This week, John Dickerson and David Plotz are joined by Ruth Marcus to discuss the showdown over mass deportation and the government’s defiant response to court orders; a deep data dive by Ezra Klein and David Shor about why Trump won the 2024 election; and this week’s so-called “negotiation” call between Trump and Putin.

Listener chatter from Kevin in Portland, Oregon: Orb (Netflix)

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, John and David are joined by Ruth Marcus to discuss the arrest and prosecution of a Houston midwife this week under Texas’s near-total abortion ban.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with author Adam Higginbotham about his new book, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space.

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 And Cheyna Roth

Research by Emily Ditto

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Dave Blunt’s on Being Hospitalized, His Beef w/ Snoop Dogg & Recent Heartbreak w/ Solar