Shows / Political Gabfest

Political Gabfest
Voted “Favorite Political Podcast” by Apple Podcasts listeners. Stephen Colbert says "Everybody should listen to the Slate Political Gabfest." The Gabfest, featuring Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz, is the kind of informal and irreverent discussion Washington journalists have after hours over drinks.
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Episodes
Political GabfestDid Hur Exonerate Biden?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and Special Counsel Robert Hur’s…
Political GabfestThe Dismal Biden Polls
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Biden v. Trump polls and Super Tuesday, the Supreme Court’s decision to leave Donald…
Political GabfestCould They Actually Leap Over Biden And Dunk Him?
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…
Political GabfestCan Putin Be Stopped?
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…
Political GabfestGabfest Reads: Race, Money and Fictional Life at the University of Arkansas
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…
Political GabfestWell-Meaning, Elderly Man With A Poor Memory
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Special Counsel Robert Hur’s description of President Joe Biden; House Republicans’…
Political GabfestCongress Can’t Aid, Can’t Arm, Can’t Legislate, Can’t Impeach
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…
Political GabfestWill The Carroll Verdict Hurt Trump?
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…
Political GabfestThe Election No One Wants
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Trump v. Biden presidential rematch, the end of the “vibecession,” and the political…
Political GabfestGabfest Reads: How to Thrive in a World of Change
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…
Political GabfestWhy Trump Won Iowa
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…
Political GabfestShould Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Be Fired?
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…
Political GabfestWho Wants to Be President of Harvard?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz begin the year discussing the 2024 presidential election; Harvard President Claudine Gay’s…
Political GabfestLive From New York! It’s Conundrums 2023!
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…
Political GabfestGabfest Reads: A Woman’s Life in Museum Wall Labels
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…
Political GabfestTrump versus Colorado
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…
Political GabfestIs Harvard Antisemitic?
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…
Political GabfestShould Liz Cheney Run?
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…
Political GabfestWhy Does Everyone Hate Bidenomics?
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…
Political GabfestIs Polling Broken?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the problems with issue polling and issues with political journalism; the chaos and conflict…
Political GabfestGabfest Reads: Watership Down Gets the Graphic Novel Treatment
Emily Bazelon talks with cartoonist James Sturm, about his new graphic novel adaptation of Watership Down. They discuss what makes the animal characters so…
Political GabfestYou’ll Miss Joe Manchin
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…
Political GabfestWas That A Great Or Terrible Night For Biden?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the 2023 election results and Democratic wins in Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky; President Joe…
Political GabfestCould Nikki Haley Actually Win?
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…
Political GabfestThe “Live from Madison!” Edition
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz take the show on the road and gab live with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers; discuss the new Speaker of…
Political GabfestGabfest Reads: How to Survive Working for Amazon
David Plotz talks with author and 12-year Amazon senior employee, Kristi Coulter about her new memoir, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious…
Political GabfestStill No House Speaker
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Jim Jordan’s efforts to become Speaker of the House; President Joe Biden’s visit to an Israel…
Political GabfestGaza War
This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Juliette Kayyem to discuss the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Steve Scalise’s fight for the gavel of the…
Political GabfestWe Need to Talk About Kevin...McCarthy
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the now-former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and the for-now Republican Matt Gaetz; the…
Political GabfestDonald Duck and the Seven Dwarves
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the second Republican presidential primary debate; the next federal case against Senator Bob…
Political GabfestGabfest Reads: Zadie Smith Knows You're a Fraud
Emily Bazelon talks with author Zadie Smith about her new book, The Fraud. They discuss what happens when justice comes through an unjust symbol, how much…
Political GabfestWho’s Winning The Autoworkers Strike?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the UAW autoworkers’ strike against the Big Three automakers, talk with Yoel Roth about…
Political GabfestImpeach ‘Em All, Let God Sort ‘Em Out
This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are reunited with John Dickerson to discuss the Wisconsin Republicans’ effort to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz…
Political GabfestIs Biden The Last Politician?
This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by The Atlantic’s Franklin Foer to discuss Joe Biden’s White House and The Last Politician; the war in…
Political GabfestMarch Forth, Trump!
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump’s trials schedule and the 2024 election calendar; Vivek Ramaswamy; and “What the…
Political GabfestWho Won the Trump-less Debate?
This week, John Dickerson is back and joins Emily Bazelon and David Plotz to discuss the first Republican primary debate and the simulcast Tucker Carlson…
Political GabfestGabfest Reads: How a David Copperfield Reimagining Speaks to the Soul of Appalachia
Emily Bazelon, David Plotz, and John Dickerson talk with author Barbara Kingsolver about her new book, Demon Copperhead. They discuss her inspiration for the…
Political GabfestGeorgia v. The Trump 19
This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Lulu Garcia-Navarro of The New York Times to discuss the indictment in Georgia of Donald Trump and 18…
Political GabfestAbortion Rights Win at the Polls
This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Juliette Kayyem to discuss the Ohio vote not to make it harder to change the state constitution…
Political GabfestThe Defendant Knew They Were False
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump’s third indictment, this one for January 6th and the 2020 election; Trump v…
Political GabfestCan Israel Survive As A Democracy?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legislative win limiting judicial powers while hundreds…
Political GabfestGabfest Reads: How the British Empire Twisted the Truth
David Plotz talks with author David Grann about his new book, The Wager. The non-fiction book tells the harrowing story of a shipwreck off the coast of…
Political GabfestTrump Legal Traffic Jam
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz are together again and talking about Donald Trump’s next indictment and the charges against his…
Political GabfestThe World Is Burning
This week, John Dickerson and David Plotz are joined by Vox’s Marin Cogan @marincogan to discuss the extreme weather, heat, and floods that are wreaking havoc…
Political GabfestRural Arkansas Explored in an Extra Gabfest Reads
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz are on vacation, but Emily taped an extra episode of Gabfest Reads for everyone. She sits down with…
Political GabfestLive in Washington D.C. with Governor Wes Moore
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz are live and on stage with Maryland Governor Wes Moore and also discuss the Supreme Court’s…
Political GabfestNot THAT President Kennedy
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Keziah Weir for Vanity Fair: “How Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Became the Anti-vaxxer Icon of America’s…
Political GabfestGabfest Reads: The Case for Treating Animals With Dignity
Emily Bazelon talks with author Peter Singer about his updated and re-released book, Animal Liberation Now. The classic text has been an integral part of the…
Political GabfestWhat Could Judge Cannon Do?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the federal case against Donald Trump involving national-security documents, Atlanta’s Cop…
Political GabfestTrump Is Indicted – Again
In a Gabfest Special Edition, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Donald Trump’s indictment on charges relating to classified documents and…
Political GabfestChris Christie Kamikaze Campaign
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the latest three Republicans battling for the presidential nomination; Oklahoma’s approval of…
Political GabfestKevin McCarthy, Hercules of Capitol City
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the debt-ceiling deal; the Russia-Ukraine war with the Atlantic’s Kori Schake @KoriSchake…
Political GabfestWhen Is The X Date?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the imminent X Date when the United States hits the debt ceiling and could default; the…
Political GabfestWhat Is The Comstock Act?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the John Durham report on the FBI investigation of the 2016 Trump campaign; the mifepristone…
Political GabfestDonald Trump is Liable
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz, discuss the $5 million jury verdict for E. Jean Carroll and against Donald Trump; joined by New York…
Political GabfestGabfest Reads: The Classic Hollywood Romance Gets a Makeover
Emily Bazelon talks with author author Curtis Sittenfeld about her new book Romantic Comedy. They discuss why ordinary guys get to be with famous women, but…
Political GabfestE. Jean Carroll, ‘Why Didn’t You Scream?’
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and the New York Times’s Jamelle Bouie @jbouie discuss the battle between President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin…
Political GabfestBiden: 'Let’s Finish the Job'
This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the kick-off of President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign; the firings of Tucker Carlson…
Political GabfestGabfest Reads: The Art of Writing Political Satire
David Plotz talks with author Alexandra Petri about her new book, Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents. They discuss how to transform…
Political GabfestWas Fox News Punished Enough?
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…