Greatest Hits

Greatest Hits

Author: Slate Podcasts January 1, 2026 Duration: 52:22

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz revisit several favorite segments from Gabfests past to celebrate their 20th anniversary: the consequential and eye-opening “don’t call the police” debate, the segment in which John shows Bill Clinton how to apologize with his characteristic eloquence and grace, and that time a data scientist definitively answered the important question: which host interrupts the others the most?

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David revisit one more favorite segment from 20 years of the Political Gabfest: that time in 2008 they fought about the John Edwards love affair scandal.

 

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David Plotz talks with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales about his new book The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last. They discuss how Wikipedia’s culture of assuming good faith and shared purpose became a model for building trustworthy digital communities — and what lessons that holds for companies, social media, and politics today.

 

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

 

Podcast production by Nina Porzucki

Research by Emily Ditto


You can find the full Political Gabfest show pages here.

 

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.

 

Find out more about David Plotz's monthly tours of Ft. DeRussy, the secret Civil War fort hidden in Rock Creek Park.  


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You're invited to pull up a chair for the kind of candid, inside conversation that happens when the microphones are off. Political Gabfest brings together the sharp minds and wit of Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz, three seasoned journalists who dissect the week's biggest stories in politics and government without the usual formalities. It feels less like a lecture and more like eavesdropping on the insightful, often irreverent talk you'd hear from friends who really know their stuff after a long week in Washington. This Slate Podcasts production has earned a loyal following, even being called out by Stephen Colbert as essential listening and voted a favorite by Apple Podcasts listeners. Each episode breaks down complex issues into understandable, engaging discussions that are as entertaining as they are informative. For those who want to go deeper, a Slate Plus membership unlocks additional weekly content and an ad-free experience. Tune in for a refreshingly human take on the news cycle, where analysis is served with personality and the stakes of governance are explored through genuine dialogue.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Political Gabfest
Podcast Episodes
I'm His Lawyer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:07
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss how the confirmation hearing for Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is yet another example of Trump trying to force Congress to bend the knee, what is b…
Maybe That Nazi Tattoo Was a Clue [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:39
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss why an insurgent candidate with so many red flags got so far, how shocking new details about Trump's 2025 income show billions in earnings while those who…
America Has a King Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:13
This week, Emily Bazelon, David Plotz, and guest host Ruth Marcus discuss this week's momentous Supreme Court rulings. The FTC/Slaughter case overturns nearly a century of precedent protecting independent agencies from p…
New York is Red [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:00
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Tuesday's NY congressional primaries won by three Mamdani-backed democratic socialists and what they could mean for the Democratic Party, two new Supreme…
Gabfest Reads | Why America Is Spiritually Broken and How to Fix It [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:19
Emily Bazelon interviews Senator Chris Murphy about his new book Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America. Murphy argues that Trump is not the root cause of America's political…
Another Treaty of Versailles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:35
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what the U.S. is getting and what it is giving up with the deal to end Trump's Iran war, how Trump's UFC fight at the White House intentionally used the s…
California Is an Embarrassment [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:27
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss whether this week's resumption of open hostilities in the Iran war has changed the likelihood of an imminent end to the conflict, what to do about how Cal…
Man-Child Graham Platner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:40
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss whether Graham Platner's accumulating self-inflicted wounds will cost Democrats their best shot at Senate control, how Trump's evolving plans for America'…
They Messed with Texas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:21
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what Ken Paxton's dominant win over John Cornyn could mean when he faces Democrat James Talarico for the Texas Senate seat in November, how Trump has no g…
Corruption Never Stops [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:17
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what Trump is actually trying to buy with his blatantly corrupt "anti-weaponization" slush fund and self-dealing, why Trump can exact primary election rev…