The Atlantic Current

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...

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...