Latest Interviews
Showing 76–90 of 181 transcripts.
Clear all filters- The Economist26 min
All the president’s money men: the Trumponomics team
Jason Palmer, Simon Rabinovich, Rachel Dobbs, Anne Rowe
The Trump administration's 2024 economic strategy employs a tripartite advisory system balancing mainstream conservatives, entrenched America-Firsters, and tech tycoons, though internal conflicts over tariffs and immigration threaten governance stability. Concurrently, global tourism emissions have surged to represent 9% of worldwide output, driven by high-consumption travelers and weakened regulatory offsets that now demand comprehensive tracking and aviation caps. Meanwhile, astronomical observations indicate that Saturn's rings will vanish from Earth's view between March and November 2025 due to orbital alignment, echoing historical scientific misunderstandings and cultural metaphors regarding time and decay.
- The Economist22 min
Three presidents and counting: South Korea
Jason Palmer, Noah Snyder, Ana Lycus, Alexandra Suicbas
South Korea faces a dual crisis of political instability and tragedy, marked by President Yoon Seok-yeol's impending insurrection trial, the resignation of three acting presidents in rapid succession, and the investigation into a deadliest-in-history air disaster. Meanwhile, Brazil's football sector is undergoing a financial transformation through privatization laws that have revived indebted clubs like Botafogo and Cruzeiro while attracting billions in investment from foreign owners and sports bettors. Concurrently, Hollywood is pivoting its revenue strategy away from diminishing superhero franchises toward video game adaptations, with dozens of projects slated for 2025 to capitalize on established fan bases and high-grossing successes like *The Last of Us* and *Super Mario Bros*.
- 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 Economist28 min
Of peanuts and principles: Jimmy Carter dies
Jimmy Carter, Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, John Prudhoe, Tom Standage, Tim Cross
This episode analyzes the complex legacy of Jimmy Carter by contrasting his troubled presidency with his transformative post-White House humanitarian work, while forecasting a volatile 2025 shaped by Donald Trump's potential return and disruptive forces like solar storms and AI adoption. The discussion further dissects Elon Musk's ideologically driven leadership through recommendations of science fiction and biographies that reveal his fixation on existential threats and multi-planetary colonization. Collectively, these segments offer a multidimensional view of historical reflection, future geopolitical unpredictability, and the personal philosophies driving modern technological power.
- 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.
- The Economist24 min
The club rules? India’s RSS
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Avantika Chilkoti, Anjani Trivedi, Lane Green
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leverages its 5 million members and network of celibate pracharaks to deeply influence Indian policy-making, despite internal friction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal cult and the organization's collective ethos. Simultaneously, Gulf states are pivoting from fossil fuels to applied scientific research, aiming to solve regional challenges like water scarcity and food security through partnerships with Western universities despite current low R&D spending. In the United States, the term "kakistocracy" was crowned the 2024 Word of the Year, reflecting widespread political anxiety over Donald Trump's re-election and controversial cabinet appointments.
- The Economist28 min
Country of the year: The Economist picks
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Patrick Fowles, Josie DeLapp, Lena Shipper, Alexander Sewage Bus, Sharon Loman, Angie Keeling-Garcia
The Economist awarded Bangladesh the title of Country of the Year 2024 for its significant governance and economic stabilization under interim leader Muhammad Yunus following a student-led revolution that ousted Sheikh Hasina. This selection superseded Syria, which editors rejected due to the uncertainty of its post-Assad transition and the potential rule by the extremist HTS group. Concurrently, the report highlights a severe post-pandemic crisis of pet abandonment in the US, where rescue organizations are struggling to manage record surrender rates driven by impulsive consumer behavior and a surplus of now-unwanted animals.
- The Economist29 min
Mass graves: revealing Syria’s horror
Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Gareth Brown, Sophie Petter, Andy Miller, Rachel Lloyd, Nicholas Barber
Ten days after Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow, journalist Gareth Brown confirmed the existence of a massive mass grave in Al-Qutayfa where locals allege regime forces buried up to 100,000 political prisoners from Sadnaya prison. Meanwhile, France faces a deepening political crisis as President Emmanuel Macron appointed François Bayrou to lead a caretaker government following the dismissal of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, leaving the nation without a 2025 budget amidst threats of immediate no-confidence votes from all parliamentary factions. In cultural news, critics highlight three distinct 2024 releases: Sean Baker's *Anora* subverts marriage tropes, *All of Us Strangers* explores grief through supernatural drama, and *The Substance* delivers a satirical body-horror critique of Hollywood's ageism.
- The Economist22 min
Scholz fired: Germany calls snap election
Scholz, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Tom Nuttall, Leo Morani, Vingeru Nkandawire
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote following his coalition's collapse, triggering a snap election on February 23rd where opposition leader Friedrich Merz leads in projections to replace him with a platform favoring tax cuts and stricter migration policies. The campaign centers on contentious issues including the constitutional debt break, potential US tariff impacts from the incoming Trump administration, and differing approaches to Ukraine's defense and NATO membership. Meanwhile, domestic challenges such as India's projected solid waste crisis and the resilience of British retailer Fortnum & Mason against rising labor costs highlight concurrent global economic pressures.
- The Economist27 min
Off-side: Georgians reject new president
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Sarah Larniuk, Tim Cross, Maria Vilcek
In Tbilisi, escalating protests driven by democratic demands and opposition to oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili have forced the Georgian government to shift from violent crackdowns to legal intimidation following a contested presidential election and EU accession delays. Meanwhile, the incoming US administration faces complex political inertia in potentially slashing the $93 billion NASA Artemis program, as cost inefficiencies clash with entrenched congressional support for the Space Launch System across multiple states. Concurrently, the classic martini cocktail is experiencing a cultural resurgence due to its historical resilience and adaptability, with modern consumers favoring high-quality, home-mixable versions over declining general alcohol consumption trends.
- The Economist26 min
Intel in slide: a chipmaker on the ropes
Jason Palmer, Shailesh Chitnis, Sarah Lorniuk, John Fasman
Following a $16.5 billion quarterly loss and a 60% stock decline, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger faces potential removal as the semiconductor giant struggles with missed technological inflection points and a failed foundry restructuring strategy. While the company seeks over $100 billion in public and private funding to maintain its role in advanced chip manufacturing, legal and political hurdles complicate potential acquisitions or spin-offs amid geopolitical tensions with China. Simultaneously, the International Criminal Court is examining a Lithuanian referral alleging crimes against humanity by the Belarusian regime, a move that could set a legal precedent for investigating non-signatory states while viral food trends continue to disrupt global supply chains and reshape the culinary entertainment industry.
- The Economist20 min
Bye, cell: inside a notorious Syrian prison
Jason Palmer, Rosie Blore, Gareth Brown, Henrietta McFarlane, Anne Hanna, Heather Jones, Cristina Chiwin, Oliver Jones
Following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Syrian rebels and civilians have liberated Saydnaya Prison to uncover evidence of mass executions and systematic torture affecting over 30,000 detainees while Hayat Tahrir al-Sham moves to establish a transitional government. Concurrently, a global surge in spiritual tourism is driving India's sector toward a $59 billion valuation by 2028 and doubling pilgrim numbers on Spain's Camino de Santiago route despite the decline of organized religion. Meanwhile, Manchester City faces a dual crisis as its seven-year domestic dominance ends amidst a five-game losing streak attributed to player exhaustion, compounded by an independent investigation into alleged Premier League financial breaches by its Emirati ownership.
- The Economist23 min
Bringing up Bibi: Netanyahu testifies
Bibi, Netanyahu, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Anshul Pfeffer, Mark Johnson, Rachel Lloyd, John Fassman, Alexandra Sewich-Bass, Caitlin Tolbert
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a dual crisis as he becomes the first serving Israeli prime minister to testify in a domestic corruption trial while managing war crimes allegations from the International Criminal Court and domestic protests over the Gaza conflict. Concurrently, research reveals that master's degrees in the United Kingdom offer no net financial benefit by age 35, while nearly 40% of US graduate programs yield negative returns after accounting for tuition and opportunity costs. In cultural news, The Economist highlighted four notable 2024 publications ranging from biographies of wartime figures to dystopian satires, underscoring a broader push for greater transparency and regulation in higher education financing.
- The Economist26 min
Peace from pieces: Syria after Assad
Jason Palmer, Christopher Lockwood, Tom Wainwright, Johnny Williams, Matthew Mercer
Following a rapid 12-day rebel offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus to end five decades of rule, triggering a complex geopolitical shift as Russia and Iran withdraw support while Turkey and the US balance new power dynamics. Concurrently, Australia enacted the world's first blanket ban on social media for minors under 16, imposing heavy fines on non-compliant tech firms despite concerns over AI age-verification accuracy and uneven regulatory competition. In cultural developments, Dungeons & Dragons marked its 50th anniversary by evolving from a niche hobby into a mainstream phenomenon driven by the fifth edition, popular media crossovers, and a generation of creators who cite the game as a vital tool for social confidence and storytelling.
- The Economist25 min
Ashes to Masses: Notre Dame’s stunning return
Jason Palmer, Sophie Petter, Ori Ogunbi, Anne Rowe
Following a five-year restoration funded by nearly €900 million in private donations, Notre Dame Cathedral is set to reopen in Paris with its historic spire and oak roof reconstructed using strict medieval techniques under the leadership of General Jean-Louis Georgelain. Meanwhile, Ghana prepares for a pivotal election where former President John Mahama challenges the incumbent amid a severe economic crisis characterized by 23% inflation and a sovereign debt default. In a related commemoration of World War II history, the legacy of John Kinsel, the last surviving Navajo Code Talker who died at age 107, highlights the critical role of the indigenous language in creating an unbreakable cipher during the Pacific campaign.