{"podcast":{"title":"Political Gabfest","slug":"political-gabfest-500617","podcast_index_feed_id":500617,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/696568de9ab39048a63ed7f7","website_url":"https://slate.com/podcasts/political-gabfest","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/696568de9ab39048a63ed7f7/show-cover.jpg","author":"Slate Podcasts","episode_count":1114,"summary":"Voted “Favorite Political Podcast” by Apple Podcasts listeners. Stephen Colbert says \"Everybody should listen to the Slate Political Gabfest.\" The Gabfest, featuring Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz, is the kind of informal and irreverent discussion Washington journalists have after hours over drinks. Get more Political Gabfest with Slate Plus. Join to unlock weekly bonus episodes—plus ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-19T06:21:00.389937+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-gabfest-500617"},"episode":{"title":"Gabfest Reads | Why America Is Spiritually Broken and How to Fix It","slug":"gabfest-reads-why-america-is-spiritually-broken-and-how-to-fix-it","published_at":"2026-06-20T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-gabfest-500617/gabfest-reads-why-america-is-spiritually-broken-and-how-to-fix-it","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-gabfest-500617","url":"https://shows.acast.com/political-gabfest/episodes/gabfest-reads-why-america-is-spiritually-broken-and-how-to-f","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/696568de9ab39048a63ed7f7/e/6a29795e3f4eb34728b22368/media.mp3","summary":"Emily Bazelon interviews Senator Chris Murphy about his new book Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America . Murphy argues that Trump is not the root cause of America's political crisis—he's a symptom. The real diagnosis: a country ravaged by loneliness, disconnection, and the collapse of community. From gun violence to Jan. 6, Murphy traces our troubles back to a spiritual unspooling, a loss of meaning and purpose. But his book offers solutions. Murphy lays out a provocative agenda for Democrats to call Americans to national service, break up corporate power, rebuild local communities, and create a bigger tent that reaches disaffected conservatives hungry for change. Murphy makes the case that fixing America's spiritual crisis is not just morally necessary—it's the only way Democrats win. Winning by being against Trump is not enough. Democrats must offer a proactive vision of an America where people feel powerful in their economy, connected to their communities, and called to something greater than themselves. The book isn’t about policy prescriptions, but rather a fundamental reimagining of what Americans want from their government and from each other. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Nina Porzucki. Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Emily Bazelon interviews Senator Chris Murphy about his new book Crisis of the Common Good: The Fight for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America . Mur…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3679,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/political-gabfest-500617/episodes/gabfest-reads-why-america-is-spiritually-broken-and-how-to-fix-it/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-gabfest-500617/gabfest-reads-why-america-is-spiritually-broken-and-how-to-fix-it.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}