Emily, John and David discuss the rising numbers of COVID cases, the politicization of the DOJ, and they are joined by Slow Burn's Josh Levin to talk about the new season focused on David Duke. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Austan Goolsbee and Chad Syverson: “Lockdown, and Diversion: Comparing Drivers of Pandemic Economic Decline 2020, University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2020-80.”  Kasra Zarei and John Duchneskie for the Philadelphia Inquirer: “Coronavirus Cases Rise in States with Relaxed Face Mask Policies”   Carol D. Leonnig and Joshua Partlow for the Washington Post: “Dozens of Secret Service Officers and Agents Told to Self-quarantine After Trump’s Tulsa Rally” Jonathan Martin, Alexander Burns, Matt Stevens for the New York Times: “Biden Takes Dominant Lead as Voters Reject Trump on Virus and Race” Slate’s Slow Burn, Season 4: David Duke Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow Here are this week’s cocktail chatters: John: Maria Konnikova for Wired: “Poker and the Psychology of Uncertainty”; The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win by Maria Konnikova Emily: Christoph Koettl, Nilo Tabrizy, Muyi Xiao, Natalie Reneau and Drew Jordan for The New York Times: “How the Philadelphia Police Tear-Gassed a Group of Trapped Protesters”   David: Melissa Fay Greene for the Atlantic: “30 Years Ago, Romania Deprived Thousands of Babies of Human Contact” Listener chatter from Fredrik Hilding @FHilding: Jessica Leigh Hester for Atlas Obscura’s Show & Tell podcast: “Show and Tell With Colored-Pencil Cartographer Anton Thomas” Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support our show. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, Emily, and John discuss some of the nicer changes the pandemic has brought to their daily lives. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily, John and David discuss the rising numbers of COVID cases, the politicization of the DOJ, and they are joined by Slow Burn's Josh Levin to talk about the new season focused on David Duke. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Austan Goolsbee and Chad Syverson: “Lockdown, and Diversion: Comparing Drivers of Pandemic Economic Decline 2020, University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2020-80.”  Kasra Zarei and John Duchneskie for the Philadelphia Inquirer: “Coronavirus Cases Rise in States with Relaxed Face Mask Policies”   Carol D. Leonnig and Joshua Partlow for the Washington Post: “Dozens of Secret Service Officers and Agents Told to Self-quarantine After Trump’s Tulsa Rally” Jonathan Martin, Alexander Burns, Matt Stevens for the New York Times: “Biden Takes Dominant Lead as Voters Reject Trump on Virus and Race” Slate’s Slow Burn, Season 4: David Duke Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow Here are this week’s cocktail chatters: John: Maria Konnikova for Wired: “Poker and the Psychology of Uncertainty”; The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win by Maria Konnikova Emily: Christoph Koettl, Nilo Tabrizy, Muyi Xiao, Natalie Reneau and Drew Jordan for The New York Times: “How the Philadelphia Police Tear-Gassed a Group of Trapped Protesters”   David: Melissa Fay Greene for the Atlantic: “30 Years Ago, Romania Deprived Thousands of Babies of Human Contact” Listener chatter from Fredrik Hilding @FHilding: Jessica Leigh Hester for Atlas Obscura’s Show & Tell podcast: “Show and Tell With Colored-Pencil Cartographer Anton Thomas” Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support our show. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, Emily, and John discuss some of the nicer changes the pandemic has brought to their daily lives. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices