Checks and Balance from The Economist

Taiwanese firm TSMC plans to build a new fab, or computer chip factory, in Arizona. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the $12bn investment a boost for American “economic independence” amid China’s creeping dominance in tech. A geopolitical tug-of-war is being fought over nanoscopic wafers of silicon. What do microchips tell us about what’s happening to globalisation? And, as the coronavirus stokes anti-China sentiment, will trade barriers remain no matter who wins November’s election?

John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, hosts with Charlotte Howard, New York bureau chief, and Washington correspondent Jon Fasman. Asia technology correspondent Hal Hodson and Soumaya Keynes, trade editor, also join.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: www.economist.com/pod2020.

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A row over the president’s tax returns has arrived in the Supreme Court. Donald Trump is challenging subpoenas that seek to disclose his finances. The court’s power over the presidency is being tested while the justices face the frustrations of remote working. How might the Supreme Court affect the election?

John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, hosts with Charlotte Howard, New York bureau chief, and Washington correspondent Jon Fasman. Steven Mazie, the Economist’s Supreme Court correspondent, and legal historian Mary Ziegler also join.

Read The Economist’s full coverage of the coronavirus.

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Amid the lockdown some American students have filed lawsuits to get refunds on their tuition fees. Shifting classes online has rekindled concerns about the high cost of college education. Last year an FBI investigation exposed wealthy parents paying to cheat elite university admissions. The perception that university is no longer a driver of social mobility - but the opposite - fuels the political divide. How true is that?

In this episode US policy correspondent Idrees Kahloon reports on a scheme that helps poor students complete college, we unpick the complicated history of American meritocracy, and hear from the frontline of the admissions process.

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

Read The Economist’s full coverage of the coronavirus.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: www.economist.com/pod2020. 

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The pandemic has been grim for admirers of America's preeminence. The country that rallied allies to defend democracy and lead the world in scientific endeavour has been hit hardest by the coronavirus. China has sent medical supplies to American states, while the president brainstorms unlikely cures on live TV. Is America ceding global leadership? Maybe. One certainty is that fretting over the demise of the Republic is a longstanding American tradition. 

In this episode we trace the origins of declinism in modern American politics and hear from someone who spent years preparing for societal breakdown, only for those plans themselves to unravel.

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

Read The Economist’s full coverage of the coronavirus.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: www.economist.com/pod2020. 

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"We can corral the coronavirus," Gov. Greg Abbott said, announcing his plan to reopen the Texas economy. Floridians have returned to the beaches and other Southern states are starting to relax restrictions on restaurants, gyms and hair salons. But public support for maintaining the lockdown remains strong. Can America reopen while keeping covid-19 at bay?

In this episode we hear how Wisconsinites view the lockdown and a Bronx medic tells us what it’s like on the frontline. We also find out where ending social distancing might be most risky.

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

Read The Economist’s full coverage of the coronavirus.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: www.economist.com/pod2020.

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President Trump scored a big diplomatic win by pushing the main oil producing countries to agree to cut output. A price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, combined with the slump in demand caused by the coronavirus, had halved oil prices. Trump said the deal would save thousands of American energy jobs. But pushing for higher oil prices in an election year is a ploy more common in Caracas or Moscow than Washington DC. Has Donald Trump made America an energy superpower? How reliable is his bet on oil as an electoral strategy?

In this episode we assess Trump’s deal, trace the origins of America’s obsession with energy independence, and debate whether fossil fuels or climate consciousness will win more votes. 

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

Read The Economist’s full coverage of the coronavirus.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: www.economist.com/pod2020.

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How do you hold a vote in the middle of a pandemic? Statewide elections in Wisconsin this week showed how hard it is to manage the logistics of democracy during a lockdown. A partisan fight over changes to the way votes are cast went all the way to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile the most expensive campaigns in history have had to rip up their plans and start again online. 

In this episode we talk to election officials in Wisconsin, hear how electoral campaigns unfolded during the 1918 flu, and figure out what the current pandemic means for this year’s presidential race.

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

Read The Economist’s full coverage of the coronavirus.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: www.economist.com/pod2020.

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President Trump changed tone and course this week, extending federal guidelines on social distancing to the end of April. New York is now the epicentre of the global pandemic. Yet large parts of the US remain relatively unaffected by covid-19. Public opinion supports tough measures to contain the virus for now. But how sustainable are strict curbs on personal freedom in a country founded on individual liberty?

The Economist’s healthcare correspondent Slavea Chankova explains the epidemiological models behind the lockdown, we tell the story of history’s most notorious asymptomatic carrier, and Senator Cory Booker reflects on political division in national crises.

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

Read The Economist’s full coverage of the coronavirus.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: www.economist.com/pod2020.

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President Trump worries a sustained lockdown may do more damage than the covid-19 pandemic itself. More Americans have been laid off in the past week than ever before. He wants the country back open for business by Easter. Meanwhile Congress has approved nearly two trillion dollars to avert a prolonged slump. But is it enough?

Chicago restaurant workers tell us what happens when an entire sector shuts down. Idrees Kahloon, US policy correspondent, assesses the rescue package. Economics columnist Ryan Avent looks back into history to find out what is missing from the current bailout plan. 

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

Read The Economist’s full coverage of the coronavirus.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: www.economist.com/pod2020.

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Californians have been ordered to stay home. The border with Canada is closed to non-essential traffic. Donald Trump says he now considers himself a “wartime president”. But, for now, the enemy remains invisible. Only 4% of Americans report knowing someone who has tested positive for covid-19. Is the US healthcare system prepared for the coming offensive?

John Prideaux, our US editor, talks to Alok Jha, The Economist’s science correspondent, former CDC head Dr Tom Frieden, and Charlotte Howard, New York bureau chief. Washington correspondent Jon Fasman asks what lessons the rest of the US can learn from New Rochelle, NY, one of the first communities to experience an outbreak.

Read The Economist’s full coverage of the coronavirus.

For access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe: www.economist.com/pod202

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