Radio Atlantic

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The Neck Fans Are Coming Sep 05, 2024

Show notes

After successive heat waves across the country this summer, people finally found an unexpected source of relief: the neck fan. Consumer-product geniuses made the latest model look like Beats headphones, and suddenly they were on many hot, hot necks. Why did the neck fan take off? Does it actually cool you down or just make you feel cooler?

We talk with Saahil Desai, who notices new and interesting things at the intersection of technology and consumer culture. Desai brings his own beloved neck fan to the studio and answers the question: Of all wearable technology, why did this one manage to break through social norms? And what does this mean for the future of an industry that has promised a lot of innovation but struggled to introduce genuinely new wearables into people’s daily lives?

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Laughing at Trump Aug 29, 2024

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Democrats are lately employing a strategy against Donald Trump that he has been using effectively against his opponents for years: mockery. Where did this strategy come from? Will it remain effective? And can it backfire?

We talk with the Atlantic staff writer David Graham, who was at the Democratic convention and also covers Trump. And we talk with a surprising muse for the politics of mockery: Conservative lawyer and activist George Conway has been using targeted mockery against Trump for years, with unusual success.

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Scripts | 3. A Special Drug Aug 22, 2024

Show notes

The patients had tried everything. Except ketamine.

This is the third and final part of Scripts, a new three-part miniseries from Radio Atlantic about the pills we take for our brains and the stories we tell ourselves about them.

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Scripts | 2. The Mandala Effect Aug 15, 2024

Show notes

Cooper thought he understood how his psych meds were affecting him. There was a lot he didn’t know.

This is part two of a new three-part miniseries from Radio Atlantic—Scripts—about the pills we take for our brains and the stories we tell ourselves about them.

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Scripts | 1. A Hard Pill to Swallow Aug 08, 2024

Show notes

One medication could help end the opioid crisis. Why are so few people taking it?

This episode is the first in a new three-part miniseries from Radio Atlantic—Scripts—about the pills we take for our brains and the stories we tell ourselves about them.

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One Israeli Hostage’s Unusual Experience in Gaza Aug 01, 2024

Show notes

Liat Beinin Atzili was kidnapped on October 7 and spent more than 50 days in a Gazan home, We spoke with her in Washington, where she traveled to talk with President Joe Biden, about grief and about the war.

Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/podsub.

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The Devil’s Bargain of Sports Betting Jul 25, 2024

Show notes

After a 2018 Supreme Court decision kicked off a wave of legalization across America, sports gambling has become an integral part of how fans consume sports and how leagues make money. But with high-profile athletes caught up in betting scandals, a windfall welcomed by the sports industry also poses serious risks to it.

Sports journalist and Atlantic contributor Jemele Hill joins guest host Adam Harris to discuss whether leagues can manage the mess of banning athletes who gamble, all while advertising sports betting. And what if any impact the spike in gambling will have on a new generation of fans.

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Biden Steps Aside. How Might Harris Step Up? Jul 22, 2024

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Joe Biden has announced he’ll no longer seek reelection. With a little over 100 days left until the vote, he’s endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.

Staff writer Franklin Foer wrote a book on the Biden administration. And staff writer Elaina Plott Calabro profiled Harris for the magazine. They come together at this extraordinary moment to share their knowledge of the two politicians and talk about what happens next and what to expect from Harris as the presidential candidate.

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Trump’s Wholesale Renovation of the Republican Party Jul 18, 2024

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The Republican Party is gathered in Wisconsin to renominate Donald Trump for president. The convention follows a near-miss assassination attempt on Trump and the announcement of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his pick for running mate. All the while, President Biden faces calls from within the Democratic Party for him to step aside.

Staff writer Tim Alberta has chronicled his fair share of GOP campaigns, but this one is unlike any he’s seen. He joins guest host Adam Harris from the RNC convention hall to give an inside view of the party and campaign that are planning for a landslide win in November.

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The Long Simmer of Political Violence in America Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

America is not new to political violence, but the near-assassination of Donald Trump is an attack without comparison in 21st-century politics. How do process it? What happens next? And how true are the claims, as President Joe Biden put it in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, that “this is not who we are?”

For this bonus episode of Radio Atlantic, guest host Adam Harris speaks with staff writer Anne Applebaum and executive editor Adrienne LaFrance. Both have written and reported extensively about political violence in America and abroad.

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