

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

Aug 24, 2023 • 34min
The GOP Debate: Trumpiness Without Trump
Analysis of the direction of the Republican Party in the first primary debate without Trump. Vivek Ramaswami's impact and annoyance of traditional Republicans. DeSantis and Nikki Haley's performances. Contrasting Haley with an older Republican party. Moment regarding climate change in the debate. Trump's attention-seeking strategy and his dedicated supporters.

Aug 22, 2023 • 32min
Megan Rapinoe Answers the Critics
Megan Rapinoe speaks with Atlantic staff writer Frank Foer. The retiring soccer star discusses her detractors, the U.S. team’s role in the global game, and taking penalty kicks.Also: If you have any comments or suggestions about the show, submit feedback at theatlantic.com/listener-survey. We'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 17, 2023 • 28min
Fatigue Can Wreck You
This podcast explores the challenges of fatigue in long COVID and ME-CFS, debunking misconceptions and discussing the difficulty in quantifying it. It also addresses the impact of fatigue stigma on various professions, explores the strategy of pacing for chronic fatigue, and emphasizes the need for understanding and support for patients.

Aug 10, 2023 • 34min
Lobotomy Day
Michael spent years fighting isolation, depression, and despair. Then he met Sam. If you’re having thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or the Crisis Text Line. For that, text TALK to 741741.This episode of Radio Atlantic was reported and produced by Ethan Brooks and edited by Theo Balcomb and Jocelyn Frank. It was mixed by Rob Smierciak and fact-checked by Yvonne Kim. The executive producer of Audio is Claudine Ebeid. The managing editor of Audio is Andrea Valdez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 3, 2023 • 32min
Why a U.S. Women’s Team Loss Could Actually Be A Good Thing
The U.S. women’s team has been the dominant force in soccer for a decade, although you wouldn't necessarily know it from their performance in the Women’s World Cup so far. As fans, we want them to win. But there’s no drama in dominance. For women's soccer to truly become a global sensation, the U.S. needs worthy rivals. In this episode we talk to Tobin Heath and Christen Press, both members of the most recent U.S. World Cup teams, about whether it would be better for global women’s soccer for the U.S. to lose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 27, 2023 • 29min
‘Everyone Used to be Nicer,’ And Other Persistent Myths
A lot of people are plagued by the feeling that society used to be better, that neighbors were more helpful, that strangers once talked to you. Some people channel that belief into political action, as in the Make America Great Again movement. A new study explains why the sense that people and the culture have gotten worse is a psychological illusion.This special episode features Julie Beck, the host of How to Talk to People. Subscribe and discover a full season of great episodes waiting for you!This episode was produced by Becca Rashid. Editing by Jocelyn Frank. Fact checked by Isabel Cristo. Engineering is by Rob Smierciak. The executive producer of Audio is Claudine Ebeid. The managing editor of Audio is Andrea Valdez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 20, 2023 • 31min
Why Can’t We Quit Weddings?
Marriages today are much more flexible than they used to be. Women’s roles have changed. Gay marriage is legal. More and more people aren’t choosing marriage at all. And yet the American wedding has hardly changed at all. If anything, it keeps getting more elaborate, more luxe, more wedding-like. In this episode, we talk to Xochitl Gonzalez, who wrote a confessional for The Atlantic about her years as a luxury wedding planner, about why we keep perfecting on what is essentially a nineteenth- century artifact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 13, 2023 • 25min
AI Won’t Really Kill Us All, Will It?
For months, more than a thousand researchers and technology experts involved in creating artificial intelligence have been warning us that they’ve created something that may be dangerous. Something that might eventually lead humanity to become extinct. In this Radio Atlantic episode, The Atlantic’s executive editor, Adrienne LaFrance, and staff writer Charlie Warzel talk about how seriously we should take these warnings, and what else we might consider worrying about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 6, 2023 • 32min
Sorry, Honey, It’s Too Hot for Camp
A heat dome in Texas. Wildfire smoke polluting the air in the East and Midwest. The signs are everywhere that our children’s summers will look nothing like our own. In this episode we talk to the climate writer Emma Pattee about how hot is too hot to go outside, and what summer camps of the future will look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 29, 2023 • 29min
The Power of a Failed Revolt
Yevgeny Prigozhin, who leads a private army called the Wagner Group, attempted what many have called a coup against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Technically, it failed. But the fact that he managed to challenge Putin and leave the leader shaken and panicky is profound. Atlantic staff writers Anne Applebaum and Tom Nichols explain this week’s wild turn of events in Russia and the door those events opened. Further Reading:Tom Nichols: The Coup Is Over, but Putin Is in TroubleAnne Applebaum: Putin Is Caught in His Own Trap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices