The Renaissance period is seen as mostly positive by historians, but the sinister development of absolutism and the imperial state complicates the legacy of that time.
Post-election relief in Moldova, upcoming elections in Czechia with similar concerns over Russian interference, and drone start-ups in Tallinn offering agile, quicker and cheaper solutions. Then: ex-French President Sarkozy's verdict, a deep dive into plastic waste exports and their deadly consequences, and how Croatian nationalism is on the big stage.
Although the political establishment claims the Comey indictment represents an unprecedented moment in our history, the truth is much different. Federal prosecutors have a long history of bringing unjustified, politically-motivated prosecutions.
The federal government shuts down as the Supreme Court returns. Our panel looks at the Trump team’s plan to use the shutdown for mass layoffs —and previews a new Supreme Court term packed with big fights over tariffs, emergency powers, and the future of “independent” agencies.
Featuring: Ryan Bourne, Gene Healy, Thomas Berry, and Jeffrey Miron
We have seen a blurring of boundaries between government and business under President Trump. It has some political commentators ringing the alarm bell over something called “crony capitalism" — a corrupt system where political power meets big business. Today on the show, is the Trump administration nudging the U.S. further down the road toward crony capitalism?
Like many things, there used to be a bipartisan consensus that in a disaster, you help as many people get through it as quickly and safely as possible. In the past 20+ years, though, we’ve seen a shift in how the right responds to climate catastrophes — including building out a robust selection of conspiracy theories from chemtrails to Flat Earth. Will Menaker from Chapo Trap House joins us to discuss right-wing conspiracy theories about the weather, the climate, and whether we’re living on a discworld.
Our guest is Will Menaker, host of Chapo Trap House. Their Movie Mindset series returns in October for spooky season, and you can also buy their new Year Zero comic book here: https://badegg.co/products/year-zero-1.
Want even more Panic World content? Like ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to our Discord? There’s still a week left to get your first month for just $0.50 by signing up for our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PanicWorld. Enter “PANICYEAR” at checkout for 90% the first month.
And if you want to see this conversation on video, Panic World is now posting episodes to YouTube!
When President Trump came into office, he promised to fuel an economic boom with a magic bullet: tariffs. They're taxes added to a wide range of imports. And money is coming in, more than $30 billion a month so far.
Eight months into Trump's second term, it’s unclear what the larger impact of these tariffs will have on the economy. Despite that, the president keeps promising to roll out new ones. NPR's Chief Economic Correspondent Scott Horsley explains.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
This episode was produced by Erika Ryan, Kathryn Fink and Lauren Hodges. It was edited by Adam Raney, Courtney Dorning and Raphael Nam. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
So the federal government has "shut down," which it really hasn't, actually, and here we go again. Or will this really be a huge showdown, given that three Democrats have already voted against it and show they don't want to play this game (another six and the shutdown ends). Also: what is this ludicrous "scoop" from human dreidel Barak Ravid about how Trump had to yell at Netanyahu to get Bibi to agree to a deal that gives Bibi everything he wants? Give a listen.
Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week:
US President Donald Trump claims he has ended seven “unendable” wars. Is that true?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves says the UK was the fastest growing economy in the G7 for the first six months of 2025. What do you need to know about that stat?
The Daily Mail has described a recent scientific paper as describing a global cancer “explosion”. Is that the whole story?
And why have Oxford and Cambridge dropped down a university league table?
If you’ve seen a number you think we should take a look at, email the team: moreorless@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producers: Nathan Gower and Lizzy McNeill
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound mix: Gareth Jones
Editor: Richard Vadon