Political Gabfest

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and Heather McGhee discuss the primaries and Kansan voters’ defense of abortion; Alex Jones on trial; and Annie Lowrey’s story of surviving pregnancy in the United States. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Sam Adler-Bell for The New York Times: “The Violent Fantasies of Blake Masters”Jason Beeferman for The Texas Tribune: “How Sandy Hook Lies and the Jan. 6 Inquiry Threaten to Undo Alex Jones”Annie Lowrey for The Atlantic: “American Motherhood”Annie Lowrey for The Atlantic: “The Most Important Study in the Abortion Debate”The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, by Heather McGheeThe Sum of Us podcastCharged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, by Emily BazelonBlack Reconstruction in America, by W. E. B. Du Bois Forbidden City, by Vanessa HuaHere are this week’s chatters:Emily: The Law & Justice Journalism ProjectHeather: A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. MaasDavid: Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke; Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke; Testament of Youth, by Vera BrittainListener chatter from Mohamed El-Sheik: Adriana E. Ramírez for The Atlantic: “Everyone Loses on Jeopardy Eventually” Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the surprise deal for climate legislation, new January 6th revelations, and the deadliest road in America. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Carol D. Leonnig, Devlin Barrett, Josh Dawsey and Spencer S. Hsu for The Washington Post: “Justice Dept. Investigating Trump’s Actions In Jan. 6 Criminal Probe”Carol D. Leonnig and Maria Sacchetti for The Washington Post: “Secret Service Watchdog Knew in February That Texts Had Been Purged”Forbidden City, by Vanessa HuaDan Kaufman for The New Yorker: “Will Wisconsin’s Republicans Make Voting Meaningless, or Just Difficult?”Richard L. Hasen for Slate: “What the Critics Get Incredibly Wrong about the Collins-Manchin Election Bill”Marin Cogan for Vox: “The Deadliest Road In America”Robert James Schneider, Rebecca Sanders, Frank Proulx, Hamideh Moayyed for the Journal of Transport and Land Use: “United States Fatal Pedestrian Crash Hot Spot Locations And Characteristics”Unsafe At Any Speed, by Ralph NaderStrong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity, by Charles L. Marohn Jr. Allison Russell’s Outside ChildJohn Dickerson for Slate: “Getting Naked Every Night: Girlyman and the Pursuit of Creative Risk.”Here are this week’s chatters:Emily: Jonathan Bernstein for Rolling Stone: “‘She Schooled Us All’: Inside Joni Mitchell’s Stunning Return to Newport Folk Festival”; David McCabe and Mike Isaac for The New York Times: “F.T.C. Sues to Block Meta’s Virtual Reality Deal as It Confronts Big Tech”John: Oliver Whang for The New York Times: “‘Parentese’ Is Truly a Lingua Franca, Global Study Finds”David: April Rubin and Jesus Jiménez for The New York Times: “4,000 Mistreated Beagles Need Homes. These Folks Stepped Up.”Listener chatter from Mark Allender: The Dollop #283: “James Clark McReynolds, the Worst Supreme Court Justice Ever”Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Bazelon talks with author Vanessa Hua about her new historical fiction book, Forbidden City. The novel tells the story of sixteen-year-old revolutionary Mei who becomes a dancer in Chairman Mao’s inner circle. Emily and Vanessa talk about Vanessa’s inspiration for the novel, the complicated dynamics between Mei and Chairman Mao, and whether we’ll hear more from Mei. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (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, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Josie Duffy Rice discuss Europe’s deadly heat wave, Joe Manchin’s balk at climate legislation, and the inevitable tragedies already happening post-Roe.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Lindsay Whitehurst, Camille Fassett, and Jasen Lo for the Associated Press: “Social Programs Weak in Many States With Tough Abortion Laws”The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness, by Meghan O'RourkeForbidden City, by Vanessa HuaHomesick and Happy: How Time Away from Parents Can Help a Child Grow, by Michael Thompson John Dickerson for Slate: “My Daughter Went Away to Camp and Changed”Here are this week’s chatters:John: Carol D. Leonnig and Maria Sacchetti for The Washington Post: “Secret Service Watchdog Knew in February That Texts Had Been Purged”Josie: Zak Cheney-Rice for New York Magazine: “Larry Wilmore Knows No Bounds”; David: Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps; Elias Esquivel for World Athletics: “Patterson Takes Surprise High Jump Gold In Oregon”Listener chatter from Mark Wegener: Gamaliel Bradford for the January 1930 issue of The Atlantic: “The Genius of the Average: Calvin Coolidge” Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Mark Leibovich discuss Biden’s 2024 plans, the establishment Republicans who stand by Trump, and Herschel Walker’s alarming Senate campaign.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Thank You for Your Servitude: Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission, by Mark LeibovichAnne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “History Will Judge The Complicit”Mark Leibovich for the New York Times Magazine: “Donald Trump Is Not Going Anywhere”Mark Leibovich for the New York Times: “Kevin McCarthy, Four Months After Jan. 6, Still on Defensive Over Trump”Here are this week’s chatters:John: The New York Times: “168 Writing Prompts to Spark Discussion and Reflection”Mark: Mark shared his thoughts on whether life was better before cell phones.David: City Cast DC’s July 12, 2022 newsletter.Listener chatter from Josie Beyer: Julia Medina for Sleepopolis: “Sleeping While Rowing in the Great Pacific Race”; Lat 35 Racing Team on Instagram Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the Supreme Court’s gutting of administrative authority in West Virginia v. EPA, the case coming next term that could upend U.S. elections, and the Highland Park shooting.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Julian Davis Mortenson and Nicholas Bagley for The Atlantic: “The Nondelegation Doctrine Is A Fable” Julian Davis Mortenson and Nicholas Bagley for The Columbia Law Review: "Delegation at the Founding"Here are this week’s chatters:Emily: Susan Elizabeth Shepard for Willamette Week: “A Student at an Oregon Community College Says Instructors Flunked Her for Being a Porn Actress. She’s Suing.”John: How Normal Am I?David: Twitter thread about: Jaroszewicz, et al: “How Effective Is (More) Money? Randomizing Unconditional Cash Transfer Amounts in the US”Listener chatter from Jocelyn Frank: “Humanity’s First Cosmic Gallery of Children’s Art: What the Youngest Members of Our Young Species Most Cherish About Life on Earth”Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson are live at Sixth & I in Washington, DC discussing the new insurrection revelations; the overturning of Roe; and the legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:David French for The Dispatch: “The Case for Prosecuting Donald Trump Just Got Much Stronger”Kirsten M. J. Thompson, Hugh J. W. Sturrock, Diana Greene Foster, et al for JAMA Network Open: “Association of Travel Distance to Nearest Abortion Facility With Rates of Abortion”Sacred Hunger, by Barry Unsworth Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War, by Karl Marlantes Meridith McGraw and Matt Dixon for Politico: “Trump Fatigue Sets In: ‘Some Donors Are Getting Sick Of The Sh--Show'”Here are this week’s chatters:Emily: Christopher Clarey for The New York Times: “Tennis Tours Penalize Wimbledon Over Ban on Russian Players”David: Emily Temple for LitHub: “Famous Authors Who Died on the Exact Same Day”John: Terri Jo Ryan for Waco History: “Crash at Crush”Don’t miss Emily’s conversation with author Keri Blakinger on her new book, Corrections in Ink, for the June 26, 2022 episode of Gabfest Reads.Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Bazelon talks with author Keri Blakinger about her new memoir, Corrections in Ink which recounts Blakinger’s path from Olympic ambitions, to heroin addiction, to prison, and ultimately a return to life on the outside.  Blakinger launched a program to deliver her memoir to currently incarcerated readers. You can learn more here: https://800ceoread.com/coupons/redeem/donationcorrectionsinink Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the Supreme Court decision requiring that government funding for private schools include religious ones, the January 6th hearings, and dissension at progressive organizations.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Jack Goldsmith for The New York Times: “Prosecute Trump? Put Yourself in Merrick Garland’s Shoes.”John Dickerson for Slate: Whistlestop podcast: “The Mulligan Letters”Ryan Grim for The Intercept: “Elephant in the Zoom”Here are this week’s chatters:John: “Watergate Trial Records Digitized For 50th Anniversary of Watergate”Emily: Agnes Callard for The Boston Review: “Against Persuasion”David: HustleListener chatter from Cyrus Farivar: Tim Folger for Scientific American: “Record-Breaking Voyager Spacecraft Begin to Power Down”Be sure to tune into Emily’s conversation with author Keri Blakinger on her new book, Corrections in Ink, on Gabfest Reads on June 26, 2022. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the January 6th hearings, Jason Furman on the economy, and debates among providers of gender-affirming medical care.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Michael Dorf for Dorf on Law: “House Select Committee Hearing 2: Scoundrels, Patriots, and Collaborators”Mona Charen for The Bulwark: “Of Course Trump Is Responsible for His Lies”David Brooks for The New York Times: “The Jan. 6 Committee Has Already Blown It”Derek Thompson for The New York Times: “The Crypto Crash Is Just the Start”Emily Bazelon for The New York Times Magazine: “The Battle Over Gender Therapy” Here are this week’s chatters:John: Sharon LaFraniere and Noah Weiland for The New York Times: “F.D.A. Panel Recommends Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines for Youngest Children”Emily: Joan Walsh for The Nation: “The Backlash Against Sex Ed”David: Explore a Civil War fort with David; The New York Times: “Anthony Mancinelli, World's Oldest Working Barber, Dies at 108”; Kate Springer for CNN: “Philippines' Oldest Tattoo Artist -- Meet Whang Od Oggay”; Teller Report: “‘Working For 77 Years’ The Secret of The Long Run of a 100-Year-Old Civil Servant”Listener chatter from Andy Scarpelli: The Biodesign Challenge For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, John, and David discuss what they are looking forward to reading and watching this summer.Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony DoerrThe Immortal King Rao, by Vauhini Vara Swann's Way, by Marcel ProustPhysical Season TwoLoving Day, by Mat Johnson Invisible Things, by Mat JohnsonManhattan Beach, by Jennifer Egan A Visit From The Goon Squad, by Jennifer EganThe AmericansTweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices