Trump and the Iranians Deserve Each Other
Political Gabfest
Slate Podcasts
4.4 • 8.5K Ratings
🗓️ 23 April 2026
⏱️ 61 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Trump's need for a face-saving exit amid his economically disastrous standoff with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, how Kash Patel's defamation suit against The Atlantic could hurt him more than help him, and a controversial new Yale report on trust in higher education with guest and report committee co-chair Beverly Gage.
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss the personal and political dimensions of President Trump's new executive order aimed at increasing federal psychedelics research and therapeutic access for mental health treatments.
In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily Bazelon talks with journalist Mark Oppenheimer about his new book, Judy Blume: A Life. Oppenheimer, who spent years with Blume’s papers at Yale and conducted extensive interviews with the author herself, traces how a restless housewife in New Jersey became one of the most beloved—and most banned—writers in American history.
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 Gab Fest. |
| 0:11.9 | April 23rd, 26, Trump and the Iranians deserve each other edition. |
| 0:37.6 | I'm David Plotz of Citicast here in Washington, D.C., about to go on vacation. I can't wait. I didn't know that. Oh, yeah, I guess I did know that. Right. That's why you're not going to be here. That's why I won't be here next week. That is Emily Bazelon of the New York Times Magazine and Yale University Law School from New Haven, Connecticut. Howdy, Emily? |
| 0:39.1 | Hey, good morning. |
| 0:41.1 | And from maybe New York City. |
| 0:43.7 | Yeah, it looks like New York City. |
| 0:45.0 | Yeah, finally back. |
| 0:46.5 | John Dickerson. John, I saw on Publishers Weekly |
| 0:48.2 | that you signed a new book deal. |
| 0:51.0 | The trilogy, Adult Fantasy Romance, |
| 0:53.9 | set in 19th century Washington. |
| 0:56.2 | I saw it described as, think, a court of thorn and roses meets Henry Adams' democracy. |
| 1:03.0 | Love the titles. Love the titles. The Cabinet of Secrets, A Parliament of Whispers, and the Velvet Republic will be the final work in the trilogy. |
| 1:12.3 | I think that's going to be great, John. I did read the opening chapters of the Cabinet of Secrets, |
| 1:16.5 | and I personally will never think of Francis Folsom, Cleveland, in the same way or of you, |
| 1:21.8 | because I did not know you knew so much about corsets, but I guess you do. I didn't think that is, I imagine you and Ann have a rich |
| 1:30.9 | life that I don't really know about based on, based on your adult fantasy. Corsets and hoop skirts. |
| 1:37.2 | Yes. I, these are so inspired, David. I'm not sure I want to do anything more than whatever it is I'm doing now because I don't want to rob you of coming up with more things for me to do. |
| 1:51.0 | Because if I actually get an actual real job, then it will end this. |
| 1:56.0 | I'm reaching the end myself. |
| 1:58.5 | Even Justice Breyer eventually retired so that David was... |
| 2:02.6 | Which will happen first? |
... |
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