Episodes 1,080
Avg. Duration 52m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.4 (8,214)
Since Mar 2006
Latest Episode Jan 2026

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Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
80%
Hosting
feeds.megaphone.fm

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

Voted “Favorite Political Podcast” by Apple Podcasts listeners. Stephen Colbert says "Everybody should listen to the Slate Political Gabfest." The Gabfest, featuring Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz, is the kind of informal and irreverent discussion Washington journalists have after hours over drinks. 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.

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Recent Episodes

Seize and Sell

Jan 08, 2026 1h 15m

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what the so-called “Donroe Doctrine” means for international order after the US military extracted Maduro from Venezuela amid…

Greatest Hits

Jan 01, 2026 55m

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…

2025 Conundrums!

Dec 26, 2025 1h 20m

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, David Plotz, and special guest Stephen Colbert answer listeners’ conundrums of all kinds: the meaningful, the trivial, and the delightfully absurd. Thanks to…

Gabfest Reads | The Seven Rules of Trust

Dec 20, 2025 32m

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…

Susie Wiles is a Sane Enabler

Dec 18, 2025 55m

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the vivid and impulsive portrait Susie Wiles paints of Trump’s White House in a revealing interview with Vanity Fair, what the new…

Civilizational Erasure

Dec 11, 2025 1h

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what will happen as the Supreme Court considers whether a president can remove leaders of independent agencies without cause, how the…

Kill Them All

Dec 04, 2025 1h 13m

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss why the killing of survivors in a US military strike on an alleged drug boat is so dangerous for Pete Hegseth and the Trump…

Is This the End of the Trump Era?

Nov 27, 2025 1h 6m

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what happens when the government is untrustworthy as a strong pattern of DOJ lying under oath emerges, why the NYC mayor-elect and…

DOJ is DOA

Nov 20, 2025 1h 3m

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss a new oral history of President Trump’s Department of Justice, the complex transactional nationalism of this week’s visit from Saudi…

Gabfest Reads | Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History

Nov 15, 2025 1h 5m

John Dickerson talks with journalist and author Andrew Ross Sorkin about his new book 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History and How It Shattered a Nation. Recorded live at the 92nd…

Who Really Won the Shutdown?

Nov 13, 2025 1h 1m

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss why Democrats caved to end the government shutdown and what comes next, the affordability crisis with guest and editorial director…

Spectacular Night for Democrats

Nov 06, 2025 59m

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss how Tuesday’s decisive election results give a legitimate boost to Democrats’ prospects as they work toward the midterms, whether the…

Live from Chicago!

Oct 30, 2025 1h 19m

This week, live from Chicago to celebrate 20 years of the Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Trump vs. Chicago showdown and the dynamics between progressive…

Trump Literally Knocks Down the White House

Oct 23, 2025 58m

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss how President Trump reacted to the No Kings protests by embracing his own “cult of the ruler” in particularly dramatic fashion,…

Gabfest Reads | The Radical Fund That Rewired American Progress

Oct 18, 2025 30m

Emily Bazelon talks with Yale law professor John Witt about his new book The Radical Fund: How a Band of Visionaries and a Million Dollars Upended America. They explore the remarkable story of the…

Trump Ends the Gaza War

Oct 16, 2025 58m

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Gaza ceasefire and prospects for long-term peace with Rob Malley, Middle East policy expert and co-author (with Hussein Agha) of…

Portland is Not Actually Burning

Oct 09, 2025 1h 4m

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the extremely consequential new Supreme Court term beginning this week, the facts on the ground and the legal questions at play…

Fat Generals

Oct 02, 2025 1h 5m

This week, John Dickerson, David Plotz, and guest host Juliette Kayyem discuss the disturbing spectacle of military fealty staged by Hegseth and Trump at Quantico, the possible outcomes of the…

Tough It Out, Pregnant Ladies!

Sep 25, 2025 1h 10m

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss how Trump is using the powerful machine of government prosecution to reverse-engineer crimes supposedly committed by enemies, his…

Gabfest Reads | The Recent Past of Prison Punishment

Sep 20, 2025 24m

Emily Bazelon talks with author and Yale professor Judith Resnik about her new book, Impermissible Punishments: How Prison Became a Problem for Democracy. They discuss the history of the prison…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Political Gabfest have?

Political Gabfest has published 1080 episodes since March 2006, covering topics in Government, News.

Is Political Gabfest still active?

Political Gabfest is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 52m.

How do I contact Political Gabfest for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Political Gabfest, including email and social media links.

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