John Prideaux, Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon are on today's edition of The Intelligence with their take on the election results so far. To listen, head to The Intelligence feed. Checks and Balance will be back on Friday with a full episode.

Whoever wins Pennsylvania will probably win the presidency: according to The Economist’s forecast model it’s the most likely tipping point state. We’ve travelled to three different areas to assess how the campaign is going, and try to read the electoral tea leaves. Who’s winning in Pennsylvania? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon.  Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts   Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to...

Over the past decade a form of wokeness arose on the illiberal left, characterised by extreme pessimism about America and its capacity to make progress. Analysis by The Economist of how influential these ideas are today finds that wokeness peaked in 2021-22 and has since receded. Why is America becoming less “woke”?  John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist’s Ainslie Johnstone and Sacha Nauta, and Professor Musa al-Gharbi of Stony Brook...

Republicans are already preparing to contest the result if Kamala Harris wins the presidency. American elections demand patience and trust, but with Donald Trump on the ballot those are in short supply. How ugly could this election get? And what will happen if the result is contested? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by former Georgia lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan and Congressman Jamie Raskin.  This episode uses audio from The Laska Archive...

On Tuesday night in Philadelphia Donald Trump and Kamala Harris took part in what might be the only debate between them in this campaign. The race is extremely close: will the debate make any difference?  John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Adam O’Neal. They’re joined by The Economist’s James Bennet, Lane Greene and Owen Winter.  This episode draws on audio from CBS and C-Span.   Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts Listen to what matters most, from...

How did two old, unpopular men end up running for the world's most demanding job? It’s the question John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, gets asked the most. And the answer lies in the peculiar politics of the baby boomers.  Since 1992, every American president bar one has been a white man born in the 1940s. That run looks likely to span 36 years - not far off the age of the median American. This cohort was born with aces in their pockets. Their parents defeated Nazism and won the cold...

Narendra Modi is one of the most popular politicians on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democracy.  A tea-seller’s son, Mr Modi began life an outsider and the man behind the political phenomenon remains hard to fathom. India has become an economic powerhouse during his ten years in charge. But he’s also the frontman for a chauvinistic Hindu nationalist dogma.  Can Mr Modi continue to balance both parts of his agenda and finish the job of...

In 2022 the Supreme Court gave control of abortion back to “the people and their elected representatives.” This November will be the greatest test yet of what that means. Democrats are running hard on the issue and as many as 16 states will vote directly on abortion. A grassroots movement has sprung up to defend reproductive rights. Will this fight decide the election? And what will the results mean for women’s ability to have an abortion?  Charlotte Howard hosts with Sacha Nauta and Idrees...

For months, a big foreign-aid deal looked like it was going nowhere in the House of Representatives. Now $95bn of support is heading out the door. How did the bill get through? What does it mean for Ukraine and for American leadership in the world? Charlotte Howard hosts with James Bennet and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist’s Adam O’Neal and Anton La Guardia. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist...

While America’s focus has been on the presidential election, the race for Congress is even more volatile. With razor-thin majorities in the House and the Senate, both chambers might flip in November. What does that mean for governing? And how will the outcomes of these elections shape the next presidency? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist’s Aryn Braun and Jessica Taylor from The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. Listen to what...

It’s not long since America was widely thought to be on the brink of recession. Instead the economy expanded by 3% in 2023, and continues to defy expectations. But why aren’t voters happier with Joe Biden’s economy?  John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist’s Simon Rabinovitch and Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University.  Thank you to the William J. Clinton Library and the UVA Miller Center for some of the audio used in...

America has launched strikes against Iranian-backed militias in the Middle East, in response to an attack on a base in Jordan where three US troops died. How close are America and Iran to war? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by General Frank McKenzie, former commander of US Central Command, and The Economist’s Anton La Guardia.  Get a world of insights for 50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+ If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist,...

Joe Biden’s chances against Donald Trump in November do not look good. He is unpopular and his age puts many Americans off. How did it come to this? And what can the Democrats do about it? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by Congressman Dean Phillips, who is primarying Mr Biden, and The Economist’s Edward Carr. Sign up for a free trial of Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows...

If the election were held tomorrow, Donald Trump would probably be the favourite to win.  How should we be thinking about the race with a year to go? And how can the world outside of America prepare itself for the possibility of a second Trump term? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by Vanderbilt University’s John Sides and The Economist’s Ed Carr.  Checks and Balance will be recording a live show in Philadelphia later this month.  Find out more and...

On foreign policy, trade and immigration, the Republican Party wants America to push the world away. This is a departure, but also a return to what the party used to believe. How did the Republican Party go from isolationism to internationalism and then back again? And what does that mean for America’s foreign policy? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, and The Economist’s Edward Carr. Sign up for...

California is overhauling its mental-health system. The state exemplifies two broad shifts in mental-health care in America: the building of more beds and an expansion of involuntary treatment. What is the best way to treat severe mental illness? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by The Economist’s Aryn Braun, who speaks to Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, and Darrell Steinberg, the mayor of Sacramento.  Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now...

In recent years the US has facilitated a warming in relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours but, after Hamas attacked Israel, that is under threat. What should America’s Middle East strategy be now? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Idrees Kahloon. They’re joined by Economist colleagues Anton La Guardia, James Bennet and Josie Delap.  Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited time offer. You will not be charged until Economist...

America doesn’t have enough homes. The “yes in my backyard”, or YIMBY, movement believes that making it easier to build is the best solution. To what extent would building more help solve America’s housing problem? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Daniel Knowles. They’re joined by YIMBY activist Sonja Trauss and law professor Michael Allan Wolf. The Economist’s Stevie Hertz reports from New York.  Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our...

Once again, Donald Trump won a primary debate by skipping it. Where is Mr Trump taking the Republican party next? John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and James Bennet. They’re joined by historian Rick Perlstein, The Economist’s Andrew Miller and The Economist’s Adam O’Neal. Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited time offer. You will not be charged until Economist Podcasts+ launches. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll...

“We have no greater friend, no greater partner, no greater ally than Australia,” declared Antony Blinken, America’s secretary of state, during a recent visit down under. Is that really true, and how is the threat from China reshaping America’s relationships in the Indo-Pacific?  John Prideaux hosts with Charlotte Howard and Anton La Guardia. They’re joined by Eleanor Whitehead, The Economist’s Australia correspondent.  Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with...

Joe Biden likes to boast that he is the most pro-union president in American history. His fondness for unions, though, has been tested by a wave of strikes. In office, President Biden has regularly voiced support for workers, and handed unions more power. But white working-class Americans, once his party’s reliable base, now mostly vote Republican. Can Democrats win back working-class voters? The Economist’s Simon Rabinovitch assesses Joe Biden’s union credentials. The Economist’s James...

Countries with a collective population of four billion will vote for leaders next year. There are fears that recent advances in generative artificial intelligence will make voters more vulnerable to deception than ever. But disinformation has long been a problem, well before the age of deepfakes and large-language models. How worried do we really need to be about AI’s potential to undermine democracy? Chihhao Yu of the Taiwan Information Environment Research Centre explains the threat posed...

The perfect weather and booming economy of the City of Angels has drawn in generations of California dreamers. But now America’s second-largest city is getting smaller—losing both population and businesses. As the Hollywood strike has revealed, the high costs of housing, living and running a business are pushing Angelenos away. Can the city reverse the big shrink? But is a smaller Los Angeles even a problem? The city’s mayor Karen Bass and a picketing actor lay out the affordability problems...

We take a break from the news this week to convene the first ever Checks and Balance Book Club. All summer we’ve been reading three works, picked by the team, from the canon of American literature. In this episode, we’ll present our analysis, hear what listeners thought, and work out what it means to be a Great American Novel. Plus, a very special quiz.  If you want to read along, the books we discuss are “The Age of Innocence” by Edith Wharton, “The Sound and the Fury” by William Faulkner...