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The David Frum Show

The Atlantic

To defend democracy, one has to believe in it. To believe in democracy, one has to understand it. Where it came from. How it works. What’s true. What’s not. What others did before you. How it could be better. How to make a difference.

Each week, The David Frum Show digs deep into the big questions people have about our society, explains the progress Americans have made together, and reminds us that the American idea is worth defending.

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26 episodes
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Avg 54 min
English

Episodes 26

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Yesterday · 10 min
Trump Has Turned America Into a Credit Risk
Why America’s rising borrowing costs are really a crisis of trust
#75
Wednesday · 58 min
The Atrocities That Shaped the Modern Middle East
Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore on his latest book, “The Cauldron,” and how violence forged the modern Middle East. Plus: The Hidden Hand by Warren Kinsella.
#75
September 12 · 13 min
Did America Win the War on Terror?
Twenty-five years after 9/11, David Frum discusses whether the United States won its War on Terror.
#74
September 9 · 59 min
Inside the White House on 9/11
John McConnell on his memories of working in the White House on September 11, 2001. Plus: American Pastoral by Philip Roth.
#73
September 2 · 57 min
How Trump Lost Asia
Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on how Donald Trump is abandoning America’s historic allies and abandoning the Pacific to China. Plus: What could happen to Trump’s ill-gotten wealth, and Red Dawn Over China: How Communism Conquered a Quarter of Humanity, by Frank Dikötter.
#72
August 26 · 1 hr 1 min
What Are Jewish Voters Supposed to Do?
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on why she is skipping the Michigan Democratic Party’s convention, the rise of anti-Semitism within her party, and the conundrum Jewish Democrat voters face. Plus: A new round of Trump’s Canadian trade war and “American Scoundrel,” by Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark.
#71
August 5 · 1 hr 3 min
Was Herbert Hoover America’s Most Misunderstood President?
Margaret Hoover on Herbert Hoover’s life, presidency, legacy, and the renovation of his presidential library. Plus: Trump’s dropped Reflecting Pool indictment and The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carré.
#70
July 29 · 59 min
The Fight That Could Decide 2028
Jonathan Chait on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the far left’s attacks on Obama’s legacy, and the Michigan Democratic Senate primary that will decide the future of the party. Plus: more Trump tariffs and Eric Cline’s “1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed.”
#69
July 22 · 52 min
Why Are Groceries So Expensive?
Economist Vincent Smith on rising grocery prices and whether there will be relief any time soon. Plus: Trump’s broken economic policies and Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology.”
#68
July 15 · 54 min
Social Security Is Running Out of Time
Maya MacGuineas on the looming exhaustion of the Social Security Trust Funds and whether America will ever have a responsible federal budget. Plus: another ICE shooting and “A Place of Greater Safety” by Hilary Mantel.
#67
July 8 · 51 min
Is the Left Driving Women Away?
Shannon Watts on the increasing hostility toward women among some progressive voters. Plus: the Graham Platner news and “Killing Baby Hitler” by Michael Tomasky.
#66
July 1 · 56 min
The American Experiment Is Worth Believing In
The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, on America’s 250th anniversary and the American idea today. Plus: what we can learn from American history on this Fourth of July and “City on a Hill: A History of American Exceptionalism” by Abram Van Engen.
#65
June 24 · 55 min
Did Trump Surrender to Iran?
Inside the Trump-Iran negotiations with Vivian Salama. Plus: Why do people no longer care about climate change? And “Bel Canto” by Ann Patchett.
#64
June 17 · 1 hr 8 min
Cuba Is Collapsing. Will Trump Invade?
CNN international correspondent Patrick Oppmann on Trump’s fixation on Cuba, the current state of the Cuban government, and what happens next. Plus: J. D. Vance’s presidential aspirations and “Othello.”
#63
June 10 · 1 hr
Republicans vs. the Fourteenth Amendment
Professor David W. Blight on President Trump’s war on the Fourteenth Amendment. Plus: Brexit at 10 years and “1873” by Liaquat Ahamed.
#62
June 3 · 52 min
How to Save the Supreme Court From Itself
Kate Shaw on reforming the U.S. Supreme Court. Plus: extremism in the Democratic Party, and the history of the word “graduate.”
#61
May 27 · 50 min
Has Trump Corrupted the Military?
Representative Jason Crow on the chaos at Pete Hegseth’s “Department of War.” Plus: Trump’s Iran defeat and James Boswell’s The Life of Samuel Johnson.
#60
May 20 · 56 min
Trump’s Iran War: America's Loss Is China’s Win
Phillips O’Brien on the global fallout of Putin’s war in Russia, Trump’s war in Iran, and MAGA’s indifference toward Taiwan. Plus: Trump’s new slush fund and “What Science Says About Astrology.”
#59
May 13 · 55 min
What Happens if the U.S. Defaults?
LLoyd Blankfein on the growing U.S. debt, polarization, the state of the economy, and what a United States default would look like. Plus: Trump-branded cellphones and the decline of public confidence in free enterprise.
#58
May 6 · 1 hr 7 min
How to Survive Losing a Child
Danielle Crittenden on losing a daughter, grief, and her new memoir, “Dispatches From Grief.”

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