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.

On Sunday, under heavy Minnesota snow, Senator Amy Klobuchar announced her bid for president.

She claims to have plenty of grit, but it's not clear whether her centrist tendencies are

an advantage in an increasingly crowded democratic field.

And Sir Don McCullen is drawn to conflict, in London's gang scene and in most every war zone from the 20th century.

In a retrospective of his work, he reveals extremes of human experience and suffering.

First up, though, in a new publicity drive, the Spanish government has hired some big names to celebrate the country's diversity and democracy.

It includes leading figures from business, the arts, science. Among them, the actor Richard Gere.

This is the real Spain.

But the launch comes in the same week as a high-profile trial in which sensitive issues

of unity and democracy will be laid bare.

Twelve Catalan politicians will appear today in Spain's Supreme Court on charges of rebellion

and sedition.

Some of them could be imprisoned for as much as 25 years.

And the issue has angered many people outside Catalonia who believe the government

should not negotiate with the separatists. On Sunday, tens of thousands of people protested in

Madrid against moves by the socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to open talks with the

Catalan leadership. In the autumn of 2017, the separatist majority in the Catalan parliament passed laws calling an unconstitutional referendum on independence.

Michael Reed is our senior editor for Spain and Latin America and is based in Madrid.

They went ahead and held the referendum despite the opposition of the Spanish government and attempts by the police

to disrupt it.

They say around 40% voted for independence.

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