On January 20 Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. But as the storming of the Capitol on January 6 by supporters of Donald Trump showed, those 50 states are far from united.

Biden inherits a battered country that needs putting back together. Its political tribes need to find common cause. Its people need vaccines. Its economy needs triage. Sure, Biden beat Donald Trump by more than six million votes. But more people voted for Trump in November than they did four years ago. No Republican candidate in history has received as many votes as Trump did. Even Biden’s own party is not united – progressives are lining up against centrists.

Is the 78-year-old Biden up to the job? Can he make Trump’s furious and alienated supporters feel that he is their president too? Can he match Trump’s success in boosting the economy at the same time as reversing Trump’s deregulation? Can he help end racial injustice? And while he faces all of these challenges, how will he cope with the threat of a Trump re-election bid in 2024?

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For more than six decades, Fidel Castro's words have echoed through the politics of Latin America. His towering political influence still looms over the region today.

The swing to the Left in Latin America, known as the 'Pink Tide', was the most important political movement in the Western Hemisphere in the 21st century. Yet today, this wave of populism has left the Americas in the hands of some of the most authoritarian and dangerous leaders since the military dictatorships of the 1970s. In this week's episode BBC correspondent Will Grant speaks to Mark Mardell about his new book Populista and how strongmen have shaped the region. To buy the book click here: https://amzn.to/3qqT5ke

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For today's episode we have something a little different for you. We wanted to introduce you to a new podcast we think you’ll love called Power: The Maxwells.

Everyone’s heard of Ghislaine Maxwell (Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged partner in crime). But there’s a shadowy figure who hangs above her who you likely don’t know: her father, media tycoon Robert Maxwell. His rise from nothing to fall… from the deck of his super yacht under mysterious circumstances is straight out of a crime novel. His favorite daughter Ghislaine’s theory: her father was murdered. From Somethin’ Else, makers of ‘The Immaculate Deception’ and ‘Faultline: Bush, Blair & Iraq’, hosted by Investigative journalist Tara Palmeri, ‘Power: The Maxwells’ is a seven part series on the incredible true story of a media mogul whose legacy is still being felt today.

Power: The Maxwells is available on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Studying the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors and scientists, David Epstein demonstrates why in most fields – especially those that are complex and unpredictable – generalists, not specialists are primed to excel. No matter what you do, where you are in life, whether you are a teacher, student, scientist, business analyst, parent, job hunter, retiree, you will see the world differently. You'll understand better how we solve problems, how we learn and how we succeed. You'll see why failing a test is the best way to learn and why frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers. The podcast was hosted by Linda Yueh.

To subscribe to Intelligence Squared Business click here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/intelligence-squared-business/id1542365818

To find out more about David's book click here: https://amzn.to/38k0NF4

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2021 is already set to be a monumental year. On January 1 Britain finally Brexited with a deal. On January 20 Joe Biden will become President of the United States. And as we move towards the summer months more and more of us will be vaccinated against COVID-19.

What will these seismic events mean for the future of Britain and America? As the pandemic eases, will we see fairer more unified nations? Or will our economic and cultural divides open up and become even more pronounced?

To discuss and debate these questions, Will Davies and Matthew Goodwin, two of Britain’s most popular political thinkers – one left-leaning, the other right-of-centre – joined us in January 2021. The event was hosted by journalist and author Jenny Kleeman. 

To find out more about the speakers books see below: 

Will Davies, This is Not Normal: https://bit.ly/2XkWUuL

Matthew Goodwin, National Populism: https://bit.ly/3pXLskQ

Jenny Kleeman, Sex Robots and Vegan Meat: https://bit.ly/3q1C5AA

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This episode was recorded in September 2020.

'The undercover economist' and Numbers and economics guru Tim Harford takes a deep dive into the world of statistics. Drawing on the ideas in his new book, How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers, Harford takes us on a journey through art forgery, fake news, big data and dangerous political narratives, relaying the stories behind our understanding of what numbers mean, and showing why using them properly can give us unparalleled insight into every area of life.

Harford was joined by David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor for the Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge, who has been described by Harford on his Radio 4 show More or Less as a ‘statistical national treasure’. 

Chairing the event was the mathematician Hannah Fry, whose acclaimed television and radio documentaries have brought the world of maths, data and algorithms to a wide public audience.

To buy the book click here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/how-to-make-the-world-add-up/tim-harford/9781408712245

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In 2018 journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi regime operatives, shocking the world and drawing widespread condemnation. Mohammad bin Salman, the kingdom’s young crown prince, denied any involvement in the killing but his reputation as a moderniser was tarnished. Bin Salman had tried to build an international reputation as a reformer by allowing women to drive and permitting concerts in Saudi Arabia for the first time, but the brutal killing reminded the world that the kingdom was still one of the most repressive societies on earth.

In December 2020, Madawi Al-Rasheed, a Saudi dissident and author of the new book The Son King, came to Intelligence Squared to describe what she sees as essentially a con-trick: a purported programme of reforms that mask a new regime of oppression. In conversation with the BBC’s Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen, she discussed the Saudi regime’s new online strategy of disinformation intended to promote a progressive image to the outside world, while cracking down on diverse critical voices—religious scholars, feminists and dissident youth at home. Al-Rasheed will also challenge what she calls an Orientalist view of despotism in the West, that sees dictatorship as the only pathway to stable governance in the kingdom. 

To find out more and order the book click here: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/the-son-king/

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In November 2020 author and podcaster Otegha Uwagba came to Intelligence Squared to discuss her new book, Whites: On Race and Other Falsehoods. Containing reflections on racism, whiteness, and the mental labour required of Black people to navigate relationships with white people, Whites is a record of Uwagba’s observations on this era-defining moment in history.

In the wake of George Floyd’s brutal murder, the subsequent protests and scrutiny of institutional racism, it has been impossible to ignore how race is embedded in every aspect of our lives. ‘A reluctant expert’, as she describes herself, Uwagba explored the impacts of whiteness; not only discussing its effect on Black people’s lives, but also how it can shield white people from truly facing their own privilege and prevent them from being effective allies in the fight against racism. The episode was hosted by CEO of gal-dem Mariel Richards. 

To find out more and order the book click here: https://bit.ly/359AKjt

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No speaker in the history of Intelligence Squared has generated as many YouTube views as Daniel Goleman. His 2013 talk for us has been viewed 3.2 million times. Goleman returned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his number one, multi-million copy international bestseller, Emotional Intelligence. The book, revolutionary at the time, taught us that qualities such as self-awareness, impulse control, persistence, motivation, empathy and social deftness are more important than raw IQ. These so-called softer skills are the ones which determine whether or not people excel at work, have flourishing relationships and are able to navigate difficult conversations.

In this podcast, Goleman shared new insights into the brain architecture underlying emotion and rationality, and showed precisely how emotional intelligence can be nurtured and strengthened in all of us. The episode was chaired by host of the Stories of Our Times podcast Manveen ana 

To buy the book click here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/emotional-intelligence-9780747528302/

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The pandemic of 2020 has turned our lives upside down. Home working and homeschooling have become the norm for millions of us. And while you might think that the absence of long commutes, live entertainment and late-night socialising means we are more rested, many of us are more frazzled than ever, finding it difficult to separate work from downtime and unable to take proper time out for ourselves. And when we do, we often feel guilty that we aren’t doing something more productive.

In this live podcast taken from Intelligence Squared Plus, Claudia Hammond explained that rest is not just a matter of doing nothing – it is a vital part of self-care. Her book, The Art of Rest, draws on ground-breaking research she uncovered through ‘The Rest Test’, the largest global survey into rest ever undertaken, which was completed by 18,000 people across 135 different countries. Much has been written on the value of sleep in recent years, but rest is different; it is how we unwind, calm our minds and recharge our bodies. And, as the survey revealed, how much rest you get is directly linked to your sense of well-being. The episode was hosted by Oceanographer and physicist Helen Czerski. 

To buy the book, click here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-art-of-rest/claudia-hammond/9781786892829

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