This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the results of the midterm elections and what they tell us about the state of the country, what kind of balance new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate should strike between legislation and investigations of the Trump administration and what this means for the 2028 conversation already underway, and what ballot initiatives say about voter sentiment on issues like abortion and AI.
Here are this week’s chatters:
Emily: Jacob Stern for The New York Times Magazine: He Ran a Youth-Basketball Empire. He Also Had a Massive Drug Operation.
John: Kiran Stacey for The Guardian: Andy Burnham launches campaign against ‘headphone dodgers’ on public transport
David: Bullock Texas State History Museum; Exhibit: Building the Lone Star Identity
Listener chatter from George Twigg in Jericho, Vermont: Bill Donahue for Offrange: Moose Tracks
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss their picks for obscure yet interesting midterm election results, including Washington D.C.'s ballot initiative to ban foie gras in restaurants, the apparent failure of the California billionaire tax, and what it could mean for the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact now that enough state legislatures and governors have flipped.
In the latest Gabfest Reads, John Dickerson interviews Angela Duckworth about her new book, Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best. This new book argues that the most successful people don’t just grind harder; they reshape their circumstances to make success feel automatic.
Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
Podcast production by Nina Porzucki
Research by Emily Ditto
You can find the full Political Gabfest show pages here.
Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen.
Find out more about David Plotz's monthly tours of Ft. DeRussy, the secret Civil War fort hidden in Rock Creek Park.
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