The “What’s the Point of the Iran War?” Edition

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the possible political outcomes of the war in Iran given the complexities of Iranian society with guest Karim Sadjadpour, whether the primary election results could mean that Texas will finally turn blue, and the amazing legal back-and-forth between the embarrassed Trump DOJ and the victorious Big Law firms who fought back against its clear abuse of executive power.

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

Karim Sadjadpour for The Atlantic: Trump Has Lost the Plot in Iran

The Economist: The Iran war has been a stunning aerial success

Kay Armin Serjoie, Roxana Saberi, and Fatemeh Jamalpour for Time: Iran Protest Death Toll Could Top 30,000, According to Local Health Officials

Arash Azizi for The Atlantic: The Coming Invasion of Iran

Foreign Affairs: The Iranian Regime’s Existential Crisis—and What Might Come After Khamenei - A Conversation With Karim Sadjadpour

Ali Hashem for Foreign Policy (Analysis): Iran Is Built to Withstand the Ayatollah’s Assassination

Gerard Baker for The Wall Street Journal (Opinion): The Case for Cautious Optimism About Trump’s War in Iran

Steve Peoples, Thomas Beaumont, and Lisa Mascaro for Associated Press: Trump says he’ll make endorsement soon in the Texas Senate runoff between Paxton and Cornyn

Sabrina Rodriguez and Anthony DeBarros for The Wall Street Journal: How Talarico Won Over Latino Voters to Win the Texas Democratic Senate Primary

Allegra Hobbs for Texas Monthly: James Talarico Won. He’ll Now Have to Spread His Gospel to Republicans.

Reid J. Epstein for The New York Times: The Perennial Question in Texas: Is This the Year It Goes Blue?

Liz Crampton and Adam Wren for Politico: Cornyn is still in the fight. Will Trump finally endorse him?

Kevin D. Williamson for The New York Times (Opinion – Guest Essay): Who Will James Talarico Face? A Texas Troll or a Bore.

Michael S. Schmidt, Jonah E. Bromwich, and Devlin Barrett for The New York Times: Trump Administration, in Reversal, Tries to Continue Fight Against Law Firms

The Editorial Board for The New York Times (Opinion): Nine Law Firms Surrendered. Four Law Firms Won.

Bob Bauer for Executive Functions (Substack): Why Trump First Ended the Law Firm Suits, Then Didn’t

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Ted Hesson for Reuters: Noem defends $220 million ad campaign amid lawmaker scrutiny; Karoun Demirjian, Hamed Aleaziz, and Michael Gold for The New York Times: Noem and D.H.S. Inspector General Spar Over Obstruction Claim

John: Economic News Release, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Fourth Quarter and Annual Averages 2025, Preliminary; Alex Harring for CNBC: Wealth inequality and the ‘K-shaped’ economy are more striking than ever, data shows; Jessica Dickler for CNBC: Trump says ‘401(k)s are way up’ — but workers are tapping them at record rates

David: City Cast Podcast: Your City Could Be Better with David Plotz; TikTok: Seeing How Long It Takes to Finish A Vaseline Tub

Listener chatter from Malcolm Smart in Harrogate, UK: Taffy Brodesser-Akner for The New York Times Magazine: Why on Earth Have I Seen the Same Broadway Show 13 Times? An Investigation.; Operation Mincemeat: Broadway Musical NYC: Official Website

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss this week’s Supreme Court arguments over whether the federal government can bar marijuana users from owning a gun.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John Dickerson talks with Father James Martin about his new book, Work in Progress: Confessions of a Busboy, Dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, Factory Worker, Bank Teller, Corporate Tool, and Priest. They discuss the spiritual lessons learned through eight different jobs, Martin’s controversial LGBTQ ministry that made him a target of criticism within the Catholic Church, and what the Gospels demand about welcoming strangers and caring for the marginalized.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Nina Porzucki

Research by Emily Ditto

You can find the full Political Gabfest show pages here.

Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen.

Find out more about David Plotz’s monthly tours of Ft. DeRussy, the secret Civil War fort hidden in Rock Creek Park.

Bonus: “John Adams Took a Tankard of Hard Cider with His Breakfast Every Day”

The Supreme Court appears likely to strike down a law banning drug users from possessing guns.