Washington Week with The Atlantic

News and Public Affairs Series / 23 Seasons

Washington Week with The Atlantic is the longest-running primetime news and public affairs program on television. The show features a group of journalists participating in a roundtable discussion of major news events and can be found at 8pm ET on most local PBS stations.

Watch Latest: S2025 E10

24m 10s

Midterm candidates meet face-to-face before Election Day

16m 18s

This election season has been notable for the limited number of debates, but several candidates in key races went face-to-face this week. The panel analyzes the performances as midterm candidates clashed over guns, abortion and the future of democracy.

Biden says nuclear risk at highest level since in decades

4m 51s

President Biden says because of Russia’s recent military setbacks in Ukraine and threats by Vladimir Putin, the global nuclear risk is at a level not seen in decades.

Will abortion allegations impact Senate race in Georgia?

11m 9s

The midterm election is just a month away and several key Senate races are heating up. In Georgia, Republican Herschel Walker is facing accusations of hypocrisy after the alleged mother of one of his children says he paid for her to have an abortion in 2009. Plus, Republicans are stepping up their claims that the Democrats are to blame for spikes in crime.

Analyzing the first week of the new Supreme Court term

6m 51s

The U.S. Supreme Court term is underway with oral arguments in an Alabama redistricting case that challenges the state’s new congressional map as it dilutes Black voter strength. It also marked the debut of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the court.

Biden, DeSantis put feud on hold for hurricane response

7m 54s

Political feuds are put aside to coordinate the response to Hurricane Ian. But with the midterm elections less than six weeks away, the flow of negative political ads continues to air in Florida.

How can world leaders respond to Putin's nuclear threat?

5m 43s

President Biden deals with a dangerous situation abroad as Russian President Putin annexes Ukrainian territory and says he will defend the region with the veiled threat of nuclear force.

Will Ginni Thomas' Jan. 6 testimony make an impact?

8m 57s

The committee investigating the January 6 attack continues its work as Ginni Thomas, right-wing activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, testifies behind closed doors. The committee was also given a video of Trump ally Roger Stone advocating for political violence and sharing his plan to overturn the presidential election results.

How Western aid to Ukraine pushed Putin to desperate moves

8m 34s

Russian President Putin responded to the success of Ukraine’s counter-offensive by calling up 300,000 reservists, ordering a referendum on joining Russia in four occupied regions, and threatening a nuclear response if Ukraine’s advance continues. At the United Nations, President Biden rebuked Putin by name and called out Russia’s “outrageous acts” and shameless violation of the U.N. charter.

Can Trump survive investigations as trouble accumulates?

14m 25s

Former President Donald Trump had to endure a week of legal blows. The New York attorney general announced the state is suing Trump and his children for fraud, an appeals court ruled the Justice Department can resume reviewing classified documents seized from his home and the special master appointed to review the files gave Trump a deadline to back up his claim that the FBI planted evidence.

Subpoenas reveal new insight into Jan. 6 investigation

12m 10s

Subpoenas issued by the Department of Justice provide new insight into the scope of its investigation into the efforts former President Trump and his allies took to overturn the 2020 election and their involvement in the Capitol attack. Plus, the Secret Service hands over thousands of records in response to a subpoena from the House committee investigating January 6.

Midterm season ramps up with control of Congress on the line

10m 59s

The last primary elections before the midterms were held and now all eyes are focused on the battle for control of Congress. With just two months until Election Day, the major issues in the news this week were inflation, abortion and immigration.

Seized documents contained foreign nuclear secrets

12m 20s

New reporting from the Washington Post revealed the FBI recovered top secret information about a foreign nation’s nuclear capabilities during its search of former President Trump’s home. And the Department of Justice files an appeal after a Federal Judge grants former President Trump’s request for a third-party special master to review the classified documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago.

Can Democrats hold on, or will Republicans take power?

10m 30s

With less than nine weeks until the midterms, candidates are in the home stretch of the campaign season. Can Democrats hold on to power, or will Republicans pull off a red wave? And with President Biden and former President Trump continuing their dueling rallies, what effect will they have on their party’s election chances, and which races are the ones to watch?

Will Biden's shift to attacking Trump help in the midterms?

14m 59s

With just two months of campaigning left until the midterm election, President Biden sharpens his attacks on former President Trump and Republican election deniers as the GOP punches back.

Exploring Trump's legal vulnerability after the FBI raid

8m 8s

We're learning more about former President Trump’s legal challenges and the Justice Department’s investigation into classified documents found at his estate. A photo from the FBI shows five yellow folders marked “top secret” and another red folder labeled “secret” at Mar-a-Lago.

Redacted affidavit FBI used for Mar-a-Lago search unsealed

11m 56s

A redacted version of the affidavit used to secure the search warrant for former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago home was publicly released on Friday. It's the latest development in the ongoing legal battle between the Justice Department and Trump over government documents he failed to return to the National Archives when he left office.

Biden address student debt, ramps up criticism of GOP

11m 3s

As the midterms get closer, President Biden and the White House are turning up the heat on their criticisms of the GOP. The president accused Republicans allied with Trump of turning toward "semi-fascism" and being a threat to democracy. This comes as Republicans and some Democrats criticized Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 of federal student loans for millions of Americans.

'Electable' explores why a woman hasn't won the White House

9m 52s

The 2020 Democratic presidential primary saw a historic number of women vie for the nomination, yet none made it across the finish line. But why hasn’t the U.S. elected a woman president and what factors are at play in this country? NBC correspondent Ali Vitali's new book, “Electable: Why America Hasn't Put a Woman in the White House . . . Yet,” delves into these questions.

Trump's impact on the midterms, the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago

17m 50s

Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming lost her primary race in a landslide to Harriet Hageman, who is backed by former President Trump. Cheney became the eighth GOP House member who voted to impeach Trump to lose a primary or retire. Also, the fallout continues over the FBI's seizure of classified documents from Trump's Mar-a Lago home as a judge considers releasing parts of the affidavit used in the search.

Biden racks up legislative wins despite low approval ratings

2m 47s

President Biden took a victory lap this week as he signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, capping off a summer of legislative achievements that included a core portion of his domestic agenda. Still, despite this and his other recent victories Democrats remain concerned about his low approval ratings.

Supported by