To listen to the discussion, use the player below:
On this week’s Slate Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz are joined onstage in D.C. by Evan McMullin to discuss the firing of FBI Director James Comey, the state of conservatism under Trump, and what Utah and D.C. can learn from one another.
Here are some of the links and references from this week’s show:
- Josh Dawsey writes in Politico: “Behind Comey’s Firing: An Enraged Trump, Fuming About Russia”
- Benjamin Wittes and Susan Hennessey write in Lawfare: “The Nightmare Scenario: Trump Fires Comey, the One Man Who Would Stand Up to Him”
- McKay Coppins writes in the Atlantic: “How Trump Is Changing What ‘Conservative’ Means”
- Matthew A. Winkler writes in Bloomberg: “Want a Formula for Success? Study Utah”
Here are this week’s cocktail chatters:
- Emily: The troubling resignation of Census Bureau Director John Thompson.
- John: A phone conversation between President Nixon and then-Gov. Ronald Reagan.
- David: An Atlas Obscura story by Elliot Carter about the Babcock Lakes.
Topic ideas for next week? You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest (#heygabfest). (Tweets may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
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For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment the hosts take questions from the audience at D.C.’s Warner Theater. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gabfestplus.
Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Links compiled by Kevin Townsend.
