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This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the good U.S. economy and Americans’ bad feelings about it; the Supreme Court case of SEC v. Jarkesy and its threat to the system of U.S. government; and white evangelicals and Christian nationalists with The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta. Send us your Conundrums: submit them at slate.com/conundrum. And join us in-person or online for Gabfest Live: The Conundrums Edition! December 7 at The 92nd Street Y, New York City. Tickets on sale now! Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Sam Sutton for Politico: Why a ‘soft landing’ may not solve Biden’s polling problemLydia DePillis for The New York Times: Even Most Biden Voters Don’t See a Thriving Economy; Paul Krugman: Bidenomics and the Guys in the Bar; Jim Tankersley: ‘Morning in America’ Eludes Biden, Despite Economic Gains; and Bryce Covert: Don’t Let Inflation Bury the Memory of a Government TriumphDylan Matthews for Vox: Why the news is so negative – and what we can do about it David Winston for Roll Call: Why Voters Are Still Wary 10 Years After the Economic Collapse Robert Barnes for The Washington Post: Supreme Court conservatives seem dubious about SEC’s in-house tribunalsRonald Mann for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court to consider multi-pronged constitutional attack on SECNoah Rosenblum for The Atlantic: The Case That Could Destroy the GovernmentIan Millhiser for Vox: A Supreme Court case about stocks could help make Trump’s authoritarian dreams realityPublic Citizens: The Attack on Big Government and the Remaking of American Liberalism by Paul Sabin Tim Alberta for The Atlantic: My Father, My Faith, and Donald Trump and How Politics Poisoned The Evangelical ChurchThe Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim AlbertaThomas B. Edsall for The New York Times: ‘The Embodiment of White Christian Nationalism in a Tailored Suit’PRRI and Brookings: A Christian Nation? Understanding the Threat of Christian Nationalism to American Democracy and Culture Here are this week’s chatters:Emily: Brian Murphy for The Washington Post: Larry Fink, photographer who explored class divides, dies at 82 and Emily Bazelon and Larry Fink for The New York Times Magazine: Shadow of a DoubtJohn: The New Yorker: “Bob and Don: A Love Story” a short documentary by Judd Apatow; CBS News Sunday Morning; and Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz CheneyDavid: Matt Phillips for The New York Times: Shane MacGowan, Songwriter Who Fused Punk and Irish Rebellion, Is Dead at 65 and peyoteshaman on YouTube: Pogues 930 club mid 1980’sListener chatter from Nicola in Dublin, Ireland: Irish Archaeology: Pangur Bán and Tread Softy: Classic Irish Poems for Children edited by Nicola Reddy For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about the book lover’s dilemma: borrow or buy. See also A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin; Little Free Library; Adam Sockel for Perspectives on Reading: Library users are book buyers; and Pew Research Center: Libraries, patrons, and e-books.In the latest 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 HostsEmily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Adams’ political career has been heavy on soundbites and low-simmering scandals. But now, as mayor of New York, he might have finally risen far enough to fall. Guest: David Freedlander, New York Magazine contributor and the author of The AOC Generation: How Millennials Are Seizing Power and Rewriting the Rules of American Politics.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

California’s new “CARE courts” are designed to help people struggling with psychotic disorders to get the help they need. But is having judges mandate treatment a step in the right direction?Guest: April Dembosky, health correspondent for KQED.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Citing the risks from criminals listening in and pranksters interfering in their channels, the NYPD is the latest and biggest police department moving to encrypt their radio communications. But what about the reporters who rely on the police scanner—and the public who rely on those reporters?Guests:Todd Maisel, contributing editor at AMNewYork and photojournalist Adam Scott Wandt, associate professor of public policy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began this weekend in Gaza, as hostages and prisoners were freed by both sides. But any end to the immediate conflict still remains in doubt.Guest: Peter Beinart, professor of journalism and political science at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, editor-at-large at Jewish Currents, and author of The Beinart Notebook on Substack.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Slate Money Travel, Felix Salmon speaks with Craig Mod about why he loves to walk on vacation. Check out Craig Mod’s latest book, “Things Become Other Things”. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our show every week. You’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Slate Money. Sign up now at slate.com/moneyplus to help support our work.Podcast production by Patrick Fort. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first steps on the moon were in the name of “all mankind.” But with more countries—and the private sector—competing to not only return, but to tap into the moon’s resources, we’re going to need some ground rules.Guest: Chris Davenport reports on NASA and the space industry at the Washington Post.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Sam Altman’s triumphant return to OpenAI and ponder the future of the artificial intelligence industry. They also discuss the legal woes of crypto exchange Binance and its CEO Changpeng Zhao. Finally: the economic policies of Argentina’s president-elect Javier Milei.In the Plus segment: Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers joins OpenAI’s board of directorsPodcast production by Jared Downing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While Amicus takes a break to digest turkey and count our blessings, we're sharing this episode of The Political Scene from our friends at The New Yorker.In recent weeks, Americans have begun to get a clearer picture of what a second Donald Trump Administration could look like. Some clues have come from organizations like the Heritage Foundation, which has laid out policy proposals for the Trump campaign. Others have come from the former President himself. Trump has said he would appoint a prosecutor to “go after” Joe Biden and his family; on Veterans Day, this past weekend, he pledged to root out opponents and critics who he said “live like vermin within the confines of our country.” “Trump wants to get rid of all of these guardrails that protect the government from becoming a spoil system,” the staff writer Jane Mayer says, including by firing members of the federal civil service. Ultimately, how different would a second Presidency be from the last time that Trump was in the White House? “There are two words that I would say really underscore the difference this time, and why Trump in 2024 is arguably a much bigger threat in many ways than he was even eight years ago,” the New Yorker staff writer Susan B. Glasser says. “The two words are ‘retribution’ and ‘termination.’ ” The staff writer Evan Osnos joins Mayer and Glasser to weigh in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An app for open money laundering, a corridor of massive casinos in the middle of nowhere, and the global scamdemic. Guest: Cezary Podkul, reporter for PropublicaIf you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.