with Patrick Ney
The week’s biggest story, explained in twelve minutes.
11:13New6 Oct 202611:135 chaptersWhy America Is Still Fighting Over Voter IDAmerica doesn't have one voting system. It has 50, with different rules on voter ID, mail-in ballots, and who can handle someone else's ballot. Now those rules are becoming a huge political fight ahead of the midterms.Play
13:42Britain Is Turning Against the BBC5 Oct 202613:42Every week, hundreds of people in Britain face criminal prosecution over the TV licence, with women making up around three-quarters of those prosecuted. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of households are walking away from the licence fee as the BBC faces falling revenues, audience pressure and a string of controversies.
13:57Spain's Migration Crisis Could End Sánchez2 Oct 202613:57Spain is facing a major political crisis after tens of thousands of people reportedly crossed from Morocco into Ceuta in just two days. The government has faced accusations of failing to protect the border and protests demanding Pedro Sánchez's resignation have spread across Spain.
12:43Germany Can't Stop the AfD's Rise1 Oct 202612:43Germany's AfD is polling at around 40% in eastern state elections, despite being classified as a right-wing extremist organisation by domestic intelligence. The political establishment has tried to contain the party with surveillance, legal action and a strict ban on coalitions. Yet its support keeps growing.
12:04Tim Cook Is Out. Can Apple Survive AI?30 Sep 202612:04Tim Cook has stepped down as Apple's CEO after 15 years, during which the company's value soared from around $350 billion to $4.5 trillion. Now John Ternus takes over, inheriting a tech giant that's struggling to keep pace with the AI revolution.
11:43Russia's War Is Bringing Violence Home29 Sep 202611:43Russia is recording its highest number of serious crimes in 13 years, while attacks in schools have surged. Its own Interior Ministry has identified the war in Ukraine and returning prisoners as factors behind the rise.
11:46The Next Big War Could Start in Korea28 Sep 202611:46North Korea is sending troops to fight in Ukraine, learning from modern warfare and bringing those lessons back home. Meanwhile, explosions along the Korean border have injured South Korean soldiers, raising fresh concerns about a conflict that technically never ended.
13:50France Could Face a Le Pen vs Mélenchon Runoff25 Sep 202613:50France's 2027 presidential race is already shaping up to be one of Europe's biggest political contests. Marine Le Pen remains the leading candidate in first-round polling, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon has surged into second in several recent scenarios, raising the possibility of a runoff between the right and left that would leave the political centre out.
12:26The $40 Trillion Problem Nobody Wants to Fix24 Sep 202612:26America's national debt has passed $40 trillion, but the number barely registered as a news story. And America isn't alone. Britain, France, Italy and Japan are all carrying enormous debt burdens, while governments across the West keep borrowing as interest costs rise and populations age.
10:06The World Isn't Burning the Way You Think2 Sep 202610:06Every summer, we're shown fires, floods and storms and told the world is becoming increasingly dangerous. But when you look at the long-term data, something surprising appears: humanity has become dramatically better at surviving natural disasters.
8:51The Mosquito That Could Change the Malaria War1 Sep 20268:51For years, humanity was quietly winning the fight against malaria. Then a new mosquito arrived in Africa; one that thrives in cities, breeds all year round, and is already resistant to many of the insecticides we rely on.
12:16The Dangerous Thrill of Riots27 Jun 202612:16As parts of the UK burn after horrific attacks and renewed unrest, @paddyney asks the question most people avoid: not whether riots are wrong, but whether they actually achieve anything.
14:23Antidepressants: Easy to Start, Hard to Stop26 Jun 202614:23For some people, thse meds are a lifeline. But millions were never properly warned about withdrawal, sexual side effects, or how difficult tapering can be after years on the drugs.
11:56Faith Still Moves Humanity24 Jun 202611:56Pope Leo XIV drew an astonishing 1.2 million people to an open-air Mass in Madrid. But compared with the largest gatherings in human history, that crowd was not even close.
12:01The Hantavirus Cruise Ship13 May 202612:01Three people are dead, two more are seriously ill, Cape Verde has refused to let the ship dock, and the WHO says human-to-human transmission cannot yet be ruled out. 
28:18Everybody Wants Nuclear Weapons Now24 Mar 202628:18For decades, the world had a deal: most countries would not build nuclear weapons, and the powers that already had them would keep the system stable enough that nobody felt forced to.
