Political Gabfest

Emily, David and John discuss the pushback against COVID-19 restrictions, the success of female political leaders, and they're joined by Mark Bittman to talk about eating and cooking well during isolation. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, Emily, and John discuss their all-time must-read lists. The list is here . Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and ac...

Trump claims “total authority”, Heather Boushey on fighting the recession, and Amanda Ripley on lessons from Katrina and other disasters. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, Emily, and John discuss what they would do about the pandemic if they were billionaires. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year.  S...

In this special episode of the Political Gabfest John, Emily and David are joined by therapist Esther Perel to discuss how the coronavirus is affecting relationships, and what we can all do to support one another, process grief and tap into increased compassion during this time. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the yea...

Emily, John and David discuss where efforts to curb virus transmission go from here with epidemiologist Amesh Adalja, Trump’s purge of investigators general, and what Sanders’ exit should mean for the Democratic party’s agenda. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, Emily, and John improvise a story together. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to s...

Emily, John and David discuss the security of U.S. elections, are joined by guest economics professor Jason Furman to help estimate by when we can anticipate a financial recovery, and the hosts talk with novelist Geraldine Brooks to learn more about living through a plague. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year.  S...

Emily, John and David are joined by epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves to discuss the latest pandemic debates and also by Civil War historian David Blight on what history can teach us about surviving catastrophe. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, Emily, and John discuss insights they have gained from their experiences with social distancing. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the...

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz are joined by Dr. Amesh Adalja to discuss efforts to address the pandemic, journalist Neil Irwin on whether the U.S. economy can be saved, and author Jon Mooallem on his new book This is Chance! about communities uniting in a crisis. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David challenges Emily and John to a surprise topic that invites them to examin...

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz, and John Dickerson discuss the coming COVID-19 crisis, Biden as the presumptive nominee, and guest Leon Neyfakh joins the show to talk about his podcast Fiasco Season Two: Iran-Contra. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss how to make the most of social distancing. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and ac...

Emily, John and David discuss Super Tuesday, COVID-19's spread and the Supreme Court's hearing of a crucial abortion case. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss pandemics in fiction. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest every week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support the show. You can tweet...

David Plotz and John Dickerson discuss Biden's win in South Carolina and what it could mean for Super Tuesday and the Democratic Primary overall. Become a Slate Plus today to hear this bonus episode in full www.slate.com/gabfestplus You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest . Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (Messages may...

Emily, John and David discuss the Democratic presidential primary, Harvey Weinstein’s conviction, and conservative ascendency in the courts. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment: with inspiration from Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light , Emily, David, and John discuss the historical figures and events they’d like to read about in novels (not yet written). Join today: www.slate.com/gabfes...

Hey Gabfest listeners, today we're featuring a special election-themed episode of the Slate podcast How To! with Charles Duhigg .  Anthony is that rarest of things in American politics—a swing voter who is up for grabs in 2020. Caught between his Republican voting history and his current dislike of President Trump, Anthony is now registered as an Independent. So should he follow his head or his he...

Emily, John and David discuss the fiery Democratic debate, Trump’s white-collar pardoning spree, and A Very Stable Genius with authors Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss how they would design a new source of news. Join slate plus today! You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest . Tweet us your cocktail ch...

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the Democrats after New Hampshire, Trump’s emboldened post-impeachment moves, and COVID-19. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss the possibility that Trump will order that future federal buildings have only neoclassical designs . You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest . Tweet us your...

John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz discuss the Iowa debacle, Mitt Romney’s impeachment vote, and Trump’s expanded immigration ban. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss George Packer’s acceptance speech for the Hitchens Prize, published in the Atlantic: “ The Enemies of Writing. ” You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest . Tweet...

David, Emily and John discuss outlandish impeachment defenses, the approaching Iowa caucuses, and the Supreme Court allowing the “public charge” rule to go into effect. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss the Washington Post suspending Felicia Sonmez for her tweets about Kobe Bryant. You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest . Tweet us yo...

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss Trump on trial, the Democratic primary race, and Mohammed bin Salman’s hacking of Jeff Bezos. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss what elements they would include if they crafted a new religion. Become a Slate Plus member here ! You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest . Tweet us your...

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss new impeachment revelations, the Warren-Sanders rift, and Bill Barr going after Apple’s encryption. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss Megxit. You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest . Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (Messages m...

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz, with Iran expert Suzanne Maloney discuss Iran, the Democratic presidential race, and John Bolton. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss The Morning Show . You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest . Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (Messages...

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz and Josie Duffy Rice discuss impeachment fatigue, the twin canaries of anti-Semitism and philo-Semitism, and the incredible John Lewis. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and Josie revisit a conundrum about how to extricate oneself from (or apologize for) a difficult situation. You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest . Tweet u...

John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz solve listeners' most pressing philosophical conundrums including personal conundrums like, would you rather be exceptional at one thing but awful at everything else?  And societal conundrums like, would you prefer to have Trump as your father or as your President? And special guest Adam Savage brings his myth-busting expertise to help. You can tweet s...

Emily, John and David discuss impeachment, the pushback against Pete Buttigieg, and they offer a review of the most important stories of 2019. Here are this week’s cocktail chatters: Emily: The, soon to be, end of an era with her warm and welcoming neighborhood grocery store Romeo and Cesare’s  John: Thomas Fuller and Josh Haner for the New York Times: “ Portrait of an Oakland California Homeless...

If you have any school-aged children in your life, you know that lockdown and active shooter drills have become a routine part of their school experience. These drills now take place in 95 percent of American schools . What you’re about to hear is a collaboration between Slate and The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom covering gun violence in the United States. It’s an audio project featuring firsthand...

John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz discuss impeachment, the FBI Inspector General’s report on the Russia investigation, and the Afghanistan Papers. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss the Trump Administration's incongruous relationship towards Jewish Americans. Get your tickets to the Gabfest’s Dec. 18, 2019, “Conundrum” live show at the Fox Theater...

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss impeachment, Kamala Harris, and guest Ruth Marcus’ new book about Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, Supreme Ambition . Get your tickets to the Gabfest’s Dec. 18, 2019, “Conundrum” live show at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California here .    And submit your conundrums at Slate.com/conundrum ! You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @S...