Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, 5/9/25

For Washington media, the decade of Donald Trump has proved to be challenging, unnerving and rewarding. On a special edition of Washington Week with The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg speaks with Kara Swisher, one of the great analysts and interpreters of our communications future, about the Trump era and the future of the media.

President Trump and key members of his administration claim that U.S. airstrikes "obliterated" Iran’s nuclear program, despite the leak of an initial intelligence report contradicting that assessment. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Shane Harris and Ashley Parker of The Atlantic, David Ignatius of The Washington Post and Andrea Mitchell of NBC News to discuss this and more.

Just as U.S. airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear program seemed likely, President Trump found a temporary off-ramp, saying he will make his decision within two weeks. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Jonathan Karl of ABC News, David Ignatius of The Washington Post, David Sanger of The New York Times and Nancy Youssef of The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic to discuss these stories and more.

The war between Israel and Iran is escalating and the new conflict is a rejection of President Trump’s deal-making efforts. Join guest moderator Ashley Parker of The Atlantic, Eugene Daniels of MSNBC, Tyler Pager of The New York Times, Matt Viser of The Washington Post and Nancy Youssef of The Wall Street Journal to discuss this and more.

On a special edition of Washington Week with The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg is joined by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times to unpack the start of President Trump’s second term and his efforts to address critical issues around the world. Friedman dives into his own recent trip to Israel, the parallels between Trump and Netanyahu and the rise of authoritarianism in both nations.

Most presidents wait until they leave the White House to cash in, but President Trump takes a different approach. If there’s a way to make money off the presidency, he’s on it. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck and Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch to discuss this and more.

Presidential legacies tend to be debated for decades, but in the four months since Joe Biden left office, a consensus seems to have emerged that his decision to stand for a second term all but guaranteed Donald Trump’s return to power and that efforts to hide his infirmities were disastrous and dishonest. Jeffrey Goldberg speaks with Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson about their book, “Original Sin.”

After being welcomed in royal style by Gulf leaders, President Trump announced enormous deals and made dramatic foreign policy decisions on the fly. He also advanced the cause of his family’s businesses. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch, David Ignatius of The Washington Post and Andrea Mitchell of NBC News to discuss this and more.

President Trump’s leadership on the world stage is being put to the test and the challenge for America’s allies and adversaries alike is figuring out what his actual policies are. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker, Asma Khalid of NPR, David Sanger of The New York Times and Nancy Youssef of The Wall Street Journal to discuss this and more.

President Trump ousts his national security adviser, making Mike Waltz the first casualty of Signalgate. And federal judges across the country call the biggest parts of Trump’s deportation agenda unlawful. Join guest moderator Laura Barrón-López, Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck, Michael Scherer of The Atlantic, Ali Vitali of MSNBC and Alexander Ward of The Wall Street Journal to discuss this and more.