Radio Atlantic
The Atlantic has long been known as an ideas-driven magazine. Now we’re bringing that same ethos to audio. Like the magazine, the show will “road test” the big ideas that both drive the news and shape our culture. Through conversations—and sometimes sharp debates—with the most insightful thinkers and writers on topics of the day, Radio Atlantic will complicate overly simplistic views. It will cut through the noise with clarifying, personal narratives. It will, hopefully, help listeners make up their own mind about certain ideas.
The national conversation right now can be chaotic, reckless, and stuck. Radio Atlantic aims to bring some order to our thinking—and encourage listeners to be purposeful about how they unstick their mind.
226
Is the Presidency Broken?
John Dickerson joins Matt, Jeff, and politics writer Elaina Plott to discuss whether the job of the president has become impossible.
50 min
227
The Syria Disaster, Seven Years In
Atlantic editors Matt Thompson and Kathy Gilsinan ask Syria expert Andrew Tabler to explain how the conflict has worn on for years and what the path forward might be.
48 min
228
Becoming White in America
Alex Wagner discusses the American immigrant story (and her new book) with Matt, Jeff, and editor Adam Serwer.
50 min
229
News Update: Who Could Tame Facebook?
After CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony, are U.S. legislators prepared to regulate the social network? Should they?
43 min
230
Trumpocracy
David Frum joins Matt, Jeff, and Kathy Gilsinan to discuss how American democracy has fared under President Trump.
48 min
231
King Remembered
Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed, and then America created a version of him that it could love.
54 min
232
The Family Unit in a Divided Era
In a society riven by party, class, and generational divides, do families stand a chance? Rebecca Rosen and Adrienne LaFrance join our hosts.
45 min
233
Does America Have a Monopoly Problem?
With industries concentrating and corporate influence growing, Derek Thompson joins us to debate the promise and perils of big business.
45 min
234
If We Could Learn From History
The power grab in China, the Iraq War fifteen years later, and the art of anticipating history, with James Fallows and Kathy Gilsinan.
48 min
235
Goodbye Black History Month, Hello Black Future
Black Panther, Janelle Monáe, Tomi Adeyemi, and the Afrofuturist explosion, with Adam Serwer and Vann Newkirk
50 min
236
How Innocence Becomes Irrelevant (No Way Out, P...
The story of Benjamine Spencer shows a legal system that prefers naming someone guilty over figuring out who really is.
56 min
237
Who Killed Jeffrey Young? (No Way Out, Part II)
Is Benjamine Spencer innocent of the crime that has kept him in prison most of his life? And if he is, who's guilty?
24 min
238
No Way Out, Part I
Benjamine Spencer has spent most of his life in prison for a heinous crime he may not have committed. Does his guilt or innocence still matter to the justice system?
52 min
239
From 'I, Tonya' to 'Cat Person,' Is 'Based On a...
David Sims and Megan Garber join to discuss recent pop culture aimed at recasting reality.
49 min
240
Paul Manafort and How the Swamp Was Made
Franklin Foer joins to discuss how the indicted Trump campaign manager brought corruption in Washington, D.C., to new lows.
52 min
241
Who Gets to be American?
Three second-generation immigrants—Priscilla Alvarez, Matt Thompson, and Alex Wagner—discuss how America's history with immigration helps explain today's politics.
45 min
242
Bricks, Clicks, and the Future of Shopping
Gillian White joins us to discuss dramatic changes underway in retail and what the industry's troubles mean for the country.
40 min
243
The Presidential Fitness Challenge
What is the nation to do with reports that advisors to the president consider him unfit for office? James Fallows joins our hosts to discuss.
47 min
244
How Has America Changed Since 1968?
Conor Friedersdorf joins us to discuss a year that transformed the nation, and what has and hasn't changed after fifty years.
39 min
245
Ideas of the Year, 2017 Edition
To close out the year, Atlantic journalists tell us the events and insights that defined it.
48 min
246
Putin, Russia, and the End of History
Julia Ioffe joins the show to discuss Vladimir Putin and what Americans misunderstand about Russia.
51 min
247
The Manifest Destiny of Mike Pence
McKay Coppins joins the show to discuss how U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has intertwined his faith with his ambition, and what his rise tells us about American politics today.
52 min
248
The Great Recession, One Decade Later
In December 2007, the U.S. saw the start of its longest recession since World War II. What lessons have we learned in the intervening decade, and which are we doomed to repeat?
45 min
249
John Wayne, Donald Trump, and the American Man
For generations, Hollywood has defined what masculinity means in the U.S. Stephen Metcalf and Megan Garber join our hosts to discuss what lessons our male screen icons have taught us.
48 min
250
How an American Neo-Nazi Was Made
Luke O'Brien and Rosie Gray join our hosts to discuss the radicalization of Andrew Anglin, and how far-right extremism is evolving.
31 min