Democrats’ Immigration Problem

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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Okt 20171h 24min

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Sep 201753min

The idea that public schools are failing is one of the most commonly heard complaints in American society. But what are they failing to do? Surveys of American parents—and the history of the nation's public education system—tell a more complicated story. In this episode, The Atlantic's education editor Alia Wong joins Jeff, Matt, and Alex for a conversation about how we define and measure success in public education. We’d like to hear your stories about education: public, private, school-of-hard-knocks, you name it. Call us up at (202) 266-7600 and leave us a voicemail with your story and your answer to the question, “What is public education for?” Don't forget to leave your contact info. For links and other show notes, go here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Sep 201757min

Eight months into the Trump administration, we're taking stock: What is shaping up to be President Trump's effect on America’s institutions? Will subsequent presidents preserve or disregard the norms he's tossed aside? What are his political allies and opponents learning from his actions? Jack Goldsmith, author of The Atlantic's October cover story, explores these and many other questions with editor-in-chief Jeffrey Golberg. Then, Matt Thompson and Alex Wagner discuss Trump's impact on the GOP with longtime Republican strategist Mindy Finn and The Atlantic's politics and policy editor, Yoni Appelbaum. For links and other show notes, go here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Sep 201757min

Immigrants flock to the U.S. in pursuit of the American Dream. But does the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program mean a wake-up call for millions of undocumented Americans? In this episode of Radio Atlantic, reporter Jeremy Raff and editor Priscilla Alvarez join Jeffrey Goldberg and Matt Thompson to discuss what the suspension of DACA means for those directly affected ... and what it means for America as a whole. For links and show notes, go here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Sep 201741min

If history is any guide, the biggest problems for residents of the Houston area will come into focus only after the nation's attention has already turned elsewhere. In this Radio Atlantic extra, Matt Thompson talks with Atlantic staff writer David Graham about the questions we should be asking now, while Harvey remains in the headlines. As the recovery gets under way, what should we be watching? Plus, a Houston-area resident talks about what she's seen over the last week that she wants to hold on to in the months and years ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Sep 201717min

"Winter is coming," they warned us, and the seventh season of Game of Thrones might have proved them right. But no one mentioned that winter in Westeros would coincide with so many troubling events in real-world politics. In this episode, Megan Garber, staff writer for The Atlantic, joins Radio Atlantic cohosts Alex Wagner and Matt Thompson for a conversation about lessons from the show, and other recent pop culture. - If you're not a Game of Thrones fan, or don't want to be spoiled, worry not: the second segment of our conversation (around the 16:30 mark) turns beyond the show to discuss recent movies, books, and TV shows with political lessons to offer. - If you are a Game of Thrones fan, be forewarned: we discuss spoilers up to and including the final episode of season 7. For links and other show notes, go here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Sep 201745min

It's been ten years since the iPhone came out, and now the first generation to grow up with smartphones is coming of age. Jean Twenge, a psychologist who has studied generational behaviors, has found troubling signals that these devices seem to be taking a visible toll on the mental health of post-Millennials. In the September 2017 issue of The Atlantic, Twenge shares her findings in a story adapted from her new book, iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood—and What That Means for the Rest of Us. In this episode, we talk with Twenge about her findings, hear from a few members of the post-Millennial generation about their relationships with their devices, and discuss what the research means for parents. For links and other show notes, go here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 Aug 201747min