Anne Hanna, Zoe Bulsara
The 2024 U.S. presidential election remains a virtual tie in key swing states, characterized by intense rhetorical conflicts between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris that have intensified concerns regarding election integrity and democratic stability. Simultaneously, the Organization of Turkic States has evolved from a diplomatic forum into a strategic economic bloc of 89 nations, utilizing a shared alphabet and the Middle Corridor trade route to diversify away from Russian influence. In the UK, remote work trends have driven a 33% surge in canal boat residency as a housing solution, though this demographic shift faces mounting infrastructure risks due to insufficient government funding and rising maintenance costs.
- The Economist24 min
Turn up the PA: the last in our swing-state series
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Adam O'Neill, Avantika Chokotty, David Benin
This briefing analyzes three distinct sectors: the 2024 US presidential election's reliance on Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes amidst deep demographic realignments, the projected growth of the $480 billion global influencer economy driven by high-trust niche creators, and the mainstream integration of the goth subculture fueled by new music releases and high-fashion adoption. Political strategies highlight Kamala Harris's suburban gains against Donald Trump's rural base, while marketing shifts prioritize authentic engagement over follower counts to combat consumer fatigue. Cultural resilience is demonstrated as goth aesthetics expand beyond their niche origins to influence diverse music genres and span over 35 years of generational attendance.
- The Economist22 min
Tax driver: Labour’s budget
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Archie Hall, Stevie Hertz, Rachel Lloyd
Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled a historic UK budget featuring £40 billion in tax increases and record borrowing to fund NHS and public service expansion, a move Conservative leader Rishi Sunak condemned as broken promises. Simultaneously, the North Carolina election faces significant logistical hurdles after Hurricane Hélène damaged infrastructure in key swing counties, complicating early voting operations despite record turnout elsewhere. In cultural news, a viral surge of pickle consumption on social media has driven culinary experimentation, though testing of these trends yielded mixed reviews regarding flavor combinations.
- The Economist24 min
Hot shot: the wider promise of weight-loss jabs
Rosie Bloor, Natasha Loder, Simon Rabinovich, Alice Su
GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Zepbound and Wegovy have demonstrated significant cardiovascular protection independent of weight loss while sparking economic speculation regarding shifts in industries like aviation and insurance. Concurrently, robust US economic indicators including 3% GDP growth and low unemployment starkly contrast with depressed consumer sentiment driven by lingering inflation concerns and political polarization. Meanwhile, a tenfold surge in Chinese migration through the Darién Gap reflects a hybrid of political persecution and economic stagnation, marking the fastest-growing demographic group in the current US border crisis.
- The Economist25 min
Ukraine reaction: Russia deploys North Koreans
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Shashank Joshi, Tom Easton, Catherine Nixie
Recent analysis indicates Russia is bolstering its war effort in Ukraine with North Korean troops and massive ammunition supplies while the Ukrainian military faces a severe mobilization crisis and critical shortages of air defense interceptors. Concurrently, logistical failures in overseas voting during the US election have undermined American democratic credibility, while the UK's "Life in the UK" citizenship test is increasingly scrutinized as an arbitrary barrier rather than a genuine integration tool. These developments collectively highlight a shifting global landscape where military attrition, domestic political friction, and exclusionary civic policies are reshaping international stability and democratic norms.