Emily, John and David talk about whether President Biden ought to run in 2024, the Rittenhouse verdict and former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull joins the Gabfest to talk about international relations with China. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Edward-Isaac Dovere and Jasmine Wright for CNN: “Exasperation and Dysfunction: Inside Kamala Harris' Frustrating Start as Vice President.” Jonathan Chait for New York magazine: “Joe Biden’s Big Squeeze” High Conflict, by Amanda Ripley David French for the Atlantic: “Kyle Rittenhouse’s Acquittal Does Not Make Him a Hero” A Bigger Picture, by Malcolm Turnbull Here’s this week’s chatter: Emily: Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr David: Conversation topic generator thanxiety.com John: Jonathan Edwards for the Washington Post: “A Michigan Woman Tried to Hire an Assassin Online at RentAHitman.com. Now, She’s Going to Prison.” Listener chatter from Keith Watabayashi @KeithWatabayash: Hieronymus Burps @hieronymus_burps about Long Boom Wired Cover For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment John, Emily, and David ask Malcolm Turnbull about the mundane details of life as the leader of a nation. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected] (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Research and show notes by Shayna Elliot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John, Emily and David discuss Biden’s approval numbers, authoritarianism on the rise, and they are joined by author Jay Caspian Kang to talk about his new book, The Loneliest Americans. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: FiveThirtyEight, Latest Polls  Isaac Chotiner for the New Yorker: “Can Biden’s Agenda Survive Inflation?” Jason Furman for the Wall Street Journal: “​​Biden Can Whip Inflation and Build Back Better” The Loneliest Americans, by Jay Caspian Kang Pew Research Center: “Where Do You Fit In The Political Typology?” Christopher Borrelli for the Chicago Tribune: “What We’re Reading: 4 Korean American Memoirs, From Personal Stories To An Unsettling Confrontation on Identity and Assimilation” Anne Appelbaum for the Atlantic: “The Bad Guys Are Winning” Freedom House: “Freedom in the World 2021: Democracy Under Siege” The Dictator's Learning Curve: Inside the Global Battle for Democracy, by William J. Dobson Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest, by Zeynep Tufekci  Zeynep Tufekci for the Atlantic: “How the Coronavirus Revealed Authoritarianism’s Fatal Flaw” Here’s this week’s chatter: Emily: Ashley Southall and Jonah E. Bromwich for the New York Times: “2 Men Convicted of Killing Malcolm X Will Be Exonerated After Decades” John: The Faber Book of Reportage, by John Carey; The Way We Live Now, by Anthony Trollope audiobook  David: Geoffrey Leavenworth for the New York Times: “One Chaste Marriage, Four Kids, and the Catholic Church”; Spencer Buell for Boston magazine: “New England Hidden Gems You’ll Find on the New Atlas Obscura App”; City Cast Houston Listener chatter from Melissa Ocepek: A fox listens to the banjo For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, John, and David discuss the most useful friend to have. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected] (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John and David are joined by guest host Ruth Marcus to discuss Biden’s infrastructure win, Trump’s January 6 obstruction, and the Rittenhouse trial. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Adie Tomer, Joseph W. Kane, Caroline George, and Andrew Bourne, for The Brookings Institution: “America Has An Infrastructure Bill. What Happens Next?” Ruth Marcus for the Washington Post: “At Yale Law School, a Party Invitation Ignites a Firestorm” Josh Dawsey, Isaac Stanley-Becker, and Michael Scherer for The Washington Post: “Donors Threatened to Shun the Gop After Jan. 6. Now, Republicans Are Outraising Democrats.” Sandy West for Kaiser Health News: “‘Drinking Through a Lead Straw’ — $15B Approved to Fix Dangerous Water Pipes” The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, by Jonathan Rauch  Here’s this week’s chatter: Ruth: Julian Mark for The Washington Post: “A Fertility Center Mixed Up Two Couples’ Embryos, Lawsuit Says. When They Found Out, They Had To Trade Babies.” David: David is leading an “Exploring a Secret Fort” tour of Fort DeRussy in Washington, D.C. for Atlas Obscura and Airbnb; Jonathan D. Karl for The Atlantic: “The Man Who Made January 6th Possible” John: Pew Research Center: “Where Do You Fit In The Political Typology?” Listener chatter from Tsur Somerville: Reuters: “Wandering Dog is Istanbul Commuters' Best Friend” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Ruth, John, and David discuss the controversy over the founding of the University of Austin. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected] (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Dickerson talks with Kirsten Powers about her new book Saving Grace: speak your truth, stay centered and learn to coexist with people who drive you nuts. Powers offers advice about on how to navigate the toxic divisions within our culture without compromising personal convictions and emotional well-being. Kirsten Powers is a New York Times bestselling author, USA Today columnist, and senior political analyst for CNN, where she appears regularly on Anderson Cooper 360, CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, and The Lead with Jake Tapper. Her writing has been published in The Washington Post, Elle, The Daily Beast, The Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Morning News, The New York Observer, Salon, the New York Post, and The American Prospect online. Raised in Fairbanks, Alaska, Powers lives in Washington, D.C, with her fiancé, Robert Draper, and their two fur children, Lucy and Bill. Gabfest Reads is an occasional author interview series with the hosts of Slate's Political Gabfest. Join John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz in one on one conversations with thought-provoking authors discussing books that range from the overtly political to the politically adjacent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NYTimes columnist Ross Douthat joins the show to help untangle the implications of the off-year elections and John, Emily and David discuss the Supreme Court arguments on abortion in Texas and guns in New York. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: The Deep Places: A Memoir of Illness and Discovery, by Ross Douthat Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “It’s Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court Now” Here’s this week’s chatter: Emily: Associated Press: “University Of Florida Faces Investigation After Blocking Professors From Voting Case” David: Scott MacFarlane, Rick Yarborough, and Steve Jones for NBC 4 Washington: “DC Tunnel History Site Flagged Suspicious Activity Before Capitol Insurrection” John: Jeff Stein for The Washington Post: “Financial Firms Announce $130 Trillion In Commitments For Climate Transition, But Practical Questions Loom” Listener chatter from JD Cameron @J_D_Cameron: John Muller for FiveThirtyEight: “Soccer Looks Different When You Can’t See Who’s Playing” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment John, Emily, and David talk to Ross about his new book, The Deep Places.  Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected] (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices