The Experiment
Stories from an unfinished country
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Episodes
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How the Evangelical World Turned on Itself
Christian rapper Lecrae found his faith in a culture where evangelicalism and politics were tightly tied. When he couldn’t live with that anymore, the consequences were devastating.
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How The Evangelical Machine Got Made
White evangelicals have become the most powerful voting bloc in America, one church mailing list at a time. But is the cost of political victory too high?
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Here for the Right Reasons? Lessons From '90 Day Fiancé'
What does a guilty-pleasure reality show teach us about immigration and democracy in America?
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What Makes a Murderer?
A widely criticized legal principle disproportionately puts youth of color and women behind bars. But is it the only way to hold police accountable when they kill?
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How RBG Became ‘Notorious’
In her fight for women’s rights, the then–ACLU lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg did something unexpected: She argued on behalf of men.
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The Problem With America’s National Parks
The story of our national parks, sometimes called “America’s best idea,” leaves out a very big group of people. The Ojibwe writer David Treuer is trying to change that.
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The ‘Rock Doc’ Who Prescribed 1.4 Million Pain Pills
Jeffrey Young’s patients say he helped them like nobody else could, but prosecutors indicted him following a huge painkiller bust. His case offers a unique look at the opioid crisis.
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The Crime of Refusing Vaccination
Where do our rights over our own bodies end and our duties to others begin? An answer lies in the story of a 1905 Supreme Court case about government-mandated vaccines.
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The Volunteer
Yusuf Ahmed Nur volunteered to counsel a man on death row. He never intended to witness the execution.
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Inventing ‘Hispanic’
How did a hugely diverse group of people in the United States get lumped together? The answer involves Chicanos, the census, and Celia Cruz.
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Lost Cause
What does it take to overcome one of the oldest disinformation campaigns in American history?
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The Sisterhood
Filipinos make up 4 percent of nurses in the U.S. Why do they account for a third of the nurses who have died from COVID-19 in America?
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The Case for Sweatpants
What a polarizing garment says about America
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56 Years
American democracy is younger, and more fragile, than we’ve been taught. One woman lived through the whole thing.
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The Loophole
Inside Yellowstone National Park, there’s a glitch in the U.S. Constitution.
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Que Viva la Pepa: Introducing The Experiment
Stories from an unfinished country. A new series from The Atlantic and WNYC Studios.
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About The Experiment
It's easy to forget that the United States started as an experiment: a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, with liberty and justice for all. That was the idea.
On this weekly show, we check in on how that experiment is going. We find answers in doctors' offices, courtrooms, churches, national parks, laboratories, and in cars in the middle of the night. These stories look at the powerful ideas that shaped the United States—and what happens when we try to bring those ideas down to earth.
The Experiment: stories from an unfinished country, a co-production of The Atlantic and WNYC Studios, hosted by Julia Longoria. Weekly episodes beginning February 4.
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![]()
Host
Julia Longoria
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![]()
Associate Producer
Gabrielle Berbey
-
![]()
Vice President for Original Programming
Emily Botein
-
![]()
Executive Producer, Development
Matt Collette
-
![]()
Sound Designer
David Herman
-
![]()
Correspondent
Tracie Hunte
-
![]()
Producer
Alvin Melathe
-
![]()
Production Coordinator
Natalia Ramirez
-
![]()
Executive Producer
Katherine Wells
About The Experiment
It's easy to forget that the United States started as an experiment: a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, with liberty and justice for all. That was the idea.
On this weekly show, we check in on how that experiment is going. We find answers in doctors' offices, courtrooms, churches, national parks, laboratories, and in cars in the middle of the night. These stories look at the powerful ideas that shaped the United States—and what happens when we try to bring those ideas down to earth.
The Experiment: stories from an unfinished country, a co-production of The Atlantic and WNYC Studios, hosted by Julia Longoria. Weekly episodes beginning February 4.
-
![]()
Host
Julia Longoria
-
![]()
Associate Producer
Gabrielle Berbey
-
![]()
Vice President for Original Programming
Emily Botein
-
![]()
Executive Producer, Development
Matt Collette
-
![]()
Sound Designer
David Herman
-
![]()
Correspondent
Tracie Hunte
-
![]()
Producer
Alvin Melathe
-
![]()
Production Coordinator
Natalia Ramirez
-
![]()
Executive Producer
Katherine Wells