This week, David Plotz and guest hosts Will Saletan and Catherine Rampell discuss what the Senate’s regressive budget bill will do to the health of America, whether there is space left for non-Trump conservatives in American politics, and how Paramount’s settlement of Trump’s meritless lawsuit signifies the fall of another guardrail against an authoritarian president.

Here are this week’s chatters:

Will: Amy MacKinnon and John Sakellariadis for Politico: CIA review of 2016 Russia election probe finds no major flaws; Jonathan Landay for Reuters: CIA review finds flaws but does not dispute finding Putin sought to sway 2016 vote to Trump.

Catherine: Elizabeth Crisp for The Hill: Trump unveils $249 ‘Trump Fragrances’; Alisha Haridasani Gupta for The New York Times: What Does President Trump’s New Perfume Smell Like?; Nick Turse for The Intercept: The Whiff of Corruption: Trump’s New Perfume Has Strong Notes of Graft.

David: Itchy Feet Tours & Safaris in South Africa; Geoff Beattie for The Conversation: Psychology of trophy hunting: why some people kill animals for sport; Hugh Webster for Conservation Frontlines: Trophy Hunting – A Complex Picture.

Listener chatter from Teri Weaver in Syracuse, New York: Michelle Breidenbach for Syracuse.com: Cheap milk and immigration: A blunt farmer’s uncomfortable truth about NY’s dairy industry

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, David and guest hosts Will Saletan and Catherine Rampell discuss recent data showing declines in American pride largely along partisan and generational lines, and what it means to be a proud American.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with author Alison Bechdel about her new book, Spent.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis

Research by Emily Ditto

Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why you don't want to be called "The Fridge"