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 E21

26m 46s

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Trump quick to attack after the Washington airline tragedy

14m 10s

It was a tragedy when an Army helicopter collided with a passenger jet Wednesday night over the Potomac. It has traditionally been the role of a president to publicly mourn the dead, promise a full and transparent investigation and withhold judgment about the cause of the accident all while calming the public. President Trump, of course, reads from a different playbook.

Breaking down Trump's first week of 'shock and awe'

9m 22s

So much has happened since President Trump's inauguration on Monday that it’s hard to keep up. The issues range from DEI to immigration. The panel unpacks the first week.

Will Trump's Jan. 6 pardons embolden extremist groups?

14m 54s

President Trump's most dramatic move of the week took even his allies by surprise, the wholesale pardon of Jan. 6 rioters, including men convicted of felony assaults of police officers and leaders and members of two far-right militias utterly devoted to Trump. The panel discusses the tumultuous first week of Trump’s second term.

The politics of the TikTok ban

10m 21s

The Supreme Court cleared the way for the U.S. government to shut down the popular social media app TikTok as soon as Sunday. But President-elect Trump has signaled he's willing to undo the ban. The panel discusses the politics surrounding the issue.

If Trump can't deliver, what will the reaction be?

15m 39s

President-elect Trump has made many promises about how the government will work once he takes office for his second term. The panel discusses if he will be able to deliver, and how supporters and political opponents could react if he can't produce pledged results.

Supported by