Checks and Balance from The Economist The Economist

Narendra Modi may well be the most popular politician on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democracy. 
A tea-seller’s son, Mr Modi began life an outsider and the man behind the political phenomenon remains hard to fathom. India has become an economic powerhouse during his ten years in charge. But he’s also the frontman for a chauvinistic Hindu nationalist dogma. 
Can Mr Modi continue to balance both parts of his agenda and finish the job of turning India into a superpower? The Economist’s Avantika Chilkoti finds out what makes him tick. 
Launching June 2024.
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In 2022 the Supreme Court gave control of abortion back to “the people and their elected representatives.” This November will be the greatest test yet of what that means. Democrats are running hard on the issue and as many as 16 states will vote directly on abortion. A grassroots movement has sprung up to defend reproductive rights. Will this fight decide the election? And what will the results mean for women’s ability to have an abortion? 
Charlotte Howard hosts with Sacha Nauta and Idrees Kahloon. Mary Ziegler of the University of California, Davis, and The Economist’s Stevie Hertz and Daniella Raz also contribute. 
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Donald Trump and Joe Biden are campaigning against a global backdrop of rising authoritarianism. Each candidate has accused the other of trying to destroy American democracy. But what are the constraints on the presidency, whoever holds the office? This week we consider whether the checks and balances the founding fathers put in place are still fit for purpose. Could a president tilt the country toward dictatorship?

Charlotte Howard hosts with James Bennet and Idrees Kahloon. Elizabeth Goitein of the Brennan Center for Justice and The Economist’s John Prideaux also contribute.

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Just over half of Americans live in a state with legal recreational weed. Now, the Department of Justice is recommending the drug be reclassified on a federal level. Legalisation amounts to a massive experiment for public policy, entrepreneurs and consumers. Is it a rolling success? Or will it leave states and investors high and dry?

Charlotte Howard hosts with James Bennet and Idrees Kahloon. Daniel Sumner of the University of California, Davis, legal weed entrepreneur Beau Allulli and The Economist’s Daniel Knowles also contribute.

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America's national debt now exceeds $34 trillion. The budget deficit–inflated by having to pay interest on all that debt–has averaged 9% of GDP over the past five years. Does that spending threaten America’s economy? And why do so few politicians seem to care?

Charlotte Howard hosts with Adam O’Neal and Idrees Kahloon. Doug Elmendorf, the Dean of the Harvard Kennedy School, and The Economist’s Simon Rabinovitch also contribute.

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Student protests and encampments have mushroomed across America. Some students fear for their safety and more than 2,000 people have been arrested, as police in riot gear clear campuses. What do these protests mean for free speech, and what impact will they have on November’s election?

Charlotte Howard hosts with James Bennet and Idrees Kahloon. The Economist’s Daniella Raz and John Prideaux also contribute.

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