Evan Smith, The Atlantic’s managing director for events, sat down with Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith; Atlantic contributing writer and George Washington law professor Jeffrey Rosen; and Melissa Murray, a professor of constitutional law at New York University and a co-host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny. They discussed how the country’s defining ideals have been contested and reimagined across generations—and how to carry that legacy forward. 

This episode features a conversation recorded on June 11, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of our Atlantic Across America series.

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For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live.

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Evan Smith, The Atlantic’s managing director for events, sat down with Representative Madeleine Dean to talk about the consequences of the Iran War, how the Democratic Party might operate if they win back the House after the midterm elections, and what America 250 means in Philadelphia, where our founders signed the Declaration of Independence.

This episode features a conversation recorded on June 11, 2026, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of our Atlantic Across America series.

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For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live.

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The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins sat down with Evan Smith, The Atlantic’s managing director for events, to talk about the precarious landscape of local news, the rise of misinformation and threats to a free press, and what the media can do to evolve and rebuild trust in an institution that’s vital to our democracy.

This episode features a conversation recorded on May 11, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah, as part of our Atlantic Across America series. It was produced in partnership with the Deseret News’ podcast Deseret Voices. 

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For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live.

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Staff writer McKay Coppins sat down with Utah Governor Spencer Cox to talk about the future of the Republican party, flashpoint policy debates in his state, and, of course, to ask the governor the question everyone wants answered: Is he running for president in 2028?

This episode features a conversation recorded on May 11, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah, as part of our Atlantic Across America series. It was produced in partnership with the Deseret News’ podcast Deseret Voices. 

Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Plus, you can attend exclusive live events, listen to subscriber-only audio, download stories on The Atlantic app, and more.

For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live.

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The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins sat down with Ryan and Ashley Smith, owners of the Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth, to talk about the value of live sports in an AI-driven era, the evolving future of entertainment, and what it means to run and rebuild a professional sports enterprise.

This episode features a conversation recorded on May 11, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah, as part of our Atlantic Across America series. It was produced in partnership with the Deseret News’ podcast Deseret Voices. 

Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Plus, you can attend exclusive live events, listen to subscriber-only audio, download stories on The Atlantic app, and more.

For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live.

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The Atlantic’s David Graham spoke with several local journalists—Leoneda Inge from WUNC, Eduardo Medina of The New York Times, and Kate Sheppard of The Assembly—about how North Carolina’s economic, political, and cultural shifts are shaping public life in the Tar Heel State.

This episode features a conversation recorded on April 8, 2026, in Durham, North Carolina, as part of our Atlantic Across America series. 

Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Plus, you can attend exclusive live events, listen to subscriber-only audio, download stories on The Atlantic app, and more.

For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live.

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Evan Smith, The Atlantic’s managing director for events, spoke with three university chancellors—Karrie Dixon of North Carolina Central University, Kevin Howell of North Carolina State University, and Lee Roberts of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—about the state of play in higher education, including tuition increases, state and federal funding, enrollment growth, and the value of a college degree.

This episode features a conversation recorded on April 8, 2026, in Durham, North Carolina, as part of our Atlantic Across America series. 

Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Plus, you can attend exclusive live events, listen to subscriber-only audio, download stories on The Atlantic app, and more.

For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live.

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Evan Smith, The Atlantic’s managing director for events, sat down with the Minnesota journalist Georgia Fort to discuss the importance of a free press and her recent arrest following her coverage of a protest inside a St. Paul church.

This episode features a conversation recorded on February 12, 2026, at the Knight Media Forum in Miami as part of our Atlantic Across America series. 

Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Plus, you can attend exclusive live events, listen to subscriber-only audio, download stories on The Atlantic app, and more.

For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live.

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In the days following the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, The Atlantic’s Vivian Salama sat down with the fellow staff writers Tom Nichols, Toluse Olorunnipa, and Nancy A. Youssef to discuss the start of the war and its implications for global security. 

This episode features a conversation recorded virtually on March 4, 2026, as part of our Big Story series.

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For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live.

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Evan Smith, The Atlantic’s managing director for events, sat down with former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and former Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona to discuss America’s place in the world as we enter the second year of a more aggressively isolationist administration. 

This episode features a conversation recorded on January 13, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, as part of the Atlantic Across America series. 

Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Plus, you can attend exclusive live events, listen to subscriber-only audio, download stories on The Atlantic app, and more.

For more information about The Atlantic’s past and upcoming events, go to TheAtlantic.com/Live.

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