The Intelligence from The Economist

Pulp fiction v the classics: summer reading

What do we mean by a “good book”? Some people choose a holiday read that demands time and attention. Others pick rip-roaring novels that require little thought. Our bookworms discuss whether art has to be improving to be praiseworthy, and give genre fiction some much-needed air time.  This is a full list of the books mentioned in the show: “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen “Red Rising” by Pierce Brown Jack Reacher series by Lee Child “The Hunt for Red October” by Tom Clancy “Riders” and the other Rutshire chronicles by Jilly Cooper Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman “Middlemarch” by George Eliot “Ulysses” by James Joyce “Wolf Hall” by Hilary Mantel “The Diamond Age” by Neal Stephenson The Murderbot series by Martha Wells  “The Martian” by Andy Weir “American Wife” by Curtis Sittenfeld Guests and host: * Catherine Nixey, culture and Britain correspondent * Tom Standage, Economist deputy editor * Alexandra Suich Bass, culture editor * Alex Hern, AI writer * Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  * Fiction, romance, sci-fi, crime, thrillers, fantasy, romantasy * Jane Austen, Jilly Cooper, Curtis Sittenfeld, Lee Child * Matt Dinniman, Pierce Brown, Neal Stephenson Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus] For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Big boosts to fill: SpaceX’s giant IPO

Elon Musk [https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/05/21/spacex-is-capitalism-on-rocket-fuel?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners] has launched the largest stockmarket listing in history. The accompanying space mission remains grounded. Our correspondent weighs SpaceX’s extraordinary ambitions. The Republican party trades on its masculine image, but some young men [https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/05/03/young-men-are-souring-on-donald-trump?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners] are turning away. And, after a blind tasting 50 years ago unleashed a new wave of wine drinking [https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/05/21/a-blind-tasting-revolutionised-the-wine-world-50-years-ago?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners], the market is drying out. Watch extended clips from Insider here [https://www.economist.com/interactive/insider/previews?utm_campaign=a.brand_fy2627_q1_awareness-imp-tr_prospecting_global-global_direct_na&utm_medium=audio.podcast.pd&utm_source=economist&utm_content=discovery.awareness.anonymous.tr_nativeread_np-tiinsider-apr_na-na_web_na_na_na_na&utm_term=sa.arc-isi] Guests and host: * Tim Cross, senior science writer * Robert Guest, Economist deputy editor * Alexandra Suich Bass, culture editor * Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence” * Jason Palmer, co-hosts of “The intelligence” Topics covered:  * SpaceX, Starlink, XAI, Elon Musk * Donald Trump, Republicans, masculinity * Wine, Judgement of Paris Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus] For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account.  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Peking order: Xi meets Putin after Trump

Within the space of a week Chinese president Xi Jinping [https://www.economist.com/china/2026/05/18/now-its-vladimir-putins-turn-to-visit-beijing?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners] has welcomed both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to Beijing. Our correspondent explains the significance of these consecutive meetings. How the Premier League [https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/05/20/in-football-britain-has-a-world-beating-industry?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners] got its kick – and became one of Britain’s most successful businesses. And, some relax on holiday, others relish adrenaline-fuelled [https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/05/14/who-wants-to-relax-on-holiday?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners] activities. Guests and host: * Jeremy Page, chief China correspondent * Sonny Loughran, Britain writer * Caitlin Talbot, culture correspondent * Rosie Blau, co-host of “The intelligence” * Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence” Topics covered:  * Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump * Premier League, football, soccer * Adrenaline holidays, darecations Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus] For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Bibi, one more time? Israel’s election launches

Is Binyamin Netanyahu [https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2026/05/17/is-binyamin-netanyahu-facing-his-last-stand?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners]’s time up as Israel’s prime minister? As a vote in parliament triggers the election campaign, our correspondent – and Netanyahu’s biographer – analyses what comes next. We join a US-backed counter-terrorism [https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2026/05/07/mali-shows-the-growing-strength-of-jihadism-in-the-sahel?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners] training exercise in Africa and question whether such missions will outlast Trump. And how Cape Verde came to take part in its first World Cup [https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2026/05/18/fifas-exorbitant-world-cup-tickets-could-backfire?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners]. Guests and host: * Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent * Tom Gardner, Africa correspondent * Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent * Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  * Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel, Knesset, Gaza, Hizbullah, Iran * Ivory Coast, jihadism, anti-terrorism, overseas aid * World Cup, FIFA, Cape Verde Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus] For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Spread too thin: Africa’s next Ebola outbreak

The latest Ebola emergency is different from previous ones: there is no vaccine, and the kind of community-level work that stops the spread has been thinned by aid cuts. Britain is likely to get a new prime minister soon; we profile Andy Burnham [https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/05/15/andy-burnham-britains-could-be-prime-minister-is-a-man-of-two-parts?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners], the Labour party’s polling favourite. And celebrity book clubs abound—but useful criticism in them does not [https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/05/07/many-celebrities-now-have-book-clubs-most-are-irritating?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners].  Guests and host: * John McDermott, chief Africa correspondent * Joel Budd, social affairs editor * Catherine Nixey, culture correspondent * Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  * Ebola outbreak, West Africa * Andy Burnham, British politics * celebrities, book clubs, book industry Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] or watch our video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY] explaining how to link your account. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.