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Pregnant pause: India’s slumping fertility Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

After decades of overpopulation worries, the country now has the opposite concern. We examine India’s unusual demographic turn, and why it is a wider warning to the world. Vegan substitutes have broadly improved in recent years—so why is there no good vegan cheese? And remembering Sonny Rollins, an absolute colossus of the saxophone.

Watch extended clips from Insider here.

Guests and host:

Tom Sasse, South Asia bureau chief
Sam Colbert, senior series producer, Economist Podcasts
Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

India, fertility rates, global population
vegan cheese
Sonny Rollins, jazz

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A murder exploited: Britain’s George Floyd moment that wasn’t Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

Nigel Farage, leader of the populist-right Reform UK party, wants Britons to be enraged by a killing in the street. We ask why his tone has changed from “colour-blind” to race-baiting. NATO must now take seriously the idea that America is pulling back; we ask how it is adjusting. And why skipping title sequences is forgoing some of television’s magic.

Guests and host:

Hugo Gye, British political correspondent
Jonathan Rosenthal, international correspondent
Andrew Miller, “Back Story” columnist
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

British politics, race relations
NATO, American foreign policy
television, media

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Focused group: Ukraine is now Europe’s war Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

Now that America has stepped back, Europe is at last stepping up. We examine the bloc’s tactics (if not yet a strategy) and how steady its support is likely to be. With the coming public listings of SpaceX and Anthropic, we ask whether stockmarkets can handle a string of “giga-IPOs”. And our World Cup series looks at Iran’s side.

Guests and host:

Tom Nuttall, chief Germany correspondent
Joshua Roberts, capital markets correspondent
Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Europe, security, Ukraine war
IPOs, investment, stockmarkets, SpaceX, Anthropic, OpenAI
World Cup, Iran

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Head out of the cloud: Nvidia’s personal-computer shift Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

The AI world’s go-to chipmaker is blazing a trail toward your personal computer. We ask what moving out of the cloud indicates about the future of computing. The three candidates for mayor of Los Angeles could not be more different, and they are running neck and neck. And updating generic filler text for the business-jargon era.

Guests and host:

Shailesh Chitnis, global business writer
Aryn Braun, West Coast correspondent
Andrew Palmer, executive editor and “Bartleby” columnist
Jason Palmer (no relation), co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Nvidia, AI, technology
Los Angeles, American politics
corporate jargon

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Mistrusting the process: containing Congo’s Ebola outbreak Jun 01, 2026

Show notes

Aid is ramping up to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and vaccine work is progressing. But what the Ebola response most lacks is trust of the community. European governments and businesses are wary of their dependence on America’s tech giants; we examine a spate of home-grown efforts. And sticky toffee pudding, a staid British classic, gets a sweet social-media boost.

Guests and host:

John McDermott, chief Africa correspondent
Christian Odendahl, European economics editor
Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, Africa correspondent and sticky toffee pudding enthusiast
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Ebola outbreak, Democratic Republic of Congo, epidemiology, vaccines
European technology, American tech giants, technological sovereignty
sticky toffee pudding

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New world of warcraft: how conflict has forever changed May 29, 2026

Show notes

Our outgoing defence editor reflects on how war has changed during the eight years of his tenure. Wars have become easier to start and harder to finish, and the little guy has a better chance than ever before. And our obituaries editor pays tribute to Barney Frank, a trailblazing Democratic congressman.

Watch extended clips from Insider here

Guests and host:

Shashank Joshi, defence editor
Ann Wroe, obituaries editor
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

war, technology, Ukraine, Iran
Barney Frank

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Deal or ordeal: Trump’s bad options in Cuba May 28, 2026

Show notes

The American administration’s next round of sabre-rattling has been directed at Cuba. But more military adventures there would probably prove disastrous. We profile the three starkly different contenders in Colombia’s hyper-polarised presidential election. And our series looking at World Cup squads goes to Mexico.

Guests and host:

Sarah Birke, bureau chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
Kinley Salmon, Latin America correspondent
Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Cuba, American foreign policy
Colombia’s elections
World Cup, Mexico

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What price victory? Ukraine on the front foot May 27, 2026

Show notes

Economic support, drone capability, defence under new management: the tide may have turned for Ukraine. But domestic politics and perceptions will define what kind of win the country might hope for. We examine how Home Depot, the world’s largest DIY chain, is a window into America’s ailing housing market. And what is pinching the supply of England’s famed cricket bats.

Guests and host:

Oliver Carroll, Ukraine correspondent
Vinjeru Mkandawire, news editor
Andrew Rummer, Britain contributor
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Ukraine war
America’s housing market, Home Depot
cricket bats, supply chains

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No big deal: murky Iran-war negotiations May 26, 2026

Show notes

More mixed messages from President Donald Trump and air strikes that seem to violate the ceasefire: all that is remotely in prospect is a deal to keep on dealmaking. China’s “superapps” are pioneering the use of agentic AI—with some odd outcomes. And the curious reason that grouse harm themselves on ski lifts (and how to save them).

Guests and host:

Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent
Don Weinland, China business and finance editor
Matt Kaplan, science correspondent
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Iran war, diplomacy
China, business, agentic AI
birds, science

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Pulp fiction v the classics: summer reading May 25, 2026

Show notes

What do we mean by a “good book”? Some people choose a holiday read that demands time and attention. Others pick rip-roaring novels that require little thought. Our bookworms discuss whether art has to be improving to be praiseworthy, and give genre fiction some much-needed air time.

This is a full list of the books mentioned in the show:

“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

“Red Rising” by Pierce Brown

Jack Reacher series by Lee Child

“The Hunt for Red October” by Tom Clancy

“Riders” and the other Rutshire chronicles by Jilly Cooper

Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman

“Middlemarch” by George Eliot

“Ulysses” by James Joyce

“Wolf Hall” by Hilary Mantel

“The Diamond Age” by Neal Stephenson

The Murderbot series by Martha Wells

“The Martian” by Andy Weir

“American Wife” by Curtis Sittenfeld

Guests and host:

Catherine Nixey, culture and Britain correspondent
Tom Standage, Economist deputy editor
Alexandra Suich Bass, culture editor
Alex Hern, AI writer
Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Fiction, romance, sci-fi, crime, thrillers, fantasy, romantasy
Jane Austen, Jilly Cooper, Curtis Sittenfeld, Lee Child
Matt Dinniman, Pierce Brown, Neal Stephenson

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