podcast

The Intelligence from The Economist

by The Economist

Over troubled waters: Trump’s bridge-and-plant plot

07.04.2026 • 00:20:53

President Donald Trump’s rhetoric has grown yet more bellicose—and sweary. His stated ploy to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants would be ruinous...

Hungary for change? A challenger to Orban

06.04.2026 • 00:25:47

Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister, is an idol to the global nationalist conservative right. Losing the next election would have far-reaching cons...

Xi says: who will succeed him?

03.04.2026 • 00:24:16

A giant leadership reshuffle is underway in China, but one job will stay the same: Xi Jinping is almost certain to secure another five-year term at ne...

Over the moon: Artemis II launches

02.04.2026 • 00:22:56

NASA has successfully launched its first crewed space mission in over a decade. Our correspondent explains why America wants to build a moonbase. AI m...

Drone wolf: Ukraine’s missile mastermind

01.04.2026 • 00:22:03

Ukraine’s resistance to Russia relies on the clever use of drones. Much of that strategy is down to a single person, a former grain trader with a grea...

Refine and dandy: Iran’s war bounty

31.03.2026 • 00:22:11

An Economist investigation reveals that Iran is profiting from the war as it evades sanctions and oil prices surge. India’s government has promised to...

The bog of war: week five begins

30.03.2026 • 00:24:41

The Iran conflict is escalating with little prospect of an end in sight. Our correspondent explains why a US ground invasion is likely. In an ongoing ...

Hasta la victoria, quizás: Cuba’s broken economy

27.03.2026 • 00:23:56

Even before America crimped Cuba’s oil, the country was teetering. We ask what is to blame for the Cuban people’s plight, and whether anything better ...

Algorithm and blues: a watershed social-media verdict

26.03.2026 • 00:22:04

A jury in California agreed with a plaintiff who argued that Meta and Google, two social-media giants, designed their platforms to be addictive. That ...

On goal difference: are America and Israel diverging on Iran?

25.03.2026 • 00:23:49

In the daily tea leaves one might read that President Donald Trump would prefer a deal with Iran to a continuing military campaign. Where would that l...