Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin goes AWOL; students remain chronically absent from school; and Donald Trump claims presidential immunity as a blanket excuse.

What we can expect for the 2024 presidential election; who would ever want to be a university president; and how we should discuss the drop in homicide

Emily and David finish 2023 pondering conundrums with Wesley Morris from The New York Times.

Christine Coulson’s new book, “One Woman Show,” the life of the rich-and-beautiful Kitty is told in 75-word labels.

The Colorado Supreme Court blocks Donald Trump from the state primary ballot; Texas plans to block immigrants by arresting them; and Amanda Ripley has a plan for surviving 2024.

University presidents go to Congress and fail antisemitism test; Special Counsel Jack Smith asks a Trump question of the U.S. Supreme Court; and abortion rights are obstructed by the Texas Supreme Court.

Liz Cheney wrote a book; Chris Christie is still running for President; and Purdue Pharma might go bankrupt so the Sacklers don’t have to.

The U.S. economy is good but Americans feel bad; there are three branches of government but the Supreme Court could chop off one; and white evangelicals are Christian nationalists but that might change.

Issue polling is down; Sam Altman is out, then back in at OpenAI; and the Oslo Accords never got off the ground.

Cartoonist James Strum unpacks the classic novel and how he brought beloved characters to new life.

Joe Manchin leaves the U.S. Senate and might hit the No Labels presidential campaign trail; the Supreme Court gets a code of conduct; and collateral damage from the Israel-Hamas war includes Democratic politics.

Democrats win on Election Day 2023; President Joe Biden is losing in the polls; and gun control might defeat the 2nd Amendment at the Supreme Court.

In the presidential races, Nikki Haley gains, Ron DeSantis is stuck, and Dean Phillips begins his campaign; the Supreme Court hears its first but not last social-media cases of the term; and David Leonhardt writes about the American Dream.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers joins the hosts on stage; Mike Johnson is the new Speaker of the House; and Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, and more are the latest witnesses against Donald Trump.

Kristi Coulter’s new memoir, Exit Interview, reveals the good, the bad, and the hilarious of working for Amazon.

Hamas attacks Israel, Israel retaliates against Gaza, and the war impacts geopolitics; despite winning the Republican run-off, Steve Scalise faces an uphill battle to become Speaker of the House.

Representative Matt Gaetz ends the historically short tenure of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy; the Supreme Court starts its term; and the conversation about crime in America continues.

Republicans hold a second Trump-less presidential primary debate; Senator Bob Menendez is being tried again; and it is Amazon’s turn to face the United States in court.

Zadie Smith’s new book The Fraud goes deep into a 19th century criminal trial whose politics speak to modern times.

UAW autoworkers are on strike against the Big Three; the dilemma of social media trust and safety continues to loom large; and parent diplomacy adds to teachers’ workload.

Wisconsin Republicans want to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz; Speaker Kevin McCarthy starts an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden; and Biden’s age might be high but Donald Trump’s poll numbers in battleground states are low.

Author Franklin Foer discusses the first two years in President Joe Biden’s White House; the war in Ukraine slogs on and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un wades in; and higher education is in trouble.

Donald Trump’s 2024 calendar is filling up with trials and primaries; Vivek Ramaswamy is talking and being talked about; and is the difference between the best and worst places disadvantage?

Republicans debate while Donald Trump appears in a taped interview; legal scholars question if the Constitution prohibits another Trump presidency; and nothing unites Americans like a chain restaurant. And put it on your calendar: Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25! More information coming soon.