Socialist mobility: a telling Michigan vote

About this episode

<p>We examine one of America’s primary races, in which a <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/08/05/americas-democratic-socialists-are-having-the-summer-of-their-lives?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sharply lefty candidate</a> beat the establishment figure. What does that reveal about changes in the Democratic Party? For decades China’s Yangtze River was a polluted, overfished mess. We look at the wins from <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2026/07/27/chinas-mightiest-river-is-coming-back-from-the-brink?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cleaning it up</a>—and who loses. And a fond look back at <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/07/29/the-world-is-entering-a-post-postcard-era?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">postcards</a> as they fade from use.</p><br><p>Guests and host:</p><ul><li>John Prideaux, executive editor and host, “Checks and Balance”</li><li>Gabriel Crossley, China correspondent</li><li>Catherine Nixey, Britain correspondent</li><li>Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered: </p><ul><li>America’s primary season, Democratic Socialists of America, Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed</li><li>China, Yangtze River, remediation</li><li>postcards, second world war, British history</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribe to The Economist</em></a><em>.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>