This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the results of the midterm elections and what they tell us about the state of the country, what kind of balance new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate should strike between legislation and investigations of the Trump administration and what this means for the 2028 conversation already underway, and what ballot initiatives say about voter sentiment on issues like abortion and AI.Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Jacob Stern for The New York Times Magazine: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/01/magazine/curtis-malone-basketball.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">He Ran a Youth-Basketball Empire. He Also Had a Massive Drug Operation.</a>John: Kiran Stacey for The Guardian: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/oct/19/andy-burnham-launches-campaign-against-headphone-dodgers-on-public-transport" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Andy Burnham launches campaign against ‘headphone dodgers’ on public transport</a>David: <a href="https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bullock Texas State History Museum</a>; Exhibit: <a href="https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/exhibits/building-the-lone-star-identity/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Building the Lone Star Identity</a>Listener chatter from George Twigg in Jericho, Vermont: Bill Donahue for Offrange: <a href="https://ambrook.com/offrange/crops/moose-tracks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Moose Tracks</a>For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss their picks for obscure yet interesting midterm election results, including Washington D.C.&#39;s ballot initiative to ban foie gras in restaurants, the apparent failure of the California billionaire tax, and what it could mean for the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact now that enough state legislatures and governors have flipped.In the latest <a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/gabfestreads" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gabfest Reads</a>, John Dickerson interviews Angela Duckworth about her new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Situated-Find-People-Places-Bring/dp/1668005948/tag=slatmaga-20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best</a>. This new book argues that the most successful people don’t just grind harder; they reshape their circumstances to make success feel automatic.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 PorzuckiResearch by Emily DittoYou can find the full Political Gabfest <a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/political-gabfest" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">show pages here</a>.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 <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-gabfest/id158004641" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts </a>and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2oXS9kkKiXdkkCYB3YfqYZ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>. Or visit <a href="http://slate.com/gabfestplus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slate.com/gabfestplus</a> to get access wherever you listen.Find out more about <a href="http://secretfortdc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">David Plotz&#39;s monthly tours of Ft. DeRussy,</a> the secret Civil War fort hidden in Rock Creek Park. Follow@SlateGabfest on X / <a href="https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest</a>Slate Political Gabfest on Facebook / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/</a>Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our <a href="https://slate.com/podcastfaqs#plusbenefits" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQ</a> at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

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