Latest Interviews

Who will run Gaza?

Zanny Minton Beddoes, Greg, Patrick, Zannie, Ed

Experts assess that Hamas will likely retain lighter arms while potentially depleting heavier weaponry, driven by ideological identity and fears of local reprisals. The proposed Trump peace plan outlines a corporate-style transitional authority led by President Trump and former Prime Minister Tony Blair, employing technocrats to manage civil services amid disputes between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas over governance representation. This model diverges from the Oslo Accords by prioritizing reconstruction and external pressure to shift public opinion, though recovery depends heavily on Israel allowing building materials into a territory where 80% of structures have been destroyed.

How OnlyFans transformed porn

Bonnie Blue

OnlyFans is reportedly listed for sale at $8 billion despite the platform's distinct subscription model and rigorous age verification protocols. The business features a polarized earnings structure where a small elite of creators generates significant revenue through strategic content, while regulatory scrutiny in the UK and Sweden increasingly threatens the adult entertainment sector. Potential acquirers face a complex dichotomy between the company's substantial profit margins and the severe reputational risks associated with its industry.

The great brawl: China v America

Donald Trump, Friedrich Merz, Betty Webb, Rosie Bloor, Don Wineland, Tom Nuttall, Anne Rowe

Escalating trade tensions between the United States and China, marked by reciprocal tariffs exceeding 125%, have triggered market volatility while forcing a strategic reshaping of global supply chains away from US dependence. Simultaneously, Germany's incoming coalition government led by Friedrich Merz has secured a mandate to address economic stagnation and defense obligations, navigating the new reality of aggressive US protectionism. In a historical parallel to current geopolitical anxieties, the life of Betty Webb, a WWII codebreaker who died at 101, has been revealed as a cautionary tale against modern fascist movements.

Wall of duties: Trump’s towering tariffs

Trump, Shonda Rhimes, Rosie Bloor, Rachna Shambhog, Tom Gardner, Rachel Lloyd

On April 2, 2025, Donald Trump enacted sweeping global tariffs designed to rebuild American manufacturing while economists warn of an elevated recession risk and infrastructure challenges regarding enforcement. Concurrently, the Sudanese National Army recaptured Khartoum with international military backing, though a fragmented coalition and the Rapid Support Forces' continued resistance suggest a prolonged conflict rather than a decisive peace. In the entertainment sector, Shondaland solidified its dominance by generating $2.4 billion in revenue through distinct pacing strategies and expansive universe-building, despite a market increasingly risk-averse to new creative talent.

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.

Could AI build cities in space?

Ed Mayer, Mark Woods, Alok Jha

Leading aerospace organizations and private innovators like Machina Labs and Relativity Space are deploying AI-guided robotics to establish autonomous manufacturing capabilities essential for constructing a trillion-dollar space economy by 2040. These dual-robotic systems and advanced 3D printing technologies address critical communication latency and maintenance challenges by enabling independent decision-making for infrastructure projects on the Moon and Mars. Ultimately, this technological paradigm shift facilitates NASA's Artemis program and private ambitions to transition from temporary exploration to a permanent, multi-planetary human presence.

Your money for a run? Campaign finance in America

Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Adam O'Neill, Matt Steinglass, Dolly Setton

Kamala Harris has raised over $1 billion since July, significantly outpacing Donald Trump's fundraising despite analysts arguing that such financial disparities rarely shift outcomes among calcified voter bases. Meanwhile, the US political landscape remains shaped by small-dollar donor networks and corporate shifts toward Democrats, even as Republican donors express skepticism regarding the vice-presidential candidacy of JD Vance. Simultaneously, the Dutch coalition led by Geert Wilders faces domestic controversy and international criticism over its plan to declare a state of emergency to bypass parliamentary oversight amidst a severe asylum housing crisis involving 1,500 applicants on the MS Galaxy. This aggressive policy, intended to deter future migrants, has drawn warnings from experts that it mirrors authoritarian maneuvers seen in Hungary and threatens to undermine the rule of law. In the global architecture sector, a distinct trend separates the supertall construction boom in China and the Middle East from the regulatory and cultural resistance preventing similar developments across historic European cities. While engineering limits currently constrain height, the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia aims to reclaim the record as the world's tallest structure once finished.

The future of money: three ways to go cashless

Following a pandemic-driven acceleration in digital adoption, the global payments landscape now revolves around three distinct models: the high-fee credit card ecosystems of the West, China's dominant closed fintech networks, and India's government-backed Unified Payments Interface. While Western banks and processors like Visa and Mastercard leverage interchange fees to fund consumer rewards and protections, China's Ant Financial and Alibaba faced regulatory blockades after their market dominance threatened financial stability. Conversely, India's interoperable UPI system processes one-third of the nation's GDP by enabling direct bank-to-bank transfers and data ownership, effectively creating a nonprofit alternative that prevents single-entity control over financial infrastructure.

Inside El Salvador’s war on crime

Nayib Bukele, Robert Guest

El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele has implemented a nationwide security strategy that has imprisoned approximately 70,000 individuals, primarily young men detained on circumstantial evidence through group trials that bypass standard due process. This campaign has effectively dismantled democratic checks by purging the judiciary and gagging press coverage, yet it retains approval ratings between 80% and 90% by eliminating gang intimidation in exchange for a police state environment. Minister Gustavo Villatoro explicitly defended these measures as prioritizing citizen safety over human rights protocols while projecting a model where public popularity is sustained through the erosion of civil liberties.

Ukraine war: what will winter bring?

Volodymyr Zelensky, General Valery Zaluzhny

During his historic first visit to the United States since the war began, President Zelenskyy, alongside General Zaluzhny and Commander Sirsky, reaffirmed Ukraine's absolute refusal to freeze front lines or compromise on its 1991 borders. Despite severe infrastructure damage leaving 50% of the power grid offline, Ukrainian leadership warns that Russia is rebuilding 200,000 troops behind the Urals for a potential major offensive targeting Kyiv, Odessa, and the Donbas region by March. With public support for total liberation at 96%, the conflict is projected to enter a prolonged, World War II-style phase of intense artillery warfare that will likely extend for months or years.

Press freedom: why you should be worried

Daphne Galizia, Avantika Chalkoti, Rana Ayyub, Rebecca Vincent, Matthew, Corinne, Veronika Munk, Sebald Stuhl

Global press freedom is facing severe erosion in both authoritarian regimes and established democracies, evidenced by a rise in journalist murders, the misuse of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), and systemic financial bullying. Prominent cases such as the legal persecution of Indian journalist Rana Ayyub and the consolidation of media under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government in Hungary illustrate how authorities employ subtle tactics to silence critics. In response to these threats, initiatives like the European Commission's directive to dismiss SLAPPs and the creation of reader-funded outlets like Telex demonstrate emerging strategies to maintain independent reporting despite restricted resources and intimidation.

Malala: what Ukraine’s invasion means for girls’ education

Zanny Minton Beddoes, Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai addressed global crises in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and other regions, emphasizing that war creates irreversible damage and urging leaders to redefine humanitarian funding to explicitly include education. She highlighted a critical digital gender gap exacerbated by conflict and called for strict international dialogue with the Taliban regarding women's rights, advocating for the release of frozen Afghan reserves to support economic recovery. Ultimately, Yousafzai asserted that quality education is fundamental to peace and stability, demanding that current educational bans in conflict zones be treated as urgent global priorities.

War in Ukraine: how far will Putin go?

Putin

Experts warn that Vladimir Putin, viewing the conflict as an existential war against the West, possesses both the willingness and capability to escalate through battlefield nuclear weapons, sabotage of NATO arms depots, and unfounded chemical weapon allegations. While the Kremlin employs grey zone tactics to erode alliance credibility and seeks a negotiated global sphere of influence with Western leaders, Russia simultaneously faces internal fragility marked by rising anti-Moscow sentiment and domestic instability. This dynamic creates a high-risk environment where Russian paralysis and paranoia could precipitate a direct confrontation with NATO or a destabilizing collapse of the Russian state itself.

Is it time to go back to the office?

Callum, Vindiru

Post-pandemic tensions between employer mandates and employee demands for remote work have escalated into public conflicts, exemplified by over 1,000 Apple staff signing petitions against a three-day office return. These disagreements are deeply influenced by demographic factors, as Black knowledge workers express a far lower desire for full-time office presence than their white counterparts, raising concerns about retention and diversity. To resolve these disparities and boost efficiency, experts advocate for structured hybrid models that assign deep-focus tasks to remote days and collaborative work to in-office sessions, thereby mitigating unconscious bias in promotion decisions.

The challenges facing Germany’s new leader

Olaf Scholz, Angela Merkel, Zannie Minton-Beddoes, Tom Nuttall, Jörg Lau

Germany's recent election resulted in a fragmented parliament where the SPD, led by Olaf Scholz, formed a historic three-way coalition with the Greens and the FDP to secure governance. This shift dismantled the traditional two-party dominance, placing smaller parties in pivotal roles while simultaneously reducing the parliamentary influence of extremist factions. The new administration faces immediate challenges in recalibrating foreign policy, particularly in moving away from the Merkel era's engagement strategies with China and managing internal tensions between a Social Democratic chancellor and a Green foreign minister regarding Russia.