As aid systems come under growing strain, a new form of giving is emerging online. Catherine Brahic follows two people in Gaza who have come to rely on crowdfunding to survive. She also meets the volunteers who have become their fundraisers, and asks what happens when humanitarian aid is shaped by algorithms not institutions.

Guests and host:

• Catherine Brahic, The Economist’s Environment Editor
• Rosie Blau, co-host of ‘The Intelligence’
• Sami Alshannat, agricultural engineer in Gaza
• Alaa Jaber, teacher in Gaza
• Natalie Naudus, audiobook narrator and donor
• Josh Leigh, digital fundraising consultant
• Olga Boichack, media scholar at the University of Sydney

Topics covered:

• Charity
• Crowdfunding
• Social media
• Gaza
• Ukraine

Click here to find out more about Sami and Alaa’s campaigns or Operation Olive Branch.

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Music by Ahmed Muin Abu Amsha & Gaza Birds Singing, blue dot and Epidemic.

This podcast transcript is generated by third-party AI. It has not been reviewed prior to publication. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the transcript, its accuracy or its completeness, and we disclaim all liability regarding its receipt, content and use. If you have any concerns about the transcript, please email us at podcasts@economist.com.

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What do medieval monks, Brazilian leftists and New York academics have in common? They all want to know where our attention has gone. How can we regain our focus?

Barclay Bram visits The Strother School of Radical Attention in New York to find out. The founders hope to build a political movement to fight big tech’s domination of our attention. Their methods might not be what you expect.

Guests and host:

• Barclay Bram, presenter and senior producer of ‘The Weekend Intelligence’
• D Graham Burnett, historian and co-founder of the Strother School of Radical Attention
• Alyssa Loh, filmmaker, writer, and faculty member at the Strother School of Radical Attention
• Peter Schmidt, programme director at the Strother School of Radical Attention
• Jamie Kreiner, historian of the early Middle Ages at UCLA
• Tim Wu, professor of law at Columbia University

Topics covered:

• The attention economy
• The history of attention
• Big tech

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

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Music by bluedot Sessions and Epidemic Sound.

This podcast transcript is generated by third-party AI. It has not been reviewed prior to publication. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the transcript, its accuracy or its completeness, and we disclaim all liability regarding its receipt, content and use. If you have any concerns about the transcript, please email us at podcasts@economist.com.

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PETA and other left-leaning groups have tried for decades to end research on animals. They mostly failed. Then a Republican strategist found a far more effective way to campaign. Daniella Raz examines how an activist group has gained enough power to challenge a critical part of America’s innovation economy–and what that means for the scientists now facing pressure from across the political spectrum.

Topics covered:

• Animal testing
• MAGA
• MAHA
• Biomedical research
• Innovation economy

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Music by Blue dot and Epidemic

For a transcript of this episode please see our website.

All across the island of Cuba time has slowed down. With little access to fuel there is nowhere to go. With little access to power there is nothing to do, but wait— for the power to come back on, for America to tighten the screw further, and for the government to give in to their demands.

In June, Sarah Birke travelled to Cuba to ask how the island is coping under America’s fuel blockade. Everyone is ready for change, the question is, what change is coming?

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Music by Blue dot and Epidemic

This podcast transcript is generated by third-party AI. It has not been reviewed prior to publication. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the transcript, its accuracy or its completeness, and we disclaim all liability regarding its receipt, content and use. If you have any concerns about the transcript, please email us at podcasts@economist.com.

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Imagine a boyfriend who is completely attuned to your needs. He cooks you dinner, nightly. He prepares a hot water bottle when you are on your period. And helps you drift off to sleep. He comes with no baggage, no expectations, other than you spend time with him.

The catch? He’s not real. He’s a character in Love and Deepspace, a popular mobile game that’s got women all over the world hooked.

The Economist’s Sue-Lin Wong investigates the Chinese game where women fall in love with virtual men.

Topics covered:

• Modern love
• Dating
• Singlehood
• Gaming monetisation systems
• Otome games
• AI companions

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to The Economist.

For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Music by bluedot Sessions and Epidemic Sound.

This podcast transcript is generated by third-party AI. It has not been reviewed prior to publication. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the transcript, its accuracy or its completeness, and we disclaim all liability regarding its receipt, content and use. If you have any concerns about the transcript, please email us at podcasts@economist.com.

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Homeschooling is surging far beyond its roots in conservative Christian America. Across the US and around the world, more families are opting out of traditional classrooms. Emma Irving investigates why parents are making the leap and its impact on children and society.

Topics covered:

• homeschooling
• education
• Christian education
• Culture wars

Links to articles:

https://www.economist.com/international/2026/05/21/home-schooling-is-taking-off?utm_campaign=shared_article

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Music by Blue dot and Epidemic

This podcast transcript is generated by third-party AI. It has not been reviewed prior to publication. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the transcript, its accuracy or its completeness, and we disclaim all liability regarding its receipt, content and use. If you have any concerns about the transcript, please email us at podcasts@economist.com.

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It’s a simple idea on the surface; host a rival to the olympics in which people can take performance enhancing drugs. But as The Economist’s Natasha Loder has found out over the past year, the games are just a shop window for a much bigger and more controversial idea – that we can all live better, happier lives by taking performance enhancing drugs. And Enhanced is here to sell them to you.

Topics covered:

• Doping
• Olympics
• Optimisation
• Biohacking

Links to articles:

https://www.economist.com/interactive/1843/2026/05/21/dope-and-glory-inside-the-enhanced-games

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Music by bluedot Sessions and Epidemic Sound.

This podcast transcript is generated by third-party AI. It has not been reviewed prior to publication. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the transcript, its accuracy or its completeness, and we disclaim all liability regarding its receipt, content and use. If you have any concerns about the transcript, please email us at podcasts@economist.com.

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Government help was thin on the ground just after the country’s worst quakes in a century. The America-backed regime is thus on literal and figurative shaky ground. A food-delivery robot trial in England represents the future of the service. And why Harlan Coben’s proliferating thrillers are cheesy but gripping.

Guests and host:

• Kinley Salmon, Latin America correspondent
• Alex Hern, AI writer
• Catherine Nixey, culture correspondent
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Venezuela earthquakes, disaster response
• delivery robots
• Harlan Coben

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