This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign; the Supreme Court’s boost for Donald Trump and review of social media’s content moderation; and Senator Mitch McConnell’s decision to time out as minority leader. Join us for our next Political Gabfest Live show in Washington, D.C. on March 27! Tickets are on sale now. Planning to attend? Submit a Listener Chatter to gabfest@slate.com and you might be picked to chatter live. 
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Ezra Klein for The New York Times Ezra Klein Show podcast: Democrats Have a Better Option Than Biden
Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times: It’s Not as Easy as Just Getting Biden to Drop Out
Yasmeen Abutaleb and Marianne LeVine for The Washington Post: Biden wins Michigan primary but faces notable showing by ‘uncommitted’
Thomas L. Friedman for The New York Times: Israel Is Losing Its Greatest Asset: Acceptance
Karl Rove for The Wall Street Journal: Trump Goes on Fox and Shows His Weakness
Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court skeptical of Texas, Florida regulation of social media moderation
G.S. Hans for Balls and Strikes: How the Supreme Court’s Latest Big Tech Case Pits Cancel Culture Hysteria Against Corporate Power
Michael C. Dorf for Dorf on Law: The Partial Facial Challenge Option in the Netchoice Cases
Alan Feuer for The New York Times: In Taking Up Trump’s Immunity Claim, Supreme Court Bolstered His Delay Strategy
John Dickerson for CBS News: Examining Mitch McConnell’s legacy as Senate Republican leader
The Long Game: A Memoir by Mitch McConnell
Mariana Alfaro for The Washington Post: Here’s who could replace Mitch McConnell as Senate’s top Republican
Mark Sumner for the Daily Kos: Watch Tim Scott utterly humiliate himself for Trump
Katelyn Caralle and Sarah Ewall-Wice for the Daily Mail: Lindsey Graham is mercilessly BOOED at Trump’s South Carolina victory party: Ex-president brings Senator on stage after introducing him as a ‘little further to the left’
Saturday Night Live: Trump Victory Party Cold Open

Here are this week’s chatters:
Emily: Molly Ryan for WRKF 89.3 Baton Rouge Public Radio: House lawmakers advance bills targeting early release from prison – and more
John: Aliza Chasan for CBS News: Cardboard box filled with unopened hockey cards sells for more than $3.7 million at auction and Joshua Rapp Learn for Discover: Schrődinger’s Cat Experiment and the Conundrum That Rules Modern Physics
David: Plainsong by Kent Haruf and City Cast: Work with us.
Listener chatter from Jacob in Chicago, Illinois: citiesbydiana on TikTok: Top 6 Best Stroads in America
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss the Republican obsession with Hunter Biden and the possibility of impeaching President Joe Biden. See Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: Republicans can’t stop swallowing Russian propaganda. See

Could They Actually Leap Over Biden And Dunk Him?

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the tragic death of Alexei Navalny and the fallout in the US; Donald Trump’s civil fraud case and consequences; and Alabama’s new stance on frozen embryos.   
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Pam Belluck for the New York Times on A New Abortion Access Strategy
Adam Liptak for the New York Times on Supreme Court Seems Ready to Block a Biden Plan on Air Pollution 
Jeffrey Blehar for National Review on We Need to Talk about Tucker
Brett Stephens for the New York Times on How Biden Can Avenge Navalny’s Death
David Ignatius, for the Washington Post on Ukraine faces a valley of death. There’s a way Biden can help it get across.
Neil MacFarquhar for the New York Times on Wife, Protector and Now Political Heir: Yulia Navalnaya Rallies Russians
Jonah E. Bromwich and Ben Protess for the New York Times on What the Civil Fraud Ruling Means for Trump’s Finances and His Empire
Jonathan O'Connell for the Washington Post on Hefty fines, penalties will rock Trump family's business and fortune
Ruth Marcus for the Washington Post on Alabama’s frozen embryo ruling is misguided
Jan Hoffman for the New York times on Alabama Says Embryos in a Lab Are Children. What Are the Implications?

Here are this week’s chatters:
Emily: The fight against the EPA’s “good neighbor” air pollution rule heats up at the Supreme Court. 
John: Allison Russel’s Grammy Award win for Eve Was Black, which some members of the Tennessee legislature sought to reject a congratulatory resolution for the singer.  
David: Closet beds in the Netherlands. 
Listener chatter from Lee Underwood in Atlanta, Georgia: Caley Fretz for Escape Collective: Meet the man who rode more new roads than anyone else
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily are joined by Gongwer News Service Executive Editor and Publisher Zach Gorchow. Zach also co-hosts the Michigan politics podcast MichMash. They discuss the dustup among Democratic votes who may vote “uncommitted” in the primary because of Biden’s stance on Israel.  
 
In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about his book, Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You.
 
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 Keya Bajaj
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can Putin Be Stopped?

David Plotz talks with author Kiley Reid about her new book, Come & Get It. They discuss how money can work in the same way as language, writing realistic dialogue, and the things we can’t let go of. 

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

Gabfest Reads: Race, Money and Fictional Life at the University of Arkansas

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Special Counsel Robert Hur’s description of President Joe Biden; House Republicans’ impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and refusal on Ukraine aid; and Democrat Tom Suozzi’s win in the New York congressional special election. And in Slate Plus, Emily, John, and David talk local news with reporter Ellie Wolfe. 
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Matt Viser and Tyler Pager for The Washington Post: Biden responds angrily to special counsel report questioning his memory and Marianne LeVine: Trump says he’d disregard NATO treaty, urge Russian attacks on U.S. allies
Politico Magazine: What Biden Needs to Do to Reassure the Public
Elena Moore for NPR: Biden’s campaign gives in and joins TikTok. Blame the youngs
Mike Lillis and Mychael Schnell for The Hill: Lawmakers scramble for Plan B on Ukraine
Jake Tapper for CNN: Marco Rubio reacts to Trump threatening NATO country to ‘pay up’
Zack Beauchamp for Vox: The moral and strategic case for arming Ukraine
Joshua Matz, Michael J. Gerhardt, Amit Jain, and Laurence H. Tribe for Just Security: Why and How the Senate Should Swiftly Dismiss the Impeachment Charges Against Mayorkas
Nate Cohn for The New York Times: Not an Ordinary Special Election, and Yet a Typical Result and Carl Hulse: How Senate Democrats Flipped the Border Issue on Republicans

Here are this week’s chatters:
Emily: American Fiction; Sam Sanders, Nadira Goffe, and Stephen Metcalf for the Slate Culture Gabfest podcast: American Fiction, Oscar Contender?; and Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones, and Zach Stafford for the Stitcher Vibe Check podcast: A Special Conversation with Cord Jefferson 
John: Timeguessr and Matt Levine for Matt Levin’s Money Stuff: Lyft Had an Earnings Typo
David: The Greatest Night in Pop on Netflix and USA for Africa: We Are the World 
Listener chatter from J.T. Horn in Strafford, Vermont: Peter Frick Wright for the Outside Podcast: A Wild Conversation with E. Jean Carroll
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss with Ellie Wolfe her local-news reporting as Education Reporter for the Arizona Daily Star. See Proposed law would limit shared governance at Arizona’s universities; U of A to ‘permanently eliminate’ $27 million worth of jobs in academic units; U of A’s Robbins talks about his pay, layoffs, athletics debt, more; and CFO: U of A must cut $200M in spending, rethink mission, accept layoffs. Thanks to listeners Alison, Anna, and David for the recommendation! 
 
In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about his book, Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You.
 
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
Lear

Well-Meaning, Elderly Man With A Poor Memory

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Republicans’ beginning and end of both the border bill and the impeachment of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas; the criminal conviction of a mother for a school shooting by her son; and the D.C. Circuit Court decision on presidential immunity and the Supreme Court argument on the presidential ballot. 
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Rachael Bade for Politico: Schumer presses forward with Ukraine Plan B as GOP leaders reel and Burgess Everett: Behind the border mess: Open GOP rebellion against McConnell
Cleve R. Wootson Jr. for The Washington Post: Biden vows to make GOP defeat of a conservative border bill a campaign issue and Jacqueline Alemany, Amy B Wang, Marianna Sotomayor, and Paul Kane: In stunning vote, House Republicans fail to impeach Secretary Mayorkas
Former Rep. Charlie Stenholm in The Hill in 2015: How Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan would make this Congress work
Tresa Baldas for the Detroit Free Press: Jennifer Crumbley guilty: Understanding involuntary manslaughter charge, possible sentenceand Paul Egan: Michigan’s gun laws change: Background checks, storage, temporary removal
Michael Barbaro and Lisa Miller for The New York Times The Daily podcast: A Guilty Verdict for a Mass Shooter’s Mother
Rachel Weiner for The Washington Post: Trump has no immunity from Jan. 6 prosecution, appeals court rules
Ian Millhiser for Vox: The Supreme Court is about to decide whether to sabotage Trump’s election theft trial
Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court to decide whether insurrection provision keeps Trump off ballot
 
Here are this week’s chatters:
John: Ian Sample for The Guardian: AI helps scholars read scroll buried when Vesuvius erupted in AD79; Pierina Pighi Bel for the BBC: Bodegas: The small corner shops that run NYC; David Blank in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Philodemus; Moss and Fog; and Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School: Theodore H. White Lecture with John Dickerson
Emily: Sofia Resnick for News From The States: Study cited by Texas judge in abortion pill case retracted and Sage Publishing: A note from Sage on retractions in Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology
David: Patrick Radden Keefe for The New Yorker: A Teen’s Fatal Plunge Into The London Underworld
Listener chatter from Patrick Johnson in Anchorage, Alaska: Rhonda McBride for KNBA - Anchorage: Anchorage’s white raven becomes a local legend as a tracked trickster
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss “Fast Car,” Tracy Chapman’s 1988 original, and Luke Combs’s 2023 cover.
 
In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about his book, Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You.
 
Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer

Congress Can’t Aid, Can’t Arm, Can’t Legislate, Can’t Impeach

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss E. Jean Carroll’s $83.3 million win against Donald J. Trump; the events of 1920-1948 that shaped the current relationship of Israel and Palestine; and the tech-bro billionaires of techno-authoritarianism with Adrienne LaFrance of The Atlantic. 
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Eric Lach for The New Yorker: Nine Regular People Tell Donald Trump to Shut Up and Pay Up
Monica Hesse for The Washington Post: Is it really sexism that Trump is showing? Or is it something worse?
Maggie Haberman and Shane Goldmacher for The New York Times: Trump’s PACs Spent Roughly $50 Million on Legal Expenses in 2023
Erik Larson for Fortune and Bloomberg: Most of Trump’s cash stockpile is at risk from possible $450m dual verdicts in E. Jean Carroll and New York business fraud cases
CBS News: Face The Nation and Emily Tillett: Nikki Haley on Trump accusers: Women who accuse anyone “should be heard” and “dealt with”
Gabriella Abdul-Hakim for ABC News: Tim Scott insists voters don’t care about Trump’s defamation loss, plays down ‘provocative’ Haley attacks
Dietrich Knauth for Insurance Journal: Sandy Hook Denier Alex Jones Eyes Settlement With Families, Bankruptcy Exit
Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: The Road to 1948 and Was Peace Ever Possible?
Adrienne LaFrance for The Atlantic: The Rise of Techno-Authoritarianism
Ezra Klein for The New York Times: The Chief Ideologist of the Silicon Valley Elite Has Some Strange Ideas
Steven Levy for Wired: What the Techno-Billionaire Missed About Techno-Optimism
Jonathan Taplin for Vanity Fair: How Musk, Thiel, Zuckerberg, and Andreessen—Four Billionaire Techno-Oligarchs—Are Creating an Alternate, Autocratic Reality
Lisa Desjardins and Jonah Anderson for PBS Newshour: Lawmakers grill Big Tech executives, accusing them of failing to protect children
The Dictator’s Learning Curve: Inside the Global Battle for Democracy by William J. Dobson
 
Here are this week’s chatters: 
Emily: The Fight to Save the Town: Reimagining Discarded America by Michelle Wilde Anderson
John: PenTips; Toluse Olorunnipa and Liz Goodwin for The Washington Post: Biden vows to ‘shut down’ an overwhelmed border if Senate deal passes and Jacob Bogage and Jeff Stein: House votes to expand child tax credit, beef up corporate tax breaks
David: Visual Arts, St. Albans School; John Buzbee for The Advocate: LSU students bare it all as nude art models: ‘It’s a very brave thing to be able to do.’; and Kim McGill for The Union: The naked truth: Art models at El Camino inspire students to portray humanity in all its forms
Listener chatter from Jay Lloyd in Louisville, Kentucky: Eric Berger for Ars Technica: What happens when an astronaut in orbit says he’s not coming back?
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss the Love Story of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce and

Will The Carroll Verdict Hurt Trump?

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Trump v. Biden presidential rematch, the end of the “vibecession,” and the political fights over immigration. 
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Michael Scherer and Toluse Olorunnipa for The Washington Post: Trump, Biden pivot quickly to a 2024 campaign that many voters dread
Lauren Irwin for The Hill: Trump says Tim Scott ‘must really hate’ Haley
Allison Pecorin and Caleigh Bartash for ABC News: Trump picks up endorsements from holdouts after New Hampshire win
John E. Moser for Teaching American History: “Fireside Chat” on “Purging” the Democratic Party
Ben Casselman for The New York Times: U.S. Economy Grew at 3.3% Rate in Latest Quarter and German Lopez: The End of Economic Pessimism?
Jeff Stein for The Washington Post: As doomsday predictions dissipate, Biden aides savor booming economy and Trump promises to stop inflation. But would his plans actually help?
Kyla Scanlon for Kyla’s Newsletter: The Vibecession: The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Ben Harris and Aaron Sojourner for The Brookings Institution: Why are Americans so displeased with the economy?
David Montgomery for YouGov: How’s the economy doing? For many Americans, the answer is how their party’s doing
Punchbowl News AM: McConnell bows to Trump on border
Karoun Demirjian for The New York Times: With Border Deal Near, Parole and Money Take Center Stage in Senate Talks
Maria Sacchetti for The Washington Post: Explaining immigration parole, one sticking point in Ukraine aid-border deal
Rafael Bernal and Al Weaver for The Hill: Parole: What to know about the GOP’s latest border sticking point 
David J. Bier for the Cato Institute: New Data Show Migrants Were More Likely to Be Released by Trump Than Biden
Colleen Long for AP: Title 42 has ended. Here’s what it did, and how US immigration policy is changing

Here are this week’s chatters: 
Emily: Yair Rosenberg for The Atlantic: What Did Top Israeli War Officials Really Say About Gaza? and Comics Kingdom: Sally Forth
John: Tori Apodaca for CBS Sacramento: California writes cursive back into elementary school curriculum and Carmen Mayer, Stefanie Wallner, Nora Budde-Spengler, Sabrina Braunert, Petra A. Arndt, and Markus Kiefer in Frontiers in Psychology: Literacy Training of Kindergarten Children With Pencil, Keyboard or Tablet Stylus: The Influence of the Writing Tool on Reading and Writing Performance at the Letter and Word Level 
David: Erik Wemple for The Washington Post: At Gallery Place, it’s Ted Leonsis vs. one very loud street music act
Listener chatter from Annie O’Connor in St. Paul, Minnesota: LockPickingLawyer on YouTube
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss Ezra Klein’s piece in The New York Times: I Am Going to Miss Pitchfork, but That’s Only Half the Problem. See Judy Woodruff, Sarah Clune Hartman, and Frank Carlson for P

The Election No One Wants

On this month’s edition of Gabfest Reads, John Dickerson talks with author Brad Stulberg about his new book, Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything is Changing – Including You. They discuss how to make change itself a mindset, John’s notebooks, what we can learn from athletes, 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 Roth.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gabfest Reads: How to Thrive in a World of Change

This week, John Dickerson re-joins Emily Bazelon and David Plotz to discuss the Republican presidential race, the Iowa caucuses, and the New Hampshire primary; the Loper Bright and Relentless cases at the Supreme Court and the possible end of Chevrondeference; and The Misguided War on the SAT with David Leonhardt of The New York Times. 
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Nate Cohn for The New York Times: Even the Battle for Second Turned Out Well for Trump in Iowa
Ross Douthat for The New York Times: How Trump’s Opponents Made Iowa Easy for Him
Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court likely to discard Chevron; Supreme Court to hear major case on power of federal agencies; and Supreme Court curtails EPA’s authority to fight climate change
Cornell Law School’s Legal information Institute: Administrative Procedure Act
Jess Bravin for The Wall Street Journal: Conservatives Once Hailed This Case. Now They’re at the Supreme Court to Gut It.
Ian Millhiser for Vox: The Supreme Court cases asking the justices to put themselves in charge of everything, explained and A new Supreme Court case seeks to make the nine justices even more powerful
David Leonhardt for The New York Times: The Misguided War on the SAT
Ileana Najarro for EdWeek: The SAT Is Making a Comeback. Here’s a Look at the Numbers and What They Tell Us
Raj Chetty, David J. Deming, and John Friedman for Opportunity Insights: Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges

Here are this week’s chatters:
Emily: The Ringer’s podcast “Stick the Landing” and Andy Greenwald and Mallory Rubin: Did ‘Friday Night Lights’ Stick the Landing?
John: Richard Baldwin for VoxEU: China is the world’s sole manufacturing superpower: A line sketch of the rise; Moss and Fog: Tree.fm is Your Aural Escape Into Nature; and tree.fm
David: Steve Lopez for the Los Angeles Times: They take care of aging adults, live in cramped quarters and make less than minimum wage and ZipRecruiter: assisted living jobs in Washington, DC
Listener chatter from Kevin Collins in San Antonio, Texas: Historic Vids on X
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David talks about his father, Dr. Paul Plotz. See Rachel Weller for The NIH Catalyst: Symposium Honors NIAM’s Paul Plotz and The New York Times: Judith A. Abrams Engaged to Wed Dr. Paul H. Plotz; Candidate for Ph.D. at Harvard Is Fiancee of Boston Interne. See also John G. Zinn for the Society for American Baseball Research: Ebbets Field (Brooklyn, NY); National Institutes of Health; Union of Concerned Scientists; and The Two Cultures and The Scientific Revolution by C. P. Snow.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Christine Coulson about her book, One Woman Show: A Novel.
 
Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates

Why Trump Won Iowa

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Jamelle Bouie of The New York Times to discuss the absence and silence of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, school absenteeism with Alec MacGillis of ProPublica, and Donald Trump’s claim of absolute presidential immunity. 
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Politico: Austin’s hospital debacle: A timeline of events
Fred Kaplan for Slate: Why the Secretary of Defense’s Mysterious Disappearance Means He Needs to Go
Max Boot for The Washington Post: Lloyd Austin doesn’t deserve to be the piñata of the day in Washington
Major General Patrick S. Ryder, Department of Defense Press Secretary
Alec MacGillis for ProPublica and The New Yorker: Skipping School: America’s Hidden Education Crisis
Jay Greene, Ph.D. and Jonathan Butcher for The Heritage Foundation: The Alarming Rise in Teacher Absenteeism
Natalie Kitroeff and Adam Liptak for The New York Times Daily podcast: Trump’s Case for Total Immunity
Bill Rankin and Katherine Landergan for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Could Willis allegations sink Trump case? Legal experts weigh in
Mariana Alfaro and Amy B Wang for The Washington Post: Chris Christie caught on hot mic, says Nikki Haley will ‘get smoked’

Here are this week’s chatters:
Emily: Past Lives and Anatomy of a Fall
Jamelle: Fist of the Condor
David: Amsterdam; EnglishLearning on reddit: Is there any English word that has three or more same and consecutive letters?
 
Listener chatter from Erin Bumgarner in Arlington, Massachusetts: The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and Jamelle talk about which presidents should be on a new Mount Rushmore. See The White House Historical Association: The Presidents; John Quincy Adams; Ulysses S. Grant; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Dwight D. Eisenhower; and Lyndon B. Johnson. See also National Park Service: Why These Four Presidents?; Mario Canseco for Research Co.: Americans Pick Four Presidents for “New Mount Rushmore”; Politico Magazine: Who Should Be on the Next Mount Rushmore?; and Chauncey Alcorn for Capital B: What to Do About Stone Mountain? Black Residents Talk Park’s Racist Past.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Christine Coulson about her book, One Woman Show: 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
 
Hosts
Jamelle Bouie, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Be Fired?

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz begin the year discussing the 2024 presidential election; Harvard President Claudine Gay’s resignation; and the 2023 decrease in homicides. 
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Steve Peoples for AP: Biden and Trump are posed for a potential rematch that could shake American politics
Rob Crilly for the Daily Mail: Voters describe their 2024 choice between a Trump second term and a Biden second term as a choice between REVENGE or NOTHING in Daily Mail poll
Brianne Pfannenstiel for the Des Moines Register: Iowa Poll: Donald Trump holds overwhelming lead; Ron DeSantis edges ahead of Nikki Haley
Claudine Gay in The New York Times: What Just Happened at Harvard Is Bigger Than Me
The Crimson Editorial Board for The Harvard Crimson: President Gay Plagiarized, but She Should Stay. For Now.
Ian Ward for Politico: We Sat Down With the Conservative Mastermind Behind Claudine Gay’s Ouster
Jeremy Duda for Axios: ASU continues streak as U.S. News’ most innovative school
David Goldman for CNN: The 4 key events that led to UPenn President Liz Magill’s resignation
Jeff Asher for Jeff-alytics: Crime in 2023: Murder Plummeted, Violent and Property Crime Likely Fell Nationally
Bill Hutchinson for ABC News: ‘It is historic’: US poised to see record drop in yearly homicides despite public concern over crime
Ken Dilanian for NBC News: Most people think the U.S. crime rate is rising. They’re wrong.

Here are this week’s chatters:
John: Library of Congress: Robert Cornelius, self-portrait; believed to be the earliest extant American portrait photo; National Gallery of Art: The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888-1978: From the Collection of Robert E. Jackson
Emily: Ari Rabinovitch for Reuters: Israel’s Supreme Court strikes down disputed law that limited court oversight
David: Brian Murphy for The Washington Post: Maureen Sweeney, weather watcher who influenced D-Day plans, dies at 100
 
Listener chatter from Eric in Tuckahoe, New York: Christophe Haubursin for Vox: What’s inside this crater in Madagascar?
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about New Year’s resolutions and self-help. See also Matthew Solan for Harvard Health Publishing: Thinking of trying Dry January? Steps for success; James Clear: Atomic Habits Summary; Renée Onque for CNBC: This is a tried-and-true way to break a bad habit, says wellbeing coach—so we’re putting it to the test in 2024; and Chandra Steele for PCMag: Annoyed With Instagram? Take Control of Your Feed With These Tips and Tricks.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Christine Coulson about her book, One Woman Show: 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
 
Hosts
Emily Bazelon, John

Who Wants to Be President of Harvard?

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Wesley Morris, critic at large for The New York Times and co-host of the Still Processing podcast, to cogitate on Conundrums 2023. 
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Thanks to everyone who submitted Conundrums, especially Alex, Brian, Mitchell Kosht, Patricia Gonzalez, Kali Rocha, Becca Nagorsky, Kevin Maginnis, Kevin Collins, Beth Kirsch, Brian Cechnicki, Chuck Terhark, Howard W, Brian, Mike Daugherty, Alan Dybner, Tim Falzone, Matthew Gill, Cynthia Weiner, and the incomparable Phil Goldstein. 
 
Benjamin Wittes for Dog Shit Daily: My encounter with a shit-throwing neighborhood Karen
Jon Mendelsohn for American Songwriter: The Real Reason Why Van Halen Asked Venues For Bowls of M&Ms Containing ‘No Brown Ones’ 
The Sellout: A Novel by Paul Beatty
Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do by Studs Terkel
Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry
In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom
Amy Bloom for This American Life: Exit Strategy
Gabfest Reads: He Wanted to Die Holding Hands
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and Wesley tackle three more Conundrums. 

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You.
 
Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
 
Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth with live show support from Katie Rayford
Research by Julie Huygen
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Live From New York! It’s Conundrums 2023!

John Dickerson talks with author Christine Coulson about her new book, “One Woman Show.” They discuss the moment that inspired Coulson to tell a story in museum wall labels, her 25-years working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and why restraint can be an artist’s best friend. 

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

Gabfest Reads: A Woman’s Life in Museum Wall Labels

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. Griswold, et al.
Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: John Dickerson on Trump, Colorado and the 14th Amendment
Adam Unikowsky for Adam’s Legal Newsletter: Is the Supreme Court seriously going to disqualify Trump?
Mark A. Graber in The New York Times: Donald Trump and the Jefferson Davis Problem
Lawfare: Tracking Section 3 Trump Disqualification Challenges
Karoun Demirjian for The New York Times: Congress Abandons Ukraine Aid Until Next Year as Border Talks Continue
Ashley Wu for The New York Times: Why Illegal Border Crossings Are at Sustained Highs
Elizabeth Findell for The Wall Street Journal: Texas Spent Billions on Border Security. It’s Not Working
Tom Cohen and Bill Mears for CNN: Supreme Court mostly rejects Arizona immigration law; gov says ‘heart’ remains
Edgar Sandoval for The New York Times: Appellate Court Says U.S. Can’t Cut Through Texas Border Wire Along Rio Grande
Gabriela Baczynska for Reuters: What’s in the new EU migration and asylum deal?
Karen Musalo for Just Security: Biden’s Embrace of Trump’s Transit Ban Violates US Legal and Moral Refugee Obligations
Amanda Ripley for Unraveled: How to Survive 2024
Adam Mastroianni in The New York Times: Your Brain Has Tricked You Into Thinking Everything Is Worse and for Experimental History: Things could be better
The Economist: What psychology experiments tell you about why people deny facts

Here are this week’s chatters:
John: Jason Bittel for National Geographic: A bonobo was separated from her sister for 26 years. She still remembers her.
Emily: May December on Netflix
David: Hiroaki Nakagawa and Yasushi Miyata in Internal Medicine: An Underdiagnosed Cause of an Itchy Back
 
Listener chatter from Michael in Queens, New York: Irin Carmon for New York Magazine: A $45 Million Effort to Make Pregnancy Less Deadly in Brooklyn
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Amanda joins David, John, and Emily to talk about their holiday plans, which include To Asia, With Love: Everyday Asian Recipes and Stories From the Heart by Hetty McKinnon, the DC Public Library, Purlie Victorious, the National Zoo, and Sara Lee’s Butter Streusel Coffee Cake. 

In the next Gabfest Reads, John talks with Christine Coulson about her new book, One Woman Show.
 
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 ch

Trump versus Colorado

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 show:
Hannah Natanson and Susan Svrluga for The Washington Post: Harvard President Claudine Gay to remain after antisemitism testimony
Michelle Goldberg for The New York Times: At a Hearing on Israel, University Presidents Walked Into a Trap
Elad Simchayoff @Elad_Si on X 
Danielle Allen for The Washington Post: We’ve lost our way on campus. Here’s how we can find our way back.
David French for The New York Times: What the University Presidents Got Right and Wrong About Antisemitic Speech
Santul Nerkar and Jonah E. Bromwich for The New York Times: How the Israel-Hamas War Tore Apart Public Defenders in the Bronx
Michael Barbaro and Nicholas Confessore for The Daily: Antisemitism and Free Speech Collide on Campuses
Zah Montague and Tracey Tully for The New York Times: Education Dept. Is Investigating Six More Colleges Over Campus Discrimination
Mark Sherman and Eric Tucker for AP: Special counsel Jack Smith asks the Supreme Court to rule quickly on whether Trump can be prosecuted and Mark Sherman: Supreme Court will hear a case that could undo Capitol riot charge against hundreds, including Trump
Bob Dylan on YouTube: Bob Dylan – Idiot Wind (Official Audio)
Robert Legare and Robert Costa for CBS News: Investigators accessed Trump White House cellphone records and plan to use them at trial, special counsel says
Sabrina Tavernise for The Daily: The Woman Who Fought the Texas Abortion Ban
Carter Sherman for The Guardian: US abortion rates rise post-Roe amid deep divide in state-by-state access
Kate Zernike for The New York Times: Texas Judge Says Doctors Can Use ‘Good Faith Judgment’ in Providing Abortions

Here are this week’s chatters: 
John: One Line A Day: A Five-Year Memory Book and James Barron for The New York Times: Bob Dylan Sings, and Talks, on These Tapes From 62 Years Ago 
Emily: Sydney Lupkin and Danielle Kurtzleben on All Things Considered: The Supreme Court will decide the fate of abortion pill mifepristone
David: Paul Schwartzman for The Washington Post: With sports teams primed for move to Va., downtown D.C. frets its future and City Cast: Work with us.
Listener chatter from Margaret in Jersey City: Chair Watch on Facebook
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about Why Are So Many American Pedestrians Dying at Night?by Emily Badger, Ben Blatt, and Josh Katz for The New York Times and Why pedestrian deaths in the US are at a 40-year high by Marin Cogan for Vox. See also Political Gabfest: “The World Is Burning” Edition and Vision and night driving a

Is Harvard Antisemitic?

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 references from this week’s show: 
Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney
John Dickerson for CBS News Sunday Morning: “Liz Cheney on why she believes Trump’s reelection would mean the end of our republic”
Terry Gross for NPR Fresh Air: “Liz Cheney, focused on stopping Trump, hasn’t ruled out 3rd-party presidential run” 
Kevin Liptak, David Wright, and Samantha Waldenberg for CNN: Biden tells donors he’s ‘not sure I’d be running’ in 2024 if Trump wasn’t in the race
Ben Mathis-Lilley for Slate: When Chris Christie Is the Voice of Honesty and Reason, You’re in Trouble
Lisa Lerer and Chris Cameron for The New York Times: “Some Republicans Have a Blunt Message for Chris Christie: Drop Out” 
Ed Kilgore for the Intelligencer: “Christie Vows to Continue Doomed Campaign to the Bitter End”
Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: “Court conflicted over Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan that shields Sacklers from liability”
Abbie VanSickle and Jan Hoffman for The New York Times: “What to Know About the Purdue Pharma Case Before the Supreme Court”
Jocelyn Mackie for Forbes Advisor: Prescription Opioid Lawsuit Guide (2023)
Alexander Gladstone for The Wall Street Journal: Georgia-Pacific Wins Appeal to Maintain Chapter 11 Protection From Lawsuits
 
Here are this week’s chatters:
Emily: First: Sandra Day O’Connor by Evan Thomas 
John: Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You by Brad Stulberg; Monty Python – Silly Job Interview; and John Cleese on Creativity In Management
David: Going Zero: A Novel by Anthony McCarten and Such a Fun Age: A Novel by Kiley Reid
Listener chatter from Ryan White: Zaria Gorvett for the BBC: Tyrian purple: The lost ancient pigment that was more valuable than gold
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk through a constitutional Conundrum. See also Wikipedia: Gouverneur Morris.

In the next Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You.
 
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
 
Hosts
Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should Liz Cheney Run?

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 Gabfest Live: The Conundrums Edition! December 7 at The 92nd Street Y, New York City. Tickets on sale now!
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Sam Sutton for Politico: Why a ‘soft landing’ may not solve Biden’s polling problem
Lydia DePillis for The New York Times: Even Most Biden Voters Don’t See a Thriving Economy; Paul Krugman: Bidenomics and the Guys in the Bar; Jim Tankersley: ‘Morning in America’ Eludes Biden, Despite Economic Gains; and Bryce Covert: Don’t Let Inflation Bury the Memory of a Government Triumph
Dylan Matthews for Vox: Why the news is so negative – and what we can do about it 
David Winston for Roll Call: Why Voters Are Still Wary 10 Years After the Economic Collapse 
Robert Barnes for The Washington Post: Supreme Court conservatives seem dubious about SEC’s in-house tribunals
Ronald Mann for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court to consider multi-pronged constitutional attack on SEC
Noah Rosenblum for The Atlantic: The Case That Could Destroy the Government
Ian Millhiser for Vox: A Supreme Court case about stocks could help make Trump’s authoritarian dreams reality
Public Citizens: The Attack on Big Government and the Remaking of American Liberalism by Paul Sabin 
Tim Alberta for The Atlantic: My Father, My Faith, and Donald Trump and How Politics Poisoned The Evangelical Church
The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta
Thomas B. Edsall for The New York Times: ‘The Embodiment of White Christian Nationalism in a Tailored Suit’
PRRI and Brookings: A Christian Nation? Understanding the Threat of Christian Nationalism to American Democracy and Culture
 
Here are this week’s chatters:
Emily: Brian Murphy for The Washington Post: Larry Fink, photographer who explored class divides, dies at 82 and Emily Bazelon and Larry Fink for The New York Times Magazine: Shadow of a Doubt
John: The New Yorker: “Bob and Don: A Love Story” a short documentary by Judd Apatow; CBS News Sunday Morning; and Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney
David: Matt Phillips for The New York Times: Shane MacGowan, Songwriter Who Fused Punk and Irish Rebellion, Is Dead at 65 and peyoteshaman on YouTube: Pogues 930 club mid 1980’s
Listener chatter from Nicola in Dublin, Ireland: Irish Archaeology: Pangur Bán and Tread Softy: Classic Irish Poems for Children edited by Nicola Reddy
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about the book lover’s dilemma: borrow or buy. See als

Why Does Everyone Hate Bidenomics?

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 Late Show’s Steven Colbert – for Gabfest Live: The Conundrums Edition! December 7 at The 92nd Street Y, New York City. Tickets on sale now!
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Nate Cohn for The New York Times: The Crisis in Issue Polling, and What We’re Doing About It and We Did an Experiment to See How Much Democracy and Abortion Matter to Voters
Claire Cain Miller and Francesca Paris for The New York Times: The Great Disconnect: Why Voters Feel One Way About the Economy but Act Differently
The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America by Daniel J. Boorstin
What’s the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America by Thomas Frank
Eli Saslow for The New York Times: A Jan. 6 Defendant Pleads His Case to the Son Who Turned Him In
Brian Beutler for the Off Message newsletter: The 2024 Election Is About Real Things
Charlie Warzel for The Atlantic: The Money Always Wins and Karen Hao and Charlie Warzel: Inside the Chaos at OpenAI
John Dickerson and Jo Ling Kent for CBS News Prime Time: What Sam Altman’s ouster from OpenAI could mean for the tech world
Pranshu Verman, Nitasha Tiku, and Gerrit De Vynck for The Washington Post: Sam Altman reinstated as OpenAI CEO with new board members 
Louise Matsakis and Reed Albergotti for Semafor: The AI industry turns against its favorite philosophy
Emily Bazelon for The New York Times Magazine: Was Peace Ever Possible? 
Ezra Klein for The New York Times’s The Ezra Klein Show podcast: The Best Primer I’ve Heard on Israeli-Palestinian Peace Efforts
Oslo on HBO
John Dickerson for CBS Mornings: Former President Jimmy Carter: “America will learn from its mistakes”
The Lady Bird Diaries on Hulu
Eleanor Roosevelt in a Coal by Bettman and The George Washington University’s Case Study: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Visit to Coal Mine (1935)
 
Here are this week’s chatters:
John: Julia Simon for NPR: ‘It feels like I’m not crazy.’ Gardeners aren’t surprised as USDA updates key map and U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service: USDA Unveils Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map
Emily: Liran Samuni and Martin Surbeck in Science: Cooperation across social borders in bonobos and The Bonobo Sisterhood: Revolution Through Female Alliance by Diane Rosenfeld 
David: City Cast Executive Producer, Nashville, Executive Producer, Austin, and Events Director, remote and The National WWII Museum: WWII Veteran Statistics 
Listener chatter from Dimitri in Boulder, Colorado: University of Evansville: Library of Congress Recogni

Is Polling Broken?

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 stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.
 [MOU1]A word I haven’t thought of in years—stopped me in my tracks!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gabfest Reads: Watership Down Gets the Graphic Novel Treatment

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.com/conundrum. And join us for Conundrums Live! December 7 at The 92nd Street Y, New York City. 
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Zeeshan Aleem for MSNBC: “Joe Manchin’s triple blow to the Democrats” 
Brittany Gibson and Shia Kapos for Politico: “Pelosi launches an all-out attack against No Labels”
Wikipedia: “Assume a can opener”
The Supreme Court of the United States: “Code of Conduct for Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States”
Adam Liptak for The New York Times: “Supreme Court’s New Ethics Code Is Toothless, Experts Say”
Maria Abi-Habib, Michael Crowley, and Edward Wong for The New York Times: “More Than 500 U.S. Officials Sign Letter Protesting Biden’s Israel Policy”
Sam Fossum, Morgan Rimmer, and Manu Raju for CNN: “Top House Democrats evacuated from DNC headquarters as police clash with protesters calling for Gaza ceasefire” 
Liz Goodwin for The Washington Post: “Bernie Sanders faces blowback as progressives urge cease-fire in Gaza”
George Packer for The Atlantic: “Israel Must Not React Stupidly”
Thomas L Friedman for The New York Times: “I Have Never Been to This Israel Before”
Declan Walsh and Abdi Latif Dahir for The New York Times: “Seizing Darfur Region, Paramilitary Forces Are Accused of Atrocities” 
Jennifer Jacobs for Fortune and Bloomberg: “Why a group of ‘everyday people’ in Iowa have been invited to dinner by Chinese president Xi Jinping: ‘We’re eager to meet with him’”
Iowa PBS: “Citizen Diplomacy”
The Economist’s The Prince podcast: “7: Wolf warriors” 
Muscatine County, Iowa: “History”
 
Here are this week’s chatters:
Emily: HBO’s movie Oslo
John: John Dickerson on Instagram and Covenant House Sleep Out; Alex Wilkins for New Scientist: “Robotic chemist discovers how to make oxygen from Martian minerals”
David: Michael Balsamo for AP: “Secret Service agents protecting Biden’s granddaughter open fire when 3 people try to break into SUV”; Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police: Carjacking; Exploring a Secret Fort with David through airbnb
Listener chatter from David, Alameda, California: Chloe Olewitz for Morsel: “Over 100 Years Ago, the US Government Commissioned 7,500 Watercolor Paintings of Every Kind of Fruit in the Country” and U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library: “USDA Pomological Watercolors”

In the next Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with James Sturm about Watership Down: The Graphic Novel. See also James Sturm and Joe Sutphin in The New York Tim

Get Started

Download the App