The <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/03/01/nicolas-sarkozys-jail-sentence-shocks-frances-political-class?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_source=third-party-host&amp;utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first conviction</a> of France’s former president shocked the nation; the second confirms for citizens that, these days, politicians will be held to account. Our correspondent meets a Burmese hipster who, after this year’s military coup, has become a somewhat conflicted <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/09/27/killing-informants-is-cool-how-a-myanmar-hipster-became-a-guerrilla-fighter?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_source=third-party-host&amp;utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">freedom fighter</a>. And the record label whose name you may never have heard but whose music you <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/09/22/kpm-music-is-one-of-the-most-important-record-labels-in-history?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_source=third-party-host&amp;utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">certainly have</a>.&nbsp;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.

The courage of two convictions: Nicolas Sarkozy

Wyoming’s sole representative in the House, once a Republican leading light and now a pariah for her views on Donald Trump, has been <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/08/17/liz-cheney-is-vanquished-by-donald-trump?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">ousted</a> from Congress. We attend her election-night defeat. The science behind behavioural nudges seems to be on increasingly <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2022/07/27/evidence-for-behavioural-interventions-looks-increasingly-shaky?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">shaky ground</a>. And investigating the UAE’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/08/11/the-emirates-hope-to-jolt-clouds-into-sharing-their-bounty?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">questionable plans</a> to make more rain. 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> <hr> Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The WY and the wherefore: Liz Cheney’s loss

OpenAI and Microsoft are leaders in generative artificial intelligence (AI). OpenAI has built GPT-4, one of the world’s most sophisticated large language models (LLMs) and Microsoft is injecting those algorithms into its products, from Word to Windows.&nbsp; At the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist’s editor-in-chief, <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/01/17/the-bosses-of-openai-and-microsoft-talk-to-the-economist?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=babbage&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">interviewed Sam Altman and Satya Nadella</a>, who run OpenAI and Microsoft respectively. They explained their vision for humanity’s future with AI and addressed some thorny questions looming over the field, such as how AI that is better than humans at doing tasks might affect productivity and how to ensure that the technology doesn’t pose existential risks to society. Host: Alok Jha, The Economist's science and technology editor. Contributors: Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist; Ludwig Siegele, The Economist’s senior editor, AI initiatives; Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI; Satya Nadella, chief executive of Microsoft.&nbsp; If you subscribe to The Economist, you can watch the full interview on our <a href="https://www.economist.com/subscriber-events/a-conversation-with-openais-sam-altman-and-microsofts-satya-nadella-hub?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=babbage&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">website or app</a>.&nbsp; Essential listening, from our archive: “<a href="https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2023/12/27/ai-generated-counterfeit-people-are-worrying-daniel-dennett" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Daniel Dennett</a> on intelligence, both human and artificial”, December 27th 2023 “<a href="https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2023/11/22/fei-fei-li-on-why-we-should-avoid-existential-angst-about-the-future-of-ai" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fei-Fei Li</a> on how to really think about the future of AI”, November 22nd 2023 “<a href="https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2023/09/13/mustafa-suleyman-on-the-coming-age-of-ai" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mustafa Suleyman</a> on how to prepare for the age of AI”, September 13th 2023 “<a href="https://www.economist.com/vint-cerf-pod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vint Cerf</a> on how to wisely regulate AI”, July 5th 2023 “Is <a href="https://www.economist.com/GPT4-pod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">GPT-4</a> the dawn of true artificial intelligence?”, with Gary Marcus, March 22nd 2023 Sign up for a <a href="http://www.economist.com/podcastsplus-babbage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">free trial</a> of Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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.

Babbage: Sam Altman and Satya Nadella's vision for AI

As life moves progressively online, it is becoming increasingly possible to keep people alive in the digital sense. Tech companies are starting to use AI to simulate the personalities of the dead from the data they’ve left behind. The Economist’s science correspondent, Abby Bertics, wanted to figure out how close this possible future is and just what it would look like to conjure a digital ghost of her own. Sign up for a <a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">free trial</a> of Economist Podcasts+If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 page</a> or watch our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48TlDbL-4vU" 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.

The Weekend Intelligence: Digital Ghosts

Last month, Microsoft briefly overtook the <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/01/24/what-could-bring-apple-down?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">iPhone maker</a> as the world’s most valuable company. As Apple’s core business slows, could the launch of its new augmented reality headset provide much-needed uplift? The Chinese Communist Party loves a <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/01/11/a-guide-to-the-chinese-communist-partys-economic-jargon?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">slogan</a>, but what does its new one actually mean? Why we may never know (09:17). And a tribute to the double act of <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/02/01/peter-schickele-and-pdq-bach-were-sides-of-the-same-coin?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">Peter Schickele</a> and P.D.Q. Bach (16:05) 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>&nbsp; If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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 Intelligence: Will Apple’s customers share its Vision?

Macky Sall, Senegal’s president, has said he would not stand again. So what to make of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/02/04/senegals-democracy-hangs-by-a-thread?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">move to delay</a> the election until December? Our correspondent says that many artificial-intelligence researchers think fakes will soon become <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/01/17/many-ai-researchers-think-fakes-will-become-undetectable?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">entirely undetectable</a> (10:11). And as football manager Jürgen Klopp steps down at Liverpool, we ask why being a leader is <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/01/29/jurgen-klopp-and-the-importance-of-energy?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 very tiring</a> (18:03). <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: They thought it was Sall over

Our correspondent is travelling with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on yet another gruelling tour of the Middle East trying to <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/02/07/israel-scorns-americas-unprecedented-peace-plan?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">broker peace</a>. What are the chances of a lasting deal? We examine the problems arising from Latin America’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/01/18/plunging-fertility-rates-are-creating-problems-for-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">falling fertility rate</a> (11:06). And TikTok has become a destination for news; we meet some of its self-appointed <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/01/25/the-rise-of-the-tiktok-news-anchor?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">news anchors</a> (17:16).&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> If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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 Intelligence: Going for broker

As had long been telegraphed, Ukraine’s top general Valery Zaluzhny is now out; <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/06/08/who-is-oleksandr-syrsky-the-head-of-ukraines-ground-forces?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">Oleksandr Syrsky</a> is in. That marks a <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/02/08/the-dismissal-of-valery-zaluzhny-is-a-crucial-new-phase-in-the-war?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 phase in the war</a>, and an opportunity for President Volodymyr Zelensky to reframe its terms. American car-insurance costs are skyrocketing—but, perversely, they are probably <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/01/18/why-car-insurance-in-america-is-actually-too-cheap?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">still too low</a> (9:43). And the bonkers <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/02/06/the-meaning-of-the-hysteria-over-taylor-swift?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">conspiracy theories</a> involving the Super Bowl and Taylor Swift (15:03). 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> If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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 Intelligence: General dynamics

America has launched strikes against Iranian-backed militias in <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/02/07/israel-scorns-americas-unprecedented-peace-plan?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">the Middle East</a>, in response to an attack on a base in Jordan where three US troops died. How close are America and Iran <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/02/06/why-iran-is-hard-to-intimidate?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">to war</a>? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by General Frank McKenzie, former commander of US Central Command, and The Economist’s Anton La Guardia.&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> If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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.

Checks and Balance: Strike accord

In some ways, Beijing now sounds like a lot of other mega cities. Yet, back in imperial times, sound was used in creative ways to display wealth, to conduct everyday business and, most importantly, to keep order. David Rennie, our Beijing bureau chief, takes us on a sonic journey through the places where Beijing’s ancient soundscape is being kept alive. He meets Colin Chinnery, a sound artist and archivist, to find out why sound has long been a vital part of Beijing’s spirit, and the ways in which it still is today. 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> Sign up for a <a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus?purchaseRedirect=economist.com/audio/podcasts/onboarding?podcast=babbage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">free trial</a> of Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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.

Drum Tower: The sounds of old Beijing

This is not science fiction. Space is already a part of modern warfare and as technology advances, it will be an even more crucial sphere. What will <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2024/01/31/america-china-and-russia-are-locked-in-a-new-struggle-over-space?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">extraterrestrial conflict</a> look like? A look at the latest <a href="https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2023/?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">Democracy Index</a> as conflict continues to dent freedoms across the globe (11:47). And, a tribute to <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/02/14/jack-jennings-was-one-of-the-allied-pows-who-built-the-burma-railway?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">Jack Jennings</a> (23:35)&nbsp;&nbsp;&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>&nbsp; If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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 Intelligence: Out-of-this-world war

When Alexei Navalny flew back to Russia in 2021 he never made it through passport control. In an excerpt from Next Year in Moscow, The Economist’s series on Russian opposition to the war, today’s episode chronicles this period of his life. It’s an account of what turned out to be the last three years of Navalny’s life - peppered with his own words, and told by people who knew him well. <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: One day in the life of Alexei Navalny

If it succeeds—and that is no sure thing—this week’s soft landing of Odysseus will be the first by a private firm. We examine the prospects and the business models of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/02/15/a-private-moon-mission-hopes-to-succeed-where-others-have-failed?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">Moon rush</a>. Our producer visits Ukraine to mark the anniversary of a revolution that helped to shape today’s conflict (11:22). And the rise and coming fall in entertaining <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/02/15/british-lives-are-getting-duller?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">British obituaries</a> (21:25). 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> If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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 Intelligence: I’m your private lander, a lander for money

Dark matter is thought to make up around a quarter of the universe, but so far it has eluded detection by all scientific instruments. Scientists know it must exist because of the ways galaxies move and it also explains the large-scale structure of the modern universe. But no-one knows what dark matter actually is. Scientists have been hunting for dark matter particles for decades, but have so far had no luck. At the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, held recently in Denver, a new generation of researchers presented their latest tools, techniques and ideas to step up the search for this mysterious substance. Will they finally detect the undetectable?&nbsp; Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Don Lincoln, senior scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; Christopher Karwin, a fellow at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center; Josef Aschbacher, boss of the European Space Agency; Michael Murra of Columbia University; Jodi Cooley, executive director of SNOLAB; Deborah Pinna of University of Wisconsin and CERN. 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> If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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.

Babbage: The hunt for dark matter

Hardened war-zone doctors say the situation in Gaza is the worst they have witnessed—and that will cost lives long after the current conflict is resolved. Numbers from America’s tight labour market suggest that long-standing gaps between black and white workers <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/02/14/black-workers-are-enjoying-a-jobs-boom-in-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">are narrowing</a> (09:57). And we speak with the maker of The Economist’s shiny <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2024/02/07/why-has-the-economist-changed-its-typeface?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 typeface</a> (18:18). 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> If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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 Intelligence: No water, no lights, no beds

In this roundtable discussion our editors examine how the past year has progressed, discuss how things may go over the next year and consider a few fundamentally positive truths about <a href="https://www.economist.com/ukraine-crisis?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 whole conflict</a>. Meanwhile our senior producer travels through Ukraine, getting a measure of both determination and despondency among soldiers and civilians. 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> If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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 Intelligence: Ukraine’s war, two years on

The birth rate of unicorns—firms with a valuation north of $1bn—<a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/02/22/the-age-of-the-unicorn-is-over?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">has plummeted</a>, and prior investors in them are eyeing what exits exist. We ask why the species is endangered. The struggle to finance and build homes is contributing to a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/02/07/how-to-house-the-worlds-fastest-growing-population?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">profound housing crisis</a> in sub-Saharan Africa (08:34). And the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/02/15/the-far-rights-favoured-social-media-platform-plots-a-comeback?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">return of Parler</a>, a darling social-media platform for America’s far right (17:56). 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> If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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 Intelligence: Horn under a bad sign

A year on from our series Next Year in Moscow, <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/02/22/alexei-navalny-didnt-just-defy-putin-he-showed-up-his-depravity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alexei Navalny</a>, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, is dead. Hope for the “wonderful Russia of the future” he imagined from his prison cell in Siberia is all but extinguished. The Economist’s Russia editor Arkady Ostrovsky finds out how Russians who oppose Vladimir Putin’s war are enduring these dark times Get a world of insights for&nbsp;<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</a> If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQs page</a>&nbsp;or watch our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48TlDbL-4vU" 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.

The Weekend Intelligence: Life and fate

In a result that will surprise few, America is on track to hold a rematch of the 2020 presidential election, with Joe Biden and Donald Trump winning most of the primaries held last night. But will the Republican campaign look different this time? Why shoppers and investors really love <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/02/15/why-costco-is-so-loved?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">Costco</a> (09:36). And which cities are most expensive for <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/02/20/where-are-europes-most-expensive-cities-for-renters?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">Europe’s renters</a> (15:36)? 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>&nbsp; If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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 Intelligence: A Super predictable Tuesday

Despite growing pressure from powerful local gangs, Ariel Henry, the prime minister, is refusing to step down. <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/03/07/the-last-scraps-of-the-haitian-state-are-evaporating?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 state</a> has descended into such a quagmire that he cannot even return. Can it be brought back from the brink? This year’s Oscar nominations show a newfound appreciation for <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/03/07/whoever-gets-the-best-picture-oscar-international-films-are-winning?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">foreign-language films</a> (07:44). And, a tribute to <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/03/06/iris-apfel-became-a-fashion-icon-in-her-eighth-decade?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">Iris Apfel</a> (13:52)&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>&nbsp; If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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 Intelligence: Haiti’s latest nightmare

The US Congress is refusing to scroll past the app’s links to China. If the bill they passed becomes law, <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/03/12/time-for-tiktok-to-cut-its-ties-to-china?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 video-sharing network</a> will be forced to find new owners. Binyamin Netanyahu’s emergency war-time budget has just been approved. What is <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/03/05/can-israel-afford-to-wage-war?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 cost of Israel’s ongoing war</a> (10:40)? And, snapping up Old Masters in <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/03/13/maastricht-is-where-museums-go-on-shopping-sprees?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">Maastricht</a> (18:14). 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>&nbsp; Sign up for a <a href="http://www.economist.com/podcastsplus-intelligence" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">free trial</a> of Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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 Intelligence: Is time up for TikTok?

It’s not long since <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/03/14/americas-extraordinary-economy-keeps-defying-the-pessimists?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">America was widely thought</a> to be on the brink of recession. Instead the economy expanded by 3% in 2023, and <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2024/03/14/americas-economy-has-escaped-a-hard-landing?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">continues to defy expectations</a>. But why aren’t voters happier with Joe Biden’s economy?&nbsp; John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist’s Simon Rabinovitch and Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University.&nbsp; Thank you to the William J. Clinton Library and the UVA Miller Center for some of the audio used in this episode.&nbsp; Sign up for a <a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus?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">free trial</a> of Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll 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 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.

Checks and Balance: Growth states

By the end of this podcast Economist correspondent <a href="mailto:tamaragilkesborr@economist.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tamara Gilkes Borr</a> might own a gun. Recently, Tamara fired a gun for the first time and was shocked by how it made her feel. That moment started her on a personal odyssey to meet other Black gun owners and find out why, in contemporary America, she might want - or need - a gun.&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&nbsp;<a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQs page</a>&nbsp;or watch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48TlDbL-4vU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">our video</a>&nbsp;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: Should I own a gun?

Alexei Navalny was sent to one to die and American journalist Evan Gershkovich is being held in another. Our correspondent reports on the notorious brutality of <a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2024/02/22/life-and-death-in-putins-gulag?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">Russia’s prisons</a>. Without the right policies, <a href="https://www.economist.com/special-report/2024/03/11/for-50-years-the-story-of-oil-has-been-one-of-matching-supply-with-increasing-demand?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">undoing years of dependency on oil</a> will take much longer than hoped (11:03). And a tribute to the <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/03/27/amnon-weinstein-turned-grief-into-music-again?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">Israeli luthier</a> who restored violins from the Holocaust (18:53).&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=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 Intelligence: Life inside a Russian prison

As yet more aid workers die in Gaza and an airstrike levels an Iranian consulate, pressure on Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu mounts. But all that chaos is <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/03/17/deposing-israels-king?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">paradoxically protective</a>. We take an economist’s view on the “superfakes” that are <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/03/07/an-economists-guide-to-the-luxury-handbag-market?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">chipping away</a> at the luxury-handbag industry (10:18). And French winemakers face the <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/03/27/why-the-french-are-drinking-less-wine?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">twin challenges</a> of brewers and abstemious youth (18:37). 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. Podcast transcripts are available upon request at podcasts@economist.com. We are committed to improving accessibility even further and are exploring new ways to expand our podcast-transcript offering. <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: Bibi bumps

Twenty-two years ago, Palestinian politician-turned-revolutionary Marwan Barghouti was convicted of acts of terrorism and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in an Israeli prison. Now, there’s a chance he could be released. Barghouti is at the top of Hamas’s list of prisoners they want exchanged for the hostages they took on October 7th. And Palestinians overwhelmingly want him to lead them. The Economist's Nicolas Pelham asks who is Marwan Barghouti and could he be the man who will lead Palestine? 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: The man who would lead Palestine

The 1994 <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/03/25/three-decades-after-rwandas-genocide-the-past-is-ever-present?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">slaughter</a> of hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsis completely reshaped the country. It also produced Africa’s most polarising leader, whose outsized power and regional influence is proving ever more divisive. How a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/03/14/a-shadowy-wartime-economy-has-emerged-in-gaza?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">shadow economy</a> of gangs and clans is running Gaza (11:45). And a total <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2024/04/02/why-are-total-solar-eclipses-so-rare?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">solar eclipse</a> is coming to America (20:01). 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.&nbsp; Podcast transcripts are available upon request at podcasts@economist.com. We are committed to improving accessibility even further and are exploring new ways to expand our podcast-transcript offering. <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: Rwanda’s genocide 30 years on

The leaders of both countries will meet for dinner at the White House tonight. In light of <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/04/09/to-keep-the-peace-in-asia-japan-plans-for-war?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">Asia’s changing geopolitics</a>, defence will certainly be high up on the agenda. <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/03/21/somali-pirates-are-staging-a-comeback?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">Somali pirates</a> are wreaking havoc in the Indian Ocean again. What explains their resurgence (8:34)? And, have a listen to what AI can do with <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/03/21/a-new-generation-of-music-making-algorithms-is-here?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">music</a> (13:29).&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: Can Japan and America Trump-proof their alliance?

Since the invasion began, <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/04/07/the-kremlin-wants-to-make-ukraines-second-city-unliveable?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">Ukraine's second city</a> has suffered a third of all aerial attacks. The latest one has been especially gruelling. A census of <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/03/21/amlo-is-trying-to-bury-the-tragedy-of-mexicos-missing-people?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">Mexico’s missing people</a> is likely underestimating the scale of the problem. Is the president deliberately trying to minimise its scale (11:08)? And, why those with the least to spend on <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/04/02/the-economics-of-american-lotteries?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">lottery tickets</a> are most likely to try their luck (19:20).&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: The race to save Kharkiv

We have combined polling data to make a detailed portrait of the American electorate. Have a tinker with <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/us-2024-election/build-a-voter?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">our interactive</a> model: plug in their age, sex, religion, and more, and let us estimate how your hypothetical voter will vote in the presidential election. Allegations of extortion at the Rafah crossing out of Gaza (09:57). And, a tribute to an <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/04/10/rose-dugdale-went-from-debutante-to-ira-bombmaker?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">heiress-turned-IRA bombmaker</a> (20:17). 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: America’s deeply divided electorate

For the first time Iran launched a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/04/14/iran-and-israels-shadow-war-explodes-into-the-open?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">huge attack</a> on Israel from its own territory, though the effort largely failed. Israel’s response could easily lead to regional war; what is it <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/04/14/will-israel-retaliate-against-iran-or-hold-back?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">likely to be</a>? The first of the four criminal trials that Donald Trump faces will get under way today. It is by some margin <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/04/14/what-to-expect-as-donald-trumps-first-criminal-trial-gets-under-way?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 tawdriest</a> (11:46). And celebrating the 150th anniversary of Impressionism (20:02).&nbsp;&nbsp;&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: A region holds its breath

The case for assisted dying is essentially one of individual freedom—and plenty of Britons <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/04/11/the-rights-and-wrongs-of-assisted-dying?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">support a change</a> in the law to permit it. Japan’s Noto peninsula is still reeling from a New Year’s Day earthquake. It could well have been worse, but geography and demography may <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/04/01/japan-is-still-reeling-100-days-after-the-noto-earthquake?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">ultimately limit</a> improvements to earthquake preparedness (10:46). And the pros and cons of <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/03/27/the-pros-and-cons-of-corporate-uniforms?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">corporate uniforms</a> (18:49). 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 most personal choice

All over the world, young men are identifying more with the political right, even as women drift more to the left. What is behind the gulf, and <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/03/14/making-sense-of-the-gulf-between-young-men-and-women?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">how to close it</a>? The seeming drop in crime in Naples is not because the notorious mafia activity has disappeared—<a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/04/04/the-mafiosi-of-naples-turn-white-collar?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">it has evolved</a> (10:11). And exploring the history and the present of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/04/11/flat-whites-are-australias-greatest-culinary-export?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">flat white</a> (17:08). 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: He said, she fled

Governments particularly in the rich world are struggling to get young people in uniform. Will some form of conscription become necessary? In America, how <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/04/04/the-rise-of-the-remote-husband?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">remote working husbands</a> may be liberating their wives (10:19). And, the generational hunting prowess of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/03/26/killer-whales-deploy-brutal-co-ordinated-attacks-when-hunting?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">killer whale</a> (16:53). 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: Your country needs you!

More than 1bn people around the world are obese. That means there should be extraordinary demand for drugs to cure or mitigate the condition. Novo Nordisk is now Europe’s most valuable company and Eli Lilly’s market value has more than doubled. Both make the “miracle” drugs that can help people shed up to a fifth of their body weight. But these drugs promise to do more than boost drug companies’ profits. How will they reshape the economy? Hosts: Alice Fulwood, Mike Bird and Tom Lee-Devlin. Guests: The Economist’s Georgia Banjo; pharmaceuticals analyst Michael Nedelcovych; and John Cawley, a professor of public policy and economics at Cornell University. Subscribers to Economist Podcasts+ can listen to our January 2023 episode on the <a href="https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2023/01/05/the-relationship-between-weight-and-success" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">economics of thinness</a>. Sign up for our new weekly newsletter dissecting the big themes in markets, business and the economy at<a href="https://www.economist.com/moneytalks/?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=moneytalks&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> www.economist.com/moneytalks&nbsp;</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.

Money Talks: Why weight-loss drugs will reshape the world

A missile has reportedly struck a site in the Islamic Republic. If this is retaliation for Iran’s most recent attacks, then it is a muted response. But is there still a risk of escalation? As <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/04/16/gandhi-v-modi-crunch-time-for-congress-as-india-prepares-to-vote?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">India’s election</a> kicks off, a look into why the opposition is likely to have a poor showing (09:07). And, a tribute to the first foreign-born <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2024/04/18/akebono-was-the-first-foreign-born-grand-champion-of-sumo?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">grand champion of sumo</a> (19:15). 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: Iran and Israel’s new era?

At a time when Russia has been making significant gains, an allocated <a href="https://www.economist.com/2024/04/20/finally-americas-congress-does-right-by-ukraine?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">$61bn of aid</a> for Ukraine will be felt on the battlefield almost instantly. Will it help turn the course of the war? In a world of endless <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2024/04/11/who-wields-the-power-in-the-worlds-supply-chains?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">supply chain disruptions</a>, how can businesses shore up against the costs (11:26)? And the appeal of <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/04/04/perpetual-stew-an-ancient-way-of-cooking-has-won-gen-z-fans?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">two-month-old stew</a> (18:37). 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: Ready, Aid, Fire

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