Economist Grieve Chelwa joins Bad Faith to explain how mass protests in Kenya defeated IMF-backed austerity policies, and how the IMF and World Bank use debt as a mechanism of political & economic control. Dr. Chelwa charts how the BRICS bank & dedollarization may provide a way out for countries struggling under western debt-control, and the crucial role global solidarity must play. This is one of those big picture episodes you wont want to miss.
President Joe Biden met with Democratic governors at the White House as they tried to manage the fallout from his bungled debate. Israel is working to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and Phoenix is headed for another record-breaking year of heat-related deaths.
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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Krishnadev Calamur, Sadie Babits, Andrew Sussman, HJ Mai, Janaya Williams and Olivia Hampton. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Lindsay Totty. We get engineering support from Hannah Gluvna. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.
Phoenix, Ariz. is the latest city to face federal allegation of police discrimination against Native Americans and other people of color. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation cites serious statistical disparities when it comes to police interacting with and charging Native people compared to other residents. The report also accuses the department of using unnecessary and excessive force. In this encore show, we’ll hear from Native community members about how the report compares with what they know about law enforcement disparities in and around Phoenix, Minneapolis, Minn., and other cities where the Department of Justice has investigated discrimination complaints.
In which the great gourmet food of 19th-century "frolics" suddenly disappears from American menus, and John thinks humankind often looks to weasels. Certificate #32793.
It has changed our lives and become one of the world’s most valuable companies. As Amazon turns 30, what comes next? Education is key to social mobility in India, so protests have erupted over widespread cheating in university entrance exams, presenting Modi’s new government with its first scandal (8:52). And why durian, a giant smelly fruit, has become a geopolitical tool (15:53)
On our nation’s 248th birthday, Joe Biden faces the wrath of a thousand pundits. The whole world watched the elected leader of the world’s oldest republic befogged, slack-jawed, and mentally vacant in a debate he had to win. A recent poll from CBS showed that after Biden’s performance last week, 72 percent of registered voters believed the man lacked the cognitive ability to be president.
Even his closest friends and sycophants are pleading for the old man to hang it up. The New York Times editorial board. Former advisers to Barack Obama. Columnist and Biden’s personal friend, Tom Friedman, said he wept in a hotel room in Portugal while watching the debate. They’ve seen enough. Joe Biden, for the good of your country, step down.
And yet, Biden’s White House is shrugging it off. It was just a debate, they tell us. Don’t let 90 minutes define years of accomplishments.
But it was not just a debate. It was indelible and undeniable proof that the leader of the free world lacks the stamina and acuity to do the job for four more months, let alone four more years.
As Biden weighs his decision, he may well think back to when he was a young man and then-president Lyndon Baines Johnson found himself in a similar position. Johnson was losing the country, and in the middle of the primary he decided to bow out.
Today, Free Press writer Eli Lake hosts a special episode about what happened in 1968 when President Johnson decided he was not fit for reapplying for his job. He listened to his critics and backed away from the White House, allowing the Democrats an opportunity to stage an open convention to choose their next candidate for the presidency. But why did the party want him gone so badly? And how did this seismic decision work out? It’s a tale of murder, war, and riots that culminated in the most explosive convention in the history of America.
How did two old, unpopular men end up running for the world's most demanding job?The answer lies in the peculiar politics of the generation born in the era of the bomb. It’s a generation that has enjoyed extraordinary wealth and progress. Yet their last act in politics sees the two main parties accusing each other of wrecking American democracy. As the boomers near the end of their political journey, John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, tries to make sense of their inheritance and their legacy.
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 this episode, Mary Katharine and guest co-host Lauren Stewart discuss President Biden's poor debate performance and address the ongoing questions about his mental fitness.
