Checks and Balance from The Economist

Democrats are in a fight to turn President Biden’s signature economic proposals into law. They want to raise the top rates of income tax and increase corporate tax to fund them. It would be the first big hike in federal taxes in nearly three decades. What is the best way to pay for Joe Biden’s vision of America? 

The Economist’s Simon Rabinovitch takes us through the president’s tax plans. We go back to the time when the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age became tax dodgers. And Erica York from the Tax Foundation tells us America’s fiscal system is surprisingly progressive.  

John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Jon Fasman.

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Occasionally, you can see big shifts in foreign policy happen right before your eyes. The unveiling of AUKUS, the trilateral defence pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, was one of those rare occasions. What does AUKUS tell us about America’s changing priorities?  

The Economist’s Daniel Franklin explains how the pact is a response to Chinese aggression. We go back to when a European crowd went wild for an American political star. And Paris bureau chief Sophie Pedder tells us how AUKUS may benefit French president Emmanuel Macron.  

John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Jon Fasman.

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When the Supreme Court declined to block a Texas law prohibiting most abortions after six weeks, it gave the strongest signal yet that its conservative majority is prepared to deny women the right to an abortion. Nearly fifty years after Roe v Wade, might that landmark ruling soon be overturned? 

Legal historian Mary Ziegler assesses Roe’s chances of survival. We look back to when the abortion debate turned deadly. And pro-life activist Kyleen Wright tells us why liberals are wrong to accuse her movement of hypocrisy. 

John Prideaux hosts with Mian Ridge and Jon Fasman.

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America set out to reshape the world order after the attacks of September 11th. Today it is easy to conclude that its foreign policy has been abandoned on a runway at Kabul airport. Is the era of American interventionism over? 

The Economist's James Bennet traces Joe Biden’s shifting views on foreign wars. We look back to the origins of humanitarian interventionism in Bosnia. And, Anne-Marie Slaughter, former aide to Barack Obama and author of “Renewal”, tells us how American power might work in the future.

John Prideaux hosts with Zanny Minton Beddoes and Jon Fasman.

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A loose set of once-radical ideas about identity, social justice and self-expression has leapt from university campuses to permeate politics and the press, spilling onto the streets and beginning to spread into schools. We investigate how this progressive revolution is changing America. Are business leaders using wokeness for profit? And how should liberals respond to the threat from the illiberal left?

We hear from Robin DiAngelo, best-selling author of “Nice Racism”, learn from the panic over political correctness three decades ago and speak to entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, author of “Woke, Inc”.

John Prideaux hosts with Idrees Kahloon and Jon Fasman.

Subscribers to The Economist can join John Prideaux and guests on September 9th for a live event on the future of American power 20 years after 9/11. Register at economist.com/USpower

For full access to print, digital and audio editions as well as exclusive live events, subscribe to The Economist at economist.com/USpod

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San Francisco avoided a heavy toll from covid-19, but may feel the virus’s impact longer than other places. The city’s economy is stuttering as tech workers stay home. Emigration, crime, and poorly-run schools need fixing, just as a series of recall elections are causing political instability. Why is the home of innovation so poorly governed?

Matt Haney of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors gives us a tour of the Tenderloin district. We find out how a famous hippy handbook influenced the internet’s anti-politics. And speak to Josh Spivak, author of Recall Elections: From Alexander Hamilton to Gavin Newsom.

John Prideaux hosts with Alexandra Suich Bass and Jon Fasman.

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As the withdrawal from Afghanistan descends into chaos, we consider failures in intelligence, the international reaction to America’s disorderly exit and whether decades of American involvement leave any positive legacy for the Afghan people. 

The Economist's US editor John Prideaux hosts with Laurel Miller of the International Crisis Group; Dr Weeda Mehran, who grew up under the Taliban; James Astil, The Economist’s Washington bureau chief and former Afghanistan reporter, and Jon Fasman, US digital editor.

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More Americans are moving to western states in search of beautiful landscapes, cheaper housing and lower taxes. Yet wildfires, soaring temperatures and water shortages are making the West less hospitable. It’s an old Western theme: man versus nature. Does nature have the upper hand?

The Economist's US editor John Prideaux hosts with Jon Fasman and Aryn Braun.

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A federal moratorium on evictions during the pandemic has been extended after protests by left-wing members of Congress. As homelessness grows more visible, the pandemic has spawned rare momentum and funds to tackle the problem. Can it be fixed?

Peter Hepburn of Princeton’s Eviction Lab assesses the impact of the moratorium. We go back to the 1980s when homelessness first became a cause célèbre. And Jason Elliott, aide to California’s governor, outlines the state’s ambitious plans to house homeless people. 

Jon Fasman hosts with Idrees Kahloon and Aryn Braun.

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Since Joe Biden declared a “return to normal” on July 4th, the covid-19 Delta variant has knocked America’s pandemic recovery off course. Why are so many Americans still unvaccinated and can they be persuaded?

We report from Arkansas, which is battling a new wave of infections, find out how the trade-off between liberty and public health dents Americans’ life expectancy, and The Economist’s Elliott Morris unveils new data modelling that sheds light on vaccine hesitancy.

John Prideaux hosts with Tamara Gilkes Borr and James Astill.

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