Checks and Balance from The Economist

We take a break from the news this week to convene the first ever Checks and Balance Book Club. All summer we’ve been reading three works, picked by the team, from the canon of American literature. In this episode, we’ll present our analysis, hear what listeners thought, and work out what it means to be a Great American Novel. Plus, a very special quiz. 

If you want to read along, the books we discuss are “The Age of Innocence” by Edith Wharton, “The Sound and the Fury” by William Faulkner and “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison. For more reading recommendations, The Economist has published a longer list of Great American Novels, collated from suggestions from our correspondents.

John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard, Idrees Kahloon and Jon Fasman.

You can now find every episode of Checks and Balance in one place and sign up to our weekly newsletter. 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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Washington has been busy debating what to do about China. Arguments abound about whether to try to engage with the Communist Party, or to focus on deterrence. Congress continues to debate industrial policy, arming Taiwan and whether to ban TikTok. And as the House’s select committee releases policy suggestions, the Biden administration is forming its own through executive orders. How bipartisan will the next stage of US-China policy be? And what will it look like?

Representative Mike Gallagher, chair of the House’s China Select Committee, along with Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the Democratic ranking member, discuss the committee’s aims and possible achievements. And we go back to another time Congress set America’s China policy.

John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon.

You can now find every episode of Checks and Balance in one place and sign up to our weekly newsletter. 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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Joe Biden has been on the road this week, touting his administration’s investment in American manufacturing. His government has embraced a “place-based” industrial policy, explicitly directing tens of billions of dollars to boost struggling regions. The bet is that the money will leave thriving economies and grateful Democratic voters in its wake. Will “place-based” policies help the bits of American that have been left-behind?

We join Congressman Ro Khanna on a tour of former manufacturing towns, and he tells us why he thinks “place-based” policies work.  And Mark Muro of Brookings charts the history of “place-based” interventions.

John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Jon Fasman.

You can now find every episode of Checks and Balance in one place and sign up to our weekly newsletter. 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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Donald Trump has been charged with the most serious political crime it is possible to commit in a democracy. A special counsel alleges that he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results, knowing that his claims of fraud were false. What do the latest charges mean for Donald Trump, and American democracy?

Legal expert Sarah Isgur tells us she thinks this will be a difficult case to prove. The Economist’s Steve Mazie profiles the man tasked with prosecuting Trump. And The Economist’s James Bennet considers what this will mean for the 2024 election.

Charlotte Howard hosts with Idrees Kahloon and Jon Fasman.

You can now find every episode of Checks and Balance in one place and sign up to our weekly newsletter. 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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It’s hot. Over the past month millions of Americans have been sweltering in fierce temperatures. Around a third of the population lives in places where the government has recently issued warnings about extreme heat. How can American cities prepare for an even hotter future?

The Economist’s Oliver Morton tells us what causes heat waves. Jeff Goodell, author of “The Heat Will Kill You First”, charts how the invention of air conditioning changed the locus of political power in America. And David Hondula, Phoenix’s Chief Heat Officer, describes how his city is preparing for a future of scorching summers.

John Prideaux hosts with Idrees Kahloon and Aryn Braun.

You can now find every episode of Checks and Balance in one place and sign up to our weekly newsletter. 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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Donald Trump’s first term in office was characterised by chaos. MAGA Republicans are already working to ensure the sequel, should there be one, is a more orderly affair. How exactly would a second Trump term be different from the first?

The Heritage Foundation’s Paul Dans gives us a glimpse of the new right’s administration-in-waiting. We find out how an act of violence created the modern civil service. And former FERC Commissioner Bernard L. McNamee envisions a conservative energy policy. 

John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon.

You can now find every episode of Checks and Balance in one place and sign up to our weekly newsletter. 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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By some measures, in the aftermath of the pandemic, income inequality in America is either increasing or remaining stubbornly high. On the left, the gap between rich and poor has long been an urgent issue—and more people on the right now agree. As both sides of the aisle look for solutions, they are reaching some surprisingly similar conclusions. What are the proposed answers to economic inequality in America? How likely are they to be taken up?

Economist Thomas Piketty talks us through the state of economic inequality in America and some of the left’s proposals to reduce it. And Oren Cass of American Compass, a think tank, explains a new wave of conservative solutions to inequality.

John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon.

You can now find every episode of Checks and Balance in one place and sign up to our weekly newsletter. 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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America’s Supreme Court has ended the use of race-based affirmative action in college admissions. It is 45 years since the court gave its blessing to such practices but, given that it now has a six-justice conservative majority sceptical of using racial criteria, the decision was no surprise. Why did the court do this, and was it right to?

The University of Chicago’s Geoffrey Stone explains why he thinks it was wrong. We go back to the first time the court ruled on affirmative action in admissions. And The Economist’s Steve Mazie analyses the justices’ opinions and dissents. 

John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon.

You can now find every episode of Checks and Balance in one place and sign up to our weekly newsletter. 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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Joe Biden took to the stage in Chicago this week to trumpet his economic plan.  He heralded America’s post-pandemic growth and the buoyancy of the job market.  “Folks, that’s no accident,” he told the crowd: “That’s Bidenomics in action.” But what actually is “Bidenomics”?

Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors Jared Bernstein sets out the administration’s economic agenda.  The Economist’s Lane Greene traces the origins of “name-enomics”.  And The Economist’s Simon Rabinovitch assesses if “Bidenomics” is working or not.

John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon.

You can now find every episode of Checks and Balance in one place and sign up to our weekly newsletter. 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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A year ago the Supreme Court upended abortion access in America. The court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade allowed states to ban abortion, leaving a patchwork of policies across the country. What difference has the ruling actually made, and what will happen next in the fight over abortion access?

Dr Ushma Upadhyay from the Society of Family Planning shares the latest numbers. Dr Alicia Gutierrez-Romine, author of “From Back Alley to the Border”, remembers Ronald Reagan’s surprising role in widening abortion access. And The Economist’s Stevie Hertz travels to Ohio, where voters are being asked to decide the future of the state’s abortion rights.  

John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon.

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You can now find every episode of Checks and Balance in one place and sign up to our weekly newsletter. For full access to print, digital and audio editions, as well as exclusive live events, subscribe to The Economist at economist.com/uspod.

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