This week, David Plotz and guest hosts Mike Pesca and Susan Glasser discuss what to make of Elon Musk’s quixotic attempt to start a third political party in America, how Trump’s conflation of national interest with self-interest creates an incoherent foreign policy, and the tedious but impactful “summer rerun season” of Trump’s tariff folly.

Here are this week’s chatters:

Mike: ABC7 New York: Traffic deaths across NYC at record low so far this year as City sees historic drop; Tomoki Chein for The San Francisco Standard: Policing has little effect on SF traffic deaths, decades of data show; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: NHTSA Announces Traffic Fatalities Decreased in the First Quarter of 2025.

Susan: Meg Anderson for NPR: Murders are down nationwide. Researchers point to a key reason

David: Kyla Scanlon on Substack: Kyla’s Newsletter; Clan of the Cave Bear (1980) by Jean M. Auel; Leah Dearborn for LitReactor: What Is ‘The Clan of the Cave Bear,’ and Should You Read It?

Listener chatter from Alan Spatrick in Newton, Massachusetts: Podcast by Andrew Hickey: A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, David and guest hosts Mike Pesca and Susan Glasser discuss whether ICE agents should be allowed to do their jobs in masks.

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.

Hosts
David Plotz, Mike Pesca, and Susan Glasser

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065 - Finding Meaning in Tragedy feat. Jeremy Ryan Slate