This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the state of the presidential race; the possibility of a hostages-for-Gaza-ceasefire deal with Ruth Margalit of The New Yorker; and foreign interference in U.S. politics.   In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Joshua Leifer about his book, Tablets Shattered.  Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Kamala Harris-Donald Trump debate and other campaign goings-on; the January 6th and classified documents cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith; and the national housing shortage with Conor Dougherty of The New York Times.  Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Wayne Homes: The Great Debate: Front Porch vs. Back Porch; Mariah Timms for The Wall Street Journal: Lawsuits Fly Over Election Rules and Who Gets to Vote; Fin Gómez and Nidia Cavazos for CBS News: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton raids Latino Democrats’ homes, including those of LULAC members; and Frederka Schouten and Tierney Sneed for CNN: Democrats sue to block new GOP-backed Georgia election certification rules John: Glenn Thrush for The New York Times: Would-Be Trump Assassin’s Interest in Violence Went Back to 2019 David: Jonathan Shaw for Harvard Magazine: Mapping the Human Brain Listener chatter from Adam Webb in Chicago: Paul Collins in The Believer: Why Can’t My Son Vote?   For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, David, Emily, and John will talk about the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz interview. Bonus content this week will be available on Friday.   In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Joshua Leifer about his book, Tablets Shattered.  Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie HuygenPublic.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz continue to debate if Joe Biden should stay in the presidential race and who might replace him if he goes; discuss Project 2025; and ponder if Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett deserves a strange, new respect.   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:  George Clooney in The New York Times: I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee. Franklin Foer for The Atlantic: Biden Has Fallen Into a Psychological Trap Leigh Ann Caldwell, Marianna Sotomayor, Jacqueline Alemany, and Paul Kane for The Washington Post: Pelosi opens the door, subtly, to replacing Biden Merriam-Webster Dictionary: coronate and ideate Tim Alberta for The Atlantic: Trump Is Planning For A Landslide Win Ryan Teague Beckwith for MSNBC: What is Project 2025? The plans for Trump’s second term, explained Judd Legum for Popular Information: What Trump doesn’t want you to know about Project 2025 and The alarming new power Trump will claim in a second term James Taranto for The Wall Street Journal: Strange New Respect Ann E. Marimow for The Washington Post: Justice Amy Coney Barrett is charting her own path on the bench Stephen I. Vladeck in The New York Times: The Most Interesting Justice on the Supreme Court Is Also the Loneliest James LaRock and Jacob Hammond for Balls and Strikes: The Hollow Originalism of Amy Coney Barrett Oyez: Amy Coney Barrett Here are this week’s chatters:  John: Joshua Hammer for Smithsonian Magazine: Pablo Escobar’s Abandoned Hippos Are Wreaking Havoc in the Columbia Jungle Emily: Andrea Robin Skinner for the Toronto Star: My stepfather sexually abused me when I was a child. My mother, Alice Munro, chose to stay with him David: Natasha Singer for The New York Times: Students Target Teachers in Group TikTok Attack, Shaking Their School and City Cast DC Live Podcast Taping on Saturday, July 13 Listener chatter from Researcher Julie: Alexandra Alter for The New York Times: Romance Bookstores Are Booming, Dishing ‘All the Hot Stuff You Can Imagine’ and Elisabeth Egan: Emily Henry on Writing Best-Sellers Without Tours and TikTok; Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, Ellen Gamerman, and Isabella Simonetti for The Wall Street Journal: How Dragons, Magic and Steamy Sex Took Over the Book World; and Bridgerton on Netflix   For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, David, John, and Emily talk with Professor Emily Wilson about her translation of Homer’s Iliad. See The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson. See also The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson.   In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel. And Gabfest Reads now has its own site! Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Ethan Oberman Research by Julie Huygen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Plotz talks with author Alexandra Petri about her new book, Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents. They discuss how to transform staid history documents into rollicking parodies, how Petri found her “voice” multiple times, and her grander ambitions for the book. Plus, Petri reads some choice selections. 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 Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the $787.5 million settlement of the Dominion Voting v. Fox News defamation lawsuit; the political game being played with raising the U.S. debt ceiling; and the Russian detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich.  Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Jim Rutenberg and Katie Robertson for the New York Times: “A $787.5 Million Settlement and Embarrassing Disclosures: The Costs of Airing a Lie” Matthew Iglesias for Slow Boring: “Medicaid work requirements are cruel and pointless” Paul Krugman for the New York Times: “A Few Ways Out of the Debt Ceiling Mess” Freedom House Report: “Freedom in the World 2023: Marking 50 Years in the Struggle for Democracy” John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “U.S. ambassador says she visited detained Wall Street Journal reporter” Drew Hinshaw, Joe Parkinson, and Brett Forrest for the Wall Street Journal: “’You Are Completely Alone’: Inside the Infamous Russian Prison Holding Evan Gershkovich” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “What Everyone Should Know about the Shingles Vaccine (Shingrix)” “Pelosi in the House” HBO documentary  Carrie Blazina and Drew Desilver for the Pew Research Center: “House gets younger, Senate gets older: A look at the age and generation of lawmakers in the 118th Congress”  Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Julie Bosman, Mitch Smith, Jesse McKinley, and Jay Root for the New York Times: “Hundreds of Miles Apart, Separate Shootings Follow Wrong Turns” and Timothy Bella for the Washington Post: “Cheerleaders leaving practice were shot after one got in wrong car, teen says” John: Ellie Zolfagharifard for the Daily Mail: “’Here there be robots’: Artist draws stunning medieval map of Mars showing off its huge craters and vast canyons”; Mars and its Canals by Percival Lowell; and Kaushik Patowary for Amusing Planet: “How Astronomer Percival Lowell Mistook His Own Eye For Spokes on Venus” David: City Cast DC podcast: “D.C.’s Rat-Hunting Dogs And Other Rat Solutions” (Host Bridget Todd, Producer Julia Karron)  Listener chatter from Nancy Hall: Joe Mahr and Megan Crepeau for the Chicago Tribune: “Stalled Justice: Delays in the Cook County courts” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss the dilemma posed by the months-long absence of Dianne Feinstein from the U.S. Senate. In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri about her latest book, Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up).  Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Jared Downing. Research by Julie Huygen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz and Emily Bazelon discuss the federal court rulings on the F.D.A.-approved abortion medication mifepristone, the expulsion of two Democratic representatives by the Republican-supermajority state legislature in Tennessee, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ latest ethics problem.    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Adam Unikowsky for Adam’s Legal Newsletter: “Mifepristone and the rule of law, part II” Allison McCann for the New York Times: “Inside the Online Market for Overseas Abortion Pills” Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski for ProPublica: “Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire” Sylvie McNamara for the Washingtonian: “Clarence Thomas’s Billionaire Benefactor Collects Hitler Artifacts” Chenjerai Kumanyika for This American Life: “Ghost Industrial Complex”   Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Vladimir: A Novel by Julia May Jonas David: The D.C. Sing-Along; The Dropout on Hulu; Air (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Listener chatter from David Foreman: Rosemary Mosco for Audubon: “Meet the Little Brown Bird That Holds a Mirror Up to Humanity”   For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David and Emily discuss the Hitler memorabilia collected by Harlan Crow, Texas billionaire and friend of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.   Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Make an impact this Earth Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to bring more parks to more people across the country. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus discuss Donald Trump’s arraignment; the elections of Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Brandon Johnson for Chicago mayor; and the possibility of No Labels playing spoiler in 2024 presidential politics.   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Manhattan District Attorney’s Office: “District Attorney Bragg Announces 34-Count Felony Indictment of Former President Donald J. Trump”  Ruth Marcus for The Washington Post: “The Trump indictment is a dangerous leap on the highest of wires” Jim Robbins for The New York Times: “Mass Yellowstone Hunt Kills 1,150 Bison”   Here are this week’s chatters: Ruth: Dublin Murder Squad 6-book series by Tana French ; Dún Aonghasa John: Carrie Hagen for Smithsonian Magazine: “The Media Learned Nothing After Misreporting the Reagan Assassination Attempt: As the shooter John Hinckley returns to life outside of imprisonment, it’s worth looking back at every thing the media got wrong that day”  David: Adam Taylor, Júlia Ledur, Francesca Ebel, and Mary Ilyushina for The Washington Post: “A web of trenches shows Russia fears losing Crimea“; the Putrid Sea   Listener chatter from Zach Marks @zmarks215: The arrest of President Ulysses S. Grant   For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Ruth discuss the sanctioned killing of Yellowstone bison that leave the boundaries of the national park.   Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Make an impact this Earth Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to bring more parks to more people across the country. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a Gabfest Special edition, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Donald Trump’s indictment. Here are some notes and references from today’s show: The New York Times: “Live Updates: Trump Likely to Be Arraigned on Tuesday” Slate Political Gabfest: The “Trump Will Be Indicted Next Tuesday” Edition Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Follow @SlateGabfest on Twitter / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to pause the legislation that will weaken Israel’s judiciary; the Congressional testimony of TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew; and the possibility of Chris Christie for President in 2024.   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “Behind Protests’ Fury in Israel, Fear of a Quiet Slide From Democracy” Peter Baker for The New York Times: “A Four-Decade Secret: One Man’s Story of Sabotaging Carter’s Re-election”   Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: WBUR and The Marshall Project’s podcast Violation (Host Beth Schwartzapfel, Producer Quincy Walters)  John: Tweet from @george_mack: What is ignored by the media but will be studied by historians?; response from Matthew Yglesias, Slow Boring: The biggest problem in media is the audience: Not everything is a conspiracy David: Greg Miller for The Washington Post: “He came to D.C. as a Brazilian student. The U.S. says he was a Russian spy.“   Listener chatter from Judy: Tablet Studio’s podcast Gatecrashers (Host Mark Oppenheimer, Executive Producers Josh Kross, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz)   For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss the new evidence of the “October Surprise” that delayed the release of the American hostages from Iran in 1980.   Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Trump’s announcement he expects to be arrested; what ChatGPT means for the world; and interview Rachel Donadio, contributing writer for The Atlantic, about the unrest in France. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Rachel Donadio for The New York Times: “Macron May Keep the Presidency, But Le Pen Has Already Won” Annie Gowen for The Washington Post: “Iowa’s Sharp Right Turn: From Centrist State To ‘Florida Of The North’” Here are this week’s chatters: John: Imprint app Emily: Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York’s Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist, by Jennifer Wright; The Atlantic’s podcast Holy Week: The Story of A Revolution Undone (Host Vann R. Newkirk II, Senior Producer Jocelyn Frank) David: Blue Collar Cats; Andrea Sachs for The Washington Post: “‘These Are Working Cats’: Meet The Feral D.C. Felines Tasked With Hunting Rodents” Listener chatter from Alexandra Phelps: Kavitha Surana for ProPublica: “Doctors Warned Her Pregnancy Could Kill Her. Then Tennessee Outlawed Abortion.” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Emily discuss how Iowa became so conservative.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap and Julia Huygen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Dickerson talks with author Chris Miller about his new book, Chip War: The Fight for The World’s Most Critical Technology. They discuss how semiconductor chips became so important, why everyone is so dependent on Taiwan for chips, and what lessons China can glean from what’s happening in Ukraine. 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 Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the Silicon Valley Bank bailout with David Leonhardt; Ron DeSantis coming out against aid to Ukraine; and free speech fights at elite law schools. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: William Saletan for The Bulwark: “The Ukraine Untruths of Disingenuous DeSantis” Ken White for The Popehat Report: “Hating Everyone Everywhere All At Once At Stanford” David Lat for Original Jurisdiction: “Yale Law Is No Longer #1—For Free-Speech Debacles” Jordan Metzl for The New York Times: “Working From Home Is Less Healthy Than You Think” Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Maurice Chammah for The Marshall Project: “The Mercy Workers” John: OpenAI example recipe generator David: Robyn Dixon for The Washington Post: “A Railroad Fan Photographed Putin’s Armored Train. Now He Lives In Exile.” Listener chatter: Alex Traub for The New York Times: “Judy Heumann, Who Led the Fight for Disability Rights, Dies at 75”; Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist, by Judith Heumann;  Crip Camp; The Power of 504, Judy's Heumann’s Ted Talk For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the health benefits and drawbacks of working from home.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.  Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign, the end of pandemic-era medicaid & food security protections, and the many legal fights over medication abortion. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show Hannah Dreier and Kirsten Luce for The New York Times: “Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the U.S.” Jeff Stein and Tony Romm for The Washington Post: “Biden Calls For Trillions In Tax Hikes And New Domestic Spending” Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “The Abortion Pill Fight” Redaction, by Reginald Dwayne Betts and Titus Kaphar Information on the New York reading and book signing for Redaction Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: The Declassification Engine: What History Reveals About America's Top Secrets, by Matthew Connelly John: Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology, by Chris Miller David: Defending Democracy with Malcolm Turnbull;  Listener chatter from Rebecca Carr: Pat Sangimino for The Lincoln Journal Star: “Leading Off: In The Heat Of The Sexual Revolution, A Woman And Her Invention Made A Difference”; Pagan Kennedy for The New York Times: “Could Women Be Trusted With Their Own Pregnancy Tests?” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily talks to Reginald Dwayne Betts and Titus Kaphar about their book, Redaction.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.  Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Make an impact this Women’s History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund girls in STEM. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Supreme Court decisions on presidential immunity in Trump v. United States and the administrative state in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo as well as the future of Joe Biden’s nomination to be re-elected president.   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Supreme Court of the United States: Opinions of the Court – 2023, including Trump v. United States, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors, and SEC v. Jarkesy Matt Gluck, Hyemin Han, and Katherine Pompilio for Lawfare: The Supreme Court’s Presidential Immunity Decision Perry Stein for The Washington Post: Justice Sotomayor dissent: ‘The President is now a king above the law’ Gary J. Schmitt and Joseph M. Bessette for the American Enterprise Institute: The Hamilton-Madison Split over Executive Power Dan Pfeiffer for The Message Box: Why the Dem Panic over the Debate is Getting Worse ‘Will Rogers Today’: Will Rogers on Politics Tim Miller for The Bulwark: Dear Dems: The Gaslighting Isn’t Helping Matters Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court strikes down Chevron, curtailing power of federal agencies and Mark Walsh: Consider the wild gray squirrel, Kagan rebukes her colleagues as court overrules Chevron Mark Sherman for AP: The Supreme Court rules for a North Dakota truck stop in a new blow to federal regulators How to Save a Country from The New Republic: The Administrative State Is Under Attack Congressional Research Service: The Major Questions Doctrine Eric Berger for Dorf on Law: Is Loper Bright a Big Deal? and Michael C. Dorf: Could Congress Reinstate Chevron? Tierney Sneed, Jeanne Sahadi, Tami Luhby, Brian Fung, Ella Nilsen, Jen Christensen, and Katie Lobosco for CNN: How the Supreme Court’s blockbuster ‘Chevron’ ruling puts countless regulations in jeopardy Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Paul Sabin of Yale University and City of New Haven: East Rock park  John: Dave McMenamin for ESPN: Lakers pick Bronny James in NBA draft; LeBron ‘emotional’ David: City Cast DC and Ross Andersen for The Atlantic: The Search for America’s Atlantis Listener chatter from Jen in Denver, Colorado: Brandy Zadrozny and Jon Schuppe for NBC News: Who tried to steal Graceland?   For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about the joys of summer. See Merry Maids: 15 Fun Things to Make the Most of Summer 2024; NBC: Olympics Paris 2024; and epicurious: Summer. See also Produce bluebook: Nectarine Market Summary and Lemonada Media: Julia Gets Wise with Patti Smith.   In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel. And Gabfest Reads now has its own site!   Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the Supreme Court challenge to loan forgiveness; lab leak v. wet market Covid politics; and the future of humanities education–with John Plotz. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Nathan Heller for The New Yorker: “The End of The English Major” Recall This Book podcast with John Plotz Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea, by John Plotz “The Eden of the Author of Sleep,” by Brian Teare Sarah Fullerton for UC Berkeley: “Defying Negative Stereotypes, Humanities Majors Are Booming At UC Berkeley” Culture: The Story of Us, From Cave Art to K-Pop, by Martin Puchner The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; and The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman  Here are this week’s chatters: John: Drew Harwell for The Washington Post: “Tech’s Hottest New Job: AI Whisperer. No Coding Required.” Emily: Michelle Goldberg for The New York Times: “Don’t Let Politics Cloud Your View of What’s Going On With Teens and Depression”; Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “Why Are Young Liberals So Depressed?”; Ross Douthat for The New York Times: “American Teens Are Really Miserable. Why?” David: Ben Taub for The New Yorker: “How the Biggest Fraud in German History Unravelled” Listener chatter from Arthur Baraf: The National High School Ethics Bowl  For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Emily discuss the Bidens ordering the same entree at a restaurant.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.  Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Make an impact this Women’s History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund girls in STEM. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

* Due to an audio issue, the original episode has been replaced. This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the year of war on Ukraine with Anne Applebaum; the smoking gun Fox News text messages; and Google’s defense of Section 230 at the Supreme Court. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Anne Applebaum and Nataliya Gumenyuk for The Atlantic: “‘They Didn’t Understand Anything, But Just Spoiled People’s Lives’” Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “Biden’s Hope vs. Putin’s Lies” Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “Biden Went to Kyiv Because There’s No Going Back” Emily Bazelon for The New York Times Magazine: “Billionaires vs. The Press in the Era of Trump” Jenna Russell for The New York Times: “In Vermont, a School and Artist Fight Over Murals of Slavery” Here are this week’s chatters: John: The Kid Should See This: “How It’s Made” videos Emily: Jill Filipovic: “Fear of a Female Body” David: Morgan Wade; City Cast DC live Listener chatter from Dylan O’Leary: Miles Ellingham for The Financial Times: “After Hours With 10 Foot, London’s Most Notorious Graffiti Writer” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss the artist suing to keep his mural depicting slavery on display at a school that doesn’t want it.  Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez.  Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Bazelon talks with author Rebecca Makkai about her new book, I Have Some Questions For You. They discuss why it’s so easy to suspend disbelief with this type of story, the “cancelled” subplot, and whether we’d be better off without Twitter. 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 Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign; the legal history likely to lead to the end of affirmative action; and Slate How To! podcast host Amanda Ripley’s reporting on the congressional committee that got things done. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Emily Bazelon for The New York Times Magazine: “Why Is Affirmative Action in Peril? One Man’s Decision.” Amanda Ripley for The Washington Post: “These Radically Simple Changes Helped Lawmakers Actually Get Things Done” Julia Ioffe for The New Yorker: “Russia on Fire” Becky Sullivan for NPR: “What To Know About The Train Derailment in East Palestine, Ohio” Here are this week’s chatters: John: CBS Sunday Morning: “Almanac: Abraham Lincoln's Beard” Emily: John J. Lennon for The New York Review of Books: “Peddling Darkness” David: David French for The New York Times: “Men Need Purpose More Than ‘Respect’”; City Cast DC live Listener chatter from Tim Anderson: CNN: “Johannes Vermeer Exhibition Stuns With Scientific Revelations” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Emily discuss the derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials in Ohio.  Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the raucous State of the Union; the spy balloon and U.S.-China relations; and Susan Dominus’s reporting on missed opportunities in treating menopause. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Katie Rogers and Peter Baker for The New York Times: “Kamala Harris Is Trying to Define Her Vice Presidency. Even Her Allies Are Tired of Waiting.” Susan Dominus for The New York Times Magazine: “Women Have Been Misled About Menopause”  Stephen I. Vladeck for The New York Times: “Don’t Let Republican ‘Judge Shoppers’ Thwart the Will of Voters” Here are this week’s chatters: John: Andor; Kialo.com  Emily: Sabawoon Samim for Afghanistan Analysts Network: “New Lives In The City: How Taleban Have Experienced Life In Kabul” David: City Cast DC live; The Brothers Ashkenazi, by I. J Singer. Join David Plotz for a live taping of the City Cast DC podcast at the Politics & Prose Union Market location, Wednesday March 1 at 6:30 pm. You can register here for a free ticket.  Listener chatter from Ryan Clements: The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier, by Ian Urbina; The Outlaw Ocean podcast For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Emily discuss the use of “judge shopping”—picking a preferred judge by suing in a single-judge district—to invalidate legislation nationwide.  Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez.  Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the killing of Tyre Nichols; violence interruption efforts–with guest Alec MacGillis; and the upcoming State of the Union. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times: “The Police Cannot Be a Law Unto Themselves” Radley Balko for The New York Times: “Tyre Nichols’s Death Proves Yet Again That ‘Elite’ Police Units Are a Disaster” Alec MacGillis for The New Yorker and ProPublica: “Can Community Programs Help Slow the Rise in Violence?” Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, by Emily Bazelon Here are this week’s chatters: John: The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden's White House, by Chris Whipple; The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, by Chris Whipple Emily: Deep Cover: Never Seen Again podcast; Dan Charnas: Breaking Atoms: The Hip Hop Podcast David: City Cast Madison; City Cast Portland; Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver  Listener chatter from David Foreman: Artnet News: “See Scores of Unbuilt Frank Lloyd Wright Structures That Have Been Computer-Rendered With Incredible Realism” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Emily discuss The Banshees of Inisherin.  Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and guest host Josie Duffy Rice discuss the rise of Marjorie Taylor Greene; Ron DeSantis’ attacks on educators; and the bipartisan bashing of monopolist Ticketmaster. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Jonathan Swan and Catie Edmondson for The New York Times: “How Kevin McCarthy Forged an Ironclad Bond With Marjorie Taylor Greene” God's Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America, by Hanna Rosin Josie Duffy Rice for iHeartPodcasts: Unreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead Here are this week’s chatters: John: The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness, by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz  Josie: The Uninnocent: Notes on Violence and Mercy, by Katharine Blake  David: Vintage Contemporaries, by Dan Kois Listener chatter from Pherabe Kolb: Fred Clasen-Kelly for The Greenville News: “Key Findings From The Cost Of Unity, A Series On The Displacement Of Black Greenville” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Josie discuss Josie’s new podcast, Unreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Plotz talks with author Shahan Mufti about his new book, American Caliph: The True Story of a Muslim Mystic, a Hollywood Epic, and the 1977 Siege of Washington, DC. They discuss an Islamic group’s multi-location attack in D.C., the terror that hostages experienced while held captive for the two days, and the movie that started the whole thing.  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 Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the discovery of classified documents at Biden’s home; the justices of the Supreme Court exhibiting open animosity toward one another; and fears of a “polycrisis” at Davos. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Matt Viser, Tyler Pager, Carol Leonnig and Yasmeen Abutaleb for The Washington Post: “Inside The White House Document Strategy And Its Pitfalls” Steven Mazie for The Atlantic: “The Supreme Court Justices Do Not Seem to Be Getting Along” Jess Bravin and Sadie Gurman for The Wall Street Journal: “Supreme Court Investigators Have Narrowed Leak Inquiry to Small Number of Suspects” Andrew Van Dam for The Washington Post: “The Happiest, Least Stressful, Most Meaningful Jobs In America” Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, by Studs Terkel Here is the poem (by an unknown author) that listener Christina Roosen sent to David after his cat died: Eyes bright, claws sharp, tail held high. Go keenly into the mist, old warrior. Valhalla waits for you A compilation of poems about pet loss: Rome Thorstenson for In Valhalla: “Pet Loss Poems” Here are this week’s chatters: John: Joseph Berger for The New York Times: “Adolfo Kaminsky Dies at 97; His Forgeries Saved Thousands of Jews” Emily: Joshua Vaughn for Penn Live: “Dauphin County Made Millions On Jail Phone Calls And Spent It On Staff Perks, Contractors” David: His Dark Materials on BBC One; The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman Listener chatter from Muirinn O'Neill: Josh Baker’s I'm Not a Monster podcast For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the jobs people find most meaningful.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the House GOP’s “Weaponization of Government” subcommittee; the insurrection in Brazil–with Marcos Nobre; and what Prince Harry’s book, Spare, means for the British  Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “A New Plan To Get Around The Debt Ceiling Hostage” Matt Levine for Bloomberg: “Financial Engineering the Debt Ceiling” Spare, by Prince Harry Here are this week’s chatters: John: David Wallace-Wells for The New York Times: “Electric Vehicles Keep Defying Almost Everyone’s Predictions” Emily: Josie Duffy Rice for iHeartPodcasts: Unreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children David: Julia Moskin for The New York Times: “Noma, Rated the World’s Best Restaurant, Is Closing Its Doors” Listener chatter from Erich Morgenbesser: AI illustrates countries as villains  For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the status of “return to office.”   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The morning after, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the first presidential debate of 2024 and President Joe Biden’s disastrous performance.    Here are some notes and references from the show:  CNN Presidential Debate: President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump Will Weissert for AP: Here’s why it would be tough for Democrats to replace Joe Biden on the presidential ticket   Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss GOP’s speakership debacle; George Santos; and improving access to medication abortion. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “The Dawn of the Post-Clinic Abortion” Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “Risking Everything to Offer Abortions Across State Lines” Mark Oppenheimer for The New York Times: “Why Did George Santos Lie About Being Jewish?” Here are this week’s chatters: John: Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson Emily: The Furrows, by Namwali Serpell; Tár ; Zadie Smith for The New York Review of Books: “The Instrumentalist”; Amanda Hess for The New York Times: “Breaking Out of the #MeToo Movie Formula”; Dan Kois for Slate: “Tár Is the Most-Talked-About Movie of the Year. So Why Is Everyone Talking About It All Wrong?” David: Gastrodiplomacy  Listener chatter from Nathan Kamps: Miles Klee for Rolling Stone: “‘A Celebrity in the Land of Celebrities’: Remembering P-22, L.A.’s Favorite Mountain Lion” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the ethics of watching football in light of Damar Hamlin’s life threatening injury.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special thanks to: Andy Andrews Sarah Chapin Marc Colello David Duesing Alan Dybner Phil Goldstein Jason Howard Andrew James Pierce Eric Koleda Carrie Jerm You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the January 6th Committee’s findings and criminal referrals; the brewing water crisis in the West–with Washington Post reporter Josh Partlow; and the biggest stories of 2022. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Joshua Partlow for The Washington Post: “Officials Fear ‘Complete Doomsday Scenario’ For Drought-Stricken Colorado River”  Joshua Partlow for The Washington Post: “Disaster Scenarios Raise The Stakes For Colorado River Negotiations” Joshua Partlow for The Washington Post: “‘Where There’s Bodies, There’s Treasure’: A Hunt As Lake Mead Shrinks” Adam Liptak for The New York Times: “An ‘Imperial Supreme Court’ Asserts Its Power, Alarming Scholars” Marin Cogan for Vox: “The Deadliest Road in America” Here are this week’s chatters: John: Gabfest Reads: How to Avoid Disastrous Presidents; Picking Presidents: How to Make the Most Consequential Decision in the World, by Gautam Mukunda Emily: Mario Ariza and Miranda Green for Floodlight News, and David Folkenflik for NPR: “In The Southeast, Power Company Money Flows To News Sites That Attack Their Critics”  David: Li Cohen for CBS News: “Could Jack Have Fit On The Door With Rose In 'Titanic’? Director James Cameron Conducted A Study To Find Out ‘Once And For All.’” Listener chatter from Sam Rutledge: Kaj Tallungs for Wikimedia Commons: data visualization showing the change in U.S. population demographics over time. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss Elon Musk’s tumultuous tenure at Twitter.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Dickerson talks with author Gautam Mukunda about his new book Picking Presidents: How to Make the Most Consequential Decision in the World. They talk about how Mukunda’s first book, Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter laid the groundwork for Picking Presidents. Later, Dickerson and Mukunda dig into why ‘intellectual brilliance’ – which goes beyond IQ - is a strong predictor of presidential performance and how the human portion of the job of president is changing.  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 Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss Krysten Sinema leaving the Democratic party; Republicans’ good turnout, poor performance midterms; and the new documentary, Pelosi in The House.   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:  Pelosi in the House Here are this week’s chatters: John: Watch Richard Nixon’s Watergate speeches at the Miller Center’s website. Emily: Jessica Blatt Press for The Philadelphia Citizen: “Hey, Phillly! Let’s Hire A Mayor!” David: Courtney Kan, Nick Miroff, Scott Higham, Steven Rich and Tyler Remmel for The Washington Post: “Cartel Rx: Fentanyl’s Deadly Surge: From Mexican Labs To U.S. Streets, A Lethal Pipeline”; The EverCrisp apple For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John get philosophical in preparation for the annual Political Gabfest Conundrum episode.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss Raphael Warnock beating Herschel Walker, and oral arguments at the Supreme Court in the anti-gay marriage website designer case and the “independent state legislature” election case.   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Fr. James Martin, S.J. for Outreach: “When Is Religious Liberty A Fig Leaf For Homophobia?” Ian MacDougall for ProPublica: “What’s Really at Stake in a Politically Charged Supreme Court Case on Elections” Jed Sugarmen’s thread on oral arguments in Moore v. Harper. Kevin Roose for The New York Times: “The Brilliance and Weirdness of ChatGPT” Here are this week’s chatters: John: Associated Press: “HBO To Air Nancy Pelosi Doc Shot By Daughter Alexandra”; Pelosi in the House November 28, 2022 Emily: The Janes David: Tour Fort DeRussy with David; City Cast Portland has launched; Caitlin Doughty for The New York Times: “If You Want to Give Something Back to Nature, Give Your Body”  Listener chatter from Adam Barhamand: Karen Bakker for Noema: “How To Speak Honeybee” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss ChatGPT. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Kevin Bendis. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss Trump hosting prominent antisemites Ye (f/k/a Kanye West) and Nick Fuentes; Chinese protestors challenging their authoritarian government–with Sheena Chestnut Greitens; and Congress legislating to protect marriage equality through the Respect For Marriage Act.   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Sheena Chestnut Greitens for Foreign Affairs: “Xi Jinping’s Quest for Order” Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Julian Gewirt for Foreign Affairs: “China's Troubling Vision For The Future Of Public Health” Here are this week’s chatters: John: Darby Saxbe and Magdalena Martínez García for The Conversation: “Fatherhood Changes Men’s Brains, According To Before-And-After MRI Scans” Emily: A compilation of Gabfest listeners favorite salad dressing recipes.  David: City Cast is expanding to new cities; Nicole Eustace for The New York Times: “300 Years Ago, There Was a Brutal Murder. We Could Learn From the Treaty That Followed.” Listener chatter from Richard Medlicott: The Economist:”Shyam Saran Negi Never Failed In His Democratic Duty”; Alex Binley for the BBC: “Shyam Saran Negi: Man Dubbed 'india's First Voter' Dies Aged 105” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the Supreme Court challenge to the Biden administration’s immigration policy in United States v. Texas.    Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the future of Twitter, the ghoulish World Cup, and a minister’s allegation that Justice Alito leaked the outcome of the Hobby Lobby case. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Jodi Kantor and Jo Becker for The New York Times: “Former Anti-Abortion Leader Alleges Another Supreme Court Breach” Jodi Kantor for The New York Times: “Allegation of Supreme Court Breach Prompts Calls for Inquiry and Ethics Code” Rob Schenck for The New York Times: “I Was an Anti-Abortion Crusader. Now I Support Roe v. Wade” Kara Voght and Tim Dickinson for Rolling Stone: “SCOTUS Justices ‘Prayed With’ Her — Then Cited Her Bosses to End Roe” Here are this week’s chatters: John: Variety: “Bob Dylan Fans Who Bought $600 ‘Hand-Signed’ Books With Replica Autographs Will Receive Refunds From Publisher” Emily: Rozina Ali for The New York Times Magazine: “‘How Did This Man Think He Had the Right to Adopt This Baby?’”  David: Politics and Prose: City Cast DC Live Taping with Michael Schaffer, David Plotz, and Anton Bogomazov - at Union Market; Slate’s One Year, Season 4: 1942 Listener chatter from Laurent Dugois: In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri, by Harry N MacLean; All That's Interesting: “The Story Of Ken McElroy — The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John contemplate the conundrum of what they would like to tell their younger selves but wouldn’t be able to convince them of. Submit your conundrums for the 2022 conundrum episode at slate.com/conundrum.    Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Bazelon talks with author Beverly Gage about her new book, G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century, a detailed account of the life of the first FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover. They discuss Hoover’s hostile relationship with Martin Luther King Jr., why he should have quit at the end of the 1950s, and how Hoover’s childhood shaped his reign [MOU1] as director.  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 Roth  [MOU1]“tenure”? Maybe I’m overthinking this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss Trump’s campaign announcement, election denying candidates’ failures in the midterms, and guest Matthew Zeitlin on the impact the implosion of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto exchange FTX may have on the Effective Altruism movement. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Donie O'Sullivan for CNN: “Facebook Fact-Checkers Will Stop Checking Trump After Presidential Bid Announcement” Matthew Zeitlin for Grid: “Sam Bankman-Fried Gave Millions To Effective Altruism. What Happens Now That The Money Is Gone?” Kelsey Piper for Vox: “Sam Bankman-Fried Tries To Explain Himself” What We Owe the Future, by William MacAskill William MacAskill for Effective Altruism Forum: “EA And The Current Funding Situation” This American Life: “Watching the Watchers” Here are this week’s chatters: John: Jason P. Frank for Vulture: “Stephen Colbert, Emma Watson, and More Celebs to Relish in Pickleball Tournament”; Isabel Gonzalez for CBS News: “Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield Partner To Create Ear-Shaped, Cannabis-Infused Edibles” Emily: William Melhado for The Texas Tribune: “Federal Judge In Texas Rules That Disarming Those Under Protective Orders Violates Their Second Amendment Rights” David: Politics and Prose: City Cast DC Live Taping with Michael Schaffer, David Plotz, and Anton Bogomazov - at Union Market; Justin Jouvenal for The Washington Post: “D.C.’s Bitcoin King: Yachts, Penthouses, A Python — And Tax Dodging?” Listener chatter from Kelly Mills: The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies, by Jason Fagone For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John contemplate the Thanksgiving traditions they would like to adopt or improve.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz discuss the recent Supreme Court rulings on emergency abortions and guns with Yale Law School’s Linda Greenhouse and Congressman Jamaal Bowman’s loss in a New York Democratic primary. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Supreme Court of the United States: Moyle v. United States; United States v. Rahimi; and Murthy v. Missouri Greg Stohr, Kimberly Robinson, and Lydia Wheeler for Bloomberg: Supreme Court Poised to Allow Emergency Abortions in Idaho Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court appears to allow emergency abortions in Idaho and Supreme Court upholds bar on guns under domestic-violence restraining orders Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez for The Idaho Capital Sun: Idaho’s OB-GYN exodus throws women in rural towns into a care void Eleanor Klibanoff for The Texas Tribune: Emergency rooms not required to perform life-saving abortions, federal appeals court rules Ariane de Vogue, Tierney Sneed, and Devan Cole for CNN: Supreme Court issues report on Dobbs leak but says it hasn’t identified the leaker Mark Joseph Stern for Slate: Supreme Court Inadvertently Reveals Confounding Late Change in Trump Ballot Ruling and Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern: John Roberts Tried to Clean Up Clarence Thomas’ Mess. He May Have Invited More Chaos. Linda Greenhouse in The New York Times: The Supreme Court Steps Back From the Edge and How John Roberts Lost His Court Michael C. Dorf for Dorf on Law: Justice Kavanaugh’s Concurrence in Rahimi Contains a Whopper of an Error (or Worse) and The Hidden Merits Ruling in Murthy v. Missouri Gregory Krieg for CNN: George Latimer defeats House ‘squad’ member Jamaal Bowman in historic New York Democratic primary Michelle Goldberg for The New York Times: The War in Gaza Is Splintering the Democratic Party Ben Davis for The Guardian: The Aipac-funded candidate defeated Jamaal Bowman. But at what cost? Peter Beinart for The Beinart Notebook: Jamaal Bowman’s Courage Jon Murray, Seth Klamann, and Nick Coltrain for The Denver Post: Five takeaways from Colorado’s primaries as voters give Lauren Boebert new life, pick a Denver DA and more Anthony Adragna and Nicholas Wu for Politico: AIPAC offshoot spending heavily to beat Cori Bush in her primary Colby Itkowitz, Emily Guskin, and Scott Clement for The Washington Post: Trump trusted more than Biden on democracy among key swing-state voters Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Dismantling Mass Incarceration: A Handbook for Change by Premal Dharia, James Forman, Jr., and Maria Hawilo and Karin Brulliard for The Washington Post: For millionaire and four hunters, a wild Western lawsuit over public land Linda: Thelma from Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing and Aisha Harris, Bob Mondello, Bedatri D. Choudhury, Liz Metzger, Mike Katzif, and Jessica Reedy for NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour: June Squibb’s ‘Thelma’ is the wrong grandma to mess with David: Hark and David Plotz for Hark’s The Conversation: Campaign Trail 2024 Listener chatter from William Wagner in Green Bay, Wisconsin: Sam Anderson with illustrations by Gaia Alari for The New York Times: Walnut and Me and Sam Anderson: Animal podcast   For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David and Emily talk with Linda Greenhouse about Murthy v. Missouri.   In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the midterm results we have so far and the Supreme Court case that could upend family law and more for Native Americans. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Stefan Becket for CBS News: “The Unresolved 2022 House And Senate Races That Will Determine Control Of Congress” Rebecca Nagle for The Atlantic: “The Supreme Court Case That Could Break Native American Sovereignty” Leah Litman and Matthew L.M. Fletcher for The Atlantic: “​​The Necessity of the Indian Child Welfare Act” Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Sarah McCammon for NPR: “Where Abortion Was On The Ballot, Midterm Voters Largely Signaled Support”  David: David chattered about how going on a “Twitter fast” is improving his well-being.  Listener chatter from Scott Grant: Sarah Linn for KCET: “The Dunites: Building a Utopia in the Oceano Dunes” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John take the under-the-radar state and local midterm results they find most interesting.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson are Live in Atlanta discussing Georgia’s midterm election with NPR-WABE’s Rose Scott, as well as increasing political violencein the U.S.; and affirmative action at the Supreme Court. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Closer Look with Rose Scott John Dickerson for CBS Primetime: “Political Threats And Violence In The U.S.” (Inteview with Robert Pape) Steal This Book, by Abbie Hoffman Here are this week’s chatters: John: Carrie McBride for The New York Public Library: “100 Years Ago Men and Boys Fought on the Streets of New York Over Wearing Straw Hats Past Summer” Emily: Fleishman Is in Trouble David: The Candy House, by Jennifer Egan; Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, by Neil Stephenson; The Immortal King Rao, by Vauhini Vara; Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr; The Circle, by Dave Eggers Listener chatter from John Campbell McMillian: Atlanta Police Department’s Citizen's Police Academy For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John take listener questions live. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson talk to civil rights journalist and WHYY radio host Cherri Gregg about the Pennsylvania midterm campaigns. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the final midterm sprint; the latest British Prime Minister; and Trump’s legal troubles.  Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Adrian Wooldridge for Bloomberg: “Rishi Sunak Is a New and Old-Fashioned Tory” Barton Gellman for The Atlantic: “The Impeachment of Joe Biden” The Trump Tapes: Bob Woodward's Twenty Interviews with President Donald Trump Nathaniel Rakich for FiveThirtyEight: “The Most Important Elections Of 2022 Could Be In State Legislatures” Brittany Bernstein for The National Review: “Why Some Trump-Country Pennsylvanians Still Aren't Sold on Dr. Oz” Anna Bower for Lawfare: “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Georgia Special Purpose Grand Juries But Were Afraid to Ask” Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “I Write About the Law. But Could I Really Help Free a Prisoner?” The Prison Letters Project Here are this week’s chatters: John: States United Democracy Center; Third Way Paul Revere Project Emily: Charlie Savage for the New York Times: “Garland Formally Bars Justice Dept. From Seizing Reporters’ Records” David: Dhruv Mehrotra for Wired: “Hot on the Trail of a Mass-School-Shooting Hoaxer”; Ben Collins’ Twitter thread collecting favorite tweets. Listener chatter from Brian DeGeer: Theresa Vargas for The Washington Post: “Fiona Apple Uses Her Voice To Call Out Prince George’s Justice System” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily discusses The Prison Letters Project with John J. Lennon and Reginald Dwayne Betts.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Plotz talks with with author Tom Perrotta about why Tracy Flick doesn’t have the life she dreamed of in his new novel, Tracy Flick Can’t Win. A sequel to Perrotta’s 1998 novel Election, Tracy Flick Can’t Win meets up with Tracy Flick decades later where she’s a single mother and assistant principal of a New Jersey high school.  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 Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson concerning polls for Democrats, women protesting Iran’s regime, and the trial of Arkansas’ law targeting trans kids. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Roya Hakakian for The Atlantic: “The Bonfire of the Headscarves” A Beginner’s Guide to America for the Immigrant and the Curious, by Roya Hakakian  Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “Pre-Registering Some Takes On The Midterms: Why I Think Democrats Will Undershoot Their Polling And What It Means” Kelli María Korducki for The Atlantic: “'I Think the Women Are Winning': Roya Hakakian on Iran”  Here are this week’s chatters: John: The Trump Tapes: Bob Woodward's Twenty Interviews with President Donald Trump;  Michael Wines and Neil Vigdor for The New York Times: “Videos Show Confusion as Florida Police Arrest People on Voter Fraud Charges” Emily: Emily Heil for The Washington Post: “Olivia Wilde Solves Salad Dressing Mystery With A Nora Ephron Recipe” David: Jeff Maysh for The Atlantic: “The $30 Million Lottery Scam” Listener chatter from Lara Lowenstein: The Mountain Dogs For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss Ye buying Parler.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson talk to Craig Mauger of The Detroit News about the major midterm elections in the swing state of Michigan. Then the hosts speak with the Washington Post’s Yvonne Wingett Sanchez about the MAGA diehards and their opponents in Arizona’s midterm election.  Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson LA’s racism & redistricting scandal, the Andy Warhol copyright case at the Supreme Court, and developments in Putin’s war on Ukraine. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “Putin’s Newest Annexation Is Dire for Russia Too” Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “The Kremlin Must Be in Crisis” They Might Be Giants - Gab On (Theme to the Slate Political Gabfest) Here are this week’s chatters: John: The Cormac McCarthy Journal Emily: The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity, and Love in the Digital Age, by Danielle Keats Citron; The Other Side of Prospect: A Story of Violence, Injustice, and the American City, by Nicholas Dawidoff David: David chattered about dining outside in Texas. Listener chatter from Lara Lowenstein: The Mountain Dogs For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John interview John Flansburgh and John Linnell of They Might Be Giants about their work and the Gabfest’s new theme song.     Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the new Supreme Court term; Herschel Walker’s abortion lies; and the legal mess Dobbs created for doctors providing abortion via telemedicine. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Emily Bazelon for The New York Times Magazine: “The Doctors Risking Everything to Offer Abortions Across State Lines” The New York Times: “Is Elon Musk’s Deal to Buy Twitter Back On? Here’s What We Know.” Here are this week’s chatters: John: Brian Hutton for The Irish Times: “Irishman Nears Galway After 112 Days of Rowing Across Atlantic From New York”; Damian Browne on Instagram: auld_stock Emily: CNN: “‘We've Got Weights In Fish!': See The Moment Cheaters Are Caught During Fishing Tournament’” David: Adam Dalva, The New Yorker: “Letters to Jeb Bush” Listener chatter from Jamaica Popejoy: Staged For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the latest in the saga of Elon Musk and Twitter.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss potential polling inaccuracy, Brett Favre and the larger scandal of states misusing federal welfare funding, and Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s take on Italy’s neo-fascist future Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Nate Cohen for The New York Times: “Yes, The Polling Warning Signs Are Flashing Again” Anna Wolfe and Mississippi Today’s coverage of the Mississippi welfare scandal. Annie Lowry for The Atlantic: “The Time Tax” Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, by Ruth Ben-Ghiat Here are this week’s chatters: John: Adrienne LaFrance for The Atlantic: “What It's Like to Fly Into the Eye of a Hurricane” Emily: Roya Hakakian for The Atlantic: “The Bonfire of the Headscarves” David: The Guardian, YouTube: “Michael Sheen Gives Rousing Speech for Wales Football Team on A League of Their Own” Listener chatter from Meredith Francis: Paul Fairie’s Twitter thread of "A List of Things People Blamed on Jazz."  For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the 2024 presidential debates; a possible warning on social media and another ban of smartphones in schools; and the future and failures of one-party rule.   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Ashley Lopez for NPR: Biden vs. Trump remains close, so next week’s debate offers them an opportunity James Oliphant for Reuters: The Biden-Trump presidential debate: what to watch for Shane Goldmacher and Reid J. Epstein for The New York Times: Trump, Biden and CNN Prepare for a Hostile Debate (With Muted Mics) Josh Barro for Very Serious: Of Course Biden Should Attack Trump for Being a Convicted Felon Dr. Vivek H. Murthy in The New York Times: Surgeon General: Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms and Sherry Turkle: Stop Googling. Let’s Talk. Consider This on NPR: ‘An unfair fight’: The U.S. surgeon general declares war on social media Howard Blume and Defne Karabatur for The Los Angeles Times: LAUSD approves cellphone ban as Newsom calls for statewide action Tatum Hunter for The Washington Post: What research actually says about social media and kids’ health Candice L. Odgers in Nature: The great rewiring: is social media really behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness? Mitch Daniels in The Washington Post: Indiana is revealing the real consequences of one-party rule Ballotpedia: State government trifectas Scott S. Greenberger in NC Newsline: Shared power used to be the norm in state government. Now it’s nearly extinct. Nicholas Kristof for The New York Times: What Have We Liberals Done to the West Coast? Here are this week’s chatters: John: Liquor.com: Vesper; The New York Times: John Hurt in ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’; and John Hurt in The Guardian: Krapp’s Last Tape: John Hurt on Samuel Beckett’s loner hero Emily: The Innocence Project: Texas Seeks Execution Date for Robert Roberson, An Innocent Man Wrongly Convicted Under Debunked Shaken Baby Hypothesis David: Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, Georgetown University: The Vocation of Journalists in a Time of Testing; Washington City Paper: Paper, Cut; and Bruce Weber and Ashley Southall for The New York Times: David Carr, Times Critic and Champion of Media, Dies at 58 Listener chatter from Tristan Hinderliter in Long Island City, New York: Samantha Pearson for The Wall Street Journal: Even Hardened Convicts Are No Match for These Guard Geese   For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John talk about the Brat Pack: then and now. See Hulu: Brats and David Blum for New York Magazine: Hollywood’s Brat Pack. See also RHINO: John Parr – St. Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion) (Official Music Video) and Comedy Bites Vintage: Don’t You Forget About Me (Final Scene) The Breakfast Club.   In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel.   Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson New York’s massive fraud case against the Trumps; Ron DeSantis’ treatments of asylum seekers; and Dahlia Lithwick’s Lady Justice.   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Trading Barriers: Immigration and the Remaking of Globalization, Margaret E. Peters Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America, by Dahlia Lithwick Ruth Igielnik for The New York Times: “Trump Support Remains Unmoved by Investigations, Poll Finds” Here are this week’s chatters: John: It was supposed to be...The Philosophy of Modern Song, by Bob Dylan Emily: Somebody Somewhere; Reservation Dogs David: The Space Force Anthem Listener chatter from Danny Edgel: Frank Vaisvilas and Sarah Volpenhein for The Green Bay Press-Gazette: “Oneida Nation Steps In To Defend Indian Child Welfare Act In Us Supreme Court Case” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the vacation of Adnan Syed’s murder conviction.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Dickerson talks with author Ada Calhoun about her new memoir, Also a Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father, and Me. What started as Calhoun’s attempt to finish the biography of Frank O’Hara that her father started, turned into a gripping story of Calhoun’s relationship with her father. Calhoun and Dickerson talk about not pulling punches when it comes to how nice family members are, why you can’t pre-plan a happy ending, and what her father thought of the book.  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 Roth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss Ukraine’s advances with Anne Applebaum; Lindsey Graham’s national abortion ban bill; and the controversy over requiring religious schools in New York to meet minimum educational standards. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “It’s Time to Prepare for a Ukrainian Victory” Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “The Other Ukrainian Army” Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine, by Anne Applebaum Shtisel Fill The Void Here are this week’s chatters: John: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life, by George Saunders  Emily: Shaila Dewan for The New York Times: “Philadelphia Prosecutor Is Found in Contempt by State Representatives” David: Mosaic Magazine: “The Royal Mohel and the House of Windsor’s Relationship with the Jews” Listener chatter from Andrea: NPR’s Planet Money: “Best By, Sell By, Use By” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the Death of Queen Elizabeth II.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices