The “Gabfest to End All Gabfests” Edition
Listen to Slate’s show about the potential for another government shutdown, a bizarre faceoff over the Export-Import bank, and the World War I centennial.
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On this week’s Slate Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, David Plotz , and special guest Dan Carlin, host of the Common Sense and Hardcore History podcasts, discuss the possibility of another government shutdown, the fight over the Export-Import Bank, and the lasting impact of World War I.
Here are some of the links and references mentioned during this week’s show:
- Eric Posner wrote that the executive branch has discretion to enforce or ignore laws, including those that dictate immigration and deportation.
- This year, Congress failed to pass both an immigration reform bill and an emergency funding bill to address the child-migrant surge.
- President Obama has deported at least 2 million people.
- In 1986, President Reagan signed an immigration reform bill granting amnesty to citizens who entered the U.S. before 1982.
- According to a new Gallup poll, Republicans believe that immigration is the most important issue facing our country.
- In 2012, Boeing received 82.7 percent of the Export-Import Bank’s loan guarantees. The airplane manufacturer is engaged in a policy fight with Delta Air Lines, who claim that Ex-Im loans to foreign airlines put Delta at a competitive disadvantage.
- Facing anti-trust lawsuits in the 90s, Microsoft lamented its competitors’ lobbying tactics. The company claimed that intense lobbying spurred the Department of Justice’s actions.
- By some important measures, Sweden is one of the least corrupt nations in the world.
- House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy broke with former Majority Leader Eric Cantor over Ex-Im, saying that he’d let the bank’s charter expire.
- Zach Karabell wrote that the Export-Import bank is a model for other government entities that could stimulate the private sector with loans that don’t place great burdens on taxpayers.
- One of World War I’s lasting impacts is the instability in the Middle East. After the war, British and French diplomats propped up local leaders and drew new national boundaries that disregarded tribal and sectarian borders.
- After the war, the U.S. asserted itself as a creditor nation.
- It’s argued that Germany should not bear responsibility for all of the atrocities of World War I.
John chatters about Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything.
Emily chatters about her story in the New York Times Magazine and HB 2, Texas’s abortion law.
Dan chatters about the American public’s role in major foreign policy debates.
David chatters about Josh Barro’s story on reclining airline seats.
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Topic ideas for next week? You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest.
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Podcast production by Mike Vuolo. Links compiled by Max Tani.