“America’s Choice – Der USA-Podcast” is a German-language podcast on U.S. politics, co-produced by the Aspen Institute Germany and the Atlantik-Brücke. The podcast addresses political developments in the United States, the Biden administration’s domestic and foreign policy priorities, and the implications for transatlantic relations. It is co-hosted by Dr. Stormy-Annika Mildner, Executive Director of Aspen Germany, and Julia Friedlander, CEO of Atlantik-Brücke. In each episode, they speak with select experts about the latest developments on the other side of the Atlantic. The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all other platforms.
Publications
2024
Episode 60: Images, narratives and projection surfaces in the US election campaign: The power of the image?
With Rieke Havertz, International Correspondent for De Zeit, US politics expert and host of the podcast Ok, America? and Julius van de Laar, International Campaign and Strategy Consultant at Van de Laar Campaigning and podcast host of Race to the White House.
Episode 59: On the Rise? The Labor Movement in the USA
With Stephen Silvia, Professor at American University.
Episode 58: Bidenomics between Economic Policy, Campaign, and Theory
With Ulrike Malmendier, Cora Jane Flood Professor of Finance and Director of the O’Donnell Center for Behavioral Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and Member of the Sachverständingenrates Wirtschaft.
Episode 57: Two Years of War in Ukraine and No End in Sight
With Max Bergmann, Director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program and the Stuart Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.
Episode 56: Kickoff into the U.S. election year 2024: Primaries, Candidates, Issues
With Peter Burghardt, U.S. correspondent for the Süddeutsche Zeitung in Washington, D.C., and Majda Ruge, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) in Berlin.
2023
Episode 55: America’s Atmosphere: The Environmental and Climate Policy of the USA
With Petra Dolata, Associate Professor of Energy History at the University of Calgary, and Dennis Tänzler, Director and Head of Climate Policy Programme at Adelphi in Berlin.
Episode 54: One year until the US elections
With Juliane Schäuble, U.S. correspondent for Tagesspiegel, and Kai Whittaker, Member of the German Bundestag (CDU/CSU) and Deputy Chair of the German-American Parliamentary Group.
Episode 53: The Future of AI-Regulation: Prospects in the USA
With Katharina Wegele, Director of the ARD-Studio Los Angeles, and Martin Wegele, Director Government and Regulatory Affairs at IBM in Berlin.
Episode 51: Politicized and Polarized: und Polarisiert: On the State of U.S. Democracy
With Sarah Wagner, Deputy Director and Project Manager, Atlantic Academy Rheinland-Pfalz and Doris Simon, Correspondent for the USA and Canada, Deutschlandradio.
Episode 50: Before the NATO Summit: The Global Security Situation and Alliance Unity
With Dr. Ben Schreer, Executive Director and Head of the European Security and Defence Programme at the Berlin-based International Institute for Strategic Studies-Europe (IISS).
Episode 49: After the G7-Summit: Where to go from here
With Ulrike Franke, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) in Paris, and Roland Nelles, Chief Correspondent and Bureau Chief of the news magazine Der Spiegel in Washington, D.C.
Episode 48: Markets between inflation and bank failures
With Stefan Eich, Assistant Professor of Government at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and currently Richard B. Fisher Member in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, New Jersey.
Episode 47: U.S. Southern Border Crisis and No End in Sight?
With Bastian Brauns, U.S. correspondent for t-online in Washington, D.C., and Johanna Roth, U.S. correspondent for ZEIT Online in Washington, D.C.
Episode 46: One year after the Russian invasion: The Ukraine war and its consequences
With Elmar Theveßen (ZDF studio director in Washington D.C.) and Dr. Liana Fix (Fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington D.C.).
Episode 45: After the Chaos in Congress: The State of the Republican Party
With Kerstin Klein, ARD studio in Washington, D.C., and Dr. Philipp Adorf, Institute for Political Science and Sociology at the University of Bonn (25. Januar 2023).
2022
Episode 44: New Trade Dispute Among Friends? Why U.S. Investments in Future Technologies Alarm the EU
With Heike Buchter, U.S. correspondent, DIE ZEIT, and Dr. Laura von Daniels, Head of Research Division ‘The Americas’, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) (December 20, 2022).
Episode 43: Biden’s Halftime: What the Outcome of the Midterms Means for the United States
With Julian Heißler, U.S. Correspondent, Wirtschaftswoche, and Dr. Meike Zwingenberger, Chief Executive Officer, Bavarian Center for Transatlantic Relations (November 10, 2022).
Episode 42: The Midterms 2022: Positions and Perspectives
With Cecilie Rohwedder, Contributor, Wall Street Journal (WSJ), and Dr. Johannes Thimm, Deputy Head of Research Division ‘The Americas’, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) (September 22, 2022).
Episode 41: Transatlantic Energy Policy: A New Rift or Common Approach?
With Dr. Sonja Thielges, Research Group Leader at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), and Dr. Guntram Wolff, Director and CEO of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) (August 24, 2022).
Episode 40: Will the Supreme Court Overturn Abortion Rights: What the End of Roe v. Wade Means
With Sofia Dreisbach, U.S. correspondent, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and Prof. Dr. Christian Lammert, Institute Director and Co-Head Politics Department, John F. Kennedy Institute at Freie Universität Berlin (June 16, 2022).
Episode 39: Closer Transatlantic Ties: What the Trade and Technology Council Can Accomplish
With Tyson Barker, Head of Technology and Foreign Policy Program at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin, and Julia Friedlander, C. Boyden Gray Senior Fellow and Director of the Economic Statecraft Initiative at the Atlantic Council in Washington D.C. (May 5, 2022).
Episode 38: The Russian Security Challenge and the U.S.-American and European Response
With Dr. Aylin Matlé, Research Fellow in the Security and Defense Program, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), and Dr. Marco Overhaus, Senior Associate in the Research Devision The Americas, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) (April 6, 2022)
Episode 37: High Inflation in Times of War: How do FED and ECB Respond to the Challenge
With Sophie Schimansky, Deputy Editor in Chief of Vienna-based Forbes DACH, and Prof. Dr. Galina Kolev, Senior Economist in the International Economic Order and Business Cycle competence area at the Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft (IW) in Cologne (March 7, 2022)
Episode 36: Putin’s Plans and America’s Response: What the Ukraine Crisis Means for Europe
With Sabine Fischer, senior fellow in the research division ‘Eastern Europe and Eurasia’ at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), and Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, former editor-in-chief for foreign policy and senior commentator at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (February 10, 2022)
Episode 35: Looking Back and Ahead: President Biden’s First Year in Office
With Nora Müller, Head of International Politics and Head of the Capital Office of the Körber Foundation, and Hubert Wetzel, USA correspondent for Süddeutsche Zeitung (January 20, 2022)
2021
Episode 34: New Signals? The Traffic Light Coalition and Transatlantic Relations
With Gyde Jensen (MdB, FDP), deputy chair of the FDP parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, Metin Hakverdi (MdB, SPD), member of the Budget Committee, and Dieter Janecek (MdB, The Greens), economic policy spokesman and head of the Economics Working Group (December 21, 2021)
Episode 33: President in Crisis: Is Joe Biden’s Domestic Agenda Imploding?
With Ines Pohl, Washington Bureau Chief, Deutsche Welle, and Boris Vormann, Political Scientist and Professor at Bard College Berlin (November 26, 2021)
Episode 32: After the Afghanistan Disaster: What Should the West’s Foreign and Security Policy Look Like in the Future?
With Dr. Markus Kaim, Senior Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), and Dr. Annika Hansen, Head of Analysis, Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) (October 25, 2021)
Episode 31: Fire, Drought, Flood: The Climate Catastrophe and its Consequences
With Prof. Dr. Dr. Ortwin Renn, Scientific Director of the Institute for Transformative Sustainability Research (IASS) in Potsdam, and Alexandra Endres, freelance writer for Climate and Environment, ZEIT ONLINE (September 15, 2021)
Episode 30: Fly Me to the Moon: US Space Policy at the Brink of a New Era?
With Andrea Rotter, Director of Foreign and Security Policy, Hanns Seidel Foundation, and Kaitlyn Johnson, Deputy Director of the Aerospace Security Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (July 20, 2021)
Episode 29: New Dynamic? The G7, NATO and EU-US Summits and their Consequences
With Thomas Gutschker, political correspondent for the EU, NATO and Benelux countries at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), and Lisa Nienhaus, economic correspondent and head of the Frankfurt bureau of the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT (June 16, 2021)
Episode 28: The West’s Response to China
With Ambassador Boris Ruge, Vice Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, and Dr. Mareike Ohlberg, Senior Fellow in the Asia Program of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (May 31, 2021)
Episode 27: Joe Biden’s First 100 Days in Office
With Christoph von Marschall, diplomatic correspondent of the daily Der Tagesspiegel (April 27, 2021)
Episode 26: The Immigration Crisis at the U.S.-Mexico Border
With Victoria Rietig, head of the Migration Program at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), and Klaus Brinkbäumer, Program Director of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) (April 14, 2021)
Episode 25: The Future of NATO and European Responsibility in the World
With Dr. Claudia Major, Head of the Research Division International Security at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), and Dr. Jana Puglierin, Head of the Berlin Office and Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (March 17, 2021)
Episode 24: Biden’s Climate Turnaround
With Dr. Susanne Dröge, Senior Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), and Prof. Dr. Miranda Schreurs, Chair of Environmental and Climate Policy, Bavarian School of Public Policy, Technical University of Munich) (February 24, 2021)
Episode 23: Full speed ahead? The First Two Weeks of the Biden Administration
With Majid Sattar, U.S. Correspondent at F.A.Z, and Andrea Shalal, Senior Correspondent at Reuters (February 5, 2021)
Episode 22: Capitol Riot – A Shock for America and the World
With Torrey Taussig, Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and Michael Werz, Center for American Progress, to discuss the capitol riot and its consequences for American democracy. This episode is in English. (January 15, 2021)
2020
Episode 21: Transition with Obstacles
With Dr. Anna Sauerbrey, Member of the Editorial Board and Head of Opinion Department at Tagesspiegel, and Dr. David Sirakov, Director of the Atlantic Academy Rhineland-Palatinate (December 10, 2020)
Episode 20: A Historic Election
With Christiane Meier, ARD Correspondent in New York, Steven Sokol, President of the American Council on Germany, and Prof. Dr. Christian Lammert, Professor at the John F. Kennedy Institute (November 10, 2020)
Episode 19: Blue, Red, Purple – The Role of Swing States in the Outcome of the U.S. Elections
With Rieke Havertz, U.S. correspondent at ZEIT Online, and Dr. Jackson Janes, President Emeritus at AICGS and Senior Fellow at GMFUS (October 21, 2020)
Episode 18: Playing Hardball – The First 2020 Presidential Debate
With Prof. Lora Anne Viola, Professor at the John F. Kennedy Institute in Berlin, and Dr. Daniela Schwarzer, Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations (September 30, 2020)
Episode 17: Mysterious Powers, Viral Delusion and Social Media – Conspiracy Theories in the U.S. Election
With Marie-Astrid Langer, Silicon Valley correspondent at Neue Zürcher Zeitung, and Julia Friedlander, C. Boyden Gray Senior Fellow and Deputy Director at the Atlantic Council (September 16, 2020)
Episode 16: Make America Great Again, Again – The Republican National Convention
With Andrea Römmele, Professor of Communication in Politics and Civil Society and Director of Executive Education at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, and Matthew Karnitschnig, Chief Europe Correspondent at Politico’s Berlin office (August 28, 2020)
Episode 15: Convention without a Live Audience – The Virtual Democratic National Convention
With Sarah Wagner, Education Manager at the Atlantic Academy, and Dr. Danyal Bayaz, Member of the Bundestag (Alliance 90/The Greens) (August 21, 2020)
Episode 14: Harris, Housewives and the American Dream
With Kerstin Kohlenberg, U.S. correspondent at the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT (August 13, 2020)
Episode 13: Strategy and Tactics – A Look at the Trump and Biden Campaign
With Constance Chucholowski, political communications consultant and director at the Berlin office of 365 Sherpas – Corporate Affairs & Policy Advice, and Julius van de Laar, political strategist, communications consultant and expert in digital media (July 22, 2020)
Episode 12: Trouble Behind, Trouble Ahead? The U.S. Presidential Election and Transatlantic Relations
With Daniel S. Hamilton, Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and Rüdiger Lentz, Executive Director at Aspen Germany (July 8, 2020)
Episode 11: What Do Women Want? The Female Vote in the U.S. elections
With Annett Meiritz, U.S. correspondent at Handelsblatt (June 24, 2020)
Episode 10: America in Turmoil – Protests against Racism and Police Brutality in the United States
With Laura Kupe, Counsel on the Committee on Homeland Security at the U.S. House of Representatives, Priscilla Layne, Professor of German Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Daniel-Friedrich Sturm, U.S. correspondent of WELT(June 10, 2020)
Episode 9: An Astronaut, a Football Coach, and a Kennedy – The U.S. Senate Elections
With Juliane Schäuble, U.S. correspondent at Tagesspiegel, and Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, KCRW Berlin’s Program Director (May 26, 2020)
Episode 8: Corona in the White House
With Christiane Hoffmann, editor at Spiegel’s Berlin office (May 17, 2020)
Episode 7: Podcasts, Protests, and Pick-ups – The 2020 Election and Media in Times of COVID-19
With Prof. Dr. Curd Knüpfer, junior professor at the John F. Kennedy Institute (May 1, 2020)
Episode 6: Who Elects Whom? Black People, Evangelicals and the Disappointed Youth
With Martin Klingst, political correspondent at DIE ZEIT and author of the book Trumps Amerika: Reise in ein weißes Land (April 17, 2020)
Episode 5: Cuomo for President?
With Cathryn Clüver, Executive Director of the Future of Diplomacy Project and the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Peter Rough, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute (April 3, 2020)
Episode 4: 2020 Election Campaigns amid Coronavirus Shutdown
With Astrid Dörner, U.S. correspondent at Handelsblatt, and Sudha David-Wilp, Deputy Director of the Berlin Office and Senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund (March 27, 2020)
Episode 3: COVID-19, the Economic Consequences, and the U.S. Elections
With the Deputy Chairman of the Atlantik-Brücke, Prof. Dr. Michael Hüther, Director of the Institute of German Economics and member of the Executive Board (March 20, 2020)
Episode 2: Super Tuesday Edition
With Sigmar Gabriel, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Atlantik-Brücke (March 3, 2020)
Episode 1: Ready to Rumble – U.S. Primary Elections Enter Crunch Time
With Sumi Somaskanda, American journalist and senior news anchor at DW News (February 21, 2020)
