Political Gabfest - Fat Generals
Political Gabfest
Slate Podcasts
4.4 • 8.5K Ratings
🗓️ 2 October 2025
⏱️ 69 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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 dramatic government shutdown, and the hybrid war Russia appears to be waging with drones over distressed European cities.
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, John, David, and guest host Juliette Kayyem discuss the ugly spectacle of US golf fan behavior at this week’s Ryder Cup and what it says about the state of American public discourse.
In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily 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 system’s use of punishments like whipping, how the practice came to an end, and more.
Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
Podcast production by Kevin Bendis
Research by Emily Ditto
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the Slate Political GabFest. |
| 0:05.7 | October 2nd, 2025, the Fat Generals Edition. |
| 0:19.7 | I'm David Plotz of CityCast. |
| 0:21.8 | I am in the town hall of Cabot, Vermont. |
| 0:25.1 | I'm not at home in Washington. |
| 0:26.9 | So I will speak with the majesty of being in a town hall. |
| 0:30.8 | Joining me from not the town hall of New York City, |
| 0:35.1 | because then he would be mayor Eric Adams, |
| 0:37.2 | is John Dickerson from his home, I think, in Manhattan. |
| 0:41.7 | Hello, John. |
| 0:42.7 | Hello, David. |
| 0:45.1 | And I'm going to give a quick shout out to the wonderful Gab Fest listeners that I met this last week, Peter and Mary Ellen, who were just incredibly charming. |
| 0:55.6 | And so I hope they're listening. |
| 0:58.5 | Personal greetings to all GabFest listeners. |
| 1:01.5 | Elaine, hello. |
| 1:04.5 | Stephen. |
| 1:06.0 | It was great seeing you. |
| 1:07.5 | Also joining us is not Emily Bazelon because she is, she's off for the Jewish holiday. How are you? |
| 1:13.4 | Hortense and Hortensia, her twin sister. Is Juliet Kiam, beloved, most beloved of all, |
| 1:21.8 | Gapest's guess, from Harvard, the Homeland Security expert. Hello, Juliet. Hello, good morning, |
| 1:26.7 | and I am eating, so just, you know, |
| 1:29.6 | Emily's fasting and we respect that, but I'm eating. I hope you're not eating literally as we speak, |
... |
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