Today

The bog of war: week five begins

The Iran conflict is escalating with little prospect of an end in sight. Our correspondent explains why a US ground invasion is likely. In an ongoing history series, we look at how America’s attitude to migrants changed as it got richer. And “Project Hail Mary” is a sci-fi film d ... Show More

24m 41s

Mar 27

Hasta la victoria, quizás: Cuba’s broken economy

Even before America crimped Cuba’s oil, the country was teetering. We ask what is to blame for the Cuban people’s plight, and whether anything better is in prospect. The craze of injecting peptides is not only scientifically unsupported—it is potentially dangerous. Chuck Norris o ... Show More

23m 56s

Mar 26

Algorithm and blues: a watershed social-media verdict

A jury in California agreed with a plaintiff who argued that Meta and Google, two social-media giants, designed their platforms to be addictive. That opens the floodgates to more litigation and perhaps to regulatory change. We examine the world’s maritime chokepoints and how they ... Show More

22m 4s

Aug 2025

Peace by piece? Zelensky and Trump meet again

After an inconclusive summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, the stakes are high for Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with the US president in Washington today. Enter the “solopreneur”: why AI is allowing entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses on thei ... Show More

21m 6s

Nov 2024

Some like it hot: could Trump derail climate talks?

Last time Donald Trump was president he pulled America out of the Paris climate agreement. What is on the agenda at <a href="https://www.economist.com/topics/climate-change?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.a ... Show More

24 m

Jul 2025

Kyiv reprieve: Trump loses patience with Putin

For months, Donald Trump has appeared to back Vladimir Putin. Now, frustrated at the lack of a ceasefire and fed up with Russia, the <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/07/14/fed-up-with-putin-trump-offers-ukraine-arms-and-tariffs?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio. ... Show More

23 m

Mar 2025

Cold call: Putin thwarts Trump

Donald Trump hoped Vladimir Putin would agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. Instead he made <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/03/18/putin-woos-trump-with-a-partial-ceasefire-and-big-geopolitical-deal?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelli ... Show More

21m 37s

Oct 2025

Aid pro quo: Trump weaponises foreign help

After cancelling much of America’s international development funding, President Donald Trump is now using that money to boost friends, allies against China and buy goods and influence. Ukraine is striking Russia’s fuel infrastructure deep inside the country. And why JD Wetherspoo ... Show More

23m 32s

Mar 2025

Conversation peace: can Europe bargain with Russia?

European leaders met in <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/03/02/europe-vows-to-defend-ukraine-but-prays-for-trumps-support?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&u ... Show More

24m 45s

Apr 2025

Import-extort: what to make of Donald Trump’s titanic tariffs

After months of bluster, he’s finally done it. At a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden, Donald Trump overturned decades of American trade policy with a simple signature. The new wave of <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/04/03/trump-takes-americ ... Show More

46m 35s

Aug 2025

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

Nov 2025

Opening punch: Shutdown ends, now more Epstein emails

Last night Donald Trump finally managed to end the longest federal government shutdown in history. But, amid a new release of emails relating to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the political storm continues. Why Airbnb is searching for new beds in new markets. And the amazi ... Show More

23m 14s

Peace by piece? Zelensky and Trump meet ...