Trailer: Checks and Balance

In short

Trailer for The Economist’s Checks and Balance, focused on American politics, using data and trends to explain “the why behind the news” and assess presidential power and democratic checks.

Guests

John Priddo (U.S. editor of The Economist; host), Charlotte Howard (New York bureau chief), James Bennet (Washington bureau chief).

Key claims

the “BSO meter” for Democrats hasn’t been passed by current party leaders; Donald Trump is exerting potentially dangerous presidential power; the U.S. court problem is that it should be “more political” (not partisan) to function better.

Notable examples

references to Trump’s current exertion of power and the court’s political role.

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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00John Prideaux:Hi, I'm John Priddo, the U.S. editor of The Economist, and I also host our podcast, Checks and Balance. Each week, I'm joined by our New York bureau chief, Charlotte Howard, and our Washington bureau chief, James Bennet. We take one issue in American politics and explore it in depth. We try to understand the why behind the news.

0:21James Bennet:Americans have a BSO meter that Democrats haven't really passed, or at least the people who've been leading the party haven't passed.

0:29John Prideaux:We look at the data and the trends to put the current moment in context.

0:33Charlotte Howard:There is no more potentially dangerous power that any president has than the one that Donald Trump is now exerting so freely. And we're not afraid to offer some unconventional perspectives. I think the problem with the court partly is that it should be more political than it is. Not more partisan, but more political.

0:54John Prideaux:So join me and my expert colleagues in the US and around the world as we discuss the great experiment that is American democracy. Checks and Balance from The Economist is available to subscribers. For the best offer, follow the link in the show notes or search for Economist Podcasts Plus.

From the publisher

Unlock American politics with The Economist’s John Prideaux, Charlotte Howard and James Bennet. Taking one big theme every week, they dig into the data, the ideas and the history behind it. Politicians, pollsters and political scientists join them to discuss where the great experiment of American democracy is headed. Published every Friday.

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