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Political Gabfest
These Walz Could Talk
This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Juliette Kayyem of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government to discuss the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz; Google’s search monopoly and antitrust trial loss; and the guilty-plea deals in three 9/11 cases undone by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Here are this week’s chatters:
Juliette: NBC: Paris 2024 and International Olympic Committee: Olympic Channel
Emily: International Olympic Committee: Table tennis rules, scoring system and all you need to know; Jake Rossen for Mental Floss: Why Do Some Olympic Athletes Wear Paper Numbers?; International Olympic Committee: Sports Swap; and Maia Hjelmar for GQ Australia: 16 Olympic athletes who succeeded in more than one sport
David: Maximilien Van Aertryck and Axel Danielson in The New York Times: Ten Meter Tower
Listener chatter from Fraser Ronald in Ottawa, Canada: Ari Berkowitz for Scientific American: Is Your Nervous System a Democracy or a Dictatorship?
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and Juliette talk about RFK Jr. and The Bear. See Clare Malone for The New Yorker: What Does Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Actually Want?
In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Roland Allen about his book, The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper.
Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
Podcast production by Ethan Oberman
Research by Julie Huygen
Hosts
Juliette Kayyem, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz
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Gabfest Reads | Why Liberalism Needs to Reclaim the Center
47:39|In this month’s episode of Gabfest Reads, John Dickerson interviews Bloomberg columnist Adrian Wooldridge about his new book The Revolutionary Center: The Lost Genius of Liberalism. In a moment when American democracy is under assault from authoritarian populists and dogmatic progressives, Wooldridge argues that liberalism itself offers the most resilient framework for pluralistic, self-correcting societies. Dickerson and Wooldridge discuss what liberalism really is, why both the left and right have become illiberal, and what citizens can do to defend the democratic principles on which the nation was built.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 Nina Porzucki.
Nevertheless, Xi Persisted
56:46|This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the geopolitical dynamics and possible outcomes of the Trump-Xi summit with former New York Times Beijing Bureau Chief and host of Face-Off: the US vs. China, Jane Perlez, whether or not the United States has essentially lost the war it started in Iran, and how badly the latest round of gerrymandering will hurt the Democrats and America as a whole in the upcoming midterms and beyond. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss who actually benefits from this week's resignation of FDA chief Marty Makary amid overlapping pressure campaigns from the tobacco industry and anti-abortion groups. In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily Bazelon talks with journalist Mark Oppenheimer about his new book, Judy Blume: A Life. Oppenheimer, who spent years with Blume’s papers at Yale and conducted extensive interviews with the author herself, traces how a restless housewife in New Jersey became one of the most beloved—and most banned—writers in American history. 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 DittoYou 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. Follow@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfestSlate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/
Are Republicans Actually Souring on Trump?
55:19|This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss how the Iran War is hurting Trump and the Republicans as its economic fallout grows, the sudden revival of abortion pill politics which ended an uneasy equilibrium between federal law and state bans, and early results of a study on school cellphone bans.For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss recent reporting on Trump's escalating and self-aggrandizing efforts to remake the landscape of Washington D.C. including the takeover of municipal golf courses, planning for the "Garden of Heroes," and developments in the ongoing White House ballroom saga. In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily Bazelon talks with journalist Mark Oppenheimer about his new book, Judy Blume: A Life. Oppenheimer, who spent years with Blume’s papers at Yale and conducted extensive interviews with the author herself, traces how a restless housewife in New Jersey became one of the most beloved—and most banned—writers in American history. 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 DittoYou 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. Follow@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfestSlate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/
King Me
01:03:25|This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and guest host Juliette Kayyem discuss the ongoing political fallout from Saturday's attempted assassination at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the monumental impact the Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais will have on minority political representation, and what yesterday's oral arguments at SCOTUS portend for immigrants under Temporary Protected Status.For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and guest host Juliette Kayyem discuss King Charles and Queen Camilla's state visit to the U.S., including the subtle digs in Charles's address to Congress and his inescapable position as a foil to President Trump. In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily Bazelon talks with journalist Mark Oppenheimer about his new book, Judy Blume: A Life. Oppenheimer, who spent years with Blume’s papers at Yale and conducted extensive interviews with the author herself, traces how a restless housewife in New Jersey became one of the most beloved—and most banned—writers in American history. 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 DittoYou 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. Follow@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfestSlate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/
Trump and the Iranians Deserve Each Other
01:00:53|This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Trump's need for a face-saving exit amid his economically disastrous standoff with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, how Kash Patel's defamation suit against The Atlantic could hurt him more than help him, and a controversial new Yale report on trust in higher education with guest and report committee co-chair Beverly Gage.For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss the personal and political dimensions of President Trump's new executive order aimed at increasing federal psychedelics research and therapeutic access for mental health treatments. In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily Bazelon talks with journalist Mark Oppenheimer about his new book, Judy Blume: A Life. Oppenheimer, who spent years with Blume’s papers at Yale and conducted extensive interviews with the author herself, traces how a restless housewife in New Jersey became one of the most beloved—and most banned—writers in American history. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Kevin Bendis Research by Emily DittoYou 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.
Gabfest Reads | The Unlikely Rise of Judy Blume
40:15|Emily Bazelon talks with journalist Mark Oppenheimer about his new bookJudy Blume: A Life. Oppenheimer, who spent years with Blume’s papers atYale and conducted extensive interviews with the author herself, traceshow a restless housewife in New Jersey became one of the mostbeloved—and most banned—writers in American history.They discuss what made Blume’s frank, funny voice so revolutionary foryoung readers in the 1970s, the surprisingly progressive household thatshaped her, and the genius of Forever, her landmark novel in whichteenage sex is depicted as pleasurable rather than catastrophic. Theyalso dig into the scandalous adult novel Wifey, Blume’s doggedpersistence through rejection, and her tireless championing of otherwriters’ right to be read.Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com.(Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulatesotherwise.)Podcast production by Nina Porzucki.
How Many Divisions Has the Pope?
01:02:50|This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Trump's Hormuz blockade and his feud with the Pope, a new oral history chronicling stark shifts inside the Department of Homeland Security during Trump's second term, and how to unwind authoritarianism after the consequential electoral defeat of Hungary's Viktor Orbán with guest Anne Applebaum.For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss the joint resignation of Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales after accusations of sexual misconduct became public, why powerful men make such terrible choices, and whether we live in a world where shame still matters. In the latest Gabfest Reads, David Plotz talks with journalist Gabriel Sherman about his new book Bonfire of the Murdochs: How the Epic Fight to Control the Last Great Media Dynasty Broke a Family—and the World. Sherman, who also wrote the bestselling biography of Fox News chief Roger Ailes, spent 15 years reporting on the Murdoch empire. In this book he turns his lens on the family itself — the rivalries, the wounds, and the secret Nevada courtroom battle that finally forced Rupert’s hand. 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 DittoYou 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. Follow@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfestSlate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/
TACO Tuesday
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"Subject to the Jurisdiction Thereof"
01:09:37|This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss yesterday's oral arguments in the monumentally important birthright citizenship case at the Supreme Court, Trump's primetime attempt to convince Americans that both their wallets and the Iran war are just fine, and strategy versus vibes in key Senate races in Maine and Texas.For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission to the Moon. They muse poetically about space exploration, ask what NASA has been doing all this time, and discuss the benefits to humanity of such expensive missions. In the latest Gabfest Reads, David Plotz talks with journalist Gabriel Sherman about his new book Bonfire of the Murdochs: How the Epic Fight to Control the Last Great Media Dynasty Broke a Family—and the World. Sherman, who also wrote the bestselling biography of Fox News chief Roger Ailes, spent 15 years reporting on the Murdoch empire. In this book he turns his lens on the family itself — the rivalries, the wounds, and the secret Nevada courtroom battle that finally forced Rupert’s hand. 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 DittoYou can find the full Political Gabfest show pages here.