Shows / The Intelligence from The Economist
The Intelligence from The Economist
Join Jason Palmer and Rosie Blau for noise-cancelling news and analysis from The Economist's global network of correspondents. Every weekday the winner of "Best Daily Show" at the 2026 British Podcast Awards, picks three stories shaping your world—the big shifts in politics, business and culture, plus things you never knew you needed to know. On Saturdays, download The Weekend Intelligence to dive deep into a single story, vividly told.
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Episodes
The Intelligence from The EconomistCrimea punishment: A Russian airfield in ruins
The airbase in Crimea lies in ruins. Ukraine hasn’t claimed credit, many suspect they carried out the daring attack more than 100 miles behind enemy lines. Our…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Teflon Don: Trump’s legal woes
Donald Trump endured an FBI raid, questioning in a civil lawsuit and an adverse court ruling, all in 48 hours. But at least in the short-term, he’s making…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Latin-ex Democrats: Republicans and Hispanic voters
Our series on America’s mid-term elections begins with a visit to a citizenship class in Doral, Florida, given by Republicans. We examine how the GOP is…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Strike repose: Hamas sits out Gaza violence
A ceasefire is holding after a weekend of deadly strikes. We ask why Hamas, the Palestinian movement that controls Gaza, did not get involved. As Generation Z…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Greenlighted: American climate legislation
On Sunday America’s Senate passed the most-ambitious climate legislation in the country’s history, giving Democrats and President Joe Biden a huge win heading…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Our summer special: a despot, a magic trick and a star
In a bumper episode, we highlight a summer’s-worth of deeply reported stories from 1843, our sister magazine: we profile Muhammad bin Salman, the de facto…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Real rate of return: Ukraine’s Kherson bid
As Russia’s campaign in the eastern Donbas region loses steam, our correspondent finds Ukraine’s efforts to recapture Kherson are gaining momentum. But at what…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Nancy meeting you here: a tetchy Taiwan trip
The visit of America’s speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has Chinese tempers flaring. We ask what the trip suggests about American policy…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Not-so-safe house: America kills al-Qaeda leader
For decades Ayman al-Zawahiri was the chief ideologue of the terrorist group. We ask what his death in Afghanistan means for the broader jihadist movement. A…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Blistering pace: monkeypox spreads
As the first fatal cases outside Africa are reported, we investigate the response to the disease, and the parallels with the early days of HIV. Nuclear waste…
- The Intelligence from The Economist
Deus ex Manchina: American climate legislation’s revival
Joe Biden’s climate legislation stalled, in large part because Joe Manchin, West Virginia’s senior senator and a Democrat, had reservations. But Mr Manchin…
The Intelligence from The EconomistGetting more interesting: the Fed raises rates
America’s central bank has raised interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point—its fourth rise this year. It is walking a fine line between cooling…
The Intelligence from The EconomistKicking the canister down the road: EU energy policy
Russia cut the gas flowing through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline by half in what many see as retaliation for Europe’s support of Ukraine. EU energy ministers fear…
The Intelligence from The EconomistTwo to make a quarrel: the battle to be Britain’s PM
The campaigning is a bit nasty, by British standards, as Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak vie to become Conservative Party leader and thus prime minister. What will…
The Intelligence from The EconomistWith the grain, assault: Ukraine’s iffy deal
Missile strikes on the port of Odessa have dimmed hopes for a UN-brokered deal to get Ukraine’s grain on the move. We ask what chances it may still have…
The Intelligence from The EconomistDuty unbound: the January 6th hearings
Last night, the committee investigating the events of January 6th 2021 said that Donald Trump’s failure to stop his supporters’ attack was a “dereliction of…
The Intelligence from The EconomistKnock-down, Draghi-out fight: Italy in turmoil
For the second time in a week, Prime Minister Mario Draghi has tendered his resignation as his motley coalition government splintered further. The upheaval…
The Intelligence from The EconomistVariable-fate mortgage: China’s protests
Property developers are going belly-up, home-buyers are not paying mortgages, protests after a banking scandal have been quashed. We ask about the instability…
The Intelligence from The EconomistTo a greater degree: widespread heatwaves
Vast stretches of the temperate world are baking or burning, and as climate change marches on widespread heatwaves will only grow more intense and more common…
The Intelligence from The EconomistSteal girders: Brazil’s fraught coming election
President Jair Bolsonaro, an unabashed fan of Donald Trump, is telegraphing that he may not accept a loss in the October election—there is too much at stake…
The Intelligence from The EconomistJeddah mind trick: Joe Biden in Saudi Arabia
Joe Biden lands in Saudi Arabia this morning, having spent two unremarkable days in Israel and the West Bank. As president, he has been unusually disengaged…
The Intelligence from The EconomistA bird out of hand: Elon Musk and Twitter
Elon Musk wants out of his deal to buy Twitter for $44bn. Twitter wants the Delaware chancery court to hold him to the deal. But the company faces an uncertain…
The Intelligence from The EconomistBravery behind bars: Alexei Navalny imprisoned
Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition figure, has been transferred to a brutal prison. Other Kremlin opponents have been imprisoned or exiled, as…
The Intelligence from The EconomistField work: The race to succeed Boris Johnson
The race to succeed Boris Johnson begins today. Numerous Conservative MPs have thrown their proverbial hats into the ring; they are fighting on ground largely…
The Intelligence from The EconomistGota goes: Sri Lanka’s president resigns
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s president, announced he will step down on Wednesday after protestors occupied Colombo, the country’s capital, over the weekend…
The Intelligence from The EconomistTragedy in Japan: the killing of Abe Shinzo
Japan’s prime minister from 2006-07 and 2012-20 died after being shot at a campaign event. Our Tokyo bureau chief analyses the implications for the country and…
The Intelligence from The EconomistSend out the clown: Boris agrees to go
Boris Johnson is standing down as Britain’s prime minister. We consider his legacy and impact on British politics. Public attitudes on LGBT rights in…
The Intelligence from The EconomistRishi, you were here: Boris Johnson’s woes
Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, Britain’s finance and health ministers respectively, resigned yesterday; other officials soon followed suit. Once again, questions…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPressure gauged: the road to recessions
Hints are turning to hard data: economic slowdowns are coming. We ask about the threat of recessions in different regions and about the effects they may have…
The Intelligence from The EconomistSouthern strategy: the coming bid to retake Kherson
The city remains Ukraine’s only provincial capital to be taken by Russian forces—can Ukraine overcome its shortages of manpower and firepower to retake the…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPower strip: SCOTUS’s environmental ruling
America’s Supreme Court has essentially shorn the Environmental Protection Agency of its agency in making national policy. We ask what that means for the…
The Intelligence from The EconomistSon rise: the Philippines’ next President Marcos
It is a remarkable turnaround for a notorious family: the late dictator’s son just took the reins. But how will he govern? Scotland’s separatist party is again…
The Intelligence from The EconomistUprising tide: the coming inflation-driven unrest
In a global period of belt-tightening, popular anger will spill over. Our correspondent visits places where powderkegs seem closest to being lit; our…
The Intelligence from The EconomistA force awakens: NATO’s new game plan
War in Ukraine has stiffened the alliance’s spine; leaders meeting this week will refashion troop-deployment plans reflecting a vastly changed security…
The Intelligence from The EconomistComings to term: America’s abortion-rights rollback
The Supreme Court ruling has convulsed the country; passing the question of abortion rights to the states will divide America yet further. We ask what it means…
The Intelligence from The EconomistShooting from the hip: The Supreme Court expands gun rights
Yesterday, America’s Supreme Court issued its most important Second Amendment ruling in more than a decade, striking down a New York law that tightly regulated…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPride and prejudice: China’s LGBT crackdown
In much of the world, things are improving for sexual minorities. The opposite is true in China, where authorities are cracking down on the LGBT community…
The Intelligence from The EconomistEastern encroaches: Ukraine’s losses in Donbas
Russia is making steady, piecemeal gains in the region; Ukrainian forces are simply outgunned. That disparity defines the war’s progression—for now. More than…
The Intelligence from The EconomistEstranged bedfellows: Israel’s government collapses
A motley collection of parliamentarians, now without its whisper-thin majority, has crumbled. That will force the country back to the ballot box—and back to…
The Intelligence from The EconomistStuck in the middle with few: Macron’s parliamentary pasting
resident Emmanuel Macron has lost his majority in France’s National Assembly as voters flooded both to the far right and far left. A second term filled with…
The Intelligence from The EconomistMenace to democracy: The January 6th hearings
In its third public hearing yesterday, the committee investigating the January 6th Capitol insurrection detailed the pressure put on Mike Pence to overturn the…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPowell to the people: The Fed raises rates
America’s central bank raised rates by .75% yesterday—the biggest increase in almost 30 years. Whether that will help tame rising prices without triggering a…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPlanes have changed: Britain’s controversial asylum policy
The European Court of Human rights foiled Britain’s plans to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda yesterday by holding that British courts must first find the policy…
The Intelligence from The EconomistNo magic bullet: a Congressional agreement on guns
Mass shootings in Buffalo, Tulsa and Uvalde appear to have broken a longstanding impasse over federal gun laws. A bipartisan group of senators has laid out a…
The Intelligence from The EconomistNyet effects: Russia’s resilient economy
Western sanctions are intended to starve Russia’s economy and hinder its ability to wage war in Ukraine. And while the long-term outlook remains grim, so far…
The Intelligence from The EconomistRevolting: The January 6th committee’s public hearings
The committee investigating the Capitol attacks of January 6th 2021 held the first of several public hearings last night, having gathered evidence for the past…
The Intelligence from The EconomistSecond time’s the charm? Somalia’s new president
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is Somalia’s first-ever reelected president. In an interview with our correspondent, he lays out his second-term ambitions for beating…
The Intelligence from The EconomistThe wrath of Khan: Pakistan’s turbulent spring
Pakistan’s government faces an unpleasant choice between doing what’s popular and what is economically necessary, as Imran Khan, the former prime minister…
The Intelligence from The EconomistAfter the party, the hangover: Boris survives, barely
Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, narrowly survived a no-confidence vote last night. As he limps on, the informal contest to succeed him will intensify…
The Intelligence from The EconomistA farewell to arms control? Ukraine and nuclear weapons
For almost 80 years, the world has refrained from using or, for the most part, even seriously pondering the use of nuclear weapons. Russia’s invasion of…
The Intelligence from The EconomistHide, park: Russian money in London
Britain’s capital is packed with foreign capital, in particular the Russian kind. We ask what it is about London that attracts—and protects—the oligarchs. We…
The Intelligence from The EconomistPress clipping: Ethiopia’s media crackdown
The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has expelled our correspondent. Abiy’s proxies at home and abroad are helping a propaganda push that is silencing…
The Intelligence from The EconomistThe diet is cast: a coming food catastrophe
War and blockades in Ukraine are the largest but far from the only problems squeezing the global food system—and with prices already way up, a catastrophe of…
The Intelligence from The EconomistBear traps: Russia’s push in eastern Ukraine
Russian forces are having some successes in eastern Ukraine; our defence editor discusses the situation on the ground and what may tip the balance in the…
The Intelligence from The EconomistBase motives? China in the Pacific
The country has just one foreign military base, but there are fears it wants to dot the Pacific region with more—and that is, so far, proving tricky. With ties…
The Intelligence from The EconomistTake the first left? Colombia’s election
POLLS SUGGEST // Polls suggest the country might get its first-ever leftist leader. Whatever the outcome, a fresh outbreak of violent protest may await…
The Intelligence from The EconomistLet’s get the parties charted: the Partygate report
A long-awaited inquiry into lockdown gatherings on Boris Johnson’s watch reveals lurid details of brash bashes. Yet the prime minister will be able, once…
The Intelligence from The EconomistActive shooters, inactive politics: America’s latest school massacre
After 19 children and two adults were gunned down in Texas, we ask why gun laws are actually loosening in many states and why even moderate gun controls do not…
The Intelligence from The EconomistThe city that never slips: Beijing and covid
China’s Communist Party leaders have painted themselves into a corner: they cannot be seen to put the capital into lockdown, but permitting covid to spread…
The Intelligence from The EconomistLabor’s day: Australia’s election
Anthony Albanese, the first Labor prime minister in a decade, has pledged to do far more on climate change. His party’s slim win shows how Australian politics…