Political Gabfest
Voted “Favorite Political Podcast” by Apple Podcasts listeners. Stephen Colbert says "Everybody should listen to the Slate Political Gabfest." The Gabfest, featuring Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz, is the kind of informal and irreverent discussion Washington journalists have after hours over drinks.
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1
Very Heavy Force
56 min
2
Republicans vs. the Big Beautiful Bill
63 min
3
Why Destroy Harvard?
69 min
4
Big and Beautiful or Huge and Horrendous
62 min
5
Gabfest Reads | How to Create an Exceptional Fa...
32 min
6
Just a Modest $400 Million Gift
67 min
7
Trump Backlash, Australian-Style
Canada and Australia both vote against Trumpism; the administration asks a judge to dismiss an abortion-pill case; and the painful fallout from looming Medicaid cuts.
58 min
8
Only 100 Days
64 min
9
One Thing Even Trump Won’t Do
61 min
10
Gabfest Reads | How to Turn the Creative Proces...
44 min
11
Trump vs. Harvard
63 min
12
The Bond Market Shrieks
The ongoing fallout after Trump’s complex tariffs and partial retreat; the Supreme Court’s tepid responses to deportation cases leave questions open; and the NC GOP tries to steal a state Supreme Court seat.
56 min
13
The Democrats Had A Good Day
Liberal handily wins the biggest electoral showdown of Trump 2.0 presidency so far; Trump imposes massive, nearly-universal tariffs; and the government refuses to fix mistakes in deporting alleged gang members.
61 min
14
Houthi PC Small Group
51 min
15
The “Constitutional Crisis Is Here”
The government responds defiantly to court orders in showdown over mass deportation; what the data say about why Trump won in 2024; and slow-motion capitulation in a long call between Trump and Putin.
62 min
16
Gabfest Reads | The Day the Challenger Fell Fro...
Adam Higginbotham’s new book delves deep into the tragedy of the Challenger explosion and the impact the disaster has had on American culture.
32 min
17
What Happens When Government Breaks
DOGE’s cuts are endangering American lives; Trump tests limits of free speech with attacks on universities and the arrest of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil; and the politics of the Texas measles outbreak.
63 min
18
Trump’s Display of Dominance
Trump addresses Congress and plays chicken with tariffs in a show of power; Trump and Vance betray Ukraine’s Zelensky to his face and align with Russia; and we all grapple with the ways Covid changed America.
60 min
19
So Europe is Our Enemy Now?
The transatlantic alliance is over and mobster tactics reign; the House GOP budget resolution portends likely Medicaid cuts to fund tax breaks for the rich; and Trump makes aggressive moves against the press
67 min
20
The “Justice Department is Dire“
The bonfire of Justice Department resignations amid the corrupt bargain of Eric Adams; Musk and DOGE and the palantír of the IRS and Social Security; and how progressives broke the government.
63 min
21
Gabfest Reads | A Former Haitian President’s Gr...
Rich Benjamin’s new book Talk to Me explores the coup that overthrew his grandfather, and the ripple affects the political upheaval had on his family.
30 min
22
Trump vs. The Judges
A constitutional crisis is developing between President Trump and the courts, the massive cut to NIH research overhead funding, and political sorting among American workplaces
63 min
23
Elon Musk’s DOGE Rampage
Musk’s DOGE rampages through federal agencies; the gap widens between US prosperity and quality of life; and states confront immigration with their own aggressive approaches.
65 min
24
Elon Musk’s Fork in the Road
Chaos and confusion reigns as the White House freezes and thaws federal grants; surprise app DeepSeek overturns assumptions in the AI sector; and Jonathan Rauch writes on Christianity and democracy.
72 min
25
This Time Trump Knows What He’s Doing
President Trump signs a flurry of executive orders; issues sweeping pardons for January 6 rioters; and enjoys a second inauguration chock full of symbolic elements.
68 min