Who Wants a Third Party, Anyway?

Who Wants a Third Party, Anyway?

Author: Slate Podcasts July 11, 2025 Duration: 1:05:35

This week, David Plotz and guest hosts Mike Pesca and Susan Glasser discuss what to make of Elon Musk’s quixotic attempt to start a third political party in America, how Trump’s conflation of national interest with self-interest creates an incoherent foreign policy, and the tedious but impactful “summer rerun season” of Trump’s tariff folly. 


Here are this week’s chatters:

Mike: ABC7 New York: Traffic deaths across NYC at record low so far this year as City sees historic drop; Tomoki Chein for The San Francisco Standard: Policing has little effect on SF traffic deaths, decades of data show; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: NHTSA Announces Traffic Fatalities Decreased in the First Quarter of 2025.

Susan: Meg Anderson for NPR: Murders are down nationwide. Researchers point to a key reason

David: Kyla Scanlon on Substack: Kyla’s Newsletter; Clan of the Cave Bear (1980) by Jean M. Auel; Leah Dearborn for LitReactor: What Is ‘The Clan of the Cave Bear,’ and Should You Read It?

Listener chatter from Alan Spatrick in Newton, Massachusetts: Podcast by Andrew Hickey: A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, David and guest hosts Mike Pesca and Susan Glasser discuss whether ICE agents should be allowed to do their jobs in masks.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with author Alison Bechdel about her new book, Spent.

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

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis

Research by Emily Ditto

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.

Hosts
David Plotz, Mike Pesca, and Susan Glasser


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


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: 100

Political Gabfest
Podcast Episodes
Just a Modest $400 Million Gift [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:22
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss how Trump’s trip to the Middle East is wildly off the scale of any past corruption and offensive to American tradition, the Supreme Court hearing argument…
Trump Backlash, Australian-Style [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:58
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss anti-Trump sentiment in foreign elections with former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, why the Trump administration has done relatively little…
Only 100 Days [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:17
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Trump administration’s first 100 days and recent polls, the state of American health policy and underlying DOGE cuts with reporter Dan Diamond, and a…
One Thing Even Trump Won’t Do [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:49
This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Henry Blodget to discuss the financial and political fallout from the President’s threats to fire Fed Chair Powell and subsequent retreat; a Supreme Court case over…
Trump vs. Harvard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:43
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Trump administration’s ramped up attacks on Harvard and international students, the courts flirting with findings of contempt after the administration…
The Bond Market Shrieks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:01
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the self-inflicted chaos of Trump’s tariffs and an escalating trade war with China; the Supreme Court’s careful responses to deportations without due proc…
The Democrats Had A Good Day [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:47
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss liberal judge Susan Crawford’s sweeping victory in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race; Trump’s new, nearly universal massive tariffs; and the dangerously ca…
Houthi PC Small Group [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:16
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the hilarious-if-it-wasn’t-so-terrifying accidental sending of secret attack plans from Trump administration officials to a journalist; the chilling capit…
The “Constitutional Crisis Is Here” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:10
This week, John Dickerson and David Plotz are joined by Ruth Marcus to discuss the showdown over mass deportation and the government’s defiant response to court orders; a deep data dive by Ezra Klein and David Shor about…