This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what they&#39;re paying attention to and what to expect on Election Day next Tuesday, how to understand the complex results of Israel&#39;s elections with guest <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/ruth-margalit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ruth Margalit</a>, and what Anthropic&#39;s highly anticipated IPO prospectus says about the promise and peril of AI.Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Sam Levine for The Guardian: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/26/james-comey-charged-doj" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Justice department charges ex-FBI director James Comey for third time</a>; Jordan Rubin for MS NOW: <a href="https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/trump-doj-comey-case-statute-limitations" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How the Trump DOJ can lose the new Comey case before it even starts</a>; Michelle Spear for The Conversation: <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-women-have-to-pee-more-often-the-answer-is-surprisingly-complex-258374" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Do women have to pee more often? The answer is surprisingly complex</a>John: CBC Podcasts: <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/2031-sea-of-lies" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sea of Lies</a>; BritBox: <a href="https://www.britbox.com/us/show/Ludwig_153023" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ludwig</a>David: Hulu: <a href="https://www.hulu.com/series/adults-09794373-fbd3-44fb-9f3b-869a2e976094" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Adults</a>; Michael Johnston and Melissa de la Cruz for NPR: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2013/10/06/203284105/spell-bound-by-a-goofy-book-and-later-united-by-it" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&#39;Spell&#39;-Bound By A Goofy Book — And Later, United By It</a>Listener chatter from Bryan Bennett in Austin, Texas: Bryan Bennett for Walking Through the Data (Substack): <a href="https://walkingthroughthedata.substack.com/p/democrats-need-to-confront-the-length" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Democrats Need to Confront the Length and Depth of Distrust in Government and Institutions</a>For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss the spat between Obama and Trump over Trump&#39;s gilded Oval Office decor, consider which side emerges looking better, and ask whether dumb cultural moments like this really matter.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.

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

Finally, We Vote

Political Gabfest

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews