Hello and welcome to the Intelligence from the Economist.

In London, I'm Jason Palmer.

And in New York, I'm John Fassman.

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

The world of commercial deep sea fishing is murky,

rife with abuses, wage slavery, and of course, depletion of the ocean's bounty.

Off West Africa, it's clear that even among a bad bunch,

China's fleet stands out as the most ruthless of the lot.

And it was a simpler time when what you had to worry about being taken from your car

was hub caps or hood ornaments.

These days, it's catalytic converters.

They're packed with precious metals, and in America, they're disappearing in crazy numbers.

First up, though.

For the meeting of the 118 Congress of the United States, the House will come to order.

Yesterday, at the opening of the new session of the United States Congress,

the first task for Republicans was to elect a new speaker of the House.

They were set to take the gavel after four years of being in the minority,

but they couldn't stop arguing over who should have it.

The role now will be called, and those responding to those names will indicate by surname the nominee of their choosing.

The reading clerk will now call the role, Baird.

McCarthy.

Balderson.

...