The Debate

The turnout tells the tale. Israelis are casting ballots in their largest numbers in decades in the first general election since the October 7 attacks of 2023. The vote is seen as a referendum on the bloodiest day in the nation's history. But more broadly, what kind of Israel do citizens want?  While traditional allies have long lost sympathy with the unending punishment inflicted on Gaza and the terror attacks by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, Israelis are instead divided over the new normal for them; how a nation that traditionally strived to avoid prolonged campaigns now lives in a semi-permanent state of war. The prime minister has even embraced the concept of a "super Sparta state", a nod to the martial ways of the ancient Greek city. A splendid isolation that's backed up by Benjamin Netanyahu's promise to keep the United States on Israel's side.  We ask about the other issues driving the high turnout, a turnout surely synonymous with surprises. What weight for the country's fastest-growing constituency: the ultra-Orthodox? How about the one in five citizens who are Palestinian? Their turnout is usually lower. And what about all those who have flown in from abroad? Which way will the country break? Produced by François Picard, Maya Yataghène, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

Just two days shy of his 81st birthday, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has emerged as the comeback kid. Coming from behind in the polls after a bitter campaign where he often showed his age, Lula has become the first candidate since Brazil’s return to democracy in the 1980s to win the presidential run-off after trailing in the first round. How did the Workers' Party leader turn a 2.2 million vote deficit against the far right's Flavio Bolsonaro into a 4.4 million vote win? Just three short weeks ago, most races at the federal and state level broke the way of conservatives and the far right. More broadly, how did Lula break the right's winning streak in the Americas? While blasting Meta and accusing the US and its tech titans of meddling, the incumbent managed to turn around his own digital campaign during the run-off campaign. We ask about Congressman André Janones, who organised in a hurry on Meta-owned WhatsApp. How does the powerhouse of Latin America walk the line between the United States, its top trading partner China and the rest of the planet? Read moreLula wins Brazil election but faces uphill battle to govern Speaking of the rest of the planet, it can be tempting to draw conclusions from Brazil's surprise result, this as the Middle East holds its breath over Tuesday's general election in Israel and as the campaign gets nastier ahead of next week's US midterms. Big elections are also coming up in Spain, Italy, Poland and here in France. Each case is of course different. So what can Lula's Brazil teach us? Produced by François Picard, Maya Yataghène, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

Brazil's future is within the margin of error ahead of Sunday's presidential runoff: most of the latest polls put the far-right's Flavio Bolsonaro ahead of left-wing incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – a lead that's narrowed after last weekend's acrimonious debate.  We ask about crime, inequality and the other issues that could determine this nail-biter. We also ask whether the nearly 81-year-old Lula has lost his lustre of old, whether Brazilians are ready to overlook the attempted coup conviction of 45-year-old Flavio Bolsonaro's father after he was voted out last time around in 2022, and how Brazil has changed in four years. For starters, its embrace of social media has only snowballed. Brazil is now the planet's third-biggest user of Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. It's such a factor that Meta, the parent group of WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter, has been branded by critics as the third party in the run-off, with Bolsonaro supporters flooding the zone with content. Will all the virtual campaigning tip the scales on Sunday? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Léonore Jaury.

Youth-driven protests have been popping up all over Europe: in Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Albania, Serbia and Greece. The spark here in France was deteriorating conditions in high schools and universities, particularly for students from underprivileged backgrounds. Meanwhile, wages aren't keeping up with inflation. The housing crisis is front and centre in places like Spain and Portugal, while corruption and democratic backsliding have sparked uproar in Albania and Serbia. Last Saturday's unexpected violence in France was mirrored on a smaller scale in Italy's financial capital Milan. The response on both sides of the Alps was a message of firmness and the deployment of troops to stop looters tarnished by the far right as led by foreigners. Will the Melonis and the Le Pens of the continent come out as the big winners? Will this movement mark a turning point for Europe?

Two weeks out from the US midterm elections, there's bipartisan pushback against data centres that suck the water and power out of communities. Just two years ago, ChatGPT was still a brand-new thing, and AI was admired with awe by most voters. Like in 2024, the hot-button issue in swing constituencies remains inflation, or "the price of eggs". But anxiety over the end of the month is now coupled with anxiety over the end of the world. In 2026, AI bots and large language models write papers and churn out campaign ads. We ask about calls for regulation despite fierce resistance from tech billionaires and whether the latest wobbles from the stock market signal that the race to corner the market and scale up at warp speed may be running out of road. Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.