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.

In America, trans rights debates are multiplying, and are perhaps nowhere more fraught than

in the criminal justice system. We look at the balancing of rights it's required when

it comes to housing trans prisoners. And at Russian protests, plenty of people are holding

up gold-painted toilet brushes. Luxuriant loos can tell you a lot about despotic leaders,

so we head into the smallest rooms from history.

For the sixth consecutive day across Myanmar, tens of thousands of protesters have taken

to the streets. They've been demonstrating since the military seized power last week,

overthrowing the elected government of Aung San Suu Chi. The army has claimed, without

evidence, that an election in November won by Miss Suu Chi's party was fraudulent.

On Monday, the top military commander now in charge, Min Ong Lain, made his first televised

address since the coup. He restated a pledge to hold elections after a year-long state

of emergency. And he tried to reassure the public and investors that his interim government

would be different from the oppressive junta that ran the country for nearly half a century.

But America said yesterday it'll impose fresh sanctions in response to the coup.

I've approved a new executive order enabling us to immediately sanction the military leaders

who directed the coup, their business interest, as well as close family members.

Myanmar's biggest protest movement in a generation isn't backing down.

Every night since the army toppled me in Myanmar's civilian government on February 1st,

so all over the country have banged their pots and pans at 8 p.m. This is an old ritual

to cast out evil spirits which has morphed into a protest.

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