The Atlantic Current

On the heels of a bizarre week, Tull and Vince dig into the president’s intellectual capacity. The case is simple: Donald Trump does not know how the world works. The ten dumbest things he has said — aloud and publicly — in his political career prove as much. A dark and riotous episode provides a fresh look at what has become all too normalized. Check out atlanticcurrent.substack.com for show note...

Tull and Vince delve into elections in the two countries. Why election spending in Ireland looks so bizarre to an American — and why US expenditures look so corrupt to a European. Tull’s origin story is revealed, Irish weather confounds, and Vince admits to a felony. Check out atlanticcurrent.substack.com for show notes, updates, and more!

As another Ebola outbreak threatens Central Africa, Vince and Tull are joined by journalist Meredith Ogilvie-Thompson, who spent years covering stories — and witnessing past outbreaks — across the Continent. They discuss the importance of US aid cuts, the infrastructure and competence of African nations, and the counterproductive destruction by DOGE. Check out atlanticcurrent.substack.com for show...

Vince and Tull wrap up the key by-elections in Galway West and Dublin Central. The takeaways in each district, what they mean for two of the major parties (and their leaders), and where Ireland goes from here.

Tull and Vince discuss the wave of stories that seem to highlight corruption within the Trump Administration, led by the president himself. But Vince takes a surprising angle — and provides a defense of Donald Trump, albeit in a perhaps more damning way. One of the darker, and definitely most darkly funny, episodes of the series so far.

The pod gets its first guest: Richard Collumb, described by one minister as “the best director of elections ever”. Collumb provides expert insights into Friday’s by-elections in Galway West and Dublin Central, seeing good news for one government party, trouble for another, and the potential for not one, but two, leadership changes in the near future.

Vince and Tull return to the war between the US, Israel and Iran in a bid to understand what, exactly, Donald Trump can do from here. (The answer seems to be: not much.) Then, yet another questionable claim from a Sinn Féin TD sparks a discussion about the party’s willingness to embrace conspiracies, and the role of similar theories in US politics over the years.

A Cabinet Secretary’s road trip — and his wife’s bizarre rationalization — highlights the space created for corruption in the U.S., though Tull and Vince debate what, precisely, is going on at the top of the Administration. Meanwhile, Sinn Féin makes yet another misstep, while Tull highlights the importance and reach of the rebounding Irish native language.

An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal sparks a discussion on the relative wealth between Europe and the United States. Is the Continent really falling further behind? And why can’t everyone be like the United States? Plus why a key Irish civil servant needs to fly more, and how Tull and Vince are contributing to the destruction of the global media. Check out atlanticcurrent.substack.com for show not...

Tull previews the upcoming Irish bye-elections. The trends to watch, the candidates who are favored, and the narratives that will emerge later this month. Vince provides some comparisons to the American system — and a few interesting observations from the outside. Check out show notes, updates and more at atlanticcurrent.substack.com.

Tensions are rising on both sides of the Atlantic. Irish and American voters express disappointment even as — in some ways — things have never been better. Disinformation, (alleged) gangsters, and threats to the American midterms add to the sense of worry — but a few detours into sandwiches, insects, and the most insane coup ever attempted add some levity to the insights. YouTube link for the hist...

Another assassination attempt on Donald Trump further inflames what Tull has long called an ongoing “cold civil war”. The instant explosion in conspiracy theories — now apparently the domain of both sides of the political divide — only adds to a sense that in America reality itself is fracturing. Vince charts an unlikely path for President Trump, while Tull offers a way out for nervous Americans.

Tull and Vince open with coverage of Kash Patel’s alleged exploits and errors as director of the FBI — but focus more closely on an interview Patel gave days later on Fox News. As Trump voters are fed an increasingly coordinated and aggressive narrative promising retribution and arrests of Democratic officials and leaders, the midterm elections loom. While the broader media touts ‘exclusives’ with...

Part II of the news roundup resumes the search for a Trump scapegoat — and lands squarely on the man occupying the most hated job in Washington. After ending so many episodes on a darker note, Vince closes with a joyful retelling of the long, sordid, bizarre, and often-hysterical story of Mark Sanford. Visit atlanticcurrent.substack.com to subscribe to show notes, updates, and more!

Nationwide fuel protests are at an end, but pressure on Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin is starting to rise. After twelve years of potential challenges to his leadership, has a real threat emerged? In the US, the executive branch is similarly embattled. But as Trump looks for an exit from Iran, will he need a scapegoat in the process? Check out https://atlanticcurrent.substack.com/ for detailed sho...

In the wake of massive fuel protests, Tull highlights the importance of social media in domestic politics. On the other side of the Atlantic, Vince uses the longest (and likely most interesting) story about gas stoves ever recorded to highlight the effect of social media on the American right.

Tull and Vince explain why they’re not talking about Iran (Vince’s mental health being one core reason), and instead pivot to large-scale, wild, and logically questionable protests sweeping Ireland at the moment. Tull gives detailed accounts from the ground; as always, Vince provides the American perspective, along with his experiences at a university where protests were so common they inspired th...

After a harrowing weekend and ahead of a major deadline, Tull and Vince focus on Donald Trump’s ability to keep prosecuting the war in Iran. That ability rests on his base; Vince highlights how the perception of MAGA supporters is diametrically opposed to that of essentially the entire rest of the world.

This episode wasn’t supposed to be about Tull’s predictions playing out — but there’s no other choice. Whether it’s energy prices, the global economy, turmoil in the White House, or crazy trading in prediction markets, the pessimistic view gained steam this week. With no shortage of (often dark) humor, Tull and Vince discuss how it happened and where the US and world can go from here.

For the 30th episode, Tull and Vince tackle guns. In Ireland and Europe, they are tools used for hunting and occasional police work; in the US, they carry intense cultural, political, and even emotional weight. Vince tries desperately to explain how and why a nation with 45,000 gun deaths annually seemingly can do so little to solve the problem.

The TACO acronym returns as Donald Trump looks for an off-ramp in Iran — yet none looks viable. At home, the Administration deals with an epidemic of insider trading and an increasingly agitated electorate. Vince fights the conventional wisdom about Congressional corruption, while Tull offers a glorious rant about the staggering sums paid to Irish civil servants.

Tull and Vince lean on years of experience to tackle the disparate views of the stock market and investing in the US, Ireland, and Europe. The episode moves on to the history of American-driven financial crashes, cracks in the credit market, the joy and horror of crypto, and the increasingly blurry line between investing and gambling, with some well-timed acronym humor thrown in.

Tull and Vince circle the globe. Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin pulls off a high-risk meeting with Trump, while a stunning visit from the Japanese prime minister to DC proves one of Vince’s long-held theories. Soaring energy prices are pressuring Europe and Asia, and show a lack of preparation for the effects of the attacks. Denmark incredibly prepares for war with the U.S., Americans have a gambl...

Vince and Tull (mostly) depart from global politics for a special episode on St. Patrick’s Day, delivered a day earlier than usual. No better way to prepare for a global holiday than a crackling conversation between an Irishman and an American. On St. Patrick himself, the risk facing Micheál Martin during his traditional visit to the White House, and the most offensive and downright silly Irish-Am...

Tull and Vince start in Ireland, where both President Catherine Connolly and Sinn Fein are in the news for the wrong reasons. Vince highlights the growing belief on the American right about rigged elections, and predicts trouble ahead in November, while Tull details one of the funnier voter fraud cases of the century, and closes by wondering whether the war in Iran will change the Middle East for...