Radio Atlantic

The Atlantic’s editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg interviews Secretary of State Antony Blinken as part of our live conversation series, The Big Story. A year into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they discuss the Biden administration’s relationship with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, the nuances of comparing our current era with that of the Cold War, and diplomatic efforts to prevent the use of nuclear weapons.For more conversations like this one, visit theatlantic.com/live Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the war continues. Staff writer Tom Nichols, an expert on nuclear weapons and the Cold War, counsels Americans how to think about what comes next? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Humans last set foot on the Moon 50 years ago. Now we’re going back, but the way we explore space—and our relationship to it—has gone through some big changes. “Space is a vacation now… a status symbol,” Marina Koren explains to Adam Harris. The two staff writers discuss this new age of commercial space flight and the changes it’s bringing to how we see our place in the universe. Today’s spaceflight has taken a wider variety of people, billionaires or not,beyond Earth’s gravity. As people with diverse perspectives take the journey, will that complicate how we as a species think about space? Koren also spoke with William Shatner about his trip at age 90 and he reflects on why his experience ran counter to that of his most famed character: Star Trek’s intrepid optimist, Captain Kirk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The GOP is in a strange place. After falling short of expectations in the midterms, some Republicans blame Donald Trump, and some want to anoint a challenger for 2024. But with Trump already announced and a GOP-controlled House set to spend two years investigating Joe Biden, is the party at all likely to move on from Trump? The Atlantic staff writers Mark Leibovich and Elaina Plott consider that question, as well as the ascent of Marjorie Taylor Greene as Congress prepares for its 2023 session, on this week’s episode of Radio Atlantic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

December is here and with it comes the third winter of the pandemic. With the holiday travel and indoor family gatherings, the season has brought tragic spikes in COVID cases the last two years. Are we in for more of the same, or will this winter be different? Deputy editor Paul Bisceglio talks with staff writer Katherine Wu about what to expect. Will a new variant accelerate infections like Omicron did a year ago? What does a massive wave of other viruses mean for the season? And after years of vaccines, masking, and testing, how can we help those who are most at risk this year? Further reading: Will Flu and RSV Always Be This Bad? Will We Get Omicron'd Again? Annual COVID Shots Mean We Can Stop Counting The Worst Pediatric-Care Crisis in Decades Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part of the appeal of the World Cup is watching a country’s finest soccer players represent their nations. For many fans, though, it doesn’t have to just be root-root-root for the home team. Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith will be cheering for the U.S., but he will also have his eye on Senegal. Smith’s attachment to the game is personal, stretching back to when he first started soccer playing as a little boy. In this episode of Radio Atlantic, Smith talks about the joy of soccer, the overt racism in the game, and why he’ll be cheering for the team of a small country in West Africa. Tape in this episode comes from FIFA, UEFA, ESPN, and TRT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Atlantic staff writers Franklin Foer and Clint Smith talk about who they're rooting for and why in World Cup 2022. And Franklin Foer takes us on a journey through the history the beautiful and ugly side of his beloved Brazilian team. Sign up for The Atlantic's World Cup newsletter "The Great Game" Tape in this episode comes from: FIFA, Banda Folia Brasileira, Le Huffington Post, KFC, and Neymar's TikTok (with music from DJ Dubay: Vota Vota E CONFIRMA 22 É BOLSONARO) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Leibovich talks with Tim Alberta about the often-overlooked group of people crucial to American voting. With election denialism plaguing the process, poll workers have faced threats and harassment. What can we expect in the midterms next week? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Taliban forces seized control of Kabul last year, many Afghans faced life-changing choices. One family's decision led to a harrowing journey for a young woman and her sister. Related Links Bushra Seddique wrote about her escape from the Taliban for the September 2022 issue And she's reported on "What Afghans Want the Rest of the World to Know" This episode was hosted by Claudine Ebeid and produced by Kevin Townsend with editing from Theo Balcomb. Art by Sally Deng. Fact check by Stephanie Hayes. The managing editor is Andrea Valdez and the executive editor for The Atlantic is Adrienne LaFrance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can an island that keeps getting pummeled by hurricanes ever be free? Executive Producer Claudine Ebeid speaks with Atlantic contributors Jaquira Díaz and Robinson Meyer about what the island's status as a commonwealth means for recovery and modernizing its power grid. Background Reading Why Jaquira Díaz believes “Puerto Rico Needs Independence, Not Statehood.” Imani Perry on natural disasters and colonialism Why Puerto Rico's problems go beyond its debt crisis This episode was hosted by Claudine Ebeid, and produced by A.C. Valdez with help from Kevin Townsend. Fact check by Isabel Cristo. The managing editor is Andrea Valdez and the executive editor for The Atlantic is Adrienne LaFrance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Atlantic fellow Bushra Seddique tells the story of the moment everything changed for her in Kabul, and The Atlantic's Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg talks to retired General David Petraeus about the war in Afghanistan and the mistakes made both during his time in command and as the U.S. military withdrew. Background reading: Here is how Bushra Seddique escaped Aghanistan. David Petraeus believes there was another path the U.S. could have taken. A marine and an army veteran make a case that Afghanistan was lost long before the U.S. left. Show credits: in this episode you heard music from Ahmad Zahir and news tape from Al Jazeera. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Atlantic’s editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg and staff writer Anne Applebaum traveled to Kyiv in April to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Their wide-ranging conversation with Zelensky is a window into how he is living, what shapes his thinking, and what it looks like when an unlikely political figure like Zelensky goes from “Larry David to Winston Churchill overnight,” as Goldberg put it. Also: The October 2022 issue of The Atlantic magazine focuses on Ukraine. Read Anne Applebaum's story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Atlantic's editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg talks with staff writer Caitlin Dickerson about her recent piece, "An American Catastrophe," a comprehensive investigation of the Trump administration’s policy of separating migrant children from their families. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Atlantic's Executive Editor Adrienne LaFrance discusses a post-Roe America with two contributing writers. Legal historian Mary Ziegler and constitutional law scholar David French answer questions about what happens now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. How will abortion bans be enforced? What will come of the legal and legislative battle moving to the states? And what other rights could the Court revoke? This conversation was recorded as part of an Atlantic live event. Learn more about live events and sign up to join at theatlantic.com/newsletters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Politico published a leaked draft opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Claudine Ebeid, Executive Producer of podcasts at The Atlantic, discusses the reactions of three Atlantic contributors. Molly Jong-Fast’s most recent article is “My Mother Was Wrong About Roe v. Wade.” She also writes the newsletter Wait, What? Mary Ziegler’s is “The Conservatives Aren’t Just Ending Roe, They’re Delighting In It” and she has a forthcoming book Dollars for Life: The Anti-Abortion Movement and the Fall of the Republican Establishment. David French’s most recent article is “What Alito’s Opinion Got Right,” he writes the newsletter The Third Rail. This episode of Radio Atlantic was produced by Claudine Ebeid, A.C. Valdez, and Kevin Townsend, thanks as well to executive editor Adrienne LaFrance. We used tape from C-SPAN, Igor Volsky, Willy Lowry, WSB-TV, and BBC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disinformation is the story of our age. We see it used as a tactic of war and to further embolden autocrats.. The very tools that once helped pro-democracy movements are now being used to disseminate falsehoods—misleading the public and threatening the strength of democracies around the globe. Former President Barack Obama and editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg talk about disinformation—how to define it, how to combat it, why it threatens democratic stability around the world, and how future generations can uphold truth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of threats, Russian forces invaded Ukraine—culminating in the largest attack against one European state by another since the Second World War. Global leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, widely condemned Russia’s actions and announced unprecedented sanctions aimed at a number of the country’s financial institutions and the Russian elite. What happens now? Join staff writer Anne Applebaum and contributing writer Tom Nichols in conversation with editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg as they examine the global reaction to Russia’s military campaign, the effectiveness of sanctions, and how the free world should address the rise of authoritarianism and ongoing threats to democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On The Review, The Atlantic's writers and guests discuss how we entertain ourselves and how that shapes the way we understand the world. Subscribe and enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello Ticket listeners. We'd like to introduce you to a new show, How to Build a Happy Life. In this series, host Arthur Brooks digs into research and offers tools to help you live more joyfully. Join us for deep conversations with psychologists, experts, and friends of The Atlantic's Chief Happiness Correspondent. For more info, visit www.theatlantic.com/happy, or search for How to Build a Happy Life on your podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new podcast from The Atlantic and WNYC Studios, The Experiment, tells stories from our unfinished country. On the first episode, host Julia Longoria tells the story of the “zone of death,” where a legal glitch could short-circuit the Constitution—a place where, technically, you could get away with murder. At a time when we’re surrounded by preventable deaths, we document one journey to avert disaster. Listen and subscribe to The Experiment: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isaac Dovere reflects on the inauguration of President Joe Biden, the path through an election year like no other, and what the momentous changes of 2020 mean for our politics. You’ll also notice a change in this podcast feed. With the 2020 campaign closing on Inauguration Day, The Ticket will, for now, be ending. We’re working on new podcasts here at The Atlantic though and on February 4th, we launch our new show The Experiment, examining the contradictions and ideals at the heart of the American experiment. You’ll find the first episode here on this feed, so stay subscribed. And, as always, thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Bresnahan has covered Congress for decades, recently as Politico’s Capitol Hill bureau chief and now as co-founder of Punchbowl News. He describes what he saw from inside the building as a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol this week — and what implications the searing event could have going forward. Support this show and all of The Atlantic's journalism by subscribing at: theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House majority whip from South Carolina gave Joe Biden the key endorsement of his candidacy. What does the civil rights veteran want to see from his party — and the President-elect — in 2021? How will Democrats bridge the divide between progressives advocating for change and Biden preaching a ‘return to normalcy?’ And with Clyburn chairing the new president’s inauguration committee, what does he expect from a very unusual transfer of power? This interview was recorded as part of an Atlantic Live event on December 17th, 2020. Support this show and all of The Atlantic's journalism by subscribing at: theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As conspiracy theories about the Georgia vote count have escalated into threats, a state election official rebuked President Trump and blamed him for the environment voting administrators now face. Despite being a lifelong Republican, Gabe Sterling worries about where he finds his party. The president and Georgia’s elected Republicans seem to be in open war with one another. How far could the dangerous rhetoric take things? And what does it mean for Georgia's run-off elections in January to decide control of the Senate? Support this show and all of The Atlantic’s journalism by becoming a subscriber at www.theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A quarter-million Americans have now died of COVID-19. The spread of the virus is as bad as it’s ever been. And it’s almost certainly going to get much worse. But with the president abdicating responsibility and refusing to begin a transition, it feels as if we’re headed into unthinkable danger without any sense of who’s in charge. Staff writer Ed Yong wrote about America’s unpreparedness for a pandemic in 2018 and his reporting has led the conversation about the coronavirus for months now. He joins the show to explain how the country got to this point, what he thinks a Biden administration could do come January, and why he’s more hopeful about a society sticking together in a disease than he was two years ago. Support this show and all of The Atlantic’s journalism by becoming a subscriber at www.theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Virginia Congresswoman shares her concerns over President Trump’s post-election actions and what she considers the lessons of 2020 for her fellow Democrats. Before coming to Congress as part of the Democratic wave in 2018, Spanberger spent her career as an undercover operative in the CIA. She talks about what it was like going from a false alias to a congressional seat, why she ran in the first place, and what she thinks when people compare her group of friends in Congress to the ‘Squad.’ Support this show and all of The Atlantic’s journalism by becoming a subscriber at theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between the pandemic and President Trump, election night this year will be unlike any other. As usual, television news networks are the narrators of our democracy, but what will they do if the president claims an unconfirmed victory? With the stakes so high, will they apply the lessons they learned these past four years? CNN’s Brian Stelter shares his thoughts on broadcasting the president’s words live, how important the Fox News alternate universe will be, and what television news’s future is in a Biden presidency or a Trump second term. Support this show and all of The Atlantic’s journalism by becoming a subscriber at www.theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The man who wrote The Art of the Deal reflects on Donald Trump, his presidency, and what the coming weeks could bring. Schwartz says Trump’s “primary motivation is dominance” and “there is nothing Trump fears more than failure.” And with the election little more than a week away, Schwartz thinks Trump believes he’s going to lose, “probably even more than he did four years ago.” Support this show and all of The Atlantic’s journalism by becoming a subscriber at theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee discusses President Trump, the pandemic, and election disinformation. Support this show and all of The Atlantic’s journalism by becoming a subscriber at theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the election only weeks away, President Trump is down in the polls, sowing doubt about the integrity of the vote, and refusing to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. When he accepted his party’s nomination at the Republican National Convention on August 24th, Trump summarized his position: “The only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election.” What happens if a president loses reelection, but won’t accept the outcome? Staff writer Barton Gellman tried to answer that question in the cover story of this month’s Atlantic. He joins Edward-Isaac Dovere to explain what he found. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2016, the Green Party won more votes in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin than Donald Trump’s margins for victory. As a result, many Democrats blamed the progressive party for Clinton’s electoral college loss and have worked this year to keep the party from competing in key states. Following Democrats’ challenges over paperwork issues, courts in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania removed Green Party names from presidential ballots this week. Howie Hawkins, the Green Party’s nominee for president and a co-founder of the party, joins Isaac Dovere to discuss his candidacy. Is the Green Party being used as a spoiler? What does he make of Kanye West’s presidential campaign? And does he fear his party may again face accusations that they put Donald Trump in the White House? Support this show and all of The Atlantic’s journalism by becoming a subscriber at: theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elected at 31, Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor is a young Black progressive and the face of a new Democratic party in the Midwest. With the nation’s attention on the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Barnes joins Isaac Dovere to discuss President Trump, the Milwaukee Bucks, and what he thinks Democrats need to do to win in November. Support this show and all of The Atlantic’s journalism by becoming a subscriber at theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Only a few years ago, Chad Mayes was the Republican leader in the California Assembly. Now, he’s out of the party. Ahead of next week’s Republican convention, he joins Isaac Dovere to discuss the state of the GOP, running an independent, and the long impact of Donald Trump. “California really was the canary in the coal mine. If you go back to the 1990s, where California was then—it's what the country is going to be 20 years from now. I've tried to tell my colleagues across the country that if you think that somehow this is a winning strategy today, the brand, the toxicity that will come of this is going to last not just for five years or ten years. It's going to last for generations to come.” Support this show and all of The Atlantic’s journalism by becoming a subscriber at theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Susan Rice, the former U.N. Ambassador and National Security Advisor for the Obama administration, is considered a leading candidate to become Joe Biden's running mate. She joins to discuss statehood for DC, racism and sexism in American politics, and the formative experiences that made her who she is today — a person who may be the first Black woman on a national ticket. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Florida congresswoman Donna Shalala was one of many first-time candidates in 2018. But unlike other freshman Democrats that flipped a district, she’d already had a decades-long career in public life. At age 77, she became the second-oldest person ever to win a seat in Congress. Besides serving as an early Peace Corps volunteer and co-founding EMILY’s List, Shalala was also the longest-serving Secretary of Health & Human Services in U.S. history. She discusses what the federal government should be doing, working in Congress with John Lewis, and naming her new rescue dog “Fauci.” Support the show by subscribing to The Atlantic: theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Alabama senator discusses the coronavirus outbreak in the South, new efforts to grapple with its Confederate legacy, and his hopes that this time of crisis leads to systemic change. Support this show and all of The Atlantic's journalism by subscribing at: theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2016 Republican presidential candidate announces her intention to vote for Joe Biden, and the concerns about the country that led to her decision. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second-highest elected official in New York City is a progressive activist who’s worked to change policing for years. He thinks this moment could be different, if Americans are willing to have an honest conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The mayor of Dayton, Ohio, on how badly America's cities need a bailout—and how painful the impact could be if they don't get one. Support this show and all of The Atlantic's journalism by subscribing at: theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senator (and doctor) Bill Cassidy discusses the coronavirus response, vaccines, and how states like his own Louisiana hope to reopen. Support this show and all of The Atlantic's journalism by subscribing at: theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The governor of one of the hardest-hit states discusses the coronavirus response, how he thinks about reopening New Jersey, and his conversations with President Trump. (In fact, the president called him during taping.) Support this show and all of The Atlantic's journalism by subscribing at: theatlantic.com/supportus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The former presidential candidate discusses universal basic income, coronavirus-linked bigotry against Asian Americans, and how the pandemic has accelerated the automation trends he's long worried about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Georgia politician and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams discusses elections in a pandemic, vice presidential aspirations, and Star Trek. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sherrilyn Ifill of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund discusses Wisconsin’s election debacle and how the coronavirus has become a new tool of voter suppression. Ifill says Wisconsin legislators “created a perfect storm where it didn't have to exist” and that the Supreme Court’s “terrible decision” allowing the election to proceed “consigned people to have to choose between their health and their right as citizens to participate and vote.” She describes how the current partisan debate around voter suppression obscures its roots as a tool of white supremacy, and she talks about what worries her (and what makes her hopeful) as we look to the election in November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gretchen Whitmer joins to discuss Michigan’s coronavirus response and her relationship with President Trump. Elected in the state’s 2018 wave election, the popular young governor is considered a potential running mate for Joe Biden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grace Meng represents New York in Congress. Her Queens district is at the center of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, where its hospitals face an ‘apocalyptic’ situation. She spent the day flying to and from Washington to pass the $2 trillion stimulus package. After landing back home, she spoke with Isaac Dovere about her constituents fighting against the coronavirus, having to risk exposure flying to Washington for the vote, and how politicians using the phrase ‘Chinese virus’ has impacted the people she represents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arnold Schwarzenegger has asked everyone to stay home. He's issued PSA videos, with his mini donkey and mini horse, and from his jacuzzi, urging people to socially distance. Besides his celebrity, he of course also spent seven years governing California—a state that's no stranger to disaster. He calls Isaac Dovere to share his thoughts on this bonus episode of The Ticket: Politics from The Atlantic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senator Sherrod Brown discusses the Trump administration's response to the pandemic and what he thinks Congress needs to do now. The progressive Ohio senator believes that, as Americans rely on expanded social insurance programs to weather this crisis, they'll value government taking on a bigger role in society. "I think you'll see the kind of structural change in our society that most of the country wants," he tells Isaac Dovere. "I think the public overwhelmingly agrees and sees more clearly now the role of government, and how government is a positive force in people's lives." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vann Newkirk joins Isaac Dovere to discuss Floodlines—the new Atlantic podcast about Hurricane Katrina—and what lessons the disaster response in 2005 has for the coronavirus crisis in 2020. (After their conversation, listen for the full first episode of Floodlines.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The campaign manager behind Obama’s 2008 election breaks down the state of the Democratic party. What do Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden each need to do to win the nomination? And for an election Plouffe says has probably “the biggest stakes the country's ever known,” what do Democrats have to do to defeat President Trump? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices