This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Trump’s deepening takeover of Washington D.C. as National Guard troops from red states arrive, what if anything was accomplished in the whirlwind of Putin-Trump-Zelensky diplomacy, and this week’s launch of the new liberal publication The Argument with its Editor-in-Chief Jerusalem Demsas.
Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:
Alex Horton, Karina Elwood, and Olivia George for The Washington Post: GOP states pour National Guard troops into D.C. as Trump tightens control
Lara Seligman and Annie Linskey for The Wall Street Journal: Protesters Drown Out Top Trump Advisers Visiting Troops in Washington
Joe Heim, Scott Clement, and Emily Guskin for The Washington Post: We asked 604 D.C. residents about Trump’s takeover. Here’s what they said.
Vera Bergengruen, Michelle Hackman, and Lara Seligman for The Wall Street Journal: Trump’s ‘Law and Order’ Push in D.C. Looks a Lot Like an Immigration Raid
Shane Goldmacher with Jonah Smith for New York Times: The Democratic Party Faces a Voter Registration Crisis
David A. Graham for The Atlantic: How Does Trump’s Federal Takeover End?
Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring (Substack): D.C. needs real policing, not propaganda
Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times (Opinion): What Trump Is Really Up to in Washington
Monica Potts for The New Republic: Trump’s Takeover of D.C. Is Not a Distraction. It’s the Whole Point.
Andrea Shalal, Tom Balmforth, and Anastasiia Malenko for Reuters: Trump says US may provide air support to back a Ukraine peace deal
Tom Nichols for The Atlantic: Trump Buys More Time for Putin
Stephen M. Walt for Foreign Policy (Argument): Trump Has No Idea How to Do Diplomacy
William A. Galston for The Wall Street Journal (Opinion): The Difficult Path to Peace in Ukraine
The Argument
The Argument: Introducing The Argument: How to Save Liberalism (Without Being Boring) (YouTube video 4:39)
Jerusalem Demsas for The Argument: Welcome to The Argument
Jerusalem Demsas for The Argument: How do we live with each other?
Here are this week’s chatters:
Emily: Jennifer Hansler for CNN: US State Department has revoked more than 6,000 student visas, official says
John: Jonathan Stempel for Reuters: Delta, United sued for selling windowless ‘window seats’; Kathleen Wong for USA Today: ‘Tighter than sardines in a can’: 41% of travelers want to ban reclining seats on planes; Monica Humphries for Business Insider: I took a 10-hour flight, and one carry-on item made sitting in economy more comfortable
David: Pure Michigan: Becky Strauss for Roadtrippers.com: Can’t-miss stops on a road trip around Lake Michigan; Pure Michigan: 20 Scenic Stops for a Road Trip Along the West Michigan Pike; Detail Oriented Traveler: 10 Best Michigan Towns on Lake Michigan: An Expert Planning Guide; Ezra Marcus and Jen Wieczner for New York Magazine (Intelligencer): The Crypto Maniacs and the Torture Townhouse.
Listener chatter from Albin Ring in Stockholm, Sweden: The great church move on SVT “Slow TV” (livestreamed August 19-20); Erika Benke for NPR: Entire church begins two-day journey across Swedish city; SVT: The Story of the Great Moose Migration; Ayana Archie for NPR: A moose trek across Sweden pulls in millions of viewers looking for ‘Slow TV’
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss escalations of the retribution campaigns against Trump’s rivals, spearheaded by Department of Justice officials Pam Bondi and Ed Martin.
In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Jonathan Mahler about his new book, The Gods of New York. They discuss the unraveling of Mayor Ed Koch’s New York City; how the city’s current mayoral race is mirroring the past; and more.
Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
Research by Emily Ditto
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