logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
23m 59s

The Intelligence: Leave your umbrella at...

The Economist
About this episode

It took more than 20 years for Hong Kong’s legislature to pass Article 23, a sweeping and troublingly ambiguous national-security law. Huge protests stymied such legislation in the past; not so anymore. National Guard troops are out in force on New York City’s subways—because they are cheaper than cops (10:11). And a personal story exploring the torment of tinnitus (15:31).


Please take a moment to respond to our listener survey.


Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
That warm buzzy feeling: malaria and climate change
As temperatures climb, mosquitoes will migrate to places where natural resistance to malaria is lower. More and more severe natural disasters will make for more breeding grounds. How to stop a deadly disease getting deadlier? In China’s cut-throat food-delivery war, absolutely no ... Show More
24m 43s
Aug 22
Rule and divide: opposition grows in Syria
Less than nine months after Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad was toppled, the honeymoon is over. How is the new regime responding to rising dissent? Introducing Britain’s revolutionary retirees: why pensioners increasingly dominate political protest. And celebrating the life of o ... Show More
23m 38s
Aug 21
Stake and chips: will America take 10% of Intel?
Intel was once synonymous with chip-making, but in recent years it has fallen behind. Now the Trump administration may become its biggest shareholder. A political assassination in Colombia raises fears about a return to violence. And what an annual snail race tells us about rural ... Show More
21m 2s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2024
The Intelligence: Leave your umbrella at home
It took more than 20 years for Hong Kong’s legislature to pass Article 23, a sweeping and troublingly ambiguous national-security law. Huge protests stymied such legislation in the past; not so anymore. National Guard troops are out in force on New York City’s subways—because the ... Show More
23m 59s
Nov 2023
The Intelligence: Swede demons
Drug-related shootings and bombings are on the rise. Policies are changing and law-enforcement budgets rising, but stemming the violence is proving politically tricky. Our columnist considers how China is using the war in Gaza to burnish its diplomatic credentials (9:36). And the ... Show More
25m 26s
May 2024
The Intelligence: Going back to raid school
A dramatic overnight raid in New York City was just one sign that protests at American universities are set to continue—a clear historical echo in an already-fraught election year. We ask why a niche newspaper run by Japan’s communist party has so much influence (13:05). And a st ... Show More
27m 11s
Dec 2023
The Intelligence: America’s culture wars brought to bears
In the American West, grizzly bears are spreading—and fights over protecting them under the Endangered Species Act test the frontiers between science and politics. Vaping is tremendous business in Britain, but the largely unregulated industry is now, curiously, asking for more ov ... Show More
25m 1s
Mar 2024
The Intelligence: Fed reckoning
America’s central bank left rates untouched, to widespread market delight. Why is this economic cycle confounding expectations so much, and how to bring it to a gentle end? We look at the modern fortunes of Vodafone, a once-mighty telecoms firm that is slimming down to get health ... Show More
21m 28s
Apr 2024
The Intelligence: Bear up
In Russia inflation is under control, wages are on the up and supposedly tough sanctions have been successfully skirted. Why is the pariah economy proving so resilient? Despite the nasty rhetoric of many of its politicians, Britain has turned out to be quite good at assimilating ... Show More
25m 6s
Apr 2024
The Intelligence: Dengue’s grip on Latin America
The dengue-fever case counts now break regional records every year—and the structural reasons behind the spike suggest this sometimes-deadly virus will soon threaten more of the world. Breaches and security holes keep revealing how much of the internet’s innards are maintained by ... Show More
22m 55s
Mar 2024
The Intelligence: The power of positive tinkering
The Bank of Japan has ended its grand experiment in unconventional monetary policy—how did it work, and what happens now that it has concluded? Ahead of Florida’s presidential primary our correspondent pays a visit, examining the state’s hard swing to the right (10:17). And the n ... Show More
25m 45s
Mar 2024
The Intelligence: Bad Apple?
The case against the tech giant has been brewing since 2019 and while the smartphone maker is usually well-equipped to bat away regulators, this fight could bruise. Why Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, Haiti’s most prominent warlord, could play a key role in the country’s future (09:4 ... Show More
25m 2s
Jun 2024
A real work of peace? An Israel-Hamas deal
America’s upbeat assessment of a ceasefire deal masks deep divides that may not, in fact, be bridgeable. There are nevertheless reasons for optimism. Our data team digs into the accusation that the New York Times’s bestseller list is biased against conservatives (10:58). And why ... Show More
25m 29s