The Intelligence from The Economist

Latest Episodes:

View from the summit: what did the G7 achieve? Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

Geopolitics has dominated this year’s G7 political meeting in Evian, France. Donald Trump offered scant detail on the Iran peace deal but leaders promised to boost support for Ukraine. Though prostitution in Japan has a long history, recent scandals have drawn it into the spotlight. And Britain’s Country Life magazine has a winning formula: ignore the news.

Guests and host:

Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief
Moeka Iida, East Asia reporter
Catherine Nixey, Britain correspondent
Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

G7, Donald Trump, Iran, Ukraine
Prostitution, Japan, sex work
Country Life, publishing, Britain

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Local, an aesthetic: the deglobalisation of fun Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

The World Cup may seem to be proof that the digital commons centralises a global audience. We find that entertainment is in fact fragmenting, with big implications for soft power. Our series examining America’s 250 years of history tackles the AIDS crisis and the war on terror. And mosquitoes may in fact be attracted to a gold-standard repellent.

Guests and host:

Tom Wainwright, media editor
Annie Crabill, senior digital editor
Matt Kaplan, science correspondent
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

global media, World Cup, culture
American history
mosquitoes, science

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On the home strait? A path to peace in Iran Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

Despite exchanges of missiles and drones between Israel and Lebanon, the start of a deal was struck overnight. What exactly has been agreed, and will it hold? We examine the idea that part-nationalisation could be a way to share the coming onslaught of AI wealth. And our series on World Cup contenders concludes with a look at England’s side.

Guests and host:

Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent
Alex Domash, economics correspondent
Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Iran war, Middle East, America
AI, wealth redistribution
World Cup, England

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Tocqueville Road Trip: 2. Against all obstacles Jun 13, 2026

Show notes

Tocqueville saw America’s faith in its own democracy as a vital force. But these days the majority of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. Can a group of maximum security prisoners in Sing Sing offer a vision of how to get back on track?

Guests and Hosts

John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor
Sean Pica, executive director of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison
Jean Frantz, prisoner at Sing Sing Correctional Facility

Topics

Alexis de Tocqueville’s views on voluntary associations
Sing Sing prison education programme
Prisoners’ views on the American dream

Let us know what you think. Email podcasts@economist.com

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Tocqueville Road Trip: 1. Game of chance Jun 13, 2026

Show notes

John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor, embarks on a roadtrip to see how America’s democracy is faring in the era of Trump.

His companion is a long-dead French aristocrat called Alexis De Tocqueville, author of arguably the best book ever written about America.

When Tocqueville arrived in New York in 1831, it was a small, low-slung city where pigs roamed the streets. But he was able to see past that—to a vision of the future.

Arriving in Manhattan today, John finds cause for concern, even among the island’s wealthiest residents.

Guests and Hosts

John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor
Babara Tober, Philanthropist and former Editor of Brides magazine
John Catsimatidis, CEO of Red Apple Group

Topics

Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America
‘Equality of conditions’ at 250
The election of Zohran Mamdani
Declining faith in American democracy

Let us know what you think. Email podcasts@economist.com

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Quid game: challenges for South Korea’s president Jun 12, 2026

Show notes

An interview with Lee Jae Myung, South Korea’s president, a year into his role. Though he has stabilised a turbulent polity and overseen a stock market rally, the path ahead may be bumpy. Can India’s cockroach party become a powerful political movement? And celebrating the creator of “Persepolis”, Marjane Satrapi.

Watch extended clips from Insider here

Guests and host:

Noah Sneider, East Asia bureau chief
Tom Sasse, South Asia bureau chief
Ann Wroe, obituaries editor
Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

South Korea, Lee Jae Myung, North Korea
Cockroach party, Narendra Modi, Gen-Z protests
Marjane Satrapi, Iran, Persepolis

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Kicking and screaming: protests at World Cup Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

Millions of people will tune in when the World Cup starts today. But demonstrators in Mexico, which hosts the first match, are using the international spectacle to draw attention to their causes. Commercial enterprises are on the cusp of making money in space: who will tax the heavens? And Narendra Modi is unsettling India’s middle class.

Guests and host:

Hal Hodson, Americas editor
Shera Avi-Yonah, business correspondent
Leo Mirani, Ashoka columnist
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The intelligence”
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence”

Topics covered:

World Cup, Mexico, protests
Space, taxation, global commons
India, Modi

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Number crunch: why Britons ignore immigrant drop Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

The British government tightened immigration in response to public demand. Yet that policy damaged both the country and the Labour party. Our correspondent embeds on a US nuclear submarine to find out how China and Russia are vying for dominance in the Pacific. And what anti-ageing products actually work?

Guests and host:

Joel Budd, Britain social affairs editor
Anton La Guardia, diplomatic editor
Ainslie Johnstone, science correspondent
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The intelligence”
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence”

Topics covered:

Immigration, Britain, asylum
Submarines, Pacific, geopolitics
Ageing, wrinkles, retinoids, peptides

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There Xi goes: visiting North Korea Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

Xi Jinping’s first visit to North Korea in seven years has been marked by pomp and shows of friendship. But what does the Chinese leader really want from the trip? Our correspondent visits Goma in Congo to see what life is like under Rwanda-backed rebel group M23. And why curry may soon be off the menu in Japan.

Guests and host:

Jeremy Page, chief China correspondent
John McDermott, chief Africa correspondent
Moeka Iida, Japan correspondent
Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, Russia, nuclear proliferation
Congo, Goma, M23, Rwanda
Japan, India, immigration, curry

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Ceasefire alarm: Iran and Israel trade strikes Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

The fragile ceasefire between America and Iran is threatened by an exchange of ballistic missiles overnight between Iran and Israel. Our correspondent examines the consequences. China’s BYD cars are losing ground to other electric vehicles. And why hit TV shows inspire “companion podcasts”.

Guests and host:

Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent
Don Weinland, China business editor
Elizabeth Peet, researcher
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The intelligence”
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence”

Topics covered:

Iran, Israel, Lebanon, ceasefire, Trump
BYD, EVs, Tesla, Xpeng, Li Auto
Podcasts, Beef, The Pitt, HBO

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