Challenges of Finding Common Sense Solutions in Divisive Politics

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

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