Episodes

  • In this week’s essay, John discusses the art of attention and how to develop the skill of slow-looking.
      
    Notebook Entries:
     
    Notebook 75, page 8. September 2021
    1016
     
    Notebook 1, page 54. June 1990
    -       Magna carta 1215 at Salisbury
    -       Girls skipping
    -       The Haunch of Venison
    -       Chris
     
     
    References:
    Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
    A Little History of the World by E.H Gombrich
    Artist Jeff Koons
    “The Art of Divination: D.H. Lawrence on the Power of Pure Attention” by Maria Popova for The Marginalian
    “Gabfest Reads: A Woman’s Life in Museum Wall Labels” for Political Gabfest 
    One Woman Show by Christine Coulson
    “Grammy-winning artist Jason Isbell talks about the craft of songwriting and his latest music” for CBS News
    A Journey Around My Room by Xavier De Maistre
    “Just think: The Challenges of the Disengaged Mind” by Timothy Wilson, et.al for Science
    “Our Rodent Selfies, Ourselves” by Emily Anthes for the New York Times
    One Man’s Meat by E.B. White
     
    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.
    Email us at [email protected]
      
    Want to listen to Navel Gazing uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Navel Gazing and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/navelgazingplus to get access wherever you listen.
     
    Host
    John Dickerson
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  • This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the testimony of prosecution witness David Pecker in Donald Trump’s criminal trial, student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, and the Supreme Court argument on presidential immunity. 
     
    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: 
    Matthew Haag for The New York Times: David Pecker, Ex-National Enquirer Publisher, Details How He Aided Trump
    Richard L. Hasen in the Los Angeles Times: Opinion: Why it’s hard to muster even a ‘meh’ over Trump’s New York criminal trial
    J. David Goodman, David Montgomery, Jonathan Wolfe, and Jenna Russell for The New York Times: Campus Protests Over Gaza Intensify Amid Pushback by Universities and Police
    Spectator Editorial Board for the Columbia Spectator: Is Columbia in crisis?
    Minouche Shafik in The Wall Street Journal: Columbia University President: What I Plan to Tell Congress Tomorrow
    David Schizer in CNN: Opinion: To combat antisemitism, start by following the law
    Michael C. Dorf for Verdict: Federal Antidiscrimination Law Does Not Require Campus Crackdowns
    J Oliver Conroy for The Guardian: ‘Media firestorm’: Israel protest at professor’s home sparks heated free-speech debate
    C-SPAN: Supreme Court Hears Case on Former President Trump’s Immunity Claim
    Ann Marimow for The Washington Post: Supreme Court seems poised to allow Trump trial, but not immediately
    Ian Millhiser for Vox: Donald Trump already won the only Supreme Court fight that mattered

    Here are this week’s chatters:
    John: Stephen Clark for Ars Technica: Recoding Voyager 1—NASA’s interstellar explorer is finally making sense again
    Emily: Abbie VanSickle for The Washington Post: Supreme Court Appeals Sharply Divided in Emergency Abortion Case and Angela Palermo for The Spokesman-Review: Idaho has lost 22% of its practicing obstetricians in the last 15 months, report say
    David: Exploring a Secret Fort on airbnb; City Cast: Work with us.; and Eve O. Schaub for The Washington Post: Don’t waste your time recycling plastic
    Listener chatter from Michael Starr in New York City: Patrick Page in All The Devils Are Here; Richard the Third by Paul Murray Kendall; and Nancy Shute for NPR: No Hunch Here: Richard III Suffered From Scoliosis Instead
     
    For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about a question before the Supreme Court: can a city regulate homelessness? See Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Court divided over constitutionality of criminal penalties for homelessness; Esteban L. Hernandez and Meira Gebel for Axios: Supreme Court weighs case that could affect Denver’s approach to homelessness and Alayna Alvarez: Denver’s urban camping ban brings 10 years of turmoil; and Eli Saslow and Todd Heisler for The New York Times: A Sandwich Shop, a Tent City and an American Crisis. 
     
    In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with David E. Sanger about his new book, New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West.
     
    Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (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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  • In this week’s essay, John dives deep into the loss of his beloved dog, George, the essayist’s dilemma, the comfort of quiet mornings, and more.
     
    Notebook Entries:
    Notebook 75, page 5. September 5, 2021
    I go to the morning alone.
     
    Notebook 75, page 6. September 6, 2021
    Phantom nails on the stairs
     
     
    References:
    “Every Dog Is a Rescue Dog” by John Dickerson for The Atlantic
    “Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds” by Miho Nagasawa et.al for Science
    Haikus by Jennifer Gurney
    “Which Pet Will Make You Happiest?” by Arthur C. Brooks for The Atlantic
    “The Family Dog Is in Sync With Your Kids” by Gretchen Reynolds for The New York Times
     
    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.
    Email us at [email protected]
      
    Want to listen to Navel Gazing uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Navel Gazing and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/navelgazingplus to get access wherever you listen.

    Host
    John Dickerson
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  • John Dickerson talks with author David E. Sanger about his new book, New Cold Wars. They discuss how Russia and China came to reach their new levels of power, the role the Middle East and Obama Administration played in all of this, and more.

    Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (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

  • This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump’s first criminal trial and the Supreme Court argument on a criminal charge related to another Trump case and talk with The Atlantic’s Mark Leibovich about his profile of Governor Gavin Newsom. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Norman Eisen for CNN: Don’t call it a ‘hush money’ caseBrian Beutler for the Politix podcast: Alvin Bragg’s Liberal Critics Are WrongBen Protess, Jonah E. Bromwich, Maggie Haberman, and Wesley Parnell for The New York Times: Prosecutors and Defense Lawyers Begin to Seat Jurors for Trump Trial and Maggie Haberman: A Weary Trump Appears to Doze Off in Courtroom Ahead of Criminal TrialDavid Bauder for AP: Trump trial: Why can’t Americans see or hear what is going on inside the courtroom?Ann E. Marimow for The Washington Post: Supreme Court divided over key charge against Jan. 6 rioters and TrumpMichael C. Dorf for Dorf On Law: The Ejusdem is Loose -- SCOTUS Insurrectionist Case EditionMark Leibovich for The Atlantic: Gavin Newsom Can’t Help HimselfHBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher: Gov. Gavin NewsomHere are this week’s chatters:Emily: Uri Berliner in The Free Press: I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust.; David Folkenflik for NPR: NPR editor Uri Berliner resigns with blast at new CEO; Alicia Montgomery for Slate: The Real Story Behind NPR’s Current Problems; A24’s Civil War; and HBO’s The Last of UsJohn: The Annie E. Casey Foundation; diversitydatakids.org by Brandeis’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management: Child Opportunity Index (COI); Aliya Schneider for The Philadelphia Inquirer: ‘They’re cheating.’ President Biden floats higher tariffs on Chinese imports in Pittsburgh speech; John Dickerson for Slate’s Navel Gazing podcast; and CBS News Prime Time with John DickersonDavid: Trevor Aaronson, Sam Eifling, and Michael Mooney for Audible’s Hold Fast podcast and Jacques Billeaud for AP: Backpage founder will face Arizona retrial on charges he participated in scheme to sell sex adsListener chatter from Josh in Brisbane, Australia: Ross Scott’s website Stop Killing Games For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk with Anna Sale about her podcast, Death, Sex & Money, which is now on Slate. See Death, Sex & Money podcast: A Sociopath’s Guide to Death, Sex, and Money and Patrick Page in All The Devils Are Here. In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Tana French about her book, The Hunter: A Novel. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna RothResearch by Julie Huygen HostsEmily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David PlotzLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • In this week’s essay, John remembers dropping his son off at college, and trying to hold onto moments and feelings while you can. 
     
    Notebook Entries:
    Notebook 75, page 6. September 2021:
    They chose you.
     
    Notebook 15, page 4. April 2004:
    Sitting with Brice by waterfall. Throwing rocks in stream. Loading sand from dump truck and loader and back again.
     
    References:
    What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
    Songwriter Nick Cave
    Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
     

    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.
    Email us at [email protected]
      
    Want to listen to Navel Gazing uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Navel Gazing and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/navelgazingplus to get access wherever you listen.
     
    Host
    John Dickerson
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  • This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the revival of Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban; the end of No Labels; and the past and future of presidential debates. 
     
    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
    Mary Jo Pitzl and Reagan Priest for The Arizona Republic: Arizona House GOP halt Democrats’ effort to overturn Civil War era law in chaotic session
    Dan Balz for The Washington Post: The Arizona Supreme Court just upended Trump’s gambit on abortion
    Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times: The Man Who Snuffed Out Abortion Rights Is Here to Tell You He Is a Moderate
    Ramtin Arablouei and Rund Abdelfatah for NPR’s All Things Considered: Abortion was once common practice in America. A small group of doctors changed that
    A.O. Sulzberger Jr. for The New York Times: Reagan Says Ban On Abortion May Not Be Needed
    David Faris for Slate: Why No Labels Didn’t Stick
    Slate’s Political Gabfest: The “No Mugshot” Edition
    Thomas B. Edsall for The New York Times: Has No Labels Become a Stalking Horse for Trump?
    Michael H. Brown for The Washington Post: Joseph Lieberman, senator and vice-presidential nominee, dies at 82

    Here are this week’s chatters: 
    Emily: Dartmouth’s Leslie Center for the Humanities: People, Place, Podcasts: Emily Bazelon and Erica Heilman in Conversation and the Rumble Strip podcast 
    John: Slate’s Navel Gazing podcast and Rachel Wolfe for The Wall Street Journal: The Calls for Help Coming From Above the Poverty Line
    David: Hannah Seo for The New York Times: Is It Better to Brush Your Teeth Before Breakfast or After?
    Listener chatter from Mark Phillips in Baltimore, Maryland: Ben Crair for The New Yorker: The Magic of Bird Brains
     
    For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss AI communications with loved ones after they die. See Walter Marsh for The Guardian: Laurie Anderson on making an AI chatbot of Lou Reed: ‘I’m totally, 100%, sadly addicted’ and Ira Glass for This American Life: The Ghost in the Machine. See also Niamn Ancell for Cybernews: These apps could resurrect your relatives using artificial intelligence; Rebecca Carballo for The New York Times: Using A.I. to Talk to the Dead; and Tamara Kneese for Wired: Using Generative AI to Resurrect the Dead Will Create a Burden for the Living.
     
    In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Tana French about her book, The Hunter: A Novel.
     
    Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (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

  • In this week’s essay, John Dickerson looks back on a Sunday morning in 2021, and ruminates on the empty spaces left behind by the people that once filled our lives. 
     
    Notebook Entries:
    Notebook 75, page 6. September 5, 2021:
    “Oh my god. We dropped our son at college and our dog is dead.” – Anne.
     
    References:
    “Sunday Morning Coming Down” by Johnny Cash
    “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot
    “When Someone You Love is Upset, Ask This One Question” by Jancee Dunn for the New York Times
    “A Case of ‘Sunday Neurosis’” by Jena McGregor for the Washington Post
    “Waking Early Sunday Morning” by Robert Lowell
    Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything is Changing by Brad Stulberg
    Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed
    “Alabama Pines” by Jason Isbell
     
     Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.
     
    Host
    John Dickerson
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  • Here are this week’s chatters:
    Emily: Scott Bauer for AP: Wisconsin voters approve ban on private money support for elections and Unfair Share: The Gerrymandered Chocolate Bar on Kickstarter
    John: Joey Roulette and Will Dunham for Reuters: Exclusive: White House directs NASA to create time standard for the moon and John Dickerson Introduces: Navel Gazing 
    David: Corvid Research: All in the (crow) family; 3 Body Problem on Netflix; The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu; and Foundation and For All Mankind on Apple TV+
    Listener chatter from Kim in Spartanburg, S.C.: The fish doorbell and thunder_keck on TikTok: fish doorbell season is back 
    For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss the April 8 total solar eclipse. See John Dickerson and David Parkinson for CBS News: Massive storm system threatening millions across U.S. See also Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Festival; Annie Dillard for The Atlantic: “Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him.”; The Guardian: Columbus and the night of the bloody moon; and John Uri for NASA: Eclipses Near and Far.
    In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Tana French about her book, The Hunter: A Novel.
    Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
    Podcast production by Jared Downing
    Research by Julie Huygen
    Hosts
    Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz
    Follow
    Slate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/ 
    @SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest
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  • Political Gabfest host John Dickerson has been a journalist for more than three decades, reporting about presidential campaigns, political scandals, the evolving state of our democracy. Along the way, he’s also been recording his observations in notebooks he has carried in his back pocket. On the Navel Gazing podcast, John Dickerson invites you to join him in figuring out what these thirty years of notebooks mean: sorting out what makes a life --or a day in a life— noteworthy.
    Listen to Navel Gazing every week, starting April 6th, wherever you get your podcasts.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz are live in Washington, D.C. to discuss the Supreme Court (again) and abortion (again); Donald Trump’s ups and downs in New York courtrooms and Ronna McDaniel’s rise and fall on NBC; and Gallup’s World Happiness Report 2024.
     
    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
    Ann E. Marimow and Caroline Kitchener for The Washington Post: Supreme Court skeptical of efforts to restrict access to abortion pill
    Sierra Club v. Morton, 405 U.S. 727 (1972)
    303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, et al., 600 US _ (2023)
    Juhi Doshi for ABC News: What is the Comstock Act? The 151-year-old law mentioned in SCOTUS abortion pill case
    SCOTUSblog: Idaho v. United States
    Pam Belluck for The New York Times: What to Know About the Federal Law at the Heart of the Latest Supreme Court Abortion Case
    Geoff Mulvihill and Kimberlee Kruesi for AP: Which states could have abortion on the ballot in 2024?
    The New York Times: Keeping Track of the Trump Criminal Cases and Michael M. Grynbaum and John Koblin: NBC News Cuts Ties With Ronna McDaniel After Network Firestorm
    Brian Beutler for Off Message: The Political Economy Of Normalization
    Gallup: World Happiness Report 2024
    Clare Ansberry for The Wall Street Journal: U.S. No Longer Ranks Among World’s 20 Happiest Countries
    The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

    Here are this week’s chatters:
    Emily: The Wall Street Journal: Evan Gershkovich: Updates on the WSJ Reporter Detained in Russia
    David: Tim Newcomb for Popular Mechanics: A Controversial Pyramid Isn’t Actually 27,000 Years Old—and Now, the Mystery Deepens and Paul M.M. Cooper for Fall of Civilizations Podcast: Episode 18 Is Out Now!
    John: National Archives: From Alexander Hamilton to Jeremiah Wadsworth, [20 August 1787]; John Dickerson for Slate’s Navel Gazing podcast (coming soon); John Dickerson on Court TV (not available); Emily Bazelon on C-SPAN; and David Plotz on C-SPAN: Washington Journal Newspaper Roundtable. 
    Listener chatter from Phil Goldstein in Washington, D.C.: The New York Times: Flesh Descending In A Shower.; An Astounding Phenomenon In Kentucky--Fresh Meat Like Mutton Or Venison Falling From A Clear Sky.
    For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily answer audience questions. See Gina M. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce.
    In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Tana French about her book, The Hunter: A Novel.
     
    Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with special thanks to Patrick Fort for on-site production and Katie Rayford for logistics support 
    Research by Julie Huygen
     
    Hosts
    Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz
    Follow
    Slate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/
    @SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest
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  • This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Supreme Court’s busy week on government speech and immigration authority; Donald Trump’s bond issue and words problem; and COVID learning loss. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C. on March 27! Tickets are on sale now; get ‘em before they’re gone. 
     
    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
    Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Court sympathetic to NRA’s free speech claim and Supreme Court skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies
    Lindsay Whitehurst for AP: Supreme Court appears receptive to NRA free-speech lawsuit against a former New York state officia
    Hogan Gore for the Austin American-Statesman: 5th Circuit Court of Appeals leaves SB 4 on hold after dueling orders on Texas immigration law
    Ben Protess, Maggie Haberman, and Kate Christobek for The New York Times: Trump Spurned by 30 Companies as He Seeks Bond in $454 Million Judgment
    Ruth Marcus for The Washington Post: Fair’s fair: Trump should be able to appeal the judgment against him and Catherine Rampell:Trump can’t find anyone to spot him $424 million. Would you?
    Sarah Mervosh, Claire Cain Miller, and Francesca Paris for The New York Times: What the Data Says About Pandemic School Closures, Four Years Later
    Slate Political Gabfest: The “Stop Counting Now” Edition
    Weakley County, TN

    Here are this week’s chatters:
    Emily: Small Game: A Novel by Blair Braverman and Small Game: A Novel at the DC Public Library
    John: Ramishah Maruf for CNN: MacKenzie Scott donates $640 million after open call for nonprofits and Ahjané Forbes for USA Today: Ticketless passenger found in Delta flight’s lavatory, forcing plane to turn around
    David: Sarah Zhang for The Atlantic: DNA Tests Are Uncovering The True Prevalence Of Incest and City Cast: Work with us.
     
    Listener chatter from Joshua Weaver in Austin, Texas: Matthew Brown for AP: Montana man used animal tissue and testicles to breed ‘giant’ sheep for sale to hunting preserves
     
    For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about The Mysterious Case of The Reappearing Princess. See Karla Adam for The Washington Post: Will Princess Kate video put an end to royal communications mess? and Mark Landler for The New York Times: The Royals Tried to Control Their Image Online. The Internet Had Other Ideas.
     
    In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Tana French about her book, The Hunter: A Novel.
     
    Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (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

  • Emily Bazelon talks with author Tana French about her new book, The Hunter. They discuss the different perspectives French uses throughout her books, how French happened into writing mysteries, writing as an outsider to Ireland, and more.

    Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (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

  • 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 congressional testimony; crime and punishment with the Wren Collective’s Jessica Brand; and Congress’s move to ban the Chinese government from TikTok. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C. on March 27! Tickets are on sale now. Planning to attend? Submit a Listener Chatter to [email protected] and you might be picked to chatter live. 
     
    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
    C-SPAN: 2024 State of the Union Address and Former Special Counsel Hur Testifies on Biden Classified Documents Report, Part 1and Part 2
     
    House Committee on the Judiciary: Recorded Interview: Robert Hur, President Biden Transcript, Date of Interview: October 8, and Date of Interview: October 9

    Kaitlan Collins for CNN: Fmr. Mar-a-Lago employee who helped move classified docs speaks with CNN
     
    Adam Serwer for The Atlantic: How Hur Misled the Country on Biden’s Memory

    Jack Goldsmith in The New York Times: Jack Smith and Robert Hur Are the Latest Examples of a Failed Institution

    Erica Pandey and Russell Contreras for Axios: Blue cities go red with conservative policies on crime

    Michael Barbaro and Mike Baker for The New York Times’s The Daily podcast: Oregon Decriminalized Drugs. Voters Now Regret It.

    Madaleine Rubin for The Texas Tribune: Sean Teare unseats Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg in primary
     
    Stefanie Dazio for AP: Progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón advances to runoff

    Jeffrey M. Jones for Gallup: More Americans See U.S. Crime Problem as Serious

    Stephanie Sy and Shoshana Dubnow for the PBS News Hour: As concerns grown around surging violent crime, the numbers tell a different story
     
    David Leonhardt for The New York Times: Should China Own TikTok?

    CBS News: FBI Director Wray says China targeting U.S. civilian infrastructure, economic security

    Laura He for CNN: If the US bans TikTok, China will be getting a taste of its own medicine

    CBS Mornings: Jon Stewart on why he’s going back to “The Daily Show” anchor desk

    Mike Pence on Fox News: TikTok is digital fentanyl and Congress, Biden must act before it’s too late

    Josh Dawsey and Jeff Stein for The Washington Post: How Donald Trump switched to defending TikTok

    Here are this week’s chatters:
    Emily: Josh Gerstein for Politico: Federal courts move against ‘judge-shopping’ and John Dickerson and Jessica Levinson for CBS News Prime Time: New rules aim to prevent “judge shopping” in major court cases
    John: Emily Goulet for Philadelphia: Fight Like a Girl: The New Wave of High-School Wrestling and Alex Bellos for The Guardian: He ate all the pi: Japanese man memorises π to 111,700 digits
    David: Lend A Box
    Listener chatter from Steven in Queens, New York: New York Times: Soon Finds Mother For His 5 Children; Widower Discovers Six Women Eager to Marry Him and Care for His Brood.
     
    For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about marriage proposals. See Caroline Kitchener for The Atlantic: Marriage Proposals Are Stupid; Sadiba Hasan for The New York Times: 10 Great Ways to Pop the Question; and Parija Kavilanz for CNN: After 2023 wraps up, get ready for a spike in marriage proposals.
     
    In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kiley Reid about her book, Come and Get It.
     
    Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
     
    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth 
    Research by Julie Huygen
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  • 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 Trump on the ballot, and whether The Golden Age of American Jews Is Ending with The Atlantic’s Franklin Foer. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C. on March 27! Tickets are on sale now. Planning to attend? Submit a Listener Chatter to [email protected] and you might be picked to chatter live. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:538: Latest PollsShane Goldmacher for The New York Times: Voters Doubt Biden’s Leadership and Favor Trump, Times/Siena Poll FindsMark Joseph Stern for Slate: The Supreme Court’s “Unanimous” Trump Ballot Ruling Is Actually a 5-4 DisasterMichael C. Dorf for Dorf on Law: Nine Justices in Search of an Excuse to Nullify Section 3 of the 14th AmendmentKate Shaw, Melissa Murray, and Leah Litman for Crooked Media’s Strict Scrutiny podcast: SCOTUS Restores Trump to the Colorado Ballot, Unanimously (Kind Of)Franklin Foer for The Atlantic: The Golden Age of American Jews Is EndingElena Schneider and Melanie Mason for Politico: AIPAC uncorks $100 million war chest to sink progressive candidatesCenter for Antisemitism Research: 24% of Americans Harbor Extensive Antisemitic Prejudice, Up From 20% in 2022, Survey FindsRomain Chauvet for The Times of Israel: ‘I’m afraid every day for my children’: As antisemitism soars, French Jews flee to IsraelHere are this week’s chatters:Emily: Madaleine Rubin for The Texas Tribune: Sean Teare unseats Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg in primary; Serena Lin for the Austin American-Statesman: Incumbent JosĂ© Garza wins Democratic primary for Travis County district attorney; Stefanie Dazio for AP: Progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George GascĂłn advances to runoff; Mensah M. Dean for The Trace: In Philadelphia, a Program Offers Some People Arrested for Unlicensed Guns a Second Chance; and Jenice Armstrong for The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly program keeps gun offenders out of prison. I’m all for it.John: Bozi Tatarevic for Road & Track: Here’s Why NASCAR Driver Joey Logano Was Penalized For Cheating Gloves and Victoria Beaver: Caught Webbed-Handed: Here’s the Cheated-Up Glove NASCAR Fined Joey Logano OverDavid: One Day on Netflix and One Day by David Nicholls; Normal People on Hulu and Normal People: A Novel by Sally Rooney; Shƍgun on Hulu and Shƍgun, Part One by James Clavell; Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Festival; and Danielle Dowling for The New York Times: 31 Things to Do for the Big Eclipse This AprilListener chatter from Jason Dewees in San Francisco, California: Julie Zigoris for The San Francisco Standard: He died in a Jewish ghetto. How did his long-lost art end up on a bench in San Francisco? For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk with Researcher Julie about working as an election judge. See Arapahoe County (Colorado) Elections; Election Judges; Election Transparency; and Arapahoe County Life of the Ballot. In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kiley Reid about her book, Come and Get It. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie HuygenLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • 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 [email protected] 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: SchrƑdinger’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 also Ken Tran for USA Today: Hunter Biden denies Joe Biden involved in family business: ‘Destructive political charade’; Amy Taxin and Alanna Durkin Richer for AP: Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens to remain jailed while he awaits trial, judge rules; and Philip Bump for The Washington Post: Evaluating the anti-Biden case House Republicans offered on social media. 
     
    In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kiley Reid about her book, Come and Get It.
     
    Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
     
    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth 
    Research by Julie Huygen
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  • 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 [email protected]. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
     
    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth 
    Research by Keya Bajaj
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  • 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 [email protected]. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.
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  • 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 [email protected]. (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 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 [email protected]. (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