This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss whether this week's Supreme Court intervention rejecting Trump's mail-in ballot restrictions will prevent midterm chaos, explore the fast-evolving dynamics of public and political anxieties about AI, and dissect remarkable new reporting from ProPublica exposing the Putin-adjacent Russian oligarch who paid for much of Donald Trump Jr.'s private island wedding.Here are this week’s chatters:&nbsp;Emily: New podcast <a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/examined-the-backfire-effect" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Examined: The Backfire Effect</a>, by Josie Duffy Rice; <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Supremacy-Court-Replaced-Government-People/dp/1324092807/tag=slatmaga-20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People</a> by Nikolas Bowie and Daphna Renan&nbsp;John: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/09/17/nx-s1-5971459/john-dickerson-slate-political-gabfest-navel-gazing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wild Card with Rachel Martin (NPR): John Dickerson says doubt only helps to solidify his faith</a>; Derek DelGaudio's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMKJEruYZRU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In & Of Itself (Trailer on YouTube)</a> <a href="https://www.hulu.com/movie/derek-delgaudios-in-of-itself-19b9d405-40b2-483e-8e1f-e25fe10c7299" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">(Streaming on Hulu)</a>; Linda Holmes for NPR: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/01/22/959305116/in-of-itself-is-a-study-of-identity-and-magic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">'In & Of Itself' Is A Study Of Identity And Magic</a>; <a href="https://www.amazon.com/AMORALMAN-True-Story-Other-Lies/dp/0593081110/tag=slatmaga-20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AMORALMAN: A True Story and Other Lies</a> by Derek DelGaudio&nbsp;David: <a href="https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/colin-from-accounts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Colin from Accounts</a> on Paramount Plus; Daniel Wu for The Washington Post: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/09/15/pollution-spikes-after-trump-halted-global-air-monitoring-efforts-report-says/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pollution spikes after Trump halted global air-monitoring efforts, report says</a>&nbsp;Listener chatter from Julian Ozen in Brooklyn, NY: <a href="https://ordinaryabundance.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ordinary Abundance</a>&nbsp;For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss what California Gov. Gavin Newsom told Jake Tapper about running for president in 2028. They discuss the signaling work of the fly-fishing tableau, what Newsom is really saying about Harris, and whether there's an appetite in the Democratic party for either of them to run.&nbsp;In the latest <a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/gabfestreads" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gabfest Reads</a>, David Plotz talks with John Lanchester about his new novel, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Look-What-You-Made-Me/dp/1324131349/tag=slatmaga-20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Look What You Made Me Do</a>, a darkly funny psychological thriller about two couples in modern-day London whose lives collide in a story of infidelity, obsession, and revenge. The book explores the performance of niceness, class, intergenerational frictions and how technology makes vengeance not just possible but almost exceedingly easy in the modern age.&nbsp;Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)&nbsp;Podcast production by Nina Porzucki&nbsp;Research 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>.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;Find out more about <a href="http://secretfortdc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">David Plotz's monthly tours of Ft. DeRussy,</a> the secret Civil War fort hidden in Rock Creek Park.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;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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