America’s biggest oil firm has long been recalcitrant on climate matters, so its new net-zero targets may seem surprising. We examine the substance of its pledges—and <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/can-big-oils-bounce-back-last/21807153?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">motivations</a>. For an economist, tipping is an odd practice; whether you love it or hate it may be <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2022/01/15/do-tips-make-for-better-service?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a question of control</a>. And how <a href="https://www.economist.com/news/2022/01/05/as-a-tennis-player-novak-djokovics-vaccine-hesitancy-is-exceptional-as-a-serb-it-is-not?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unusual</a> Novak Djokovic’s refusenik vaccine stance is among elite athletes. Additional audio courtesy of Tennis Australia. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> &#10;&nbsp; <hr>See <a style='color: grey; ' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.

Drilling into the numbers: ExxonMobil

For months, a big foreign-aid deal looked like it was <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/04/20/the-house-of-representatives-just-gave-ukraine-the-best-news-it-has-had-for-a-year?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=checksandbalance&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">going nowhere</a> in the House of Representatives. Now $95bn of support is heading out the door. How did the bill get through? What does it mean for Ukraine and for <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/04/20/finally-americas-congress-does-right-by-ukraine?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=checksandbalance&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">American leadership in the world</a>? Charlotte Howard hosts with James Bennet and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist’s Adam O’Neal and Anton La Guardia. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">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.

Checks and Balance: Aid, and a bet

The ruling military junta that seized power in a coup in 2021 is <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/04/11/myanmars-junta-is-losing-ever-more-ground?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">losing ground</a>, slowly—and the rebels are now thinking about what happens if they win. We examine the structural reasons behind Britain’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/04/16/where-are-all-the-british-robots?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">dearth of industrial robots</a> (10:22). And climate change boosts Canada’s yields of <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/04/18/the-worlds-insatiable-appetite-for-canadas-maple-syrup?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">maple syrup</a>, but also threatens to make them unpredictable (15:44). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">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.

The Intelligence: A civil society in waiting

The dengue-fever case counts now break regional records every year—and the structural reasons behind <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/04/25/dengue-fever-is-surging-in-latin-america?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">the spike</a> 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 <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2024/04/23/why-is-so-much-of-the-internets-infrastructure-run-by-volunteers?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">maintained by volunteers</a>; we ask why (09:45). And the case for <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/03/21/the-secret-to-career-success-may-well-be-off-to-the-side?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">moving over</a>, not up, at work (17:10).&nbsp; Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">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.

The Intelligence: Dengue’s grip on Latin America

A dramatic overnight raid in New York City was just one sign that protests at American universities are set <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/04/30/escalating-protests-expose-three-fault-lines-on-american-campuses?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">to continue</a>—a clear historical echo in an already-fraught election year. We ask why a niche newspaper run by Japan’s communist party has <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/04/18/an-obscure-communist-newspaper-is-shaping-japans-politics?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">so much influence</a> (13:05). And a study of <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/04/05/the-drawbacks-and-benefits-of-solitude?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">new books</a> on loneliness reveals both the benefits and drawbacks of solitude (20:39). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">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.

The Intelligence: Going back to raid school

Ever since there have been smartphones and social media, there have been concerns about how they might be affecting children. Over the past decade, doctors have seen a decline in mental health in the young in much of the rich world. But whether that rise can be attributed to technology is still a matter of fierce debate. Nevertheless, <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/04/17/what-is-screen-time-doing-to-children?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=babbage&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">demands are growing</a> to proactively restrict teenagers’ access to phones and social media, just in case. How concerned should parents and teachers be? Or is this just another moral panic?&nbsp; Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Tom Wainwright, The Economist's technology and media editor; Clare Fernyhough, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood; Carol Vidal of Johns Hopkins University; Pete Etchells, a psychologist at Bath Spa University and the author of “Unlocked: The Real Science of Screen Time”. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">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.

Babbage: Teens and their screens

When you look around the world, and at a wider set of measures, Generation Z are <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/04/18/reasons-to-be-cheerful-about-generation-z?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">far better off</a> than the popular narrative would have you believe. We examine what India’s push to <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/03/14/india-is-souping-up-its-nuclear-missiles?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">soup up its nukes</a> means for the global arms race (09:30). And even as global fertility rates fall, sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing a <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/04/16/what-a-baby-boom-means-for-africa?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">relative baby boom</a> (17:11). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">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.

The Intelligence: The kids are alright, turns out

France’s president is known for pronouncements of grand scope with one eye toward history. But when our journalists visited him at his residence his assessment of the state of the world was bleak—a dark, prophetic <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/05/02/emmanuel-macrons-urgent-message-for-europe?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">call to arms</a>. In this special episode, we ask whether his view is accurate, whether his <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/05/02/how-to-rescue-europe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">proposed solutions</a> would work and whether he is the person to enact them. Read the full transcript of our interview <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/05/02/emmanuel-macron-in-his-own-words-english?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">here</a>. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">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.

The Intelligence: Our meeting with Macron

When a story about UFOs came across the desk of The Economist’s Michelle Hennessy, she was sceptical. A powerful cultural legacy of flying saucers and aliens is hard to ignore. But a recent flurry of interest from U.S defence agencies and NASA, stress the serious and scientific task of shedding light on what’s happening in the skies above. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">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=48TlDbL-4vU" 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.

The Weekend Intelligence: Capturing UFOs

Thirty years of democracy have not led to uniform prosperity, and nearly everyone disagrees about the equality of opportunity. How will <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/05/02/why-south-africans-are-fed-up-after-30-years-of-democracy?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">the disenchantment</a> manifest at the polls? How two small Texas towns became the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/04/16/how-two-small-texas-towns-became-the-patent-law-centre-of-america?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">patent-law centre</a> of America (12:16). And a tribute to <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/05/02/eleanor-coppola-recorded-how-a-cinematic-triumph-almost-came-unstuck?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">Eleanor Coppola</a>, mastermind of the award-winning behind-the-scenes look at her husband’s epic, “Apocalypse Now” (19:26). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">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.

The Intelligence: Mandela’s vision, tested

<a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/05/06/hamas-talks-up-a-truce-but-israel-may-still-invade-rafah?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">The ceasefire deal</a>, which Hamas has agreed to, prompted celebrations in Gaza. But Binyamin Netanyahu isn’t satisfied and the fighting continues. <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/04/18/how-hollywood-fell-in-love-with-video-games?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">Video game adaptations</a> are getting better, and becoming a more popular choice with Hollywood’s directors (10:01). And the best-selling literary love-child of <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/04/26/romantasy-brings-dragons-and-eroticism-together-at-last?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">romance and fantasy</a> (14:27). Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">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.

The Intelligence: Truce talk

The Economist was founded in 1843 "to throw white light on the subjects within its range".

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Drilling into the numbers: ExxonMobil

The Economist

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