Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio.

I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

Sometimes when your first coup d'état doesn't work out as planned, you just have to carry out another.

We take a look at the man behind a messy transition in Mali and what the tumult means for the regional fight against a jihadist insurgency.

And for a long time the Japanese genre of animation called anime was beloved mostly inside the country.

But given a global halt to live action filming and the increasing reach of streaming services,

anime is now finding far wider audiences.

First up though.

After the protests over racism and policing last summer,

defund the police became a rallying cry for activists who were pushing for reform.

Many cities and states such as Iowa and Colorado succeeded in passing criminal justice reform, such as banning chokeholds.

This bill is a loud and resounding signal from the people of Iowa and its leaders that we are ready and willing to act.

I am so proud to sign this bill.

Now this legislation specifically contains landmark evidence-based reforms that not only took so long.

This legislation passed with unanimous bipartisan support.

But now violent crime is up across America.

And the funding and policies of law enforcement agencies are becoming a flashpoint for voters and for politicians.

Well the increase in violent crime and especially murders is really quite striking, particularly considering the 30-year decline that preceded it.

John Fasman is the economist's US digital editor.

From 2019 to 2020, homicides were up 33% across the United States.

And I reported this story from Atlanta.

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