Checks and Balance from The Economist

By The EconomistNews Politics

Checks and Balance from The Economist episodes

December 18, 2020 Checks and Balance: The unfinished revolution
After the defeat of the Confederacy and the end of slavery in 1865, the period known as Reconstruction was a chance to create a multiracial democracy and for America to live up to the promise made at its founding. It ended in failure. But in establishing the idea that the federal government should act as a guarantor of individual liberties it planted the seeds of that democracy. America’s second revolution remains unfinished.

Our end-of-year special episode asks what the history of Reconstruction reveals about 2020’s reckoning on race.

We talk to Eric Foner, the leading historian of Reconstruction, Kimberlé Crenshaw of the African American Policy Forum, and Aderson Francois, a Georgetown law professor.

John Prideaux, The Economist's US editor, hosts with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, Washington correspondent.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/2020electionpod

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38 min
December 11, 2020 Checks and Balance: On my mind
As 2020 draws to a close, the partisan feud is focused on Georgia. Joe Biden was the first Democrat in 28 years to win the state on the way to the White House. Run-off elections on January 5th will decide who controls the Senate - and Biden’s agenda. They will also test Donald Trump’s hold on his party as he refuses to admit defeat. Will Georgia tip the balance of American politics?

Pablo Montagnes of Emory University lays out Georgia’s political geography, Congresswoman-elect Nikema Williams and State Senator Jen Jordan account for the Democrats’ success, and Congressman Tom Graves assesses Republican fortunes.

John Prideaux, The Economist's US editor, hosts with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, Washington correspondent.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/2020electionpod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
39 min
December 04, 2020 Checks and Balance: Using my religion
A ruling lifting covid restrictions on places of worship suggests the Supreme Court will favour religious rights even as faithlessness is rising. The court’s realignment may be Donald Trump’s most enduring legacy. How is the balance between religion and politics shifting in America?

David French of The Dispatch explains how secularisation lays a religious rift onto the political one, we find out why the French president is carping at America over secularism, and how Joe Biden will navigate this tricky territory.

John Prideaux, The Economist's US editor, hosts with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, Washington correspondent.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/2020electionpod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
42 min
November 27, 2020 Checks and Balance: Sedate expectations
Policymaker, father figure and stand-in king - the Olympian job description sets an impossible standard for any new president. But expectations of Joe Biden are more modest than for most. Solid picks for the top spots in his administration only confirm his ordinariness. What makes an ideal president and how might Biden match up?

James Astill, The Economist’s Washington bureau chief, assesses how Barack Obama dealt with high expectations, columnist Lane Greene argues Biden’s plain speech is his secret weapon, and writer and producer Michael Oates Palmer tells us what makes a great president on screen.

John Prideaux, The Economist's US editor, hosts with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, Washington correspondent.

1843 Magazine profiles ex-presidents

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/2020electionpod

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45 min
November 20, 2020 Checks and Balance: Not going gentle
Donald Trump’s long-held aversion to admitting defeat leaves America with an unprecedented scenario: an incumbent president thwarting the transition to a new administration. How harmful is Donald Trump’s refusal to concede?

In this episode we find out how a presidential transition is meant to work, how the current upheaval falls short, and how Richard Nixon dealt with a disputed election.

John Prideaux, The Economist's US editor, hosts with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, Washington correspondent.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/2020electionpod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
41 min
November 13, 2020 Checks and Balance: Opening shot
Joe Biden’s first move as president-elect was to unveil a pandemic advisory panel staffed by the public-health experts the incumbent likes to mock. News of an effective covid-19 vaccine came the day America passed 10m recorded cases. What difference will the Biden administration make?

In this episode we hear from Kavita Patel, a doctor who advised Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, and find out how making a miracle vaccine went wrong once before.

John Prideaux, The Economist's US editor, hosts with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, Washington correspondent.

The Economist charts White House pets

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/2020electionpod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
39 min
November 06, 2020 Checks and Balance: When I’m 46
Joe Biden is set to score a rare victory against an incumbent to become America’s 46th president. A Biden White House will set a new tone for the country. Yet the unexpected closeness of the vote - and the president’s refusal to go quietly - means the Trump brand of populism will live on.

In this episode we decode the message the voters sent and what it means for America with The Economist’s data journalist Elliott Morris and Beijing bureau chief David Rennie.

John Prideaux, The Economist's US editor, hosts with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, Washington correspondent.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/2020electionpod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
46 min
October 30, 2020 Checks and Balance: Not so great
President Trump’s effect on domestic policy in his first term has been modest and mostly reversible. The real impact of his blow-it-up style has been felt in the corrosion of an already poisonous political culture. How has his brand of anti-politics changed America?

Trump supporters at one of his last rallies before election day and his former press secretary Sean Spicer tell us why he deserves re-election. Lilliana Mason of the University of Maryland explains how partisanship has become radicalised.

John Prideaux, The Economist's US editor, hosts with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, Washington correspondent.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/2020electionpod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
47 min
October 23, 2020 Checks and Balance: What Don’s done
“Promises made, promises kept” is one of President Trump’s campaign slogans. His main achievements on tax, deregulation, or appointing new judges would be hallmarks of any Republican administration. How has Donald Trump changed the country in ways no other president would have? What will linger even if he loses?

Adam Roberts, The Economist’s Midwest correspondent, looks at the president’s record on immigration. Trade and globalisation editor Soumaya Keynes tells us how effective Trump’s trade policy has been. And healthcare correspondent Slavea Chankova assesses his response to covid-19.

John Prideaux, The Economist's US editor, hosts with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, Washington correspondent.

1843 Magazine: Movie Night at the White House

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/2020electionpod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
43 min
October 16, 2020 Checks and Balance: Joe’s job
No candidate challenging a sitting president has had a poll lead bigger than Joe Biden’s this close to election day. His allure owes a lot to who he is not. The Democrats coalesced around the former Vice President only when the more radical Bernie Sanders threatened to nab the nomination. Who is Joe Biden and what does he want?

The Economist’s US business editor Vijay Vaitheeswaran explains why Wall St is coming round to Biden and we look back at his foreign policy record and role in the Iraq war. Also, Biden’s former deputy chief of staff Scott Mulhauser tells us what makes him tick.

John Prideaux, The Economist's US editor, hosts with New York bureau chief Charlotte Howard, and Jon Fasman, Washington correspondent.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: economist.com/2020electionpod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
43 min

About Checks and Balance from The Economist

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Unlock American politics with The Economist’s John Prideaux, Charlotte Howard and James Bennet. Taking one big theme every week, they dig into the data, the ideas and the history behind it. Politicians, pollsters and political scientists join them to discuss where the great experiment of American democracy is headed. Published every Friday.

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