A ransomware attack shut down a vital fuel pipeline on the east coast. President Biden’s plans to upgrade the hi-tech energy infrastructure may make it yet more vulnerable to hackers. Is America properly protected from cyber attack?
Michael Tran of RBC Capital Markets assesses the damage. The Economist’s defence editor Shashank Joshi puts the attack in context. Amy Myers Jaffe, author of “Energy’s Digital Future”, says it's a wake-up call. 
John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Jon Fasman.
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Checks and Balance: Smart attack

Checks and Balance unlocks American politics by taking a big theme each week and digging into the data, the ideas, and the history shaping the country.
Join John Prideaux, Charlotte Howard, Idrees Kahloon and Jon Fasman as they talk to politicians, pollsters, academics and people across the country about the great experiment of American democracy. Published every Friday.
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News & Politics

News

Politics

Narendra Modi may well be the most popular politician on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democracy. 
A tea-seller’s son, Mr Modi began life an outsider and the man behind the political phenomenon remains hard to fathom. India has become an economic powerhouse during his ten years in charge. But he’s also the frontman for a chauvinistic Hindu nationalist dogma. 
Can Mr Modi continue to balance both parts of his agenda and finish the job of turning India into a superpower? The Economist’s Avantika Chilkoti finds out what makes him tick. 
Launching June 2024.
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Trailer: The Modi Raj

In 2022 the Supreme Court gave control of abortion back to “the people and their elected representatives.” This November will be the greatest test yet of what that means. Democrats are running hard on the issue and as many as 16 states will vote directly on abortion. A grassroots movement has sprung up to defend reproductive rights. Will this fight decide the election? And what will the results mean for women’s ability to have an abortion? 
Charlotte Howard hosts with Sacha Nauta and Idrees Kahloon. Mary Ziegler of the University of California, Davis, and The Economist’s Stevie Hertz and Daniella Raz also contribute. 
Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts
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Choose this podcast: abortion and the election

For months, a big foreign-aid deal looked like it was going nowhere in the House of Representatives. Now $95bn of support is heading out the door. How did the bill get through? What does it mean for Ukraine and for American leadership in the world?
Charlotte Howard hosts with James Bennet and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist’s Adam O’Neal and Anton La Guardia. 
Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Checks and Balance: Aid, and a bet

While America’s focus has been on the presidential election, the race for Congress is even more volatile. With razor-thin majorities in the House and the Senate, both chambers might flip in November. What does that mean for governing? And how will the outcomes of these elections shape the next presidency?
John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist’s Aryn Braun and Jessica Taylor from The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter.
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Checks and Balance: Capitol gains

It’s not long since America was widely thought to be on the brink of recession. Instead the economy expanded by 3% in 2023, and continues to defy expectations. But why aren’t voters happier with Joe Biden’s economy? 
John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist’s Simon Rabinovitch and Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University. 
Thank you to the William J. Clinton Library and the UVA Miller Center for some of the audio used in this episode. 
Sign up for a free trial of Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

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Checks and Balance: Smart attack

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