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.

News
Society & Culture
Politics
26
Why Don’t Biden’s Political Wins Register With ...
It’s not him. It’s us.
26 min
27
After Ozempic
Could Ozempic upend the progress society has made on body image?
22 min
28
Jenisha from Kentucky
33 min
29
Radio Atlantic Presents: How to Talk to People
How do we overcome the awkwardness that keeps us from starting a conversation?
39 min
30
How Bad Could BA.2.86 Get?
How to handle the next COVID wave.
26 min
31
Trans in Texas
An American teenage refugee
26 min
32
The GOP Debate: Trumpiness Without Trump
A glimpse into the future of the party
32 min
33
Megan Rapinoe Answers the Critics
Megan Rapinoe speaks with Atlantic staff writer Frank Foer.
30 min
34
Fatigue Can Wreck You
Fatigue is often a symptom of long COVID. It’s also deeply misunderstood.
25 min
35
Lobotomy Day
How it feels when your best friend forgets your name.
32 min
36
Why a U.S. Women’s Team Loss Could Actually Be ...
America’s dominance in women’s soccer has helped grow the game, but the team may fall shorter in this World Cup than they ever have before. Could that actually be good for the sport?
29 min
37
‘Everyone Used to be Nicer,’ And Other Persiste...
A new study explains why your sense that people have gotten worse is a psychological illusion.
26 min
38
Why Can’t We Quit Weddings?
Marriages aren’t what they used to be. So why are weddings ever more wedding-like and deluxe?
28 min
39
AI Won’t Really Kill Us All, Will It?
The AI doomers are trying to warn us. But there’s plenty to fear that comes before killer robots.
22 min
40
Sorry, Honey, It’s Too Hot for Camp
Summer is getting too hot and dangerous, killing the childhood of our imaginations.
29 min
41
The Power of a Failed Revolt
Anne Applebaum and Tom Nichols explain the week's events in Russia.
26 min
42
Can Baseball Keep Up With Us?
America's national pastime got slower as American society sped up—will reforming the rules help?
24 min
43
The End of Affirmative Action. For Real This Time.
The Supreme Court is about to issue a set of rulings on affirmative action in higher education. If it goes as expected, universities will no longer be allowed to consider race in admissions. In this episode of Radio Atlantic, host Hanna Rosin talks to Adam Harris, an Atlantic staff writer who covers the issue and has written about the cases. They talk about how the backlash against affirmative action began almost as soon as the effort started.
31 min
44
The Rise and Fall of Chris Licht and CNN
The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta spent long stretches of the past year talking to CNN’s then-CEO Chris Licht about his grand experiment to reset the cable giant as a venue more welcoming to Republicans. In a major profile of Licht, Alberta documented the many disasters along the way, culminating in Licht’s ouster from the network this week. In this episode of Radio Atlantic, host Hanna Rosin talks to Alberta about the rise and fall of Licht, and what it means for the media.
32 min
45
The Problem With Comparing Social Media to Big ...
Politicians, pundits, and even the surgeon general have been highlighting the risks that social media poses to young people’s mental health. The problem is real—but is it as serious as those caused by cigarettes or drunk driving, and what can be done about it? Host Hanna Rosin talks to the Atlantic tech reporter Kaitlyn Tiffany about what the research actually shows regarding teens and social media. “It creates this frustrating moment where legislators want to do something now. And I bet the surgeon general’s report will make that more intense. But the research isn’t quite caught up. In order to know what to do, you have to know more precisely what the problem is.”
37 min
46
The War Is Not Here to Entertain You
The war in Ukraine is reaching a critical moment. Will it recapture the world’s flagging attention?
19 min
47
(Re)introducing Radio Atlantic
The Atlantic’s flagship show, Radio Atlantic, will launch May 25 with new host Hanna Rosin
2 min
48
How Germany Remembers the Holocaust
24 min
49
Holy Week — Part 1: Rupture
The first episode of a new podcast from The Atlantic about a revolution undone.
21 min
50
Introducing Holy Week
The story of a revolution undone.
12 min