Emily, John and David discuss the Supreme Court's consideration of Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization with guest Ross Douthat. The Political Gabfest hosts also talk about how best to approach the news of the Omicron variant, and why the Cuomo brothers’ scandals matter. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Diana Greene Foster for The New York Times: “ What Happens When It’s Too Late to Get an Abortion ” University of California, San Francisco, Advancing New Standards...
Dec 02, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Emily, John and David talk about whether President Biden ought to run in 2024, the Rittenhouse verdict and former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull joins the Gabfest to talk about international relations with China. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Edward-Isaac Dovere and Jasmine Wright for CNN: “ Exasperation and Dysfunction: Inside Kamala Harris' Frustrating Start as Vice President .” Jonathan Chait for New York magazine: “ Joe Biden’s Big Squeeze ” High Conflict , by Am...
Nov 24, 2021•54 min
John, Emily and David discuss Biden’s approval numbers, authoritarianism on the rise, and they are joined by author Jay Caspian Kang to talk about his new book, The Loneliest Americans. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: FiveThirtyEight, Latest Polls Isaac Chotiner for the New Yorker: “ Can Biden’s Agenda Survive Inflation? ” Jason Furman for the Wall Street Journal: “ Biden Can Whip Inflation and Build Back Better ” The Loneliest Americans , by Jay Caspian Kang Pew Rese...
Nov 18, 2021•1 hr 6 min
John and David are joined by guest host Ruth Marcus to discuss Biden’s infrastructure win, Trump’s January 6 obstruction, and the Rittenhouse trial. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Adie Tomer, Joseph W. Kane, Caroline George, and Andrew Bourne, for The Brookings Institution: “ America Has An Infrastructure Bill. What Happens Next? ” Ruth Marcus for the Washington Post: “ At Yale Law School, a Party Invitation Ignites a Firestorm ” Josh Dawsey, Isaac Stanley-Becker, and ...
Nov 11, 2021•59 min
John Dickerson talks with Kirsten Powers about her new book Saving Grace: speak your truth, stay centered and learn to coexist with people who drive you nuts. Powers offers advice about on how to navigate the toxic divisions within our culture without compromising personal convictions and emotional well-being. Kirsten Powers is a New York Times bestselling author, USA Today columnist, and senior political analyst for CNN, where she appears regularly on Anderson Cooper 360, CNN Tonight with Don L...
Nov 07, 2021•19 min
NYTimes columnist Ross Douthat joins the show to help untangle the implications of the off-year elections and John, Emily and David discuss the Supreme Court arguments on abortion in Texas and guns in New York. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: The Deep Places: A Memoir of Illness and Discovery , by Ross Douthat Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “ It’s Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court Now ” Here’s this week’s chatter: Emily: Associated Press: “ University Of Florida ...
Nov 04, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Emily, John and David talk about the Facebook Papers; Building Back (somewhat) Better; and are joined by author Pamela Paul to talk about the trivial and serious sides of her new book: 100 Things We've Lost to the Internet. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Casey Newton for Platformer on Substack: “ How The American Internet Is Turning European ” Farhad Manjoo for The New York Times: “ Facebook Is Bad. Fixing It Rashly Could Make It Much Worse. ” Adrienne LaFrance for The...
Oct 28, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Emily, John and David discuss Steve Bannon’s contempt of Congress, supply chain woes, and Americans pro-actively leaving their jobs. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Jordan Weissmann for Slate: “ The Absolute Simplest Explanation for America’s Supply Chain Woes ” David J. Lynch for The Washington Post: “ Inside America’s Broken Supply Chain ” Derek Thompson for The Atlantic: “ The Great Resignation Is Accelerating ” Matt Bruenig for The People’s Policy Project: “ Democra...
Oct 21, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Emily, John and David discuss the ways that U.S. democracy is in peril, the Democrats‘ strategy woes, and they are joined by author Andrea Elliott to talk about her new book Invisible Child. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Ezra Klein for The New York Times: “ David Shor Is Telling Democrats What They Don’t Want to Hear ” Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times: “ Bill Clinton, Race and the Politics of the 1990s ” The Ezra Klein Show. “ Transcript: Ezra Klein Interviews Hea...
Oct 14, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Emily and John are joined by guest host Mary Harris (host of What Next ) to talk about the dangerous debt ceiling games; blowing the whistle on Facebook; and new revelations about January 6th and the plan to overturn the election. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Wall Street Journal: The Facebook Files Wall Street Journal: The Facebook Files, A Podcast Series Nathaniel Persily for the Washington Post: “ Facebook Hides Data Showing It Harms Users. Outside Scholars Need Ac...
Oct 07, 2021•52 min
John, Emily and David discuss the fate of the Build Back Better agenda; vaccine mandates working; and journalist Caitlin Dickerson helps explain the recent U.S. immigration actions and to identify some fresh strategies for change. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times: “ It’s All or Nothing for These Democrats, Even if That Means Biden Fails ” Josh Marshall for Talking Points Memo: “ Kill the Bill ” Caitlin Dickerson for The Atlantic: “ De...
Sep 30, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Emily, John and David discuss what it will take to save the Biden agenda, the abortion doctor's defiance of the Texas ban; and true crime mania. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Josh Marshall for Talking Points Memo: “ Policy vs Positioning Has Dems in a Stalemate ” Michael Dorf for Dorf on Law: “ Texas Could Not Get Away With This Absent SCOTUS-Created Limits On Constitutional Adjudication ” Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “ The Dawn of the Post-Clinic Abortion ” ...
Sep 23, 2021•58 min
Emily, John and David discuss the Biden’s administration’s vaccine rule, the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, and the new book from Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Isaac Stanley-Becker for The Washington Post: “ Top General Was So Fearful Trump Might Spark War That He Made Secret Calls To His Chinese Counterpart, New Book Says ” Peril , by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa Susan B. Glasser for The New Yorker: “ ‘You’re Gonna Have a Fucking War...
Sep 16, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Emily, John and David reflect on 9/11; the fight for the infrastructure agenda, and declining college enrollment among men. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Garrett M. Graff for the Atlantic: “ After 9/11, the U.S. Got Almost Everything Wrong ” The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 , by Garrett M. Graff Ady Barkan for The New York Times: “ Home Care Keeps Me Alive. It Should Be Fully Funded. ” Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times: “ $1 Trillion Isn’t as Much...
Sep 09, 2021•1 hr 5 min
John, Emily and David discuss SCOTUS letting the Texas abortion ban go into effect; the Afghanistan exit; and Dr. Atul Gawande joins the show to explain how Costa Rica has surpassed US life expectancy by getting serious about public health. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Atul Gawande for the New Yorker: “ Costa Ricans Live Longer Than Us. What’s the Secret? ” Here’s this week’s chatter: John: Erin Donaghue for CBS News: “ Officers and Paramedics Charged in Death of Eli...
Sep 04, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Jamelle, Emily and David discuss the Afghanistan evacuation, starting school during delta, and the path forward for infrastructure. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Jamelle Bouie for the New York Times: “ $1 Trillion Isn’t as Much as It Sounds ” Here’s this week’s chatter: Jamelle: Godzilla: The Album Emily: Jessica Stoya for Slate: “ What We Can Really Learn From the OnlyFans Debacle ” David: Atul Gawande for the New Yorker: “ Costa Ricans Live Longer Than Us. What’s th...
Aug 26, 2021•1 hr
Emily, David and Alexandra Petri discuss the Afghanistan withdrawal, with guest Annie Pforzheimer; California’s recall election; and personal pandemic ethics. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Annie Pforzheimer for the Washington Post, “ Leaving Afghanistan Will Lead to Yet Another Civil War There ” Annie Pforzheimer for the Washington Post, “ In Afghanistan, a Summer of Pain Awaits ” Annie Pforzheimer for the New York Times, “ The Long Road Out of Afghanistan ” Rachel Fe...
Aug 19, 2021•59 min
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report Little Fires Everywhere , by Celeste Ng Public Citizens: The Attack on Big Government and the Remaking of American Liberalism , by Paul Sabin Paul Sabin for the New York Times: “ How Liberals Can Attack From the Left—and Win ” Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration , by Emily Bazelon The Genius Factory: Unravelling the Mystery of the Nobel Pri...
Aug 12, 2021•58 min
John and David are joined by Andrea Valdez of The Atlantic to discuss New York Mayor Andrew Cuomo refusing to resign, the survival of the eviction moratorium and the arrival of vaccine passports. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Annie Lowery for the Atlantic: “ The Time Tax ” Here’s this week’s chatter: Andrea: Planet Money: “ Three Reasons for the Housing Shortage ”; Jerusalem Demsa for Vox: “ Homeownership Can Bring Out the Worst in You ” John: Jason Kottke for Kottke....
Aug 05, 2021•59 min
Emily, John and David discuss the January 6th Commission, the return of masks and they are joined by guest Annie Lowrey to talk about the "time tax." Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Annie Lowrey for The Atlantic: “ The Time Tax: Why is so much American bureaucracy left to average citizens? ” Here’s this week’s chatter: John: Max Fisher for the New York Times: “Disinformation for Hire, a Shadow Industry, Is Quietly Booming” Emily: The Vanishing Half and The Mothers by Br...
Jul 29, 2021•51 min
Emily, John and David discuss the Delta variant and the vaccination decline, the bipartisan infrastructure plan living another day, and the pandemic Olympics. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: David Leonhardt for The New York Times: “ Why Aren’t the Vaccines Approved? ” Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “ Let's Get More People Vaccinated ” Ross Douthat for The New York Times: “ How to Reach the Unvaccinated ” John Dickerson for CBS News: “ Governor Asa Hutchinson on ‘Face...
Jul 22, 2021•48 min
John, David and Josie discuss the escalating threats to democratic elections, minors’ rights to vaccination, and Josh Levin on the podcast One Year: 1977. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Slate’s One Year: 1977 The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth , by Josh Levin Citizen Kan e Ulysses , by James Joyce Here’s this week’s chatter: John: Gaia Pianigiani and Emma Bubola for The New York Times: “ Italy’s Government to Ban Cruise Ships From Venice ”; The New Y...
Jul 15, 2021•56 min
Emily, John and David discuss New York City’s primary election, J.D. Vance’s Senate run, and injustice illuminated by Britney Spears. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis , by J.D. Vance Molly Ball for Time: “ Breakfast with J.D. Vance, Anti-Trump Author Turned Pro-Trump Candidate ” Ronan Farrow and Jia Tolentino for The New Yorker: “ Britney Spears’s Conservatorship Nightmare ” Caitlin Flanagan for The Atlantic: “ ...
Jul 08, 2021•55 min
Emily Bazelon is joined by Ruth Marcus and Jamelle Bouie to discuss the infrastructure negotiations, alarming Supreme Court decisions and Bill Cosby’s release. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Catherine Rampell for The Washington Post: “ Three Things That Could Still Blow Up The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal ” Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America , by Ari Berman Ruth Marcus for The Washington Post: “ I’ve Urged Supreme Court Justices to S...
Jul 01, 2021•58 min
Emily, John and David discuss the post-pandemic workforce, Tucker Carlson, and student wins at the Supreme Court. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Ben Smith for the New York Times: “ Tucker Carlson Calls Journalists ‘Animals.’ He’s Also Their Best Source. ” Slate: “ David Plotz and Tucker Carlson Debate Scott Brown, Health Care, and More ” Andrew Van Dam for the Washington Post: “ The Seven Industries Most Desperate for Workers ” Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a...
Jun 24, 2021•50 min
Emily, John and David discuss President Biden's G7 summit and the meeting with President Putin, McConnell’s plans to block a Biden Supreme Court nominee, and they are joined by guest Melissa Murray on what “critical race theory” is and is not. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Julia Ioffe for Tomorrow Will Be Worse: “ ‘Everyone Gets What They Deserve’: Biden Takes On the Putin Singularity ” Strict Scrutiny podcast Amicus podcast The New York Times Magazine: “ The 1619 Pro...
Jun 17, 2021•53 min
Emily, John and David discuss Joe Manchin, how the Trump DOJ lives on, and George Packer’s four Americas. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: John Dickerson for CBS News: “ Sen. Joe Manchin on Face the Nation , June 6, 2021 ” Ruth Marcus for the Washington Post: “ Attorney General Garland, Please Stop Digging ” George Packer for the Atlantic: “ How America Fractured Into Four Parts ” Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal , by George Packer George Packer for the Atla...
Jun 10, 2021•1 hr
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: The Ezra Klein Show: “ Obama Explains How America Went From ‘Yes We Can’ to ‘MAGA’ ” Uneasy Peace: The Great Crime Decline, the Renewal of City Life, and the Next War on Violence , by Patrick Sharkey AmericanViolence.org Monica C. Bell for the Yale Law Journal: “ Police Reform and the Dismantling of Legal Estrangement ” Penn Wharton Budget Model: “ COVID-19 School Closures: Long-Run Macroeconomic Effects ” Hang Up and Listen: “ The Naomi ...
Jun 03, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: David Leonhardt for The New York Times: “ The Lab-Leak Theory ” Nicholson Baker for New York Magazine: “ The Lab-Leak Hypothesis ” Nicholas Wade for The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: “ The Origin of COVID: Did People or Nature Open Pandora’s Box at Wuhan? ” Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “ Other Regimes Will Hijack Planes Too ” The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking , by Brendan I. Koerner Eric Levit...
May 27, 2021•55 min
Emily, John and David discuss the violence between Israel and Gaza, abortion at the Supreme Court, and the book Nine Nasty Words with author John McWhorter. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: John Dickerson for CBS: “ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on "Face the Nation," May 16, 2021 ” Bernie Sanders for the New York Times: “ Bernie Sanders: The U.S. Must Stop Being an Apologist for the Netanyahu Government ” Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, an...
May 20, 2021•57 min
