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.

Barbara Kingsolver’s latest draws inspiration from Charles Dickens to tell the truth of her people.

A Georgia grand jury indicts Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants; Montana youth win a climate-change court case while Maui residents lose everything to wildfire; and Michael Oher hits his supposed “Blind Side” parents with a lawsuit.

Ohio voters decide not to change their state constitution now so they can change it later; Republicans struggle to deal with Donald Trump; and we all need to better prepare for and deal with disasters.

Donald Trump knew his 2020 election claims were false and Special Counsel Jack Smith will prove it; President Joe Biden is battling Trump in the polls; and let’s try talking about small towns.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes a step forward to limit judicial powers but the court and protestors might force a step back; Harvard University and other elite colleges are reconsidering legacy admissions; and Hunter Biden’s plea deal hits a stumbling block.

David Grann’s The Wager tells the harrowing story of a shipwrecked crew in 1741 that had to tell their stories to save their lives.

Donald Trump’s criminal charges and lawsuits are piling up and his Michigan supporters have been charged; Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, and the not-Trump Republican candidates are struggling; and Congressional Republicans are going to culture-war against the U.S. military.

Extreme weather, heat, and floods are driving up the world’s misery index; Threads is taking social media by storm; and we got fast cars.

Monica Potts’ new memoir The Forgotten Girls asks what happens to the women you leave behind.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore gabs live with David, Emily, and John; the Supreme Court is issuing decisions and dropping in the polls; and there is still no major Republican challenger to Donald Trump.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. takes his presidential campaign online; Hunter Biden agrees to a plea deal; and Arkansas’s ban on medical care for transgender children is overturned while New York creates a shield for abortion-pill providers. Join Maryland Governor Wes Moore and us for Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C., Wednesday June 28, 7:30 p.m., Sixth & I. In-person and livestream tickets on sale now!

The 1975 Animal Liberation Now gets an update by author and animal-rights activist Peter Singer

Donald Trump is arraigned in federal court and Judge Aileen Cannon is assigned to his case – again; Atlanta’s Cop City is approved; and Elizabeth Gilbert’s book is delayed.

Donald Trump is indicted for a second time; this time he faces the feds. And the Supreme Court holds off on ending the Voting Rights Act – for now.

Mike Pence, Chris Christie, and Doug Burgum join the fight for the Republican presidential nomination; Oklahoma okays Catholic public-charter school; and Saudi LIV Golf tees up PGA Tour.

President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy make a debt-ceiling deal; the Russia-Ukraine war continues; and the Texas House impeaches Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Debt ceiling default approaches while President Biden and Speaker McCarthy talks continue; Governor DeSantis and Senator Scott announce presidential runs; and OpenAI CEO Altman recommends A.I. regulation

John Durham’s report on the Russia-Trump FBI investigation; the Fifth Circuit argument in the abortion pill case and North Carolina’s 12-week abortion ban; and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis v. Disney