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Political Gabfest

Flatten the Curve

Political Gabfest

Slate Podcasts

News, Politics, Government

4.48.5K Ratings

🗓️ 12 March 2020

⏱️ 67 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz, and John Dickerson discuss the coming COVID-19 crisis, Biden as the presumptive nominee, and guest Leon Neyfakh joins the show to talk about his podcast Fiasco Season Two: Iran-Contra.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss how to make the most of social distancing. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support our show.

You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.

Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello, Slate listeners. Do us a favor and help us make a better slate by answering our survey.

0:06.0

It'll only take a few minutes. You can find it at slate.com slash survey.

0:17.8

Hello and welcome to the Slate Political Gap Fets from March 12th, 2020, the Flatten the Curb edition.

0:22.8

I am David Plotz.

0:23.9

David Plotz of my own house.

0:27.0

I'm joined in his own house by John Dickerson of CBS's 60 Minutes.

0:31.7

Hello, John.

0:33.0

Hello, David.

0:34.2

I'm not technically in my own house, I should point out.

0:36.4

I just no longer have an employer, so I feel like I'm of my house.

0:39.8

And also joining us from a studio in New Haven, Connecticut, on the campus of Yale, which is shut, though, is Emily Bazelon of the New York Times and Yale.

0:50.7

Hey, David.

0:51.4

Not shut entirely, because here I am.

0:53.6

But the students aren't coming back from spring break, at least not shut entirely, because here I am. But the students aren't coming back from

0:55.2

spring break, at least not in the near future. I know. I'm so sad for our children who are Yale

1:00.2

students who will lose the rest of their semester. But you know what? It's a time of sacrifice and a time of

1:06.4

social distancing. On today's GabFest, will America respond vigorously enough and quickly enough to

1:13.4

the coronavirus pandemic and the enormous ripple effects that will be felt in the economy and how we

1:21.4

live in everything? Then Joe Biden all but wraps up the Democratic nomination. What should he be doing

1:29.4

between now and the general election or between now and the convention and what should Bernie Sanders be

1:33.3

doing? Then what can the Iran-Contra crisis teach us about the Donald Trump crisis? We'll talk to

1:39.2

Leon Nafak, who's got a great new podcast about Iran Contra and its lessons for today.

...

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