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The 1940s generation had lived their lives under the shadow of the Cold War. Now it was gone – and one of their number was in the White House at last, presiding over a booming, globalising economy. Bill Clinton had largely accepted Ronald Reagan’s economics. So was this the end of old antagonisms? Not so much.
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This episode contains audio from the following publishers: C-SPAN, AP, William J. Clinton Presidential Library, National Space Society, UVA Miller Center, NBC, Amazon, CNN, CBN, EIB, PBS, ABC, WLWD, WNET.

As the Olympics begin, more people than ever will be watching via streaming services. We examine the changing viewing habits transforming sport’s role in the broadcast business. The sentencing of Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist, reveals the empty, performative nature of justice in Russia today (11:10). And the internet has dubbed Kamala Harris “brat”—and that is a kind of compliment (18:34).
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The South China sea is one of the world’s most hotly contested waters. In the Spratly Islands, the Philippines and China are facing off over who has control of the lucrative fish stocks and natural resources. The Filipino’s are developing rocks and turning them into habitable islands. The Chinese have been building artificial islands on top of reefs and patrolling the area with coast guard vessels that aggressively confront Filipino fishermen.

Sue-Lin Wong joins a tourist ship sailing through this geo-political storm to meet the fishermen and islanders trying to carve out a life in troubled waters.


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Anyone hoping to glean hints of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s plans for the Gaza war and its aftermath will have been disappointed: it was a political speech aimed at Israelis. Nigerians spend more than anyone on food, as a fraction of income. We look at the factors making the squeeze even tighter (11:44). And Starbucks franchises as community-level drivers of innovation (18:28). 
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From tunnels to tanks to drones, Gaza’s horrors provide object lessons in urban warfare. We ask what Western forces will be learning about their own future conflicts. Silicon Valley types may relish the prospect of J. D. Vance, a former tech investor, becoming America’s vice-president—but it should in fact worry them (10:15). And the superstitious forces affecting Hong Kong’s property sector (18:57).
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A day is a long time in American politics: Kamala Harris has reportedly already secured the votes to become Democrats’ presidential nominee, a pile of campaign cash and the Trump campaign’s attention. For insight into how China treats its startup scene, we count the dwindling number of newly born unicorns (10:03). And why Britain’s twee beach huts are so eye-wateringly expensive (15:40).
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