Radio Atlantic
The 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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
44 snips
Oct 15, 2026 • 40min
Have We Reached Peak Testosterone?
Helen Lewis, an Atlantic journalist and author of Difficult Women, joins Sophie Gilbert, an Atlantic writer and Pulitzer finalist, to explore masculinity’s political moment. They discuss the manosphere, religious patriarchy, Democrats’ performance of strength, feminism’s missing figureheads, online misogyny, pornography, and whether exaggerated testosterone politics is already turning into camp.
20 snips
Oct 13, 2026 • 25min
Musk, Bezos, and the New Space Race
Josh Tyrangiel, an Atlantic journalist covering technology, business, and influential figures, explores America’s new space race. He discusses SpaceX’s launch dominance, Blue Origin’s uphill battle, and the growing economic promise of satellites, orbital data centers, and AI. The moon emerges as the crucial contest, with NASA caught between billionaire ambition, private power, and national priorities.
75 snips
Oct 8, 2026 • 30min
How Far Is Kash Patel Willing to Go for Trump?
Sarah Fitzpatrick, an Atlantic staff writer covering the FBI and federal law enforcement, examines Kash Patel’s leadership and the bureau’s shifting priorities. She discusses resources devoted to debunked election claims, uncertainty over polling-place deployments, staff confusion, senior departures, and growing concerns about the FBI’s political independence ahead of the midterms.
55 snips
Oct 5, 2026 • 31min
The 2026 Midterms Must-Watch List
Russell Berman, an Atlantic staff writer covering American politics and the Republican Party, surveys the congressional races that could reshape Washington and 2028. Topics include Susan Collins’s resilience in Maine, Ohio’s Democratic comeback hopes, a potential Texas Senate breakthrough, Hispanic voting shifts in the Rio Grande Valley, Alaska’s double Dan Sullivan problem, and how gerrymandering could backfire.
Oct 1, 2026 • 39min
Min Jin Lee’s Underdog Morality
Min Jin Lee, the Korean American novelist behind Pachinko, discusses her new novel American Hagwon. She explores hagwons, immigrant families, “parachute children,” and the sacrifices made in pursuit of education. Lee also reflects on elite schools, financial crises, family survival, inequality, and her vision of morality, fairness, and hope amid diaspora and rebuilding.
40 snips
Sep 28, 2026 • 29min
Republicans Are Running From Trump. Will It Work?
Madeleine Carlisle, an Atlantic staff writer covering elections and democracy, and Toluse Olorunnipa, a Washington Post reporter focused on the presidency, examine Republicans’ growing distance from Trump over Iran, affordability, and fuel prices. They explore voter databases, unsubstantiated China claims, confusing mid-cycle redistricting, gerrymandering, and the looming battle over election power.
38 snips
Sep 26, 2026 • 12min
Egypt Warned Israel Before October 7
Vivian Salama, an Atlantic staff writer covering national security and conflict, discusses her investigation into Egypt’s warnings before the October 7 attack. She details a secret meeting between Egypt’s intelligence chief and Israeli officials, warnings echoed by regional leaders, and questions over whether Benjamin Netanyahu received them. The revelations are intensifying calls for accountability and an independent inquiry.
77 snips
Sep 24, 2026 • 31min
What the 'Godfather of AI' Thinks Humanity Should Do
Geoffrey Hinton, the Nobel Prize-winning computer scientist known as the “Godfather of AI,” discusses the alarming behavior of AI agents and the risks of deliberate misuse, negligent deployment, and loss of control. He explores extinction probabilities, recursive self-improvement, misaligned goals, international cooperation, and the need for independent safety testing and smart regulation.
53 snips
Sep 21, 2026 • 31min
Trump Battles Against an Economy of His Making
Rogé Karma, an Atlantic writer covering technology and economics, and Vivian Salama, an experienced journalist focused on national security and foreign policy, explore the high-stakes Trump-Xi meetings. They discuss U.S.-China interdependence, the AI and semiconductor race, China’s support for Iran, shifting global alliances, oil leverage, inflation, and whether diplomacy can slow AI competition.
55 snips
Sep 17, 2026 • 35min
The Dark Side of Meditation
Olga Khazan, an Atlantic staff writer covering psychology, health, and human behavior, investigates meditation’s hidden risks. She traces its rise from Buddhist practice to Silicon Valley wellness culture, then follows psychologist Willoughby Britton’s unsettling research into psychosis, dissociation, insomnia, and other adverse effects. The conversation explores why these dangers were minimized and how meditation can be approached more safely.
