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Slate's Political Gabfest

Slate's Political Gabfest

Voted “Favorite Political Podcast” by iTunes listeners. Stephen Colbert says "Everybody should listen to the Slate Political Gabfest." The Gabfest, featuring Slate's Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz, is the kind of informal and irreverent discussion Washington journalists have after hours over drinks. Part of the Panoply Network.

Start listening to Slate's Political Gabfest

The “Eventually We Will Get Something Done” Edition

Slate's Political Gabfest

John Dickerson, David Plotz and Emily Bazelon discuss what will follow the Senate health care collapse, the influence of Steve Bannon and the future approach to prosecution of sexual assaults on college campuses.

66 Min

Jul 20, 2017

The “I Love It” Edition

Slate's Political Gabfest

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz and John Dickerson discuss what can be done to protect American democracy, the state of the GOP healthcare bill, and Mark Leibovich joins in to assess Trump's draining of the swamp.

65 Min

Jul 13, 2017

The “ICBM” Edition

Slate's Political Gabfest

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the agenda of the Commission on Election Integrity, the Trump Euro tour, and the threat from a nuclear North Korea.

52 Min

Jul 6, 2017

Episode
Podcast
Time
Released
58 min
Jun 29, 2017
i

Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Jacob Weisberg to talk about Mitch McConnell's next move on health care, the rulings of the Supreme Court and CNN's recent resignations.

51 min
Jun 22, 2017
i

Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson are joined by Julia Ioffe, staff writer with the Atlantic, to discuss health care, special elections and the summer season of the Supreme Court.

70 min
Jun 15, 2017
i

David Plotz, John Dickerson and Slate's Jamelle Bouie discuss the Virginia shooting, Senate health bill, Russia investigation, and Virginia gubernatorial primaries.

62 min
Jun 8, 2017
i

Live from Denver Emily Bazelon, David Plotz and the Washington Post's Ruth Marcus discuss the Comey testimony, the legal debate about cell phone data privacy and the state of the Democratic Party with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.

49 min
Jun 1, 2017
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the Jared Kushner scandal, Trump's approach to climate and the President's recent European tour.

60 min
May 25, 2017
i

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the presidential budget, Trump’s trip abroad, and a Supreme Court ruling on gerrymandering.

58 min
May 18, 2017
i

David Plotz and Emily Bazelon are joined by Jacob Weisberg to discuss the maelstrom around Trump’s presidency, Roger Ailes, and Attorney General Sessions’s war on drugs.

67 min
May 11, 2017
i

Hosts David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson are joined by former CIA officer and former independent Presidential candidate Evan McMullin for this episode, recorded-live from Washington DC.

26 min
May 5, 2017
i

Hosts David Plotz, John Dickerson and Emily Bazelon discuss the health care vote and what the results might mean for millions of Americans seeking coverage.

48 min
May 4, 2017
i

Hosts David Plotz, John Dickerson and Emily Bazelon discuss John's interview with President Trump, the public return of Hillary Clinton, and Bret Stephens now writing for the New York Times.

54 min
Apr 27, 2017
i

Host's David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the health and tax plans on the table as the 100 day mark approaches, Obama's Wall Street speech, and a judge's block to an executive order on sanctuary cities.

50 min
Apr 13, 2017
i

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz and John Dickerson discuss U.S. foreign relations, Democratic hopes for 2018 and the United Airlines seat ejection.

47 min
Apr 6, 2017
i

Culture Gabfest host Dana Stevens swaps in for David Plotz, joined by Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson to discuss the end of the filibuster, White House conflicts of interest and President Trump's approach to human rights.

62 min
Mar 30, 2017
i

Gabfest hosts discuss Devin Nunes and the investigation into Russian interference in the Presidential election, what follows failure of the new health care bill and how to define President Trump's plan for energy independence.

6 min
Mar 24, 2017
i

Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson give the latest on the vanishing House health care bill.

12 min
Mar 24, 2017
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the health care vote (or non vote) suspense.

56 min
Mar 23, 2017
i

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss James Comey's options, Neil Gorsuch's smooth talking and the fight between Florida's state prosecutor and it's governor.

69 min
Mar 16, 2017
i

David Plotz and John Dickerson are joined by Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post to discuss Trumpcare, the President's proposed budget, and the new Muslim ban.

63 min
Mar 9, 2017
i

Gabfest hosts discuss the potential repeal and replacement of Obamacare, President Trump's accusation of wiretapping and the future for Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.

60 min
Mar 2, 2017
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson, live from LA, discuss President Trump’s address to Congress, Jeff Sessions and California’s potential to secede.

60 min
Feb 23, 2017
i

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz and John Dickerson discuss President Trump's immigration enforcement plans, the move to revoke bathroom rights for transgendered students and the downfall of Milo Yiannopoulos.

57 min
Feb 19, 2017
i

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz and John Dickerson are joined by Julia Ioffe of The Atlantic to discuss the Russia scandal and ouster of Michael Flynn. They also examine the populist revolt to save Obamacare, and American-Israeli relations.

54 min
Feb 9, 2017
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the legal fight over the President Trump's immigration executive order, the confirmation battles and Elizabeth Warren's grandstanding, and whether comedy can shape public opinion and policy

64 min
Feb 2, 2017
i

John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz discuss President Trump's immigration order, his nominee to the Supreme Court and the approaches of Washington's bureaucrats- should they change course?

57 min
Jan 26, 2017
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the actions President Trump has taken in his first week, what infrastructure projects may become priorities and about lying- what's with all that lying?

55 min
Jan 19, 2017
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the future of the Affordable Care Act, the challenges of covering glitter, Twitter and news from the Trump administration and the commuting of Chelsea Manning's sentence.

66 min
Jan 12, 2017
i

Hosts David Plotz and Emily Bazelon are joined by Slate's chief political correspondent Jamelle Bouie to discuss Donald Trump's press conference, the confirmation hearings and the legacy President Obama leaves behind.

59 min
Jan 5, 2017
i

The “It Still Seems Pretty Swampy To Me” Edition

62 min
Dec 29, 2016
i

Hosts John Dickerson, David Plotz and Emily Bazelon tackle listener-generated conundrums live from the Brooklyn Bell House with a surprise special guest.

47 min
Dec 22, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson are joined by NPR's International Desk Editor William Dobson to discuss the terror attacks in Berlin and Turkey and the domestic and international agendas that Donald Trump may inherit as President.

61 min
Dec 15, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson talk about CEO Rex Tillerson and whether Russian hackers could be responsible for the results of the Presidential election. Ta-Nehisi Coates joins in to discuss his recent essay “My President Was Black.”

58 min
Dec 8, 2016
i

John Dickerson, David Plotz and Emily Bazelon attempt to crack the code on Donald Trump's cabinet selections, talk over the real dangers of fake news and discuss what it would take to change the electoral college.

55 min
Dec 1, 2016
i

Host Emily Bazelon is joined by Adam Davidson of the New Yorker, and Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post to discuss Donald Trump's business conflicts of interest, the future of health care and the rights and wrongs of responding to Trump tweets.

60 min
Nov 23, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson examine what President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet appointments could portend, if Mike Pence was mistreated at a recent Hamilton performance and if Trump could cause real harm to the free press.

50 min
Nov 17, 2016
i

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz and John Dickerson discuss the potential influence of Trump's cabinet picks, how to decide whether to serve or not to serve and the seriousness of fake news.

56 min
Nov 9, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson are joined by Jacob Weisberg, chairman of The Slate Group, to discuss the election results, how Donald Trump will govern and what Trump skeptics and foes should do now.

14 min
Nov 4, 2016
i

John Dickerson Wants to Read a Classic Novel After the Election. Pick One for Him.

56 min
Nov 3, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss how close the presidential race may be, the impact of FBI director James Comey's comments, and they attempt to brainstorm survival tactics for the remaining days leading up to the election.

60 min
Oct 27, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson gab live from Boston about the state of the Presidential race, what happens to Trump voters if he loses the race and how to repair voters' faith, and stamina, in the campaign process for future seasons.

63 min
Oct 20, 2016
i

David Plotz and Emily Bazelon are joined by Slate Group chairman, Jacob Weisberg, to discuss the third Presidential debate and the possible danger zones that exist for an opinionated journalist, like Amy Goodman, covering a protest.

61 min
Oct 13, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump, the latest from WikiLeaks on Hillary Clinton and whether its ethical to choose not to vote in this election.

25 min
Oct 10, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and Jacob Weisberg of Trumpcast, join forces to debrief and decompress after the second Presidential debate.

50 min
Oct 6, 2016
i

John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump's taxes, the yapping dog of the VP debate and the Supreme Court's attempt to avoid ties with their cases this season.

52 min
Sep 29, 2016
i

Hosts John Dickerson, David Plotz and Emily Bazelon discuss whether Hillary Clinton will surge out of the first debate, if Donald Trump should bring up the misdeeds of Bill Clinton and if the most recent crime numbers really represent the nation's crime.

28 min
Sep 27, 2016
i

Trumpcast host Jacob Weisberg and Gabfest hosts David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson team up for some post-Presidential-debate review.

58 min
Sep 22, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss Trump's attempt to leave the birther conspiracy club, the New York and New Jersey bombs and what a pardon for Edward Snowden would represent for US national security.

51 min
Sep 15, 2016
i

David Plotz and John Dickerson are joined by Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post to discuss Hillary Clinton's hidden pneumonia, Donald Trump's charitable self-portraits and the political potential of the latest economic report.

53 min
Sep 8, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson debate the ethical murkiness of Donald Trump's payment to Attorney General Pam Bondi, the candidates' preparation styles for the upcoming debates and the reparations offered by Georgetown University.

47 min
Sep 1, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss Donald Trump's visit to Mexico, the breakup of Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner, and the Senate races of 2016.

55 min
Aug 25, 2016
i

David Plotz and Emily Bazelon are joined by Adam Davidson of the New Yorker to discuss the new messages coming from Donald Trump, the new trove of Hillary Clinton emails and the geographic patterns of capital punishment in America.

49 min
Aug 18, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson are joined by Slate Contributor Frank Foer to discuss Paul Manafort's ties to Russia, the violence in Milwaukee and political responses, and the return of Juanita Broaddrick to the media spotlight.

45 min
Aug 11, 2016
i

Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson are joined by Kirsten Powers of Fox News, to discuss the defections from the Donald Trump fan club, the art and folly of the apology and theories of binge drinking in America.

54 min
Aug 4, 2016
i

Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson, joined by Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post, discuss the weekly delights of Donald Trump, the role of gender in this election and how recent voting rights cases could impact this year's election outcomes.

56 min
Jul 28, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss Michelle and President Obama's endorsements of Hillary, the frustration of Sanders fans and the DNC hack scandal.

52 min
Jul 21, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the royalty and the squires of the Republican Convention and consider the work environment of Fox News in light of allegations of sexual misconduct brought against Roger Ailes.

67 min
Jul 14, 2016
i

Live from Washington D.C., David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the terrible recent U.S. shootings and they debate if we're all to blame for politics' failures and what to expect at the Republican National Convention.

57 min
Jul 7, 2016
i

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss Hillary Clinton's trustworthiness ratings, Donald Trump's use of Jewish star-shaped stars, and President Obama's nightly routines.

49 min
Jul 1, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson are joined by Purdue University President Mitch Daniels to discuss the state of Republican politics, Brexit and the most recent Supreme Court rulings.

45 min
Jun 23, 2016
i

Slate Political Correspondent Jamelle Bouie, joined by Adam Davidson of Surprisingly Awesome and the New York Times, and Rachel Martin of NPR, discuss Trump's (lack of) finances, the immigration and diversity component of Brexit and the "Veep-stakes."

59 min
Jun 16, 2016
i

Orlando Shooting & Aftermath, Brexit, GOP Convention

59 min
Jun 9, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss Donald Trump's racist and divisive remarks, Hillary Clinton's historic position in the Democratic party, and the debate surrounding the Stanford rape case.

54 min
Jun 2, 2016
i

David Plotz and Emily Bazelon along with Adam Davidson talk about why some Democrats don't appreciate Hillary, and about the President's new overtime rule. The three also debate who to blame for the untimely death of a gorilla at a Cincinnati zoo.

46 min
May 26, 2016
i

David Plotz, John Dickerson and Emily Bazelon discuss Hillary Clinton's strategy to rise above scandals, the three discuss the new documentary “Weiner,” and they weigh in on the new twist in the Gawker v. Hulk Hogan case- Peter Thiel.

50 min
May 19, 2016
i

John Dickerson, David Plotz and Emily Bazelon discuss the threat of a Democratic Party fracture, the latest polls on Donald Trump's popularity and the Supreme Court's action plan with its current team of eight.

46 min
May 12, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss Paul Ryan's meeting with Donald Trump, the accusation that Facebook is manipulating its trending news and the fight between North Carolina and the Federal Government on transgender rights.

55 min
May 5, 2016
i

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz and John Dickerson discuss Donald Trump's rise, the Supreme Court's debate over what defines bribery and the three discuss Yale University's decision to maintain the name John C. Calhoun on one of its buildings.

51 min
Apr 28, 2016
i

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz and John Dickerson discuss Ted Cruz's running mate and the race for the Republican Presidential nomination. They weigh in on Hillary Clinton's standing and the three offer up new tests for future Presidential candidates.

51 min
Apr 21, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the impact of the New York Presidential primaries and they discuss the U.S. Supreme Court case United States v. Texas, centered on President Obama's deferred deportation action.

54 min
Apr 14, 2016
i

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz and John Dickerson debate who will win the New York Primary, Paul Ryan's opt-out of this cycle's Presidential contest and North Carolina's stance on discrimination in bathrooms.

59 min
Apr 7, 2016
i

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Wisconsin primary and possible demise of Trump, Bernie Sanders’ latest upset and the SCOTUS decision in Evenwel v. Abbott, or ‘One Person One Vote.’

53 min
Mar 31, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson talk about Donald Trump's support for his Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski, and his comments on abortion. They also discuss Bernie Sanders's momentum and President Obama's criticism of the media.

50 min
Mar 24, 2016
i

David Plotz, John Dickerson and Emily Bazelon discuss the terror attacks in Brussels, the national political races and the push for Obamacare exemptions under consideration by the Supreme Court.

57 min
Mar 17, 2016
i

David Plotz, John Dickerson and The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus discuss the state of the Republican Party and Trump's response to violence. Slate's Courts Reporter Dahlia Lithwick joins in to assess President Obama's Supreme Court nomination.

19 min
Mar 16, 2016
i

John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss the results of the latest Democratic and Republican Primaries and what twists and turns are yet to come this election season.

13 min
Mar 15, 2016
i

Jacob Weisberg talks to Jamelle Bouie about his latest article "How Trump Happened."

49 min
Mar 10, 2016
i

John Dickerson, David Plotz and Emily Bazelon discuss the strength of Donald Trump's campaign for the Republican nomination, the latest results within the Democratic primary race and the loss of Nancy Reagan.

43 min
Mar 4, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the unfolding anti-Trump effort, Hillary Clinton's general election potential and the Supreme Court's recent debate about abortion access in West Texas.

21 min
Mar 2, 2016
i

David Plotz is joined by Slate's chief political correspondent Jamelle Bouie to get the lowdown on all the Super Tuesday results

45 min
Feb 26, 2016
i

David Plotz, John Dickerson and Emily Bazelon discuss a possible Trump nomination, the current configuration of the Supreme Court and they take up a new debate about Apple's iPhone security measures in light of new information reported this week.

54 min
Feb 19, 2016
i

David Plotz, John Dickerson and Emily Bazelon discuss the future of the Supreme Court, the Republican race for the Presidential nomination, and they are joined by Slate's technology writer Will Oremus to discuss the federal limits to privacy settings.

27 min
Feb 15, 2016
i

The sudden death on Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday has unleashed huge shockwaves in both the presidential race and the legal community.

50 min
Feb 12, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the Presidential race and the Supreme Court's recent stay. Could it positively impact both the climate and the energy sector?

23 min
Feb 10, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and Slate's Jim Newell discuss the impact of the New Hampshire Primary on the Republican and Democratic parties.

40 min
Feb 9, 2016
i

In this episode of Slate's podcast about campaign history, John Dickerson explains how retail politics won the day in the 2000 Republican primary in New Hampshire.

45 min
Feb 5, 2016
i

John Dickerson, David Plotz and Emily Bazelon discuss the impact of the Iowa Caucus on the Republican and Democratic Parties and David Plotz speaks with Adam McKay about America's financial system and his Oscar-nominated film, The Big Short.

25 min
Feb 2, 2016
i

David Plotz is joined by Slate's chief political correspondent Jamelle Bouie and Chairman of the Slate Group Jacob Weisberg to offer breaking analysis of the Iowa Caucus with Political Gabfest flair.

55 min
Jan 29, 2016
i

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the Presidential campaign, Michael Bloomberg and the book, “Dark Money,” by Jane Mayer.

48 min
Jan 22, 2016
i

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz and John Dickerson discuss Ted Cruz and Donald Trump and the state of the Republican race for the Presidential nomination. They talk about the U.S. relationship with Iran and the water crisis in Flint Michigan.

54 min
Jan 15, 2016
i

On this week’s Slate Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, David Plotz, and John Dickerson discuss the tightening race between Hillary and Bernie for Iowa.

48 min
Jan 8, 2016
i

Emily Bazelon, Jamelle Bouie and John Dickerson talk about Republicans, Obama, guns and are joined by author Jacob Weisberg discussing his new book, "Ronald Reagan."

35 min
Jan 1, 2016
i

John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz debate a selection of listener-generated conundrums that range from the political to the fantastical.

70 min
Dec 25, 2015
i

Round out the year with Emily, John and David.

54 min
Dec 18, 2015
i

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the fourth Republican debate in Las Vegas (did America win it?), the court-martial of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, and what can and should be learned from the big news events of 2015.

54 min
Dec 11, 2015
i

John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric, the Supreme Court's deliberations around considerations of race in college admissions and the one-person, one-vote case before the Supreme Court.

47 min
Dec 4, 2015
i

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the mass shootings in California and Colorado, the Climate Summit in France and Rahm Emanuel's future as mayor of Chicago.

59 min
Nov 26, 2015
i

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump's lie-telling, take the temperature on anti-immigrant sentiment and they debate the importance of maintaining or removing Woodrow Wilson's prominence from the Princeton University campus.

67 min
Nov 20, 2015
i

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the growing threat of ISIS (live from the Superfest on Broadway show), the Supreme Court case over Texas abortion restrictions, and the hit musical Hamilton. The Slate Political Gabfest is brought

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