Political Gabfest

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20 Years Since 9/11 Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

Emily, John and David reflecton 9/11; the fight for the infrastructure agenda, and declining college enrollment among men.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Garrett M. Graff for the Atlantic: “After 9/11, the U.S. Got Almost Everything Wrong”

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11, by Garrett M. Graff

Ady Barkan for The New York Times: “Home Care Keeps Me Alive. It Should Be Fully Funded.”

Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times: “$1 Trillion Isn’t as Much as It Sounds”

Douglas Belkin for The Wall Street Journal: “A Generation of American Men Give Up on College: ‘I Just Feel Lost’”

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “How Will America Recover From a Broken School Year?”

Kevin Carey for The New York Times: “Men Fall Behind in College Enrollment. Women Still Play Catch-Up at Work.”

The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money, by Bryan Caplan

Here’s this week’s chatter:

John: Lee Drutman for The New York Times: “Quiz: If America Had Six Parties, Which Would You Belong To?”; John Dickerson for The Atlantic: “Every Dog Is a Rescue Dog”

Emily: Ben Rothenberg for The New York Times: “At U.S. Open, Teen Spirit Rules and It’s Contagious”

David: Wilson Wong for NBC News: “Original 'Blue's Clues' Host Steve Tells Millennials He Never Forgot Them. He Just Went To College.”

Listener chatter from Michael Sagmeister: Philip Oltermann for The Guardian: “‘Scholz Will Sort It’ – The Catchphrase Winning the Hearts of German Voters”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment John, David, and Emily discuss television’s most indelible characters in the wake of Michael K. Williams’ death.

If you enjoy the 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 Danny Lavery's show Big Mood, Little Mood and you’ll be supporting the Political Gabfest. Sign up now at slate.com/gabfestplus to help support our work.

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 Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

$10,000 Bounty Sep 04, 2021

Show notes

John, Emily and David discuss SCOTUS letting the Texas abortion ban go into effect; the Afghanistan exit; and Dr. Atul Gawande joins the show to explain how Costa Rica has surpassed US life expectancy by getting serious about public health.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Atul Gawande for the New Yorker: “Costa Ricans Live Longer Than Us. What’s the Secret?”

Here’s this week’s chatter:

John: Erin Donaghue for CBS News: “Officers and Paramedics Charged in Death of Elijah McClain”

Emily: Jed Kolko for The New York Times: “The Downtown Decade: U.S. Population Density Rose in the 2010s”

David: The Very Nice Box, by Eve Gleichman and Laura Blackett; Nile Cappello for The Atavist: “The Girl In The Picture”

Listener chatter from Karl Richter: A compilation of Nanci Griffith’s performances on Letterman

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment John, David, and Emily share their advice for people starting college.

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 Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back to School Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

Jamelle, Emily and David discuss the Afghanistan evacuation, starting school during delta, and the path forward for infrastructure.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Jamelle Bouie for the New York Times: “$1 Trillion Isn’t as Much as It Sounds”

Here’s this week’s chatter:

Jamelle: Godzilla: The Album

Emily: Jessica Stoya for Slate: “What We Can Really Learn From the OnlyFans Debacle”

David: Atul Gawande for the New Yorker: “Costa Ricans Live Longer Than Us. What’s the Secret?”

Listener chatter from Nilo Garza: The Daily: “Why Mexico is Suing U.S. Gun Manufacturers”; James Fredrick for NPR: “Mexico's Suit Against U.S. Gun Companies May Seek More Than A Court Win”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Jamelle, Emily, and David talk about electric bikes and scooters.

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 Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tragedy of Afghanistan Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

Emily, David and Alexandra Petri discuss the Afghanistan withdrawal, with guest Annie Pforzheimer; California’s recall election; and personal pandemic ethics.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

AnniePforzheimer for the Washington Post, “Leaving Afghanistan Will Lead to Yet Another Civil War There”

AnniePforzheimer for the Washington Post, “In Afghanistan, a Summer of Pain Awaits”

AnniePforzheimer for the New York Times, “The Long Road Out of Afghanistan”

Rachel Feintzeig for the Wall Street Journal: “These People Who Work From Home Have a Secret: They Have Two Jobs”

Daniel Lavery’s Substack newsletter: The Chatner

Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why, by Alexandra Petri

A Field Guide to Awkward Silences, by Alexandra Petri

The Best of Wodehouse: An Anthology

Clouds, by Aristophanes

Raymond Chandler: Collected Stories

Three Men In A Boat: (To Say Nothing of the Dog), by Jerome K. Jerome

Solutions and Other Problems, by Allie Brosh

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened, by Allie Brosh

New Teeth, by Simon Rich

Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations, by Simon Rich

Simon Rich for the New Yorker: “Sell Out”

Simon Rich for the New Yorker: “The Big Nap”

Simon Rich for the New Yorker: “Raised by Wolves”

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

My Life and Hard Times, by James Thurber

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

Here’s this week’s chatter:

Emily: Meira Levinson, Alan C. Geller, and Joseph G. Allen for The Lancet: “Health Equity, Schooling Hesitancy, and the Social Determinants of Learning”

Alexandra: Never a Dull Moment: The Memoirs of Countess Marguerite Cassini

David: Dahlia Lithwick for Slate: “The Fierce Legal Battle at the Heart of the Fight Over Reclining Airline Seats”

Listener chatter from Lesley Gild: Bored Panda: “People Are Sharing ‘Alternate Angles’ of Iconic Events and Places in History, Here Are 30 of the Best”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Alexandra, Emily, and David discuss their favorite funny books.

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 Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap and Shayna Elliot.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Little Fires Everywhere Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report

Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng

Public Citizens: The Attack on Big Government and the Remaking of American Liberalism, by Paul Sabin

Paul Sabin for the New York Times: “How Liberals Can Attack From the Left—and Win”

Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, by Emily Bazelon

The Genius Factory: Unravelling the Mystery of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank, by David Plotz

The Most Dangerous Writing App

Here’s this week’s chatter:

Josie: How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, by Clint Smith; Maya and the Robot, by Eve L. Ewing

Emily: Ally Mutnick and Zach Montellaro for Politico: “Redistricting Sprint Begins With Major Census Data Drop”

David: Jen Senior for the Atlantic: “What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind”

Listener chatter from Matt Gousman: “Starbase Tour With Elon Musk”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Josie, David, and Emily share their experiences and advice about trying to write a book.

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 Jess Miller.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap and Grace Woodruff.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Impeach Today Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

John and David are joined by Andrea Valdez of The Atlantic to discuss New York Mayor Andrew Cuomo refusing to resign, the survival of the eviction moratorium and the arrival of vaccine passports.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Annie Lowery for the Atlantic: “The Time Tax”

Here’s this week’s chatter:

Andrea: Planet Money: “Three Reasons for the Housing Shortage”; Jerusalem Demsa for Vox: “Homeownership Can Bring Out the Worst in You”

John: Jason Kottke for Kottke.org: “This App Identifies Birds by Their Songs”; Merlin Bird ID app

David: Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America, by Angie Schmitt; The @FrogandToadbot Twitter account

Listener chatter from Noah Lieberman: David Gilbert for Vice: “‘I’m a Parkland Shooting Survivor. QAnon Convinced My Dad It Was All a Hoax.’”

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medieval Battle Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

Emily, John and David discuss the January 6th Commission, the return of masks and they are joined by guest Annie Lowrey to talk about the "time tax."

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Annie Lowrey for The Atlantic: “The Time Tax: Why is so much American bureaucracy left to average citizens?”

Here’s this week’s chatter:

John: Max Fisher for the New York Times: “Disinformation for Hire, a Shadow Industry, Is Quietly Booming”

Emily: The Vanishing Halfand The Mothers by Brit Bennet

David: Louis Maurice Botet de Monvel’s Joan of Arc series on display at the National Gallery of Art

Listener chatter from Ryan Good, @RyanScGood: Gabriel Hoyle’s Twitter thread of modern presidential branding schemes

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John discuss: Have you really read a book if you’ve completely forgotten it?

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 Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Grace Woodruff.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actually It Is ‘Infrastructure Week' Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

Emily, John and David discuss the Delta variant and the vaccination decline, the bipartisan infrastructure plan living another day, and the pandemic Olympics.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

David Leonhardt for The New York Times: “Why Aren’t the Vaccines Approved?”

Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “Let's Get More People Vaccinated”

Ross Douthat for The New York Times: “How to Reach the Unvaccinated”

John Dickerson for CBS News: “Governor Asa Hutchinson on ‘Face the Nation,’ June 27, 2021”

Here’s this week’s chatter:

John: Jack Thomas for The Boston Globe: “I Just Learned I Only Have Months to Live. This Is What I Want to Say”; Susan B. Glasser for The New Yorker: “‘You’re Gonna Have a Fucking War’: Mark Milley’s Fight to Stop Trump from Striking Iran”

Emily: Eliza Apperly for The Guardian: “‘Stumbling Stones’: A Different Vision of Holocaust Remembrance”; Atlas Obscura: “The Bebelplatz, Berlin, Germany: The Site of the Famous Nazi Book Burning Campaign of 1933 Remembers It’s ‘Night of Shame.’”

David: The Quiet American, by Graham Greene; Catherine Bosley for Bloomberg: “Women Are Still Suffering More Than Men in Pandemic Job Hit”

Listener chatter from Ragav Venkatesan: “W Series: Off Track”; Giles Richards for The Guardian: “Hamilton Commission Report Aims to Improve Diversity in Motorsport”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss billionaires in space.

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 Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mature Minor Jul 15, 2021

Show notes

John, David and Josie discuss the escalating threats to democratic elections, minors’ rights to vaccination, and Josh Levin on the podcast One Year: 1977.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Slate’s One Year: 1977

The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth, by Josh Levin

Citizen Kane

Ulysses, by James Joyce

Here’s this week’s chatter:

John: Gaia Pianigiani and Emma Bubola for The New York Times: “Italy’s Government to Ban Cruise Ships From Venice”; The New York Times: “How Much Hotter Is Your Hometown Than When You Were Born?”

Josie: Detransition, Baby, by Torrey Peters

David: City Cast: “City Cast Expands to 8 New Cities”

Listener chatter from Chris Heuberger, @chrisbup: David Owen for The New Yorker: “How a Young Activist Is Helping Pope Francis Battle Climate Change”; Solvable podcast: “Mapping Catholic Lands Can Help Solve Biodiversity Loss and Climate Change.”

If you enjoy the 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 Danny Lavery's new show Big Mood, Little Mood" and you’ll be supporting the Political Gabfest. Sign up now at slate.com/gabfestplus to help support our work. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, John, Josie and David give classical music another review.

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 Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gab Me Baby One More Time Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

Emily, John and David discuss New York City’s primary election, J.D. Vance’s Senate run, and injustice illuminated by Britney Spears.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, by J.D. Vance

Molly Ball for Time: “Breakfast with J.D. Vance, Anti-Trump Author Turned Pro-Trump Candidate”

Ronan Farrow and Jia Tolentino for The New Yorker: “Britney Spears’s Conservatorship Nightmare”

Caitlin Flanagan for The Atlantic: “You Really Need to Quit Twitter”

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal Newport

Here’s this week’s chatter:

Emily: This American Life: “There. I Fixed It.”

John: John Dickerson for CBS News: “Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III: Full Face the Nation Interview”; Julian Mark for The Washington Post: “Rep. Andy Kim’s Suit in the Capitol Cleanup Photo Was From A J. Crew Sale. It Now Belongs to the Smithsonian.”; Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “I Write About the Law. But Could I Really Help Free a Prisoner?”

David: Visiting the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness with Navajo Tours USA

Listener chatter from William Quill: Russell Goldenberg for The Pudding: “The World Through the Eyes of the US”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss whether it is a good idea to quit social media.

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 Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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