Political Gabfest

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:Annie Pforzheimer for the Washington Post, “Leaving Afghanistan Will Lead to Yet Another Civil War There”Annie Pforzheimer for the Washington Post, “In Afghanistan, a Summer of Pain Awaits”Annie Pforzheimer 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 PetriA Field Guide to Awkward Silences, by Alexandra PetriThe Best of Wodehouse: An AnthologyClouds, by Aristophanes Raymond Chandler: Collected StoriesThree Men In A Boat: (To Say Nothing of the Dog), by Jerome K. JeromeSolutions and Other Problems, by Allie BroshHyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened, by Allie BroshNew Teeth, by Simon RichAnt Farm: And Other Desperate Situations, by Simon RichSimon 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 AustenMy Life and Hard Times, by James ThurberTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules VerneThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas AdamsHere’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 CassiniDavid: 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”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.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.

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 SabinPaul 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 BazelonThe Genius Factory: Unravelling the Mystery of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank, by David PlotzThe Most Dangerous Writing AppHere’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. EwingEmily: 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.

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 appDavid: 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.

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 Half and The Mothers by Brit BennetDavid: Louis Maurice Botet de Monvel’s Joan of Arc series on display at the National Gallery of ArtListener chatter from Ryan Good, @RyanScGood: Gabriel Hoyle’s Twitter thread of modern presidential branding schemesIf 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.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.

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”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.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.

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: 1977The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth, by Josh Levin Citizen KaneUlysses, by James JoyceHere’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.

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. VanceMolly 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 NewportHere’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 USAListener chatter from William Quill: Russell Goldenberg for The Pudding: “The World Through the Eyes of the US”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.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.

Emily Bazelon is joined by Ruth Marcus and Jamelle Bouie to discuss the infrastructure negotiations, alarming Supreme Court decisions and Bill Cosby’s release.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Catherine Rampell for The Washington Post: “Three Things That Could Still Blow Up The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal”Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America, by Ari BermanRuth Marcus for The Washington Post: “I’ve Urged Supreme Court Justices to Stick Around — But Never to Retire. Until Now.”The New Book of Middle Eastern Food: The Classic Cookbook, Expanded and Updated, with New Recipes and Contemporary Variations on Old Themes, by Claudia RodenHere’s this week’s chatter:Emily: Emily Bazelon for the New York Times: “I Write About the Law. But Could I Really Help Free a Prisoner?”; My Octopus TeacherRuth: Oklahoma City National Memorial & MuseumJamelle: Croupier; Athletic Brewing Company 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. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, Jamelle, and Ruth talk about their favorite summer foods and recipes.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 FrankResearch and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, John and David discuss the post-pandemic workforce, Tucker Carlson, and student wins at the Supreme Court.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Ben Smith for the New York Times: “Tucker Carlson Calls Journalists ‘Animals.’ He’s Also Their Best Source.”Slate: “David Plotz and Tucker Carlson Debate Scott Brown, Health Care, and More”Andrew Van Dam for the Washington Post: “The Seven Industries Most Desperate for Workers”Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal NewportJohn Dickerson for 60 Minutes: “Colleges and Universities Prepare for Fall Classes in the Middle of the Coronavirus Pandemic”The Sound Scene Festival: an annual free and interactive audio arts festival organized by the D.C. Listening Lounge, an audio collective of Washington-based sound artists and enthusiasts.Here’s this week’s chatter:John: Steve Rathje, Jay J. Van Bavel, and Sander van der Linden for the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences: “Out-Group Animosity Drives Engagement On Social Media”Emily: Associated Press: “Connecticut Is Firstst State to Make All Prison Phone Calls Free”David: Mad MenListener chatter from Laura Forsythe: Stephanie Lai for the Washington Post: “26 Years After Being Convicted Of Murder, A D.C. Jail Inmate Is Elected To Public Office”; campaign videos at https://neighborsforjusticedc.org/takeaction/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, Emily, John, and David discuss things that have gotten better since their childhoods.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 Morgan Flannery.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, John and David discuss President Biden's G7 summit and the meeting with President Putin, McConnell’s plans to block a Biden Supreme Court nominee, and they are joined by guest Melissa Murray on what “critical race theory” is and is not.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Julia Ioffe for Tomorrow Will Be Worse: “‘Everyone Gets What They Deserve’: Biden Takes On the Putin Singularity”Strict Scrutiny podcast Amicus podcastThe New York Times Magazine: “The 1619 Project”Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, by Cal NewportHere’s this week’s chatter:John: Elizabeth Dilts Marshall for Reuters: “Morgan Stanley Ceo to Staff: Be Back at New York Headquarters by September”; Lauren Weber for The Wall Street Journal: “Forget Going Back to the Office—People Are Just Quitting Instead”Emily: Adam Liptak for The New York Times: “Affordable Care Act Survives Latest Supreme Court Challenge”; Adam Liptak for the New York Times: “Supreme Court Backs Catholic Agency in Case on Gay Rights and Foster Care”David: Six Months Later: Episode 22: David PlotzListener chatter from Leslie Camp: Doug Fraser for The Cape Cod Times: “‘I Was Completely Inside’: Lobster Diver Swallowed by Humpback Whale Off Provincetown”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 workFor this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss the things they miss doing which modern technology has pushed out of circulation.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.