The following podcast contains explicit language.

Hello and welcome to the Slate Political Gab Fest for February 2nd, 2017.

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.

Screw it.

I'm David Plotz of Atlas Obscura. Wait, that's a really long title. How's it going to fit? It'll fit. They'll make it fit. They're going to make it fit. John Dickerson. This is the new authoritarian, David. He doesn't care for the norms or rules of normal procedure. He's just, they're going to make it fit. Well said. Maybe your huddled masses, uh, screw it. That would fit. Are you, are you, are we going to re-edit? I'm just, try now. I'm not going to take any advice from Mamas for Smurf there in New Haven. Emily's all in this weird blue outfit. You look so smurfy. Are you in an attic or a basement? You're in an attic because it's in Smurf Village. Yeah. And it's cold up there. Yeah, because I come and I turn my space heater on, but I forget to turn it on early. So I'm wearing my smurf hat, which I find very, I like it.

It's very cozy.

Anyway, that of course is Emily Bazelan of a New York Times magazine.

And in the studio with me is John Dickerson of Face the Nation.

Hi, guys.

Hello.

On this week's scabfest, the extraordinary response to President Trump's extraordinary order barring refugees from coming to the United States.

Then a new nominee for the Supreme Court, who combines Scalia's foxiness and John Roberts's charm.

Then government resistance to Trump, the bureaucrats versus the bully.

Plus, we'll have cocktail chatter. And for Slate Plus, what piece of

culture helps us make sense of the hellscape we're living in? If you are not yet a Slate Plus member,

go to slate.com slash gabfest plus. Reminder, my friends, that on March 1st, we are doing our first

live Gabfest in Los Angeles.

Get yourself ready. Get over to Slate.com for tickets. They are going fast. We're going to be at the

theater at the Ace Hotel on March 1st. I was just in L.A. this week. What a paradise.

I cannot wait. Wait to go back for a show and to see you at the show. What were you doing in L.A.? Some Atlas Obscure business, just doing some meetings. It was really fun. I love L.A. Was it warm? It was beautiful and warm. And yet people were just as anxious and concerned and depressed as they are on the East Coast, even though they are in the sun.

What a surprise.

Even though they're in sunshine.

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