The war President Trump said would last just weeks is now in its sixth month and expanding. Why is the U.S. still fighting Iran, and to what end? And why are straight answers hard to come by in Washington? Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker, Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch and Nancy Youssef of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.
Full Episode: Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, 7/31/26
Jul. 31, 2026 AT 9:52 p.m. EDT
FROM THIS EPISODE
Clip: What the Fauci hearing says about where we are politically
Anthony Fauci returned to Capitol Hill this week for a Senate hearing and faced attacks from Republican lawmakers. The panel discusses Sen. Rand Paul's motivation for the hearing and Fauci's response.
Clip: Why is the U.S. still fighting Iran?
Trust in government has declined rapidly in recent years, and the consequences of this collapse are everywhere. Donald Trump can't find it in himself to be transparent with the American people about the state of the war with Iran, or about much else. The panel discusses the state of the war and the lack of answers.
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