Political Gabfest

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to block Donald Trump from the ballot, the new Texas law to allow state and local authorities to arrest immigrants, and guest  Amanda Ripley ’s suggestions to survive 2024.    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Colorado Supreme Court’s opinion in Anderson, et al. v. Griswo...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the free-speech controversies that are roiling college campuses since the war in Gaza began; the questions related to Trump cases that the U.S. Supreme Court will answer; and the latest high-profile abortion case coming out of Texas that has real-life and political consequences.    Here are some notes and references from this week’s...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz gather around John’s dining room table to discuss Liz Cheney, her book, and how far she’ll go to stop Donald Trump; Chris Christie, his presidential campaign, and whether he’ll stay in the race; and Purdue Pharma, the Sacklers, and if the Supreme Court will let the company go bankrupt to save the family fortune.    Here are some notes and r...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the good U.S. economy and Americans’ bad feelings about it; the Supreme Court case of SEC v. Jarkesy and its threat to the system of U.S. government; and white evangelicals and Christian nationalists with  The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta . Send us your Conundrums: submit them at  slate.com/conundrum . And join us in-person or online for ...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the problems with issue polling and issues with political journalism; the chaos and conflict of Sam Altman and OpenAI; and the failure of the Oslo Accords and perpetual struggle between Israel and Palestine. Send us your Conundrums: submit them at  slate.com/conundrum . And join us in-person or online with our special guest –  The L...

Emily Bazelon talks with cartoonist  James Sturm , about his new graphic novel adaptation of  Watership Down . They discuss what makes the animal characters so compelling, going tharn[MOU1] , where  Watership Down  fits in the literary tradition, and so much more. Tweet us your questions  @SlateGabfest  or email us at  gabfest@slate.com . (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipula...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Joe Manchin’s departure from the U.S. Senate and what it means for the Democratic majority, No Labels, and the 2024 presidential race; the Supreme Court’s new code of conduct and whether it’s worthless; and the Israel-Hamas war and how it’s affecting Democratic politics. You can be a part of the show: submit your Conundrum at  slate...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the 2023 election results and Democratic wins in Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky; President Joe Biden’s numbers in recent polls and the youth vote; and U.S. v. Rahimi at the Supreme Court, the 2nd Amendment and gun control, and the history and tradition test. And you can be a part of the show: submit your Conundrum at slate.com/conundr...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Nikki Haley’s progress and Ron DeSantis’s stagnation in Iowa, Donald Trump’s testimony in New York, and Dean Phillips’s campaign in New Hampshire; the first social-media cases of the term at the Supreme Court; and  Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream  with author  David Leonhardt . And you can be a part of t...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz take the show on the road and gab live with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers; discuss the new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson; and review the former lawyers and Chief of Staff who will testify against Donald Trump.    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: City Cast Madison podcast  and  Madison Minutes newsletter Jennifer...

David Plotz talks with author and 12-year Amazon senior employee,  Kristi Coulter  about her new memoir,  Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career . They discuss the good, the bad, and the confusing parts of Coulter’s career at Amazon, starting in 2006. They talk about the culture of Amazon, the frustrating gender dynamics, and why she was constantly “a year away” from a promotion...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Jim Jordan’s efforts to become Speaker of the House; President Joe Biden’s visit to an Israel at war; and Donald Trump’s gag order. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Robert Jimison and Kayla Guo for The New York Times: “ As Speaker Chaos Grows, so Does Talk of Empowering McHenry ” Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis...

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Juliette Kayyem to discuss the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Steve Scalise’s fight for the gavel of the House Speaker. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Juliette Kayyem for The Atlantic: “ A Devastating Attack by Hamas ” Tom Dannenbaum for Just Security: “ The Siege of Gaza and the Starvation War Crime ” Zack Beauchamp f...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the now-former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and the for-now Republican Matt Gaetz; the Supreme Court’s new term; and crime in America.   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Marianna Sotomayor, Leigh Ann Caldwell, and Colby Itkowitz for The Washington Post: “ Fight for speakership begins as House reels fr...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the second Republican presidential primary debate; the next federal case against Senator Bob Menendez, and the latest lawsuit of United States v. Big Tech. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25! Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Dan Balz for The Washington Post: “ Republican d...

Emily Bazelon talks with author Zadie Smith about her new book,  The Fraud . They discuss what happens when justice comes through an unjust symbol, how much Zadie does and doesn’t know about her characters, and more.  Tweet us your questions  @SlateGabfest  or email us at  gabfest@slate.com . (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Ro...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the UAW autoworkers’ strike against the Big Three automakers, talk with  Yoel Roth  about social media trust and safety, and weigh teachers’ burden to engage in parent diplomacy. Join us for  Political Gabfest Live  in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25!   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Danielle Kaye for NPR...

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are reunited with John Dickerson to discuss the Wisconsin Republicans’ effort to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz and protect their gerrymander; Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to start an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden and prevent a government shutdown; and Biden’s age problem and Donald Trump’s battleground-state difficulties. Join us for...

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by The Atlantic’s  Franklin Foer  to discuss Joe Biden’s White House and  The Last Politician ; the war in Ukraine and the possible meeting of Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin; and Americans’ views on the value of higher education. Join us for  Political Gabfest Live  in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25!   Here are some notes and references from th...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump’s trials schedule and the 2024 election calendar; Vivek Ramaswamy; and “ What the Best Places in America Have in Common .”    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Devlin Barrett, Rachel Weiner, and Perry Stein for The Washington Post: “ Trump’s D.C. election-obstruction trial scheduled for March 202...

This week, John Dickerson is back and joins Emily Bazelon and David Plotz to discuss the first Republican primary debate and the simulcast Tucker Carlson interview of Donald Trump; the Republican law professors’ debate about whether the U.S. Constitution prohibits another Trump presidency; and the United Diners of America.  Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Colectivo Coffee...

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz, and John Dickerson talk with author Barbara Kingsolver about her new book,  Demon Copperhead . They discuss her inspiration for the novel, what we keep getting wrong about Appalachia, and more.    Tweet us your questions  @SlateGabfest  or email us at  gabfest@slate.com . (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Ch...

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by  Lulu Garcia-Navarro  of The New York Times to discuss the indictment in Georgia of Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants for trying to overturn the state’s 2020 election results; the court win by Montana youth for “a clean and healthful environment” and the devastating losses of Maui residents to wildfire; and the lawsuit of Michael Oher against...

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by  Juliette Kayyem  to discuss the Ohio vote not to make it harder to change the state constitution; Republican views on Donald Trump’s offenses; and emergency preparedness or the lack thereof.    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Jack Goldsmith for The New York Times: “ The Prosecution of Trump May Have Terrible Conseque...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump’s third indictment, this one for January 6th and the 2020 election; Trump v. President Joe Biden poll results; and, joined by David French of The New York Times, the country song “Try That In A Small Town.”  Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Devlin Barrett and Josh Dawsey for The Washington Post:...