American GDP growth slows; Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s tariffs, and more
The World in Brief from The Economist
The Economist
4.1 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 21 February 2026
⏱️ 5 minutes
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| 0:00.0 | The Economist |
| 0:04.2 | Hello, you're listening to the free edition of the world in brief from The Economist. |
| 0:11.2 | As a reminder, if you subscribe to The Economist, you'll get access to a deeper look at the day ahead, updated three times a day. |
| 0:20.0 | If you're already an Economist subscriber, visit |
| 0:22.9 | economist.com slash espresso or visit our Espresso app to start listening. Here's today's free edition. |
| 0:35.2 | This is the world in brief from The Economist. |
| 0:42.7 | Our top stories. |
| 0:45.4 | Donald Trump said he was imposing an additional 10% global tariff under Section 122, |
| 0:51.8 | a provision allowing the president to impose levies for up to 150 days. |
| 0:58.4 | America's president said he was, quote, ashamed of the Supreme Court justices who voted 6'3 |
| 1:04.8 | to strike down the bulk of his levies. The court rejected the administration's argument that the International Emergency Economic |
| 1:13.0 | Powers Act allows the president to impose, quote, unbounded tariffs. The American economy grew more |
| 1:21.7 | slowly than expected in the fourth quarter of last year. GDP rose by just 1.4% on an annualised basis, down from 4.4% in the previous quarter. |
| 1:34.6 | A slowdown in consumer spending and a 43-day government shutdown weighed on growth. |
| 1:40.0 | But analysts expect it to pick up in the first months of 2026 when large tax refunds should boost household consumption. |
| 1:50.3 | Mr Trump said he was considering limited strikes on Iran to pressure it into nuclear negotiations. |
| 1:57.6 | The president has given Iran a maximum of 15 days to reach a deal. |
| 2:02.5 | Iran's foreign minister vowed to send a proposal within three. |
| 2:06.7 | The price of Brent Crude, the global oil benchmark, steadied after reaching its highest level |
| 2:12.3 | in six months at the prospect of imminent war. |
| 2:16.4 | Germany, France, Italy, Poland and Britain |
| 2:19.3 | launched a programme to develop low-cost drones and air defence systems |
... |
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