Three Slate journalists debate the week's politics, plus live shows and author interviews.
Political Gabfest pairs dry banter with serious argument about American power. Its regular panel moves from Supreme Court doctrine and immigration enforcement to elections, media power, gambling, religion, and war without slowing down for primer-level setup.
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Political Gabfest is a weekly panel-format podcast from Slate built around three recurring hosts: Emily Bazelon, a New York Times Magazine writer and Yale Law School lecturer who leads legal and judicial analysis; John Dickerson, CBS Evening News co-anchor, who covers political strategy and institutional dynamics in Congress; and David Plotz, a Slate editor who also hosts CityCast and typically opens each episode. Most episodes are structured as an unscripted debate among the three hosts moving through several news items per show — recent examples include the Supreme Court's argument over Trump's IEEPA tariffs, ICE detention and arrest quotas tied to Stephen Miller's enforcement targets, the 2025 off-year election results in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City, and the government shutdown's effect on SNAP benefits. Recurring themes include the balance of power between Congress and the executive branch, the Democratic Party's messaging around affordability and cost of living, and ongoing coverage of controversies tied to the Trump administration. The show occasionally departs from its regular format for live episodes recorded before audiences in cities like Chicago and New York, bringing in guests such as former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel and comedian Stephen Colbert. A recurring segment called 'Gabfest Reads' features a host interviewing a nonfiction author — for example, a conversation with Andrew Ross Sorkin about the 1929 Wall Street crash. Around year's end, the hosts run a 'Conundrums' live special that trades news analysis for quick-fire debate questions and lighter banter. The tone throughout is conversational and argumentative rather than scripted commentary, with hosts frequently disagreeing with each other on interpretation. Listeners who follow the show tend to already track US political news and want a discussion-based second pass on the week's stories rather than first-run reporting. Regular episodes run roughly an hour, with live shows sometimes extending past 75 minutes.
Made for: People who already follow US political news and want a weekly, discussion-style breakdown of Washington policy fights, elections, and court cases.
What sets it apart: Runs on a three-host rotating debate format anchored by working journalists (CBS News, NYT Magazine, Slate) rather than single-host commentary, supplemented by live audience shows and a standing author-interview segment.
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.Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Three informed voices test American political claims against law, institutional practice, evidence, and one another.
Political Gabfest turns American political fights into a lively three-way argument among David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson. Their conversation moves from immigration enforcement and disputed official accounts to presidential power, elections, the Supreme Court, the…
Dad jokes escort you from Van Buren energy drinks to the Fourth Amendment without losing the constitutional plot.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A sharp account of how deportation targets can reshape ICE enforcement from the top down.
Political Gabfest's political segment focuses on the Trump administration's immigration enforcement push, with Emily Bazelon describing how pressure from Stephen Miller's arrest and deportation targets is changing DHS and ICE behavior.
A brisk Gabfest turn from travel aggravation to the tougher question of when Election Day should end.
For all the title's promise of air-travel misery, the strongest material here is the Gabfest doing what it does best: turning a procedural fight into a revealing political argument.
A sharp Murdoch-family conversation about how temperament, resentment, and Fox politics can feed into power.
Political Gabfest turns a Murdoch succession conversation into a study of family temperament and political consequence. David Plotz asks Gabriel Sherman what Rupert Murdoch's children are like up close, and Sherman answers by stressing their complexity before sharpening the…
A funny, uneasy Gabfest conversation about gambling, journalism, and the danger of winning just enough to keep going.
Political Gabfest's "Degenerate Gambler" turns on a journalist's attempt to make gambling serve a reporting project, then watches the boundary wobble.
A sharp Gabfest roundtable on spectacle, immigration enforcement, and the power behind the headlines.
Political Gabfest opens with its usual loose banter, then settles into a pointed discussion of Trump administration pressure, public distraction, and immigration enforcement.
A crisp Gabfest segment on Trump trying to bend a Texas Republican runoff before it gets uglier.
Political Gabfest's "What's the Point of the Iran War?" edition has the show's usual loose rhythm: David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson start with host banter and a legal-politics joke, then move into a sharper discussion of President Trump's plan to influence a Texas…
A brisk Gabfest argument about tariffs, emergency powers, and whether the Court can still check presidential overreach.
Political Gabfest turns a fight over Trump's tariffs into a bracing argument about emergency power and the separation of powers. David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson start with their usual theatrical nonsense, including a Major Questions Doctrine riff, then move into…
A warm, reflective conversation about work, conscience, and Father James Martin's path from corporate strain to priesthood.
John Dickerson's conversation with Father James Martin traces a life shaped by ordinary jobs, corporate strain, and a turn toward the priesthood.
A near-daily politics rundown from Dana Goldberg and Alison Gill on Trump-era legal fights.
Mike Pesca opens with a monologue, then digs into Supreme Court ethics and Iran policy.
Democrats swept Tuesday’s off-off-year elections, with Abigail Spanberger winning Virginia, Mikie Sherrill winning New Jersey, Zohran Mamdani winning New York City, and California’s redistricting measure passing in a landslide.
Political Gabfest opens with David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson reacting to Trump’s East Wing demolition, his demand that the government pay him $230 million, and an AI video of him dumping excrement on No Kings protesters.
The pressure drives the story.
March 26, 2026 opens with relocation banter.
Rupert Murdoch comes through as both father and institution.
March 19th opens in a haze of competitive smugness.
The excerpt opens with a gas-price title, then turns toward immigration enforcement, ignored court orders, and a personnel shake-up the panel treats as mostly cosmetic.
March 5, 2026, opens with Gabfest banter: David Plotz bringing in Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson through age jokes, legal needling, and the usual quick panel pace.
Emergency becomes the fight.
February 2026, and John Dickerson hosts GabFest Reads with Father James Martin, the Jesuit priest and author.
Obama is the hinge here.
February 12th, 2026, and the room is awake.
January 29, 2026, and everyone sounds frozen.
Greenland is the hook; executive power is the argument.
Emily Bazelon interviews author Curtis Sittenfeld about her short story collection 'Show, Don't Tell,' focusing on themes of middle age, marriage, divorce, and time.
The hosts analyze Trump's unprecedented criminal subpoena against Fed Chair Jerome Powell, exploring motives and market reactions.
The hosts analyze Trump's invasion of Venezuela under the 'seize and sell' doctrine, debating its departure from historical U.S.
David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson of the Slate Political Gabfest assemble a greatest hits episode for their 20th anniversary, featuring three memorable segments from the show's history.
The Slate Political Gabfest staged its year-end Conundrums show live at the Society for Ethical Culture in Manhattan on December 25th, 2025.
Jimmy Wales discusses his book 'The Seven Rules of Trust,' using Wikipedia's principles to explore how organizations can build lasting trust through purpose, assuming good faith, and fostering civility, while addressing challenges from partisan attacks and AI alternatives.
Jimmy Wales discusses his book 'The Seven Rules of Trust,' using Wikipedia's principles to explore how organizations can build lasting trust.
The hosts analyze Susie Wiles' revealing Vanity Fair interview as Trump's chief of staff, discussing her role in enabling his impulses, the administration's economic policies, and rising anti-Semitism among young Americans.
The hosts analyze a Supreme Court case that could end the independence of federal agencies, debate Trump's national security strategy targeting Europe, and interview Tim Wu about the Warner Brothers Discovery merger battle.
The hosts discuss whether the U.S.
The hosts examine systemic lying by Trump administration officials in court filings about immigration enforcement in Chicago, questioning whether the justice system can hold them accountable.
The hosts discuss Trump's rapid dismantling of DOJ norms, featuring Emily Bazelon's reporting on prosecutor firings and ethical breaches.
David Plotz opens a November 2025 GabFest Reads conversation featuring John Dickerson and Andrew Ross Sorkin.
John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz open the November 13, 2025 Political Gabfest by debating whether Democrats' shutdown retreat was a defeat or a tactical win, while noting that eight Democratic senators joined Republicans to reopen the government and restore SNAP, flights, parks, and federal operations.
Political Gabfest goes live from Chicago with David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson in front of a packed house.
Emily Bazelon interviews John Witt about his book on the Garland Fund, a philanthropic effort in the 1920s-30s that supported civil rights and labor organizing.
This episode of the Slate Political Gab Fest analyzes Trump's role in ending the Gaza War, the political implications of a government shutdown, and the Supreme Court's potential dismantling of the Voting Rights Act.
This episode of the Slate Political Gab Fest previews the upcoming Supreme Court term, discusses Trump's impact on American justice, examines the deployment of National Guard troops to cities, and covers the first major case on conversion therapy bans.
This episode of the Slate Political Gab Fest discusses Trump's potential use of the military as a domestic law enforcement force and the ongoing government shutdown.
This episode discusses President Trump's controversial actions regarding vaccines, autism, and the justice system, including prosecuting political enemies and historical parallels to the red scare.
This episode features an interview with Yale Law Professor Judith Bresnik about her book 'Impermissible Punishments,' exploring the history of prison punishment and arguing against contemporary forms of punishment through the lens of a 1960s Arkansas trial challenging whipping practices.
This episode analyzes the political fallout from Charlie Kirk's assassination, including potential retaliation by the Trump administration against left-wing groups, escalating tensions with Venezuela, and anti-democratic efforts to control Washington D.C.
This episode discusses the assassination of MAGA leader Charlie Kirk, the Supreme Court's ruling on racial profiling for ICE deportations, and Kamala Harris's memoir criticizing Joe Biden.
The hosts discuss Trump's legal defeats, CDC policy changes, and the Democratic strategy on a potential government shutdown.
The hosts discuss Trump's attempt to fire a Fed governor, plans to use the National Guard as local police, and the administration's dismantling of renewable energy.
Journalists discuss the federal military presence in D.C.
Emily Bazelon interviews Jonathan Mahler about his book on the transformation of New York City politics from 1986 to 1990.
A roundtable discussion among journalists analyzing current political events and news.
The hosts discuss Trump's summit with Putin, his takeover of Washington D.C., and a new order on college admissions data.
The hosts discuss three terrible topics: Trump firing the labor statistics chief, redistricting civil war, and Laura Loomer.
The hosts discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Trump's pressure on universities, and a controversial judicial appointment.
The hosts discuss Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, the Epstein scandal, Democratic revival efforts, and Texas redistricting.
David Plotz interviews Florida novelist Carl Hyacinth about his new satirical political novel 'Fever Beach', which follows incompetent white supremacists attempting to disrupt an election.
The hosts discuss Nikki Haley's presidential campaign, the Supreme Court's upcoming affirmative action decision, and a bipartisan House committee that works.
A roundtable discussion of the week's political news, including Biden's State of the Union, the Chinese spy balloon, and a feature on menopause.
The hosts discuss the murder of Tyree Nichols and police reform, a New Yorker article on violence interrupters, and the upcoming State of the Union address.
The hosts discuss the alliance between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kevin McCarthy, Ron DeSantis' attack on Florida's public college system, and the congressional hearing on Ticketmaster and Live Nation.
David Plotz interviews Shahan Mufti about his book 'American Caliph' on the 1977 Hanafi Muslim hostage siege in Washington D.C.
This is the 2022 Conundrum Edition of the Slate Political Gab Fest, featuring host David Flotz, panelists John Dickerson and Emily Bazelon, and special guest Alison Bechdel, a cartoonist and MacArthur genius.
The hosts discuss the Trump classified documents special master, Biden's 'semi-fascist' comment, and the Jackson water crisis.
The hosts discuss Trump's handling of classified documents, potential second term threats to democracy, and health issues affecting political candidates.
The hosts discuss whether Democrats can win the midterms, the influence of Leonard Leo, and Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.
David Plotz interviews Matt Johnson about his allegorical novel Invisible Things, set in a city on a moon of Jupiter.
The hosts discuss the Mar-a-Lago search, Liz Cheney's primary defeat, and the reading wars in education.
The hosts discuss the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Trump family separation policy.