2. Against all obstacles

2. Against all obstacles

Tocqueville saw America’s faith in its own democracy as a vital force. But these days the majority of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. Can a group of maximum security prisoners in Sing Sing offer a vision of how to get back on track? Guests and Hosts * John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor * Sean Pica, executive director of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison  * Jean Frantz, prisoner at Sing Sing Correctional Facility  Topics  * Alexis de Tocqueville’s views on voluntary associations * Sing Sing prison education programme * Prisoners’ views on the American dream To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] page 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.

1. Game of chance

John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor, embarks on a roadtrip to see how America’s democracy is faring in the era of Trump.  His companion is a long-dead French aristocrat called Alexis De Tocqueville, author of arguably the best book ever written about America.  When Tocqueville arrived in New York in 1831, it was a small, low-slung city where pigs roamed the streets. But he was able to see past that—to a vision of the future. Arriving in Manhattan today, John finds cause for concern, even among the island’s wealthiest residents.  Guests and Hosts * John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor * Babara Tober, Philanthropist and former Editor of Brides magazine * John Catsimatidis, CEO of Red Apple Group Topics  * Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America * ‘Equality of conditions’ at 250 * The election of Zohran Mamdami * Declining faith in American democracy To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ [https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus]. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs [https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts] page 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.

Kicking and screaming: protests at World Cup

Millions of people will tune in when the World Cup starts [https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2026/06/07/the-world-cup-will-test-mexicos-control-over-its-territory?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] today. But demonstrators in Mexico, which hosts the first match, are using the international spectacle to draw attention to their causes. Commercial enterprises are on the cusp of making money in space: who will tax the heavens [https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/05/28/how-to-tax-businesses-in-orbit-and-beyond?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 Narendra Modi [https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/05/24/narendra-modi-gives-indias-elite-a-taste-of-the-bad-old-days?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 unsettling India’s middle class. Guests and host: * Hal Hodson, Americas editor * Shera Avi-Yonah, business correspondent * Leo Mirani, Ashoka columnist * Rosie Blau, co-host of “The intelligence” * Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence” Topics covered:  * World Cup, Mexico, protests * Space, taxation, global commons * India, Modi  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.

Trailer: Tocqueville Road Trip

Nearly two centuries ago, a French aristocrat called Alexis De Tocqueville went on a trip around America and wrote up his findings in a book called Democracy in America. Many people still think it’s the most insightful thing ever written about the country. John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor, is one of them.  Tocqueville found Americans' faith in freedom and self-improvement exhilariting—he was the first foreigner to foresee how this new society would change the world. On America’s 250th birthday, John Prideaux sets out on a road trip of his own, following Tocqueville's footsteps from New York to Michigan to Washington, to find out how much of what inspired Tocqueville endures in Trump’s America. Launching in June ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Number crunch: why Britons ignore immigrant drop

The British government tightened immigration [https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/05/28/britain-has-crushed-immigration-and-harmed-itself?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] in response to public demand. Yet that policy damaged both the country and the Labour party. Our correspondent embeds on a US nuclear submarine [https://www.economist.com/international/2026/05/07/americas-submarine-dominance-is-under-threat?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 find out how China and Russia are vying for dominance in the Pacific. And what anti-ageing [https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/06/05/the-chemicals-that-reduce-wrinkles?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] products actually work?  Guests and host: * Joel Budd, Britain social affairs editor * Anton La Guardia, diplomatic editor * Ainslie Johnstone, science correspondent * Rosie Blau, co-host of “The intelligence” * Jason Palmer, co-host of “The intelligence” Topics covered:  * Immigration, Britain, asylum * Submarines, Pacific, geopolitics * Ageing, wrinkles, retinoids, peptides 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.