Political Gabfest

The “What We Will Know on Election Night” Edition

Trump’s minuscule tax payments, guest Nate Persily on election night reporting, and Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

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Episode Notes

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig, and Mike McIntire for the New York Times: “Long-Concealed Records Show Trump’s Chronic Losses and Years of Tax Avoidance”

Adam Davidson’s Twitter thread on signs that Trump might have engaged in money laundering.

Daniel Shaviro for Just Security: “Ten Quick Takeaways From the New York Times’ Bombshell Article on Trump’s Tax Returns”

Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Noah Weiland for the New York Times: “Study Finds ‘Single Largest Driver’ of Coronavirus Misinformation: Trump”

Nathaniel Persily and Charles Stewart III for the Wall Street Journal: “Actually, We Will Know a Lot on Election Night”

Edward-Isaac Dovere for The Atlantic, “The Deadline That Could Hand Trump the Election”

Here are this week’s cocktail chatters:

Emily: Jordan Nickerson and David H. Solomon: “Car Seats as Contraception”

John: McDonald & Dodds

David: Raymond Antonio Vargas for the New Orleans Advocate: “In New Orleans, Case of Staged Accidents, Disbarred Lawyer, Stuntwoman Attorney Takes a Dark Turn”

Listener chatter from Megan Murray @mkmurray9: Alec MacGillis for The New Yorker: “The Students Left Behind by Remote Learning”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss what unprofitable businesses they would like to run if they were engaging in tax evasion or avoidance schemes.

You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.

About the Show

Voted “Favorite Political Podcast” by Apple Podcasts listeners. Stephen Colbert says, “Everybody should listen to the Slate Political Gabfest.” The Gabfest is hosted by Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz. Listen for the debates, stay for the cocktail chatter.

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Hosts

  • David Plotz is a host of the Slate Political Gabfest, an editor at large at Business Insider, and the former CEO of Atlas Obscura.

  • Emily Bazelon is a staff writer at the New York Times Magazine, the author of Charged and Sticks and Stones, and co-host of the Slate Political Gabfest.

  • John Dickerson is a 60 Minutes correspondent, co-host of the Slate Political Gabfest, host of the Whistlestop podcast, and author of Whistlestop and On Her Trail.

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