In December 2007, the U.S. marked the beginning of its longest recession since World War II. Now the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency born in the ashes of the nation's economic downturn, is under new leadership that promises big changes. Meanwhile, a tax plan speeding through Congress could have far-reaching effects on the economy, well beyond taxes. On paper, the U.S. economy looks robust. But for whom, and for how long?

This week, Annie Lowrey and Alana Semuels join our hosts to look at what's happened in the decade since the Great Recession, and what's happening now. What lessons have we learned from the crisis? And which are we doomed to repeat?

Links:

- "The Never-Ending Foreclosure" (Alana Semuels, December 1, 2017)

- "The Great Recession Is Still With Us" (Annie Lowrey, December 1, 2017)

- “The GOP Targets America’s Most Loved and Hated Tax Break” (Alana Semuels, November 2, 2017)

- “The U.S. Isn’t Prepared for the Next Recession” (Annie Lowrey, October 31, 2017)

- “Mick Mulvaney Is Pretending Everything's Totally Normal at Work” (Gillian B. White, November 28, 2017)

- “Could a Tax Fix the Gig Economy?” (Alana Semuels, November 6, 2017)

- “Trump Says His Tax Plan Won't Benefit the Rich—He's Exactly Wrong” (Annie Lowrey, September 29, 2017)

- "Could a Memo by Christina Romer Have Saved the Economy?" (John Hudson, February 22, 2012)

- “The Fight Over the CFPB Reveals the Broken State of American Politics” (David A. Graham, November 28, 2017)

- "The Shadow of the Stimulus" (Ross Douthat, February 1, 2009)

- "Return of the Shopping Avenger" (Jeffrey Goldberg, December 1, 2009)

- The Half Has Never Been Told  (Edward Baptist)

- The Unwinding (George Packer)

- "The Nutshell Studies" (Katie Mingle, 99 Percent Invisible)

- "The Reason This 'Racist Soap Dispenser' Doesn't Work on Black Skin" (Max Plenke, Mic.com, September 9, 2015)

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For generations, Hollywood has defined what masculinity means in the U.S., with iconic screen figures such as John Wayne. But Wayne's stoic, taciturn image was the product of a complicated relationship with the director John Ford, one that offers different lessons about masculinity and its constraints. As scandals about men and their behavior fill the news, we discuss the legacy of John Wayne and other male screen icons. Our cohosts are joined by Atlantic staff writer Megan Garber and Stephen Metcalf, author of the story "How John Wayne Became a Hollow Masculine Icon."

Links: 

- "How John Wayne Became a Hollow Masculine Icon" (Stephen Metcalf, December 2017 Issue)

- "Masculinity Done Well and Poorly" (James Hamblin, September 25, 2017)

- "The End of Men" (Hanna Rosin, July/August 2010 Issue)

- "Angry White Boys" (Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, August 16, 2017)

- "Toxic Masculinity and Murder" (James Hamblin, June 16, 2016)

- "Does Masculinity Need To Be 'Reimagined'?" (Erik Hayden, September 21, 2010)

- "How Hollywood Whitewashed the Old West" (Leah Williams, October 5, 2016)

- "Hollywood Has Ruined Method Acting" (Angelica Jade Bastién, August 11, 2016) 

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Andrew Anglin spent his formative years flirting with hippie progressivism, then tried his hand at becoming a tribal hunter-gatherer. But he only achieved notoriety after he founded the Daily Stormer, the world's biggest website for neo-Nazis. Anglin and his mob of followers have terrorized people around the world, and their influence has been cited by the perpetrators of fatal violence.

What lessons should be learned from Anglin's radicalization? And what is society's best response to his ideas? Luke O'Brien and Rosie Gray join Jeff and Matt to discuss these questions, and how far-right extremism is evolving.

Links:

- "The Making of an American Nazi" (Luke O'Brien, December 2017)

- "The Lost Boys" (Angela Nagle, December 2017)

- "How 2015 Fueled The Rise Of The Freewheeling, White Nationalist Alt-Movement" (Rosie Gray, BuzzFeed, 12/27/2015)

- "Behind the Internet's Anti-Democracy Movement" (Rosie Gray, 2/10/2017)

- "The Alt-Right's Rebranding Effort Has Failed" (Rosie Gray, 8/13/2017)

- "What Gwen Ifill Knew About Race in America" (Jeffrey Goldberg, 11/18/2016)

- "Joan Didion Doesn't Owe the World Anything" (Megan Garber, 10/29/2017)

- NoSleep Subreddit | Podcast

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It’s a year after Donald Trump's upset election victory. Before and after the 2016 election, President Trump referred to journalists as enemies to himself and to the American people. But his victory wasn’t just a success in vilifying the media, it was a success in manipulating it. Trump was a media figure, skilled at drawing attention. And news organizations were unused to being so squarely part of the story.

What lessons have journalists taken from the 2016 campaign and President Trump’s election? What’s changed since then? And what should change going forward? In this episode of Radio Atlantic, Adrienne LaFrance, the editor of TheAtlantic.com, and Yoni Appelbaum, the magazine's politics and policy editor, join Matt and Jeff to look back and look ahead one year after the Trump Era began.

Links:

- "How Trump Diagnosed American Politics" (Andy Kroll,  Nov 7, 2016)

- "Zuckerberg 2020?" (Adrienne LaFrance, Jan 19,  2017)

- 'We Thought You'd Like to Look Back on This Post from 1 Year Ago’ (Julie Beck, Nov 8, 2017)

- The Atlantic Interview

- "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (as interpreted by Jon Batiste) 

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Since the 2016 election heightened America's deep political divides, the mantle of patriotism has become fodder for a bitter tug-of-war. Is it patriotic to leak a presidential secret? To voice dissent during a national rite? Should a general running the White House be deferred to or defied?

In this episode, Atlantic journalists Krishnadev Calamur and Sigal Samuel talk with Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father whose stirring speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention touched off a famous feud with the President-to-be, about what sacrifice means to him, and why America is worth it. We also hear from a couple veterans who offer their own perspectives on patriotism and military service.

To share thoughts, feedback, and questions on the show, leave us a voicemail with your contact info: (202) 266-7600.

Links:

- "The Anguish of John Kelly" (David Graham, 10/19/2017)

- "Kneeling for Life and Liberty Is Patriotic" (Conor Friedersdorf, 9/25/2017)

- "Why Cede the Flag to Donald Trump?" (David Frum, 9/24/2017)

- "The Tragedy of the American Military" (James Fallows, January/February 2015)

- "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory" (Radio Atlantic, episode one)

- "My Parents' Country, in the Grip of the Shabab" (The New York Times Sunday Review)

- "Look at Tiny Baby Hank" (Vlogbrothers)

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Allegations of sexual harassment (and more) by powerful men in numerous industries have been leading news reports across America. On-the-record accounts of disturbing behavior are proliferating. Several leaders of prominent companies have been forced out of their positions. Does this represent a lasting shift in attitudes toward scandalous conduct, or will the public's interest in these matters subside? Is this a tipping point, in other words, or a flash point?

The journalism of Jodi Kantor, Katie Benner, and their colleagues at The New York Times has been a major catalyst for putting this issue at the top of the national agenda. Kantor and her reporting partner Megan Twohey shared a byline on the October 5 investigation revealing three decades of sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein. As a technology reporter based in Silicon Valley, Benner has chronicled numerous reports of predatory behavior by investors, founders, and other influential figures in the tech industry. In this episode of Radio Atlantic, Kantor and Benner join Alex and Matt to discuss what they've discovered in their reporting, and where they think it will lead.

Links:

- "Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades" (Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, The New York Times, 10/5/2017)

- "How the Harvey Weinstein Story Has Unfolded" (Daniel Victor, The New York Times, 10/18/2017)

- "Women in Tech Speak Frankly on Culture of Harassment" (Katie Benner, The New York Times, 6/30/2017)

- "'It Was a Frat House': Inside the Sex Scandal That Toppled SoFi's C.E.O." (Katie Benner and Nathaniel Popper, The New York Times) | SoFi's response

- “The ‘Harvey Effect’ Takes Down Leon Wieseltier’s Magazine” (Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic, 10/24/2017)

- "Harvey Weinstein and the Economics of Consent" (Brit Marling, The Atlantic, 10/23/2017)

- "Girl at a Bar" (Saturday Night Live)

- Startup, especially seasons two and four

- The Burning Girl (Claire Messud)

- The Color of Law(Richard Rothstein)

- Uncivil

- Scene on Radio: Seeing White

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"Infidelity," Esther Perel writes in the October issue of The Atlantic, "happens in bad marriages and in good marriages. It happens even in open relationships where extramarital sex is carefully negotiated beforehand. The freedom to leave or divorce has not made cheating obsolete." Adultery is as ancient as marriage, and as contemporary relationships have evolved, Perel writes, the causes and consequences of infidelity have much to teach us about the nature of commitment.  In this conversation, Perel talks with our hosts about some of those lessons, culled from numerous sessions counseling couples as a psychotherapist.

Perel is the author of Mating in Captivityand the host of "Where Should We Begin?"—an Audible original series entering its second season on October 24th. Her new book, The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity, is now available in bookstores.

Links:

- "Why Happy People Cheat" (Esther Perel)

- "You Need Help to Help Her" (Esther Perel, "Where Should We Begin?")

- "Muto" (Matt Thompson, Snarkmarket)

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Few journalists have gotten a peek inside X, the secretive lab run by Google's parent company Alphabet. Its scientists are researching cold fusion, hover boards, and stratosphere-surfing balloons. Derek Thompson, staff writer at The Atlantic, spent several days with the staff of X. In this episode, he tells Matt and Alex all about what he found, and what it suggests about the future of technological invention.

Have thoughts or questions? Leave us a message! (202) 266-7600. Don't forget to leave us your contact info.

Links:“Google X and the Science of Radical Creativity” (Derek Thompson, 2017)“The Promise and Peril of Universal Internet” (Dominic Tierney, 2015)“The Physics Nobel and the Fate of Bell Labs” (Edward Tenner, 2009)“How Should the U.S. Fund Research and Development?” (Robinson Meyer, 2016) “Google Glass” (William Brennan, 2014)The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo (Brian Jordan Alvarez and collaborators, 2017) — N.b.: Parental discretion is advised.

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In his new book, We Were Eight Years in Power, The Atlantic's national correspondent Ta-Nehisi Coates writes about the past eight years of his career—his pursuit of an understanding of America, and his route to becoming a celebrated author. In this episode of Radio Atlantic, our cohosts Matt, Jeff, and Alex each conduct an interview with Ta-Nehisi about what he's found.

This is a longer episode than our usual, so if you'd like to skip around, here are the three segments, for easy fast-forwarding:

[00:00] Matt's interview, focused on the questions that infused Ta-Nehisi's early writing at The Atlantic, and the answers that he's found

[32:46] Jeff's interview, focused on the two administrations Ta-Nehisi has chronicled, and his political outlook

[59:52] Alex's interview, focused on Ta-Nehisi's community, family, and life

Links:

- The Mis-Education of the Negro(Carter G. Woodson, 1933)

- “Black People, Culture and Poverty” (Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2009)

- "The Math on Black Out-of-Wedlock Births" (Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2009)

- “The Radical Critique of Obama” (Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2009)

- “On Jewish Racism” (Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2009)

- “Still More…” (Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2009)

- “Why Do So Few Blacks Study the Civil War?” (Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2012)

- "The End of White America?" (Hua Hsu, 2009)

- "The Issues: Race" (Hua Hsu & Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2009)

- “A Plea for Straight Talk Between the Races” (Benjamin Mays, 1960)

- "The First White President" (Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2017)

- "This Is What European Diplomats Really Think About Donald Trump" (Alberto Nardelli, Buzzfeed, 2017)

- "Donald Trump's Race Wars" (Jonathan Chait, 2017)

- "Tyranny of the Minority" (Michelle Goldberg, 2017)

- Elizabeth Kolbert's author archive (The New Yorker)

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According to the U.S. intelligence community, this much is settled fact: Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. But beyond that basic consensus, much remains unknown, the subject of multiple investigations by FBI director Robert Mueller and Congressional intelligence committees.

In this episode of Radio Atlantic, recorded before a live audience at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, Atlantic staff writer Julia Ioffe and contributing editor Eliot Cohen join hosts Jeffrey Goldberg and Matt Thompson for a wide-ranging conversation about what Russia has wrought.

We’d like to hear your questions about Russia: Call us up at (202) 266-7600 and leave us a voicemail. Don't forget to leave your contact info.

For links and other show notes, go here.

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