Radio Atlantic

On Thursday, Maria Butina became the first Russian national convicted of seeking to influence the 2016 election. As part of Russia’s years-long effort to cozy up to the American right, Butina gained access to conservative circles through the National Rifle Association. And as the NRA is under scrutiny for ties to Russian operatives, it appears the organization illegally coordinated with the Trump campaign.

Alex Wagner catches up on the week’s developments with Atlantic staff writer Natasha Bertrand. Then, to make sense of how the NRA, Russia, and the Trump campaign connect to one another, she’s joined by Mike Spies, a staff writer for The Trace who covers the gun lobby.

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A Chinese researcher recently touched off a global controversy when he announced the birth of the world’s first genetically edited babies. The claims remain unverified, but the news shocked and dismayed scientists around the world. Atlantic staff writers Ed Yong and Sarah Zhang join Matt Thompson to discuss the news and what it means for the future of genetic editing.

Links

- The CRISPR Baby Scandal Gets Worse by the Day (Ed Yong, December 3, 2018)

- Chinese Scientists Are Outraged by Reports of Gene-Edited Babies (Sarah Zhang, November 27, 2018)

-A Reckless and Needless Use of Gene Editing on Human Embryos (Ed Yong, November 26, 2018)

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Paul Manafort’s cooperation with the Mueller probe has collapsed. In a Monday filing, the special counsel’s office said he repeatedly lied to federal investigators, nullifying the plea agreement and exposing him to new charges.

Not soon after, news stories broke reporting that Manafort had met with Julian Assange in 2016, that a meeting between Manafort and Ecuador’s then-president was under scrutiny by Mueller, and that Manafort’s lawyer was briefing Trump’s attorneys. All this comes as the investigation appears to be reaching a crescendo. What does Mueller know? What did Manafort lie about? And what will President Trump do next?

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The midterms were over a week ago, but a number of races have yet to be called. In Florida, the senate and governor elections have both come down to a recount, and accusations of vote-tampering are flying.

Alex Wagner talks with Atlantic staff writer Isaac Dovere to understand what’s going on, and then turns to two veterans of the last such debacle: Mark McKinnon, chief media adviser for George W. Bush's 2000 campaign and Jeremy Bash, national security issues director for the Gore campaign.

They discuss winning the narrative, butterfly ballots, and landing to a “cloud of chads.”

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Executive Editor Matt Thompson interviews Atlantic reporters on what lessons they drew from the midterm elections, speaking in turn with: Vann Newkirk, Emma Green, Ron Brownstein, Adam Harris, and David Graham.

Links

- “The Democrats’ Deep-South Strategy Was a Winner After All”(Vann R. Newkirk II, November 8, 2018)

- ”Tuesday Showed the Drawbacks of Trump's Electoral Bargain” (Ronald Brownstein, November 7, 2018)

- “The Year of the Woman Still Leaves Women With Terrible Representation in Government” (Emma Green, November 7, 2018)

- “The Democrats Are Back, and Ready to Take On Trump” (David A. Graham, November 7, 2018)

- “America Is Divided by Education” (Adam Harris, November 7, 2018)

- “The Georgia Governor’s Race Has Brought Voter Suppression Into Full View” (Vann R. Newkirk II, November 6, 2018)

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The upcoming midterms mark the first nationwide referendum on the Trump presidency and the GOP-led Congress. Coming amid a shocking spree of political violence and an ugly showdown over voting rights, Tuesday’s election will have massive ramifications. What conclusions can we draw from the vote?

Links

- “The Jews of Pittsburgh Bury Their Dead” (Emma Green, October 30, 2018)

- “Trump Shut Programs to Counter Violent Extremism” (Peter Beinart, October 29, 2018)

- “Trump’s Caravan Hysteria Led to This” (Adam Serwer, October 28, 2018)

- “A Broken Jewish Community” (Emma Green, October 28, 2018)

- “Voter Suppression Is the New Old Normal” (Vann R. Newkirk II, October 24, 2018)

- “The 2018 Midterms Are All About Trump” (Ronald Brownstein, October 18, 2018)

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On October 2nd, Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, never to be seen again. Details of the journalist’s brutal killing and dismemberment have since emerged, prompting an international crisis for the kingdom and its de-facto ruler, crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

This week, The Atlantic’s Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg sits down with Fred Hiatt, the Washington Post’s editorial page editor and Jamal Khashoggi’s former boss, to discuss the man Khashoggi was and what justice may come after his death.

Links

- “This is the first step to recalibrating U.S.-Saudi relations” (The Editorial Board, Washington Post, October 22, 2018)

- “The U.S. Loved the Saudi Crown Prince. Not Anymore.” (Krishnadev Calamur, October 22, 2018)

- “There can be no coverup of this act of pure evil” (The Editorial Board, Washington Post, October 19, 2018)

- “Trump Sees Khashoggi’s Disappearance Mostly as a PR Problem” (David A. Graham, October 19, 2018)

- “Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression” (Jamal Khashoggi, Washington Post, October 17, 2018)

- “Saudi Crown Prince: Iran's Supreme Leader 'Makes Hitler Look Good'” (Jeffrey Goldberg, April 2, 2018)

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Senator Elizabeth Warren recently shared results of a genetic analysis to back up her family’s story of Cherokee ancestry, hoping to blunt a favorite Republican attack line. The move backfired. A DNA result does not confer a Cherokee heritage. And in general, efforts to link our genetics with our ethnic or cultural identities have a long and sordid history. So what’s more revealing: the results of DNA tests like Warren’s? Or what we try to find in them?

Links

- “The First DNA Test as Political Stunt” (Sarah Zhang, October 15, 2018)

- “Trump, Warren, and America's Racial Essentialism” (Vann R. Newkirk II, October 16, 2018)

- “Your DNA Is Not Your Culture” (Sarah Zhang, September 25, 2018)

- “When White Nationalists Get DNA Tests That Reveal African Ancestry” (Sarah Zhang, August 17, 2017)

- "Radio Atlantic: Becoming White in America" (Kevin Townsend, April 13, 2018)

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A college education has become a key asset towards success in the American economy, but for many Americans, access to higher education—especially at a prestigious university—feels increasingly out of reach. With its capricious admissions and massive debt loads, the system is struggling. So we’re sitting down this week with two members of our Education team—editor Alia Wong and staff writer Adam Harris—to ask the question: is U.S. higher education sustainable?

Links

- “Harvard Admissions on Trial” (Alia Wong, October 5, 2018)

- “America Wakes Up From Its Dream of Free College” (Adam Harris, September 11, 2018)

- “George Washington’s Broken Dream of a National University” (Adam Harris, September 21, 2018)

- “Lotteries May Be the Fairest Way to Fix Elite-College Admissions” (Alia Wong, August 1, 2018)

- “Why the Ivy League Needs to Admit More Students” (Alia Wong, September 28, 2018)

- “Here’s How Higher Education Dies” (Adam Harris, June 5, 2018)

- “The Era of Affirmative Action May Not Last Much Longer” (Adam Harris, July 3, 2018)

- “The College-Graduation Problem All States Have” (Adam Harris, June 16, 2018)

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Four years ago, after a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, protestors took to the streets of Ferguson, Missouri. Among them was a school administrator, always clad in a trademark blue vest. DeRay Mckesson, now a face of what became the Black Lives Matter movement, spoke in Washington this week at The Atlantic Festival. Mckesson recently authored a memoir: On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope.

Links

- On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope (DeRay Mckesson, 2018)

- “DeRay McKesson Talks About the Hardest Job He's Ever Had” (Lola Fadulu, June 2, 2018)

- “Hashtag Activism Isn't a Cop-Out” (Noah Berlatsky, January 7, 2015)

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