Rosie Bloor
Showing 106–120 of 188 transcripts.
- The Economist25 min
Shoal searching: the South China sea simmers
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Aaron Connolly, Dima, Anne Hanna, Stanley Pignol
On June 17 and August 31, escalating maritime clashes between Chinese and Filipino vessels in the South China Sea resulted in hull damage and a sailor injury, prompting a provisional resupply understanding while analysts warn of sustained risks to US treaty credibility. Simultaneously, a humanitarian crisis in Gaza has uprooted thousands of civilians like student Dima, who face repeated displacement, economic collapse, and both direct and indirect fatalities amid active bombing. In Europe, a rebounding wolf population exceeding 20,000 has ignited a culture war over livestock losses, leading most EU governments to agree on downgrading legal protections despite ecologist warnings of a potential population crash.
- The Economist24 min
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 Economist24 min
Keir eye for the FDI: an interview with Britain’s PM
Keir Starmer, Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Matthew Holhouse, Jeff Carr, Rebecca Jackson
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer launched an International Investment Summit aiming to reverse the UK's decades-long low investment status by streamlining bureaucracy and integrating the Office for Investment directly into Number 10 under Poppy Gustafson. While the strategy offers planning reforms and policy predictability to attract capital, it simultaneously introduces stricter labor market regulations and potential capital taxes through the Employment Rights Bill and October budget. This economic pivot seeks to balance investor needs with worker protections to stimulate productivity, though critics note the risks of a more regulated environment offsetting planning benefits.
- The Economist25 min
One giant, cheap for mankind: SpaceX’s Starship
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Oliver Morton, Anna
SpaceX successfully test-flighted its 120-meter Starship vehicle using hot staging, with the booster returning to Earth for a vertical landing while the upper stage completed a half-orbit trajectory around the globe. This milestone paves the way for future iterations capable of carrying 100–150 tons to low-Earth orbit, supporting orbital fuel depots for eventual human missions to Mars. In Brazil, a far-right resurgence is reshaping the political landscape as conservative candidates shift toward extreme positions to capture the Bolsonaro vote following municipal elections dominated by incumbents. Demographic changes and structural advantages for the right are expected to create a polarized 2026 presidential race where President Lula faces significant challenges due to his age and a shrinking left-wing base. The enduring popularity of the self-help genre, which now exceeds the sales of major scientific works, serves as a historical barometer for shifting societal anxieties ranging from industrial individualism to modern existential uncertainty. Critics note the field's prevalence of questionable advice, yet publishing data confirms that the genre's vast output of titles specifically targets distinct human fears such as adolescence, love, and alcoholism.
- The Economist25 min
Labour’s love lost: Keir Starmer’s first 100 days
Keir Starmer, Rosie Bloor, Matthew Holhouse, Sasha Nauta, Anne Rowe
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's first 100 days have been marked by internal strife, including the departure of Chief of Staff Sue Gray and criticism over ethics violations, as his administration pivots from campaign fiscal restraint to funding infrastructure through revised borrowing rules. Meanwhile, in the US, Nevada remains a pivotal battleground where abortion ballot measures and hospitality worker incentives are driving the close contest between Democrats and Republicans, with Kamala Harris emphasizing reproductive freedom to mobilize independent voters. The period also concluded with the death of Yoshioka Masamitsu, one of the last surviving Pearl Harbor bombers, who spent his final years expressing deep remorse for his role in the attack on the USS Utah.
- The Economist21 min
Paradise lost: Hurricane Milton bashes Florida
Rosie Bloor, Oliver Morton, Nick Pelham, Emily Steinmark
Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm driven by warm ocean waters, prompting President Biden to issue evacuation warnings as it caused widespread power outages and structural damage across Florida while experts link its severity to climate change trends. Concurrently, the crisis has injected urgency into the US election cycle amidst political disputes over disaster response, paralleling a resurgence in global Palestinian activism that has shifted cultural perceptions and heightened fears of further Israeli expansion. In the scientific realm, imminent development of a nuclear clock prototype promises to test fundamental physics theories through unprecedented precision, marking a significant leap in measuring time via nuclear transitions rather than current atomic standards.
- The Economist22 min
Google’s lurch: how to fix its monopoly
Rosie Bloor, Alice Fullwood, Kate Parker, Vishnu Padmanabhan
The US Department of Justice has proposed remedies to dismantle Google's alleged search monopoly, which generates roughly $26 billion annually through exclusive default agreements, with final penalties to be decided in a trial next year. While Google faces potential restrictions on paying for default status and mandatory data sharing to foster competition, the agency must also weigh the rising threat of generative AI as a market disruptor. Concurrently, global water utilities are deploying advanced leak detection technologies, including acoustic loggers and in-pipe robots, to combat aging infrastructure losses despite significant capital costs and regulatory hurdles. These technical solutions are increasingly supported by government green transition funds aimed at mitigating water scarcity, even as trials continue to address contamination risks associated with autonomous repair systems.
- The Economist25 min
General rule: how to reinvent America’s army
Randy George, Elias Khoury, Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Ethan Wu, Anne Rowe
Under General Randy George, the U.S. Army is pivoting from counter-insurgency to high-intensity state conflict by reducing vehicle fleets to prioritize combat training while simultaneously surging artillery production and exceeding recruitment targets. To accelerate modernization against rivals like Russia and China, the service has launched an innovation pilot testing new equipment in active brigades to bypass traditional procurement bottlenecks, though military leaders remain skeptical about scaling these experimental successes across the entire force. This strategic shift occurs alongside a managed trade-off where reduced maintenance burdens free resources but introduce operational risks amidst ongoing procurement challenges and rapidly evolving adversary capabilities.
- The Economist28 min
Year of destruction: how October 7th shattered the Middle East
Rosie Bloor, Josie DeLapp, Greg Karlstrom
Following the October 7 Hamas attacks that killed over 1,100 people and triggered a year-long conflict, Israel faces a fragmented domestic landscape and a multi-front war expanding into Lebanon and direct exchanges with Iran. As Gaza endures near-total infrastructure destruction and over 42,000 casualties, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to assume responsibility for the intelligence failure has stalled ceasefire negotiations while regional stability deteriorates. Analysts warn that the severing of links between the Gaza conflict and other fronts, combined with deep political fragmentation, makes a resolution unlikely despite international diplomatic efforts.
- The Economist30 min
The Weekend Intelligence: Black boxes (part one): Michael Kovrig on how he became a political...
Michael Kovrig, David Rennie, Rosie Bloor
Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor were detained by Chinese authorities in December 2018 following the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Canada, an event Western nations viewed as retaliatory hostage-taking. After 1,019 days in a opaque security facility where they were subjected to informal espionage accusations, both men were released in September 2020 following a deferred prosecution agreement between the United States and Huawei. The ordeal serves as a stark illustration of the geopolitical friction between the US and China, highlighting the severe risks third-party nations face when navigating the escalating tensions of the trade war and security rivalry.
- The Economist22 min
The arc of war: a bloody week in Lebanon
Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Gareth Brown, Avantika Chilkoti, Vishnu Padmanabhan
Israel has escalated its military campaign in Lebanon with ground invasions and heavy airstrikes that have killed nearly 2,000 Lebanese residents, displaced over one million people, and potentially eliminated Hezbollah leader Hashem Safiuddin. Analysts warn that this shift from aerial to ground warfare in Hezbollah's fortified southern suburbs risks prolonged conflict and potential strategic defeat for Israel, drawing parallels to past withdrawals after sustained resistance. The geopolitical instability is further compounded by restricted journalist access and indiscriminate strikes on civilian infrastructure, including a medical clinic near the Prime Minister's office.
- The Economist19 min
Ground assault: Israeli forces invade Lebanon
Rosie Bloor, Greg Karlstrom, Noah Snyder, Andrew Palmer
Israel has initiated a targeted ground incursion into southern Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and facilitate the return of displaced residents, a move supported by the Biden administration only under strict conditions of limited scope. Simultaneously, Japan's political landscape has shifted as Ishiba Shigeru secured the prime ministership through an unprecedented nine-way contest, signaling a pivot toward conservative liberal policies despite facing an unstable coalition. While these geopolitical maneuvers reshape regional stability, separate corporate commentary highlights the detrimental impact of mandatory "sandwich lunches" on workplace efficiency and employee well-being.
- The Economist26 min
Beirut force: Israel kills Hizbullah leader
Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Antul Pfeffer, Gareth Brown, Sarah Larniuk, Jason Chow, Jiehao
Israel's recent assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and twenty other commanders has triggered a major escalation in the Middle East, widening military operations to Yemen while forcing the displacement of nearly one million Lebanese civilians and sparking debates over a potential ground invasion. Concurrently, the United States faces diplomatic contradictions as it labels the strike "justice" yet urges a ceasefire, while Iran signals a reluctance to engage in direct war following intelligence leaks suggesting its security apparatus failed to protect Hezbollah. Meanwhile, independent media in Belarus continues to operate under severe pressure, with exiled journalists relying on operational security measures to avoid state reprisals against their families despite 37 remaining imprisoned domestically.
- The Economist23 min
No right left: Afghanistan’s oppressed women
Rosie Bloor, Nagin Sadeed, Archie Hall, Sophie Pedder
The Taliban has consolidated its enforcement of strict gender restrictions through a new legal code that bans women from public speech and working, exacerbating an economic collapse while officials deflect accountability for the human cost. Simultaneously, Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers are rapidly expanding their foothold in the UK market by leveraging price competitiveness and a permissive government stance that contrasts with stricter tariff policies elsewhere, creating potential retaliatory risks for key British export sectors. In a cultural shift, the Netflix series "Emily in Paris" has transformed from a target of French ridicule to the platform's most-watched show in France, driven by increased French dialogue and patriotic sentiments following the 2024 Olympics.
- The Economist21 min
Shun while it lasted: never-Trumpers’ fading sway
Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, Rebecca Jackson, Jason Chow, Avantika Chilkoti
Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter Liz have joined high-profile Republicans in endorsing Kamala Harris, creating a strategic rift within the "Never Trump" movement as it splits between abstention and prioritizing democratic preservation. Simultaneously, the Chinese government has implemented its first mandatory retirement age increase in decades to avert a 2035 pension crisis, a move that risks exacerbating fertility declines by removing essential grandparent childcare support and fueling labor market tensions. In the US consumer sector, luxury pet care spending is defying inflationary pressures to reach $261 billion by 2030, driven by Millennial and Gen Z owners treating pets as children while major conglomerates like Mars accelerate industry consolidation.