This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s right-wing flag-flying; David Leonhardt’s take on A New Centrism; and OpenAI’s use – or not – of Scarlett Johansson’s voice. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Jodi Kantor for The New York Times: At Justice Alito’s House, a ‘Stop the Steal’ Symbol on Display; Jodi Kantor, Aric Toler, and Julie Tate: Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home; Jodi Kantor and...
May 23, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Emily Bazelon talks with authors Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy, about their new book, Our Kindred Creatures: How Americans Came to Feel the Way They Do About Animals. They discuss the evolution of animal treatment in America, moral duties to animals, and how to care about more animals than our pets. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Learn more about y...
May 18, 2024•33 min
In this week’s essay, John discusses the differences between moving around New York in 1991 and 2021; remembering 9/11 twenty years later; and more. Notebook Entries: Notebook 75, page 12. September 2021 Notebooks to Garret Notebook 75, page 13. September 2021 Can you make a typo with handwriting? What’s a typo with handwriting called? Notebook 4. 1991 We have to unplug the light to run the vacuum, so we do a lot of our vacuuming in the dark. Notebook 75. September 11, 2021 Fritz want something?...
May 18, 2024•44 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the latest New York Times presidential poll and the Maryland primary results; the presidential debates; and who’s talking inside and outside Donald Trump’s Manhattan trial courtroom. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Nate Cohn for The New York Times: Trump Leads in 5 Key States, as Young and Nonwhite Voters Express Discontent With Biden and Battleground Polling Shows Ticket-Splitting Pattern Aaron Navarro f...
May 16, 2024•1 hr
In this week’s essay, John discusses the Pomodoro Routine (among other productivity routines), why he especially needs a meditation pillow, and how a particular teacher captured his heart. Notebook Entries: Notebook 75, pages 8 and 9. September 2021 OReinstating the Pomodoro Routine… Starting Marshall again… Write Brice… Send Laura the larger project list… Work on budget to get accounts in order Meditation pillow upstairs. Notebook 18. December 6, 2009 Instapaper Alpha Smart Richard Hugo on poet...
May 11, 2024•39 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Stormy Daniels’s testimony in Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial; marijuana rescheduling; and the media’s role and responsibility in defending democracy. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Josh Gerstein for Politico: Stormy spoke. Trump fumed. Jurors were captivated – but also cringed. Ivana Saric for Axios: Status of Trump’s criminal cases Li Zhou for Vox: Marijuana could be classified as a lower-risk d...
May 09, 2024•1 hr 8 min
In this week’s essay, John discusses an onboarding memo for his assistant Laura, and recounts his early days living and working in New York City. Notebook Entries: Notebook 75 Onboard memo for Laura Notebook 3, page 44. May 1991 June 17 start job. Good stuff Notebook 3, page 46. May 1991 Tips on buying renting in NYC Ask about broker 20s and 30s East side. Murry Hill Live on no major avenue Interest bearing account for security deposit Medeco locks Notebook 4, page 15 Scared standing on 34th and...
May 04, 2024•45 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the increasing and increasingly violent campus protests of Israel’s war in Gaza, Emily’s article on How ‘History and Tradition’ Rulings Are Changing American Law, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s chances of a vice presidential nomination after killing her dog and writing about it. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: April Rubin, Kavya Beheraj, Tory Lysik, and Will Chase for Axios: Mapped: Where pro – P...
May 02, 2024•57 min
In this week’s essay, John discusses the art of attention and how to develop the skill of slow-looking. Notebook Entries: Notebook 75, page 8. September 2021 1016 Notebook 1, page 54. June 1990 - Magna carta 1215 at Salisbury - Girls skipping - The Haunch of Venison - Chris References: Georgia O’Keeffe Museum A Little History of the World by E.H Gombrich Artist Jeff Koons “The Art of Divination: D.H. Lawrence on the Power of Pure Attention” by Maria Popova for The Marginalian “Gabfest Reads: A W...
Apr 27, 2024•34 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the testimony of prosecution witness David Pecker in Donald Trump’s criminal trial, student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, and the Supreme Court argument on presidential immunity. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Matthew Haag for The New York Times: David Pecker, Ex-National Enquirer Publisher, Details How He Aided Trump Richard L. Hasen in the Los Angeles Times: Opinion: Why it’s hard to muster ev...
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 9 min
In this week’s essay, John dives deep into the loss of his beloved dog, George, the essayist’s dilemma, the comfort of quiet mornings, and more. Notebook Entries: Notebook 75, page 5. September 5, 2021 I go to the morning alone. Notebook 75, page 6. September 6, 2021 Phantom nails on the stairs References: “Every Dog Is a Rescue Dog” by John Dickerson for The Atlantic “Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds” by Miho Nagasawa et.al for Science Haikus by Jennifer Gurney...
Apr 21, 2024•27 min
John Dickerson talks with author David E. Sanger about his new book, New Cold Wars. They discuss how Russia and China came to reach their new levels of power, the role the Middle East and Obama Administration played in all of this, and more. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 20, 2024•42 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump’s first criminal trial and the Supreme Court argument on a criminal charge related to another Trump case and talk with The Atlantic’s Mark Leibovich about his profile of Governor Gavin Newsom. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Norman Eisen for CNN: Don’t call it a ‘hush money’ case Brian Beutler for the Politix podcast: Alvin Bragg’s Liberal Critics Are Wrong Ben Protess, Jonah E. Bromwich, Mag...
Apr 18, 2024•1 hr 3 min
In this week’s essay, John remembers dropping his son off at college, and trying to hold onto moments and feelings while you can. Notebook Entries: Notebook 75, page 6. September 2021: They chose you. Notebook 15, page 4. April 2004: Sitting with Brice by waterfall. Throwing rocks in stream. Loading sand from dump truck and loader and back again. References: What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith Songwriter Nick Cave Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin P...
Apr 13, 2024•29 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the revival of Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban; the end of No Labels; and the past and future of presidential debates. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Mary Jo Pitzl and Reagan Priest for The Arizona Republic: Arizona House GOP halt Democrats’ effort to overturn Civil War era law in chaotic session Dan Balz for The Washington Post: The Arizona Supreme Court just upended Trump’s gambit on abortion Jamelle Bouie...
Apr 11, 2024•59 min
In this week’s essay, John Dickerson looks back on a Sunday morning in 2021, and ruminates on the empty spaces left behind by the people that once filled our lives. Notebook Entries: Notebook 75, page 6. September 5, 2021: “Oh my god. We dropped our son at college and our dog is dead.” – Anne. References: “Sunday Morning Coming Down” by Johnny Cash “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot “When Someone You Love is Upset, Ask This One Question” by Jancee Dunn for the New York Times “A ...
Apr 06, 2024•29 min
Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Scott Bauer for AP: Wisconsin voters approve ban on private money support for elections and Unfair Share: The Gerrymandered Chocolate Bar on Kickstarter John: Joey Roulette and Will Dunham for Reuters: Exclusive: White House directs NASA to create time standard for the moon and John Dickerson Introduces: Navel Gazing David: Corvid Research: All in the (crow) family; 3 Body Problem on Netflix; The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu; and Foundation and For All Ma...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Political Gabfest host John Dickerson has been a journalist for more than three decades, reporting about presidential campaigns, political scandals, the evolving state of our democracy. Along the way, he’s also been recording his observations in notebooks he has carried in his back pocket. On the Navel Gazing podcast, John Dickerson invites you to join him in figuring out what these thirty years of notebooks mean: sorting out what makes a life --or a day in a life— noteworthy. Listen to Navel Ga...
Apr 03, 2024•2 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz are live in Washington, D.C. to discuss the Supreme Court (again) and abortion (again); Donald Trump’s ups and downs in New York courtrooms and Ronna McDaniel’s rise and fall on NBC; and Gallup’s World Happiness Report 2024. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Ann E. Marimow and Caroline Kitchener for The Washington Post: Supreme Court skeptical of efforts to restrict access to abortion pill Sierra Club v. Morton, 40...
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 11 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Supreme Court’s busy week on government speech and immigration authority; Donald Trump’s bond issue and words problem; and COVID learning loss. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C. on March 27! Tickets are on sale now; get ‘em before they’re gone. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Court sympathetic to NRA’s free speech claim and Supreme Court skeptical of restr...
Mar 21, 2024•58 min
Emily Bazelon talks with author Tana French about her new book, The Hunter. They discuss the different perspectives French uses throughout her books, how French happened into writing mysteries, writing as an outsider to Ireland, and more. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 16, 2024•28 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and Special Counsel Robert Hur’s congressional testimony; crime and punishment with the Wren Collective’s Jessica Brand; and Congress’s move to ban the Chinese government from TikTok. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C. on March 27! Tickets are on sale now. Planning to attend? Submit a Listener Chatter to [email protected] and you might be picked to chatter live. ...
Mar 14, 2024•57 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Biden v. Trump polls and Super Tuesday, the Supreme Court’s decision to leave Donald Trump on the ballot, and whether The Golden Age of American Jews Is Ending with The Atlantic’s Franklin Foer. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C. on March 27! Tickets are on sale now. Planning to attend? Submit a Listener Chatter to [email protected] and you might be picked to chatter live. Here are some notes and references...
Mar 07, 2024•1 hr 1 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign; the Supreme Court’s boost for Donald Trump and review of social media’s content moderation; and Senator Mitch McConnell’s decision to time out as minority leader. Join us for our next Political Gabfest Live show in Washington, D.C. on March 27! Tickets are on sale now. Planning to attend? Submit a Listener Chatter to [email protected] and you might be picked to chatter live. Here are som...
Feb 29, 2024•58 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the tragic death of Alexei Navalny and the fallout in the US; Donald Trump’s civil fraud case and consequences; and Alabama’s new stance on frozen embryos. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Pam Belluck for the New York Times on A New Abortion Access Strategy Adam Liptak for the New York Times on Supreme Court Seems Ready to Block a Biden Plan on Air Pollution Jeffrey Blehar for National Review on We Need to...
Feb 22, 2024•1 hr 2 min
David Plotz talks with author Kiley Reid about her new book, Come & Get It. They discuss how money can work in the same way as language, writing realistic dialogue, and the things we can’t let go of. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 17, 2024•23 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Special Counsel Robert Hur’s description of President Joe Biden; House Republicans’ impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and refusal on Ukraine aid; and Democrat Tom Suozzi’s win in the New York congressional special election. And in Slate Plus, Emily, John, and David talk local news with reporter Ellie Wolfe. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Matt Viser and Tyler Pager for The Washington Post: B...
Feb 15, 2024•52 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Republicans’ beginning and end of both the border bill and the impeachment of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas; the criminal conviction of a mother for a school shooting by her son; and the D.C. Circuit Court decision on presidential immunity and the Supreme Court argument on the presidential ballot. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Rachael Bade for Politico: Schumer presses forward with Ukraine Plan B as ...
Feb 08, 2024•59 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss E. Jean Carroll’s $83.3 million win against Donald J. Trump; the events of 1920-1948 that shaped the current relationship of Israel and Palestine; and the tech-bro billionaires of techno-authoritarianism with Adrienne LaFrance of The Atlantic. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Eric Lach for The New Yorker: Nine Regular People Tell Donald Trump to Shut Up and Pay Up Monica Hesse for The Washington Post: Is i...
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 7 min
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Trump v. Biden presidential rematch, the end of the “vibecession,” and the political fights over immigration. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Michael Scherer and Toluse Olorunnipa for The Washington Post: Trump, Biden pivot quickly to a 2024 campaign that many voters dread Lauren Irwin for The Hill: Trump says Tim Scott ‘must really hate’ Haley Allison Pecorin and Caleigh Bartash for ABC News: Trump p...
Jan 25, 2024•1 hr 1 min
