Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, 02/20/26

It’s been a week since the United States and Israel went to war with Iran. The question for President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu remains: Why did they attack, and why now? Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker, and Karim Sadjadpour and Nancy Youssef of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

The aftershocks of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes are rumbling once again, and all roads lead through President Trump’s Justice Department. Join guest moderator Vivian Salama, Andrew Desiderio of Punchbowl News, Sarah Fitzpatrick of The Atlantic, Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch and Tarini Parti of The Wall Street Journal to discuss this and more.

President Trump walks into his State of the Union address facing damning headlines and sagging poll numbers as voters watch the turbulence at home and abroad. Join guest moderator Vivian Salama, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Eugene Daniels of MS NOW, Lisa Desjardins of PBS News and Susan Glasser of The New Yorker to discuss this and more.

Few people in Washington have more power and influence than Stephen Miller. He’s the architect of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policy, and he’s the president’s enforcer. Moderator Jeffrey Goldberg discusses the beliefs and the record of Stephen Miller with Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times and McKay Coppins and Ashley Parker of The Atlantic.

President Trump set off alarm bells this week by calling for Republicans to “nationalize” the upcoming elections. This comes amid questions about Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s role in election security. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Jonathan Lemire and Michael Schere of The Atlantic, Jonathan Karl of ABC News and Liz Landers of PBS News to discuss this and more.

For the second time in as many weeks, Donald Trump has backed away from an unpopular policy. Last week, it was Greenland. This week, the ICE operation in Minneapolis. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker, Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times and Toluse Olorunnipa of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

Last week, Denmark. This week, Canada. Why does Donald Trump go out of his way to embarrass allies? Is Trump bored of peace? He seems to be, at least when it comes to America’s traditional allies. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck, Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch and Idrees Kahloon of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

If you have the feeling that we’re all just living in Trump’s world, you’re not alone. No president in our lifetimes has made himself the center of everything the way that Trump has. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Jonathan Karl of ABC News, David Sanger of The New York Times, Nancy Youssef of The Atlantic and Nick Schifrin of PBS News to discuss this and more.

Donald Trump often says he’s not a neoconservative and not a nation-builder, but he seems to be trying to remake the world. And at home, he’s unleashed ICE to remake America’s demographic reality. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker, Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch and Vivian Salama of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

The threat of war with Venezuela, Ukraine on the precipice, a possible counter-revolution in Iran, China eying an invasion of Taiwan and a U.S. president with a radical new understanding of America’s role in the world. Moderator Jeffrey Goldberg and Tom Friedman of The New York Times discuss how 2026 could be a dangerous year.