The Transponder: Transatlantic Affairs and Beyond

The American economy is at a moment of tension. Growth is resilient, unemployment is low, and demand continues to hold. Yet beneath the surface, structural pressures are building. Persistent inflation, rising deficits, and geopolitical fragmentation are shaping the economic outlook. Consumer sentiment is weak, even as headline indicators point to expansion.

In episode 9 of The Transponder, host Samuel George speaks with economist Jason Furman about the current state of the U.S. economy and the forces that will define its trajectory in the years ahead.

Drawing on his experience as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Barack Obama, Furman unpacks the post-pandemic recovery, the evolving role of fiscal policy, and the trade-offs facing policymakers as they navigate inflation, debt, and how AI could shape long-term growth and employment.

Critically, he argues that despite strong headline indicators, the U.S. economy is entering a period where the tradeoffs facing policymakers are becoming sharper and harder to avoid.

Just over a year ago, the Trump Administration dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, fundamentally altering the landscape of global humanitarian aid. So, some fourteen months later, what is the state of aid?

In Episode 8 of The Transponder, host Samuel George speaks with humanitarian policy expert Jeremy Konyndyk about the changing landscape of global support for the world's most vulnerable populations.

Drawing on his experience leading humanitarian policy at USAID and other international organizations, Konyndyk explains how the global aid architecture works, and why it is struggling to keep pace with modern crises.

Critically, he argues that a retreat from humanitarian engagement does not merely affect vulnerable populations abroad - it also creates strategic risks for the United States.

In episode 7 of The Transponder, host Samuel George speaks with energy policy expert Marc Ringel of Sciences Po Paris about Europe's ambitious effort to transform its energy system amid geopolitical shocks, climate pressures, and global competition.

For decades, Europe relied heavily on imported fossil fuels, particularly from Russia. Today, the continent is accelerating a transition toward renewables, electrification, and new industrial models while trying to maintain economic competitiveness and energy security.

The conversation explores decoupling from Russian energy, the role of nuclear power, competition with China in electric vehicles and batteries, and what diverging U.S. and European strategies mean for transatlantic cooperation.

In this episode of The Transponder, host Samuel George speaks with Arctic security expert Iris Ferguson about the rapidly changing strategic landscape of the Arctic as climate change, geopolitical competition, and new shipping routes reshape the region.

Drawing on her decade of experience at the U.S. Department of Defense, Ferguson examines rising military risks, the growing presence of Russia and China, and the implications of melting sea ice for global trade and national security. The conversation explores missile defense, Arctic infrastructure, critical minerals, indigenous communities, and the delicate balance between cooperation and competition among Arctic nations.

From Greenland and Alaska to emerging transpolar routes, this epsiode offers a clear-eyed look at why the Arctic has become one of the most consequential frontiers in twenty-first-century geopolitics.

In this episode of The Transponder, host Samuel George speaks with veteran Latin America analyst Eric Farnsworth about the dramatic events unfolding in Venezuela following the January 2026 U.S. operation that removed Nicolas Maduro from power. Drawing on decades of regional expertise, Farnsworth examines the fragile interim government, the prospects for democratic transition, and the geopolitical stakes surrounding oil, sovereignty, and the U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere. The conversation explores whether this moment represents a genuine opening for Venezuelan democracy or a dangerous new precedent in hemispheric politics.

Back home in Washington, D.C., Transponder host Samuel George speaks with filmmaker, artist, and academic Dr. Sabiyha Prince about life in the capital one year into the second Trump administration. Drawing on history, lived experience, and field research, Dr. Prince examines D.C.'s democratic vulnerability, the consequences of federal layoffs and National Guard deployments, and the city's long struggle for representation. The conversation reframes Washington not as a political abstraction, but as a living city confronting power, race, and sovereignty at a critical moment in American democracy.

Episode 3 of The Transponder takes listeners to Berlin for a grounded assessment of the war in Ukraine and its implications for Europe and the United States.

In "Washington & Ukraine" host Samuel George speaks with Tyson Barker, former Deputy Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery under the Biden Administration. Barker explains how Russia's sustained attacks on infrastructure, energy systems, and trade routes are designed to weaken Ukraine economically, and how Western support has adapted as political dynamics in Washington shift.

The conversation examines how Ukraine's growing defense- industrial capacity, the risks posed by potential U.S. retrenchement, Russia's increasingly aggressive behavior around NATO airspace, and Europe's uneven readiness for a future with a lighter U.S. footprint. Barker also situates the war within broader geo-technological competition, from semiconductors to artificial intelligence, highlighting what is at stake for Europe's ability to act strategically on the global stage.

Host Samuel George travels to Warsaw for a conversation with Dr. Malgorzata Bonikowska, one of Poland's foremost experts on European affairs. Together they examine Poland's role as a frontline state in the war in Ukraine, its transformation since the fall of communism and the historical forces that shape its deep skepticism toward Russia.

They also explore Poland's position within NATO and the EU, the pressures on democratic resilience, and the challenges posed by shifting U.S. leadership and China's growing influence. The episode offers grounded look at the center of Europe's security and political future.

The Transponder podcast explores how global forces shape international relations, democratic institutions, economics and daily life. Hosted by Bertelsmann Foundation's Director of Documentaries, Dr. Samuel George, the show blends field reporting with clear, grounded analysis to help listeners make sense of a noisy world. The Transponder launches with a deep dive into the geopolitics of outer space, where competition between nations and private companies is rapidly reshaping life on Earth. Host Samuel George speaks with film maker and Director of Transatlantic Relations Tony Silberfeld about the new cosmic arena that now defines communication, navigation, defense and global power. From Cold War rivalries to today's crowded low-Earth orbit, they explore shifting alliances, the rise of China as a space superpower, the explosive growth of private actors like SpaceX and the risks posed by debris and potential conflict on the moon. Drawing on Tony's feauture documentary Astropolitics the conversation connects historical analogies- from 15th century exploration to the Panama Canal-to the urgent questions of sovereignty, resources, governance, and security that now animate the final frontier.