J.D. Vance was largely unknown in American politics until Donald Trump picked him as his running-mate for vice-president. Last night he gave his first speech to the Republican National Convention. Why is trade so sluggish within Latin America (11:34)? And forget management books: literature offers the best lessons in leadership (20:14). 

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If you don’t have enough food in the first 1,000 days of your life, your brain may never reach its full potential. Our correspondent discusses what better nutrition would mean for the world. Undersea cables are the arteries of our telecommunications system, but that also makes them vulnerable (9:13). And a new powder may help make periods less of a bloody nuisance (17:42).

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After decades of torpor, is Japan recovering its dynamism? Our correspondent turns to an ancient bento box merchant to test Japan’s economic future. A new study shows how few therapies tested on animals end up being applied to humans (10:02). And if you don’t know a pickle fork from a fish fork, it could be time to take an etiquette class (16:28).

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After the shocking attempt to kill former President Donald Trump, how will America respond? Though leaders have called for calm, the risk is that an already hate-filled campaign could take a darker turn (11:06). Our correspondents consider the consequences for the two candidates, the presidential race and America at large

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Artificial intelligence is already making a difference in the theatre of war, and more involvement will certainly come. That raises a host of thorny ethical issues. In some cases, scientists just clocked, extinct beasts’ DNA can be extraordinarily well preserved—revealing once-inaccessible biological secrets (10:43). And remembering Pål Enger, who never quite knew why he felt compelled to steal “The Scream” (19:25).

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Democrats’ worried murmurs have become public statements. Polls give Donald Trump a widening lead. Why won’t President Biden make way for a younger successor? Off Colombia’s coast a shipwreck bursting with treasures is about to be plundered, but who owns that loot is hotly contested (10:12). And why Finnish schools are trying to lure in more foreign students (17:43).

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Masoud Pezeshkian rode to victory on a promise of reforms that Iran’s people seem desperately to want. Will the former heart surgeon be permitted to carry them out? Ukraine has been getting a wartime pass on servicing its debts, but its creditors will soon come knocking (10:05). And why thousands of plutocrats are moving to Dubai (17:00).

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It was formed to unite the world’s strongest countries and preserve peace, but as NATO holds a celebration summit for its 75th anniversary, it faces tricky challenges. Climate change is jeopardising Scottish salmon, one of Britain’s biggest food exports (10:15). And why North Korea is sending hot air balloons over to the South, filled with rubbish and faeces (16:50).

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A tactical ploy to diminish the chances for Marine Le Pen’s hard-right National Rally has worked—a surprise result that puts the left in front, but no party in charge. Despite sporting passions in Africa, continental leagues have fizzled; a passion for basketball may soon change that (9:25). And remembering Ángeles Flórez Peón, the last militiawoman who defended Spain’s Second Republic (17:26). 

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Why are two old, unpopular men the main candidates for the world’s most demanding job?  It’s the question John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, gets asked the most. And the answer lies in the peculiar politics of the baby boomers. 

The generation born in the 1940s grew up in a land of endless growth and possibility, ruled by a confident, moderate elite. But just as they were embarking on adult life, all that started to come apart. The economy faltered, and the post-war consensus came under pressure from two sides: from the radical right, who hated government moves on civil rights  – and from the ‘New Left’, as boomers rebelled against their parents' generation and its war in Vietnam.

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