Political Gabfest | Live from Chicago!

Slate News

Slate Podcasts

News, News Commentary, Politics

4.6 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 30 October 2025

⏱️ 83 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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 and centrist Democrats with former Chicago Mayor and Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, what threat President Trump poses to the future of American elections and how to push back, and memorable moments from Gabfest history. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, live from Chicago to celebrate 20 years of the Political Gabfest, Emily, John, and David take audience questions and discuss whether the damages caused by the Trump administration can ever be reversed, the most controversial topics from the show’s history, and more. In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily 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 Garland Fund—a small 1920s foundation that bankrolled early work by A. Philip Randolph, and others who would go on to shape the civil rights and labor movements. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Nina Porzucki and Jake Sorgen Research by Emily Ditto You can find the full Political Gabfest show pages here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to the Slate Political Gab Fest.
0:07.0	October 30th, 2025, the live from Chicago edition. I'm David Plots of CityCast.
0:21.8	We are live on stage in front of a packed house at the Park West in downtown Chicago.
0:30.3	I am joined as ever, as I have been for practically forever by my most beloved co-hosts and friends and musketeers.
0:42.2	So on my left, but always right, from the New York Times Magazine and Yale University Law School,
0:49.8	which if you don't know it, Yale University Law School, it's like the University of Chicago Law School,
0:55.4	but in a small town,
0:58.7	is the one and only Emily Bazelon.
0:59.5	Hey.
1:01.0	Thank you.
1:06.3	And to Emily's left,
1:08.9	a man who's had a busy week.
1:14.1	A man who is still the co-anchor of the CBS Evening News,
1:17.1	but gosh, I can't wait till he's not.
1:22.0	And we get to see the full Dickersonian freak flag fly. John Dickerson.
1:31.5	You guys can speak, by the way oh if we could say something nice about you
1:33.5	but we never managed to somehow
1:35.7	and David Plotz everybody
1:38.0	John I was
1:42.8	I was thinking they love you John John I was thinking... They love you, John.
1:46.2	Oh, thank you.
1:47.0	John, I was thinking about you and they...
	...

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