Government help was thin on the ground just after the country’s worst quakes in a century. The America-backed regime is thus on literal and figurative shaky ground. A food-delivery robot trial in England represents the future of the service. And why Harlan Coben’s proliferating thrillers are cheesy but gripping.

Guests and host:

• Kinley Salmon, Latin America correspondent
• Alex Hern, AI writer
• Catherine Nixey, culture correspondent
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Venezuela earthquakes, disaster response
• delivery robots
• Harlan Coben

Get a world of insights by subscribing 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.

Washington DC is changing fast. But while buildings are knocked down and rebuilt, power is shifting away from the institutions of the city. As the roadtrip concludes, where does this leave “Democracy in America”?

Guests and Hosts

• John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor and host of “Tocqueville Road Trip”
• Steven Cash, Executive Director of The Steady State and former CIA employee
• Alex Bruesewitz, political consultant

Topics

• Tocqueville’s views on Andrew Jackson and the presidency
• How close could America come to dictatorship?
• Social media in the Trump era

Let us know what you think. Email podcasts@economist.com

You can share this episode with non-subscribers by gifting it from The Economist app

To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

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 page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Tocqueville predicted that the question of who gets to call themselves an American would have a long and troubled future. Donna Hughes-Brown never thought that question would apply to her. Until ICE showed up.

Guests and Hosts

• John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor and host of “Tocqueville Road Trip”
• Donna Hughes-Brown, immigrant and Green-card holder
• Jim Brown, Donna’s husband
• Richard K. Jones, Sheriff of Butler County, Ohio

Topics

• Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America” and his views on slavery
• Victims of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
• The federal government’s power

Let us know what you think. Email podcasts@economist.com

You can share this episode with non-subscribers by gifting it from The Economist app.

To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

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 page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Harvard University is supposed to be a place of intellectual freedom. But its students and staff face two kinds of tyranny, both of which feature prominently in Alexis de Tocqueville’s work.

Guests and Hosts

• John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor and host of “Tocqueville Road Trip”
• Harvey Mansfield, retired Harvard Professor
• Alan Garber, 31st president of Harvard

Topics

• Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America”
• The battle over freedom of expression
• Harvard and the Trump Administration

Let us know what you think. Email podcasts@economist.com

To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

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 page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

In a township in rural Michigan, the residents choose to square up against some of the most powerful forces in the country. What can the campaign against a giant AI data centre teach us about democracy in America?

Guests and Hosts

• John Prideaux, The Economist’s US Editor and host of “Tocqueville Road Trip”
• Kathryn Haushalter, Saline township resident
• Colin Sullivan, senior vice-president of Related Companies

Topics

• Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America”
• Data centers in rural America
• How the American township functions

Let us know what you think. Email podcasts@economist.com

To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

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 page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Do you worry about a future where your job is replaced by AI? Are you a high earner but never seem to have any money? Would you like to work less and spend more time pursuing joy? Then FIRE might be right for you! Tamara Gilkes Borr delves into the “Financial Independence, Retire Early” movement to find out how to step back from work and what you have to sacrifice to do so.

Topics covered:

• FIRE
• Early retirement
• Financial independence
• environmentalism

Links to articles:

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/05/14/prepare-for-an-ai-jobs-apocalypse

https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/05/14/the-jobs-apocalypse-a-very-short-history

https://www.economist.com/business/2024/01/25/why-you-should-never-retire

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.

Music by Blue dot and Epidemic

This podcast transcript is generated by third-party AI. It has not been reviewed prior to publication. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the transcript, its accuracy or its completeness, and we disclaim all liability regarding its receipt, content and use. If you have any concerns about the transcript, please email us at podcasts@economist.com.

Read more about how we are using AI.

After years of conflict reporting and manic episodes, journalist Ayman Oghanna was aiming for a quiet life—one that looks boring from the outside. Then, in February 2026, his home in a sleepy seaside town on the edge of Athens, was penetrated by a spy.

Topics covered:

• China
• Espionage
• Bipolar disorder

Links to articles:

https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/10/14/has-britain-gone-soft-on-china

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.

Music by bluedot Sessions and Epidemic Sound.

This podcast transcript is generated by third-party AI. It has not been reviewed prior to publication. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the transcript, its accuracy or its completeness, and we disclaim all liability regarding its receipt, content and use. If you have any concerns about the transcript, please email us at podcasts@economist.com.

Read more about how we are using AI.

Jails on New York City’s Riker’s Island have been in crisis for decades. Violent and unsafe, its remote location makes it hard for inmates to get to court or be visited by family. The city’s solution is to build new jails next to courthouses across the city. But doing so requires using a classic of New York City design: building up. How does a vertical jail work? And can it really be more humane?

Topics covered:

• Jails
• US criminal justice
• Architecture

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.

Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound

Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts