The Intelligence from The Economist

Snap judgement: Japan PM’s electoral landslide

Takaichi Sanae [https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/02/08/how-japans-prime-minister-will-use-her-massive-new-mandate?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 gamble to call a general election has paid off. How will the prime minister’s thumping victory change Japan? New legislation in Republican states could imperil academic freedom [https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/01/29/republican-states-are-censoring-universities?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]. And why “Taxi Driver [https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/02/05/fifty-years-on-the-anti-hero-of-taxi-driver-is-eerily-familiar?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]” resonates 50 years after the film’s release. Guests and host: * Rosie Blau, host of “The Intelligence” * Noah Sneider, East Asia bureau chief * Rebecca Jackson, Southern correspondent * Andrew Miller, author of The Economist’s Back Story column on culture Topics covered:  * Japan’s election * University censorship in America * Fifty years of “Taxi Driver” For more on Japan’s economy, listen to last week’s episode of Money Talks [https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2026/02/05/japans-election-why-investors-are-worried] 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.

Elon shot: will Musk’s mega-merger work?

This week Elon Musk announced the merger [https://www.economist.com/business/2026/02/03/elon-musks-mega-merger-makes-little-business-sense?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] of two of his companies: SpaceX and xAI, which makes chatbots. Is the new firm viable? As migrant workers return home for lunar new year, the Chinese Communist Party tells migrant workers [https://www.economist.com/china/2026/01/26/china-fears-a-flood-of-unemployed-workers-in-rural-areas?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] not to stay for too long. And our culture editor’s hot take on “Heated Rivalry [https://www.economist.com/culture/2026/02/05/the-hit-tv-show-that-no-one-saw-coming?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]”. 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.

Nukes of hazard: US-Russia arms treaty expires

The New START nuclear deal [https://www.economist.com/international/2026/02/03/a-new-nuclear-arms-race-is-in-the-offing?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] was signed in 2010 to restrict the number of strategic warheads and missiles America and Russia could amass. Will there be a new deal – and what will happen if not? How social media has helped fuel recruitment to cults [https://www.economist.com/international/2026/01/08/social-media-are-helping-cults-to-recruit-and-control-members?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]. And our baldness [https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2026/01/17/hair-peace?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] correspondent bristles at some hairy questions. Listen back to "The Bomb [https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/07/23/what-does-it-take-to-make-a-nuclear-weapon?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]", our Babbage series on America's quest to modernise its nuclear arsenal.   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.

Peter and the wolves: Mandelson falls but Epstein scandal spreads

Peter Mandelson [https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/02/03/blighty-newsletter-peter-mandelsons-career-is-over-for-real-this-time?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] was a totem of Britain’s Labour party for decades. The newest Epstein files mark the end of his political career. What are the consequences for the country’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer? Ryanair [https://www.economist.com/business/2026/01/26/ryanair-might-be-the-worlds-most-successful-airline?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] is controversial and widely hated—yet strangely successful. And why so many animals engage in same-sex relationships [https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/01/14/same-sex-sexual-behaviour-in-primates-is-a-survival-strategy?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]. To get 15% off Economist Education’s new business writing and storytelling course, register [http://economist.com/writingcourse] with the code ECONWRITING-15. 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.

Tug of Warsh: will the new chair politicise the Fed?

After months of speculation, Donald Trump has picked Kevin Warsh [https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/01/30/what-will-kevin-warshs-federal-reserve-look-like?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] to run the Federal Reserve. Our correspondent explains what this means for America–and the world economy.  What matters more in Thailand’s election [https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/01/26/thailands-liberals-face-a-tricky-election?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 will of the people or the power of the monarchy? And why Hong Kong’s humble tram network [https://www.economist.com/china/2026/01/15/the-best-way-to-see-hong-kong-is-on-its-trams?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] could help keep tourism on track. 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.