Checks and Balance from The Economist

Donald Trump earned at least $2.2bn in outside income in 2025. The president says his extraordinary windfall, revealed in financial disclosures last week, was thanks to a booming stock market. The White House has denied any conflicts of interest. How did the president amass all this wealth? Guests and hosts:John Prideaux, executive editor and host of “Checks and Balance”Charlotte Howard, US editor Shashank Joshi, incoming Washington bureau chiefRichard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyerTopics covered:Trump’s financial disclosuresThe Emoluments ClauseDemocrats’ responseTranscripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcastsListen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

America is celebrating its semiquincentennial. The Founding Fathers had an idea for a system of government: three separate branches, with checks and balances so each could make sure the others didn’t overreach. As America marks its big birthday, how is that holding up? Guests and hosts:John Prideaux, executive editor and host of “Checks and Balance”Charlotte Howard, US editor James Bennet, Lexington columnistCharles Birnbaum, president of the Cultural Landscape FoundationLindsay Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library Topics covered:The Roberts CourtThe power of the executive branchCongressional dysfunctionListen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

J.D. Vance rose to fame off the back of a book. Now, a decade after “Hillbilly Elegy”, he’s written another. “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith” charts his conversion to Catholicism. How does the way Vance writes about his faith help us understand America’s vice president? And what is Catholicism’s influence on the right of American politics? Guests and hosts:John Prideaux, executive editor and host of “Checks and Balance”Charlotte Howard, US editor James Bennet, Lexington columnistCatherine Nixey, Britain correspondentRyan Burge, political scientist at Washington UniversityTopics covered:J.D. Vance’s new bookThe history of Catholicism in US politicsReligious trends in AmericaListen 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.

Anger at Donald Trump and Israel, frustration with the status quo, impatience for generational change: these sentiments have been boiling over in Democratic primaries across the country. It looks like the left has the momentum; do centrist Democrats still have a path to victory? Guests and hosts:John Prideaux, executive editor and host of “Checks and Balance”Charlotte Howard, US editor James Bennet, Lexington columnistOwen Winter, data journalistKatie Honan, senior reporter at The CityTopics covered:Primaries in New YorkPast divides within the Democratic partyDifferences between Democrat votersListen 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.

When Alexis de Tocqueville visited America from France in 1831 he saw a new kind of society. Not just a country, but an idea that would change the world. His book “Democracy in America” was a big influence on later generations of writers and thinkers, including The Economist’s US Editor John Prideaux. Now, 250 years after its birth, the vitality of that democracy is under question. In this series, John retraces the route Tocqueville took to find out how much of what inspired Tocqueville about America remains—and how worried we should be about what’s changed.Out nowFind the show on The Economist app | On Spotify | On other appsOn Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/tocqueville-road-trip-from-the-economist/id1896918330

Alexis de Tocqueville was an unlikely prophet. The young French aristocrat only made one visit to America, in the 1830s. But he filled a pile of notebooks and letters with his observations, and produced one of the best books ever written about the country: “Democracy in America”. We go behind the scenes of The Economist’s new podcast series about this seminal work. Listen to “Tocqueville Road Trip”Guests and hosts:John Prideaux, US editor and host of “Checks and Balance”Charlotte Howard, executive editor James Bennet, Lexington columnistTopics covered:Alexis de TocquevilleWhy “Democracy in America” is relevant today 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.

The Trump administration wants wholesale change in Cuba. Since America cut off oil supplies to the island earlier this year life there has become increasingly difficult. How much longer can Cuba’s regime stagger on?Guests and hosts:John Prideaux, US editor and host of “Checks and Balance”Charlotte Howard, executive editor James Bennet, Lexington columnistSarah Birke, bureau chief for Mexico, Central America & the CaribbeanHugo Cancio, Cuban-American businessmanTopics covered:Conditions within CubaThe history of US-Cuba relationsWhat might happen next on the islandListen 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.

Next week a ferocious primary battle will come to an end when voters have their first say on who will be California’s next governor. Policy decisions made in America's largest state can ripple across the rest of the country, for good or ill. What does the battle in California mean—for the future of the state and for national politics?Guests and hosts:Charlotte Howard, executive editor James Bennet, Lexington columnistAryn Braun, West Coast correspondentSteve Hilton, candidate for governor of CaliforniaTopics covered:Election issues in CaliforniaThe Democratic primaryRepublican views of the stateListen 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.

Maine is different. It’s the only state in America that Kamala Harris won in 2024 which has a Republican senator. It should be one of the easiest seats for Democrats to flip in the midterms: will it be? Guests and hosts:John Prideaux, US editor and host of “Checks and Balance”Charlotte Howard, executive editor James Bennet, Lexington columnistDan Rosenheck, data editorGraham Platner, presumptive Democratic nominee for the Senate in MaineTopics covered:The Senate race in MaineGraham Platner’s campaignSusan Collins’ Senate careerListen 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.