Royal Palace Podcast

France is in its third heatwave of the year. With more than 1,000 deaths recorded so far, climate inaction and the lack of adaptation give way to a culture war over air conditioning.

The second round of the municipal elections has come and gone, and we’re joined by journalist Marlon Ettinger to break down the results. Did LFI secure the victory it was hoping for? Did the far-right National Rally outperform Macron’s so-called center? Why does the PS still exist? And why is everyone so racist toward Bally Bagayoko, the newly elected mayor of Saint-Denis?

Thumbnail by Danielmoreno4774, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

Every six years, voters in 34,935 municipalities elect city councilors, who then go on to elect their mayor. This year, La France Insoumise made significant gains in key areas, while the Socialist Party failed to rise to the occasion in the largest cities. We discuss the results of the first of two rounds and explain how the system works in France.

Luxury brands are big business in France. Although most people cannot afford a coveted Birkin bag, a handbag that costs more than some of France’s best-selling compact hatchbacks, or even a bottle of the “mass-market” Moët & Chandon champagne, their owners wield outsized influence over French politics. One notable example is Bernard Arnault, the billionaire CEO of LVMH, who owns the unprofitable and subsidized newspaper Le Parisien, as well as Les Echos and Paris Match. We are joined by Rachel and Nancy to discuss these luxury brands, their labor practices, the polémique around fast fashion, and their contribution to the consumerism they are sometimes said to oppose.

After the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the United States is doubling down on its threats to seize Greenland. You might expect French and European leaders to start questioning their alliance with Washington. Instead, as we discuss with our guest Flo, Europe has never been closer to the US, and the tide seems unlikely to turn anytime soon.