Political Gabfest Slate Podcasts

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 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:
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 also A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin; Little Free Library; Adam Sockel for Perspectives on Reading: Library users are book buyers; and Pew Research Center: Libraries, patrons, and e-books.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with James Sturm about Watership Down: The Graphic Novel. See also James Sturm and Joe Sutphin in The New York Times: In Times of Danger, There’s Strength in Numbers.
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
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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 Recognizes Plagiarized University of Evansville Archaeologist After 90 Years and Jessica Blake for Inside Higher Ed: Female Archaeologist’s Work Receives Overdue Recognition—90 Years Later
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about the death of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and her 77-year marriage with Jimmy Carter. See also Rick Rojas for The New York Times: The Carters’ Hometown Mourns for the Love of a Lifetime and Peter Baker: Rosalynn Carter Helped Shape the Role of the Modern First Lady.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with James Sturm about Watership Down: The Graphic Novel. See also James Sturm and Joe Sutphin in The New York Times: In Times of Danger, There’s Strength in Numbers.
 
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
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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!
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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 Times: “In Times of Danger, There’s Strength in Numbers.”
 
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

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the 2023 election results and Democratic wins in Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky; President Joe Biden’s numbers in recent polls and the youth vote; and U.S. v. Rahimi at the Supreme Court, the 2nd Amendment and gun control, and the history and tradition test. And you can be a part of the show: submit your Conundrum atslate.com/conundrum. 
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Lisa Lerer and Shane Goldmacher for The New York Times: “Abortion Rights Fuel Big Democratic Wins, and Hopes for 2024”
Molly Olmstead for Slate: “Sean Hannity Had Quite the Takeaway About Abortion After Tuesday’s Elections" 
Kate Zernike for The New York Times: “Ohio Vote Continues a Winning Streak for Abortion Rights”
Laura Vozzella for The Washington Post: “Democratic wins in Virginia could deflate Youngkin’s White House buzz”
Hannah Knowles and Dylan Wells for The Washington Post: “Democrat Andy Beshear wins reelection for governor in Kentucky” 
Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “23 thoughts on the 2023 midterms”
John Dickerson for The Atlantic Festival 2023: “Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on Leading a Key Swing State”
Shane Goldmacher for The New York Times: “Trump Leads in 5 Critical States as Voters Blast Biden, Times/Siena Poll Finds“
Jonathan Swan, Ruth Igielnik, and Maggie Haberman for The New York Times: “Trump Indictments Haven’t Sunk His Campaign, but a Conviction Might”
Nate Cohn for The New York Times: “Why Biden Is Behind, and How He Could Come Back”
Philip Bump for The Washington Post: “Are young voters actually split between Trump and Biden?”
Daniel A. Cox for the AEI Survey Center on American Life: “Why are Young Voters So Down on Joe Biden?”
Pew Research Center’s Beyond Red Vs. Blue: The Political Typology: “Outsider Left”
Sudiksha Kochi for USA Today: “Former Obama adviser Axelrod says Biden should consider dropping out of 2024”
Robert Barnes for The Washington Post: “Court seems likely to allow gun bans for those under protective orders”
Jordan Smith for The Intercept: “In Overturning Roe, Radical Supreme Court Declares War on the 14th Amendment”
Thomas Jefferson: “To James Madison From Thomas Jefferson, 6 September 1789”
Ulysses S. Grant Revealed: “President Ulysses S. Grant On The U.S. Constitution”
Michael Barbaro and Jonah E. Bromwich for The New York Times’s The Daily podcast: “The Trumps Take the Stand”
 
Here are this week’s chatters:
John: Reuters: “Napoleon’s hat heading to auction in France”; Marielle Brie: “Napoleon Bonaparte’s Bicorne Hat”; and Kai McNamee for NPR: “Lost French love letters from the 1750s reveal what life was like during wartime”
Emily: Liberty Puzzles
David: Jessica Sidman for Washingtonian: “Why Is Dallas on the Cover of This DC Guidebook?”
Listener chatter from Sheila McIntyre: Sophie Mann-Shafir for The Provincetown Independent: “TPRTA Misled Members on Voter Registration; Town Meeting Postponed”
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about the trial testimony by the Trump family – Donald, Donald, Jr., Eric, and Ivanka – in the civil case of New York v. Trump. 

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kristi Coulter about her book, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career.
 
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, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Nikki Haley’s progress and Ron DeSantis’s stagnation in Iowa, Donald Trump’s testimony in New York, and Dean Phillips’s campaign in New Hampshire; the first social-media cases of the term at the Supreme Court; and Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream with author David Leonhardt. And you can be a part of the show: submit your Conundrum at slate.com/conundrum. 
 
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Brianne Pfannenstiel for the Des Moines Register: “Donald Trump builds on big lead as Nikki Haley pulls even with Ron DeSantis in Iowa Poll” 
Jennifer Rubin for The Washington Post: “Nikki Haley has a shot. But a really, really long one.”
Jonah E. Bromwich and Ben Protess for The New York Times: “Trump Civil Fraud Trial: Donald Trump Jr. Resumes Testifying in Fraud Case Aimed at His Father”
Geoffrey Skelley for 538: The curious case of Dean Phillips’s last-minute primary challenge
538: “How popular is Joe Biden?”
Jeff Neal for Harvard Law Today: “The Supreme Court takes on (anti)social media”
Adam Liptak for The New York Times: “Supreme Court Lifts Limits for Now on Biden Officials’ Contacts With Tech Platforms”
Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: “Justices take major Florida and Texas social media cases”
Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream by David Leonhardt
Emily Bazelon for The New York Times’s The Morning newsletter, November 2, 2023
David Leonhardt for The Atlantic: “The Hard Truth About Immigration”
Peter Dizikes for MIT News: “Q&A: David Autor on the long afterlife of the “China shock””
History.com: “A. Philip Randolph”
Natasha Singer for The New York Times: “This Florida School District Banned Cellphones. Here’s What Happened.” and “New Laws on Kids and Social Media Are Stymied by Industry Lawsuits”
Cristiano Lima and Naomi Nix for The Washington Post: “41 states sue Meta, claiming Instagram, Facebook are addictive, harm kids”
 
Here are this week’s chatters:
Emily: The New Yorker’s Poetry Podcast with Kevin Young: “Toi Derricotte Reads Tracy K. Smith”
John: The Graham Norton Show: “Dame Judi Dench Masterfully Does A Shakespeare Sonnet”; BBC Radio 4’s Cabin Pressure; Endeavour on PBS Masterpiece; John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “Grammy-winning artist Jason Isbell talks about the craft of songwriting and his latest music”; and Ray Bradbury in the Los Angeles Times: “’Ice Cream Suit’--Touchstone for the Past and Present”
David: Sarah Zhang for The Atlantic: “Everything I Thought I Knew About Nasal Congestion Is Wrong”
Listener chatter from Albert Fox Cahn: N’dea Yancey-Bragg for USA Today: “Advocates say excited delirium provides cover for police violence. They want it banned” and John Dickerson for CBS News 60 Minutes: “How a questionable syndrome, “Excited Delirium,” could be protecting police officers from misconduct charges”
 
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about classroom cellphone bans.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kristi Coulter about her book, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career.
 
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