One nation, under God, divisible: Charlie Kirk’s memorial

<p>Part commemoration, part <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/09/22/after-charlie-kirks-murder-young-conservatives-are-hoping-for-a-religious-revival" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">megachurch meeting</a>, largely political rally—the memorial service for Charlie Kirk revealed much about how the Trump administration intends <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/09/17/donald-trump-targets-progressive-non-profits-after-charlie-kirks-killing?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to respond</a> to his killing. Sunlight may have got a worse rap than it deserves; we examine the evidence of <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/09/17/the-health-benefits-of-sunlight-may-outweigh-the-risk-of-skin-cancer?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">its benefits</a>. And why today’s pop songstresses sing less about men’s evil deeds and more about their <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/09/08/why-female-pop-stars-are-lambasting-mediocre-men?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mediocrity</a>.</p><br /><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>