J.D. Vance rose to fame off the back of a book. Now, a decade after “Hillbilly Elegy”, he’s written another. “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith” charts his conversion to Catholicism. How does the way Vance writes about his faith help us understand America’s vice president? And what is Catholicism’s influence on the right of American politics?

Guests and hosts:

• John Prideaux, executive editor and host of “Checks and Balance”
• Charlotte Howard, US editor
• James Bennet, Lexington columnist
• Catherine Nixey, Britain correspondent
• Ryan Burge, political scientist at Washington University

Topics covered:

• J.D. Vance’s new book
• The history of Catholicism in US politics
• Religious trends in America

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Anger at Donald Trump and Israel, frustration with the status quo, impatience for generational change: these sentiments have been boiling over in Democratic primaries across the country. It looks like the left has the momentum; do centrist Democrats still have a path to victory?

Guests and hosts:

• John Prideaux, executive editor and host of “Checks and Balance”
• Charlotte Howard, US editor
• James Bennet, Lexington columnist
• Owen Winter, data journalist
• Katie Honan, senior reporter at The City

Topics covered:

• Primaries in New York
• Past divides within the Democratic party
• Differences between Democrat voters

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Alexis de Tocqueville was an unlikely prophet. The young French aristocrat only made one visit to America, in the 1830s. But he filled a pile of notebooks and letters with his observations, and produced one of the best books ever written about the country: “Democracy in America”. We go behind the scenes of The Economist’s new podcast series about this seminal work.

Listen to “Tocqueville Road Trip”

Guests and hosts:

• John Prideaux, US editor and host of “Checks and Balance”
• Charlotte Howard, executive editor
• James Bennet, Lexington columnist

Topics covered:

• Alexis de Tocqueville
• Why “Democracy in America” is relevant today

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.