Izzy Harrington's fiancé is a successful entrepreneur and everyone's friend, but today she's waiting for him to get home so she can tell him they're over. Except Brad never arrives. Instead, three angry men knock on the door and insist on talking to Brad. When the police arrive asking difficult questions and demanding to see his passport, Izzy's packed suitcases suddenly take on a whole new meaning. Brad's disappearance sends ripples through their small town and a furious mob is camped on Izzy's lawn, desperate to recover their losses. They have Izzy in their crosshairs, determined to make her pay for Brad's audacious con. As the search intensifies, conflicting clues emerge. Clues that suggest no one really knew Brad – least of all Izzy …

The Money Club

There aren’t enough babies, AI-generated spam is starting to fill social media, and a heartwarming Memorial Day story.

This Weekend with Gordon Deal May 25, 2024

Hoping to find some savings this Memorial Day? Business Advisor Carl Gould lays out some tips to make the most of the holiday bargains.

How to shop on Memorial Day Weekend

A passenger's seat choice and bathroom needs divide the internet. Gordon and Mike try to figure out if there is any civility left at 40,000 feet.

Making an 8-Hour Flight More Uncomfortable

How did China—the world’s largest communist nation—converge with global capitalism? And when did this occur? In this event, held on 7 May 2024, Dr Elizabeth Ingleson of the LSE Department of International History and Phelan US Centre Affiliate argued that this convergence began in the early 1970s, when the United States and China re-opened trade and the interests of US capitalists and the Chinese state gradually aligned: at the expense of US labor and aided by US diplomats.

Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade | LSE US Centre Event

A shining city on a hill. America the beautiful. The United States has long been mythologised as the land of dreams and opportunity. And since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s it has been undisputedly the most powerful nation on earth. But is it a fading force? The idea of an America in decline has gained traction in recent years and has, of course, been capitalized on by President Trump. Is America’s ‘greatness’ under threat?

In this episode of LSE iQ, a collaboration with the LSE Phelan US Centre's podcast, The Ballpark, Sue Windebank and Chris Gilson speak to LSE’s Elizabeth Ingleson and John Van Reenen and Ashley Tellis from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Contributors
Elizabeth Ingleson
John Van Reenen
Ashley Tellis




Research

Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade by Elizabeth Ingleson

The Fall of the Labor Share and the Rise of Superstar Firms by David Autor, David Dorn, Lawrence F Katz, Christina Patterson and John Van Reenen, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, May 2020.

Revising U.S. Grand Strategy Toward China by Robert D. Blackwill and Ashley J. Tellis




More Information


LSE Phelan United States Centre: https://www.lse.ac.uk/United-States

Listen to The Ballpark podcast: https://www.lse.ac.uk/united-states/the-ballpark/Podcasts; LSE Player, Spotify; Soundcloud

Related interviews on The Ballpark with guests on this episode

Dr Ashley Tellis - The Future of US-China Competition

Dr Elizabeth Ingleson - Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade

LSE Ballpark | Will the US remain the world’s superpower?

Facing costly climate impacts such as the billion-dollar flood disaster of July 2023, Vermont is seeking to make fossil fuel companies pay for some of those costs with a new “Climate Superfund” bill. 
Also, the Mar Menor or “little sea” lagoon on the coast of Spain faces impacts from mining, agriculture, and a booming tourist industry. Teresa Vicente helped pass a 2022 law granting the lagoon legal personhood to give it greater protection. She recently received the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize for Europe and shares how she led a grassroots movement to protect this beloved lagoon.
Plus, sounds like the overlapping songs of birds can speak volumes about the biodiversity in an ecosystem, and now scientists are looking to use the tiny sounds made by earthworms, ants, and voles to study the health of soils. An ecologist explains why more complex sounds appear to indicate healthier soils, and the potential applications of listening for these sounds in the earth.
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We rely on support from listeners like you to keep our journalism strong. You can donate at loe.org – any amount is appreciated! – and thank you for your support.

Vermont’s “Climate Superfund” Bill, A “Little Sea” With a Big Champion, The Sounds of Soil and more.

Our editor-in-chief and Jerusalem correspondent pay a visit to Israel’s halls of power, finding that long-whispered dissent is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/05/19/the-revolt-against-binyamin-netanyahu?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spilling</a> into the open. An Italian subsidy for green home improvements was ripe for abuse by design; the bill has now come due and it is <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2024/04/17/how-a-home-improvement-subsidy-is-wrecking-italys-public-finances?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">enormous</a> (14:28). And how “Bridgerton”, a sort-of period drama, has made string quartets <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/05/20/the-hit-series-bridgerton-has-set-off-a-string-quartet-boom?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fashionable</a> again (21:00).&nbsp; Get a world of insights for <a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</a>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our <a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQs page</a> or watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">our video</a> explaining how to link your account. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Bibi blues: Israel’s fraying consensus

Narendra Modi may well be the most popular politician on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democracy.&nbsp; A tea-seller’s son, Mr Modi began life an outsider and the man behind the political phenomenon remains hard to fathom. India has become an economic powerhouse during his ten years in charge. But he’s also the frontman for a chauvinistic Hindu nationalist dogma.&nbsp; Can Mr Modi continue to balance both parts of his agenda and finish the job of turning India into a superpower? The Economist’s Avantika Chilkoti finds out what makes him tick.&nbsp; Launching June 2024. To listen to the full series, subscribe to <a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Economist Podcasts+</a>. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our <a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQs</a> page or watch our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">video</a> explaining how to link your account. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Trailer: The Modi Raj

The introduction of a’ foreign agent law’ has become a popular tactic among those with autocratic tendencies. Activists in Georgia, who oppose the introduction of such a law, refer to theirs as “the Russian law”. They see it as moving their country closer to Putin, and away from the West. Last week, as Georgia’s parliament prepared to vote on the law, Heidi Pett travelled to Tbilisi, the capital, to meet opposition leaders and find out why they are so afraid. What she discovered was a group being beaten, bruised, and left worried for their personal freedom—wondering, once the dust settles, what the day after tomorrow will bring. The Weekend Intelligence is free for anyone to enjoy for a limited time. To continue listening to this and other award-winning podcasts by The Economist, subscribe to <a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Economist Podcasts+</a> for only $25/year - half off the usual price. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The Weekend Intelligence: Georgia... the day after tomorrow

Bolinda, audio publisher of elite literary and commercial talent, is the No. 1 audiobook publisher in the British Commonwealth. For more than 25 years it has created the highest quality collection of audiobooks in the world. Bolinda was born in the library and has been supplying libraries with the world’s greatest audiobooks for over 25 years. 

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