Benjamin Sutherland
Showing 1–3 of 3 transcripts.
- 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 Economist25 min
The long game: how will US missiles help Ukraine?
Rosie Bloor, Shashank Joshi, Simon Rabinovich, Benjamin Sutherland
The Biden administration authorized Ukraine to employ US-supplied ATACMS missiles within Russian territory, a strategic move designed to counter North Korean troop deployments in Kursk and bolster Kyiv's position ahead of President Trump's inauguration. Concurrently, divergent Western diplomatic approaches have emerged, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz breaking his silence to call Vladimir Putin despite criticism from Kyiv and Warsaw. In domestic affairs, President-elect Trump's "Trumponomics" platform promises aggressive tax cuts, deregulation, and high tariffs, creating immediate market rallies while economists warn of long-term inflation and labor shortages. Finally, airship technology is experiencing a resurgence driven by fuel efficiency and cargo capacity, with commercial demonstrations expected soon to address logistical bottlenecks where speed is secondary to cost.
- The Economist25 min
The human strain: can mpox be contained?
Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Ora Ogambi, Benjamin Sutherland, Mitchell Dupani, Vijay Vaitiswaran
The World Health Organization has declared a new, highly contagious mpox strain a global emergency due to the rapid spread of the lethal clade 1b variant from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where conflict and vaccine shortages are hampering containment efforts. Simultaneously, defense experts warn of a potential Russian low Earth orbit nuclear weapon that could trigger a global electromagnetic pulse to disable satellites, prompting the Pentagon to fund AI-driven detection systems despite the weapon's violation of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. In the technology sector, massive data center expansion driven by artificial intelligence is projected to double global energy consumption by 2026, creating tension between corporate carbon pledges and the urgent need for clean power sources like nuclear energy.