The Atlantic Current

Vince and Tull reflect on the absolute romp in the American midterm elections. Vince highlights the staggering nature of the vote shift in a country where less than half the electorate is likely up for grabs. Tull points to core reasons for the Democratic wave, while Vince offers a theory on why the GOP lost so badly in so many races throughout the country. And, as always, there’s a detour, with a...

Ahead of the midterms, the polls and the prediction markets suggest a “blue wave” — but Vince isn’t convinced. The two talk about the sense on the ground in the States, and analyze the broader picture ahead of Tuesday’s critical elections. Can the Democrats finally accomplish, well, anything? And, most importantly, how will Donald Trump react?

The sweeping biography of Donald Trump as cultural figure comes to an end. Trump weathers his collapse by audaciously — and hysterically — creating a brilliant but imaginary comeback. Left outside the business world, Trump is rescued by reality television, which rehabilitates his reputation and leads to a new business model of licensing anything he can. But, by the early 2010s, even that career se...

Donald Trump sends the island of Ireland into an uproar as he calls for a unified Ireland. Is it, as some believe, a coordinated effort to take a shot at a Labour government that won’t cooperate enough overseas? Or, as Vince argues, is it another case of Trump substituting his “common sense” for detailed understanding? Tull and Vince have fun with the visit, while Tull details the promise and peri...

Ahead of the 25th anniversary, Vince and Tull revisit that day. Vince discusses what it was like being in Manhattan as the Twin Towers were hit and fell, while Tull offers his own remembrance from a rural pub in Ireland. The aftermath of the event — particularly when the US veered into Iraq — has colored that day, and Tull asks if Americans have ever fully come to grips with what happened. Vince c...

The fall of Donald Trump in the late 1980s has been extensively documented, yet not particularly well understood. Despite the narrative from his critics then and now, across the decade Trump’s deal-making prowess remains on display. But it’s his managerial style and, most importantly, strategic ineptitude, that dooms Trump not just in Atlantic City casinos but throughout his empire. The fascinatin...

With “leaving certs” done in Ireland, Tull and Vince turn their attention to higher education. Vince is startled by the seemingly unforgiving path to higher education in Ireland. Tull is brought to silence by the costs of college in the U.S. And while young people in both countries have a seemingly easy choice to make, the duo closes with a discussion of why the right move in dollars is so difficu...

With the political scene mostly quiet, Tull and Vince focus in on some of the wildest, funniest, and outright dumbest stories of the week. A MAGA influencer publicly alleges a ‘deep state’ conspiracy, and outs herself in the process. A tiny left-wing party in Ireland threatens to fracture again, leading to a fond discussion of one of the funniest political scenes ever put on film. A sitting US Sen...

Tull and Vince cover the death of five teenagers on an Irish highway, and how it might drive a sea change in attitudes toward policing and criminal justice. The focus then turns to lighter stories in the States: one of the wilder statements ever uttered in a political debate, and the 35-year-old White House aide who found herself at the center of a massive story — in part because her president lef...

In 1976, Donald Trump gives an interview to the New York Times which is stunning in its brazen falsehoods. Seven years later, Trump Tower opens — and, for a time, shows that Trump has become what he had earlier only pretended to be. A rollicking story of how Trump played the media, used his connections, dealt with the Mob, and set the foundation for his rise to fame in the 1980s. Check out show no...

Tull and Vince focus on two primary elections in the great state of Michigan as test cases for and reflections of a new Red Scare (and Green Scare) in the US. How a man who spent less than $2,000 and suspended his campaign won — and whether a formidable candidate with an impressive resume and a “funny-sounding name” can do the same in November. Check out the show notes at atlanticcurrent.substack....

Mayo’s win in the All-Ireland Gaelic football final sparks a warm discussion on the joy of sports, curses, and a detour into the insanity of American amateur athletics. But news elsewhere is more grim: renewed terrorist threats in the North, and a complete inability in the US (or anywhere else) to reckon with the damage caused by the global coronavirus pandemic. In both cases, Tull and Vince provi...

Now clearly the favorite son, Donald Trump returns to New York City aiming to make a name for himself. But a rocky start and an infamous scandal follow. Yet through connections, corruption, and some will of his own, Donald Trump is able to both close his first major deal and begin to catch the eye of a New York media all too willing to enable him. Visit atlanticcurrent.substack.com for show notes...

Tull sparks another social media controversy for an Irish politician — this time, when TD Niall Collins replies to legitimate concern about the Aughinish Alumina plant with a “yawn” emoji. After covering the story in Ep. 53 - which one listener called the “best podcast I have listened to” on Aughinish and its Russian shipments - Tull and Vince take the chance to update listeners on new development...

Tull and Vince complete the incredible story of Graham Platner, and explore its aftereffects. Platner’s collapse highlights both the ineptitude of national Democrats, and the battle for the party’s soul and direction. The two discuss why Platner’s story has faded — despite the most serious allegation against a major political candidate in over a century — and the lesson provided by the late senato...

A clip from Tull showing Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan lamenting the inability to speak Irish in an EU meeting — only to prove her own inability to do so — has gone mega-viral, and sparks the first Atlantic Current emergency podcast. Tull and Vince have some fun with the mix of indignation and ignorance, along with the possibility of literally dying from embarrassment, but also probe the repeated and...

The stunning rise and collapse of Graham Platner is one of the most fascinating political stories of the decade. In less than a year, Platner went from anonymity to being a front-runner for a United States seat and potential presidential contender to ignominy. And while his personal failings make for great drama (and some dark humor), his story also reflects key themes in politics nationally and w...

At thirteen years old, Donald Trump is sent to military school. At home, his older brother Fred Jr. — handsome, charming, and skilled — is set to join and eventually take over the family business. But battles between father and son, new loves, and the beginnings of an all-too-common disease will change the course of Fred Jr.’s life. It will also open a path for Donald to become the new golden boy...

For the first time, Tull and Vince record in person from an undisclosed location in Ireland. The witty, wide-ranging conversation covers America’s 250th birthday (and why Vince is fine missing it), a potential scandal in Galway, and the collapse in cryptocurrency prices.

As a politician, Donald Trump has been analyzed, covered, and discussed more than anyone in modern history. But that discussion has obscured a fascinating pre-political career in which Trump had a huge impact on American culture — and reflected so many of the major trends across the country in the postwar period. In Part I of this multi-episode event, Vince and Tull look at Donald Trump’s childhoo...

Tull and Vince tour a number of stories that highlight broader problems across the United States and Europe. Manna’s decision to pause operations in Ireland leads to claims that the country has become a “vetocracy” and highlights a rising backlash against tech. In the North, Jeffrey Donaldson faces punishment for his crimes. In the US, Republicans continue to argue — with hysterically poor evidenc...

Tull details the stunning — and infuriating — history of Aughinish Alumina in County Limerick. While the plant has made international news amid revelations that its output appears to be supporting the Russian war machine, the larger scandal may well center on the health of area citizens and the effect on their environment. It’s a scandal underpinned by four decades of indifference from and neglect...

Tull and Vince discuss the riots in Belfast which saw 61 families burned out of their homes. Tull forcefully argues that the violence was a pogrom, one that provided a disturbing flashback to the Troubles. Vince highlights why the events in Belfast have captured attention in the US, and how those that excuse the violence are making the same error as so many Americans in recent years. It’s a grim b...

Meredith Oglivie-Thompson returns to the podcast to discuss the Enhanced Games, the oligarch-created, (legal) drug-infused athletic competition recently held in Las Vegas. The event — and the publicly-traded company behind it — says so much about how tech billionaires view mortality, morality, and the rest of us. An occasionally dark, but as always illuminating, look at the new ruling class, where...

With Tull out, standup comedian Butch Bradley joins the podcast for an uproarious global tour. Vince and Butch catch up on their time on the stage together and why Irish descent provides an edge in the comedy business. Butch also discusses his Durty travels across the world, the impact of Donald Trump on Atlantic City, and why the Irish should have pity on their American cousins. Check out Butch o...