The Intelligence from The Economist

As NATO leaders gather for the annual summit in Turkey today, the thorniest issue is off the agenda: fractures within the alliance. Our correspondent travels to the Baltics, where a strategic shift is already evident. First there was vibe coding, now vibe lawyering is coming to courtrooms. And day two of our great American roadtrip down Route 66.   Guests and host: Anton La Guardia, diplomatic editorAnna Kerr, senior audience editorJon Fasman, senior culture correspondentRosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  NATO, Ukraine, AnkaraVibe lawyering, vibe coding, courtroomRoute 66, California 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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Iranian regime hopes the massive crowds gathered for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral will demonstrate its strength. Our correspondent says they could also reveal its weakness. Why Japan wants to change its divorce laws and custody arrangements. And the first part of our week-long road trip down America’s iconic Route 66.  Guests and host: Nicolas Pelham, Middle East correspondentMoeka Iida, East Asia correspondentJon Fasman, senior culture correspondentRosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  Ayatollah, Khamenei, Iran, Supreme LeaderJapan, divorce, custodyRoute 66, Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath  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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Big birthdays are often a time for reflection. Our editors and correspondents chat through the state of American democracy as seen from inside and outside the country, the country’s perennial paroxysms of immigration policy, and its undimmed power to export its culture to the world.  Watch extended clips from Insider here. Guests and host: Robert Guest, deputy editorRebecca Jackson, Southern correspondentDaniel Knowles, Midwest correspondentAryn Braun, West Coast correspondentJon Fasman, senior culture correspondentJason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  American history, American democracyimmigration policyAmerican cultural exports 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Big oil firms keep one part of their business hush-hush: trading. Amid an almighty oil shock, the majors’ trading arms are raking it in. But competition is mounting. We look at the Trump administration’s messy attempts to regulate frontier AI models, and how that may cost America its AI edge. And why the biggest music tours are going to fewer places.  Guests and host: Matthieu Favas, commodities editorShashank Joshi, incoming Washington bureau chiefVicky Jessop, culture writerJason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  oil majors, oil tradingAI,  frontier models, American regulationmusic business, concert tours 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 correspondentAlex Hern, AI writerCatherine Nixey, culture correspondentJason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  Venezuela earthquakes, disaster responsedelivery robotsHarlan 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.