Editor’s Picks: September 5th 2022

<p>A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, the <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/09/01/american-states-are-now-petri-dishes-of-polarisation?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=editorspicks&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">disunited states of America</a>, why <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/09/01/britains-failure-to-build-is-throttling-its-economy?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=editorspicks&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Britain can't build</a> (9:15) and <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/08/30/pakistan-has-been-hit-by-its-worst-floods-in-recent-memory?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=editorspicks&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pakistan’s worst floods in recent memory</a> (17:05).&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Please subscribe to <em>The Economist</em> for full access to print, digital and audio editions:</p><p><a href="http://www.economist.com/podcastoffer?utm_campaign=editors-picks&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_source=third-party-host&amp;utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/podcastoffer</a></p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>