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 E14

26m 45s

What's next for Trump after triggering economic chaos?

15m 17s

Is there a method to the seeming madness we’ve all experienced this past week? Donald Trump, a famously transactional president, apparently believes quite deeply in something few economists believe, that high tariffs are the key to strengthening the American economy and society.

In a battle of wills between Trump and Xi, who blinks first?

8m 13s

President Trump claims China will want to make a deal over tariffs, but Xi Jinping does not seem interested in doing so. The panel discusses what's happening and which leader blinks first.

What's behind Trump's abrupt firing of NSA leadership?

12m 48s

President Trump is facing criticism after firing the head of the National Security Agency. Far-right activist Laura Loomer took credit for the firings on social media and said she discussed staff loyalty in an Oval Office meeting with Trump.

Is there a lesson for the press after Signal controversy?

14m 40s

The panel discusses if there's a lesson for the press after the Trump administration's response to Jeffrey Goldberg's report that he was added to a Signal chat with senior officials sharing classified information regarding military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.

Consequences of Trump administration's security breach

9m 2s

Despite the Trump administration’s enthusiastic efforts to deflect attention away from Signalgate and their extraordinary security breach, Senate leaders of both parties are calling for an investigation, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who first included Jeffrey Goldberg in the Signal group, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are facing calls to resign.

What does constitutional crisis mean and are we there?

17m 13s

Would it be a constitutional crisis if the president defies a federal judge’s order on the detention of immigrants? Are we already in such a crisis? The panel discusses those questions.

Why Elon Musk visited the Pentagon

6m 38s

Elon Musk visited the Pentagon on a day after reports he would be getting a briefing on potential U.S. war plans. President Trump denied the story and said Musk was there to discuss reducing costs.

Dems split on shutdown bill and struggle to challenge Trump

2m 57s

The government shutdown has been averted and has led to division within the Democratic Party. The panel discusses the split and the struggle to find ways to challenge Trump.

Trump's unpredictability with allies and adversaries

18m 34s

President Trump is destabilizing world order less than two months into his second term. The U.S. now treats adversaries like allies and allies like adversaries. The panel discusses Trump’s moves and his deep sympathy for Russia.

Trump’s unpredictable policies impact global economies

11m 23s

New warning signs emerged this week that President Trump’s erratic economic policies are negatively impacting U.S. and global economies. His actions to shrink the federal government and impose tariffs on the country’s largest trading partners have rattled markets and prompted warnings of a possible recession. Meanwhile, some are asking if congressional Democrats are doing enough.

Trump reigns Musk in as tensions rise with Cabinet members

10m 10s

President Trump said this week that Elon Musk must now confer with his Cabinet secretaries before any decisions are made on cuts to the federal workforce. This after tensions reportedly rose between his Cabinet and Elon Musk.

Trump-Zelenskyy meeting sees outrage, accusations, insults

9m 15s

It was an extraordinary Oval Office gathering unlike anything we’ve ever seen. President Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy devolved into a display of raw anger. The panel discusses what happened and what's next.

The fallout from Trump and Zelenskyy's fiery exchange

12m 1s

The fallout from Trump and Zelenskyy's fiery meeting has been swift and intense. Some Republicans are calling for new leadership in Ukraine, while some European allies are breaking with the United States.

What's behind Trump's pivot toward Putin

19m 48s

There was a time when America could be counted on to support the goals of the NATO alliance. And that time was last week. The panel looks at Trump’s stunning pivot toward Putin and what it means for America’s role in the world.

What Trump's Joint Chiefs firing means for the military

4m 17s

President Trump abruptly fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, on Friday. The panel discusses what the president's move means for the U.S. military.

Musk’s influence over mass firings in the federal government

17m 56s

President Trump’s decision to order mass firings in the federal workforce indicates not only his loyalty to billionaire Elon Musk, but to a revolutionary idea about the role of government itself. The panel discusses the relationship between Trump and Musk and the ideology driving many of Trump’s policy decisions.

What the Trump administration is signaling about Ukraine

6m 2s

Ukraine was front and center this week in the international community, with members of the Trump administration sending mixed messages at a NATO meeting in Brussels and a security summit in Munich, while President Trump had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The panel discusses what it all means.

Regional consequences of Trump's Gaza redevelopment ideas

9m 18s

America is unlikely to follow through on President Trump's idea of occupying the Gaza Strip and turning it into the "Riviera of the Middle East," but just floating the concept could have an impact in the region.

What's next from Trump's federal purge after USAID's closure

14m 49s

President Trump and Elon Musk are carrying out plans to purge thousands of employees from the federal government. Musk says USAID was fed “into the woodchipper," and the Trump administration has launched an attempt to neuter both the Federal Election Commission and the National Archives.

Supported by