The Intelligence from The Economist

Latest Episodes:

“Britain is back”: an interview with Andy Burnham Nov 06, 2026

Show notes

Ahead of the G20 summit in Manchester, Britain’s prime minister sets out his foreign-policy plans. From reviewing EU links, to brokering the relationship between America and China, he is making big promises. To Russia’s delight, war is eroding Ukraine's population. And a tribute to a renowned American labour leader.

Watch extended clips from Insider here

Guests and host:

Hugo Gye, Britain political correspondent
Piotr Zalewski, Turkey correspondent
Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent
Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Britain, Andy Burham, Brexit
Ukraine, Russia, demographics
Dolores Huerta, César Chávez, labour rights

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Forever young: the business of longevity drugs Nov 05, 2026

Show notes

The success of GLP-1s has prompted biotechs to approach the challenge differently. After years of false starts and disappointing results, longevity drugs could be on the horizon. Do immigrants from some countries commit more sex crimes? And the big business of miniatures.

Guests and host:

Shailesh Chitnis, global business writer
James Fransham, data correspondent
Sascha Lowdermilk, culture intern
Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Longevity drugs, biotechnology, ageing
Immigration, sex crime, Britain
Miniatures, 3D printing, hobbies

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Not in Kansas any more: Republicans get a thrashing Nov 04, 2026

Show notes

In the end, the result was clear and uncontested: Democrats had an astonishingly good night. Our editors and correspondents across America report on the proceedings, and we ask what comes next—for Democrats, for Republicans and for Trumpism more widely.

Guests and host:

Edward Carr, deputy editor
Charlotte Howard, United States editor
Rebecca Jackson, Southern correspondent
Daniel Knowles, Midwest correspondent
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

midterm elections, Congressional control
Donald Trump, MAGA
the future of the free world

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Fertile ambitions: scientists’ plans to slow the biological clock Nov 03, 2026

Show notes

Two European startups are tackling the chromosomal abnormalities that make it difficult for older women to get pregnant. Their innovations might also prevent younger women from miscarrying. Belarusian culture looks increasingly Russian. And the world is taking a liking to biltong.

Guests and host:

Catherine Brahic, environment editor
Katie Bryant, senior video producer
John McDermott, chief Africa correspondent
Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Infertility, in-vitro fertilisation (IVF),
Belarus, Russia, Alexander Lukashenko
Biltong, South Africa, meat

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Off to the races: our American-midterms preview Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

Ahead of tomorrow’s legislative elections we consider the chances of a “blue wave”, the most influential demographics this time around and whether to expect election-administration trouble. Young people are deciding that bricks-and-mortar investment is not as dependable as the stocks-and-shares kind. And 100 years on from his death Harry Houdini still has lessons to teach about getting and staying famous.

Guests and host:

Charlotte Howard, United States editor
Kennett Werner, Washington correspondent
Vinjeru Mkandawire, news editor
Caitlin Talbot, digital culture correspondent
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

America’s midterm elections
property, securities, investing
Harry Houdini, fame

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Silver-year strongman: 25 years of Narendra Modi Oct 30, 2026

Show notes

We examine the record of the man at the helm of India’s government. As protests pose a fresh threat, where will he take the country next? From New Hampshire to Virginia, our American-midterms series takes you to the races you might be missing. And the life of Winston Churchill’s last personal secretary.

Guests and host:

Tom Sasse, South Asia bureau chief
Daniella Raz, US correspondent
Ann Wroe, obituaries editor
Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Narendra Modi, India, Cockroach-Janta party
America’s midterm elections, abortion, California
Cecily Gemmell, Winston Churchill

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Effective non-altruism: Elon Musk’s foundation Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

The world’s richest person does not say much nice about philanthropy, and his foundation does not say much about itself. Our correspondent digs deeper. The next stop for our midterm-elections series is Kansas, where a Republican-seeming Democrat has an unlikely shot at the Senate. And an examination of the received wisdom about how many steps to walk in a day.

Guests and host:

Avantika Chilkoti, global business writer
Daniel Knowles, Midwest correspondent
Sam Wikeley, science correspondent
Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Elon Musk, Musk Foundation, philanthropy
America’s midterm elections, Kansas
wellness, walking, received wisdom

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Bye bye Bibi? Israel’s election results Oct 28, 2026

Show notes

Binyamin Netanyahu has underperformed but so has his main opponent, Gadi Eisenkot. Who will form a government? We decipher what the messy results mean for Israel. Our American-midterms series heads south to Georgia. And how film critics and audiences have agreed to disagree.

Guests and host:

Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent
Rebecca Jackson, Southern correspondent
Doug Dowson, data journalist
Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, co-host of “The Intelligence”
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Israel, Binyamin Netanyahu, Gadi Eisenkot
America’s midterm elections, Georgia, Jon Ossoff
Film critics, cinema, the box office

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Act of Claude: Anthropic’s IPO bid Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

It would be the first public listing from a frontier-AI firm—and perhaps the largest IPO of all time. We comb through the filing to understand how the company is thinking about itself and its industry. Our American-midterms series continues in the battleground state of Alaska. And scientists consider how to redefine the second.

Guests and host:

Miles Kruppa, technology correspondent
Aryn Braun, West Coast correspondent
David Adam, science writer
Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

Anthropic IPO, AI
America’s midterm elections, Alaska
the second, metrology, atomic clocks

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From this day, fourth: Lula’s surprise win Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, staged a historic comeback to win a fourth term. We ask how he did it, and what he must do next. Each day this week our correspondents in America are focusing on crucial midterm-election races; today we start in Texas. And tote-bag economics: why so many businesses are getting in on selling merchandise.

Guests and host: