The Intelligence from The Economist

Marine Le Pen, party leader of France’s populist-right National Rally, starts her fourth presidential bid with a commanding lead. The country’s political centre is broad, fragmented—and flagging. A buffer zone against so-called infiltrators in India’s West Bengal state is making life miserable also for Indian citizens. And how Argentina’s supply of horses and cowboys led to world dominance in polo.

Guests and host:

• Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief
• Kira Huju, Asia correspondent
• Hamish Clayton, culture writer
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• French politics, Marine Le Pen
• India, West Bengal, Bangladesh, Hindu nationalism
• Argentina, polo

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An illicit shadow economy, rampant extortion and the capture of the criminal justice system: mafia members and tactics are eating away at the state. Oura seems to have captured the market for smart rings; we ask whether it can keep its lead finger-tight. And our correspondent finds convention upended, for good and bad, at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

Guests and host:

• John McDermott, chief Africa correspondent
• Shera Avi-Yonah, business correspondent
• Alexandra Suich Bass, culture editor
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered: 

• South Africa, organised crime, criminal justice
• wearable tech, Oura rings
• Lucas Museum

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Two more state-election results reveal surging support for both the far-right AfD and the populist-left Die Linke parties. Chancellor Friedrich Merz himself described the outcome as a disaster; what will it mean for him? Our correspondent looks into why there is so much enthusiasm for African stocks. And what the science says about blue-light exposure and sleep. 

Guests and host:

• Tom Nuttall, Berlin bureau chief
• Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, Africa correspondent
• Sam Wikeley, science correspondent
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered: 

• German politics, Friedrich Merz, AfD, Die Linke
• African stockmarkets, Aliko Dangote
• sleep science, blue light

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After a visit to Ukraine last week, our defence editor reports on a new phase of the war as Kyiv and other civilian targets are bombarded by Russian missiles. He also visits an elite Ukrainian drone unit. Why alcohol companies are scrambling to innovate. And remembering the life of feminist pioneer Gloria Steinem. Watch extended clips from Insider 

Guests and host:

• Alex Turner, defence editor
• Avantika Chilkoti, global business writer
• Ann Wroe, obituaries editor
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered: 

• Ukraine, drones, Shahed, Kyiv
• Alcohol, beer, aperol
• Gloria Steinem, feminism

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The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates for the first time since July 2023. For the central bank’s new chair Kevin Warsh, that decision was a test both of monetary policy and politics. A governor’s election in Okinawa is a boon to Japan’s military ambitions. And why summer is a casualty of climate change.

Guests and host:

• Archie Hall, acting economics editor
• Moeka Iida, East Asia reporter
• Andrew Miller, special correspondent
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered: 

• Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, interest rates, inflation
• Okinawa, Japan
• Summer, climate change, heatwave

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Is artificial intelligence becoming uncontrollably powerful? Our correspondent analyses whether a pause to breakneck development is possible or feasible. We have entered the new age of the orator. And why cheese is getting more popular in India. 

Guests and host:

• Alex Hern, AI writer
• Tom Wainwright, culture correspondent
• Tom Sasse, South Asia bureau chief
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered: 

• Human extinction, AI, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei
• Oral culture, literacy, James Marriott, Walter Ong
• Cheese, India, kalimpong

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Though a growing share of the British population is anxious about Islam, they have no reason to be. Islamism, a fringe ideology that believes government and society should be guided by Islamic principles, is the real concern. America cracks down on multinationals’ efforts to shift profits overseas. And why corporate training videos are virtually useless.

Guests and host:

• Sonny Loughran, Britain correspondent
• Shera Avi-Yonah, US business correspondent
• Andrew Palmer, “Boss Class” host and Bartleby columnist
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered: 

• Islamism, Britain, Islamophobia
• IRS, corporate tax, Coca-Cola
• Corporate training videos

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After years of stalemate, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis are taking territory, including on a Red Sea strait. We ask what has changed, and how the shift fits into the wider regional conflict. As America’s midterm elections approach, we examine the fragmentation of the coalition that put Donald Trump back in office. And we ask how much nepotism matters in Hollywood today.

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For 15 years, the British media dismissed Tommy Robinson as a far-right extremist. We kept him off our televisions, and out of our newspapers. 

Today his rallies attract tens of thousands of followers and he has the ear of the world’s richest man.

Shire Folk is the story of how some of the most powerful people in America came to see Britain—and Islam—through the eyes of a fringe football hooligan.

Topics covered:

• Radical Islam
• Gangs
• English Defence League

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OpenAI’s claim to have solved one of the great problems in mathematics has itself created problems. We ask why the breakthrough has shaken the field. On the 25th anniversary of 9/11 we examine the vast counterterrorism machinery that followed in America, and nascent efforts to pare those powers back. And remembering Guo Lanying, a Chinese singer who championed traditional opera.

Watch extended clips from Insider here.

Guests and host:

• Sam Wikeley, science correspondent
• Sam Beal, Washington correspondent
• Ann Wroe, obituaries editor
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered: 

• mathematics, AI, Millennium Prize Problems
• 9/11 anniversary, counterterrorism law
• Guo Lanying, Chinese opera

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

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