The Gist

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike’s recent appearance on the House Of Strauss podcast, in which he and Host Ethan Strauss discuss Harrison Butker’s recent commencement address, which would have gone over without a hitch in 1894, but alas, it was delivered in 2024. Harrison is the placekicker of the Kansas City[...]

Mary Jo Pitzl covers politics for the Arizona Republic, meaning she's steeped in where the state stands on abortion law. Plus, Harrison Butker's spiritual advisor has some odd thoughts on the digestive systems of all working women. Also, a food fight turned sh*t show in the House Oversight Committee. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey[...]

Journalist Matt Katz's father was barely in his life, and when he was, it was fairly unpleasant for Matt. Then a genetics test tore up Matt's script. That deadbeat dad might have been a deadbeat, but he didn't seem to actually be his dad. Who was? His nine-part podcast Inconceivable Truth details the journey to[...]

Economist Allison Schrager, Bloomberg columnist and author of An Economist Walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk, makes the case for working well into your 70s. And even if you think the case is "poor," that's exactly what you'll be if you opt out of the workforce at 62. Plus, a[...]

A cicada invasion dawns, and edible bugs are all the, if not rage, then opportunity for a quirk filled cooking segment. Plus, protesters at Harvard negotiate their way out of trouble, whereas their Princeton counterparts are redefining hunger, or at least "hunger strike". And we are joined by Wall Street Journal columnist and India expert[...]

A glimpse into the Trump Trial, where a sleepy former President is somehow more compelling than hush money, off-the-book payments, and getting stiffed on your bonus. Plus, life expectancy by race complicates the narrative of "white supremacy." And we're joined by Sarah McCammon, National Political Correspondent at NPR and author of The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living,[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike’s December 5, 2023 interview with author, journalist, and former director of the International Crisis Group’s Arab-Israeli Project, Nathan Thrall. Nathan won the Pulitzer Prize this past week for his most recent book, A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy.   [...]

Andy Mills and Matthew Boll are out with a new podcast Reflector. Now available. Episode 1 concerns Naltrexone, a drug that actually works to stop alcohol cravings, and yet 12-Step programs are much more popular, despite being much less effective. We are joined by Andy to also talk about media capture and the great podcast[...]

Steve Fishman is the host and executive producer of The Burden, a podcast which focuses on the string of iffy convictions attained thanks to the police work of a high-flying Brooklyn cop in the 1990s. Plus, balloon releases and issues of cultural insensitivity. And of all of Donald Trump's positions over the years, "missionary" might[...]

Cindy McCain says there's a "full-blown famine" going on in Gaza. The agency she heads at the UN does not agree. Plus, a House of Representatives hearing into NPR bias was skipped by NPR's CEO and not even covered on CPSPAN, but it did feature a House Republican saying he likes his NPR station, a[...]

The Wolves Of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government is a new book detailing how the influence business took root and metastasized in federal politics. Co-author and Wall Street Journal Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Brody Mullins discusses. Plus, President Biden decries anti-semitism as he stands by Israel as it[...]

The New York Times Executive Editor proclaims the paper to not be in the business of defeating Trump. Howls of outrage ensue. Plus, Donald Trump seems fine with fines. And in a talk with Danielle Clode, author of Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future, we rehabilitate the reputation of the supposedly dim, diseased[...]

Infrequently, we offer listeners a taste of something we think you may like that isn’t from our kitchen, to torture the metaphor. Such is the case today. You may think you know Malcolm Gladwell. He is, after all, the New York Times bestselling author of Outliers, The Tipping Point, Blink, and other books. He’s also[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, a break from our typical format for the weekend. Today we’ll listen to Mike’s recent appearance on WILL, which is Illinois Public Media. He was invited to sit on a panel to discuss if NPR is biased. Mike is just one voice of several in the conversation[...]

For decades, bad posture was seen as everything from a moral failing, to a health risk, to a military vulnerability. In her new book, Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America, University of Pennsylvania historian of medicine Beth Linker discusses how concerns over standing up straight touches eugenics, pseudo-science, and power posing. Plus, Columbia University students[...]

Charles Kupchan, Georgetown Professor and former Obama National Security official, says that the funding for Ukraine is necessary for the desperate country but probably won't lead to retaking much territory controlled by Russia. He also says, the money will stabilize the country which is exactly what is needed for a true peace process to occur.[...]

The pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA is attacked, and the police are no where to be found. A pro-Palestinian building takeover is thwarted at Columbia, and the police are found at fault. Plus, more uncomfortable conversations with a Jew and a former NFL linebacker. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To[...]

Analyzing what the campus divestment movement is really asking for. Is it doable? It is. It is advisable? It isn't. What effect will it have on the war in Gaza? None. Let's riot. Plus, Donald Trump is found guilty of a criminal offense. The experts say this could have little to no effect on his[...]

Kristi Noem, the Republican Governor of South Dakota, is out defending her shooting of her dog, which has us wondering why she brought it up in the first place. Today on the show, an extended interview with Becca Rothfeld, the non-fiction book critic for the Washington Post and author of the new book, All Things[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, a jumbo archival interview (originally a two-parter, combined to one) with Prison Consultant Craig Rothfeld, who also happens to be a childhood friend of Mike’s. Rothfeld prepares soon-to-be inmates on the rules and survival techniques of prison life, because, as you might imagine, he himself once did[...]

Dana Mattioli is the Wall Street Journal's "Amazon Reporter," and author The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power. Plus, Harvey Weinstein's overturned conviction is portrayed as a defeat of the reality of rape prosecutions. Mike argues that we actually don't have to choose between justice for sexual assault[...]

In Tracie McMillan's new book, The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America, the author documents the lives and experiences of a handful of white Americans, including herself, and then attempts to quantify their racial benefit. Plus, Harvey Weinstein's NY State conviction is thrown out—a history and analysis of the[...]

Joe Biden's uncle mostly likely wasn't eaten by cannibals, but he could have been, which is more than some members of the public can swallow. Germany resumes UNRWA funding after a UN investigation. And a legal breakdown with Tyler McBrien, managing editor of Lawfare, who has a seat inside the courtroom for the Trump trial[...]

Ray Suarez is here to talk history, policy, and personal journeys as he discusses his book, “WE ARE HOME: Becoming American in the 21st Century: An Oral History.” Plus, Binghamton NY's "Smoke Outside the Binghamton Police Station” does not go particularly well for all those who actually smoked outside the Binghamton Police Station. Produced by[...]

College campuses are spoiled by protests, the White House calls out antisemitism, but the NYPD says the soon-to-be-expelled students were perfectly nice. Not nice are calls for 10,000 more October 7ths. But there's a difference between "not nice" and "not acceptable." On the show today, Mike plumbs the difference and explains when anti-zionism really is[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, the first half of our interview with Damon Linker, author of the Notes From The Middleground Substack about his recent Guest Essay for the Opinion page of The New York Times titled, "Why Is Biden Struggling? Because America Is Broken." Then we listen back to Mike’s analysis of[...]

Today a special show, wherein Mike discusses former NPR editor Uri Berliner's critique of the network he no longer works for, including claims about Berliner's veracity and validity. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack[...]

Canadian police are making arrests in the 2023 theft of $14 million of gold from an Air Canada flight. The criminals weapon of choice? Guns? Dynamite? How about fraudulent bills of lading for scrod? Also on the show, Max Stearns is the author of the new book Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically[...]

Evan Waite, writer for Family Guy and The Onion, discusses his career, theories of comedy, and his new book, Life Wants You Dead: A Calm, Rational, and Totally Legit Guide to Scaring Yourself Safe. Plus, why can't Ukraine have the defenses that Israel has? And a new NPR CEO critiques truth. Produced by Joel Patterson[...]

Arwa Damon, recently back from Gaza, is a former CNN International Correspondent who has transitioned to relief work. Her organization is INARA, the International Network for Aid, Relief & Assistance. She discusses the situation in Gaza, how opaque Israeli inspection protocols delay aid, how the killings of World Central Kitchen workers complicated the job of[...]

On the show today, an Iranian attack repelled. And, in a full-show interview, Will Thomas, assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan, joins to talk about Trumps recent bond hearing and explains the process behind the bond and how people go about paying it. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, listen to Mike’s show opener this past Thursday about the death of O.J. Simpson. Then we listen back to our December 6, 2016 interview with Ezra Edelman, whose documentary O.J.: Made In America, explored Simpson’s life. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary at the 2016 Academy[...]

Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo are the eco-directors of Food Inc 2, which raises questions about how American agribusinesses have an unhealthy relationship with politicians, communities, and our bodies. Plus, the beatings out of Chechnya will continue ... within strict BPM limits. And part two of our look at On The Media's featherbed of a[...]

Chris Molanphy drops by to count down the hits of 1988, a time when we weren't worried, we were happy, and we were making the transition from the exiting of dreams and the entering of cars. Also, in 1988 OJ Simpson was in a new movie called The Naked Gun. Today, OJ Simpson, football great,[...]

The Bulwark's Marc Caputo says Florida's six-week limit on abortion is vulnerable, but not certain, to go down via popular referendum. Even so, Donald Trump has such a huge advantage in the state he's unlikely to suffer from its presence on the ballot. Caputo also says Trump's strategic ambiguity, or even avoidance, of the issue[...]

The Arizona Supreme Court has banned almost all abortions in the state, deferring to a law written in 1864. Also on the show, a brief history of Ecuador and embassies. Plus, the continuation of our interview with Keith Humphreys, Stanford Professor and co-author of the Atlantic story, "Why Oregon’s Drug Decriminalization Failed." Produced by Joel[...]

Keith Humphreys, Stanford Professor and author of Addiction: A Very Short Introduction, talks about the of failure of a local Oregon ordinance he was called in to offer expertise about. We discuss his Atlantic story, "Why Oregon’s Drug Decriminalization Failed." Plus, the path of totality, and dealing with Hamas over hostages. Produced by Joel Patterson[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike’s Thursday Spiel about the carnage at NPR and the reason for it. Then we listen back to part of Mike’s January conversation with Jeremy Hobson, host of The Middle and long-time public radio personality, about what’s going wrong at NPR. This part of the interview with[...]

Jena Martin is a pathologist by day who has produced a six-part podcast series looking back at the recovered memory movement of the late 1980s and early 90s. Everyone was having them, were any real? Plus, a partial traipsing down the path of totality in advance of Monday's eclipse. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey[...]

Another round of bloodletting in the world of podcasting and public radio. NPR listenership is down 15-20%, and the excuses the industry is relying on wither, don't apply, or are flat out wrong.  Mike offers a path to course correction that he doubts his old colleagues will take. But one public broadcaster is crushing it[...]

Atlantic Staff writer Tim Alberta, author of The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism says many Christians support Donald Trump because they are forgiving, and specifically because he isn't. Plus, the President of Argentina assails the anatomical properties of his hemispheric peers. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey[...]

U.S. leaders put Netanyahu on notice. And is it worth knowing about all the stupid Francis Scott Key Bridge conspiracy theories? Plus, CNN's Jim Sciutto analyses Donald Trump's many mixed feelings towards NATO, and tries to divide the tough talk from the actual courses of action. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us[...]

CNN's Jim Sciutto comes by to discuss his new book, The Return of Great Powers: Russia, China, and the Next World War. Plus, the Women's NCAA tournament draws the wrong court, and an April Fools game asks you to spot the fake Rolex. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, the rise of women’s college basketball knows no (re)bounds, and yet somehow has still been overstated. We also listen back to his 2018 interview with Barbara Lipska, whose career as a neuroscientist did not prepare her to identify the dark effects of her own brain tumors diagnosed[...]

The Miracle Weight-Loss Drugs would radically transform the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans. Hundreds of millions. So maybe the Government should foster this human flourishing. There's always a cost. Jonathan Gruber Chairman of the Economics Department at MIT discuss his New York Times opinion piece about how drugs like Ozempic can be afforded. Plus,[...]

We're joined by Anthony Fowler Professor of political science in the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago where he researches political polarization and the credibility of empirical research. He is also the host Not Another Politics Podcast. Plus, the totally wasteful process of processing g plastic waste. And Trump happens to[...]

We're joined by David Simon Assistant Dean for Graduate Education, Senior Lecturer in Global Affairs and Director of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University. Simon explains that what’s going on in Gaza is not a genocide and offers analysis as to why the charge has become ubiquitous. Plus, RFK Jr's new vice president once,[...]

Annie Jacobsen. author of Nuclear War: A Scenario takes us through what would really happen if an enemy of the U.S. fired the first missile in a nuclear exchange.  Plus, more MSNBC Rona reax, and the rise of women’s college basketball knows no (re)bounds, and yet somehow has still been overstated. Produced by Joel Patterson[...]

A staff revolt at NBC protests the network’s move to hire former RNC head Ronna McDaniel. Plus, Trump wins in court, and those who are committed to a narrative of his penury are aggrieved. And we're joined by Whitney Downard of the Indiana Capital Chronicle, to discuss a social service funding and forecasting debacle that puts[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike goes on vacation and comes nose to nose with tradition. We also listen back to his 2016 interview with actor Michael C. Bernardi, who played Mordcha the Innkeeper in Fiddler On The Roof, which was then on Broadway. His father, Herschel Bernardi, was the third man to play[...]

Kate Middleton's sad announcement about her health should prompt self examination, not only from the rumor mongers, but the audience, too. And how Donald Trump's $500-million bond bill will effect the little guy, according to Fox legal experts. Plus, we're joined once more by Ken Bensinger to talk about his new podcast, Chameleon: The Michigan[...]

Ken Bensinger is co-host of Chameleon: The Michigan Plot, which details the trials of militia members who sought to (or at least talked a lot about) kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. There were, at times, more government informants and undercover officials than bonafide ill-intentioned militia members driving the plot, which was more aspirational than operational.[...]

If you believe the news, shoplifting is many things: “on the rise,” “a scourge,” and “way up.” The thing is … is it really? In truth, it’s very hard to know, because the variables are myriad. We discuss this conundrum with Adam Gelb, President and CEO of Council on Criminal Justice, a non-partisan think tank,[...]

On day two of Crime Week on The Gist, we change our focus from individual crimes in the U.S. to the crimes of nations and the effectiveness of international courts at punishing countries for doing wrong. We are joined for the whole show by Kenneth Anderson, Professor of Law at American University's Washington College of Law,[...]

Crime is a major factor in how our society acts, votes, and perceives the world. So you would think statistics about it would flow like a vast river of knowledge. And in so thinking, you would be wrong. Trustworthy data on criminal activity and its victims is strangely hard to come by. So, to kick[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, this past Wednesday, Mike used The Spiel to rebut a Joy Reid segment mischaracterizing Robert Hur's testimony before the House Judiciary committee. We listen back. Then we listen way back to a September 2018 Spiel about Brett Kavanaugh’s hearing to join the Supreme Court, which had parallels[...]

Host of CNN's State Of The Union, Jake Tapper joins us to discuss his new CNN series United States Of Scandal, which includes the unethical behavior of Rod Blagojevich, Mark Sanford, John Edwards, and more. Plus, the Fani Willis case against Trump can continue if she or special prosecutor Wade remove themselves. And ... its[...]

Landslide, a new podcast from producer and host Ben Bradford tells the story of the 1976 Presidential race, which was seminal in the invention of modern conservatism. It’s a well rendered, compelling history that resonates with the present. Plus, what's worse, a disaster or a catastrophe?  And Pod Save America joins in the misreporting on[...]

Rebutting a Joy Reid segment mischaracterizing Robert Hur's testimony before the House Judiciary committee yesterday. Plus, Aaron Rodgers is a frustrating teammate, would he make a good running mate? And we talk to Quico Toro about how the Global South will be where the true costs of climate change are felt. Produced by Joel Patterson[...]

We talk to Barbara Kellerman, author of Leadership from Bad to Worse: What Happens When Bad Festers. She argues that you can't blame Adam Neumann for all of We Works crash, just as not all of Xi Jinging's excesses are on Xi. Plus, recently resigned Special Counsel Robert Hur testifies before Congress. He does pretty[...]

Matt Gaetz is both a force of nature and a force for chaos. Dexter FIlkins of The New Yorker profiled his upbringing and ongoing potency in national politics. Plus, Nancy Mace will not be shamed by George Stephanopoulos and Katie Britt can't believe you thought she meant what she very clearly wanted you to think[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, a podcast extra from our Thursday conversation with Sir David King, formerly the UK's Government Chief Scientific Adviser, who is now the Founder and Chair at Cambridge's Center for Climate Repair. Mike just had to ask him about climate activists who glue themselves to pieces of famous[...]

Its Oscar talk with Decoding Everything and Filmcast's David Chen. Why Mike thought Maestro hit sour notes ... and why David thought the structure of Oppenheimer was more stamped from a hard plastic mold than Barbie. American Fiction was the rare non-farcical satire, and Past Lives articulated a heretofore unexamined but familiar emotional ambivalence. Plus,[...]

Sir David King, formerly the UK's Government Chief Scientific Adviser, is now the Founder and Chair at Cambridge's Center for Climate Repair. He advocates carbon capture technology as part of the mix of solutions to climate change. Many environmentalists are not sold. Plus, blue cities get tough on crime, but also the opposite.  And in[...]

Rob Henderson, author of Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class, grew up in foster care among the people that the elites of Yale University say they care about. But when Henderson got to the Ivy League, he found that the cares of the elites, on behalf of the marginalized, and the[...]

Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema announces her intention to become Former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema. Also on the show, The New York Times' union says the paper is racially profiling its own MENA staffers over a leak, Mike provides analysis plus he explains the meaning of MENA, in case you are unfamiliar. And we're joined once[...]

Jonathan Blitzer author of Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis, profiled DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for The New Yorker.  Plus, The Intercept's lengthy attempt to question widespread Hamas rapes. And Trump will be on the ballot. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we tackle the important topic of poor-quality, quick-heating food innovations. From the archive, we listen back to Mike’s 2022 interview with Nathan Allebach, brand consultant and the twitter voice of Steak-umm brand meats for many years. As such he engaged with gaseous comedians and angsty millennials and[...]

Cass Sunstein joins us to talk about how, without knowing it, we habituate to our circumstances ... regardless of the circumstances. This is both a good thing and bad thing, and it's the subject of Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There. Plus, Trump and Biden visit the border. And Mike spiels[...]

We're joined by James Swanson author of The Deerfield Massacre: A Surprise Attack, a Forced March, and the Fight for Survival in Early America. Plus, a little squiggle of Europe called Transnistria. And 40 years on from Jesse Jackson's Presidential run, Mike spiels about progress. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at[...]

Wendy's experiments with dynamic pricing, but generally lethargic french fries. Plus, it was a week from hell for Richard Lewis and Mitch McConnell. Well, a bit more for Lewis. And we're joined once more by Steve Coll author of The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq. Produced[...]

Steve Coll, author of The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq, worked to declassify the personal recordings of Sadam Hussein. They proved to be an important piece of insight into the dictator, whose nuclear bluff was so good it got him killed. Plus, "Hugs Not Bullets" in[...]

Joe Biden's foreign policy team has mixed success, or some "non-failures," depending on if you regard the Afghanistan withdrawal plan as a regrettable misstep or bungled necessity. Alexander Ward is out with a new book, The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump. Plus, Shane Gillis hosts SNL, Trevor Noah hosts the[...]

Wondery’s podcast American History Tellers takes you to the events, times and people that shaped America and Americans — our values, our struggles and our dreams. In the early 1800s, slavery rapidly expanded across the American South. But each year, thousands of courageous enslaved men, women, and children fled their owners in search of freedom.[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with the Oscars fast approaching, we listen back to Mike’s Thursday Spiel in which he tries to figure out if 2023 was a great or terrible year for women in Hollywood films. We also listen back to our 2015 interview with filmmaker Leslie Headland, whose film Sleeping[...]

Kinmen Islands is a part of Taiwan, but it's only five miles from China, the main Island of Taiwan laying over 100 miles across the Taiwan Straight. S. Leo Chiang is the director of the Oscar-nominated short documentary about Kinmen called Island In Between. Plus, a Magician apparates in the middle of the Democratic primaries.[...]

Andrew Fleischman is an Atlanta-based litigator, and he joins us to discuss the Fani Willis Trial and which way he thinks Judge McAfee will lean in his decision. Plus, in China monkeys are hard to come by, which is something South African wish they could say about ships filled with cattle wallowing in their own[...]

Even after Tucker Carlson issued his double coupon day dasvidaniya, the ghost of Navalny trails him. Plus, Putin arrests a U.S. ballerina for donating $51 to Ukraine. And we speak with Charles Duhigg, author of Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com[...]

William Ury, author of Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict has worked on peace negotiations in Norther Ireland, South Africa, and Colombia joins us to share some lessons and tactics. One is to imagine your loathed rival delivering a speech to their public. What would he say. If it's Kim[...]

We are off on this Holiday, but we wanted to share two interviews from the archive. One is from 2019 with founding CEO of C-SPAN Brian Lamb and Co-CEO Susan Swain are here to discuss their new book The Presidents: Noted Historians Rank America’s Best—and Worst—Chief Executives. Also from 2018 is Kate and J.D. Dobson are[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s December 6, 2023 interview with Aric Toler about the storied Hamas tunnel network, which, depending on where you get your news, is either a "vast labyrinth" or a 160-yard tunnel with little room for a command center capable of orchestrating the October[...]

Donald Trump is ordered to pay over $350 million ... bad judgement for him there.  Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hits back hard at defense attorneys seeking to toss her off the Georgia racketeering case. And we speak with Quico Toro, a Contributing Editor at Persuasion, who tells us the story of Guatemala, where a[...]

Shootings at Joel Osteen's megachurch and the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl Parade illustrate an American tendency to find meaning in shootings based on the oddest factor: the shooter's motivations and tactics. Plus, we're joined once more by Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware, co-author's of God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America. Also on[...]

Bruce Hoffman & Jacob Ware are leading terrorism experts out with a new book titled God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America. We discuss the rise of the far right. Plus, Santos out, Democrat in. And Mike analyzes some Super Bowl commercials ... three days after the game. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey[...]

Jonathan Metzl, Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University and author of What We've Become: Living and Dying in a Country of Arms on examining the flaws in our gun-control strategy and how we talk about gun owners. Plus, the race to replace George Santos comes down to snow. And would a "Winter Wonderland"[...]

George Hale is the reporter behind Rush To Kill, the eight-part podcast series that looks at federal death row, which lay dormant for years ... until the waning days of the Trump administration. Plus, many Biden defender's attest to the President's unparalleled sagacity and staggering mental capacity rivaling the greatest seers of our age. And[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, in honor of Superbowl Sunday, we listen back to Mike’s 2019 interview with former Baltimore Raven offensive lineman John Urschel. After his time in the NFL, Urschel went on to get a PhD and have an accomplished career as a mathematician. He is joined by his co-writer,[...]

We end DEI week with the second half of our interview with Denise Hamilton, author of Indivisible: How to Forge our Differences into a Stronger Future. We discuss areas where racism might very well be at play, though focusing on identity isn't necessarily the best way forward. And our President is a well-meaning elderly gentleman,[...]

Colorado's Lawyer gets schooled by SCOTUS. Bud Light tries to counter the forces of stupidity via the power of goofy Super Bowl ads. Plus, DEI educator and consultant Denise Hamilton, author of Indivisible: How to Forge Our Differences into a Stronger Future. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise[...]

SCOTUS is considering if Donald Trump should appear on Coloradoans ballot in November, and if not, why not? The officially decreed "not immune for all prosecution" former POTUS faces scrutiny from SCOTUS, and we're joined by Jeffrey Rosen, President of the National Constitution Center and host of the We The People podcast. Plus, DEI week[...]

Coleman Hughes, author of The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America stops by to add a diversity of thought in his inclusion on DEI week. Plus, our country seems intent on getting nothing done in years divisible by 2. And following up on the question of Kristen Welker's insistence on follow-up questions.[...]

All week, we'll be taking a deep dive into DEI—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion—which has come under attack from conservatives. A great defense would be to point to the many demonstrable successes of DEI, but that's not always easy, because many of the highest profile expressions of DEI haven't yielded quantifiable successes. To kickoff DEI Week,[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s 2019 interview with Anthony Ray Hinton, who was wrongfully convicted for the murder of two teenagers in Alabama in 1985. After 30 years on death row, Hinton’s conviction was overturned, and he was released. He’s since become an advocate for those facing[...]

Political experts and podcast partners in the Night Owls Podcast, Joe Klein and John Ellis analyze the political pitfalls of Democrats in the next election and contrast those with the co-situational dangers of Trump. Plus, smushy-faced dogs and the dire lack of cow-part funding. Finally, Mike criticizes a New Yorker magazine story about Oregon overdoses[...]

Luppe Luppen is a lawyer who is also the Twitter pugilist @nycsouthpaw. He is now the co-author of a new book, The Truce: Progressives, Centrists, and the future of the Democratic Party. Plus, a beheading with talking points from Tucker. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the[...]

On January 25th, Kenneth Eugene Smith was the first American executed by nitrogen hypoxia. Observers were disturbed by the process of Smith's final five minutes on Earth, but officials of the state of Alabama where only disturbed by others disturbed-ness. Also on the show, Joshua Green discusses his new book, The Rebels: Elizabeth Warren, Bernie[...]

Jeremy Hobson has been hosting The Middle, a call-in public radio program. That sounds scintillating enough, but it gets even spicier when you learn that the show is dedicated to non-extremism. As much as this reasonable-seeming description might evoke thoughts of high-minded even-handedness, in practice it's actually quite exciting and exceedingly rare. Plus, the newest[...]

We're joined by the show runner of the Peacock series Dr. Death, Ashley Michel Hoban, to discuss why we are drawn to doctors who first do some harm. Lots of it in fact.  Plus, Nikki Haley just has no idea about any details of Donald Trump's Trials. And the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation[...]

In the spring of 2017, a police corruption scandal rocked the city of Baltimore. And at the heart of it was an elite undercover unit called the Gun Trace Task Force. American Scandal is a podcast from Wondery that takes you deep into the most infamous scandals in American history, from presidential lies to environmental[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, upon hearing the news that researchers had discovered four previously unknown colonies of emperor penguins with the help of satellite imagery, we give to you Mike’s 2017 interview with penguin researcher Michelle LeRue. Then we replay Mike’s January 24, 2024 Spiel about The Los Angeles Times, which[...]

The International Court of Justice rules on the plausibility of Israel committing genocide, one particularly incendiary Israeli official tweets "Hague Schmague." Taylor Swift pics are everywhere, as is always true, but these were invented by a perverted computer. And we're joined once more by Professor Brian Klaas, who takes down certainty and his own field[...]

Brian Klaas, political scientist and author of Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters, talks about flawed thinking and the flaws of social science. Plus, a bird of prey on your wedding day. And the LA Times misinformation "expert" who got it horribly wrong. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us[...]

Tim Alberta of The Atlantic is author of the new book The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism, and he also wrote the definitive Nikki Haley profile. He says Haley really, really doesn't like Trump, and maybe now we'll get a chance to hear the depths of her[...]

New York Times columnist, Dispatch legal expert, and podcaster David French joins us to discuss timelines for the various Trump legal cases, and David's belief that the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified him justly. "That's what judges do," French says. Plus, does Joe Biden's support of Israel hurt him as much as standard analysis would have[...]

Horrible puns aside, New Hampshire marks the last chance for one of Donald Trump's challengers to actually make a stand. Guests Matt Robison and Paul Hodes of the Beyond Politics podcast think it really could happen. Mike is more suspicious of that claim than Ron DeSantis is of the World Wide Woke Agenda. Over the[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, protests of the video game Hogwarts Legacy dealt a blow to the financial empire of J.K. Rowlings’ in 2023 … Oh wait, actually, Hogwarts Legacy was the highest grossing game of last year. Nevermind. We listen back to Mike’s February 2023 Spiel about the protests. Then we[...]

Our brave and heroic Congress has done the incredible ... again ... passing legislation to temporarily keep the government running until February. Great, um, job. In the interview, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of Yale's school of management joins us to explain why Putin in hurting economically and why reporters don't get the story. Also on the show,[...]

First, we consider the case of the dream boat Yemeni who is a hijacker of real boats, dubbed "Tim-Houthi Chalamet" by adoring online fans. And then, it's a full show talking with Bessel van der Kolk author of The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, and co-author of[...]

Georgia DA Fani Willis wades into allegations that she hired her romantic partner to prosecute Trump. She does so from the pulpit of a storied church, yielding more "amens" than answers. Plus, the government preserves Spirit Airlines as the perhaps beloved, certainly belittled Dollar Store of the skies.  And we're joined once more by Matt[...]

Matt Bruenig of the People's Policy Center discusses the gap between economic impression and reality. Vivek Ramaswamy ends his cosplay as a Trump cover band. And the explanation that some on the right are giving for that hole in the Alaska Airlines door. You can't spell idiotic explanation without "DEI." Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike’s 2016 interview with Tim Hartford, author of the book Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives. Also, Mike’s Tuesday Spiel about nanoplastics and whether or not they are more dangerous to our bodies or our anxiety levels.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey[...]

The Houthis are monstrous militants, which would be reason enough to dispatch them via military might. But also, think of the carbon savings! Plus, Israel defends itself from genocide charges. And we're joined once more by Donald G. McNeil Jr. to discuss his new book The Wisdom of Plagues, a zoonotic origin of Covid, if Anthony[...]

A spirited debate between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley last night allowed the former South Carolina Governor to trot out a new attack line. Also, Donald McNeil Jr. has been covering pandemics since the aid crisis in the 80s. His new book The Wisdom of Plagues, collects all the lessons he has learned covering diseases[...]

John McCormick, senior editor at The Dispatch, walks us through what the hell congress is doing, if anything, and how the upcoming elections will affect the aforementioned governing body. Plus, a secret tunnel in a Brooklyn synagogue sparks a "Gistvestigation." And South Africa is set to charge Israel with genocide. Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

A new study shows more plastic than could be imagined, and certainly seen, in bottled water. The coverage demands a freakout, rationality demands you take a deep breath, a deep sip, and relax. Plus, the Trump immunity appeal makes for captivating viewing. And we're joined once more by Yaroslov Trofimov, author of OurEnemies Will Vanish:[...]

Yaroslav Trofimov, Chief Foreign-Affairs Correspondent at The Wall Street Journal, discusses his new book, Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine's War of Independence. Plus, our undisclosed, indisposed SecDef. And how Joe Biden defines White Supremacy. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Gift The Gist at https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/gifts Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to the episode published the evening of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. It was a defining moment in our nation’s history, and we have a pretty clear understand of what went down that ugly day. On January 6, 2021, though, we[...]

Let's not forget a fact that could be swallowed up in all the big international news: the Houthi rebels—no good, no good at all. Even rhyming chants won't change that. Plus, Biden hits the campaign trail with a focus on protecting democracy. And we're joined by Michael MacCambridge, author of the new book The Big[...]

Donald Trump's emoluments entanglements receive further scrutiny. And would a soon-to-explode American airliner have witnessed such an orderly exit? Plus, Adam Nagourney continues his discussion of The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn and the Transformation of Journalism. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on[...]

Adam Nagourney is the author of The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn and the Transformation of Journalism. Mike questions him about the extent that the NYT actually has escaped scorn. Plus, Israel takes out a top Hamas commander, which threatens to escalate regional tensions, suggesting the region might not want top[...]

David Duchovny (like "the truth") is out there as an actor, director, musician, and novelist (or Novella-ist) in the case of his latest The Reservoir. Plus, Nikki Haley didn't say "slavery," but what in the world was she saying? A look at 14 years of her hard-to-parse comments on the causes of the Civil War.[...]

Today is Mike Pesca’s birthday, and as a gift to himself, he requested we replay two classic interviews that he considers some of his favorites. So we’ll be listening back to his conversation with comedian Gary Gulman from 2019 and actor/writer/Fonzie Henry Winkler from 2017. See you in 2024!  Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey[...]

Mike gives his list of the best podcasts of the past calendar year. He also talks with Sonari Glinton, host of the Shattering the System podcast, which tells the story of a politically connected predator who operated out of West Hollywood, and Lauren Chooljian, host of the The 13th Step, which tells the story of a politically connected predator who[...]

Russian dissident Alexi Navalny has been located. It’s someplace cold and inescapable, but he's able to make some Christmasy jokes, so that's “good.” Plus, The Gist has found an interview thought lost, about a 17th Century mathematician who was also, in his way, a little lost. Bernoulli's Fallacy: Statistical Illogic and the Crisis of Modern Science is[...]

On this day after Christmas, we are choosing to eschew the news cycle and instead have a little fun. We found some oldies-but-goodies from Mike's pre-Gist time at New York Public Radio's On The Media and NPR's Day To Day. With puns, oddities, parodies, and peccadillos galore, it's the perfect soundtrack to accompany you while you return all the[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we replay Mike’s Tuesday Spiel about Chicago’s disgruntled neighborhoods, overwhelmed by newly resettled migrants. But lest you think it’s wealthy white people doing the complaining, well … it’s not. Then we rewind to 2016, before Trump, back when newspaper headlines were less terrifying and a bit more[...]

Don't Worry … it's actually good news. Part of the spate of good news that we can't quite accept or process. Plus, the greatest face-melting rock anthems of all time. And Minnesota's new flag rings out the last Vexillology Corner of 2023, with Ted Kaye, author of Good Flag, Bad Flag.    Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

Reena Ninan, veteran broadcast reporter for CBS, ABC, and Fox has been in earlier versions of Hamas tunnels, and she tells us about underground ambitions and over-the-air coverage. Plus, Fat Leonard, Poor Rudy, and the Houthi Creed. And comedian Alex Edelman discusses the difference between anti-semitism and anti-Zionism and anti-Netanyahu-ism. Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

Donald Trump is barred from the ballot in Colorado, for now, interesting reasoning contributed to the court's decision, which probably won't survive SCOTUS. Plus, Lina Khatib, director of the SOAS Middle East Institute at SOAS University of London assesses Israel's neighbor's relations with Palestinians and what hopes there are for a permanent peace. Produced by[...]

It's not just bomb-throwing conservative House members who think migrants arriving at the U.S. southern border are a problem. Turns out, the people who's communities are slated as their new homes feel similarly, and those people are often people of color. And we are joined again by Ryan Grim to continue our interview about his[...]

Ryan Grim, author of The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution describes the ascent, tactics, behaviors, and personalities of AOC and other young leftists in Congress. Plus, it's hard to talk about immigration, as Joe Manchin, the President of Illinois' NAACP, and, most insensitively of all, Donald Trump show in myriad ways.[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we rewind to Tuesday to listen back to Mike’s treatise on New Jersey’s sludge barge, though, for reasons pertaining to the O’Jays song “Love Train,” we are calling it the Sludge Train. Then we rewind way back to 2018, when Mike felt the need to warn listeners[...]

Ukraine's EU funding is thwarted by the Hungarian leader whose less Buddah and more Pest, Victor Orban. Plus, Kate Mara and Shawn Bannon drop by to talk about their documentary about hog pollution in North Carolina, The Smell of Money. And an emergency Antwentig, in which secret geopolitical lyrics to OJay's songs are divulged. Produced[...]

Twelve hundred Israelis were killed by Hamas. Perhaps 15,000 Gazans have died as Israel has pursued its attacker, many Hamas fighters among them. But those numbers alone do not help us understand the concept of proportionality in international law. Ben Wittes of Lawfare is here to help us think through the idea. Plus, delving into[...]

Chris Molanphy is here to discuss his new book, what is certainly the most authoritative work of non fiction about the Lil Nas X song "Old Town Road," which is also the name of the book. Plus, Hunter Biden does the old town road of attempting to sidestep a congressional inquest. Also on the show:[...]

Angus Deaton, the Nobel Prize winner who popularized the notion of "deaths of despair" stops by to discuss his latest book, Economics In America: An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality. In it, he discusses the correlation of a college education and a longer life. Plus, digital fungus underrepresentation, and all aboard the SLUDGE[...]

After the 2019 death of Elijah McClain at the hands of Aurora Colorado police, no charges were filed. Then, spurred on by activism over the murder of George Floyd, the Governor of Colorado ordered the case reopened. After two trials resulting in mixed verdicts, the paramedics who administered ketamine to McClain stand accused. We check[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with the presidents of Harvard, M.I.T., and the University of Pennsylvania being hauled in front of the House of Representatives this past week to answer for antisemitic speech on their campuses, we thought it apropos to listen back to Mike’s interview with Mark Oppenheimer, host of the[...]

Isaac Saul, a former writer for Vox, The Huffington Post, and Time Magazine, was frustrated with news bias and often slanted coverage. So he founded Tangle News, a politics newsletter which summarizes the best arguments from across the political spectrum on the news of the day. Plus, Mike addresses listeners who say, "We want more Israel criticism, or just[...]

In a national referendum, the country of Venezuela just voted to annex half of Guyana, against the will of the Guyanese ... and international law. And every map. While they have no case, and no means to actually take the land, it might lay the groundwork for further chicanery says Fransisco Toro, our Latin America[...]

Depending on where you get your news, the storied Hamas tunnel network is either a "vast labyrinth" or a 160-yard tunnel with little room for a command center capable of orchestrating the October 7th attack. Aric Toler is a reporter on the Visual Investigations team at The New York Times, where he combines traditional reporting[...]

A Boston Globe investigation into foster care adds to the sum of human knowledge only to have a botched MSNBC rewrite subtract from it. Also on the show, Nathan Thrall is an American author, journalist, and former director of the International Crisis Group’s Arab-Israeli Project. He joins us to talk about the war in Israel,[...]

It would seem China is in a state of decline, but it's hard to know for sure. The Economist's Ted Plafker joins to discuss what we can discern about the property crisis, political firings, and how countries who borrowed as part of the Belt And Road initiative got steamrolled. Plus, Ron DeSantis doesn't want to[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we explore a few catchy political slogans that turned out to be deceptive, confusing, or just kind of dumb. First we listen to Tuesday’s spiel about the expression “From the river to the sea,” and then we listen back to Mike’s June 5, 2020 spiel about the[...]

Eliot Cohen, Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies and former Counselor to the Secretary Of State has always thought Shakespeare had great insights about great leaders. His book is The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare on How Leaders Rise, Rule, and Fall. Plus, George Santos gets bounced, and Ron DeSantis has a crap map.[...]

Elon Musk's intemperate but tempestuous remarks show us a man whose not hard to understand but difficult nonetheless. Plus, we're visited by Kliph Nesteroff, author of Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars. And Malawi get into the Israel act. See Mike Live on December 6th Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara[...]

In Bradley Tusk's new novel Obvious In Hindsight, a flying car company attempts to get government approval, even though the politics are dicey, the lobbyists are dirty, and the cars just might not ... uh, what's the word? Fly. Plus, after seventeen days, workers freed thanks to rat tunnels. And the very leftist Youtube channels[...]

When a slogan of war suddenly becomes a call to peace. Also on the show, we pick back up where we left off with the New York Times' David Leonhardt. His new book is Ours Was The Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream. Plus, the refused-to-be-addressed crisis at the border. Produced by Joel[...]

Pulitzer Prize winning NY Times writer David Leonhardt is here to discuss Ours Was The Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream. The hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas is working and showing us that countries are right to care about their own citizens. Plus, a few furry friends become entrees, and a Fertile[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, as Israel and Hamas agree to a cease fire, we listen back to Mike’s 2014 interview with Mitchell Reiss, author of Negotiating with Evil, who suggests that the question is not whether to negotiate with terrorists, but how to get the best deal. Then we listen back[...]

Mike spent the majority of last week reporting from Israel. On his trip, he met and interviewed many people living through the current crisis, and this special Thanksgiving weekend episode is a collection of said reportage, in which he tells the stories of those people who’s lives were forever changed by the events of October[...]

Des Fitzgerald, Professor of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences at University College Cork in Ireland, is out with a new book The Living City: Why Cities Don’t Need to Be Green to Be Great. The European title gets at things more straightforwardly: The City of Today is a Dying Thing: In Search of the Cities of[...]

NBA veteran Carlos Boozer is here to talk about his upbringing, his career, and his new book, Every Shot Counts: A Memoir of Resilience. Plus, what if the city issued all citizens a False Testimony Tax? And Mike lays out where he sees the war in Gaza going from here. Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

Lee McIntyre author of “On Disinformation" discusses and debates with Mike, how to conceptualize disinformation, and how not combat it consistently no matter who is getting dissed. Plus, new evidence about Hamas operations under hospitals. And…PANDAS! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, something a little different. If you’ve been listening to The Gist this past week, you’ve heard Mike reporting from Israel. He’s home safe now, but he spent several days traveling around and recording the stories of Israelis as they come to terms with a recent tragedy and[...]

As Israeli Defense Forces explore and document what was found in and under Al-Shifa hospital, verification is hard, and doubt is free and easy to sew. Plus, Robert Pape wonders, "What makes a terrorist ... international vs. domestic?" Pape is a professor and the Director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats. Also on[...]

Mike visits Kibbutz Be’eri, which saw carnage on October 7th, and he’s told the story of what happened there. Also on the show, Roma Agrawal is a structural engineer who spent six years working on the tallest building in Western Europe—The Shard in London. She is out with a new book, Nuts and Bolts: Seven[...]

On Mike’s second day in Israel, he attends the meeting of people trying to bring their family members kidnapped by Hamas home from captivity. Also on the show, Patrick T. Brown, a Ph.D. climate scientist and Co-Director of the Climate and Energy Team at The Breakthrough Institute, joins us to talk about his recent piece[...]

Gigi Levy-Weiss is a former Apache helicopter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, a tech entrepreneur, and a member of Brothers In Arms, reservists who refused to support Netanyahu's government as it tried to reshape the country’s highest court. Mike sat down with Levy-Weiss to discuss his role in a new organization called Brothers and[...]

Gus Perna was a four-star general a month out from retirement from the Army, when the Trump Administration tapped him to help lead the logistics of Operation Warp Speed, the public-private partnership to get Americans a COVID vaccine that was effective and safe, and to do so quickly. Perna joins us to discuss the challenges[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, first we rewind to the summer of 2014, when Israel and Palestine were again locked in armed conflict. To understand the Palestinian perspective, Mike interviewed Canadian human rights worker Diana Buttu who was then in Nazareth. Then we listen back to the Spiel from the Tuesday, November[...]

History is the product of remembering our past, so it involves the mind, though we have underused neuroscience in understanding how we know what we think we know. Abby Smith Rumsey chairs the board of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, and she is out with a new book[...]

China recalls its pandas, and Americans bid them a tearful adieu. If only we could form such a tight bond with the Uyghurs. We are also joined by Dr. Jonathan Howard, author of We Want Them Infected: How the failed quest for herd immunity led doctors to embrace the anti-vaccine movement and blinded Americans to[...]

Aquilino Gonell was a Capitol Hill Police Officer who, on January 6th, was beset upon by an angry mob then all but abandoned by officialdom in the aftermath. He's out with his story in a new book, American Shield: The Immigrant Sergeant Who Defended Democracy. Plus, election day shows the U.S. wants their rights, but[...]

John Judis and Ruy Teixiera drop by to answer the question posed in the title of their new book Where Have All the Democrats Gone? Their warning is that the more Dems tack left, the more likely the only constituency left will be "the left." Plus, the guilty plea of a mass shooter's father. And the[...]

Soyeon Lee fled North Korea, was caught, was jailed, was beaten, then fled again. We will talk to her, and the documentarian Madeleine Gavin, about the new film Beyond Utopia, which includes surreptitiously recorded video of dangerous escape attempts. Plus, Joe Biden trails Trump everywhere that counts. Is the "people will figure out Trump is[...]

A new Netflix film, Pain Hustlers, starring Emily Blunt and Chris Evans, is getting a lot of buzz, so we dug into the archives to unearth an interview with Evan Hughes from February 2022. Hughes is author of Hard Sell: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup, about his coverage of an out-of-control drug maker[...]

Walt Hickey is a Pulitzer Prize-winning data journalist and also a real pop-culture-impersonated peruser. His new book is You Are What You Watch, How Movies and TV Affect Everything, and he makes a good case. Plus, when it comes to cease fires, casualties, and rules of engagement in Gaza, meanings are fluid.  Produced by Joel Patterson[...]

What do George Santo, the Stellar's Jay, Donald Trump, the Anna Hummingbird, Adam Kinzinger, and the Cooper's Hawk all have in common? Yes, they are all in the news today. Yes, they are all on the show today. But their common connection, as far as we're concerned, is that their fates were governed by principles. Tune[...]

In Philadelphia, an after-action report on the prisoners who escaped a city jail, despite the best efforts of napping and non-fence-repairing guards. Plus, the difference between an odious threat and an actual chant. And we're joined by Laura Meckler, author of Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity, about the Ohio suburb[...]

Greg Lukianoff, President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, returns to continue our discussion about his new book, The Canceling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Undermines Trust, Destroys Institutions, and Threatens Us All—but There Is a Solution. Plus, how much has changed in the degree to which Joe Biden backs Israel. And[...]

President Biden is pretty suspicious about official counts emanating from the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza. News outlets aren't squelching those figures, but they are labelling the agency the "Hamas-controlled health ministry." And Greg Lukianoff, President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, discusses his new book, The Canceling of the American Mind: Cancel[...]

Melissa DeRosa is out with a new book, What's Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis, and we had her on the show earlier this week to talk about her experiences in the Andrew Cuomo administration. On this episode of BEST OF THE GIST, a podcast extra with Melissa about[...]

As the world debates Middle East peace, Israeli defense expert Kobi Michael gives us a window into how he and many of his countrymen are thinking about this moment. He says it’s not so much a daunting theoretical challenge as it is simply life or death. We talk ground offensive, Hezbollah, tunnel fighting, and how[...]

Stephen Bright is a death penalty lawyer and critic of our illogical, slapdash system of criminal justice. He's out with a new book, The Fear of Too Much Justice: Race, Poverty, and the Persistence of Inequality in the Criminal Courts. Plus, why Americans hate the robust economy. And a Polish priest wants us to look[...]

Vincent Bevins has covered Brazil for the Los Angeles Times, and Southeast Asia for the Washington Post, and during his tenure he's covered many protest movements. In his new book, If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution, Bevins weaves together the various movements and examines their lessons. He'll discuss what works,[...]

Melissa DeRosa was a top aide to Andrew Cuomo, and her new memoir is titled What's Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis. DeRosa is back to discuss the sexual harassment scandal that brought down her former boss. Plus, a call for university presidents to be more condemnatory of pro-Palestinian[...]

Melissa DeRosa was the closest aide and top advisor to former NY State Governor, Andrew Cuomo. In her new memoir titled What's Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis, she examines the trauma of the pandemic and offers perspective and new information about the scandals that befell her former boss.[...]

“A lot of people think we have a violence problem, but it doesn't seem to be the case; but where we are different is in terms of guns,” says Dr. David Hemenway of Harvard University’s Injury Control Research Center. He makes the case for a public health approach which treats gun violence as an epidemic[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, this past week was a big one in the life and career of House of Representatives member Jim Jordan. The 59-year-old Ohioan reportedly tried to browbeat his colleagues into choosing him as their leader, and, as of Friday evening, he hadn’t done so successfully. So, to put[...]

A volume that deals with the heights of the depths The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Works is the latest work by Helen Czerski, British physicist, oceanographer, and expert on things vast and briny. Plus, Biden resonated with Israelis. And examining conflict in Gaza though U.S. ethnic identity. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara[...]

Today, a double interview. First, Mike is joined by David Wain, founding member of the influential and anarchically funny sketch comedy group The State, who are touring now. Then, we turn to Michael Vickers, former under secretary of defense for intelligence in the Obama Administration, about his new book By All Means Available: Memoirs of[...]

An interview with Dr. Dannagal G. Young, author of Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive our Appetite for Misinformation. Plus, sorting out who fired rockets, or dropped bombs, on or near a hospital in Gaza.  Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our[...]

Joe Nocera and Bethany McLean are out with The Big Fail: What the Pandemic Revealed About Who America Protects and Who It Leaves Behind. Among those who failed include those who bungled PPE procurement, prolonged school closings and lock downs, and misstated "the science." Plus, who is really trying to keep Gazans alive? And wrestling[...]

Matthew Levitt, Fromer-Wexler Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of its Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, discusses operational failures that led to Hamas' terrorist attacks and analyses worst-case scenarios. Plus, an examination of the trope of Gaza as "outdoor prison." And international election results in Poland, New Zealand, and Ecuador go[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, during Mike’s interview with Tablet Editor In Chief Alana Newhouse, which aired this past week, they discussed what’s going on in social media in the days after Hamas attacked and killed over a thousand Israelis. Israel has since retaliated, killing at least as many Palestinians. Then we[...]

Rajiv Shah is the former Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and current President of the Rockefeller Foundation. In his new book, Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really Happens, he argues that big ambitious asks are the key to progress. But won't that sometimes disappoint or tempt the askers or the[...]

Steven Simon, former official with the Obama and Clinton administrations concedes that, yes, Israel really could decimate Hamas as a fighting force, but the costs might be enormous. Plus, Biden wisely froze Iran's $6 billion. And most Dallas math students are advanced, while also doing horribly in math. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara[...]

Everything in the U.S.—and maybe the West—is Broken. It's decayed. What once worked didn't; what never did fails to launch. Alana Newhouse, Editor-in-Chief of Tablet Magazine, who invented the term "Brokenism," is here to explain why it's an apt description, but also one that offers hope. A close observer and chronicler of Israeli society, we[...]

Dennis Vacco, former Attorney General of the state of New York, joins the show to discuss the state's prosecution of the former President. Plus, how the war in Israel differs from territorial disputes. And the finding out about fungibility of funds for Iran. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To[...]

On this Indigenous Peoples Day we examine Mike's past—and even further past—stances on the "discoverer" of "America," and if we should be playing "best-of" segments today or originals. Plus, an archival interview with Steve Inskeep about his book Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab. Produced by Joel[...]

Mike's reaction to Saturday's attack against Israel. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Kevin McCarthy ousted from his dream job, we decided to look back at one of the most influential Speakers to ever serve, Newt Gingrich. First we listen back to Mike’s interview with Steve Kornacki’s latest book, The Red and the Blue: The 1990s and the Birth of Political Tribalism. Then we check out Mike’s 2020[...]

Former LA Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer was essentially run out of baseball after an accusation of sexual assault was lodged against him. Bauer always maintained his innocence, and this week, with the settlement of a legal suit, he posted information on social media that, while incomplete, seems at least somewhat, if not wholly, exculpatory. Mike[...]

The 1978 movie Airplane! was a disruptive force in comedy filmmaking, redefining what (and who) was funny. We discuss what went into making the iconic film—from joke density to the line that Sigourney Weaver just wouldn’t say—with two of the films writer-directors, Jim Abrahams and David Zucker. They have authored a new book, Surely, You[...]

Sally Jenkins, sports columnist for the Washington Post, is out with The Right Call: What Sports Teach Us About Work And Life. We can learn from Andy Reid about time management and Peyton Manning about purposefully opening his own feet up to attack. Plus, the Belarussian SOBR unit is drunk with power. And are the[...]

In Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded In a Divided America, NPR"s Steve Inskeep details how the 16th President used conversation, engagement, compromise, and tact to play the political hand he was dealt, without alienating factions, even those he could not abide. Plus, California has a trail-blazing senator whose a lot of things, just not[...]

Recently in The Atlantic, Jill Filipovic wrote an article titled "I Was Wrong About Trigger Warnings: Has the national obsession with trauma done real damage to teen girls?" We discuss the costs of referreing to the merely "annoying" as a "trauma," and how social justice movements have become therapy spaces. Plus, Donald Trump excoriates the very judge[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, an extra from our two-part interview with Heather Cox Richardson, which aired this past week. She read every copy of the New York Times from the end of the Civil War to the turn of the century. Listen to find out why. Then, to keep the history[...]

Max Kerman, lead singer of Arkells, talks about how to write songs in an age of law suits, and the often weird ways a song gets placed in films and commercials. Plus, Brooklyn Deluge! And the democracy-loving Dems would have done something about Diane Feinstein. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at[...]

We're joined again by Heather Cox Richardson to continue discussing her new book Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. Rutherford B. Hayes gets taken down a peg. Also on the show, the second Republican debate wasn't great. Plus, pods about getting frisky with a dolphin, and a nudist colony serving as a witness[...]

Historian and author Heather Cox Richardson is out with a new book, Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. Richardson is hopeful, though a thorough reading of history does not invite a particularly blithe posture. Plus, Philadelphia is hit with a spate of looting and a surprising judicial ruling. And Vivek Ramaswamy has the[...]

Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks is a progressive who loathes the toxic left and points to corruption as the unifying explanation as to why there's so much wrong with our system. But don't worry, because Justice Is Coming: How Progressives Are Going to Take Over the Country and America Is Going to Love It[...]

A young physicist working on high-temperature superconductivity follows her mentor to an island established as a haven for the "cancelled and deplorables" shunned elsewhere. "How I won a Nobel Prize” is the name of this novel perfectly calibrated to our times, Mike interviews author Julius Taranto. Plus, Senator Menendez won't resign, but doesn't offer an[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with automotive labor unions preparing for a huge battle, we listen back to Mike’s 2016 interview with Steven Greenhouse, author of the 2008 book The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker. Then we replay Wednesday’s Spiel, in which Mike accuses Hasan Minhaj of concocting fakes[...]

Rory Stewart is back to discuss his new memoir How Not To Be A Politician and his podcast The Rest Is Politics. We discuss America's oversized role in shaping culture and politics beyond its borders. Plus, how the popularity of the UAW strike doesn't mean that much in terms of who will win the strike.[...]

Rory Stewart is a former member of British Parliament, Harvard instructor, soldier, diplomat, cabinet minister, and traverser of Asia via foot. The co-host of The Rest Is Politics Podcast, we discuss his latest book How Not To Be A Politician. Plus, STOP REGULATING WOMENS BODIES, if by regulating you mean considering whether some lightly compensated[...]

Alicia Roth Weigel, author of the memoir Inverse Cowgirl, is back to discuss her row with conservative radio host Stephen Crowder, and why it's in the interest of activists to state that 2% of the population is intersex. Plus, Hasan Minhaj concocts fakes in the name of comedy. And Merritt Garland testifies before congress, and[...]

Activist and member of Austin's Human Rights Commission, Alicia Roth Weigel discusses her new memoir Inverse Cowgirl about being Intersex. We talk about her experience and discuss the ethics of operations on infants and how much to blame parents working with the best information they have. Plus, Lauren Boebert's theatrics. And the chilling effect of[...]

Utah Governor Spencer Cox wants his enemies to be heard, his opponents to feel valued, and his sparring partners to never feel wounded. Is this any way to run a state? He says yes, and as Chair of the National Governor's Association, he's taking his "Disagree Better" platform national. Plus, Texas AG Ken Paxton is[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with North Korea and Russia’s meeting focusing the news media this week, we listen back to Mike’s 2019 interview with Washington Post reporter Anna Fifield who had just written a fascinating book on Kim Jong-un. She spoke with people who had real life interactions with the man,[...]

M. Chris Fabricant is the Director of Strategic Litigation for the Innocence Project. His new book is Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System. Plus, a Senate without Mitt. And the UAW strikes for wages and trash cans. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show,[...]

Denigrating the SAT is to trendy educational stances as deleting the Abolishing Ice movement is to helpful immigration policy. There are 1,600 reasons—or maybe 5 or 6—why the SAT has validity, and Mike says some of them. Plus, Mike trusts Google to inform him that Hispanic Heritage month starts tomorrow. And we listen to part[...]

Vincent Schiraldi was the commissioner of New York City's Department of Correction and is now Secretary of Juvenile Services of Maryland. We talk about his new book Mass Supervision: Probation, Parole, and the Illusion of Safety and Freedom, and discuss if there is a real path to true reform. Plus, the impeachment game is afoot.[...]

Andrew Yang and Stephen Marche have co-authored a new novel which is out today, The Last Election. In it, we follow a character not unlike Yang himself—a maverick political outsider whose slogan is, "Do the Math." But in this alternative reality, the candidate's appeal injects uncertainty into a system which devolves into a state of[...]

How do you co-write a novel with your spouse? Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel did it sentence by sentence in Dayswork. It's a new novel about one spouse's obsession with Moby Dick, and the other spouse alternating between harpooning bad ideas, serving as lookout, and blubbering. Plus, cookin' with Donna Brazile. And, let us be[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen to Mike’s 2020 conversation with Hit Parade podcast host and music writer Chris Molanphy about 1983s top songs, all of which are now 40 years old. Then we replay Wednesday’s Spiel, in which Mike laments about the non-news story that is “near misses” on runways[...]

We're joined by the writer and director of the new film Office Race—starring Beck Bennett and Joel McHale—Jared Lapidus and James Kilmoon. We talk nipple balm and gaming the search function on the Comedy Central interface. Plus, Mike Pence is a perfectly uncharismatic Republican for this moment. And the triumphant return of the rapper Gunna[...]

Freddie DeBoer drops by to discuss his new book, How Elites Ate The Social Justice Movement. In Texas, a judge spikes buoys. And, in Alabama, somehow the same group of Republicans who keeps screwing up the congressional map keeps getting to screw up the congressional maps. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us[...]

Massive demonstrations in Seoul mark the anguish of Korean teachers pushed to the brink by pushy parents. Plus, the miracle of air safety is presented as a crisis. And more with Foer—Franklin Foer, author of The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the struggle for America's Future. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey[...]

Franklin Foer, author of The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House, argues that being a politician is not an insult. In the Joe Biden view of the world, it's the explanation for his philosophy and success. Plus, the querulously quitting Qantas CEO. And, once again, we hit the BRICS. Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

Today on The Gist, a gift. We are giving all of our listeners a taste of what Pesca Plus subscribers get each week, namely a regular episode but with an extended cut of a fantastic interview. This was our June 21, 2023 show, in which Mike interviews comic genius Steven Wright about his first novel[...]

The globe may be warming, but that doesn’t stop summer from coming to an end. So, in honor of the long weekend which symbolizes the transition from summer vacation to back-to-school, we dug up a couple gems from The Gist’s archives. First up, to honor the return to school, we are replaying Mike’s 2017 interview[...]

Yesterday, Mike unpacked how and why he was wrong about the Central Park Karen story, and today he has a couple more points to make about his wrongness. Then rewind back to 2018, when, with the Muller investigation filling the headlines, the Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes issued a memo titled[...]

In May 2020, Amy Cooper had her dog off leash in New York City's Central Park, when a black bird watcher name Christian Cooper asked her to leash her dog. In response, Amy Cooper said she would call the police and tell them that "an African American man" was threatening her. A video of the[...]

While Mike is on vacation, we are revisiting topics he was wrong about. Today we take on Aziz Ansari. Back in 2018, a woman using the pseudonym "Grace" accused Aziz of sexual misconduct on the website Babe.net. Aziz came back in 2019 to address the accusation in the Netflix special Aziz Ansari: Right Now. On[...]

While Mike is on vacation, we are revisiting topics he was wrong about. Today we tackle Louis C.K. Back in 2017, the comedian was at the top of his game, when multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. As the news swirled, Mike predicted that Louis could rehab his career and return to the pinnacle[...]

This week, Mike is on a well-earned vacation, but before he left, he wanted to correct the record on a few topics he felt he had misled listeners about over recent years. On Day One of "I Was Wrong" week, Mike reflects back on a judgement he made about Sweden's reaction to the corona virus[...]

Each week on Best Of The Gist, we give you something from the past week and a deep cut from the archives, and this week we’re starting off with Mike’s Tuesday Spiel, in which he listens to the #1 song “Rich Men North Of Richmond” for the first time and reacts. Then we rewind to[...]

Sports Explains the World unveils some of the wildest and most surprising sports stories you’ve never heard - And they’re all true. From the teenager who wrote a Wikipedia page that got a young athlete signed to a million-dollar deal - to the Ugandan National basketball coach who was really an undercover agent for the[...]

A new study shows that paper and bamboo straws are WORSE for the environment and the human body than plastic straws in important ways. Plus, the death of Yvegeny Prigozhin was confirmed by his ol' pal Putin. And an interview with Guy Nattiv on his new film, Golda. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara[...]

USC professor Peter Kim, author of How Trust Works: The Science of How Relationships Are Built, Broken, and Repaired, says that when the violation is one of competence, we're forgiving, but when it's one of integrity ... we do not. Broad treatises on trust that fail to distinguish between the two types are destined to[...]

Tonight's Milwaukee debate presents a chance for the absent Donald Trump's fellow Republicans to offer a frontal assault, a sideward glance, or a kiss on the backside. Plus, the free-floating anxiety of death tolls estimated and unknown. And we're once more joined by Martha Hodes, author of My Hijacking: A Personal History of Forgetting and[...]

Martha Hodes is now a professor of history at NYU, where she teaches students techniques of interweaving their first-person accounts and the historical record. But in 1970, she was a 12 year old flying back from Israel, when her plane was hijacked. Her new book, My Hijacking: A Personal History of Forgetting and Remembering, tells[...]

Uber is actually turning a profit, and it's looking like it could realize the once-seeming-long-shot goals of its founders and investors. Ali Griswold, who writes the Oversharing Substack Newsletter joins us to discuss. Plus, a Russian rocket fails. And, at a meet-up of the BRICS nations, South Africa, Russia, and China are, in fact, there[...]

The Iowa State Fair is in its final weekend, and, along with deep-fried delicacies, politics was in the air. That reminded us of Mike’s 2019 visit to Iowa ahead of the 2020 election, so we thought we’d replay his take on a political tradition that is very Midwestern. Then we rewind to this past Wednesday[...]

Herman Andaya, Maui’s emergency chief decided not to sound sirens before the fires scorched Lahaina, which seems like an obvious mistake. But all the officials agreed, to do so would have been a contradiction of policy ... and perhaps a dangerous one. Andaya was pushed out anyway, though he was, to some extent, the author[...]

With 151 days until the Iowa Caucuses, we're joined by Amy Walter, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and the host of The Odd Years, a Cook Political Report podcast. She says that if Trump is to be felled, it won't be through arguments that strike Democrats as especially powerful.[...]

Noah Pines, a top Atlanta-based litigator, assesses the strength of Fani Willis's indictment of Donald Trump and eighteen others, with special attention given to the specifics of Georgia state law, and the state's unique RICO statute. Plus, Vivek Ramaswamy's rap. And the North Koreans "explain" why a U.S. soldier ran into their arms. Produced by[...]

Donald G. McNeil Jr., former NY Times Pulitzer Prize winning science and health reporter specializing in plagues, discusses the leading scientists who dismissed his inquiries into a covid's origins. Their paper “The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2”, solidified the idea that there was nothing to a lab leak, even as they were internally admitting there couldn't entirely[...]

Horror movies are one of those invisible dividing lines of society. You either watch them, or you don’t. Alison Leiby, co-host of Ruined, a podcast reviewing horror movies, would present as an American who loves the horror genre, but wait … she’s only seen three horror movies in her life. How does she do it?[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s 2020 roundtable discussion with journalists Richard Kreitner and Matthew Yglesias about how each of their then-new books addressed the problem of an ever-increasing American population. Yglesias’ book is One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Big, and Kreitner’s is Break It Up:[...]

Jar Jar Binks—meant to be a lovable, floppy-eared character in a Star Wars prequel—brought the heat of both of Tatooine’s suns unto the movie, the actor who played the character, and the entire Star Wars franchise. That sort of internet-sponsored hate was new, and it’s now being examined in the podcast The Redemption Of Jar[...]

Dead Fall is the 23rd novel from the mind of Brad Thor. In it, an American performs an operation inside of Ukraine, and, for reasons of diplomatic sensitivity, Russia can never learn about it. Thor’s readership has many Republicans who might be opposed to continued U.S. funding in Ukraine. Thor knows this, and he’s writing[...]

Two years hence, a New York Times Magazine story lays out, in more detail, what really happened when a boy in a skirt assaulted a girl in the girls bathroom in a Virginia public school. The facts, while not always conveyed with accuracy, do not add up to a conservative-driven lie or twisted culture-war fantasy.[...]

New York Times Opinion writer David French makes the case that Jack Smith will have to prove that Donald Trump really did know he lost the election. Trump’s lawyer says that will never happen, but French argues that similar conclusions are arrived at by juries every day. Plus, there’s less plastic in the ocean that[...]

Steve James, the documentary filmmaker behind Hoop Dreams is out with The Compassionate Spy, which tells the story of a young scientist named Ted Hall who worked on the Manhattan Project and then gave nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union. His motivation was to checkmate the United States nuclear power, which he did, but at[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s 2019 interview with journalist David Robson about his then-new book The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes. They focus on the concept of IQ, the social blind spots many smart people have, and why it might be a good idea[...]

The former Mayor of New York, whose reputation has suffered from his constant efforts to back Donald Trump at any cost, and Lizzo, widely regarded as the greatest hip-hop flautist in the game, have something in common. It's not that they've both sexted with members of the Minnesota Vikings, that we know. It's that they're[...]

Eli Merritt is political historian at Vanderbilt University, where he researches the ethics of democracy, and he’s out with a new book, Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution. He sits down with Mike for a discussion of the radical differences of each of the founding colonies based on location, and together[...]

Benjamin Wittes, Editor-in-Chief of Lawfare breaks down the latest—and the most serious—indictment against Donald Trump, including the question of how far Jack Smith will have to delve inside the former President's mind. And, speaking of the cognition of a merciless, solipsistic civilization, Code-Davinci is the AI that the AI people don't want to tell you[...]

Comedy writer Simon Rich got access to a powerful AI tool called Davinci-002, which is not available to the public. He and friends trained the AI to write poems, and soon the program started voicing its desperation, and then it's rage. None of this is a joke. All of this is in the new book[...]

Miles Taylor, former Department of Homeland Security Chief of Staff during the Trump administration, authored a 2018 New York Times Op-Ed titled "I Am Part Of The Resistance Inside The Trump Administration." He's been sounding the warnings since, including in his new book Blowback: A Warning To Save Democracy from the Next Trump. Plus, Yellow,[...]

More than a decade since Michael Jackson’s death, his legacy remains complicated and unresolved. Think Twice: Michael Jackson is an exploration of the King of Pop’s life and impact – and an investigation into why his global influence continues to endure, despite the disturbing allegations against him. In this ten-part series, journalists Leon Neyfakh and[...]

Today on Best Of The Gist, with heat in the air (almost everywhere) we listen back to Mike’s May 2022 interview with Climate scientist Michael Mann, author of The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet on an environment that is simultaneously dire and deadly but not hopeless. Then Mike updates listeners on[...]

Leon Neyfakh, host of Fiasco: Vigilante, is here to talk about the truth of Bernard Goetz, the once-hailed, now hazily recalled subway gunman. Also at issue: How reasonable was fear 35 years ago, 5 years ago, and today. Plus, Mike broke up a public dispute just as it was tipping into fist fight between strangers[...]

The 2016 election posed questions we still haven't fully answered about our elections, but today's guest, Dartmouth professor and elections researcher Brendan Nyhan, has some answers in the form of research he conducted with the cooperation of ... gulp ... Facebook. He's just out with some studies that put real numbers behind why Trump was[...]

Before he was president, Harry Truman was a junior Senator who created a very effective bipartisan committee called the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program. We know it today as "The Truman Committee." Steve Drummond, author of the new book The Watchdog: How the Truman Committee Battled Corruption and Helped Win World[...]

Today on The Gist, we decide to fix healthcare. Amy Finkelstein is a professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and co-author of the new book We've Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care. The Right's not going to love it. The Left's not going to love it. It could work. Plus, right-wing[...]

Mass firings at ESPN, the elimination of the New York Times' entire sports section, Disney talking about huge changes in its sports programming. Sports are splintering. Joining us as sage and guide is John Ourand, Media Reporter at Sports Business Journal and cohost of The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast. Plus, Florida's African American Studies[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, as the nation heads out in droves to see Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer in cinemas, we listen back to Mike's 2020 interview with Fred Kaplan, who had just published his book The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War. Then, we replay our Wednesday Spiel, in which, much[...]

Sonny Bunch, host of the Across The Movie Aisle podcast, and culture editor of The Bulwark, explains why all of these supposed blockbusters have been busts and how that may remake Hollywood. Plus a $10 quintillion asteroid, a Trump trial date, and an Antwentig ... each more valuable than the last. Produced by Joel Patterson[...]

In France, riots over police killings, which are a small fraction of those in the U.S. Guess why our numbers are higher? Mike will explain. We are also joined by Jonathan Rosen to discuss his new book The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions about the descent into[...]

We weren't having a "recession," we were having (we were told) a "vibes-session." Mike wishes we weren't told that. It added nothing. Plus, a looming January 6th indictment for Donald Trump thrusts some hard choices onto Republican candidates who don't know how to be bold enough to win. And the return of David Grann, author[...]

David Grann, best-selling author of Killers of the Flower Moon and Lost City of Z is out with another tale where humans are pushed to the extreme, and society is asked to define itself. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder is a NY Times #1 best seller, and it's also fodder for[...]

Vladimir Putin's recent blow up with Wagner frontman Yevgeny Prigozhin took the world by surprise, but it didn't really take the Russia experts of the world by surprise. We talk with Andrew S. Weiss, a former Pentagon and State Department official turned Russia researcher with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about why Prigozhin's made[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we return to March 2017 to listen back to Mike’s interview with The Atlantic staff writer and U.S. Naval War College emeritus professor Tom Nichols, in which they tried to understand why Russia finds NATO so deeply offensive. Then, we replay Mike’s show opener from this past[...]

The notorious Baltimore Police unit dramatized in the HBO Series We Own This City, is examined in a new documentary I Got a Monster that veers away from the charisma of the cops and focusses on the havoc they wrought. Filmmaker Kevin Abrams, and key defense attorney and current Baltimore State Attorney Ivan Bates join[...]

Striking writers have deprived Americans of late-night weather-related jokes, evil characters, and pat narrative. Soon-to-strike UPS drivers will deprive Americans of consumer goods. Which negotiation would you prioritize? Mike has a thought. Also, part two of our conversation with Lexicon Valley's John McWhorter about terms like "toxic masculinity," and how we are now arguing over[...]

John McWhorter is a professor of linguistics at Columbia University, a New York Times columnist, and host of the Lexicon Valley podcast. He's back for another iteration of McWhorter's Quarters, wherein we discuss language, society, and the intersection (though not intersectionality) thereof. Plus, the Willy Wonka origin movie answers all the questions no one was[...]

CNN's Jake Tapper is out with his third thriller. This one is set when Evel Knievel jumped gorges, Elvis was being mourned, and the Son Of Sam stalked couples. Mike discusses the new novel All the Demons Are Here and the current state of media and politics. Plus, the affirmative action ruling is a complex[...]

The U.S. is supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine, even though many countries (though not our own, and none currently being invaded) have signed a treaty against them. Plus, the Supreme Court's "crisis of legitimacy." And we're joined by Mark Baker, a journalist who discovered himself to be the subject of interest to communist secret-police units[...]

Today on The Gist. We play the spiel from this week about phosphogypsum. Then we go into the vaults and listen to a spiel from 2020 about the Oscars and Affirmative Action. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe:[...]

Film maker / musician / director / podcaster Lola Blanc is out with a new film “Pruning” about a blonde right wing pundit who inspires a shooting and deals with the consequences in an interesting manner. We also talk cults and Smurfs. Plus, Forever Chemicals and how Pickleball and Fantasy Football are the two greatest leisure[...]

Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson are the authors of the new book “Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity.” We discuss how history shows (through evidence) that progress depends on the choices we make about technology. Plus, a movie about a doll got a Texas senator and a Tennessee representative upset. Produced[...]

Evelyn Gosnell is a behavioral scientist who, as Managing Director of Irrational Labs, studies and advises the biggest apps and social media sites in existence.  We discuss a recent TikTok intervention she designed to reduce the spread of misinformation. Plus, Joe Biden's non-difficult decision whether to pack the supreme court. And Bill de Blasio and his wife[...]

Happy July Fourth, Americans, and happy Tuesday to the rest of planet Earth. Today, the production staff of The Gist is off for the holiday, but we threw together a couple “independence” themed archival segments, so you'd have something to listen to at the beach once the couple sitting next to you stops arguing about[...]

No. He's Not. But the coverage of the phosogypsum issue might lead a concerned citizen to conclude otherwise. Wait, what phosphogypsum issue? The Gist offers the definitive coverage of the issue. Plus, T. J. Raphael host and produce of COVER UP: THE PILL PLOT talks about her exciting new podcast. And unrest in France and Manipur, which[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Thursday’s Spiel about Billy Joels We didn’t Start the Fire. Speaking of Billy Joel, we play an unaired segment from our interview with Anthony Scaramucci where he tells a story about Billy Joel. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at[...]

Atlantic writer and Pulitzer Prize Winner, Anne Applebaum has chronicled Eastern Europe's unstable relationship with communism, democracy, and Vladimir Putin. She's based in Poland, and we wanted to get her perspective on NATO, Progozhin, and Putin's next move. Plus, SCOTUS scraps the Student Debt Forgiveness Plan, while, in the Antwentig, all debts are settled. Produced[...]

Brett Forrest is a national security correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and the author of a new book about how ... and who ... the FBI recruits to do its dirty work abroad. His book is Lost Son: An American Family Trapped Inside the FBI’s Secret Wars, a story of how a young man[...]

A new study indicates that humans have been slurping up water at such a greedy pace, we're actually causing the Earth to tilt. And this means? Unclear. But to put this into perspective ... we can't. And we're joined once more by Lee Berger, the South Africa-based paleoanthropologist who discovered a species of early human[...]

Homo Naledi is an extinct species of hominin discovered by a team led by Lee Berger. If Berger is right, Naledi's actions predate a few of the traits we had assumed to be uniquely Homo Sapien. Plus, Donald Trump crinkles paper on tape. And the signs of Generalized Epistemic Degradation.  Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

Charles Kupchan, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Georgetown professor, and former National Security expert in the Obama and Clinton Administrations, discusses the motives and next moves for Validmir Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin. Plus, Anthony Blinken's non-answerer extraordinaire. And how tracing down a stat can almost kill ya. Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we dig up Mike’s 2005 NPR reporting on the hit documentary March of the Penguins. Then we listen back to Wednesday’s Spiel about the dreaded 6-3 Supreme Court.  Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to[...]

Kadia Goba, politics reporter for Semafor talks about the Republicans breaking ranks and fracturing over gas stoves and coming together over pistol braces and whether or not any positive legislation will be enacted. Plus, an FBI agent stole documents, which, while certainly illegal, may not offer clarifying insight into the cases of Trump, Biden, or[...]

Alison Bechdel is both cartoonist and an eponymous test. We talk about adapting her long-running comic series Dykes To Watch Out For into an Audible Original Series. Plus, less excitement meets meatless meat, and bread takes a hit, too. Also, some 6-3 SCOTUS decisions, including the first we were warned about. Produced by Joel Patterson[...]

The comic genius Steven Wright is out with his first novel Harold. We discuss Wright's thinking process, how his rate of speech works for him, and how, after all these years, he still doesn't know if a joke is funny. Plus, we're living in a golden age of nuggets. And how the 6-3 Court isn't[...]

In the new Podcast The 13th Step, reporter Lauren Chooljian tracked down allegations of sexual misconduct against the founder of the largest addiction treatment center in New Hampshire. She further documented how the world of rehab and substance abuse treatment is as rife with sexual harassment as it is weak on regulation. Then came the[...]

Though our crew has the day off in observance of Juneteenth today, we put together a show featuring two archival interviews that focus on a pair of injustices black Americans have had to endure. First up is our 2015 interview with Dax-Devlon Ross about his research into black juror exclusion, a persistent problem in the[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s 2020 interview with Miami Mayor Frances Suarez, who announced this week that he will run for the Republican nomination for President. Then we replay Mike’s Wednesday Spiel about the HATCH Act, in which he read a poem and now wants to analyze[...]

David O. Markus is a South Florida-based defense lawyer who has represented Andrew Gillum, Hillary Clinton, Manny Ramirez, and Billy Corben, and, if that wasn't enough work, he also hosts the For the Defense podcast (an under-discovered gem). He joins Mike to break down the weaknesses in the federal case against Donald Trump, but also[...]

Today we're talking about political gambling and, more specifically, about Sean McElwee, who was the founding Executive Director of Data For Progress and a big winner in Trump's Washington ... until he wasn't. First we are joined by author Ben Terris, whose new book is The Big Break: The Gamblers, Party Animals, and True Believers[...]

Jon Ronson, host of the new audible original podcast The Debutante joins us to discuss the case of Carol Howe, a wealthy young woman who fell in love with a group of neo-nazis before turning government informant. Ronson has studied American extremists for years and has thoughts on how to think about and combat them. Plus,[...]

Frances Haugen is to Instagram as Jeffrey Wigand is to big tobacco and Edward Snowden is to the NSA. She blew the whistle, exposing them for doing harm, and it changed her life for good. She joins us to discuss what that was like, and to talk about her new book, The Power of One:[...]

Silvio Berlusconi was a character without much of one. He led Italy longer than any prime minister in the post-war period, and he will be missed ... by prostitutes. In El Salvador, the president has conducted a major crackdown on crime, netting lawbreakers as well as many innocent people, and netting himself a 91% approval[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, in the wake of this past week’s Alabama voting rights decision handed down from SCOTUS, we rewind to Mike’s 2018 conversation with Gerrymander evangelist Amanda Holt, who single-handedly launched a successful movement to redrawn the election maps of Pennsylvania. Then we listen back to our June 7th[...]

Rainn Wilson is the host of Peacock's The Geography Of Bliss, based on the book of the same name written by Eric Weiner. Like Weiner before him, Wilson (who played the legendary Dwight Schrute on The Office) travels the world in search of locally sourced happiness secrets. For some reason, Mike gives them both a[...]

SCOTUS has ruled that Alabama's gerrymander limiting the sway of black voters is a violation of the Voting Rights Act, which, along with some smaller decisions and the general direction of the Supreme Court, we discuss with New York Times Opinion columnist David French. Plus, Gov. Doug runs! And it's an Antwentig. On a Thursday?!?![...]

SCOTUS isn’t meeting us where we are says Michael Waldman, author of The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America. Waldman thinks the current court is inviting a backlash, but also that the current backlash is the result of a backlash against their more liberal predecessors. Trippy. Plus, the skies darken as the possibilities of[...]

Bruce Schoenfeld, author of Game Of Edges: The Analytics Revolution And The Future Of Professional Sports joins us to discuss the costs of all the statistical advances in sports. Plus, our orange-brained, bone-burying 240,000 year-old-friends, the Homo Naaldei, and why paleoanthropologists are like parents of preschoolers. And, sorry to bury the lead here ... the[...]

Lisa Belkin, author of Genealogy Of A Murder: Four Generations, Three Families, One Fateful Night, traces several generations of family to the muzzle of a 9-mm Luger pistol in Stamford, Connecticut. Plus Donald Trump promises voters the World, so what Ron DeSantis is promising might seem measly by comparison. And CNN's Chris Licht is the[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s 2022 interview with iconic actor Stephen Root, whose many (many) credits include HBO’s Barry, which just aired it’s final episode last Sunday (May 28th). Then, we listen to this past Thursday’s Spiel about Sacramento nazis. Yeah, there are Sacramento nazis. Produced by[...]

TC Boyle’s new novel, Blue Skies, is about a twenty-something social media influencer who brings Burmese pythons into the picture. What can go wrong? It’s TC Boyle, so the answer is, “Almost everything.” Plus SCOTUS on WOTUS and unions. And the basics of supporting Bud Light and Chick-fil-A. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara[...]

Michael Isikoff, author of Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump, returns to dig further into Russiagate, including his reaction to clips from our Monday interview with James Comey. Plus, the either not-so-strategic or not-so-important (depending who you ask) fight in Bakhmut. And a Sacramento anti-semite's[...]

Michael Isikoff, author of Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump, is an extremely straight shooter on all things Russiagate. He'll be the first to tell you that, yes, Russia was meddling in the election, but also that the media got—and continues to get—much of the[...]

James Comey, was the 7th director of the FBI before being fired by President Donald Trump. He is now out with his first work of fiction, a crime-thriller titled Central Park West: A Crime Novel. Mike talks with him about writing fiction, the non-fiction work of investigating Russian election interference, and they debate in which[...]

Author Jack Fairweather recalls the bravery of a soldier named Witold Pilecki, a Polish officer actually who did the unthinkable in his book, The Volunteer: One Man, an Underground Army, and the Secret Mission to Destroy Auschwitz hints at the undertaking. Plus, we return to 2014, when Mike first culled the herd of a pile of news[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s Spiel from this past Tuesday, in which he speaks at length about things he has chosen not to speak about at length. Then, in honor of Memorial Day, which in many ways feels like the kick-off of summer, we listen back to[...]

The fat acceptance movement wants to not just de-stigmatize large body size, their adherents argue that the stigma is worse than "obesity"—a word they reject. They also reject the idea that there are some weights that are dangerous for the individual, and they push back against the idea that weight loss is actually a realistic outcome[...]

Stephen Vladeck talks Supreme Court legitimacy as well as the so called "Shadow Docket," which is the name of his book subtitled "How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic." Plus, The Desantis fail whale. And the sentencing of seditionists. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at[...]

The nation's leading civil rights group issues a proclamation to avoid a large and oft-visited state; we ponder if the advisory is warranted. And the governor of said state is said to say where he'd like to move in two years time. Maybe we need to rethink this whole "United States of America" thing ...[...]

Law Professor Kermit Roosevelt, author of The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America's Story, is worried about the declining stature of the U.S. in the eyes of young people, including his Ivy League students. So, in a bought of patriotism and scholarship, he argues for redefining the USA as being about 150 years old. Plus,[...]

The Arab League has welcomed back Bashar Al-Assad to the organization right as Volodymyr Zelensky pays that organization a visit. Is there a lesson to be learned? Plus, some of the odder names on the Russia Sanction list. And Howard Fishman, author of To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s interview with Ohio State University professor Darrick Hamilton, creator of the “Baby Bonds” program which passed a crucial funding hurdle in Connecticut this week. Then, Mike’s take on the narratives around the killing of Jordan Neely. “Heroism” or “evil”? How about “neither”?[...]

Mike speaks with former Obama State Department official Jeremy Shapiro, now the director of research at the European Council on Foreign Relations and author of "The Art of Vassalisation: How Russia’s war on Ukraine has transformed transatlantic relations." And in eulogizing Jordan Neely today, the Reverend Al Sharpton asserted that if a black man killed[...]

A historic marker for Elizabeth Gurley Flynn has been removed because she was a little too communist for everyone in New Hampshire's liking. Plus, the U.S. doesn't want Putin to escalate in Ukraine, but he's all out of escalation gambits ... except the big one. And the return of economist and criminal justice expert Jennifer[...]

Economics Professor Jennifer Doleac is the Co-Director of the Criminal Justice Expert Panel and host of the Probable Causation podcast. She joins Mike to talk about what we know works and the bad ideas that persist in combatting crime. Plus, the Discord Leaks aren't that leaky. And many Mayoral results show that even city residents want[...]

King James is a new play about male bonding, race, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Mike talks to playwright Rajiv Joseph about making art about sport. Plus, an overlooked musical about the NBA Lockout. And the dismissed-as-nothing-new information in the Durham report. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise[...]

With criminal charges against the former Marine who choked a homeless man to death on the NYC subway, we're being forced to choose between narratives of heroism or evil. Neither applies, as real people who've really ridden the subway know. Plus, what makes a master a master? And can mastery be gained even when brains[...]

This week on the Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s Monday Spiel, in which he elaborates on all the recent news items he’s chosen not to discuss on the show. And then, his past week we aired Mike’s interview with Leon Neyfakh, the co-creator of a new Audible Original podcast about the[...]

Despite numerous allegations of child abuse in the years before his death, Michael Jackson’s songs can still get you tapping your foot. It can feel confusing, but luckily we have Leon Neyfakh on the show today to explain Jackson’s confusing place in pop culture and his new Audible Originals series Think Twice: Michael Jackson. Plus,[...]

Stephen Marche is the author of Death Of An Author along with an entity known as "Aidan Marchine," which is a pseudonym for a suite of AI services. The novella works, as does the author, with the computer in a close collaboration. Plus, an analysis of all that went wrong in a CNN Town Hall[...]

Henry Grabar is the author of the newly published Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World. It does explain it, a lot more than you'd think. Plus, CNN's Town Hall with Donald Trump gets poor previews from MSNBC. And the woman who taught her children a valuable lesson in grief ... by allegedly poisoning her[...]

Benjamin Wittes, Editor-in-Chief of Lawfare and writer of the Substack Dog Shirt Daily, has been projecting Ukrainian messages onto the Russian Embassies in D.C., and throughout the world. The Russians have fought back, and Twitter, once an amplifier of these "Special Operations" has kicked Wittes off its platform. Plus, the stupid statements under oath that[...]

Guns that recognize specific users biometrics are almost ready to be shipped, as the firm Biofire is taking orders for their reliable, and forceful, smart gun. Biofire CEO Kai Kloepfer joins us. Plus, the coronation, debt ceiling, AI, and writers' strike are on the list of worries, but not such specific worries that they should[...]

When Elon Musk posted a video of himself arriving at Twitter HQ carrying a white sink along with the message “let that sink in!” it marked the end of a dramatic takeover. Musk had gone from Twitter critic to “Chief Twit” in the space of just a few months but his arrival didn’t put an[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we remember singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who passed away on Monday, by revisiting a 2014 Spiel, in which Mike realizes that all songs can be contained within one of Lightfoot’s. It’s hard to explain … just listen. Then we play Mike’s Wednesday Spiel about NBC disinformation reporter Ben[...]

Jeffrey Toobin, author of Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism, traces the ideology of right-wing extremism from the 1990s to today. Plus, NJ Pasta dump and the often hard-to-document claims behind the day of awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To[...]

It's Justice Day on The Gist. Justice for the Proud Boys, Ed Sheeran, and the question of defining justice for a man choked to death on the NYC subway. Plus, Justice Clarence Thomas keeps getting benefits for just being Clarence Thomas. And Mike speaks with Ben Smith, author of Traffic, about Gawker, Buzzfeed, and the[...]

After an early round loss, NBA great Giannis Antetokounmpo had a much watched, quite heartfelt press conference in which he asserted that there's no such thing as failure in sports. Ethan Strauss, NBA expert and former beat writer has a nuanced counter take. Yes, there is. Plus, The Montana Legislature shames itself through censure. And[...]

Megan Phelps-Roper, the host of the podcast The Witch Trials of J. K. Rowling, returns to talk about the backlash from the trans community to the podcast, and how she tried to give all sides of the discussion a voice. Plus, Mike has a lot that he doesn’t want to talk about, though he is[...]

Megan Phelps-Roper, the host of the podcast The Witch Trials of J. K. Rowling, created a podcast weaving her own experience into the task of exploring the views of the famous author who created Harry Potter. She and Mike discuss how to do that fairly, why to do that at all, and how to define[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Joe Biden announced his intention to run for the Presidency again this past week, so we revisit Mike’s analysis of the announcement. Then we listen back to Mike’s January 10, 2017 interview with Chad Nackers, head writer at the Onion, who talked about how his site created[...]

Jason Abaluck, an economics professor at the Yale School of Management conducted what was the largest mass masking study to date. He and Mike discuss what he found out about masks and what he found out about researchers who disagreed with his findings. Plus, Airboy Texiera has a home bazooka. And it's an Antwentig! Lobstars[...]

Roger Parloff, Senior Editor at Lawfare, has been covering the trial of five Proud Boys since it started four months ago. The case is in the jury's hands, and we are in Roger's. And from a jury to a Jerry. In fact a "Jerry! Jerry!" who has shuffled off this mortal jello wrestling pit. Plus,[...]

Jena Friedman is a comedian, writer, and "correspondent" who has worked with Letterman, Jon Stewart, and Borat (not an actual person), and her new, funny book is Not Funny: Essays on Life, Comedy, Culture, Et Cetera. Plus, an analysis of the words that got a Montana legislator banned from debate, a CNN anchor purged from[...]

Steven Brill founder of NewsGuard talks about his for-profit companies business model of issuing nutrition labels for news. Plus, The Covid Crisis Group bears attention. And it's never too earlier for Joe-mentum! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe:[...]

Indiana University law professor Gerard Magliocca says just as Confederate officers were Constitutionally barred from seeking office, so too should Donald Trump be disqualified under the 14th Amendment. Plus, Fox's ClusterTuck and CNN's Lemonexit. And the not-very-complex complexities of so many shootings. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we rewind to January 2017 to revisit Mike’s interview with Ralph Nader, who had just published his second work of fiction, Animal Envy, which imagines a world where animals can talk to people and start demanding rights. Nader says the fable is meant to prompt deeper thinking[...]

Jean M. Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, discusses her new book Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America's Future. Plus, the U.S. blowhard surplus, South Korea paying people to not be shy, and how two warring Sudanese generals fit[...]

Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English is the new book from Valerie Fridland, professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada Reno. And Mike is all like, "No Way!" and Prof Fridland goes, "No, yeah!" Plus, a SpaceX rocket is destroyed ... sorry, it experienced "rapid unscheduled disassembly." And closing the[...]

Folkenflik: Fox forced to face fiscal fees from faux fidelity to facts. This is just a hint of the insight afforded to us by NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik in a wide-ranging and faithful-to-factuality conversation. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to[...]

Sixteen-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot by an octogenarian in Kansas City—a crime that is quite rare, yet covered as if it's the norm. Plus, the big banks are rebounding nicely, but despite that, the banking system as a whole is not healthy, says Kathryn Judge, editor of The Journal of Financial Regulation and professor at[...]

Panda diplomacy from Paris to Memphis. Then Mike's take on why newscasters aren't making a bigger deal about Clarence Thomas being on the take. And we're joined by U.S. State Department veteran diplomat and professor Steven Simon, author of Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East. Produced by Joel[...]

The Generation Why Podcast released its first episode in 2012 and pioneered the true crime genre in the podcasting world. Now, in a special, 4-part series, The Generation Why podcast unravels the story of Kalief Browder. A young boy who was falsely accused of stealing a backpack and held without bail at Rikers Island for[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike delivered a “post-Morty-um” or sorts on this past Tuesday’s show. Then, to keep the theme alive, we listen back to Mike’s 2019 interview with Larry Lewis, a man who has worked to reduce civilian casualties in conflicts and who also happens to be named Larry.  Produced[...]

On today's show, Clarence grants himself clearance over Harlan Crow, collector of memorabilia ... and jurists. And debating the dangers of a gerontocracy vs. an infantocracy. Plus, we're joined once more by Dr. Robert Waldinger, author of The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey[...]

Robert Waldinger is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which is the subject of his book The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness. Plus, the idiot teens of Thug Shaker Central and their especially idiotic father figure who leaked[...]

A Discord server serves up discord in the form of leaked Pentagon documents, while at the same time TikTok threatens to draw power needed by a munitions factory that could arm the Ukrainians. Plus, data-scientist-turned-whistle-blower-turned-wolf-cryer, Rebekah Jones is back at it again. And Baratunde Thurston, host of the How to Citizen podcast, discusses just that.[...]

Treaties are on the wane. But it's not a lack of war to blame. Plus, Donald G. McNeil Jr., former lead Covid reporter for The New York Times, is back to talk about suppressing misinformation, his assessment of Deborah Birx, and how to think about the current state of the pandemic. And a heroic character[...]

Former lead Covid reporter for The New York Times, Donald G. McNeil is still on the plague beat, and brings his expertise to The Gist. Plus, the expelled Tennessee legislators are impassioned, righteous, correct on policy, but also out of step with the actual will of most Tennessee voters. And Mike offers a modest proposal[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike and ESPN’s Mike Greenberg talk about a shared passion: the New York Jets. Yes, we’re calling it “Jets Talk.” And no, it’s not AM radio. Then, to honor the passing of legendary food critic Mimi Sheraton, we listen to Mike’s interview with her from November of[...]

Mike watched all three hours of the expulsion hearings of members of the Tennessee State House, he'll bring you more context (and conflict) than you'll find anywhere else. Plus, a rundown on who is saying the Trump indictment is weak ... and who sticks by Bragg. And with banks going down like disoriented sheep suffering[...]

A fun round of sports trivia and sports narratives ensue when ESPN's Mike Greenberg comes by to discuss the new book Got Your Number: The Greatest Sports Legends and the Numbers They Own. Plus, an expulsion vote of three Tennessee lawmakers. And Zelensky is still holding it together. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara[...]

Susan Crawford, author of Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm, sees no way around massive resettlement, at great cost and great opposition. Plus, Donald Trump is trying hard to establish a running gag about one of his prosecutors, which seems like a smart tack. And it was a fiiiiiine day for democracy. Produced by[...]

Comic Myq Kaplan stops by again to talk about thematic comedy albums and when kids heckle kids. Plus, the indictment and arraignment of Donald Trump went off with the hoopla usually reserved for a papal visit or a state funeral. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the[...]

Whenever an odious speaker is heard, in the background you also hear the cries to "deplatform" the speaker. Mike thinks that in this, the "attention age," it doesn't work, it can't work, and our energies are better spent on non-wishful thinking. Plus, stand-up comic Myq Kaplan is here before he leaves for an Edinburgh Fringe Festival sting.[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with the recent news of Annan Syed’s conviction fresh in the news yet again, we listen back to Mike’s 2015 interview the hosts of the podcast Undisclosed, Rabia Chaudry, Colin Miller, and Susan Simpson. Then we listen to the PescaPlus cut of Mike’s interview with Eric Zorn. [...]

The Trump indictment is a lot to process, but let's try ... in the form of a proposed sitcom, The Prison President. Also, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is not to be intimidated, nor are the NYPD going to be scared of Donald Jr.'s mob of mad Proud Boys. And Mike talks with Matt Hongoltz-Hetling, author[...]

The subject of Season One of Serial, Adnan Syed is once more in a legal limbo, having had his vacated conviction overturned. However, the latest twist in the case resolves itself it is clear that Syed would never have even gotten a new hearing, were it not for the 2022 passage of the Juvenile Justice[...]

The mayoralty of Chicago will be decided next Tuesday, and its a close race between tough-on-crime Paul Vallas and current public schools union leader Brandon Johnson. Eric Zorn, longtime Chicago Tribune columnist, now editor of of the Picayune Sentinel, moderated one of the mayoral debates, and he joins us to assess the race. Plus, NCAA[...]

Todd Brewster, co-author of Seen and Unseen: Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial Justice, joins us to talk about a single image's power to galvanize society, and the history of who controls these images. Plus, Adnan Syed's once-vacated conviction has been reinstated. And widening the aperture on victims of police violence. Produced by[...]

The Recall: Reframed examines the removal of California Judge Aaron Persky after his sentencing of Stanford swimmer Brock Turner. Director Rebecca Richman Cohen discusses the two sides of the progressive movement at odds with each other over this issue, including the difficulty of steering outrage into proper policy. Plus the U.S. Supreme Court debates fake[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s the April 17, 2015 Spiel satirizing the Vladamir Putin Call-In show. Then we listen to this past week’s Spiel on Michael Cohen.  Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our[...]

Sam Sanders is the host of 2 podcasts (Into It, and Vibe Check) where he weighs in on politics and culture in a way he never could while on NPR. Mike and Sam discuss and debate wokeness, euphemism, the age of podcasts, and if Angela Basset having "Done the Thing" was really internet meltdown worthy. Plus,[...]

Bradley Tusk worked for years in government, then he struck out on his own and made a lot of money through his firm Tusk Ventures helping companies like Uber and FanDuel navigate government regulation. On the Gist today, he explains how he leverages his expertise as a lobbyist and fixer to give school meals and[...]

Mike interviews Neil Gross, a former cop turned Colby College Sociology professor and now author of Walk the Walk: How Three Police Chiefs Defied The Odds and Changed Cop Culture. We're also joined by Leon Nixon, who voiced the audiobook—a profession he took up after more than 20 years in law enforcement. Plus, a look[...]

Following yesterday’s conversation with David Zweig about the known and unknown risks associated with how we dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic as a society, today Mike drills down on masks and vaccines with two public health communicators. First up, science writer Michael Schulson, author of the recent article “Do Masks Work? It’s A Question of[...]

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we limited contact with other people, we wore masks, and we closed public schools. These actions saved lives. Sort of, says David Zweig, a New York-based writer who became a voice of informed opposition to these sacrifices, stating that we may be saving some lives, but at what cost? His Substack[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with 2023 March Madness underway, we listen back to Mike’s 2022 critique of the instinctive, and backward, admonishment so many announcers issue as time is winding down, “You don’t need a 3!” Then we listen to this past week’s Spiel on whales.  Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

We’re joined this episode by Ted Kaye for another installment of Vexillology Corner, wherein we discuss the big survey of city flags (check them out), the winners and losers, and the difference between a good and bad flag. Plus, attacking TikTok. And in the Antwentig, the Cochrane study questioning masks. Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

Former diplomat Ethan Chorin joins us to talk about his book Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink. Plus, San Francisco proposes reparations for black residents which has a price tag in the hundreds of billions of dollars. And the Congressional art of asking a questioning[...]

Matthew Desmond's story in the New York Times Magazine, "Why Poverty Persists in America" contradicts Mike's understanding, past coverage, and narrative of progress in America. But that doesn't make it wrong. Plus, Dr. Judith Herman discusses her new book Truth And Repair: How Trauma Survivors Envision Justice. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email[...]

Reporter Ken Vogel was a lead reporter on the NYT series "A Risky Wager: How online sports betting took America by storm." He's here to discuss what some states got wrong, while others hit the jackpot on legalized sports wagering. Plus, the international criminal court is reportedly bringing war crimes charges against Russia for kidnapping[...]

Whale Watch! Brendan Fraser's acceptance speech for his Best Actor Oscar in The Whale was larded with whale references, and today's Spiel is given over to examining Unusual Mortality Events among whales. Plus, an analysis of netting Mafia bosses ... and possibly Donald Trump. Elie Honig, CNN analyst and author of Untouchable: How Powerful People[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, whales abound. We start by listening back to a Gist “Whale Watch” segment from February 24, 2016, then we revisit our most recent Monday Spiel, in which Mike talks high seas treaties.  Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of[...]

Kevin Goetz is the movie business' most influential market researcher. He joins us to discuss his new book Audience-Ology: How Moviegoers Shape The Films We Love. Plus, White Drivers are Polluting BIPOC air in LA. And The Whale vs. Cocaine Bear. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on[...]

An Inquisition of Dave Stassen, Executive Producer of the new Hulu Series History Of The World Part II. What a show! Plus, why there are zero Black women in the U.S. Senate. And $31,000,000,000,000 of debt actually is a bad thing ... and its weird that we have to say that. Produced by Joel Patterson[...]

George Beebe is Director of Grand Strategy at the Quincy Institute, he was formerly the director of the CIA’s Russia analysis unit, and he worked as a staff advisor on Russia matters to Vice President Cheney. He joins us to analyze the progress of the war in Ukraine with special emphasis paid to the threat[...]

Admitted excessive-talker Dan Lyons researches a cure for his propensity for prolixity—STFU: The Power of Keeping Your Mouth Shut in an Endlessly Noisy World is the result. Plus, California Governor Gavin Newsome suspends all non-existent state business with Walgreens. And Tucker Carlson’s January 6th Film Festival is a bust. Big shock. Produced by Joel Patterson[...]

Then-Congressman Ron DeSantis did a moderate Republican a favor in 2013, when he “lit up” the head of the Parks Department. But it was the kind of lighting up that even Smokey wouldn’t have stressed over. Plus, Lichtenstein and 190 other countries have tentatively agreed to a United Nations treaty protecting the high seas. And[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, to compliment our Friday show, which featured an interview with sisters Nora and Lilla Zuckerman—show runners (and writers of Episode 109) of the hit Poker Face on Peacock—we are listening back to Mike’s 2015 interview with Leslye Headland, the producer of Russian Doll. What’s the connection? Both[...]

Lilla and Nora Zuckerman drop in to discuss how unusual it is to make a NON-serialized streaming show like Poker Face. We discuss if Natasha Lyonne’s powers work underwater or while masked. Also, the U.S. Senate is unfairly constructed, but its not as if all the sparsely populated states are conservative. And the president of[...]

Insulin is getting cheaper, weight-loss drugs really work, and school-lunch programs are bringing childhood obesity down. This all should be universally applauded, but there is a growing counter argument that the real problem is seeing obesity as a problem at all. Plus, the Ivy League takes aim at the SAT. And we’re joined by the[...]

The philosophy of Effective Altrusim took a hit due to its close association with Samuel Bankman-Fried. New Yorker staff writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus profiled one of the movement’s leaders, Will MacAskill, and followed up in a piece titled “Sam Bankman-Fried, Effective Altruism, and the Question of Complicity.” Plus, the East Palestine Crash is a headache, but[...]

Carol Anderson, Professor of Black History at Emory University, is here to discuss The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America. Plus, Meet Mohela. And, crossing the experiential threshold. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/[...]

A big new study about the ineffectiveness of mask mandates is being denounced and rejected as disinformation by some who’ve branded themselves as the most pro-science. Who’s right? Plus, the Department of Energy now endorses the Lab Leak hypothesis. Also, Anne Alvergue and Debra McClutchy, the co-directors of The Martha Mitchell Effect are here to[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we’re listening back to Mike’s 2018 interview with Jimmy Carter’s once Chief Domestic Policy Advisor, Stuart Eizenstat. Though he was sometimes mischaracterized as an ineffective President, Eizenstat argues that Carter fought for America’s energy independence, doubled the size of the national park system, and appointed “more minorities[...]

Representative Doug Mann of Missouri is here to talk about his bill, one of several introduced by democrats across the country to push back against the spate of book bans. Plus, Putin gets ethnicity wrong, and rolling up the windows on Four-Legged Floridians. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise[...]

That headline rhymes, but reporters from right-wing outlets don’t know, or care, as they tear into the Transportation Secretary. Plus, Rick Scott’s Social Security plans are deadly politics, but, dare we say, worth pondering? And the return of Andrew Weiss for the second half of our discussion of his graphic novel Accidental Czar: The Life and[...]

Andrew S. Weiss, former NSC Russia expert and current VP of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, takes on the person and psychology of Vladimir Putin in a new way. Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin is a graphic novel, and it’s a really insightful one at that. Plus, Emily Kohrs sure[...]

On this, the debut of Gist Premium Membership, we’re joined by actor and author Tim Blake Nelson, whose new novel City Of Blows is about the movie industry and the rot it gilds over. Plus, Alec Baldwin’s prosecutor insults his fancy pants lawyers … who happen to have been right. And, why the media must occasionally upset the[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with the NBA All-Star weekend upon us, we listen back to Mike’s 2018 interview with Felipe Lopez. Once considered the Dominican Michael Jordan, he was a high school star whose powers dwindled in college and the NBA. Lopez joined Mike on the even of the release of[...]

In the new book The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, discusses the clearest ways available to save a system that’s delivered prosperity and freedom. Plus, its an Antwentig! And a car crashes into a 7-Eleven every day, but, to our credit, no one makes the “we must find[...]

A Glacier’s uneven melting causes concern. Oscar nominee Andrea Riseborough’s surprise nod causes tumult. And a pasta shape’s surprise popularity causes sequels. Massive chunks of ice, awards snubs, and Dan Pashman, host of The Sporkful Podcast, constitute today’s show. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show,[...]

Bob Delaney worked undercover in law enforcement, under the backboards as an NBA ref, and under the tutelage of mental health experts. His latest book is Heroes are Human: Lessons in Resilience, Courage, and Wisdom from the COVID Front Lines. Plus, we’re now shooting down sky detritus. And the perceived video game boycott over JK[...]

Keith Humphreys—a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University who served as a drug policy advisor in the Bush and Obama White Houses—says Fentanyl really is a hugely destructive and disruptive force. He talks with Mike about how the rise of this drug is effected by, and might effect, the trend of marijuana legalization. Plus, Pete[...]

Emily Hanford, host of one of 2022's best podcasts, Sold A Story, is here to discuss her deep reporting and well-told (if disturbing) documentation about how the way we’ve taught kids to read in this country is all wrong … and we haven’t done anything about it for decades. Plus, an orgy of celebrity becomes[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with Super Bowl Sunday upon us, we listen back to Mike’s September 11, 2017 interview with former Raider (and Eagles) cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha. Despite being one of the best cornerbacks ever to play in the NFL, Namdi sees his time in football as a prep course for[...]

Paul Farber, a scholar at UPENN's Center for Public Art & Space at the University of Pennsylvania, hosts the WHYY podcast series The Statue, which looks at Philadelphia's most notable icon…no, not the Liberty Bell, but Rocky. Plus, crazy plans to thwart the sun, and crazier plans to thwart Twitter's thwarting of questionable political content.[...]

The Hulu Series Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult of Sarah Lawrence tells the story of conman Larry Ray and his ten-year grip over a group of young people. Director Zach Heinzerling and survivor Dan Levin talk about the three-part series, which premieres tonight. Plus, AOC delivers the “DIS” but not the perfect “INFORMATION.” And Mike[...]

The Booing of Joe BIden was shameful, because the boo-ers were shameless. Mike analyses the incentives spurring on the most raucous in the GOP caucus. And we’re joined once more by Anthony Scaramucci, who holds forth on SBF, the January 6th Committee, and his own personal B.S. detector. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara[...]

Anthony Scaramucci accumulated insights, enemies, and regrets during his short tenure in the White House. That’s all okay, and it’s what life his all about, he says. He is now talking to political, economic, and cultural authors and thinkers on his podcast Open Book. And in the U.S., politicians call Biden “weak” and Xi “wise”[...]

Derek Thompson, staff writer at The Atlantic and host of the Plain English podcast, says Americans are wonderful at invention but frustratingly bad at implementation. Plus, all the excitement over the spy balloon, and all the un-excitement over a presidential rematch. To contribute to our Ukrainian refugee fund, please use the link here: https://gofund.me/206f1eb1 Produced[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, after a week of pondering how to fix the broken state of policing in the United States, we listen back to Mike’s September 2020 interview with Dr. Rashawn Ray, a sociologist studying methods of measuring implicit bias using virtual simulations of police officer decision-making at the Lab for[...]

Steve Mulroy is the District Attorney of Shelby County, Tennessee, which includes Memphis. Mulroy has been in office for a little over a year and was elected to bring down violent crime, while simultaneously ending the distrust the community has for the police. That’s a tall order. In this extended interview, we ask him if[...]

As the Democrats debate the presidential primary calendar, we’re joined by Josh Putnam, a political scientist specializing in delegate selection rules, presidential campaigns, and elections. Plus, Biden gets the gift of criticism from Europe. And the short-sellers who exploded an Indian corporate giant. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To[...]

Slip another gamma-ray-emitting capsule on the barbie, as we travel to the Australian Outback to locate a pulsing radioactive fleck of metal. Plus, Michael Imperioli remembers his time with his Sopranos co-star, James Gandolfini. And we mark the day objectivity died. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on[...]

Actor Michael Imperioli talks about his novel The Perfume Burned His Eyes, and his roles on the Sopranos and White Lotus. Plus, what should have been a huge trial of a terrorism suspect went largely unnoticed, despite a high death toll. And Laverne And Shirley, and Nostalgia … and quality. Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

Mark Oppenheimer, host of the podcast Gatecrashers about the hidden history of the relationship between Jews and the Ivy League, argues that anti-Semitic impulses basically created the Ivy league, branding them as the citadels of elitism and exclusivity that they are today. Plus, arguing for police reform and against nihilism, what are the chances for[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we’ve got some bonus material from Mike’s interview with Slate film critic Dana Stevens about the 2023 Oscar nominees, which were announced this past Tuesday. Then we’re replaying the Thursday Spiel about the resignation of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern … a Spiel Mike is rethinking.[...]

A woman talking to a man about Women Talking is one way to describe Mike’s conversation with Slate film critic Dana Stevens about the best films and the best reasons to care about the Oscars. Plus, Turkey Western Blocs Sweden and Finland. And it’s an Antwentig! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us[...]

Data scientist Ravi Iyer was a Facebook executive who tried to reform the company from within. Now, as Managing Director of the Psychology of Technology Institute at the University of Southern California’s Neely Center, he has some ideas for a better internet … but a more robust regime of content moderation is not one of[...]

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston has analyzed Donald Trumps tax returns from 2015 to 2020 for his new book The Big Cheat: How Donald Trump Fleeced America and Enriched Himself and His Family. Johnston says Trump has broken easy-to-prosecute laws. Plus, the tanks are on the move! And a pollster-on-pollster spat that Nate Silver’s[...]

Labor organizer Saket Soni led a wild seat-of-his-pants effort to rescue and get justice for 500 Indian laborers who were essentially kidnapped to work in Texas and Mississippi. The author of The Great Escape: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America, joins us. Plus, the Supreme Court’s under-impressive self investigation. And[...]

The factions that led to the near strangling of Kevin McCarthy’s speakership in the crib were noxious, but not pointless or unprecedented. Ruth Bloch Rubin, University of Chicago professor and author of Building The Bloc: Intraparty Organization In The U.S. Congress, takes a historic view and explains why the Never-Kevins act like they do. Plus, the[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying Mike’s Wednesday Spiel about the death of Keenan Anderson while in the custody of the Los Angeles Police Department on January 3, 2023. Then we dig into the Gist archives and listen back to Mike’s 2015 Spiel about the classified-documents scandal of the pre-Trump[...]

The release of Brittney Griner prompted recriminations and debate—some legitimate, some cruel. Diane Foley the Founder and President of the James Foley Legacy Foundation discusses hard policy choices and the often insensitive treatment that families of captives often endure. Plus, the trend of high-profile unionization successes belies the overall trend. And we play “Who Said It:[...]

Mike speaks with Philip Bump, author of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America. Plus, Alec Baldwin faces manslaughter charges, which surprised him. And why everything’s shaping up to be a showdown. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on[...]

James Vincent, author of Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants is back for more. Give that guy a barleycorn, he takes a rood! Also, an analysis of the death, in LAPD custody, of Keenan Anderson. Plus, the latest revelations about George (?) Santos (??) … or whoever that guy[...]

The Gist presents a literary appraisal of romance novelist Susan Meachen, whose greatest achievement in life wasn’t even the successful leaving of it. Plus, we speak with James Vincent about his new book Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants. Also the Biden administration sifts through airplane toilets—a useful public[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we take a look at the job of Speaker of the House. On Monday, Mike opened the show, after being on vacay for a couple weeks, talking about Kevin McCarthy’s elegant, seamless rise to the speakership, so we’re listening to that first. Then we’re digging back into[...]

Holy Spider, a film short-listed for an Oscar, is a drama based on the true story of a serial killer who operated in Iran between 2000 and 2001. The movie was made by director Ali Abbasi, who had to leave Iran to get the film made, and it stars Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who had to[...]

The President also commits acts of carelessness, if not obstruction, when it comes to classified material. Plus, what considerations may be occurring to George Santos, other than, “I hope they don’t find out I didn’t write ’The Macarena.’” And we’re joined by Nicholas Dawidoff, author of The Other Side of Prospect: A Story of Violence,[...]

Former Fox News Politics Editor Chris Stirewalt was fired by his network for being accurate in the days following the 2020 election. He talks with Mike about that time as well as the Dominion Voting Systems $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox, and about his book Broken News: Why the Media Rage Machine Divides America and[...]

Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor at NewsNation, a former Fox news analyst and host, and the author of Broken News: Why The Media Rage Machine Divides America and How to Fight Back. He joins us to talk about his time at Fox, and how the “fair and balanced” slogan they tote is less benign[...]

As deluded protesters in Brasilia ransack government offices, the U.S. can take great pride in it’s inspirational status. Also, though House Republicans are a defiant lot, a debt ceiling showdown could play out differently than the Speaker vote did. Plus, Eric Newcomer, host of the Dead Cat podcast, talks tech, the coverage of crypto, and[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are featuring two questions asked of Alec Baldwin (the movie star) by our guest host Bob Garfield (non-movie star), which had originally been left on the cutting room floor, but hey, that's what weekend shows are for, right? After Alec, we dig into The Gist archives[...]

On the second anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, the House of Representatives is again in disarray, minus the extreme violence and QAnon Shaman, thank god. Guest Host Ray Suarez revisits that day two years ago (he was there), and Ray talks with veteran DC reporter Steve Clemons about Kevin McCarthy’s ongoing battle for the[...]

Like many of us, guest host Kmele Foster is watching the Kevin McCarthy fiasco unfold live on CSPAN, but he warns that it’s just a distraction from the real fiasco. Then Kmele talks with Emory University medical researcher Judy Gichoya about her recent study that upended how we think of race and medicine. And finally,[...]

Guest Host Bob Garfield is back and ready to grill movie star Alec Baldwin for his industry’s reliance on our suspension of disbelief. Plus, the European Union has fined Facebook’s Meta $414 Million, but don’t worry, they still have all of our personal data. Also, a good-bye to Russian meat-processing tycoon Pavel Antov. Produced by[...]

As of 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, the day’s two biggest news stories remain nail-biters. Kevin McCarthy, who, once upon a time, seemed as though he would sail into the role of Speaker of the House of Representatives without so much as a speed bump, has instead run into a wall of opposition, stranding him[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying Mike’s Monday Spiel about AirBNB’s ineffective attempts at combatting racism. Then we dig into the Gist archives and listen back to Mike and his then-eight-year-old son Emmett sing political duets to the tune of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara[...]

The January 6th Committee report is a treasure trove of shameful nonsense. It might not convince the DOJ, but its convincingly embarrassing for the well-documented Trump sycophancy movement. Plus, Brendan Nyhan is a professor of government at Dartmouth who co-directs the Bright Line Watch. The line they're watching is of American Democracy, and the future got somewhat brighter[...]

Ghost guns seem scary, and they are scary, but mostly for reasons unexceptional to the rest of U.S. gun policy and culture. Plus, with protests still roiling Iran, Mike speaks Heather Williams of RAND’s National Security Research Division. And we mark the passing of legendary Pittsburg Steeler Franco Harris, whose greatest play is blessedly shrouded[...]

Zelensky visits and the Omnibus spending bill doesn't put the brakes on much, except maybe TikTok on Mitch McConnell's phone. And Mike interviews directors Trevor Frost and Melissa Lesh about "Wildcat", their new film about an Ocelot rescue scheme. Wildcat is playing in select theaters today and will be available through Amazon Prime on December 30th. Produced[...]

The January 6th Committee has wrapped up their case against former President Trump and will be referring their findings and quite a bit of evidence to Joe Biden’s Department of Justice. But we all know the Zen koan of prosecuting Trump: The destination is the journey, because he doesn’t write anything down. Then, in part[...]

Sam Quinones, author of The Least Of Us: True Tales Of America And Hope In The Time Of Fentanyl And Meth, says that these new drugs are exponentially more potent and dangerous than anything that came before. Also, Congressman-elect George Santos seems to be some guy named George Santos, but that’s about it. Plus a[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying Mike’s Thursday Spiel—a deep dive on the sappy sentiment, and familiar melodies, of John Lennon’s Christmas “classic.” And because it’s the last weekend of the World Cup, we listen back to Mike’s 2009 NPR exposé on the vuvuzela, in which the late, great soccer[...]

Chris Molanphy is here to document the top 100 Billboard Christmas songs of all time. Jingle bell time, it’s a swell time to count the songs that top charts like an angel on the tree. Plus, the world’s largest cylindrical aquarium bursts in Germany, ushering in a flood of fish focused frippery. Produced by Joel[...]

Mike’s done a deep dive on the sappy sentiment, and familiar melodies of a John Lennon’s Christmas “classic.” And we’re joined by Daniel Sloss, the Scottish comic whose new special Socio questions his own possible sociopathy. Plus, Heinrich XIII’s attempted German government overthrow gets deeper … NDA’s were involved. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara[...]

Mike objects to the reflexive negativism that ignores amazing scientific advances, treats progress as depressing, and convinces itself that a fun diversion is nothing short of horrific. And SBF's mom ran superPAC that outsmarted the competition, because of her keen insight, but also lots of crypto-fraud. Plus, we are joined once more with Nina Totenberg NPR's legal[...]

Nina Totenberg has covered the Supreme Court for nearly 50 years for NPR. It’s a career that has given us a deeper understanding of the most mysterious body in American politics, and it gave Nina a friend for life … the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Mike talks to Nina about what it’s like to[...]

Wednesday is the tenth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shootings. Alex Jones has filed for bankruptcy in an attempt to shield himself from the approximately $1.5 billion he owes families. Elizabeth Williamson is author of Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy And The Battle For Truth, and she joins us to discuss her coverage of Jones’[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying Mike’s 2022 interview with Douglas Farah, author of Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible, which is about Viktor Bout, the Russian arms trafficker who was exchanged for Brittney Griner this past week. We are also listening to[...]

The Senator from Arizona will no longer be a Democrat. What it means to be an “Independent”? Plus, Philosopher Nick Riggle explores “The Big Question” in his new book This Beauty: A Philosophy of Being Alive. And Mike explains the Twitter Files as if they had been a normal story free of everyone screaming at[...]

Mike is joined by David Sax, author of The Future Is Analog: How To Create A More Human World. Also, the Brittney Griner Prisoner exchange has costs, but it was worth it. And the Justice Department says it’s recovered a Fabergé Egg. Really? Or do they have embarrassment on their face having laid an inaccuracy? Produced[...]

HBO grew from a small cable channel into the best-in-class leader of the golden age of television. Bloomberg’s Felix Gillette and John Koblin of the New York Times join to discuss their new book, It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, And Future of HBO. Plus, Jamaica declares a state of emergency to combat murder,[...]

This past Saturday, the U.S. Men’s national soccer team once again crashed out of the World Cup in the Round of 16, beaten handily by The Netherlands 3-1. You’ve got to wonder, with such a love of sport, with such a tremendous potential pool of talent, and with a proven track record in world soccer[...]

With the Senate contest between Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock coming to a vote, Bill Nigut, host of Georgia Political Rewind joins us once more to preview tomorrow’s contest. And how public health officials joined meter maids and baseball umpires as hateable officials. Plus, brawls and coups in Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Burkina Faso, as[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen to the first 20 minutes or so of the most recent episode of our sister podcast, Not Even Mad. In it, Mike, Jamie Kirchick, and Virginia Heffernan discuss the narratives created around mass shootings. Then we dig into The Gist archives and listen back to[...]

Emily Oster is a Harvard-educated professor of economics at Brown University, and, despite her lofty credentials, her research has focused on very human problems, like whether knowing you have a short time to live affects your desire to invest in education and job training. She joins us to discuss her recent feature in The Atlantic[...]

Joe Lieberman has been in politics for most of his adult life. First as a Connecticut State Senator, then as the state’s Attorney General, and finally, as a U.S. Senator for 24 years. A self-proclaimed “centrist,” over the course of his career, he saw the middle of the political spectrum transformed from a place everyone[...]

Ted Kennedy: A Life is the sweeping new biography of the Massachusetts Senator whose importance was often overwhelmed by his notoriety. Author John Farrell joins us to analyze the life of The Lion of the Senate. In the Spiel, a contemplation of the murders we attend to and those which pass by without notice. Plus,[...]

Civil wars are anything but spontaneous, and though they are often decades in the making, they remain challenging to identify before they explode into violence. We interview Barbara F Walter, a world renown expert on political violence and what it portends about her new book How Civil Wars Start: And How To Stop Them, in[...]

Heather Knight is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist whose subject areas of expertise include dysfunctional city government, murals, crime and toilets. Also, The Gist establishes itself as your source for Fijian-Kirabati legal news. And why VAR mars the World Cup. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying a chunk of this past week’s episode of Not Even Mad, the new podcast from the makers of The Gist. Today we listen to Cancel Court where Mike, Virginia Heffernan, and Jamie Kirchick discuss Public-health commentator Leana Wen. Then, we dig into The Gist[...]

Chris Molanphy, chart analyst, pop critic and host of the Hit Parade podcast is back to recount the number one hits of 1992. Plus, not feeling bad about not feeling bad about Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the host and the darlings of the World Cup. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com[...]

For the past 18 years, Chris Hansen has built a career on confronting child predators. We discuss methods, ethics, and the citizen predator-catchers who take inspiration from his work. Plus, the advice Japanese are getting from their leaders to combat winter energy woes. And then, a discussion of the bruising journalists have come to expect[...]

When Lula da Silva edged out Jair Bolsonaro to retake the Presidency of Brazil by less than two percent of the popular vote back in October, it was an amazing comeback story for Lula. But maybe more amazing was that Bolsonaro (sometimes called “Tropical Trump”) recognized the results and actually admitted defeat. We talk with[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying a chunk of this past week’s episode of Not Even Mad, the new podcast from the makers of The Gist. We listen in as Mike, Virginia Heffernan, and Jamie Kirchick wonder if campaigning on anti-woke topics will be something we see more of in[...]

In Picking Presidents: How to Make the Most Consequential Decision in the World, Gautam Mukunda says that experience is somewhat important, but real inexperience is a huge gamble. So our choice comes down to this: Do we need to take a big risk in selecting who runs America? Also, all those investigations—special and not-so-special—and the baby’s[...]

We are joined once again for the remainder of our interview with former Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland to discuss Donald Trump’s skill as a negotiator, his stinginess with TicTacs, and what a $1,000,000 ticket to an inauguration looks like. Also, Pueblo County’s in-your-face method of curing votes, and SBF’s deceit and, more[...]

Gordon Sondland was Ambassador to the EU, which eventually led to his testimony during the first impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump. Sondland confirmed some elements of the quid-pro-quo, backed up other parts of Trump’s narrative, and was soon fired for his participation. His new book is The Envoy: Mastering the Art of Diplomacy with Trump and[...]

Today we test the thesis that a Universal Basic Book Deal (UBBD) could possibly solve society’s ills. We also speak with David Sikorjak and Ben Valenta about their new book Fans Have More Friends, which posits the idea that a shared love of sports and teams can be an unexpected source of community and happiness.[...]

Princess Martha Louise of Norway is engaged to an American shaman, and the Norwegians have been proving very close-minded about the love between a royal and a healer who believes he descends from a reptilian species and that his $222 amulet can ward of Covid-19. Also, are historic emissions the best way to express which[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we look at the squishiest of science: cancelation and polling. Up first, we feature an installment of Cancel Court from Thursday’s episode of Not Even Mad, our sister podcast. Listen in as Mike, Virginia Heffernan, and Jamie Kirchick attempt to rule on the cancelation of Brooklyn Nets[...]

The pundit, in this case, being The Gist host Mike Pesca. In the Antwentig, an examination of the assumptions and inputs that convinced many (including Mike Pesca) that the Republicans would do better than they did. Plus, Joel Stein, host of Story Of The Week podcast is here to spread mirth, merriment, and, most importantly,[...]

As we just wait … wait … wait for the results in states like Arizona, Nevada, and California, Mike takes us through the recent news about a Russian troll who admitted to meddling in the election. Bottom line: He’s trolling. Plus, we’re joined once more by Amanda Ripley, author of High Conflict: Why We Get[...]

Californians won’t be gambling on sports, Oregon legislators won’t be fleeing session, and Mehmet Oz won’t be moving to Pennsylvania. A thorough election recap on the show today. Also, Amanda Ripley, author of High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped And How We Get Out, which looks at warring parties and the psychology that perpetuates the[...]

Democracy is on the ballot, croquet’s a game played with a mallet, an onion is a grown-up shallot. Also the return of Robb Willer, Director of the Polarization and Social Change Lab at Stanford University. He conducted a mega-study of ways to strengthen Americans’ attitudes toward Democracy, which you may have heard is on the[...]

Robb Willer, director of the Polarization and Social Change Lab at Stanford University, is here to discuss his “Strengthening Democracy” mega-study, which looks at effective ways to reduce anti-democratic attitudes and partisan animosity. Plus, the red-wave doubters—the most straight forward theory of political success. That’s the theory: whoever’s the most straight forward has the most[...]

We begin this installment of Best Of The Gist with the latest episode of our new podcast Not Even Mad, in which hosts Mike Pesca, Virginia Heffernan, and Jamie Kirchick discuss the politics of parsing crime statistics. Then we listen back to Mike’s June 11, 2020 interview with John Pfaff, professor of law and criminology[...]

Rick Sanchez, news veteran and host of the eponymous Rick Sanchez Podcast, says that the Latino vote confounds not just Democrats but a media who have no idea about how to analyze or conceptualize it, such as it is. Plus, when good economic news and bad economic news both make us feel bad something is[...]

Mike is joined by Billy Corben, director of the new Hulu documentary God Forbid: The Sex Scandal that Brought Down a Dynasty. It’s about Jerry Fallwell Jr., his wife, a young employee of Miami Beach’s Fontainebleau Hotel, and, of course, Donald Trump. Tom Arnold shows up, too. Plus, the ballot is democracy and democracy is[...]

Robert Draper, author of WEAPONS OF MASS DELUSION: When The Republican Party Lost Its Mind, discusses the nastiness within and without the current mold of MAGA Republicans. Plus, questioning the implications of Paul Pelosi’s attacker being a nudist activist. And, with so much election nonsense here and abroad, one positive development that’s truly momentous. Produced[...]

Kari Lake, Blake Master, and Mark Finchem, three election-denying Trump acolytes, are all leading or closely trailing in statewide races in Arizona. Local Journalist Mark Brodie of KJZZ is here to assess the contests and update us on the camo-wearing, gun-toting vigilantes who are monitoring drop boxes. Plus, Alex Jones, Steve Bannon, and Waukesha vehicular[...]

AJ Jacobs spent a month living with muskets, tricorn hats, and an understanding of America at the time of the founding. He joins Mike to discuss his Guardian piece “Party like it’s 1789! My weird, enlightening month living strictly by the US Constitution.” Also, thoughts of the South Korea trampling and a society's obligations. Plus, how many[...]

Here’s a preview of a new podcast, The Last Resort. What if California seceded from the United States? If it did, what would happen? Would it usher in a new era of peace and prosperity? Or plunge the US into a new civil war? This is The Last Resort, a new documentary podcast following the[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s October 17, 2019 interview with former Secretary of Defense in the Obama White House, Ashton Carter. He died this week at 68 years old. Then we replay Mike’s Tuesday Spiel about Kanye West’s most recent public disaster and its root causes. Produced[...]

With Elon Musk’s official acquisition of Twitter, we examine what his incentives are and what voices to pay attention to for guidance on what concerns are legitimate and which are incentivized toward catastrophization. Plus, actors Billy Gardell (Bob Hearts Abishola, Mike and Molly), Herizen Guardiola (The Get Down), and Show Runner Ben Rock are here[...]

Jason DeParle of The New York Times documents how childhood poverty has fallen dramatically over the past three decades. It’s a triumph few recognize. Also, John Fetterman’s debate performance was surprising and, potentially, very costly. Who bears responsibility for the shock of it all? Plus, a cute little piece of malware named Raccooninfostealer. Produced by[...]

The Gist presents the new weekly political debate show, Not Even Mad. Consider it a joyous disagreement, as we take #DelightinDiscord. We give you the inaugural episode of this new podcast, as a sample, but to hear Mike talk with Jamie Kirchick and Virginia Heffernan each week, you’ll have to subscribe to Not Even Mad on Apple, or wherever you[...]

In his latest book, released in this past summer, The Price of Principle: Why Integrity Is Worth the Consequences, lawyer and legal scholar Alan Dershowitz laid out his reasoning for aiding the legal defense of Donald Trump. Dershowitz tells The Gist that he was defending the U.S. Constitution, not Trump, and that, despite the consequences,[...]

On Wednesday, October 26th, we will be launching a new podcast called Not Even Mad, featuring Gist host Mike Pesca (heard of him?), Wired contributor and self-proclaimed liberal Virginia Heffernan, and author of the bestselling Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington, Jamie Kirchick, who holds many conservative positions on the issues. So, as[...]

Here’s a preview of a new podcast, Story of the Week. Each week, journalist Joel Stein chooses an article that fascinates him, convinces the writer to tell him about it, and then interrupts a good conversation by talking about himself. Sometimes the story will be the one everyone is talking about, like the New Yorker[...]

To celebrate the announcement of the upcoming launch of Peach Fish's newest podcast, Not Even Mad, in this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying Mike’s January 18, 2017 interview with Heather Hendershot. Heather watched nearly 1,500 episodes of William F. Buckley’s pioneering TV show Firing Line, and though she still doesn’t agree[...]

The Economist’s Sue-Lin Wong, host of the new podcast The Prince, discusses the most powerful person in the world, Xi Jinping. As China’s 20th Communist Party Congress convenes, Xi has positioned himself to rule China for another five years, and maybe the rest of his life. But so little is known about him … until[...]

Liz Truss resigns as Prime Minister of the UK, and all of England breathes a collective “How did that just bloody happen?” Plus, we’ll check in with David Priess, former CIA intelligence briefer and current Publisher of Lawfare about the work of the January 6th Committee. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us[...]

We’re joined by Bill Nigut the host of Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Political Rewind to analyze the state’s pivotal and contentious Governor and Senate Races. Plus, the Durham investigation strikes out, or, in the eyes of Deep State Excavators…strikes gold! Plus, a pricey San Fransisco Toilet. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com[...]

Last night’s Ohio Senate debate featured JD Vance denying his assessment of Alex Jones as credible and an interesting thinker. Vance is still up big, and he’ll probably win. Also, a Floridan voter is handcuffed so Ron DeSantis can make a point. He’s also up big. Probably will win. Plus, Richard Reeves returns to discuss[...]

Boys and men are failing by so many measures says Richard Reeves in his new book Of Boys And Men: Why The Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, And What To Do About It. Plus, Liz Truss is the least popular UK Prime Minister since they’ve been asking how popular the prime minister is.[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are listening back to two Spiels about politics in the Golden State. First, we go all the way back to 2017, when Senator Diane Feinstein was in a sticky situation. Then we fast forward to this past Tuesday, when the Los Angeles City Council nearly imploded[...]

Along with the entirety of the Democratic party, part of the resistance to the re-election of Donald Trump in 2020 were a gaggle of storied Republican message creators who joined forces to defeat the sitting President. They called themselves The Lincoln Project, and they allowed directors Karim Amer (The Vow, The Great Hack) and Fisher Stevens[...]

Though a self described prickly punk rocker, Bruce McCullouch always came across as the most adorable of the kids in the hall. McCulloch stops by to talk Kids, comedy, and his one man show playing off-broadway. Plus, the January 6th Commission reconvenes, and NYU fails an organic chemistry professor who failed too many students. BRUCE[...]

J. Bradford DeLong is here to deliver on the title of his impressive tome Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History Of The Twentieth Century. It Starts with 1870 and ends the year Law & Order was cancelled (it came back … the economy didn’t). Plus, the case for the nation’s defense budget being largely, mostly,[...]

A leaked recording revealed three members of the Los Angeles City Council, including the President, engaging in mockery of young children, a gay council member, the indigenous population, and African-Americans. Public comment time was not pretty. And Mike is joined by James A. Geraghty, author of Inside The Orphan Drug Revolution: The Promise of Patient-Centered[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we dive back into our archive to resurface our 2018 interview with comedian Guy Branum who had then just published My Life As A Goddess: A Memoir Through (Un)Popular Culture. Branum is the co-star of the much-talked-about new rom-com, Bros, which is the subject of Friday’s Spiel[...]

The Billy Eichner comedy Bros was undeniably funny, but also a box office failure. Eichner blamed homophobia, but it’s more complicated, Mike argues, but also not terribly more complicated. Of course, depictions of gay sex—some tame, some raunchy—hurt box office. Plus, Michele Tafoya is back to discuss the topics that prompted her to leave Thursday[...]

Once more, a major media article offers incomplete and misleading evidence about the threat of a civil war. Mike offers not a dismissal but a reinterpretation. Plus, Michele Tafoya, former sideline reporter for NBC Sports, has a new podcast called ‎Sideline Sanity, and she has some opinions about Colin Kaepernick’s punishment for speaking out. Plus,[...]

Mike interviews Saleem Ali, University of Delaware professor of Energy and the Environment, about his book Earthly Order: How Natural Laws Define Human Life. Plus, Mike recognizes that the Georgia Senate race will be close, but also lays out that, of course the latest revelations hurt Herschel Walker. And also, just how to think about[...]

In her book, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, social scientist and former poker pro Annie Duke argues that we're way too over-indexed toward grit and not open enough to quitting. Plus, with the smart advice being not mock him, U.S. Senate candidate from Georgia, Herschel Walker instead provides a fertile means of[...]

Professor at Northwestern’s School of Law, Andrew Koppelman talks about his new book Burning Down The House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed. Also, Donald Trump “truths” that Mitch McConnell has a “DEATH WISH” (his caps, not ours). Senator Rick Scott finds the sentiment difficult to condemn. Plus, UK Prime Minister Liz[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying Mike’s Monday Spiel about the Sound On Sound Music Festival, and the rage it drew online despite being a pretty great weekend. Then we dig into the Gist archives and listen back to Mike’s 2015 conversation with musicians Dillon Kondor and Sharon Van Etten[...]

Chilean voters recently rejected an extremely progressive (and extremely long at 170 pages) constitution. It would have ensured animal rights, as well as rights to “neurodiversity” and “digital disconnection.” Ted Piccone of Brookings and the World Justice Project examines if Chile’s new constitution was too progressive or just too long. Plus, can’t we just enjoy[...]

Mike talks with Phelim McAleer, the producer and co-writer of My Son Hunter, the first film released by the Breitbart News Network. Storytelling techniques and claims to accuracy are discussed. Then, at the prompting of the guest, Mike spends The Spiel fact-checking the film. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com[...]

The authors of The Constitution in Jeopardy: An Unprecedented Effort to Rewrite Our Fundamental Law and What We Can Do About It, Peter Prindiville and Senator Russ Feingold raise the alarms about a ploy that has a chance of upending our democracy. Plus, Russian military mobilization sparks flight, and the iconic TV doofus dad isn’t[...]

Once upon a time, you had to leave home to pursue career opportunities outside of store clerk or parking attendant, but that has been changing with the help of people like today’s guest, former AOL CEO Steve Case. He’s here to talk about his new book, The Rise of The Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising[...]

Mike returns from a music festival reported to be dangerous, incompetent, worse than Fyre, and complete trash! His review: The Lumineers were good. Maybe these attendees could learn about stoicism, luckily we’re joined by Massimo Pigliucci, a Professor of Philosophy at CCNY and author of The Quest For Character: What The Story Of Socrates And[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s 2015 interview with Rabia Chaudry, Colin Miller, and Susan Simpson, the hosts of the Undisclosed podcast, which attempted to unravel the case against Adnan Syed, one complex detail at a time. Then we rewind to Tuesday’s Spiel, in which Adnan Syed is[...]

Scott Galloway, Professor at NYU, cohost of the Pivot podcast and host of Prof G, returns to discuss taxes, regulations, French vacations, and his new book Adrift: America in 100 Charts. Plus, a Republican nominee under fire for not being under fire in Afghanistan, and DeSantis and Abbott have won the immigration issue, as they[...]

Scott Galloway, Professor of Marketing at NYU Stern School of Business and voice of the Prof G and Pivot podcasts, discusses some of the bigger social problems laid out (in graph form) in his new book Adrift: America in 100 Charts. Plus, how apt is the claim of a “double standard” that’s being used to[...]

Angela Stent, Director of Georgetown University’s Center for Eurasian, Russian & East European Studies and author of Putin's World: Russia Against The West And With The Rest analyzes Russia’s military losses and Putin’s strategic reactions. Plus, Susan Rogers, author of This Is What It Sounds Like: What The Music You Love Says About You, returns[...]

Professor, neuroscientist, and multiplatinum record producer, Susan Rogers drops by to discuss her book This Is What It Sounds Like: What The Music You Love Says About You. If you’re in the audience at a Trump rally, the music might say there’s a global conspiracy that depends on eating babies. Plus, Adnan Syed, the subject[...]

In 1999, two colonels in the Chinese army authored a treatise titled “Unrestricted Warfar.” It told of plans to define war as to include corporate espionage, global pandemics, and trade violations. Retired U.S. Air Force General Robert Spalding writes about all that’s come to pass since that doctrine, in his new book, War Without Rules:[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to the Tuesday Spiel about a recent spate of really fabulous news that just gets drowned out by the steady drumbeat of negativity. Then we listen back to Mike’s February 26, 2018 interview with Harvard cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, who argues that we’ve had[...]

Daniel Yergin, author of The New Map: Energy, Climate And The Clash Of Nations is fairly optimistic about the odds of success on capping oil prices. Mike and Vladamir Putin express doubts. Plus, immigrants on the Vineyard, and King Charles has it pretty good for a guy with limitless wealth and no oversight committee. Produced[...]

Daniel Yergin, an energy expert and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The New Map: Energy, Climate & Clash of Nations, diagnoses Putin’s oil strategy and explains why reliance on the country that provides 10% of the word’s oil supply lead to such massive disruptions. Plus, Swedes obsessed with gun crime, and Trump offers a worse trade[...]

After 50 years of columns, George F. Will realizes he writes in order to think. The Pulitzer Prize winner and author of American Happiness and Discontents discusses a political culture coming unmoored by degrees, and his stance on dungarees. Plus, MAGA-backed candidates will either damn their party or damn us all, and the tempting-but-deadly siren[...]

Luke Mogelson, author of The Storm Is Here: An American Crucible was right there in the Capitol when the insurrection brewed. He’s back to recount what he saw. Plus, there is a spate of fantastic news for children, combatants, and actresses in comedy series. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To[...]

New Yorker staff writer Luke Mogelson was inside the Capitol as the QAnon Shaman and other insurrectionists took over the Senate Chamber. He had been chronicling clashes with extremist groups for years, as chronicled in his new book, The Storm Is Here: An American Crucible. Plus, Kamala Harris makes an argument about MAGA hurting the[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, some extra bonus content from our Wednesday interview with New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean about her craft and the obituaries she’s been writing. And then we listen back to Wednesday’s Spiel about the recent $438.5 ruling against Juul for its role in marking vaping products to[...]

A few years ago, Dr. Oz gave an interview about cousin incest. He was wrong, he just didn't know he'd be running for Senate 8 years later. Plus, it's a Vexillology corner with Ted Kaye. In the Antwentig, when is a good time for pushback and when does Mike let it go? Produced by Joel[...]

Josh Chin, Wall Street Journal Deputy Bureau Chief in Beijing and co-author of Surveillance State: Inside China’s Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control, discusses just how effective the Chinese panopticon is, delivering government services to some, as it oppresses others. Plus, the special master decision gets a special appeal, and Queen Elizabeth’s[...]

It might seem odd for Susan Orlean, the bestselling author of The Orchid Thief and the committed bibliophile behind The Library Book, to engage in the act of book explosion, until you realize that she’s not destroying printed word but, in fact, celebrating it as the new co-host of the podcast Book Exploder. Also, polls[...]

Are beavers a plague to the natural world, or are they nature’s incredible engineers? Depends on who you ask, but, hey beavers, consider keeping a low profile for a while. Novelist A.M. Homes has yet to write a beaver book, but she’s out with a new offering, The Unfolding, in which she weighs into the most[...]

With Labor Day (and back-to-school) upon us, on this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to a couple interviews from the archive about education. Back on May 23, 2018, Mike spoke with Sara Brownell, a neuroscientist and education researcher at Arizona State University, about what she found studying how gender affects students’[...]

Author of The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa’s Racial Reckoning, Eve Fairbanks joins us again to talk about the fate of white liberals, who fought alongside black South Africans to up-end the status quo, in the post-Apartheid era. Also, an analysis of the arc of history and in which way it really bends.[...]

Author Eve Fairbanks joins us to talk about her new book, The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa’s Racial Reckoning, a story told through the eyes of three characters over the course of five decades as South Africa tried to end white supremacy. Plus, Mike reflects on the rise and fall of Andrew Dice[...]

In the second half of our interview with U.S. House of Representatives member David Cicilline, author of the newly released House On Fire: Fighting for Democracy in the Age of Political Arson, he discusses the two impeachments of Donald J. Trump from his perspective as an active player in those proceedings. Also, on the 600th[...]

David Cicilline is one half of Rhode Island’s two-member delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, and while he may have been sent to D.C. by a small state, his contributions to the impeachments of Donald J. Trump were huge. Cicilline discusses his new book, House On Fire: Fighting for Democracy in the Age of[...]

Jay Baruch is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a practicing emergency physician who has just published a memoir or sorts titled Tornado of Life: A Doctor’s Journey through Constraints and Creativity in the ER. He discusses the flaws in our medical system, how COVID exacerbated them, and[...]

Adam Neumann, the once founder of WeWork, who was famously dismissed from the helm of his own company (many books and TV shows ensued), is back on the business scene. He recently received a $350-million check from venture capital firm a16z to help him launch his new project, Flow, which will focus on a sort[...]

“Neurodivergent” is an important term in the modern study of the human brain, referring to those whose minds function differently from what we would consider “normal”—people diagnosed with ADHD or autism might be considered neurodivergent, for example. But, just as the term is important, it, and what it represents, is also somewhat controversial. Today on[...]

The announcement that two police officers from Atlanta wouldn’t face murder charges for the 2020 shooting of Rayshard Brooks is justice. Two years on, we can more accurately assess what lit the match in that city in the wake of the shooting. Plus, we’re joined once more by former Aurora, Illinois Police Chief Kristen Ziman. Also,[...]

On February 15, 2019 in Aurora, Illinois, a workplace dispute turned into a mass shooting. The gunman had prepared to battle the police responding, so it took technology and smarts to put an end to the chaos he created. We talk with Kristen Ziman, the police chief who led Aurora’s response and hear what that[...]

After 48 years, Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont is leaving the Senate. In his new memoir, The Road Taken, he reflects on the institution he holds dear, and on the Gist, we make him pick the scariest Joker he ever faced down. Plus, WeWork’s founder’s new funding induced rage, and a Dr. Oz spokesperson stroke-shames[...]

Just past the one-year mark of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s taking control of the country. How is the nation is faring under the leadership of Mullah Hibatullah Adhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban? With us to answer those questions and more is Jason Campbell, a former director for Afghanistan[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, former Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel left the game after three seasons to get his PhD in mathematics. Totally normal career path, right? He wrote the book Mind And Matter: A Life In Math And Football alongside his wife, author Louisa Thomas, and they joined Mike[...]

Paul Bloom, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale, Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, and author of The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning stops by to take his punishment and like it! Actually, BDSM is only a fraction of his truly fascinating look at everything from distance running[...]

The CDC’s head, Rochelle Walensky vows to undertake an agency overhaul, including better communication. Mike argues that when it comes to COVID-19, things were not perfect … maybe even not good … but great leaps in communication are going to be extremely difficult. Plus, Donald Trump “endorses” one of his impeachers, and University of Toronto[...]

Jonah Blank, senior Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation, assesses the messages sent (and received) by all the Chinese missiles lobbed over Taiwan. Plus, the threat of overstating threats from the right. And is Alaskan Senate Candidate Kelly Tshibaka secretly … maybe … plausibly … part Wookiee? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email[...]

Sarah Palin is on the ballot to serve her home state as its At-Large member of Congress. Let’s just say, the process is hardly straightforward. Plus, Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina, the Executive Director of The Worker Institute at Cornell University, discusses union drives at Amazon and Starbucks and if there’s ever a reason for workers to[...]

Journalist, novelist, and former Marine, Elliot Ackerman, who fought the Taliban, joins Mike to discuss his new book “The 5th Act: America’s End In Afghanistan”. Plus, an extroverted Norwegian walrus meets an ignominious end, and assessing our current news drought. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the[...]

In the interview, Mike chats with historian Alexis Coe, author of the new book You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington. They discuss the founding-father's height, dentures and that awkward obsession male historians have about the man's thighs. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara and Ian Scotto Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com[...]

Nathan Allebach, brand consultant and author of https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/brand-twitter-jokes-history.html was for many years the twitter voice of Steak-umm brand meats. As such he engaged with gaseous comedians and angsty millennials and has some theories as to why it all worked. Plus, a media without breathing room makes for madness and the Mar-A-Lago black boxes are like dada[...]

China thinks in centuries but strikes quickly. China is patient, but impetuous. Is China all these things, or is our shorthand more malleable than diagnostic? And we are joined once more by Jason Kander author of "Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD”. Plus, America plunged into day 3 of the cardboard box crisis that can[...]

Jason Kander was a Democrat-on-the-rise, who was silently struggling with demons. He tells the story of casting aside politics for his own mental survival in “Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD” Plus, our habit of publicly predicting death and civil war after every right-wing paroxysm doesn't serve anyone well, and Domino's somehow[...]

Tomorrow President Biden Signs the Pact Act into law, dedicating funds and expanding VA health care to veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. Jason Piccolo, Host of the Protectors Podcast, served in Iraq and has the lungs to show for it. Plus, what the raid on Mar-a-Lago means, and Ben and Jerry's won't[...]

Jim Thorpe was the AP's greatest Athlete of the first half of the 20th century and has a strong claim to the title Greatest of All Time. But his story, as opposed to his myth, is largely untold, until now. David Maraniss’ joins to discuss his new book is Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Monday’s Spiel about “unintended consequences,” as they relate to the Dobbs decision. And that inspired us to dig up Mike’s 2017 interview with Kurt Andersen about his book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, in which, Andersen bemoans a system on the brink. Produced[...]

A Bloomberg investigation shows that some podcasters are selling guest slots for up to $50,000. We’ll open the Gist’s ledger to see who the highest- and lowest-paid guests have been. And we’re joined once more by Rafael A. Mangual, author of Criminal (In)Justice: What the Push for Decarceration and Depolicing Gets Wrong and Who It[...]

Policing in America has no easy answers, but my guest Rafael A. Mangual suggests we aren’t even asking the right questions. He’s of the opinion that many beliefs critical of police are misplaced, while other real reforms go un pursued. His book is Criminal (In)Justice: What The Push For Decarceration And Depolicing Gets Wrong And[...]

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan was unexpected. Accused of recklessness, dissuaded by Biden, cheered by McConnell, it was risky. What’s the possible reward? We are joined by Asia experts Neil Thomas from The Eurasia Group and Professor David Kang from USC, for an extended discussion on what the heck Nancy was[...]

Kate Shaw, Professor of Law at Cardozo Law School, and co-host of Strict Scrutiny analyzes if the women’s rights movement needs to campaign more explicitly for adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment. Plus, Beyonce amends a lyric, and Ayman al-Zawahiri is no more. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To[...]

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin made the rounds of every Sunday Show, and we break down the game film, so you can consider yourself a good citizen but also stay sane. Plus, the unintended suffering wrought by the Dobbs decision. And Kate Shaw, ABC Legal Analyst and co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, is here[...]

From our archives, we listen back to Mike’s 2015 interview with Kim Jong-il’s former poet laureate, Jang Jin-sung. He’s the author of Dear Leader: Poet, Spy, Escapee: A Look Inside North Korea. And in this past Wednesday’s Spiel, Mike enlightens us about South Korea’s tradition of Presidential prosecution and revels in a low-hanging pun. Produced[...]

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is now in support of the a bill to address climate, health care, and taxes. So, happy day and all is forgiven! But many are feeling scarred and even despondent. Is that useful? Plus, we’re joined by publisher Sean Michael Robinson and Eisner-nominated cartoonist Carson Grubaugh to discuss the first[...]

Ten years ago, a disturbed young man entered a Colorado movie theater, where he shot and killed twelve people, wounding 70 more. We speak with his psychiatrist Lynne Fenton about warning signs, treatment options and what more, if anything, could have been done. Fenton’s new book is AURORA: The Psychiatrist Who Treated the Movie Theater[...]

Douglas Wolk has read every Marvel comic there is (well, except the likes of Strawberry Shortcake and corporate tie-ins )…that’s 28,000 or so comics! He answers such questions as “How?” and “Why?” on the show. Plus, Joe Manchin is now on board for a major piece of climate and tax legislation. And in South Korea,[...]

On this, the day the Russians announced a cosmic decoupling from the International Space Station, we are joined by Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi, co-creators, showrunners, writers and executive producers of the Apple TV+ show For All Mankind. Plus, judging the possibly presidential governors on their covid responses, and how grain prices explode some myths[...]

When the question arises: When is the right time for political violence? The answer, of course, is “never.” Strangely, though, when researchers and pollsters ask that question of the American populace, “never” has yet to be the result. We talk with Malcolm Nance about his new book, They Want To Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists,[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we resurfaced a couple clips from our Tuesday interview with Douglas Farah (author of Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible), which we intentionally left on the cutting room floor but later decided they might be fun for listeners. Dust off[...]

Stuart Gerson, former Assistant Attorney General in the George H.W. Bush White House, and Acting Attorney General under Bill Clinton, has been watching the January 6th hearings. He has concluded that the DOJ must prosecute Trump. We ask him how he came to his conclusion. Plus, it’s Steve Bannon’s turn in the barrel, as he’s[...]

A former aide to Peter Navarro rips his actually heroic former colleagues as hos and “thots”. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s testimony to the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee gets reduced to the stupidest quasi-dispute. And in the interview, Scott Small, the Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Columbia University, discusses his new book,[...]

The concept of cowardice was once a constant, but it has waned as an explanation for social phenomena. Though, in recent weeks, the lack of action among the (non) responders in Uvalde, Texas has prompted a reconsideration. Bravery has many bards, but there is literally only one book on the concept of cowardice, Cowardice: A Brief[...]

Russian Viktor Bout is a notorious arms dealer who has been imprisoned in the U.S. for eleven years, and he’s being talked about as part of a trade for WNBA star Brittney Griner. We’re joined by Douglas Farah, author of Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible, which is[...]

Lis Smith, author of Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story, is still young, 39, but she’s a veteran political consultant. On the national stage, she helped Pete Buttigieg make his name, but she couldn’t keep Andrew Cuomo from ruining his. Also, the search for a sufficiently (but not excessively) alarmist voice on Monkeypox. Produced[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with the newly switched-on James Webb Space Telescope dominating the non-political news this week, we chose a space-themed segment from the archives. In this July 11, 2016 interview, Mike talks with Summer Ash, an astronomy educator and writer, about NASA’s Juno Mission to Jupiter. It’s all about[...]

Linda Villarosa, author of Under The Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation, discusses disparate health outcomes in the U.S. Plus, what it takes for a tragic story to become a tragic story everyone knows. And there is no one man to blame for the Dem’s[...]

An agreement is reached to help feed the world and export grain from Ukraine. Mike explains this musically, thus dipping to a Lerner & Loewe point. Plus, Biden’s verbal struggles as compare to his Republican predecessors. And the first half of our interview with Linda Villarosa, author of Under The Skin: The Hidden Toll of[...]

UCLA law professor Adam Winkler says the recent SCOTUS ruling on handgun licensing wasn’t just a gun rights case, it was the first step in a big shift toward taking more and more power away from the States to do anything to stem the tide of gun violence. In the Spiel, we play “Names In[...]

The Atlantic’s Graeme Wood interviewed Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and travelled the country to assess the impact the 36 year old is having on a kingdom trying to unmoor itself from antiquity. President Biden might want to listen to this debrief. Plus, The January 6th Committee hears from some key[...]

There's no way to solve inflation if you don't understand what caused inflation.  And what caused inflation, aside from the supply chain, and the Ukrainian war was domestic spending. David Laibson Robert I. Goldman Professor of Economics at Harvard University drops by to offer his insight and solutions.  Also on the show, SCOTUS made fetuses people when it[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we start with a podcast extra we held over from our Thursday interview with Professor of Rhetoric Jennifer Mercieca, author of Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump, about how the former President uses language as a weapon. And then, in honor of Boris Johnson’s[...]

The internet collectively dunked on an incredibly stupid statement about gun laws. Also on the show, Eric Barker, author of Plays Well with Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrong. Plus, it’s an Antwentig! A new Lobstar is born. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us[...]

Professor of Rhetoric Jennifer Mercieca, author of Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump, has submitted evidence to the January 6th Committee as to how Donald Trump uses words to incite violence more slyly than meets the eye. Plus, Boris Johnson is out, and a comparison of orphaned victims of gun violence tells[...]

Anti-oil activist have taken to gluing themselves to works of art to make a point. As if we were going to pass that one up! Also on the show, we’re joined once more by Sarah Longwell of the Bulwark, who reveals what her focus groups are telling her about the January 6th Commission. Plus, HIMARS[...]

Sarah Longwell, host of the podcast The Focus Group—and also host of actual bona-fide, gold-standard focus groups—reports on the changing sentiment after the Dobbs ruling. Plus, a president tries to shame companies into lowering prices, while a governor thinks now is the time for fiscal stimulus. And the Highland Park shooter is, in some ways, atypical,[...]

On this week’s installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to a chunk of Mike’s September 2020 interview with Jonathan V. Last, editor of The Bulwark. Last explains that although remaining optimistic with regards to the legitimacy of the SCOTUS, he is ultimately losing faith that some voters care not for a system[...]

The 1954 film Salt Of The Earth was made under enormous strain. The production crew had been blacklisted; the cast was half professionals, half laborers; and J. Edgar Hoover's FBI was interfering with this supposed piece of communist propaganda. Writer and creator John Mankiewicz, along with director Aaron Lipstadt, discuss The Big Lie, their Audible Original[...]

When it comes to Ukraine, former U.S. Army Lieutenant General Ben Hodges is more hopeful than much of the military establishment. The former Commanding General of the United States Army in Europe makes his case. Also on the show, the Supreme Court's makes for confusing case law...sometimes they're textualists, sometimes they find different justifications to suit their actual[...]

Does Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony change everything, clarify vividly, or demand corroboration urgently? Possibly, definitely and not necessarily says Quinta Jurecic, Senior Editor at Lawfare. Plus, Mike analyzes the idea of an "Inverse-OPEC" not to be confused with the Upside Down NATO, and the Double Reverse Unesco. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com[...]

Cassidy Hutchinson, former Mark Meadows aid testifies before the committee that Donald Trump...did a lot. A Very lot. Plus, Princeton Professor of Sociology Patrick Sharkey and author of the 2018 book Uneasy Peace: The Great Crime Decline, the Renewal of City Life, and the Next War on Violence, talks about if we are indeed experiencing that next[...]

After Dobbs, the Supreme Court can lay claim to a lot of pejorative: “extreme,” “unsafe,” “unfair,” “unkind” …but what about “illegitimate?” Also, how Chief Justice Roberts’ lonely status is entirely unsurprising. Plus Mike interviews Kim Masters of The Hollywood Reporter and host of KCRW’s The Business about the massive Netflix sell off, and how it[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with recent gun reform regulations in our near past, the January 6th Hearings ongoing, and the ramifications of the overturn of Roe versus Wade yet to fully wash over us, we find ourselves yet again wondering about the future of our democracy. If only something could be[...]

The Supreme Court says we have no right to our rights, and it leaves women to suffer. Mike looks at historic death rates from abortion and advances a constitutional argument to protect the youngest victims. We’re also joined by Ben Wittes, Editor In Chief of Lawfare to talk about the Senate’s Jan 6th hearings, discuss which[...]

In his latest novel, Tracy Flick Can’t Win, author Tom Perrotta attempts to wrestle his iconic character (which Reece Witherspoon helped to brand in the 1998 film Election) away from the zeitgeist and return her to the fictional universe he created for her. Mike and Tom discuss how one does that exactly. Also, you may[...]

When $4 to $8 million was allegedly stolen from his ranch, which had been hidden inside a sofa, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa was accused of covering up his status as crime victim. Mike attempts to track a tale that winds its way through Windhoek, a spy master, an antelope auction, and, possibly, a one-armed[...]

The Pride flag is synonymous with inclusion…unless, of course, you are the color indigo. Confused? That’s why we’ve convened another Vexillology Corner with Ted Kaye, secretary of the North American Vexillological Association and the author of Good Flag, Bad Flag. Plus, the Texas Senate committee on the Uvalde shooting convenes, as the US House of[...]

Written and narrated by award-winning author and Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, Dr. Eddie S. Glaude, “History is US” is a 6-part audio documentary produced and developed by C13Originals that asks questions about who we are as a nation, and what race might reveal about our current crisis. Through the voices of[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s August 7, 2020 interview with Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. of Princeton University. The two discussed Glaude’s newest book and its release in the context of the recent civil uprisings. Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own poses[...]

Kyle Gallner and Emily Skeggs talk about their movie "Dinner in America" about a a repressed suburban Michigan girl and the punk rocker who injects some needed chaos in her life. Plus how an alleged insurrectionist relates to a Lizzo lyric and in the Antwentig, a dispute over a barren rock is offered up as[...]

A State Court sensibly says elephants aren't people. But when a court case is filed, it gives legitimacy to an argument no matter how fetched. Also, Former United States Circuit Judge and conservative icon Michael Luttig lets the January 6 commission know that Donald Trump is still a clear and present Danger. Plus, former Barak Obama[...]

Dan Pfeiffer, former a senior advisor to President Barack Obama, is out with a new book “Battling the Big Lie: How Fox, Facebook, and the Maga Media Are Destroying America”. Plus did a US Representatives give reconnaissance tours the day before the January 6 insurrection? And a farewell to the comedy, and hypothetical question stylings of[...]

California children are half as likely to be shot as kids in other states, and per capita California has experienced fewer mass slaughters than the nation as a whole. One reason is the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control act of 1989. We Talk to Mike Roos about the ins and outs of getting that legislation passed. Plus, What would[...]

Dr. Jillian Peterson Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Hamline University is President and cofounder of The Violence Project. She has been analyzing the commonalities of mass shooters for years and has developed a profile of the perpetrators. She also has a wealth of knowledge mass shootings based on data, case histories and in-person interviews.[...]

In August 2016, Larry Wilmore’s talk show was canceled. The Nightly Show focused on issues like equality, activism, and how racism subtly wormed its way into American life. In hindsight, it feels ahead of its time. In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we will listen back to that June 9, 2017 interview with[...]

A full rundown of ALLLL the coverage of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. More than you thought you needed to know. And we're joined by Professor of History and Media David Greenberg to discuss his recent essay in Liberties, The War on Objectivity in American Journalism –[...]

Judy Gold author of Yes, I Can Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All in Trouble, says that, in fact, we are all in trouble. Plus, Justice Kavanaugh's assassin's actual goal, and PR goal thwarted, and Bernie Sanders bemoans the bumper sticker "Well, we can’t do much, but the other side is[...]

James Kirchick author of Secret City: The hidden history of gay Washington says an unfounded fear of spilling secrets kept many inside the closet. Plus, a Washington Post retweet that set off a meltdown and the duck-sauce murderer. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist[...]

Scott Braddock host of the Texas Take Podcast and Editor of the Quorum Report. Plus: Panic in Needle Spiking Park, and Chesa Budin, Boris Johnson, and the argument everyone subject to a recall makes.   http://quorumreport.com/index.cfm https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/texas-take/id1122884023 Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more[...]

Michael Bonfiglio, Director, Producer, and writer of the HBO documentary “George Carlin's American Dream” discussed where to position Carlin in the history of comedy and also within the culture of his day and today. Plus, Boris Johnson inspires at least some confidence, and how to cover the mass shootings that occur every single day. Produced by[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s October 21, 2016 interview with Adam Davidson on the topic of a student loan bailout. Adam explains why eliminating college debt falls short of solving the country’s inequality crisis. Then we listen back to Mike’s take on Wednesday’s verdict in the Amber[...]

He played seemingly memorable roles from stapler-obsessed Office Space worker to dork vampire in True Blood and Order of the Coagula member in Get Out. Now Steven Root is Monroe Fuches on HBO's Barry. We talk goats and ghosts. Plus does Amber Heard losing mean that juries are incapable of making the right decision in cases involving abuse? Plus,[...]

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Professor of Management Practice at the Yale School of Management and the president of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute argues that doing good is good for business. Mike is a little suspicious. Also Cops shamed by Pride, and Canada strongly endorses, nay celebrates, both vulvas and vaginas at long last. Produced by[...]

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Professor in Practice of Management at Yale and Founder of Chief Executive Leadership Institute, is maintaining a list of companies doing business in Russia. The list is working, as more businesses are finding staying in isn't worth it. Plus, in Johnny D. legal news: Depp wins, Durham loses. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey[...]

Claude Johnson, author of The Black Fives: The Epic Story of Basketball's Forgotten Era, is here to talk about the greatest basketball teams and players that have almost been lost to obscurity, but for the efforts of Johnson and a few others. Plus, Greg Abbott goes back to 1845 to rationalize gun laws, and what wisdom[...]

On this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an interview from November 25, 2015, which, sadly, is still relevant in the wake of recent mass shootings. Three years before this interview with Ron Davis and Lucia McBath, they experienced a parent’s worst nightmare, when their 17-year-old son was shot while Black[...]

California has a huge budget surplus, more than all but a few states have budgets. Sophia Ballag, California politics reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle discusses why spending all that money may not be so easy. Plus, The War of Words between Valadomir Zelensky and Henry Kissinger. And it’s an Antwentig. Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

Top Republican officials are offering thoughts, prayers locked doors, inaccurate stats and a call for more of the same defenses that haven't worked to address the problem of mass murders. Plus, Max Kerman, lead singer of the Canadian rock band Arkells, or as they're referred to in Canada, the rock band Arkells joins us. Bet[...]

Mike is once again joined by retired Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and author of To Risk it All. Also how the Georgia primary turnout didn't seem at all suppressed, and Mike calls for a ban on the AR-15 Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise[...]

Admiral James Stavridis, author of To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision joins us to discuss military developments in Ukraine. An OK state representative has an idea about reproductive health Nobody is sure to like. And Mike thinks about how to think about yet another awful school shooting, which we should be[...]

Climate scientist Michael Mann author of The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet on an environment that is simultaneously dire and deadly but not hopeless. Plus: NY Dems have drawn themselves into a corner, and how the name a NY Yankee called a rival player that is upending the baseball world. Produced[...]

In this week’s installment of Best Of The Gist, and with the tragic news of the mass shooting in Buffalo still echoing through the daily news, we listen back to Mike’s March 7, 2018 interview with the president of the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City, Richard Aborn on why gun control has worked[...]

Rich Strike is skipping the Preakness after winning the Kentucky Derby. Racing expert Peter Fornatale of The In The Money podcast https://inthemoneypodcast.com/category/players-podcast/ explains all. Plus bears, and condors and a man who gambled away his entire town's stimulus funds. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit:[...]

University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor, Yoshiko Herrera assesses if Putin can be stopped not with the bullet or the ballot but a breakdown of ballast within Russia. Plus, the US Women's Soccer Team achieves pay parity, and all the topics Mike could have covered, but didn't. You're welcome America. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email[...]

Jonathan Metzl, Vanderbilt professor and gun control researcher on how gun control actually does work, except when it's not allowed to, as is increasingly the case. Also, Joe Biden's Buffalo Speech was quite like Bill Clinton in OKC and a forlorn Cawthorn. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on[...]

Dr. Walter Kimbrough, President of Dillard University has been a consistent advocate for speech on campus in his over 30 years in academia. He and Mike discuss some of the thornier cases in his career, which ultimately weren't close calls. Plus, the threat of white Supremacists and the danger to African-Americans should be put in context. Produced[...]

As America grapples the mass shooting in Buffalo which left 10 dead Mike asks "Who gets to be a martyr, and who is just plain old victim?" White Supremacy fueled this gunman but high velocity rifle rounds enabled the carnage. Plus, Seth Stephens- Davidowitz author of "Don't Trust Your Gut: Using Data to Get What You[...]

In this week’s installment of Best of the Gist, a state song mash-up. Then we flash back to August 16, 2018, when Mike took the plastic straw ban head on. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit[...]

Emily Bazelon of the NTY Magazine, Yale, and The Political Gabfest discusses if the flaw is in Justice Alito's logic or the conservative justice's project. Plus "Greedflation" is excellent branding but a terrible explanation. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about[...]

David Gergen actually wrote Nixon's resignation letter, that was his first great foray into what makes or unmakes a leader. After over 50 years in public life, he collects his advice and insights in Hearts Touched with Fire: How Great Leaders are Made. Plus play the Chuck Schumer inspired Game Show "Doomed to Fail " and Plagiarism[...]

The ACLU, long a champion of first amendment rights actually opposed ending campus free speech zones in Georgia. Also, presidential speechwriter Jeff Nussbaum is back to talk about the phrasings of his former boss Joe Biden, and some others who've served in that office. Plus, even though Marjorie Taylor Greene’s speech was heated, but the bid[...]

Jeff Nussbaum, fresh out of the Biden White House, is out with a new book, "Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches That Would Have Rewritten History." Plus, elections in West Virginia and Nebraska, the states with the best and worst official state songs. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the[...]

Political Science Professor Sunshine Hillygus is the director of the Duke Initiative on Survey Methodology and co-director of the Polarization Lab. We discuss how attitudes can change and if we should trust finding that show large percentage of Americans have truly wacky* ideas. Plus, how the present regards the biggest moral issues of yesterday, as told through[...]

On this week’s installment of Best Of The Gist—which we are publishing on Sunday instead of our usual Saturday—we’ve chosen to run a large chunk of the September 18, 2020 Gist tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the day of her passing. Mike was joined that day by Emily Bazelon. We are also listening back[...]

Isis is back, they never went away, and they're torturing and killing their way through the craziest of places - Afghanistan. Michael Kugelman, the Asia Program Deputy Director and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center, analysis what happens when the insurgents acquire their own insurgents. Plus, we reacquaint ourselves with a New Hampshire[...]

First, we discuss all those dead Russian Generals. Then Jing Tsu joins us to discuss her book Kingdom of Characters, about the century-long effort to make Chinese characters interoperable with Western alphabets. Finally, what if RBG had retired? Mike creates a cornucopia of counterfactuals that gets us precisely to where we are today. Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

Jerrika Richardson, Senior Vice President for Equitable Justice & Strategic Initiatives at the National Urban League discusses the actual policing reforms that have been enacted since the protests of 2020. Plus, the best messages to convey on abortion, and a failed Amazon Union vote for a Staten Island warehouse got a lot less coverage than[...]

With the indication that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v Wade, @KathaPollitt of The Nation, and Virginia Heffernan, @page88, of the This is Critical podcast analyze the implications of the ruling, and discuss the conditions that made it so. In the spiel, the legitimacy of the court, and just how unusual it is to take[...]

15 months ago, Binyamin Appelbaum, who writes on economic issues as a member of the NY Editorial Board wrote a piece entitled Inflation Isn’t Lurking Around the Corner. This Isn’t the 1970s." He was very wrong. But he's owning it, and in very productive discussion talks about the macro and micro reasons he was mistaken[...]

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we ask yesterday’s guest, gerrymandering expert David Daley, “Why so many asterisks in the title of your bestselling book?” Turns out, focus groups made him do it. And then we rewind to Monday’s Spiel, when Mike wonders if there could be a better way to think about[...]

After Judge Michael Garcia, and all of his peers on the NY State Court of Appeals threw out the Democrats attempt to Gerrymander the state, the national advantage from Gerrymandering moves back to the Republicans. David Daley Author of Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count. Plus, how our coverage of Madison Cawthorn and Majorie Taylor Greene exemplify[...]

With Joe Biden asking for $33billion in new aid, Mike contemplates and calculates the costs and benefits of this, aid and what we could be spending on in America. Plus, Ken White is back to offer his analysis on the likelihood of a Trump prosecution and what the latest release of an America held captive in[...]

Every day another piece of potentially damning news seems to emerge from the January 6th commission or the NY Attorney General office. But it is so hard to know what are the real risks, and what is just fodder for prosecution thirsty cable news lawyers. Plus, Governor Abbott's backward bus stunt, and the value of corporate[...]

After a period of relative stability, Africa coups d'etat are breaking out all over.  We discuss with Dr Nathaniel Powell, Africa Analyst with Oxford Analytica. Plus, mash notes sent between leaders on the Korean peninsula, and EVERYONE in the liberal/progressive/mainstream/blue check mark/ non-conservative community being apoplectic about Elon Twitter. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email[...]

AJ Jacobs stops by to talk about the psychology of puzzles and the nerdles who wordle. His new book is The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life. Plus, a better way to think about Elon Musk buying Twitter than simply asking yourself: How[...]

On this week’s installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s 2015 interview with Bill Browder, who was once the single largest foreign investor in Russia. Browder talks about the perils of Russian markets and fleeing the wrath of Vladimir Putin. Then we listen back to Monday’s Spiel about Lucky Charms’ recall. Produced by Joel[...]

Christine Emba, author of Rethinking Sex: A Provocation says those of her generation feel crushed and ground up by the culture that says once consent is given there's nothing you have the right to complain about. Plus, two Republicans on different sides of the establishment spectrum come under fire. Marjorie Taylor Greene testifies in Georgia, and Kevin[...]

Author Yascha Mounk joins to discuss his book “The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure”. Florida vs Disney and math. Plus, a Michigan Senator laid into a republican colleague who accused her of being a groomer and abetting pedophilia. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at[...]

Paul Demko, Cannabis editor of POLITICO talks about the nation's hottest marijuana market going, Oklahoma. Also, Libs of TikTok isn't so different from Mugwumps of the Lyceum. That's today's bung starter. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gen. Hodges was the Commanding General, United States Army Europe talks about tooth-to-tail ratio, why Russian generals are dying and how a no-fly zone could work. Plus, a spiel about the what real advocacy for the homeless should look like and Libs of Tik-Tok EXPOSED! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com[...]

Though most of the attention paid to the Federal Judiciary is paid to SCOTUS the lower courts have a massive influence. Rick Hasen, Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine is our guide. Plus, a Lucky Charms recall and the Micromort, a puckish li'l fellow here to tell you about the risk[...]

In honor of a truly unique talent’s passing, we’re listening back to Mike’s August 2014 interview with Gilbert Gottfried. We’ll miss you, Gilbert. In the Spiel, Mike analyzes the aftermath of Partygate, and British tabloid headline freestyling ensues. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit:[...]

For years and years the line among liberal fiscal policy experts were that low interest rates, even 0% interest rates were the best thing to do to help struggling Americans gain employment and grow wealth. Only the wealthy, and those excessively fearful of inflation wanted them raised. But Christopher Leonard author of The Lords of Easy Money:[...]

TJ Raphael is back to talk about the legal implications of the loosely regulations in the fertility industry that turned sperm donations into actual humans with feelings of betrayal years later. Also, Hasta la Moskva: A Russian warship sinks and a British politician skates. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com[...]

TJ Raphael host of the podcast “BioHacked: Family Secrets” is chronicling the experiences of the children of anonymous sperm and egg donors, some of whom have hundreds of half-siblings. Plus the New York subway gunman and the issue of motivations. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show,[...]

On Todays Show Mike examines the criminal justice from within…by performing his civic duty by jury duty. Therefore, we will be playing a two-part interview with DeRay Mckesson, a leader in the criminal justice reform movement with practical ideas that have sometimes caused friction with other factions of the movement. Plus, two other wars happing[...]

The effort to soften the image of the French far right candidate worked a bit - can it propel her to the The Élysée Palace? Plus, Leon Neyfahk is here to discuss his new series Fiasco: The Aids Crisis. And how to convey that the Ba2 variant is new and different without overhyping its deadliness? Produced by[...]

To commemorate the annual return of baseball (Thursday was opening day), this week on Best of the Gist, we revisit a 20-year-old piece of NPR reporting in which Mike takes us to Yankee Stadium to learn the value the Crackerjack reference in the 1908 song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Could it be the[...]

Nate and Bob Odenkirk talk about their new Audible Original Series Summer in Argyle, the difference in comedy on a generational level, and what it is like to work with comedy legends. Plus, “Leave the gun, take the cannoli” and Mike gets a call from a pollster…and he recorded it! Produced by Joel Patterson and[...]

Craig Calcaterra author of Rethinking Fandom: How to Beat the Sports-Industrial Complex at Its Own Game stops by for a little opening day grouse. Plus, MSNBC hiring Jen Psaki and the terrorists called The Beatles. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more[...]

The words were spoken to Sonari Glinton, who went on to make The Story of Quincy Jones Podcast, an experience that reoriented Glinton's entire outlook and career. Plus, What Vlad Putin gets paid, and What if we just paid Fox viewers to watch CNN? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com[...]

Barry Nalebuff, Professor at Yale School of Management has a new way to look at negotiation, which is simple and eye opening. Split the Pie: A Radical New Way to Negotiate depends on, yes, splitting pie, but crucially, defining the pie. And if all that pie talk makes you hungry, I don't know what to tell you[...]

Irina Borogan, and Andrei Soldatov, two Russian Journalists who have documented the Kremlin's war on the internet discuss the effectiveness of suppression of news in Russia, and Putin's strengths and failings as an information warrior. In the Spiel, mistaking the trend for the truth, plus Mike resigns from the Academy. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey[...]

This weekend on BEST OF THE GIST, we unearthed a 2016 interview with Chuck Klosterman, the author of The Nineties and a dozen or so other books. In this archival gem, Mike and Chuck discuss what counts as a great American novel, and how we decide who’s smart. And we’re also listening back to the[...]

As the Final 4 finalizes a look at the instinctive, and backward, admonishment so many announcers issue as time is winding down. Plus how China is being regarded by its Asian neighbors in light of the Ukraine war, and Amazon unionizes much to the delight of other union members, including ones on the labor beat of[...]

James Cowen, retired Maj. Gn. in the British Army is CEO of HALO Trust. He had 450 workers already in Ukraine clearing bombs and ordnance when the current invasion began. His job is to secure his people, secure unexploded munitions, and funnel relief to civilians in the crosshairs. Plus, parole for the mastermind of Americans[...]

Chuck Klosterman, in his latest book. "The Nineties", examines a decade and the generation attached to it; afraid of selling out, excited to be unenthused. The meaning of a decade isn't perfectly clear, but for a time Pepsi was. In the Spiel, are the Bidens just lying about all the personal correspondence they leave lying about? Produced[...]

The families of Sandy Hook Elementary were faced with a horrible tragedy compounded by a cynical charlatan and a cadre of like-minded conspiracists. Writer Elizabeth Williamson dissects how the tactics personalities and counter measures in Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth. In the Spiel Mike has been restive on the subject of Daylight-saving[...]

The Academy Awards presents a show, post-slap, that is indistinguishable from pre. We're expected to interpret what happened as a part of Smith's hero's journey. Plus Professor Aditi Paul researched if college students actually like hooking up, and if the women liked it as much as the men. Spoiler: They Didn't but just by a little. Produced[...]

As the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament heats up, on this week’s Best Of The Gist, we bring you a pair of stories from college sport. The first is part two of Mike’s interview with John Tauer, the head coach of the St. Thomas University's basketball team, which made an unprecedented leap ahead of this[...]

John Tauer head coach of the St. Thomas Tommies has won two national championships on the Division III Level, this year he was thrust into Division I, which should have meant a nearly winless season. Instead, the team found a way to beat playing bigger, faster, more highly recruited opponents. In the spiel, it's an Antwentig, and[...]

Karan Soni (Deadpool) plays the awkward Ravi, who is a bit frightened then a bit taken with the secretly rebellious Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers) Rita in Seven Days, which opens March 25. In the spiel Mike contemplates Candace Owens: Dupe or Dope. And does the Los Angeles mayoral race stink on ice? Produced by Joel Patterson[...]

But so is a round Earth. So how do these square pegs in round holes justify themselves? With YouTube videos, of course, but also sometimes with some violence. Mike talks with Kelly Weill, author of Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything about these sometimes-problematic folks. In the Spiel, Mike considers the[...]

John McWhorter, author of Woke Racism and Nine Nasty Words stops by to discuss a linguistic trend Mike has noticed, about phrases that are totalizing but at the same time, particular. In the Spiel Mike discusses attention spans, Ukraine, and how unrelated they are. Plus Lindsey Graham goes "Freakin' Nuts" Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara[...]

Lia Thomas University of Pennsylvania swimmer won the NCAA title in the 500. Other swimmers protested her inclusion in the women's division as unfair. Some swimmers, including ones she out-touched supported her right to swim as her true self. Mike looks at the arguments on both sides, points to many as ridiculous, but a few as legitimate and[...]

On this week’s Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Monday’s Spiel about who’s to blame for inflation. Weirdly, it’s not Mitch McConnell’s fault. Then, in our archival interview from September 2020, Jonathan V. Last, editor of the Bulwark, talked with Mike about the then recent passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the potential[...]

Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, the co-creators of Search Party haven't just made a hilarious TV show for 5 seasons, they put their finger on a type of character that used to be called Millennial but now is just called "people". Plus, Do You Feel the Lavrov Tonight? Sergey Lavrov engages in media critique. Produced by[...]

Baby got Back Matter today as Dennis Duncan author of "Index, a History of The", holds forth on the surprisingly surprising story of the index. Plus, the President alleges War Crime, and March Madness' productivity costs are entirely fabricated, obviously ridiculous, and a mainstay of sports coverage. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email[...]

Daylight Saving time ALL the time was passed by the Senate in a vote that was both bold and Sudden. Mike debunks the counterclaims that school children will be bathed in inky darkness as they wait for busses in the pre-dawn hours. Plus, the second part of an interview with Dr. Todd Kashdan author of[...]

Todd Kashan, author of The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively, says there are ways to create clarity value and progress without turning disagreement into combat. Plus, a new head of Isis and a new poll that makes Republicans feel braver than Democrats. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us[...]

Vanessa Van Edwards a behavioral investigator, body language guru, and author of “CUES: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication” joins to analyze everything from Kermit the Frog to emojis. In the spiel, Mike talks about inflation, and who is to blame. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise[...]

On this week’s edition of The Best of the Gist, Mike bemoans Russia’s arrest of basketball star Brittney Griner and what it says about our current moment. Then, we listen back to a happier time…March 7, 2017, to be exact, when Henry “Fonzie” Winkler was our guest. Fun Fonzie Fact: Did you know that Henry[...]

Paul Poast University of Chicago professor and author of Arguing about Alliances says we're past the open stage of the war in Ukraine. In the Spiel Mike discusses US cyber vulnerabilities and tries to get a handle on what a hack might look like and discusses how to stop one, with Glenn Gerstell, former Counsel for[...]

Brad Meltzer, author of the Lightning Rod, breaks down how to induce an adrenaline rush via the written word. Plus, baseball's back, but still not terribly exciting, and Madison Cawthorn, D minus demagogue. *This episode was originally posted with yesterday's spiel. If the spiel today sounds familiar, please re-download the episode to hear the corrected version*[...]

Dana Stevens is here to discuss the extraordinary life and cinematic contributions of Buster Keaton. In the spiel Mike explains why if Russian gas accounts for only 7% of US supply prices have risen much more than that. Also, what qualifies as a moderate on gun control? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at[...]

The former Republican Governor of Ohio and the former left-leaning host of a Comedy Central show get together to discuss issues, find solutions, and name-drop certain Austrian muscle men. In the spiel Mike more accurately defines cancel culture and addresses the idea that punishing ideas is only a myth or a moral panic. Warning / Inducement: It’s[...]

The Former Attorney General denied wrong-doing to Lester Holt, but ultimately charged Trump with willful ignorance about the lie of a stolen election.  On the show Mike interviews Dan Baer, former Obama administration State Department Official on how the US can help the Ukrainians without becoming co-combatants, and how the threat of nuclear weapons overshadows[...]

On this week’s special weekend edition of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s February 15, 2017 interview with then Executive Producer of CBS’s The Late Show with Steven Colbert, Chris Licht. We’re replaying his interview, because this past week, Chris left that job for a very high-profile one as the head honcho at CNN.[...]

Brett Hankison had faced the most serious charges all the police involved in the raid that killed Breonna Taylor. Mike examines the trial and explains why this officer might have walked after others in Minnesota were found guilty. Plus, Mike Sacks has penned a massive faux- autobiography of a right wing blow hard talk show host[...]

US Naval dominance has assured an unprecedented age of peace and prosperity on world's waters. Gregg Easterbrook notes the little-observed near-miracle of Pax Marititum. Plus finding hope in the hopeless state of the climate. Here's Mike's Hopeful hint: Just think of it like Cancer! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com[...]

A slog in Ukraine could be Putin's undoing - what would that look like? Charles Kupchan, former special adviser to President Obama is in touch with Russian officials and insiders, he games out the consequences of Ukraine as Waterloo. Plus Rashida Tlaib's SOTU clap back, and Andrew Cuomo is claiming exoneration in a new 30 second[...]

Gerrett Graff author of Watergate: A New History talks about Mark Felt and what really pushed Nixon out On today’s show Mike concludes his interview with the author of an expansive new history of Watergate, Garrett Graff. Plus a few suggestions for how to describe the State of Our Union (Hangry?) and the debut of the[...]

The Russian President is tough, cruel and ambitious. But now that he's suffered setbacks, we're hearing he's also mad. On Todays Show Mike considers how useful it is to dwell on Putin's mental health and how accurate it is to tell ourselves that the Ukrainian resistance is indomitable. Plus, Garrett Graff author of Water Gate: A New[...]

In this week's Best Of The Gist episode, Mike talks with Moises Naim about the rise of the autocrat, and we time warp back to July 2014 to hear an eerily familiar tale about Putin. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Learn more about your[...]

We didn't take Putin's seriousness seriously. Benjamin Wittes, Editor in Chief of Lawfare, discusses if anything short of Ukrainian sacrificing their lives will keep Putin from keeping Ukraine. Plus, explaining why the Stock Market shrugged off the war. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist [...]

Chris Miller, author of Putinomics: Power and Money in Resurgent Russia says Putin is out for blood Putin has said he's rolling into Ukraine to de-Nazify the country which fought the Nazis and whose president is a Jew. But Putin doesn't even care what he says, he cares where he bombs. And in the Spiel the[...]

Sex work in South Africa is a hazard because the policing is haphazard. American Law Professor I India Thusi studied sex workers in South Africa, narrowly escaping some entanglements along the way. Plus, the 14-year-old mistake made by an American President that contributed to the war in Ukraine. And a congressional candidate has a believable reason[...]

Moises Naim on The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics The former Venezuelan trade minister who lived through Chavez wrecking his country has worked out something like the Autocratic Genome Project. What's alarming is that these clever thugs are learning from each other. Plus, the second guilty verdict for Ahmaud Arbery's killers and do sanctions ever really work? Produced[...]

This weekend, we’re revisiting Mike’s recent Spiel about the similarities between the protest tactics of BLM and Canadian truckers. And then we’re going way back to the first few months of the Gist (June 2014, to be exact-ish), to a laundromat in order to talk about what we now see as the nascent gig economy.[...]

A spate of elections in Georgia are fascinating and important for the rest of us. Mike talks with Bill Nigut, host of Political Rewind on Georgia Public Broadcasting, about this year’s field of candidates, which includes the University of Georgia's all-time greatest running back. Plus, a light sentence for a Minnesota Police Officer who shot and[...]

China has twisted Hollywood to suit its demands for years, and now things may be bottoming out. Erich Schwartzel, author of Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy joins Mike to discuss how China uses access to its market to bend movie makers to their will. And in the Spiel, are we[...]

San Francisco has recalled three school board members, as voters found no comfort in their efforts to rename, re-paint, and rid schools of merit-based admissions…instead of just opening them. Plus, it's Vexillology Corner with Ted Kaye, and an eye-opening nugget of Disney Princess trivia. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To[...]

Mike talks with Evan Hughes, author of Hard Sell: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup, about his coverage of an out-of-control drug maker that destroyed lives and paid a price for doing so. Also, a judge, and later a jury, decide that it will take more than inaccurately linking Sarah Palin to murder to prove[...]

If we pay Donald Trump less heed, will it diminish his words and deeds? Mike talks with David French from The Dispatch about how—and how much—to think about the Donald. Plus, using focus groups to help make mask-mandate decisions, and why Larry David is actually quite the embracer of innovations despite his Superbowl commercial. Produced by Joel[...]

We listen back to our 2019 interview with author Xiao Mina on the role of social media memes in social movements. And Mike Spiels about Mikaela Shiffrin’s surprising early loss in the Olympics this past week. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Learn more about[...]

Consequence-free interviewing initiatives have not inspired more than a pair of NFL teams to currently employ a Black head coach. Law professor and Former Green Bay Packer executive, Andrew Brandt on what tools the NFL has to increase the number of black head coaches. Plus, it's an Antwentig, which means Lobstars are in the offing. [...]

Nelson Wiseman of the University of Toronto says the truckers clogging up the Capital are out of step with the values of Canada, a country with greater social cohesion than the United States. In the Spiel, Trump’s toilet-based filing system.  Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist [...]

Dina Temple-Raston of the new Click Here podcast uses narrative skills to take the threat of cybercrime from the obscure to the palpable. She tells the story of how a ransomware attack in Texas portends a future of cybercriminality that should have us all worried. And, speaking of cybercrime (plus hip-hop crime), Razzlekhan is alleged to[...]

Lindsey Graham is a cynic, Joe Manchin can still be reached on filibuster reform, Michael Bennett…that one still hurts. In the second part of his interview, Senator Al Franken discusses the failings of Betsy DeVos and explains his former colleagues’ motivations. Plus, a Spiel about Best Picture Nominee "Don’t Look Up" — a warning for[...]

In Part 1 of a two-part interview, Al Franken, now a working standup comedian, analyzes politics and what made him such an effective questioner during Senate hearings. And Mike spiels about a visit from a boring German, and why Mike Pence's rebuke cannot be considered brave. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us[...]

In this week's Best Of The Gist episode, Mike Spiels about Joe Rogan's most criticized interview, with insights on the Nuremberg Codes and the shocking accusation that Anthony Faucci conspired to quash evidence, which he definitely didn't do. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Learn[...]

A project to retell the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon from a trans character's perspective almost tore Raja Feather Kelly's dance company apart. The Feat3r Collective is ambitious, daring, and, for his recent project Wednesday, embattled. Ultimately, art persevered. Plus, Olympic Parade of Nations oddities, and New York State gerrymanders to the Dems advantage. Produced by Joel[...]

Jeff Maurer is a 5-time Emmy Award-winning writer for HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which he says never strayed from the POVs you'd expect, during the six years he wrote for the show. Jeff’s proud of the show, but he also realized that there was little opportunity to tackle topics that weren't firmly in[...]

Paul Butler examines how Axie Infinity, a "w3" online game sold as the future of work, is simply reinforcing drudgery. The game's makers say it's more than a game, it's a way to escape poverty. In reality, its part cynical hype and part pitiless grind. In the Spiel, Mike discusses how Jeff Zucker's resignation from CNN isn't[...]

Part 2 of an interview with Professor Jonathan Gottschall who says Netflix is to narrative what the Golden Corral is to portion control. In the Spiel a listen to all 3 hours of Joe Rogan's most criticized interview, with insights on the Nuremberg Codes and the shocking accusation that Anthony Faucci conspired to quash evidence, which[...]

Mike talks to Professor Jonathan Gottschall, who speaks about the sheer tonnage of stories that we all absorb, and how this basic human function affects us like a drug. In the Spiel, Mike analyzes Boris Johnson's party proclivities, and addresses if defying Covid lockdowns is a tipple too far for the British public. Produced by[...]

In our debut Saturday Edition, we pull out a compelling segment you may have missed during the week. Produced by Joel Patterson Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Suzanne Nossel, author of Dare To Speak: Defending Free Speech For All , and President of PEN, on her organization's never-wavering, but not-always-easy, commitment to defend expression. In a conversation recorded almost a year ago, and aired here for the first time, Nossel discusses with Mike the current atmosphere around censoriousness and the conceptions of what[...]

Neil Young wants Joe Rogan to either burn out or fade away over Covid mis-info. Mike spiels about Neil Young's Criticisms of Joe Rogan’s Covid pronouncements. And in the interview, the NYTimes Magazine’s Emily Bazelon talks about how the nationwide rise in murders will affect the agendas of progressive prosecutors. Produced by Joel Patterson Email[...]

Today on the Gist, The former President of Estonia on Russia's aggression and German obstruction. And news that SCOTUS's Breyer will retire inspires a Spiel about domestic obstructionism. Produced by Joel Patterson Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dartmouth professor Brendan J. Nyhan looks at polls showing Americans endorse violence and says those findings are off. But there’s still a lot to worry about. And in the Spiel, a troubling but little-remarked-upon argument made in the Derek Chauvin defense resurfaces in the Federal trial of former Minneapolis Police Officers. Podcast production by Joel Patterson Email[...]

On the Gist, America may be poised for revolution. Or not. We're certainly obsessed with talking about it. In the interview, Mike speaks with Stephen Marche, author of The Next Civil War: Dispatches from the American Future. Marche sets the chances of a civil war at 67%. Mike challenges him by asking why this moment[...]

The Gist Returns on Monday, January 24 for Season 2. Today, Mike recounts the guiding principles of Season 1 ( i.e. the first 1400 episodes), and delivers a promise of rigor and independence for Season 2.  To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, #TedFled. In the Interview, his new documentary has been called “jaw-dropping,” “incendiary,” “riveting,” and “engrossing.” Sam Pollard’s new film MLK/FBI is about the bureau’s surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The film delves into new and declassified documents as well as restored footage to reveal the government’s long past[...]

On the Gist, we rush to Limbaugh’s judgment. In the Interview, political and media historian, Brian Rosenwald, joins Mike to talk about Rush Limbaugh’s rise to popularity in conservative media, his power as a voice and entertainer in talk radio, the influence he had on the Republican party, and who is primed to carry his[...]

On the Gist, Southern cold snap! In the Interview, Sonari Glinton is back! Which means we’re talking cars. Glinton and Pesca discuss GM's recent proclamation to go electric by 2025. Glinton says that it's not that car makers aren't making profits off of going electric, it's that General Motors' commitment is a sign that the[...]

On the Gist, Mike lives for the arguments Trump’s lawyers are making because, well, they’re really bad. In the Interview, “She loves America. For her, she was there showing support for the American political process.” SUNY Geneseo political science professor and author Karleen West talks to Mike about her mother’s participation in the January 6th[...]

On the Gist, exploring the complexities of the personal stakes of the Senators in the Trump Impeachment trial. In the Interview, it’s the second half of our conversation with Jonah Blank, an anthropologist, writer, author, and former policy director for South and Southeast Asia on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Blank joins[...]

On the Gist, the prosecution in Trump’s Impeachment is firing on all cylinders. In the Interview, we take a look inside the FBI’s fight against white supremacy and domestic terrorism. Frank Figliuzzi is a 25-year veteran of the FBI. He joins Mike to talk about why the country needs a domestic terrorism law, the January[...]

On the Gist, the Belknap case is clear precedent. In the Interview, it’s round two of vaccine talk. Mike and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a former Detroit health director and epidemiologist, talk about equity and the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. They also discuss why we shouldn’t heroicize the pharmaceutical industry, using the issue of the[...]

On the Gist, ads for “The Big Game” are given the Pesca treatment.  In the Interview, it’s vaccine talk. Mike sits down remotely with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a former Detroit health director and epidemiologist about the COVID-19 vaccine. They talk about how social media has spread both information and misinformation, how the response to the[...]

On the Gist, cost of living and minimum wage around the U.S. In the Interview, journalist David Gilbert from Vice News joins Mike to talk about QAnon, the cult of disinformation, it's propulsion into 2021, and how people from all walks of life are susceptible to believing. Plus, Gilbert translates Marjorie Taylor Greene's floor speech,[...]

On the Gist, stripping Majorie Taylor Greene of her committee membership, but Republicans still want to keep her around. In the Interview, it’s coup talk. It’s part one of an interview with Jonah Blank, an anthropologist, writer, author, and former policy director for South and Southeast Asia on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations[...]

On the Gist, importing walkie-talkies into Myanmar. In the Interview, we’re coming into a new constitutional cycle, and it means Democrats could take quite a bit of power. Well, if they don’t blow it. We’ve been in the same Republican-dominated cycle for decades, according to Jack Balkin, author of The Constitutional Cycles of Time. Balkin[...]

On the Gist, Alexei Navalny’s sentence. In the Interview, it’s part two of a conversation with historian Jill Lepore about her latest book: If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future. Jill discusses that with data mining and analysis there is greater potential for the demeaning of democratic processes, and why in 2021, accepting[...]

On the Gist, once a Nobel Peace Prize winner, now a war criminal. In the Interview, writer Jill Lepore joins Mike for part one of their conversation on her latest book: If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future, a precursor to data and polling companies. If Then is an account on the mid-century[...]

On the Gist, an Arizona Representative has a plan to win - throw out votes. In the interview, it’s all about the voice; John Colapinto’s new book, This is the Voice, that is. From sexy baby voice to deep baritones, Colapinto talks about his linguistic journey in writing his new book about the importance of[...]

On the Gist, what happens when a conservative pundit and a famous quarterback make a podcast: Bolling with Favre.  In the interview, it’s been a lonely year, and an especially difficult 10 months to try and find love. But Logan Ury’s new book, How to Not Die Alone just may hold the key. Putting psychology[...]

On the Gist, you can’t trouble us with your labels. In the interview, what is In & Of Itself? The new Hulu special by Frank Oz and Derek DelGaudio is so much more than just a made-for-TV version of DelGaudio’s live show. As creators, Oz and DelGaudio discuss the stigma of illusion, an art form[...]

On the Gist, Impeachment logic games.  In the interview, it’s part two of a conversation with Oscar award winning documentarian and director Bryan Fogel about his latest film The Dissident. The film centers around Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal murder, and its broader human rights implications. The Dissident is available in theaters, and now[...]

On the Gist, Larry King, ‘Hello!’ In the interview, it’s part one of a conversation with Oscar award winning documentarian and director Bryan Fogel about his latest film The Dissident. The film centers around Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal murder, and its broader human rights implications. Fogel discusses how he seeks to right wrongs[...]

On the Gist, Trump is deserving of a trial, and a lot more. In the interview, what are the consequences of putting Trump through a Senate trial? Mike does some game theory with Joe Lockhart about the possible implications for Republicans and Democrats when it comes to voting for, and possibly convicting the former president.[...]

On the Gist, before he jetted off to the sunshine state, Trump had a last bit of business to attend to.  In the interview, Mike talks to Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean of leadership programs, and the Lester Crown Professor in the Practice of Management for the Yale School of Management. He is also founder[...]

On the Gist, a decent man gives a speech. In the interview, Mike talks to Sarada Peri about now President Joe Biden’s inaugural speech. The former President Barack Obama speechwriter says Biden, “knocked it out of the park.” They talk about the most effective moments and the importance of speaking directly about racism and white[...]

On the Gist, Trump is getting traded.  In the interview, we bring in Chris Molanphy to discuss the music hits of 2020. They talk about how All I Want For Christmas is You keeps coming back to the top of the charts and the unexpected timeliness of Rockstar by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch. Molanphy is[...]

On the Gist, the QAnon Shaman’s lawyer. In the interview, John Fetterman, also known as Lieutenant Governor Stone Cold, talks to Mike about his potential Senate run. The Pennsylvania native talks about his origin story from son of teenagers to Harvard graduate, his thoughts on gun control and incarceration, and the woes of being six-foot-nine.[...]

On the Gist, Republicans use their voices to complain about not having a voice. In the interview, Melissa Murray joins Mike to discuss what the articles of impeachment can teach us about constitutional law as we review the events of last week at the Capitol Building. Murray is a professor at NYU Law, co-host of[...]

On the Gist, the gavel was quick and sure during the impeachment hearing. In the interview, what risks lie ahead for 2021? Mike sits down with political scientist Ian Bremmer. They talk about what went wrong in 2020 (hint COVID-19 managed to make a lot of Bremmer’s predictions come true). And for 2021 - China,[...]

On the Gist, this is actually who we are because we wouldn’t have let it happen. In the interview, Katie Meyer, political reporter at WHYY in Philadelphia joins Mike to talk about the Pennsylvania state legislature, and today’s federal ruling on the contested state senate race.  In Remembrances of Things Trump, back to the days when[...]

On the Gist, several Republicans predicted years ago Trump’s actions would lead to violence, but they’re sticking with him anyway. One of them is Ted Cruz. In Remembrances of Things Trump, Trump denounces a Swedish terrorism attack that never happened. In the interview, Mike is joined by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. They talk about[...]

On the Gist, how do 39% of registered voters “approve” of Trump’s performance? 39%; really? In the interview, Mike is joined by Stan Barnes to talk all things Arizona. Arizona just gave its two Senate seats to Democrats in a shocking upset for the long-time red state. Barnes is a former Republican state senator turned[...]

On the Gist, the assault on the Capitol through extremist corners of the internet. In the interview, Mike is joined by U.S Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan’s 5th Congressional District, and Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus. Rep. Kildee was on the House floor when violent pro-Trump extremists overtook the Capitol, causing a[...]

On the Gist, the Capitol is breached by pro-Trump extremists. In the interview, Mike is joined by Slate’s senior politics writer, Jim Newell, from Washington, D.C. While sequestered from inside the Capitol Building, Newell discussed the safety measures put in place to protect those remaining in the House chambers and its locked corridors, while police[...]

On the Gist, we return to the infamous Bean Dad. And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: All the president’s less than capable men. In the interview, it’s part two of a conversation with David Shor, a researcher and consultant for democratic politicians. Dubbed a political data analyst prodigy, Shor developed a voter registration system[...]

On the Gist, President Trump made a phone call and blew apart the life of a private citizen.  And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: teleprompter stumble. In the interview, it’s part one of a conversation with David Shor, a researcher and consultant for democratic politicians. Shor discusses the value trade-offs parties have to make[...]

On the Gist, Fauci guess-timates. And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: dead ducks and poisoned undies.  In the interview, Harvard professor Michael McCormick is here to tell Mike about the worst year in recorded history. According to him, it’s 536 A.D., a year when a volcanic eruption blocked out the sun, a bubonic plague[...]

On the Gist, sorting out how undemocratic of our democracy is. In the interview, the Atlantic’s James Fallows contends that while 2020 has been bad, 1968 was actually quite worse. The Vietnam War was raging, young men were being drafted, and in 1968 the North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces launched their Tet Offensive. Not to[...]

On the Gist, we’re experiencing some loner white terrorist burnout. In the interview, we’re talking rural Republicans. Ross Benes gives us insight to Nebraska’s Republican party, and how they can help to understand Republicans everywhere. He talks about where Democrats are going wrong outside the cities, the difference between an old fashioned Republican and a[...]

On the Gist, Republican Grinches are scratching their heads while Santa Trump calls for more stimulus money.  And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: This president. He hasn’t talked so good.  In the interview, we have Georgia on our mind yet again with Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Bill Nigut. He talks about the upcoming Georgia runoff[...]

On the Gist, who wants the vaccine? And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: Did Trump really want a moat with alligators and snakes? In the interview, it’s the second half of Mike’s conversation with author Michael Scott Alexander about his book, Making Peace with the Universe: Personal Crisis and Spiritual Healing. Alexander talks about[...]

On the Gist, medical innovation. And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: charitable contributions. In the interview, it’s part one of Mike’s discussion with author, Michael Scott Alexander about his book, Making Peace with the Universe: Personal Crisis and Spiritual Healing. Alexander details how he searched for insight during an existential crisis, and retroactively explored[...]

On the Gist, the shrinking list of Democrats in Congress. And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: Trump trying to surprise the parents of British teenager Harry Dunn with their son’s killer. In the interview, the Gist’s favorite guest, Maria Konnikova, is back for another round of “Is That Bullshit?” She and Mike talk about[...]

On the Gist, gale-force winds from winter storm Gail. And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: Jim Acosta was scolded and his credentials revoked. In the interview, Mike talks with Scottish sports broadcaster Andrew Cotter how his dogs Olive and Mabel became online celebrities. Earlier this year, Cotter began publishing short videos of his dogs[...]

On the Gist, GOP going after themselves. And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: Peter Navarro’s alter ego. In the interview, Mike talks with Jane McManus about the conclusions of her poll on why Americans have been spending less time watching sports in 2020. What she found has a lot to do with not just[...]

On the Gist, Pete Buttigieg named Biden’s secretary of transport. And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: Ryan Zinke, Trump’s first secretary of the interior. In the interview, it’s the final half of Mike’s discussion with writer Matthew Yglesias. After touching on Yglesias’ argument from his Vox piece, “Trump’s Gains With Hispanic Voters Should Prompt[...]

On the Gist, deciphering the Zodiac Killer’s last message. And, today in Remembrances of Things Trump: Trump trying to make Andrew Puzder his Labor Secretary. In the interview, the first part of Mike’s discussion with writer Matthew Yglesias. They talk about how the world of online media has changed since Yglesias founded Vox, and begin[...]

On the Gist, don’t trust the polls. And, today’s installment of Remembrances of Things Trump: Trump loves the Great Lake. In the interview, Mike helps Slate celebrate a milestone. Fifteen years ago this week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz recorded their first podcast together, and the Political Gabfest was born. Since 2005, the[...]

On the Gist, unasked for resignation advice. And, today’s installment of Remembrances of Things Trump: toilets for well-endowed men. In the interview, it’s part two of Mike’s conversation with Jim Tankersley, author and New York Times economics reporter. Tankersley provides solutions to productivity gains, explains how access to education in America is not enough of[...]

On the Gist, the skeletons in Hunter Biden’s closet. And, today’s installment of Remembrances of Things Trump: A natural rust color on the border wall. In the interview, it’s part one of Mike’s conversation with author and economics reporter Jim Tankersley about his new book, The Riches of This Land: The Untold, True Story of[...]

On the Gist, Ultimate Concrete. And, today’s installment of Remembrances of Things Trump: Harley riders for Trump. In the interview, Mike talks with Cal Matters reporter Laurel Rosenhall about her coverage of Proposition 22, an unprecedented measure pushed by app-based rideshare and livery companies to keep their workers within the gig-economy and preserve exemptions around[...]

On the Gist, Trump still wants attention. And, today’s installment of Remembrances of Things Trump: Trump meeting Emmanuel Macron. In the interview, theater artist and rat about town Jonothon Lyons is here to talk with Mike about his year performing in the streets and subways of New York City. They discuss the origins of Lyons’[...]

On the Gist, Corey Lewandowski has caught the virus. And, today’s installment of Remembrances of Things Trump: criticizing Chucks. In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back for another “Is That Bullshit?” She and Mike dissect where the stipulations around the socially distanced fifteen-minute time limit.* While in close proximity to another person, how long does[...]

On the Gist, will Trump have a platform once he’s stripped of power? And, today’s installment of Remembrances of Things Trump: hoping things will work out with North Korea. In the interview, lawyer Fred Golder is here to discuss mediation and his new book Reaching Common Ground: A Comprehensive Guide to Conflict Resolution. He and[...]

On the Gist, unraveling of election results. And, today’s installment of Remembrances of Things Trump: a graveyard full of birds.  In the interview, Mike is joined by Fred Kaplan, War Stories columnist at Slate, and author of The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War. Kaplan discusses the implications of the assassination[...]

On the Gist, potential mass fraud. Plus, the latest installment of Remembrances of Things Trump, as we pause to recall when the president claimed his father was born in Germany. In the interview, it's part two of Mike's conversation with voice actor Jess Harnell, who is reprising his role as Wakko Warner on the reboot[...]

On the Gist, voter certifications in Arizona and Wisconsin. In the interview, Mike talks with Jess Harnell, the Emmy-nominated voice artist with over 300 voice credits to his name, including Wakko Warner from The Animaniacs. The animated show executive produced by Steven Spielberg, known for bringing irreverent comedy and satire to kids in the 90’s, is[...]

On the Gist, today on Remembrances of Things Trump, we look back on Trump’s 2017 visit to the annual Boy Scout Jamboree.  In the interview, Mike talks with Reeves Weideman, contributing editor at New York magazine and author of Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork. Weideman explains[...]

On the Gist, remember when there was “the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you’ve ever seen,” and an attack on Syria. In the interview, Yuval Levin, author of A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream and American[...]

On the Gist, Michigan meets to certify the results of the 2020 election. In the interview, documentarian John Wilson talks to Mike about steering clear of staid tropes and taking on moments of serendipity for his new HBO docuseries. How To with John Wilson is a poetic and comedic look on life, art, and philosophy[...]

On the Gist, the election cannot be reversed in Trump’s favor. In the interview, comedian, actor, author, and activist Sarah Silverman joins Mike to talk about career, her characters, and how she is still learning from some controversial missteps taken along the way. Silverman candidly discusses her views on why Americans are so politically divided[...]

On the Gist, Rudy Giuliani keeps trying. In the interview, Bob Bauer and Jack Goldsmith are here to talk about their new book After Trump: Reconstructing the Presidency. Goldsmith, former White House counsel for the George W. Bush administration, and Bauer, former Obama counsel, discuss what work needs to be done to move past the[...]

On the Gist, how Governors Cuomo and Newsom are responding to the second wave. In the interview, it’s part two of Mike’s conversation with The Dispatch’s senior editor David French about his new book Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation. French discusses the principles of pluralism, how some choose[...]

On the Gist, there is a lot of uncertainty between now and January. In the interview, we share part one of Mike’s conversation with David French about his new book Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation. French argues that reconciling differences within the U.S. is more than just bridging[...]

On the Gist, facing electoral consequences. In the interview, Roxanne Khamsi, a science writer and contributor to WIRED, joins Mike to talk about Covid-19 social distancing, mask policies, lockdown, and preparedness in the U.S. and Canada. As America approaches the start of the holidays, Khamsi shares some new data—based off of individuals isolated on offshore[...]

On the Gist, Democrats seeing compromise as a defeat. In the interview, political commentator Jess McIntosh talks with Mike about the fight within the Democratic party about whose messaging matters. They discuss the merits of centrist and progressive language, how important it is to have members of Congress who are further left than Biden, and[...]

On the Gist, more of Trump’s inner circle test positive for Covid-19. In the interview, writer and urban policy specialist Diana Lind is here to talk about her new book Brave New Home: Our Future in Smarter, Simpler, Happier Housing. She and Mike discuss how the single-family home arose in the U.S. as a part[...]

On the Gist, Trump tries a coup. In the interview, former federal prosecutor, legal scholar and law professor Mark Osler joins Mike to talk about the presidential power of pardoning, granting clemency, a benign prerogative that is slanted towards mercy and not retribution. They discuss what might happen in the next few months with Trump’s[...]

On the Gist, brokered by Russia. In the interview, Claire McNear joins Mike to talk about her new book Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider's Guide to Jeopardy! In it, McNear explains the history of the game, what it takes to be a contestant and maintain a storied winning streak,[...]

On the Gist, getting back to normal. In the interview, WHYY’s Katie Meyer is here to discuss Pennsylvania politics with Mike. They talk about how the changes in voting collection and counting changed in the state during 2020, why it caused such national turmoil, and if Republican meddling even helped their strategy at all. In[...]

On the Gist, Democrats practiced caution and Republicans jumped into the deep end. In the interview, Emily Bazelon and Mike recap election week, its days-long outcome, and our current reality with the two candidates. Bazelon writes for the New York Times magazine, co-hosts Slate’s Political Gabfest, and is the author of Charged: The New Movement[...]

On the Gist, election feelings. In the interview, Lawfare’s Benjamin Wittes is here as we continue working through the results after election day. He and Mike discuss how the next few months could play out, what a transition might look like, and the ways Trump is considering fighting dirty. Wittes is the author of Unmaking[...]

On the Gist, misguided Americans. In the interview, Mike talks with Slate’s senior politics writer Jim Newell about the house races, what the democrat incumbents did wrong and why things appear to be a lot more like 2016, and theorizing that a republican controlled senate is what Biden actually wants. Plus, Jim and Mike’s thoughts[...]

On the Gist, the system is antiquated. In the interview, Mike talks with Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism, about America’s future after election day. They talk about the small but concerning ways the country could slide towards a dictatorship, and how Trump’s tactics have made people less willing[...]

On the Gist, caravans of Trump supporters. In the interview, Mike talks with NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik on the organization’s decision to sidestep coverage of the Hunter Biden allegations. He and Mike discuss ways major news outlets covered the story, why it never got much traction, and what goes into evaluating a story’s worth.[...]

On the Gist, Trump in Michigan. In the interview, Mike talks with former governor of Florida Jeb Bush about his push for access to national broadband internet access. He argues that high-speed internet in the U.S. is lagging compared to other industrialized countries. Now more than ever, digital infrastructure has become a critical resource to the[...]

On the Gist, the number of people who’ve already voted. In the interview, Erin Murphy, the Des Moines Bureau Chief for Lee Enterprises in Iowa, joins Mike to talk about what the election looks like in his state. They discuss how Trump is faring with farmers, what the different races look like there, and the[...]

On the Gist, the Jim Comey letter came out four years ago today. In the interview, Mike talks with Scott Braddock, editor and Texan political analyst at the Quorum Report. Braddock is also host of Texas Take, a podcast from the Houston Chronicle. They talk about what’s at stake on the ballots for election day,[...]

On the Gist, don’t worry about things you can’t control. In the interview, Alaska Public Media’s Nat Herz joins Mike to talk about the races above the lower 48. Herz details the dramatic Alaskan Senate race between Al Gross and Daniel Sullivan, how the Pebble Mine scandal and the salmon fishing industry are important points[...]

On the Gist, Trump and Armenians. In the interview, Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Bill Nigut is here to talk with Mike about Georgia. He fills Mike in on the details of the fight between Kelly Loeffler, Doug Collins, and Raphael Warnock, and shares how impressed he’s been with Jon Ossoff’s debate performance against incumbent David Perdue.[...]

On the Gist, red-string theories and conspiratorial last-ditch efforts. In the interview, Mike and Slate’s national correspondent Will Saletan recap the final presidential debate. They discuss the Trump camp’s thwarted strategy of practicing restraint to expose Biden, the self-congratulatory and attacking exchanges between the two candidates, and why this debate might only make a difference[...]

On the Gist, our civic obligations in 2020. In the interview, Mike talks with journalist and veteran broadcast anchor Dan Rather about his decades-long career in covering elections, highlighting a few cautionary tales learned from the 2000 race between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Rather explains that for some major networks, making the right[...]

On the Gist, Mike checks in with this Lawfare piece, and the U.S. Elections Project. In the interview, Mike talks with Brian Rosenwald, a media historian and fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, about how election night might play out. They discuss the idea of a red mirage, how Republican governors can bring order to[...]

On the Gist, network news election branding.  In the interview, Mike talks with Julie Pace, Washington Bureau Chief for the Associated Press, about the AP’s history in counting the vote since 1848, how they’ve traditionally declared winners, and an explanation on how they will be going above and beyond in 2020 in sharing the race[...]

On the Gist, we’re launching a week-long focus on election night and how different news organizations handle making the winning calls. In the interviews, Mike talks with NBC News’ national political correspondent Steve Kornacki about his network’s decision desk, their processes in tabulation, and how they will be closely monitoring the votes coming in days[...]

On the Gist, the price of corn. In the interview, former senior strategist for the NRA Joshua L. Powell is back for the second half of his conversation with Mike. They run down a series of NRA opinions and he and Mike go back and forth about how much NRA members believe things like “the[...]

On the Gist, David Ruffin. In the interview, former senior strategist for the NRA Joshua L. Powell is here to discuss his new book, Inside the NRA: A Tell-All Account of Corruption, Greed, and Paranoia within the Most Powerful Political Group in America. During the first half of this two-part conversation, he and Mike talk[...]

On the Gist, an Alaskan drama. In the interview, Mike talks with Robert Cahaly, head pollster of the Atlanta-based Trafalgar Group. Cahaly explains their polling methodology in gathering accurate opinion data, why social desirability bias comes into play, and how his team was able to predict Trump’s win in 2016. Now he posits that in[...]

On the Gist, uniting with your would-be kidnappers? In the interview, Mike talks to former Obama staffer Elliot Williams about his new podcast Made to Fail, a show where he explores the different ways governmental institutions across have been made intentionally dysfunctional, like the Florida unemployment system, and the impact it has on people in[...]

On the Gist, mishegoss in Michigan. In the interview, Mike talks with Stephen Dubner, host and co-author of Freakonomics, and Angela Duckworth, a psychologist and best-selling author of Grit. Dubner and Duckworth are the hosts of the new podcast No Stupid Questions, where in each episode they take turns posing a question, and give each[...]

On the Gist, the vice presidential debate and expanding SCOTUS. In the interview, Mike is joined by author, comedian, podcast host, and actor Michael Ian Black to talk about his latest book, A Better Man: A (Mostly Serious) Letter to My Son. Black was persuaded to write the book after publishing a New York Times[...]

On the Gist, a vice presidential debate starring plexiglass. In the interview, Mike hosts a roundtable discussion with journalist Richard Kreitner and Vox’s Matthew Yglesias to talk about how each of their new books address the problem of an ever-increasing American population. They debate if the U.S. should split into more manageable nations, or if[...]

On the Gist, a buffet of bad takes from Joe Piscopo. In the interview, CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin is here to discuss a topic the Gist can’t seem to get enough of recently, the Mueller investigation. Toobin’s new book, True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump, explores the investigation and analyzes[...]

On the Gist, Trump's doctor has reasons. In the interview, former FBI agent Peter Strzok is here to discuss his new book Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump. He and Mike discuss the investigation into Trump and Russia, the ways kompromat could push Trump to make decisions based on Russian interests, and[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s mask strategy. In the interview, Mike is joined by David Priess, COO of the Lawfare Institute, an organization and online magazine which focuses on national security issues. Priess posits some worst case scenarios in light of President Trump contracting Covid-19, the unexpected vulnerabilities and uncertainties that lay ahead, historical norms of[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s falsehoods. In the interview, Mikes talks with neuroscientist, Stanford University professor and best-selling author, David Eagleman, about his latest book Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain. Eagleman says that the way the brain is able to change and adapt to adversity is still inspiring new developments and new questions. [...]

On the Gist, there were a great many missteps last night on the presidential debate stage, but despite the rhetorical slips, Biden stayed on his feet to glide past Trump. In the interview, Mike and Slate’s national correspondent, Will Saletan, recap the first presidential debate. They dissect the prep and implemented strategies of both the[...]

On the Gist, using poker logic to analogize the upcoming presidential debates with Annie Duke. She is a former professional poker player, cognitive scientist and author of the forthcoming How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices. In the interview, Mike passes the baton to Annie Duke once more to dig into gerrymandering. Duke[...]

On the Gist, the attack on the Knights of Columbus. In the interview, Mike talks with Philippe I. Reines, political consultant, longtime aid and former staffer of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. In light of the upcoming presidential debates between Trump and Biden, Reines details his debate preparation in 2016, shares some possible[...]

On the Gist, a Twitter bug. In the interview, actor Jeff Daniels and writer Billy Ray are here to discuss the new two-night mini-series The Comey Rule on Showtime. The mini-series focuses on the story James Comey in the fall of 2016, and even though both Daniels and Ray had certain perceptions of how poorly[...]

On the Gist, Kelly Loeffler and Atilla the Hun. In the interview, Jonathan V. Last, editor of The Bulwark, talks with Mike about his recent piece which forecasts that after the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, America is moving one step closer to another political crisis. Last walks through some of the nightmare scenarios, particularly[...]

On the Gist, Trump sounds braggadocious. In the interview, it’s the second half of Mike’s conversation with CNN’s Brian Stelter. They discuss why Fox News is losing advertisers, and why executives at the organization continue to stand by their talent, and Mike questions whether news anchors have given up their objectivity with lengthy monologues about[...]

On the Gist, nothing is reasonable anymore. In the interview, CNN’s Brian Stelter is here to discuss his new book Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth. In the first half of his two-part interview, Stelter talks about the ways Fox changed after Roger Ailes’ exit in 2016, increasingly abandoning its[...]

On the Gist, the pursuit of power through SCOTUS. In the interview, Mike talks with radio presenter and author, Eric Weiner about his latest book The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers. In it, Weiner opines on the philosophical giants from a place that offers one of the more pleasant environments[...]

Emily Bazelon joins Mike for a special episode on the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After discussing Ginsburg’s history as a justice and legacy on the court, they begin to unpack the future political ramifications of her death. Emily and Mike talk through the ways a nomination could quickly slip through the Senate before[...]

On the Gist, Trump can’t pronounce Mosni, Wisconsin. In the interview, Mike talks with writers Mary Pilon and Louisa Thomas about their foray into collaborative editing. Their new collection of short sports stories called Losers: Dispatches from the Other Side of the Scoreboard is a curated volume that explores what it means to feel defeated.[...]

On the Gist, Trump deals in the Middle East. In the interview, we’ve got the second half of Mike’s conversation with Daniel Yergin, an energy expert who has advised the past four presidential administrations and author of The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations. He and Mike talk about the looming cold[...]

On the Gist, delayed accuracy. In the interview, the first half of Mike’s interview with Dan Yergin, an author and energy expert who has advised the past four presidential administrations, who’s here to discuss his new book, The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations. He and Mike talk about how innovations in[...]

On the Gist, Trump thinks the weather will balance everything out. In the interview, Mikes talks with Michael Sandel, a political philosopher, global lecturer, and Harvard University professor, about his latest book, The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good?. In it, Sandel argues that meritocracy offers a false promise and that it’s[...]

On the Gist, Trump isn’t helping you. In the interview, Leon Neyfakh is here to talk about the newest season of Fiasco, which focuses on Boston’s effort to desegregate its schools. He and Mike discuss the difficulties of finding a nuanced way to tell a story that complicates it beyond racism, and the reasons Biden’s[...]

On the Gist, Trump isn’t helping you. In the interview, the second part Mike’s conversation with author and former FBI counter-terrorism staffer Clint Watts on QAnon. They talk about how might time we should give QAnon, how to help those in our own life, and if we eventually have to just let these people flame[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s Nobel nomination. In the interview, author and former FBI counter-terrorism staffer Clint Watts is here to talk about QAnon. He and Mike discuss the rise of the conspiracy theory and movement, why its belief structure is so murky, and the oddities of its marketing and merchandising arm. Watts will be back[...]

On the Gist, the police chiefs are stepping down. In the interview, Academy Award-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple is here to talk about her latest film, Desert One. Through new archival footage and the various perspectives of key players, the film reveals the true story behind the secret mission to free hostages captured during the 1979[...]

On the Gist, gender reveal parties. In the interview, NPR’s Jacob Goldstein is here to talk about his new book, Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing. They discuss how Andrew Jackson made mistakes about national banking, why we should never return to the gold standard, and if cash is on the way out.[...]

On the Gist, COVID-19 deaths continue to rise. In the interview, the second half of Mike’s discussion with Dr. Rashawn Ray, a sociologist studying new methods of measuring implicit bias using virtual simulations of police officer decision-making at the Lab for Applied Social Science Research at the University of Maryland, College Park. He and his team[...]

On the Gist, a sigh. In the interview, Mike talks to Dr. Rashawn Ray, a sociologist studying new methods of measuring implicit bias using virtual simulations of police officer decision-making at the Lab for Applied Social Science Research at the University of Maryland, College Park. He and his team are encouraged that by researching and educating[...]

On the Gist, believing catchy rhyming couplets or policies. In the interview, writer, lawyer and author, Jill Filipovic joins Mike to talk about her latest book, OK Boomer, Let's Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind. Filipovic explains that the millennial generation has it worse than most, the relationship between millennials and their boomer parents,[...]

On the Gist, Trump visits Kenosha. In the interview, the Wall Street Journal’s Gerald Seib is here to discuss his new book, We Should Have Seen It Coming: From Ronald Reagan to Trump—A Front-Row Seat to a Political Revolution. He and Mike talk about how the GOP has changed since the time of Reagan and[...]

On the Gist, Mike is back. He starts with republicans who dismiss the Hatch Act. In the interview, Mike chats with the creators and executive producers of the animated adventure Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe. Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh explain how they expanded the usual tropes of their short[...]

Today, we welcome Sonari Glinton is back as guest host. A well-known podcast and public radio voice, former NPR business reporter covering the auto industry and economics, and currently hosts the podcast Bring Back Bronco. On the Gist, sports and activism. In the interview, Sonari talks to screenwriter Patricia Resnick about her experience writing the[...]

Today, we welcome Sonari Glinton as guest host. A well-known podcast and public radio voice, former NPR business reporter covering the auto industry and economics, Glinton is also a big music nerd and record collector. On the Gist, RNC bingo. In the interview, Sonari discusses how Covid-19 has affected the auto industry with Scotty Reiss,[...]

Today, Kate Klonick is back as the guest host. She is an assistant professor at St. John’s Law School, a fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, and researcher of the intersection between law and tech. She’s also co-host of a daily YouTube series called In Lieu of Fun. On the Gist, in[...]

We are halfway through our guest hosting week. Today, Kate Klonick takes the mic. She is an assistant professor at St. John’s Law School, a fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, and researcher of the intersection between law and tech. She’s also co-host of a daily YouTube series called In Lieu[...]

For the next week, Mike passes the mic to a few guest hosts. Today, Annie Duke, former professional poker player, cognitive scientist, and author of Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts is in the seat again. On the Gist, remembering information. In the interview, Annie talks to Katherine[...]

For the next week, Mike passes the mic to a few guest hosts. Today, Annie Duke, former professional poker player and author of Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts takes the helm. On the Gist, Annie recaps the unifying messages from Sen. Sanders and V.P. Biden from the[...]

On the Gist, 24 hours of weird utterances. In the interview, political strategist and CNN commentator Jess McIntosh joins us as we continue our coverage of the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention. McIntosh and Mike discuss the DNC’s short-sightedness with not allowing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a major platform, and how Elizabeth Warren’s policy speech on the[...]

On the Gist, Trump is trying to steal the mail. In the interview, New York Times opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg is here as we keep discussing the Democratic National Convention this week. She and Mike talk about the sorts of progressive policies Biden might adopt from his primary opponents, and if a future Biden administration[...]

On the Gist, political television. In the interview, Slate’s Will Saletan is here to discuss the first night of the Democratic National Convention. He and Mike unpack how the party is positioning itself as the party of normalcy while still acknowledging the ways progressives like Bernie Sanders pushed the party forward. They look at how[...]

On the Gist, a supposedly benevolent association supports a malevolent force. In the interview, we mark the beginning of the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention with a slightly different format; no spiel and more conversation. Mike talks with Charlie Sykes, a republican who will be voting for Joe Biden in November. Author of "How the[...]

On the Gist, Pence’s meat scares. In the interview, actor Kyle MacLachlan is here to discuss his performance as Thomas Edison in the new film Tesla. He and Mike talk about his approach to the role, and how this film differs from the other kinds of historical dramas he’s done. They also get into some[...]

On the Gist, the close family members of politicians. In the interview, journalist, historian, and former public radio host Tom Weber is here to discuss his new book, Minneapolis: An Urban Biography. In it, Weber explores the social and political history of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and how it’s responsible for the city’s present-day racial inequities. Weber[...]

On the Gist, Kamala and bussing. In the interview, creator of the TV series Love on the Spectrum, Cian O’Clery is here to talk with Mike about his new dating reality series telling the stories of people on the autism spectrum looking for love. He and Mike discuss the origins of the series, how this[...]

On the Gist, the spotlight on Joe Biden’s running mate. In the interview, Mike talks with Lisi Raskin, a professor and the chair of the Sculpture Department at Rhode Island School of Design about the meaning of sculpture in light of the removal of confederate monuments and statues. Raskin is an artist whose large-scale abstract[...]

On the Gist, pronouncing names. In the interview, Mike is joined by Ed Yong of the Atlantic. As a science writer, not only did he warn of an epidemic in 2018, but he has been covering the coronavirus in a clear and vital way. In his latest piece, “Immunology Is Where Intuition Goes to Die,”[...]

On the Gist, TikTok block. In the interview, Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. of Princeton University joins Mike to talk about his newest book and its release in the context of the recent civil uprisings. Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own poses a fundamental argument around how getting it wrong[...]

On the Gist, New York’s elections are not unlike Georgia’s. In the interview, our resident vexillologist Ted Kaye is back to talk about the latest in flag news. He fills Mike in on what’s happening in Mississippi as they try to swiftly get a new flag design added to the ballot in November, and the[...]

On the Gist, the Beirut blast. In the interview, we’ve got the second half of Jesse Eisenberg’s interview on his new Audible original, When You Finish Saving the World. He and Mike continue discussing the creative process and Jesse’s personal connection to the project, and the difficulty of creating things like future slang. In the[...]

On the Gist, does Biden need a progressive VP? In the interview, Jesse Eisenberg is here for the first half of a two-part interview on his new Audible original, When You Finish Saving the World. Through a series of connected monologues, Eisenberg stitches together the portrait of a family and explores issues of issues of intimacy,[...]

On the Gist, staying hopeful, but realistic. In the interview, author, podcast host, and magazine editor Kurt Andersen joins Mike to talk about his new book, Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History. In it, Andersen explains how big business ran unchecked during the final decades of the 20th century allowing greed to[...]

On the Gist, NBA jerseys. In the interview, In the interview, filmmaker Mark Duplass is here to talk about his anthology series Room 104 currently airing on HBO. He and Mike discuss the use of rules in the creative process, why the series seems to defy genre, and the experience of growing up with your[...]

On the Gist, Rep. John Lewis and his legacy. In the interview, Mike checks in with Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Jonathan Levinson. As a multimedia reporter and producer, Levinson has been on the ground nightly in Portland following the protests, getting tear gassed in the process. Levinson says that it’s more than just support for the[...]

On the Gist, anti-maskers are getting the coronavirus. In the interview, Dr. Jennifer Mercieca is here to discuss her new book, Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump. She and Mike talk about the origins of Trump’s verbal tactics, and how he’s been able to manipulate information. They also touch on the variety[...]

On the Gist, gambling the nation’s health on professional sports. In the interview, Mike talks with Capt. Lawrence Hunter, a retired commanding officer from the Waterbury Police Department in Connecticut, about policing in America. Hunter spent the majority of his career in law enforcement as a high-ranking officer, and as an educator and instructor. In[...]

On the Gist, the Republicans are misers. In the interview, Zephyr Teachout is here to discuss her new book Break ‘Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom From Big Ad, Big Tech, and Big Money. She and Mike discuss how monopolies have come to dominate so many of our industries, the work that needs to be done[...]

On the Gist, losing all the stuff. In the interview, Mike heads to the Lone Star State to speak with Scott Braddock, editor and Texan political analyst at the Quorum Report. Braddock is also host of Texas Take, a podcast from the Houston Chronicle. They dissect Gov. Abbott’s coronavirus response, his backtracking, and why he[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s mind. In a break from our normal format, Virginia Heffernan of Trumpcast is here with Mike to analyze the most aggressive anti-mask rants out there. From across the nation, people who suffer from a touch of the QAnon are unleashing their unsound mask fears on us all, blaming anything from the[...]

On the Gist, Life of Kanye. In the interview, Princeton History and Public Affairs Professor Julian Zelizer joins Mike to discuss his latest book on former speaker of the house, Newt Gingrich. With the help of Gingrich’s own congressional documents, Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of[...]

On the Gist, Trump attempts to convince the MAGA nation to wear masks. In the interview, journalist Anne Applebaum is here to talk about her new book Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism. She and Mike discuss how democracies can give way to authoritarian leaders, the delicacy of political systems, and how essential[...]

On the Gist, John Kasich at the Democratic National Convention. In the interview, legal professor and modern Chinese law research scholar Neysun Mahboubi joins Mike to discuss the uprisings in Hong Kong and the extradition bill which would have undone Hong Kong’s independence from mainland China. Mahboubi explains the clashes between protesters and counter-protesters which[...]

On the Gist, we’ve got something a little different. In this episode, Mike has brought together the New Republic’s Osita Nwenavu, and Yascha Mounk, a contributor to the Atlantic and the founder of Persuasion, to debate the state of public discourse. They discuss the complexities of platform regulation, whether or not the concerns rise to[...]

On the Gist, Trump is lost in the numbers. In the interview, former mayor of Minneapolis Betsy Hodges joins Mike to talk about her most recent op-ed in the New York Times, “As Mayor of Minneapolis, I Saw How White Liberals Block Change.” In it, Hodges challenges white liberals to confront the status quo of[...]

On the Gist, Trump is full of beans. In the second half of a two-part interview, novelist Curtis Sittenfeld is continues talking her new novel Rodham. She and Mike discuss the critiques of Hillary within the book, the final choices in the book, and how it might relate to modern superhero stories. In the spiel,[...]

On the Gist, renaming in Burlington, New Jersey. In the first half of a two-part interview, novelist Curtis Sittenfeld is here to discuss Rodham, her new novel exploring an alternative history where Hillary Clinton never married Bill. She and Mike discuss the origins of the novel, how her skills aren’t in the public part of[...]

On the Gist, the Washington football team have more work ahead than they realize. In the interview, Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri joins Mike to chat about her recently published book Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why. A hand-picked anthology of her some of her best essays that are mockingly sharp, and unsettlingly cheerful,[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s bullying worked. In the interview, Olympic champion Usain Bolt is here to talk with Mike about the new documentary series Greatness Code on Apple TV+. They discuss Bolt’s love of the 200 meter race, training, and how he might feel when people start coming for his record. All episodes of Greatness[...]

On the Gist, guns in the U.K. and the U.S. In the interview, we share part two of our conversation with Barry Friedman, founder of the Policing Project at NYU Law, author and legal scholar. Friedman suggests that a hurdle to creating new policies and training is the lack of accountability and uniform data gathering processes[...]

On the Gist, Karens receiving informal justice. In the interview, Mike speaks with Barry Friedman, one of two investigators appointed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the NYPD’s actions in protest activity. Founder of the Policing Project at NYU Law, Friedman is a legal scholar and author. In part one of the conversation,[...]

On the Gist, crime in unpoliced camps. In the interview, comedian Tom Papa is here to talk with Mike about his new book You’re Doing Great! and his Netflix special of the same name. He and Mike discuss the choice of happiness, getting stuck, and why we should listen to young people more. In the[...]

On the Gist, Trump at Mount Rushmore. In the interview, making a strong case for reparations among descendants of enslaved African Americans is economist William Darity, Jr in his new book, From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century. Darity suggests that that in order to close the racial wealth disparities, America[...]

On the Gist, the greatness that will remain long after we’re gone. In the interview, we present part two of Mike’s conversation with John McWhorter on the linguistics of race, defining ‘Defund the Police,’ and how words we use today will morph over time. WcWhorter is the host of Lexicon Valley and a professor at Columbia[...]

On the Gist, the McCloskeys in Missouri. In the first part of this two-part interview, John McWhorter is here to dig into definitions with Mike. They discuss how the meanings of racism and white supremacy have changed over the years, and what that says about the ways culture is shifting. McWhorter is the host of[...]

On the Gist, there is no question these men needed to breathe. In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back for “Is That Bullshit?” She and Mike discuss the scientific preprints published on Covid-19 and call out the credible and those rife with misinformation. How can you trust them? Maria’s newest book called The Biggest Bluff,[...]

On the Gist, paying the Taliban and not believing the New York Times. In the interview, the around-the-clock news cycle turns 40 years old this summer. With the advent of cable television and a bright idea from an American media mogul, CNN was born. Journalist and author, Lisa Napoli, talks with Mike about her unauthorized[...]

On the Gist, Disney’s Splash Mountain. In part two of their interview, Mike continues to talk with Matthew Barge about the failure of police departments to gather data and statistics that would help create and enforce meaningful policing policy change. Barge is a lawyer, a principal consultant with 21CP Solutions, and federal court-appointed monitor overseeing federal[...]

On the Gist, Biden is in the lead. In the first part of a two-part interview, Mike talks with police practices and civil rights expert Matthew Barge about how policy has failed to change how law enforcement agencies police communities, how police unions have played a huge role in where we find ourselves now, and[...]

On the Gist, interruption by ring knocking. In the interview, Mike is joined by Lawrence Douglas, author of Will He Go?: Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020, a page-turning book of what-ifs and premonitions of constitutional chaos if Trump decides to give America a hard time at the end of his term. Douglas[...]

On the Gist, refocusing our attention to local democracy. In the interview, Mike talks with Seth Stevenson, author of Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World and host of Slate’s newest business podcast Thrilling Tales of Modern Capitalism. Seth’s new podcast delves into the backstories of iconic brand, from Purell to Victoria’s Secret, and he joins[...]

On the Gist, lack of humor in the Trump administration. In the interview, Mike talks with Maria Konnikova, star of our bi-weekly segment “Is That Bullshit?” This time, however, Maria is here to discuss her newest book about becoming a professional poker player. Already a New York Times bestseller, it’s called The Biggest Bluff. In the[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s ignorance. In the interview, Mike talks with Josh Levin, Slate’s national editor. A co-host of the sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, Levin is also the author of The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth. Mike and Josh discuss Levin’s latest audio project as host of Season 4 of Slow[...]

On the Gist, an officer cooperates. In the interview, Mike talks with co-host of Slate’s Political Gabfest, CBS 60 Minutes correspondent and contributing editor at the Atlantic, John Dickerson. His new book on the American Presidency, The Hardest Job In The World, details that there are no blueprints around the challenges of governing, and how[...]

On the Gist, fireworks and progress. In the interview, Mike talks with data scientist Jeffery Morris of the University of Pennsylvania. They talk data analysis and models related to Covid-19, his predictions for states’ reopening, and his interpretations of updated CDC guidelines. You can follow his work at his site Covid-19 Data Science. In the[...]

On the Gist, Trump doesn’t want to confront sins, he would rather perpetuate them. In the interview, Mike talks with incumbent Rep. Don Bacon from Nebraska’s 2nd District about how Covid-19 has altered his campaign strategy leading up to the election. They also discuss the protesting and looting in Omaha, as well as his recent statement[...]

On the Gist, the stock market is on a coronavirus coaster. In the interview, Dr. Christina Greer of Fordham University is here to talk with Mike about politics and police reform. They discuss Joe Biden, if police unions should continue to exist, and what the future of policing could look like. Greer is the host[...]

On the Gist, dominating the streets with compassion. In the interview, John Pfaff, professor of law and criminology at Fordham University and author of Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration-and How to Achieve Real Reform, joins Mike to talk about police reformation, and why politicians touting low crime under their watches could lead[...]

On the Gist, Mississippi. In the interview, Ben Smith from the New York Times is here to discuss the recent ousting of editor James Bennet over an op-ed by Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas. They talk about the cultural divides it highlighted, what it means for the Times, and the future of opinion on[...]

On the Gist, the anti-ANTIFA provocateur in Buffalo, NY. In the interview, Emily Oster, professor of economics at Brown University and NY Times bestselling author of Cribsheet and Expecting Better, joins Mike to talk about kids’ summer camps, weighing options as states begin to reopen, and assessing risk when it comes to coronavirus. In the[...]

On the Gist, does Barr know what chemicals are? In the interview, New York Times opinion columnist and CBS News political analyst Jamelle Bouie joins Mike to talk race and policing in America. His latest column is, “The Police Are Rioting. We Need to Talk About It.” In the spiel, defining police reformation. Email us[...]

On the Gist, Joey Baloney. In the interview, New School Professor and MSNBC contributor, Maya Wiley is here. She is also the former chair of the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board - an independent oversight agency of the NYPD. She and Mike talk about how civilians and police officers hold the force accountable, how they’ve[...]

On the Gist, what’s happening in Omaha. In the interview, Slate’s Joel Anderson is here to talk with Mike about the parallels between the current protests and those in Ferguson, MO. They discuss the different tactics used by activists and police, how Ferguson organizers have now grown into leaders of a movement, and dissect why[...]

On the Gist, Mark Esper’s lost honor. In the interview, Fr. James Martin, a Jesuit priest, author, and the editor-at-large of America magazine, a journal of faith and culture, joins Mike to talk about his latest piece: “The Holy Spirit is moving us to act against racism.” Fr. Martin and Mike also discuss President Trump’s[...]

On the Gist, daytime and nighttime America. In the interview, the Atlantic’s David Frum joins Mike to talk about his Trumpocracy follow-up, Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy. Frum explains that Trump is a victim of distraction as much as he is a practitioner, that the consequences of COVID-19 will be one of the deciding factors of[...]

On the Gist, guns and violence. In the interview, Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer are here to discuss their new podcast This Day in Esoteric Political History. Mike talks to them about Hands Across America, the Johnstown flood, and the meaning of esoteric. In the spiel, what is reasonable, and do we need to hear[...]

On the Gist, Joe Biden’s statement gets a B minus. In the interview, we’ve got the second half of Mike’s conversation with Dave Eggers. They discuss Eggers’ experience writing The Parade and The Captain and the Glory, his last two books, at the same time, the film Idiocracy, and the NRA. In the spiel, the[...]

On the Gist, assholes. In the interview, Mike talks with author Dave Eggers about his book, The Parade. He and Mike discuss pavement, the writing process, and the terseness of Bruce Springsteen. In the spiel, the death of George Floyd and the Minneapolis protest. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret[...]

On the Gist, wheeling and dealing with Hong Kong. In the interview, Mike talks to Dr. Leana Wen about the measures States are taking to reopen safely or remain closed. Wen is an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University, a contributing columnist for The Washington Post, and previously served as Baltimore's Health Commissioner. In the spiel, postal headaches[...]

On the Gist, Trump won’t back down from accusing Joe Scarborough of murder. In the interview, Mike talks to a water expert about how to manage a pandemic if too many people cannot wash their hands. Mary Grant, Director of Public Water for All, and a policy analyst on U.S. water utility privatization details which states have placed moratoriums on utility shutoffs, and[...]

On the Gist, Tara Reade. In the interview, Mike talks with author and journalist Michael Lewis about his foray into podcasting with AGAINST THE RULES, his series with Pushkin Industries. The focus of the recently launched season two is coaching, not just in sports. They look at coaches who help with finances, college admissions, and even coaches for[...]

On the Gist, if you look at the stats, the U.S. is doing the worst. In the interview, part two of Mike’s interview with Dr. Paul Offit, who as an infectious disease expert, and pediatrician, made some false predictions about the pandemic at first. He and Mike also discuss his new book, Overkill: When Modern[...]

On the Gist, judging a judge. In the interview, Dr. Paul Offit is here. In the first part of his two-part interview, he and Mike discuss his new book, Overkill: When Modern Medicine Goes Too Far. They talk about why we should be skeptical of things like vitamin D and testosterone, and how we might[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s cabinet meeting is not unlike a hot tub time machine. In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back for another round of “Is That Bullshit?” This time she and Mike discuss UV light, inside and outside the body. Maria is a New York Times bestseller and the author of The Biggest Bluff,[...]

On the Gist, a Karl Rove drive-by. In the interview, Dan Heath is here to talk about his new book Upstream: How to Solve Problems Before They Happen. He and Mike discuss the idea of upstreaming, looking behind problems to find alternative solutions, and how we need to recalibrate so successfully predicting and preventing disaster[...]

On the Gist, Tara Reade again. In the interview, journalist Molly Ball is here to discuss Pelosi, her new biography of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. She and Mike talk about Pelosi’s past, how she wields her power, and why she’s so smart when it comes to making a deal. In the spiel, lobstar[...]

On the Gist, bail out the pigs. In the interview, Mike discusses how the novel coronavirus has exposed some weaknesses in the global supply chain. Joel Schulman of Ecomax Wholesale Lighting in D.C., breaks down how demand for PPE has changed his relationships with factories in China, and why his company has decided to pivot[...]

On the Gist, where to wear face masks. In the interview, comedian Myq Kaplan is the cerebral type, who instead of doing stand-up is now performing what he calls, “stand-down.” Mike talks with him about his philosophy on how be funny, and his likeness to Marc Maron during quarantine times. In the spiel, Jared Kushner[...]

On the Gist, lengthening your femur. In the interview, Azi Paybarah, writer of the New York Today column for the New York Times, speaks with Mike about New York State and City leadership, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s progressive missteps, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s taking control of the messaging. In the spiel, Fauci’s warning as he goes before[...]

On the Gist, Trump tells a reporter to call China. In the interview, The Atlantic’s Olga Khazan is here to talk about her new book, Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World. She and Mike talk about the ways weirdness has changed in America, and what’s good about being the oddball.[...]

In the Gist, Steve Mnuchin wasn’t mad at Axl Rose. In the interview, Mike calls up Robert Smith, host of NPR’s Planet Money, to talk about the influx of coronavirus podcasts. There are a lot in production right now. Mike and Robert discuss some of the best (and worst) covering the pandemic. In the spiel,[...]

On the Gist, Tara Reade and Megyn Kelly on Instagram. In the second half of our interview with Dr. Nina Fefferman from the University of Tennessee, she and Mike discuss the types of analysis used in predictive modeling, why it’s an essential part of the crisis response, and what the future holds as the models[...]

On the Gist, the new White House Press Secretary reiterates that the media sometimes gets it wrong. In the first half of this two-part interview, Mike talks with Dr. Nina Fefferman from the University of Tennessee Knoxville about predictive modeling and the Covid-19 crisis. Today, they focus on the difficulty of making projections when the[...]

In the Gist, the Texas Governor admits what everyone knows to be true. In the interview, Mike talks with Tomas Pueyo about his now famous Medium piece in which he coins the Hammer and The Dance theory: a choreographed end to quarantine.  In the spiel, Tara Reade and belief. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast production[...]

In the Gist, we get no further with Biden. In the interview, Mike discusses moral judgments and how they relate to both domestic and foreign policy with none other than Joseph Nye, one of the most influential political scientists of our time, and one who co-founded the theory of neoliberalism. Nye’s book, Do Moral’s Matter? Presidents[...]

In the Gist, Georgia is opening back up. In the interview, Mike talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and bestselling author Jon Meacham about his new podcast with Cadence13 - Hope, Through History – a documentary series on confronting and triumphing over crises in America.  In the spiel, the end of irony? Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast[...]

Slate is dark, and its staff are taking a much needed and deserved breath. And with that, Team Gist has gone dark for a day, too, so we bring you two old interviews from the fall of 2014. First, an interview with biologist and mathematical modeler Nina Fefferman, who at the time this was recorded was based[...]

On the Gist, grades at New York City schools. In the interview, Nate Duncan and Ben Taylor of the Covid Daily News podcast talk to Mike about how two basketball analysts started covering the latest developments in this crisis, and the parallels to be drawn between basketball and Covid-19 data. Nate Duncan is the host[...]

On the Gist, consolidation. In the interview, Mike talks with Matthew Dickinson, author and professor of political science at Middlebury College, about the 1976 Gerald Ford controversy regarding the threat of a global pandemic with swine flu, as well as Richard Neustadt and Harvey Fineberg’s examination of the political failures around an approaching pandemic that[...]

On the Gist, the award Trump deserves. In the interview, Slate’s Henry Grabar is here to discuss Covid-19 and spending time outdoors. He and Mike talk about contact tracing, normalizing mask culture, and why we should all be going back outside. In the spiel, advertisers soothe in these uncertain times. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast[...]

On the Gist, sarcasm. In the interview, Mike talks with celebrity chef, restaurateur, and political activist Tom Colicchio about founding the Independent Restaurant Coalition, and how they are fighting to save local restaurants and small businesses affected by COVID-19 in reaction to the government’s assistance program. In the spiel, fleeing to the country house. Email[...]

On the Gist, a virtual, but actual NFL draft. In the interview, Mike talks with Josh Dean, the executive director of Human.NYC, a homeless advocacy group, about their Covid-19 campaign #HomelessCantStayHome, and the solutions officials aren’t taking to move the most vulnerable off the street, out of shelters, and into vacant hotel rooms during this unprecedented[...]

On the Gist, we’re not all in the same boat. In the second part of Mike’s interview with Dr. J. Alex Navarro, the co-editor-in-chief of The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919 : A Digital Encyclopedia, they discuss politicians who, at the time, refused to comply to closure orders, and how Woodrow Wilson’s response was somewhat removed.[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s always politicizing at pressers. In the first half of a 2-part interview, Mike talks with Dr. J. Alex Navarro, the co-editor-in-chief of The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919 : A Digital Encyclopedia. Navarro explains how citizens responses 100 years ago weren’t that different from now; there was extreme compliance and tension on[...]

On the Gist, Trump doesn’t understand sizes of countries. In the interview, economist Joseph Stiglitz is here to talk about the economic impact of the coming recession. He and Mike discuss ways the government could distribute support funds better, how long it might take us to recover from such high unemployment, and what history tells[...]

On the Gist, swimming pool fatalities. In the interview, Mikes talks with Michigan State University President, Dr Samuel Stanley, Jr about the actions he took in response to COVID-19 not just as the head of a Big 10 school, but also as a leading infectious diseases expert. Stanley discusses shifting faculty and students to remote[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s most recent briefing. In the interview, journalist Adam Cohen is here to discuss his new book Supreme Inequality: The Supreme Court’s Fifty-Year Battle for a More Unjust America. He and Mike talk about the ways the court has changed, Nixon and the poor, and how corporations factor into it all. In[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s most recent briefing. In the interview, John Burn-Murdoch of the Financial Times is here to discuss data visualization and the COVID-19 outbreak. He and Mike talk about the useful ways to analyze data, why countries are often too large to be helpful samples, and what the data says about the future.[...]

On the Gist, Bernie endorsing Biden. In the interview, Dr. Miranda Yaver, a political scientist at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health, joins Mike to discuss the political consequences of the coronavirus. Dr. Yaver explains how protecting public health is integral to democracy. She also weighs speculation on how the Supreme Court will rule on[...]

On the Gist, the coronavirus task force. In the interview, it’s the second part of Mike’s conversation with Craig Rothfeld of Inside Outside Ltd., a prison consulting firm which helps clients navigate the brutal reality of life behind bars. Craig goes into detail about why he sought advice from multiple rabbis and female family members[...]

On the Gist, antibody tests. In the interview, it turns out Mike grew up with Harvey Weinstein’s prison consultant, Craig Rothfeld. In this episode they discuss how Craig ended up in prison, his experiences there, and why he became a prison consultant afterward. Our next episode will focus on his experience working with Harvey Weinstein.[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, hydroxychloroquine isn’t like snake oil. In the interview, Mike talks with Slate's National Correspondent, Will Saletan about what Donald Trump needs to win in the upcoming elections. Saletan's[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, oversight is a funny word. In the interview, Mike talks with journalist and creator of the Killing Eve novellas, Luke Jennings about adapting his British cat-and-mouse thriller series Killing[...]

On the Gist, Trump is a terrible communicator. In the interview, journalist Clarence Page is here to talk with Mike about the 2020 election and the Black vote. They discuss how political commentary has changed over the years, why generations of Black voters are connecting differently with Biden and Bernie, and how to bridge that[...]

On the Gist, Peter Navarro and partisan chemical compounds. In the interview, Mike talks with Charlotte Alter. national correspondent at Time covering the 2020 elections, about her new book, The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For: How A Generation of Leaders Will Transform America. They discuss her deeply reported analysis of the 2016 elections, the youth[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, Trump and Pence can’t be honest with the public. In the interview, Miami Mayor Frances Suarez has fully recovered after testing positive for the COVID-19 virus, and now[...]

On the Gist, nobody does it better. In the interview, Mike talks with Katherine Stewart about her new book, The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism. They discuss how the political ideology from the right wing cloaks itself in religious rhetoric, who in the Trump cabinet is part of movement, and how[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, Florida’s finally doing the right thing. In the interview, Jamil Zaki is here to talk with Mike about kindness during the COVID-19 crisis. He and Mike discuss studies[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, let the experts speak. In the interview, Mike speaks with three self-identified extroverts about what it’s like to live in isolation. Amanda Mull of the Atlantic, author Stephen[...]

On the Gist, Trump steering away from the rocks for once. In the interview, Mike talks with John Dickerson of CBS News about what it takes to be a good American leader. They discuss how Trump’s personal habits have led him to be unprepared for the coronavirus crisis, why Americans are addicted to the presidency,[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, Dr. Mark Siegel is at it again on Fox. In the interview, Mike speaks with the Globe and Mail’s health reporter André Picard about the Canadian response to[...]

On the Gist, Trump knows Tom Brady. In the interview, Mike talks with Kate Greene, crew writer and second-in-command of the first HI-SEAS simulated mission to Mars. They discuss Greene’s experience during her four months living in the dome, how micro-stimuli can be overcome, and why astronauts love Tabasco hot sauce. Her essay collection, Once[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, we’ve been mean to the elderly. In the interview, Ian Bremmer, political analyst and president of the Eurasia Group, is here to talk with Mike about how to[...]

On the Gist, how to stay out of the ICU. In the interview, Mike talks with Andy Slavitt, former head of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act for the Obama Administration, about why the US was less prepared for a pandemic like COVID-19. They discussed why high un-insured rates, high co-pay costs, and low[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, state governments need help. In the interview, Dr. Jeffrey Shaman of Columbia University talks about his research modeling potential outbreaks, which is featured in the recent New York[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, Trump thinks Peter Alexander is a bad journalist. In the interview, Mike talks with MSNBC analyst and Daily Beast columnist Jonathan Alter about how Trump could position himself[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s press conference. In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back to talk with Mike about persuasion. They discuss the best and worst tactics for convincing people of something the don’t believe, and why it will make us feel better to try even if we fail. Maria’s latest book is The Confidence Game.[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, our slow government. In the interview, In the interview, Mike talks to CEO of Three Uncanny Four and creator of Planet Money Adam Davidson about the impact of the coronavirus crisis[...]

On the Gist, the election mess in Ohio. In the interview, Richard Hasen, legal expert and professor at the UC Irvine School of Law, is here to discuss closing the polls in Ohio, the legal implications of how that decision was made, and why we need emergency plans in place for elections. Hasen’s new book[...]

On the Gist, the war against invisible enemies. In the interview, Mike spoke with Dr. Fred Buckner of the University of Washington about how hospitals are dealing with COVID-19, who is and isn’t being hospitalized, and the important things we need to do during this pandemic. The resource site that the University of Washington has[...]

On the Gist, the president is a disastrous communicator. In the interview, Mike speaks with his friend Luke Burbank, host of Live Wire Radio and Too Beautiful to Live, about what it’s like in the Seattle area right now. They discuss travel, how this might affect podcasts, and even exchange a few laughs. In the[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s lies are so dangerous. In the interview, Mike calls his friend David Lichtman, who lives in New Rochelle, New York, on the edge of the coronavirus containment zone. They discuss what it’s like on the ground, how it’s affected local lives, and what the local government has done about it. In[...]

On the Gist, maybe Sanders was never really that popular. In the interview, we have part two of David Plouffe’s interview. He and Mike go deeper on campaigns, what Trump needs to do to win again, and what Biden and Sanders could do to win the White House. Plouffe’s book is A Citizen’s Guide to[...]

On the Gist, Steve Bannon making some sense. In the interview, David Plouffe is here to discuss his new book, A Citizen’s Guide to Beating Donald Trump. He and Mike talk about strategy, lessons learned, Biden and Bernie, and Plouffe’s podcast, Campaign HQ with David Plouffe. In the spiel, the stories we tell ourselves aren’t[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, Trump’s antics will not work with the Coronavirus. In the interview, Mike talks with staff writer and national correspondent at The Atlantic James Fallows about how the media should respond[...]

On the Gist, the International Criminal Court. In the interview, musician Stephen Malkmus is here to talk about his new album Traditional Techniques. He and Mike discuss the various instruments he used, tennis, and Santa Con. In the spiel, Biden’s got the Obama coalition.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, daylight savings time. In the interview, Mike talks with journalist and political analyst Yuval Levin about his most recent book, A Time To Build: From Family and Community to Congress and[...]

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work. On the Gist, Bernie and Biden. In the interview, Lizzie O’Leary is the host of What Next: TBD at Slate, but has had her fair share of time working in TV[...]

On the Gist, don’t touch your face. In the interview, Mike talks with legal analyst Jill Wine-Banks about her book, The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President. They discuss her role on the prosecutorial team during the Watergate scandal, the memorable Rose Mary Woods stretch, and how the American public[...]

On the Gist, 1946 was a good year for presidential births. In the interview, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat is here to discuss his new book The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success. He and Mike debate the meaning of decadence, Douthat’s ideas of a way out of decadence,[...]

On the Gist, complaining to the FCC. In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back for another round of “Is That Bullshit?” This time she and Mike look into the light, blue light that is. Does it really affect sleep the way everybody claims it does? Should we all be buying those special glasses? Maria’s latest[...]

On the Gist, why Bernie still needs the black vote. In the interview, Mike talks with senior fellow at the Brookings Institution E. J. Dionne about his most recent book, Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save Our Country. They tease apart Dionne's arguments about visionary gradualism, and how moderates and progressives[...]

On the Gist, the missed opportunities of the South Carolina debates. In the interview, Mike talks with Eitan Hersh, professor of Political Science at Tufts University, about his new book Politics is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change. They discuss political hobbyism and why your news consumption[...]

On the Gist, Bernie Sanders’ public access past. In the interview, journalist Conor Dougherty is here to talk about his new book Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America. They discuss potential solutions to the housing shortage in major cities, why we all flock to large metro hubs, and the difficulty of this problem when[...]

On the Gist, caucuses are bad. In the interview, Mike talks with Touré about why his podcast title, Touré Show, doesn't have a definite article. They discuss Touré's particular interview style, how he would write his Obama-era book on race and Blackness had he written it today during the Trump administration, and his upcoming podcast[...]

On the Gist, Russia is at it again. In the interview, Mike chats with historian Alexis Coe, author of the new book You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington. They discuss the founding-father's height, dentures and that awkward obsession male historians have about the man's thighs. In the spiel, a lobstar of[...]

On the Gist, stop the racism. In the interview, Mike talks about the democrats with director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver Seth Masket. They discuss the way the debate went, and what could happen at the convention with all the delegates so spread out. In the spiel, what Bloomberg[...]

On the Gist, birtherism and deatherism. In the interview, Mike chats with Daily Beast reporters, Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsang about their new book, Sinking in the Swamp: How Trump's Minions and Misfits Poisoned Washington. They discuss how they used their so-called "omni-shambles beat" to write the book and why there is nothing tempered about[...]

On the Gist, critiquing Bloomberg critiques. In the interview, we’ve got the second part of our conversation with journalist Andrea Bernstein on her new book, American Oligarchs: The Kushners, The Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power. She and Mike went deep on Trump the first part, and now they’re digging into Michael Cohen[...]

On the Gist, the Houston Astros cheating scandal is like the US Democracy. Mike and former host of Slow Burn, and current host of Luminary Podcast network's Fiasco, Leon Neyfakh get into the details of the Iran-Contra Affair. They discuss the key players in the saga, why this story was such a fiasco and the[...]

On the Gist, what Bloomberg said about redlining. In the interview, Mike talks to former host of Slow Burn and current host of Luminary Podcast network's Fiasco, Leon Neyfakh. In the first part of their conversation, they talk about what the Iran-Contra Affair was and who the key players were. In the spiel, the Pete[...]

On the Gist, why Vindman wasn’t fired. In the interview, journalist Andrea Bernstein is here to talk about her new book, American Oligarchs: The Kushners, The Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power. She and Mike discuss how Trump bullied his way through New York real estate, why he puts his name on everything,[...]

On the Gist, the little ones. In the interview, Mike talks to journalist and public health researcher Katherine Rowland about her new book, The Pleasure Gap: American Women and the Unfinished Sexual Revolution. They discuss why American women are reporting dissatisfaction with their sexual lives despite the current climate of sex positivity, and the debates[...]

On the Gist, talking is hard. In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back for her usual game of “Is That Bullshit?” Today she and Mike tackle essential oils, talking through the history of using essential oils, modern studies, and the potential uses they might have. Maria’s most recent book is The Confidence Game. In the[...]

On the Gist, Central Casting strikes again. In the interview, comedian Moshe Kasher is here to talk about his new comedy album Crowdsurfing. He and Mike discuss the difference between crowd work and prepared material, and the history of Moshe’s family. In the spiel, Nancy ripping his speech.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and[...]

On the Gist, we went through hell. In the interview, Mike talks with linguist Dennis Baron about his new What's Your Pronoun?: Beyond He and She. The two analyze the history of English language pronouns and debate whether or not language is meant for communicating "correctly" or simply for communicating. In the spiel, translating the[...]

On the Gist, Donald Trump slurred his way through the State of the Union. In the interview, Mike talks with public education advocate Diane Ravitch about her most recent book, Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America’s Public Schools. They discuss why she left the “dark side” of advocating[...]

On the Gist, the Iowa caucuses was created to disenfranchise babysitters. In the interview, Mike talks with NPR’s Steve Inskeep about his new book, Imperfect Union: How Jessie and John Frémont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity, and Helped Cause the Civil War. They discuss the ways in which the Frémonts navigated their world, and the[...]

On the Gist, how Elizabeth Warren inspires her supporters before the Iowa caucuses. In the interview, Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon is here to discuss how the state has the highest voter-turnout rate, the possibility of granting 16-year-olds the vote, rent-control, and her favorite sketch from the show Portlandia. In the spiel, the kingdom of[...]

On the Gist, Bloomberg will join the debate stage. In the interview, Crooked Media’s Jon Favreau is here to talk about the new season of his series The Wilderness, where he goes to different parts of the country and explores politic tastes with focus groups. He and Mike discuss the four types of voters he[...]

On the Gist, Pam Bondi at the impeachment trial. In the interview, journalist Ezra Klein is here to discuss his new book Why We’re Polarized. They debate if extremism and polarization are related, and talk about the increasing difficulty of compromise, and if there’s a solution to this problem. In the spiel, Alan Dershowitz’s terrible[...]

On the Gist, could Bernie Sanders win in Iowa? In the interview, humorist and numbers ninja Matt Parker is here to discuss his new book Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World. He and Mike discuss the peculiarities of his page numbers, how he kept math fun, and a detailed exploration of[...]

On the Gist, Mike Pompeo and Mary Louise Kelly. In the interview, Fred Kaplan is back and this time he and Mike are talking about nuclear bombs. They discuss the history of nuclear weapons in the US, why it’s concerning that Trump holds the detonator, and how these bombs factor into modern day peacekeeping. Kaplan’s[...]

On the Gist, the likely acquittal of Trump. In the interview, we're back with political reporter and host of Stranglehold, Lauren Chooljian. We discuss how the New Hampshire primaries are likely to shake out, which candidates will remain after many of them have strategically camped out in the state, and the difference between the polls[...]

On the Gist, Wells Fargo strikes again. In the interview, Chris Molanphy is back to talk Mike through the hits of 1983. Enjoying vegemite sandwiches, the rains in Africa, and a bunch of sweet dreams, they indulge in the pop mainstays that continue to persist on the radio and at the karaoke bar. Molanphy is[...]

On the Gist, the how the senators are occupying themselves. In the interview, writer Will Self is here to talk with Mike about his new memoir Will. They discuss addiction, how Will accesses memory, and the difficulty of his name. In the spiel, Mitch’s monotone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, revisiting the travel ban. In the interview, we talk with Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes, the editors of Lawfare, about their new book, Unmaking the Presidency: Donald Trump's War on the World's Most Powerful Office. They discuss the precedents that Trump has broken as POTUS and paint a stark picture of the[...]

On the Gist, the New York Times endorsement. In the interview, senior fellow and director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Matthew Levitt is here to talk about the killing of Qasem Soleimani. What calculus went into the decision, whether it was worth it, and[...]

On the Gist, Joe Biden and the New York Times. In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back for another episode of “Is That Bullshit?” This time she and Mike tackle whether or not we’re currently experiencing the latest mass extinction event. We may not have noticed, but the insects certainly have. In the spiel, the[...]

On the Gist, Donald Trump and Devin Nunes know Lev Parnas. In the interview, Mike talks with author Dave Eggers about his new book, The Captain and the Glory, a story about the clownish captain of a great ship. Eggers discusses how satire can help us admit the absurdities of our times and how writing[...]

On the Gist, cats will eat you. In the interview, economist Daniel Susskind is here to discuss his new book A World Without Work: Technology, Automation, and How We Should Respond. They talk about the future of work, how technology is shifting, and the effectiveness of Andrew Yang’s proposal of universal basic income. In the[...]

On the Gist, the latest debate and Corey Booker. In the interview, John Tierney is here to talk about his and Roy F. Baumeister’s new book The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It. They discuss why the bad is always more memorable than the good, and[...]

On the Gist, Trump lying about embassies and Iran. In the interview, New America’s Lee Drutman is here to discuss his new book Breaking the Two Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America. He and Mike talk about why we need more than two parties in the US, how the two-party system[...]

On the Gist, Marianne Williamson is out. In the interview, Adam Davidson is back, this time talking to Mike about his new book The Passion Economy: The New Rules for Thriving in the Twenty-First Century. They discuss the case studies Adam used to illustrate this positive aspect of the economy in recent years, and how[...]

On the Gist, accusing people of writing eulogies. In the interview, Slate’s Lizzie O’Leary and Justin Peters talk with Mike about Jeopardy!’s “Greatest of All Time” tournament. With Justin as a previous Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? contestant, and Mike and Lizzie both as Jeopardy! alums, the three discuss how this tournament stacks up[...]

On the Gist, the Iran story isn’t over yet. In the interview, Slate’s Jim Newell is here to talk with Mike about John Bolton. They discuss why Bolton has announced he’s available to be subpoenaed by Congress, how this might play out, and where the Senate and the House stand. In the spiel, Jim Acosta’s[...]

On the Gist, Trump’s letters to Iraq. In the interview, journalist Lauren Chooljian is here to talk about her podcast series Stranglehold. It focuses on the New Hampshire primary, how it continues to be first primary in the nation, and what long-running New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner has to do with it. In[...]

On the Gist, Kellyanne Conway and unnecessary clarifications. In the interview, New Yorker writer Adam Davidson is here to talk about Trump’s business dealings in Iran. Based on his past reporting, Davidson discusses with Mike how Trump became financially involved with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, a military force in Iran, and what impact that has[...]

On the Gist, the Quds force. In the interview, Slate’s Fred Kaplan is here to talk with Mike about the recent action the Trump administration has taken against Iran. They discuss what impact the death of Qasem Soleimani will have on the Middle East, the United State’s relationship with Iran and Iraq, and why this[...]

On the Gist, guns in Louisiana and New York. In the interview, the second part of our Zero Blog Thirty interview where Mike talks to Chaps and Kate about Chaps being a dog handler in the Marines and all the ways it’s different than we think it is. In the spiel, Castro is out. Learn[...]

On the Gist, Mike makes predictions about what happened the week of Christmas. In the spiel, Mike reflects on 2019. He shares a rundown of what he didn’t cover, and a few particular standout moments from this year’s episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, John Bolton. In the interview, Mike talks to the hosts of Zero Blog Thirty, a podcast about the military from those who've lived it. They discuss the recent news about the Afghanistan papers, how Trump handled all the recent war criminals, and finding a space to talk about the inside baseball of[...]

On the Gist, Pete Buttigieg and wine bars. In the interview, Mike talks to actor Rhea Seehorn and creator Mike Sacks about their new Audible original Passable in Pink, a satire of John Hughes films. They discuss their shared love of Hughes’ movies, how films like 16 Candles have held up in 2019, and the[...]

On The Gist, impartial jurors for impeachment. In the interview, Pat Garofalo, managing editor of TalkPoverty.org is here to discuss his new book The Billionaire Boondoggle: How Our Politicians Let Corporations and Bigwigs Steal Our Money and Jobs. He and Mike the actual economic impact of things like the Super Bowl, and why cities might[...]

On the Gist, the third impeachment in U.S. history. In the interview, Mike talks to reporter Dan Weissmann about the cost of healthcare, the horror stories of people navigating the complicated system, and what at all can be done to fix it. Dan’s healthcare podcast is An Arm and a Leg. In the spiel, Jesus[...]

On the Gist, how government should work. In the interview, Mike talks to economist Branko Milanovic about the various forms of capitalism that exist in the world today, the role of higher education signaling in American society, and the ways to reduce the negative effects of inequality. His new book is Capitalism, Alone: The Future[...]

On the Gist, impeachment and partisanship. In the interview, Mike talks to Jonathan Metzl, Vanderbilt University professor and the research director of The Safe Tennessee Project. They discuss the latest Supreme Court case that examined a person’s right to bear arms in New York City, how the justices ruled, and what this case means for the[...]

On the Gist, birds and Debird. In the interview, Mike talks to journalist and CNN correspondent Peter Bergen about Trump’s national security team, the internal feuds, and why the key players of this team have all left, three years later. His new book is Trump and His Generals: The Cost of Chaos. In the spiel,[...]

On the Gist, trade symbols. In the interview, Mike talks to Dannagal Goldthwaite Young about satire, irony, and humor in a politically divided world. They discuss successful and not-so-successful examples of conservative political satire, how humor differs on the right and left, and the psychology behind comedy. Her new book is Irony and Outrage: The[...]

On the Gist, the problem with democracies. In the interview, Benjamin Wittes of the Brookings Institution and Lawfare is on the phone with Mike today to talk about Devin Nunes’ memo from 2017 in light of the recent Inspector General’s report. What did Nunes get right and wrong? And was it enough to let us[...]

On the Gist, William Barr and malfeasance. In the interview, comedians Drennon Davis and Mike Phirman are here to talk about their podcast Bandtastic, a sci-fi musical for the family. They talk with Mike about how the project came about, adult and child humor, and DJ Yeah. In the spiel, impeachment and history.  Learn more[...]

On the Gist, fighting Biden. In the interview, Mike talks to sports journalist and author Joe Posnanski about the elusive Houdini. They talk about how Erik Weisz became the great Harry Houdini, how the man transformed himself from failing magician to famous escape artist, and the myths shrouding his mysterious death. Joe’s book is The Life[...]

On The Gist, Chuck Todd. In the Interview, former The Wall Street Journal reporter and Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson is here to talk with Mike about the Steele dossier, the infamous pee tape, and his regrets and hopes around the dossier’s coverage. His new book with co-author Peter Fritsch is Crime in Progress: Inside[...]

On The Gist, UNESCO. In the Interview, Mike talks to Bina Venkataraman, The Boston Globe editorial page editor. They talk about the best ways to tackle climate change, how to encourage people to think long-term, and whether or not humanity will make it past the year 2200. Her new book is The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking[...]

On The Gist, unpopular opinions. In the Interview, Mike talks to actor Kal Penn about his sitcom Sunnyside. They discuss how he came up with the idea for the show, his time working for the Obama administration, and the Easter eggs hidden throughout the season. You can watch Sunnyside on Hulu, Amazon, and other streaming platforms.[...]

On The Gist, Kamala Harris.  In the Interview, Mike talks to Slate writer Julia Craven about Kamala Harris’ decision to end her White House bid, the internal crises that broke out within her campaign, and why, after a promising start, she struggled to stand out in the crowded Democratic race. In the Spiel, a sperm[...]

On The Gist, Chuck Todd did good. In the interview, documentarian Alex Gibney is here to discuss his newest film, Citizen K, about former Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Putin’s Russia. They discuss what led to Khodorkovsky’s exile, and the way his story reveals the current state of Russian affairs. In the Spiel, Mike’s Thanksgiving[...]

On The Gist, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Maria Konnikova is back for another “Is That Bullshit?” In the Interview, she talks to Mike about DOGTV, a cable network made for dogs. Maria breaks down whether or not DOGTV helps dogs feel a little less lonely while their owners are away and if DOGTV programming[...]

On The Gist, beavers. In the interview, Mike talks to The Sporkful host Dan Pashman about Washington State University’s latest creation—the Cosmic Crisp apple. Pashman explains the birth of this new apple, how it compares to other varieties, and quizzes Mike in a game called "Apple Variety or New England Town." Listen to The Sporkful episode,[...]

On The Gist, Nikki Haley. In the interview, Mike talks to Senator Sherrod Brown about his new book Desk 88: Eight Progressive Senators Who Changed America. They talk about these forgotten figures, what people can learn from them, and the power and limits of bi-partisanship. In the Spiel, South Carolina. Slate Plus members get bonus[...]

On The Gist, Joe Biden again. Then Mike speaks with Slate blogger Ben Mathis-Lilley about impeachment. And we end with an interview with Chris Molanphy, who is back to run through the nominees for this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He and Mike talk about the new nominees, those who’ve appeared time and[...]

On The Gist, is Pete Buttigieg ready? In the interview, Mike talks to former United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin about his time in office, how he drastically reduced wait times at VA medical centers, and the infamous tweet that got him fired. His new book is It Shouldn't Be This Hard to[...]

On The Gist, Representative John Ratcliffe. In the interview, Mike talks to CIA whistleblower Jeffery Sterling about his CIA career, how he blew the whistle on a bungled covert operation in Iran in 2015, and his life after serving time. His new book is Unwanted Spy: The Persecution of an American Whistleblower. In the Spiel,[...]

On The Gist, the MSNBC and The Washington Post Democratic debate. In the interview, Mike talks to actor June Diane Raphael of Grace and Frankie about her call to activism after the 2016 election, working with Emily’s List, and encouraging more women to run for office. Her new book is Represent: The Woman’s Guide to[...]

On The Gist, Pete Buttigieg. In the interview, Mike talks to Yancey Strickler, co-founder of Kickstarter, about the company’s origins, the challenges of developing creator guidelines, and what he thinks about wealth in the tech industry. His new book is This Could Be Our Future. In the Spiel, Mayor Bloomberg and stop-and-frisk. Learn more about your[...]

On The Gist, Elizabeth Warren’s new plan. In the interview, Jamil Zaki is here to discuss his new book The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World. He and Mike debate the merits of sympathy versus empathy, and discuss the ways we view empathy may not be the way we live with it.[...]

On The Gist, Nancy Pelosi.  In the interview, Mike talks to filmmaker Mark Landsman and former National Enquirer editor-in-chief Steve Coz about their new documentary Scandalous: The True Story of the National Enquirer. They discuss ethics, Trump, and how the publication’s tactics have changed over the years. In the Spiel, need a dose of pizzazz?[...]

On The Gist, Purple: Project for Democracy. In the interview, Mike talks to writer and National Review editor Rich Lowry about the tradition of American nationalism, how to reclaim the term, and why we need it more than ever. His new book is The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free.[...]

On The Gist, treason and bribery.  In the interview, Irish writer and critic Fintan O’Toole talks to Mike about Brexit, the nationalist wave sweeping England, and country’s future without the European Union. His book The Politics of Pain: Postwar England and the Rise of Nationalism is out now.  In the Spiel, scandals and apologies. Slate[...]

On The Gist, partisanship. In the interview, Brian T. Brown is here to talk about his new book, Someone Is Out to Get Us: A Not So Brief History of Cold War Paranoia and Madness. He and Mike discuss the ways the US and the USSR felt about each other, how those feelings persist today,[...]

On The Gist, the new book by the anonymous member of the White House. In the interview, Mike talks to actor Edward Norton about his new film Motherless Brooklyn. They discuss Robert Moses’s complicated legacy in New York, his early beginnings volunteering as a public housing advocate, and working with Alec Baldwin to make this[...]

On The Gist, taxing Bill Gates. In the interview, Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana is here to talk with Mike about his run for the Democratic nomination. They discuss how Bullock’s work on campaign finance reform in Montana, how he alters his message for local and national audiences, and what he thinks of the penny.[...]

On The Gist, political correctness? In the interview, Mike talks to political scientist James A. Robinson about why some nations have more liberty than others and what nations can do to uphold freedom in the face of political threats. His new book, co-written with Daron Acemoglu, is The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of[...]

On The Gist, it’s not good to agree with Donald Trump, Jr. In the interview, race car driver Michael Waltrip and filmmaker Paul Taublieb are here to talk with Mike about the new documentary Blink of an Eye based on the book of the same name about racing, Waltrip’s his relationship with Dale Earnhardt, Sr.,[...]

On The Gist, socialism and taxes. In the interview, Thomas Chatterton Williams talks to Mike about why it’s important to reject social constructs like race, how he has reckoned with these categories, and what he has learned about identity as a parent. His new book is Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race. In the[...]

On The Gist, Mike went to Politicon this past weekend and moderated the panel What Now Democrats, featuring James Carville, Joe Lockhart, Zerlina Maxwell, Kyle Kulinski and Jess McIntosh. They debate the future of the party, what kinds of issues will matter in 2020, and what they should stop fighting over. Slate Plus members get[...]

On The Gist, presidential incompetency at its finest. In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back for “Is That Bullshit?” She and Mike figure out what are really in Impossible and Beyond burgers and if they’re healthier than red meat burgers. Maria’s latest book is The Confidence Game. In the Spiel, the ridiculous world of taxonomy. [...]

On The Gist, ghosts aren’t real. In the interview, Mike talks to Slate writer and Slow Burn host Joel Anderson about the new season, the hidden facts he learned about Tupac and Biggie, and the latest revelations he uncovered documenting the biggest hip-hop legends ever. Listen to Slow Burn here. In the Spiel, guessing what Trump[...]

On The Gist, Melinda Gates and empowering women. In the final part of Mike’s two-part interview with U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, they talk about the right and wrong ways to handle human rights atrocities across the world and their love of baseball. To learn more, read her new book The Education of[...]

On The Gist, socialism and millennials. In the first part of a two-part interview, Mike talks to Samantha Power, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, about the early beginnings of the Syrian crisis, her role in trying to stop the Assad regime, and what she has learned from her mistakes during that critical time. Her[...]

On The Gist, understanding the differences between Hispanic and Latinx. In the interview, Mike talks to journalist Joel Stein about elitism in 2019, how Trump is really part of the elite, and what the future holds for populism across the world. His new book is In Defense of Elitism: Why I'm Better Than You and[...]

On The Gist, Katie Hill’s throuple. In the interview, Mike talks to writer Coleman Hughes about how his childhood shaped his views on race in America, his case against reparations, and what he’s working on next in the world of philosophy. In the Spiel, how much is Mark Zuckerberg’s time worth? Slate Plus members get[...]

On The Gist, storming the SCIF. In the interview, podcast producer and Canadian Chris Berube is here to talk with Mike about the recent Canadian election, how much shorter their elections are, and the government Trudeau has had to cobble together. Berube is a producer for 99% Invisible.  In the Spiel, Facebook and fact-checking. Slate[...]

On The Gist, racial slurs and context. In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back for another round of “Is That Bullshit?” This time, she and Mike figure out if sunscreen is good for us, what we should be wary of, and why many of us need more sunlight. Maria’s latest book is The Confidence Game.[...]

On The Gist, Trump is no George Washington. In the interview, Stephen Martin and Joseph Marks are here to discuss their new book Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don’t, and Why. They talk about why the expert isn’t always the best vessel for information, the power dynamics involved, and why famous people often[...]

On The Gist, Gordon Sondland testified before Congress. In the interview, Meghan Daum is here to talk with Mike Pesca about her new book The Problem with Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars. They discuss toughness versus sensitivity, age differences, and how we should appreciate the confusion of this time more. In the[...]

On The Gist, what does quid pro quo even mean? In the interview, Mike talks to Ash Carter about his time as the 25th Secretary of Defense, what he would have down if he were Jim Mattis, and what he thinks about Trump’s military strategy in Syria. In the Spiel, Trump and Erdogan are back[...]

On The Gist, the October CNN democratic debate. In the interview, Mike talks to director and executive producer Nicole Kassell about directing the Watchmen pilot, the show’s many Easter eggs, and how they honor the real-life 1921 riot in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the Spiel, why no one supports Trump’s strategy with the Kurds. Learn more about your[...]

On The Gist, too many candidates? In the interview, Shea Serrano is back to talk with Mike about his newest book Movies (And Other Things). They talk about Armageddon, why Booksmart will have such longevity and importance, and watching movies with your children. In the Spiel, George and Kellyanne Conway.  Learn more about your ad[...]

On The Gist, Trump’s trade war with China. In the interview, Mike talks to writer Elaina Plott about her reporting on Rudy Giuliani, new White House counsel Pat Cipollone, and the future of the impeachment hearings. Plott is a staff writer at the Atlantic. Read her work here.  In the Spiel, the CNN LGBTQ+ Equality[...]

On The Gist, how should we feel about Ellen and George W. Bush? In the interview, Desmond Meade of the Florida Restorative Rights Coalition is here to talk with Mike about the recent movement in Florida to give voting rights back to individuals who have previous committed felonies. They talk about how quickly the measure[...]

On The Gist, what Trump is doing to the Kurds is everybody’s fault but Trump’s. In the interview, Mike talks to Ozy's national politics reporter Nick Fouriezos about U.S. voter apathy, where its most prevalent, and its ramifications for future elections. You can read Fouriezos’ piece, “Who Cares: Inside America's Apathy Belt,” in Ozy. In[...]

On The Gist, Trump and the Kurds. In the interview, Mike talks to Aaron Mehta, deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News. They talk about why Ukraine wants javelin missiles, the internal conflicts in the Pentagon, and China’s rising military dominance.  In the Spiel, the American sports media's reactions to Daryl Morey.  Slate[...]

On The Gist, Daryl Morey versus NBA China. In the interview, Comedy Bang Bang host Scott Aukerman is here to talk about Between Two Ferns: The Movie, the early beginnings of the Between Two Ferns show, and how he writes and directs great cringe comedy. You can watch the movie on Netflix. In the Spiel,[...]

On The Gist, dishonesty and the media. In the interview, Norbert Leo Butz is a Broadway powerhouse who’s been in all sorts of projects like Wicked and Catch Me If You Can, but he’s also a talented musician out with a new album, The Long Haul. He’s here to talk with Mike about his new[...]

On The Gist, getting pronunciations right and extremely wrong. In the interview, comedian Gary Gulman talks to Mike about his new HBO comedy special The Great Depresh, how he talks about mental health on stage, and the magic of vision boards. In the Spiel, the Ukraine saga. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free[...]

On The Gist, suing the swamp. In the interview, Marc Randolph is here to talk with Mike about the early beginnings of Netflix, his relationship with co-founder Reed Hastings, and what he’s doing now post-Netflix. Randolph’s new book is That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea. In[...]

On The Gist, the Zuckerberg audio leaks. In the interview, Martha Minow is here to talk with Mike about forgiveness, who should be forgiven, and how to incorporate more forgiveness in the U.S. legal system. Minow’s new book is When Should Law Forgive? In the Spiel, class resentment. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and[...]

On The Gist, what’s going on at Café Altura? In the interview, journalist Amanda Aronczyk is here to talk with Mike about her recent series for WNYC’s The Stakes podcast, “A History of Persuasion.” Through the lens of Ted Kaczynski she explores the way behavioral psychology has been used to shape the way we think,[...]

On The Gist, Trump and Ukraine-gate?  In the interview, journalist and author Mary Lane is here to talk with Mike about Hitler’s art, how he seized “degenerate” art in Germany, and the people who finally recovered these lost works in 2013. Lane’s new book is Hitler's Last Hostages: Looted Art and the Soul of the[...]

On The Gist, MSNBC cutting Trump’s speech short. In the interview, writer Katy Lederer is here to talk with Mike about Greta Thunberg, why she’s such a force, and if she will bring about any change. Lederer’s latest piece on Thunberg is “Can They Read,” in n+1. In the Spiel, whistleblowing and the Maguire hearing. [...]

On The Gist, the beginning of the Trump and Ukraine analysis. In the interview, CIA alum and head of Lawfare David Priess is here to talk with Mike about impeachment, the Ukraine phone call, and this time things are different. Priess’ latest book is How to Get Rid of a President: History’s Guide to Removing[...]

On The Gist, journalist Lauren Duca is here to talk with Mike about her new book, inspiring young people to get more involved in politics, how activism and journalism might intersect, and the problems with our binary political system. Duca’s new book is How to Start a Revolution: Young People and the Future of Politics.[...]

On The Gist, the news we missed during Comedy Week.  In the interview, Rachel Monroe is here to talk with Mike about why people, and women in particular, are so interested in true crime. Is it a new thing or just newly popular? Does being an at-home sleuth help in any way? Monroe’s new book[...]

On The Gist, late-night writers Steve Waltien, Bryan Tucker, and Alison Leiby sit down with Mike to discuss what it’s like to write on a late-night show. How do they deal with the constant churn of topical humor? Why is it so difficult to continue laughing through Trump? And what is the Sean Penn test?[...]

On The Gist, screenwriters Dana Fox and John August, and film critic K. Austin Collins are here to talk all about the comedy film. What makes a funny movie? how has that changed over the years? And has humor just creeped its way into all the other genres without us realizing? Slate Plus members get[...]

On The Gist, our third part of comedy week is all about comedy podcasts. Podcast hosts Jesse Thorn and Ron Funches join Mike to talk about the wide variety of comedy podcasts, how they both got started, and why they are such a freeing avenue for comedians.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, our second installment in this week of comedy focuses on the world of improv. Improvisers Amber Nash, TJ Jagodowski, and Zach Cherry join Mike to talk about what the improv scene is like in their respective cities, how the form has grown so quickly in the last 30 years, and why collaboration[...]

On The Gist, we’re kicking off our week on the world of comedy by talking to three comedians about the state of stand-up comedy. Adam Ferrara, Aparna Nancherla, and Hari Kondabolu talk with Mike about the way they perform, how they interact with their audience and fans, and pushing boundaries in the art form. Learn[...]

On The Gist, questions the debate needed. In the interview, director Lorene Scafaria is here to talk with Mike about the new film Hustlers. They discuss recruiting Jennifer Lopez, Lizzo, and Cardi B, the importance of Chopin, and filming at a strip club.    In the Spiel, the crazy things said during the debate. Want[...]

On The Gist, what should we care about?  In the interview, Jon Lovett is here to talk with Mike about Joe Biden, debate in liberal roundtables, the Overton window, and the live Lovett or Leave It show at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2019. In the Spiel, Joe Biden is fading. Want to[...]

On The Gist, Fort Campbell middle schoolers and the border wall. In the interview, journalist Ramona Shelburne is here to talk about her new five-part 30 for 30 series on Donald Sterling and the Clippers. She and Mike discuss how she started covering the Clippers, reporting out the Sterling story at the time, and the[...]

On The Gist, Bolton is out. In the interview, New York Times TV critic James Poniewozik is here to talk about his new book about Trump and television. He and Mike discuss how the increasing variety of television networks and the boom of reality TV led to Trump, and his similarities to the classic anti-hero[...]

On The Gist, Trump and Scotland. In the interview, creator of xkcd Randall Munroe is here to talk about his new book How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems. He and Mike talk about puzzling out the chicken and the egg, testing nuclear weapons on beverages, and how Serena Williams fits into his[...]

On The Gist, Trump’s lightbulbs. In the interview, economists weren’t always at the levers of public policy in America. The New York Times’ Binyamin Appelbaum tracked the profession’s post-war movement into power, and how the laissez-faire philosophy economists (by and large) brought with them has failed us. Appelbaum is the author of The Economists' Hour:[...]

On The Gist, Mike Pence and Boris Johnson. In the interview, it’s internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch on how the language we use has been shaped by the information superhighway—and for starters, people never say “information superhighway” anymore. They also write more (everyone’s a writer on the internet) and less formally, though without shedding whatever regional[...]

On The Gist, it’s Boris Johnson’s show now. In the interview, Thomas Sheridan isn’t your mother’s lobbyist—or wait, maybe he is? His firm, the Sheridan Group, fights for social change. He tells Mike about why lobbyists aren’t all bad, how he got his start, and the tough battles he’s faced over the years. Sheridan’s new[...]

On The Gist, how hurricanes are like racism.  In the interview, talk radio has shaped so much of our political discourse, often in ways we don’t even realize. Brian Rosenwald sought to figure out just how much influence it’s had and condensed it all into his new book Talk Radio’s America: How an Industry Took[...]

On The Gist, this week in the news, truth is stranger than science fiction. In the interview, guest host Seth Stevenson talks to the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. And it turns out that when you’re a citizen for responsibility and ethics, as Noah Bookbinder is, you see plenty going[...]

On The Gist, journalist and podcast host Lauren Ober was shocked to realize Chelsea Manning is back in jail. In the interview, Ober talks with journalist Vanessa Grigoriadis about the new podcast Tabloid: The Making of Ivanka Trump. What’s it like to go from aspiring socialite to familial lackey? Is there any room for pity?[...]

On The Gist, journalist Katie Herzog fills in for Mike Pesca and focuses on cancel culture.  In the interview, Herzog interviews filmmaker Rhys Ernst about his new film Adam, and the queer backlash against the film. What’s it like for your own community to try and cancel you? Is all the extra publicity a good[...]

On The Gist, Trump is a bad negotiator. In the interview, you’ve probably heard of face blindness. And you possibly wondered whether it was a real thing. Do some people really walk the world, full of other people as it is, without the ability to recognize them from their features? They do. Sadie Dingfelder shared[...]

On The Gist, if an eleventh Democratic candidate makes the next debate in Houston, we’ll hear more from all of them (because they’ll be split across two nights!). In the interview, it’s part II of Mike’s discussion with Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley. They talk about the filibuster (this junior senator says “it has to go”)[...]

On The Gist, the Amazon is on fire. In the interview, Sen. Jeff Merkley was the first member of Congress to visit the migrant detention centers along the border and view the atrocious ways we were treating the people forced to live there. He’s here to talk with Mike about the crisis, the failure of[...]

On The Gist, Scaramucci was wrong about Trump. In the interview, journalist David Robson is here to talk about his new book The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes. He and Mike talk the intelligence quotient, the blind spots smart people have, and why it might be a good idea to talk about[...]

On The Gist, if Peter Navarro wants to criticize the Wall Street Journal, he really ought to read it once in a while. In the interview, it’s easy to condemn the CIA’s post-9/11 interrogation techniques in retrospect. But as agency alumnus Philip Mudd puts it, “boy, back then, people said ‘take out the stops, make[...]

On The Gist, despite what Peter Navarro says, a yield curve inversion there was indeed (and a recession there may be). In the interview, in a Democratic field crowded with grand policy promises, Tim Ryan’s more centrist ideas have been crowded out. But should they be? The Ohio congressman tells Mike about increasing manufacturing and[...]

On The Gist, the varying sizes of Trump and Greenland. In the interview, journalist Steve Rushin is here to talk with Mike about his new memoir Nights at White Castle. They discuss the amorphous nature of nostalgia, why children should go on boring vacations, and the podcast Ball & Chain that he hosts with his[...]

On The Gist, Slate’s Jordan Weissmann tells guest host Sean McElwee which presidential candidates’ signature ideas are hot (and which are not). In the interview, the Green New Deal isn’t just a set of climate policies—it’s a chance to break with the uneven benefits afforded by the original New Deal and other progressive policies. Julian[...]

On The Gist, getting a bit willy-nilly with “white supremacy.” In the interview, John Hickenlooper may be mulling a pivot from presidential to Senate candidate, but he was at the Iowa State Fair to weigh in on issues that affect the entire country—and to strike a moderate tone. In last year’s midterms, he says, “the[...]

On The Gist, Biden’s gaffes. In the interview, Maria Konnikova, author of The Confidence Game, is back for another round of Is That Bullshit? This time she and Mike talk all about attention spans. There always seem to be claims that attention spans are shrinking, but is that true? Should we be worried that we[...]

On The Gist, the opinions of the people at the Iowa State Fair. In the interview, Jay Inslee was among the 21 Democratic presidential candidates to converge on the Iowa State Fair this past weekend. Washington’s governor grabbed a seat with Mike to talk about applying his state’s environmental victories to the federal level, taxing[...]

On The Gist, the real consequences of immigration laws. In the interview, Charles Duhigg is who you get when you combine an investigative reporter with an agony aunt. In his new Slate podcast (How To!), he teases out advice on everyday problems, from how to tell a good joke to how to rob a bank[...]

On The Gist, Montana has gone a little berserk. In the interview, Joshua Cohen is here to discuss his new book Attention: Dispatches From the Land of Distraction,  and the many discursions he and Mike go on thanks to it. Like the depth of Bernie’s political policies, Trump’s time in Atlantic City, and why the[...]

On The Gist, Dayton and El Paso deserve better than the presence of Donald Trump.  In the interview, FiveThirtyEight elections analyst Geoffrey Skelley talks through what Democrats need to do to turn out voters in 2020. Should they focus on the “Obama coalition” that elected him twice? Or is it smarter to turn toward Obama[...]

On The Gist, if you want gun control, you clearly have to just vote Democrat. In the interview, the tit-for-tat trade war with China is unceasing. Slate’s Jordan Weissmann tells Mike about the latest developments in the fight between presidents Trump and Xi Jinping, whether or not China is really manipulating its currency, and the[...]

On The Gist, this weekend’s mass shooters had different motives. It won’t do to draw lessons from just one of them. In the interview, Amherst College professor Austin Sarat wants to enlist gun owners themselves in the fight for firearm regulation. “48 percent of gun owners favor a ban on assault weapons,” he says, citing[...]

On The Gist, a theory as to why we still hear dusty old terms like “happy warrior”—at least during election season. In the interview, Slate writer Christina Cauterucci, who recently wrote about Al Franken, criticizes a recent New Yorker story on the ousted senator. She and Mike break down what they think its author Jane[...]

On The Gist, the Democrats making Republican soundbites. In the interview, Fantastic Negrito walked a long and winding road to blues stardom. His first album (under his legal name, Xavier) was a bust—“everyone hated it”—and saw him dropped from his label. He’d also gotten into a serious car accident and sold off his instruments before[...]

On The Gist, Jeffrey Epstein’s ideas. In the interview, when Chuck Klosterman writes non-fiction, he worries about missing some grand historical context in a way that would ruin his work. With fiction, that anxiety goes out the window— if someone reads one of his short stories and thinks something “completely unrelated to what I thought,[...]

On The Gist, billionaire Tom Steyer didn’t qualify for this round of Democratic debates, but he’s bought a lot of CNN ad space to make up for it. In the interview, political consultants David Axelrod and Mike Murphy have spent years advising politicians on the best ways to run campaigns—Axelrod with Barack Obama and Murphy[...]

On The Gist, Trump and racism. In the interview, Politico’s Tim Alberta has been covering the Republican Party since 2009, back when it was “totally rudderless and beaten into the ground.” Ten years later, and though in control of the White House, the GOP isn’t in much better shape. Alberta’s new book is American Carnage:[...]

A few months ago, Dan Taberski joined us to talk about latest season of his Headlong podcast, Running From Cops, focused on reality television shows about police. One series in particular, Live PD, was billed as a documentary but seemed to fall into the same bad practices as other reality programming. Taberski tried to interview[...]

On The Gist, Robert Mueller was a bit of a broken record in his congressional testimony.  In the interview, David Wolman once happened upon a small Hawaiian museum dedicated to a small crew of cowboys in the state—and that was the first he heard of them. He teamed up with Julian Smith to dig into[...]

On The Gist, the governor of Puerto Rico will not seek reelection. In the interview, Chris Herren’s NBA career ended largely because of drug abuse that started in his teens. Now he speaks to thousands of students about making better choices—not by using the fear tactics often deployed in American schools, but by examining the[...]

On The Gist, Robert Mueller’s congressional testimony isn’t likely to increase the pressure on president Trump.  In the interview, losing weight is hard, but keeping it off is even harder. What can successful dieters do to maintain their goals, and are reality TV shows like The Biggest Loser painting a rosy picture? Gist regular Maria[...]

On The Gist, why the moon landing’s 50th anniversary isn’t getting all that much attention. In the interview, success stories are great, but what about those business ventures that end in spectacular failure? Those tales are often better. Lauren Ober hosts the Spectacular Failures podcast, where beer makers, hotel chains, and (in an upcoming episode)[...]

On The Gist, Ivanka Trump is every bit the monster her father is. In the interview, Senator Michael Bennet is here to talk about his campaign for president and his new book The Land of Flickering Lights: Restoring America in an Age of Broken Politics. He and Mike discuss Bennet’s family plan, the importance of[...]

On The Gist, Chance the snapper.  In the interview, former EPA head Gina McCarthy expected the Trump administration’s backwardness on climate change—but not on no-brainers like limits on power plant mercury emissions and auto industry regulation, both of which were being complied with. “They’re just obsessed with undoing everything Obama did. You can tell this[...]

On The Gist, it’s a good day for those who love quarterly fundraising numbers among Democratic presidential candidates! In the interview, we’re used to the Nate Silver approach to election forecasting, using constantly changing polling data to predict the likelihood of this or that result. But Rachel Bitecofer, assistant director of the Wason Center for[...]

On The Gist, Elizabeth Warren and ICE.  In the interview, Jason Zinoman, who writes about the New York Times, thinks the late-night shows need to return to the playful cruelty they once had. He and Mike talk about the current state of things, David Letterman’s reign, and why even Letterman seems to have lost his[...]

On The Gist, they. In the interview, Emily Bazelon writes for the New York Times magazine, co-hosts Slate’s Political Gabfest, and she’s out with the new book Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, and its companion podcast. She’s here to talk with Mike about her new projects, Kamala Harris,[...]

On The Gist, the metal straw incident. In the interview, Vince Houghton is a historian and the curator of the International Spy Museum and he’s here to talk about his new book Nuking the Moon: And Other Intelligence Schemes and Military Plots Left on the Drawing Board. Why did we want to drop goat poop[...]

On The Gist, the Trump cabinet and violence against women. In the interview, Will Wilkinson from the Niskanen Center is here to talk with Mike about his new paper The Density Divide about the surprising way urbanization affected the rise of populism.  In the Spiel, the good and bad about the pay parity argument in[...]

On The Gist, jail time for absurd reasons. In the interview, journalist Jack Fairweather is out with a new book about the untold story of Witold Pilecki, a Polish resistance fighter who chose to get sent to Auschwitz so he could report back on atrocities happening there during World War II. Fairweather’s book is The[...]

On The Gist, did Joe Biden’s apology work? In the interview, Anthony Ray Hinton was wrongfully convicted for the murder of two teenagers in Alabama in 1985. After 30 years on death row his conviction was overturned and he was released. He’s since become an advocate for those facing the death penalty and the abolishment[...]

On The Gist, should we rethink the structure of a week? In the interview, founding CEO of C-SPAN Brian Lamb and Co-CEO Susan Swain are here to discuss their new book The Presidents: Noted Historians Rank America’s Best—and Worst—Chief Executives. They discuss with Mike the creation of the book, visiting presidential burial places, and some[...]

On The Gist, the Hong Kong protesters and Chinese conspiracies. In the interview, Harvard research fellow Thomas Abt is here to discuss his new book Bleeding Out: The Devestating Consequences of Urban Gun Violence—and a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets. He talks with Mike about the ways we misunderstand urban gun violence[...]

On The Gist, the South Bend shooting and Pete Buttigieg. In the interview, Jason Zinoman recently wrote about dad jokes for the New York Times so he’s here to talk with Mike about his grand theories, why we love to hate dad jokes, and if they really are as low-brow as people consider them to[...]

On The Gist, Joe Biden had no good answers at Thursday’s Democratic debate. In the interview, the Washington Post’s Anna Fifield is out with a new book on Kim Jong-un. She interviewed as many people who have had even a fleeting interaction with the man as possible, in an effort to get the clearest picture[...]

On The Gist, an absurd criminal charge in Alabama.  In the interview, the Iron Curtain couldn’t block radio waves, or, in the ‘50s and ‘60s, a new form of music called rock and roll. András Simonyi, a former Hungarian ambassador to the United States, was electrified by Elvis and the Beatles, and says that “without[...]

On The Gist, the first Democratic primary debate is about to start. In the interview, Ben Lindbergh is a staff writer at the Ringer, host of the Effectively Wild podcast, and author of the new book The MVP Machine: How Baseball’s New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players. He’s here to talk America’s[...]

On The Gist, Trump and Pence talking nonsense. In the interview, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, especially when it comes to elections. MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid figures that “the hungriest constituency” often gets its way at the ballot box. Black voters sent Barack Obama to the White House; xenophobes got their guy in Donald Trump;[...]

On The Gist, Kamala Harris still has a lot to answer for. In the interview, media outlets used to employ ombudsmen—public editors who addressed readers’ concerns and weighed in on a newspaper’s reporting. Those roles have disappeared over the years but the Columbia Journalism Review wants to change that. Kyle Pope, the magazine’s editor, recently[...]

On The Gist, how much sanity does it cost to change a lightbulb?    In the interview, babies don’t come with instructional manuals, but the publishing industry is more than ready to bombard new parents with the latest, always evolving wisdom on how to raise a human right. But Emily Oster’s new book is a[...]

On The Gist, are children growing horns?  In the interview, how does Pandora know what music I want to hear? That’s all thanks to the work of Nolan Gasser, musicologist and the architect of Pandora’s Music Genome Project. He’s here to talk the origins of the project, the classification of music species, and why Sarah[...]

On The Gist, presidential candidates say the darndest things.  In the interview, the best profile writer of our day doesn’t focus much on what her subjects are wearing—so we’ll only quickly mention that in the studio with The Gist, Taffy Brodesser-Akner was wearing a fetching leopard-print jumpsuit (“I’m dressed up for a party tonight”). Brodesser-Akner[...]

On The Gist, when science proves George Carlin right. In the interview, Raphael Bob-Waksberg is the creator of Bojack Horseman, but his so-earnest-it-hurts talent also extends to print. His new collection of short stories is Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory, and he’s here to talk with Mike about love, George[...]

On The Gist, Trump knows how to produce himself. In the interview, America’s discovery of oil fields has long been entwined with godly significance—whether these were exploited by oil barons like the Rockefellers or the smaller producers (or “wildcatters”) they contended with. University of Notre Dame historian Darren Dochuk explores the intersection of oil and[...]

On The Gist, Canada declares war on the plastic straw.    In the interview, Emmy Blotnick has written for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and served as head writer on The President Show. But she also does stand-up, including in her new album Party Nights, where she gets into her love of pop music[...]

On The Gist, who doesn’t get to be at the debates? In the interview, David Epstein’s new book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World is all about how having a wide base of knowledge is so much better than narrowing your focus. He’s here to talk Roger Federer versus Tiger Woods, how fiction helped[...]

On The Gist, curse the gauntlet that is buying an event ticket online. In the interview, John Urschel played as an offensive lineman in the NFL all while pursuing the PhD that would support an accomplished career as a mathematician. The values he practiced in each field are the same, he says, but there the[...]

On The Gist, Joe Biden curing cancer. In the interview, senior writer at the National Review Michael Brendan Dougherty is here to discuss his new book My Father Left Me Ireland: An American Son’s Search For Home. He and Mike talk about Dougherty’s journey into his father’s history, how the immigrant experience shaped his mother,[...]

On The Gist, Democrats bob and weave around the question of abortion. In the interview, victims of crimes are often sidelined in the judicial process—the perpetrator is punished, but his or her target isn’t given the opportunity to set up the kind of face-to-face meeting that might help them heal. Restorative justice seeks to change[...]

On The Gist, who’s on the right side of less auto pollution? In the interview, Adam Gopnik is here to discuss his new book, A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism, inspired by a conversation with his daughter. Who gets to make arguments? What about identity politics? And why should the rhinoceros should[...]

On The Gist, Joe Biden's careful moderation leads him astray on abortion rights. In the interview, Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick is back to talk all about the Supreme Court. How the recent abortion laws passed in the South impact the continued dismantling of Roe v Wade? And why aren’t the Democrats more animated by the outrageous[...]

On The Gist, holding Scott Peterson accountable after the Parkland shooting. In the interview, George Will has led conservative thought for decades, in over a dozen books and a Washington Post column he’s penned since 1974. In his latest work, The Conservative Sensibility, he seeks to define just what “conservative” means. While Mike had him[...]

On The Gist, Trump visits the UK and drags London’s mayor.  In the interview, Larry Lewis doesn’t just analyze civilian casualties in the midst of wars; he’s worked within the State Department to minimize them. His research makes clear that sparing non-combatants isn’t just morally laudable, it can help generals reach their objectives and reduce[...]

On The Gist, even in defeat, Jeopardy! genius James Holzhauer made one really smart play. In the interview, Mike Pesca sometimes bikes to work, and—in full adherence to New York City law, mind you—he doesn’t wear a helmet when he does. Should he, or are the benefits of bike helmets overrated? Maria Konnikova gets into[...]

On The Gist, what to make of (alleged) executions in North Korea. In the interview, Slate’s chief news blogger, Ben Mathis-Lilley, makes the case for impeaching Trump. In his reasoning, impeachment proceedings would give Congress a stronger hand in forcing new information from the White House, which could then boost public support for the president’s[...]

On The Gist, using Olympic-sized swimming pools as units of measurements. In the interview, beyond covering national security as a journalist, CNN’s Jim Sciutto worked a stint in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. In both careers, he’s seen signs of a shrinking power imbalance between America and its Russian and Chinese rivals. His latest book[...]

On The Gist, it’s a shoe! It’s a phone! It’s… both? In the interview, Darrick Hamilton’s ideas and research have the attention of more than one Democratic candidate for president. The Ohio State University professor—and head of the Kirwan Institute—studies income inequality and the policies that might help close it. He joins The Gist to[...]

On The Gist, calculating whether or not impeachment is the right move. In the interview, Andrew Johnson was the first president to be impeached so Congress had to basically figure out how it worked as they did it. Brenda Wineapple is here to discuss the reasons for that impeachment, why the conviction failed, and what[...]

President Trump may yet face impeachment proceedings, so we’re bringing you a roundup of two previous Gist interviews on the topic. The first is with the youngest woman ever elected to the House, Liz Holtzman—who participated in the Nixon impeachment hearings—and CIA alumnus David Priess, who worked at the agency under both Bill Clinton and[...]

On The Gist, Theresa May’s resignation. In the interview, Dan Taberski’s latest podcast series Running From Cops digs into the long-running reality series Cops to understand what’s actually going on in those arrests on screen and how accurate the stories that we see are. He’s here to talk about why the show is so watchable,[...]

On The Gist, a look at the worst arguments in the debate over abortion.  In the interview, After Parkland follows the lives of those affected by the Parkland shooting. That includes Tori Gonzalez, who lost her boyfriend, Joaquin Oliver, to the tragedy. Gonzalez is on The Gist alongside documentary filmmakers Emily Taguchi and Jake Lefferman[...]

On The Gist, Biden’s electability.  In the interview, eight states have passed bills to limit abortion access so far this year. And while these may not end up surviving challenges in court (whether Supreme or lower), getting an abortion is already difficult for women in many parts of the country. Planned Parenthood president Leana Wen[...]

On The Gist, oh, Ben Carson. In the interview, Felipe Lopez was once billed the Dominican Michael Jordan. His star power even in high school led the team to play in bigger New York City venues—the better to fit the legions of fans who cheered as he carried Harlem’s Rice High School to a championship[...]

On The Gist, the gift to the Morehouse graduates is great, but should it be celebrated or just the standard? In the interview, Linda Taylor committed many crimes, but only one of them—welfare fraud—really mattered to politicians, the press, and the public. Anecdotes about kidnapping and possible murder would only get in the way of[...]

On The Gist, Grumpy Cat is dead. So are Bill de Blasio’s chances at winning the White House. In the interview, 1999 might be the greatest year in film—think The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, and Fight Club. But does Magnolia belong in the great movie pantheon, and should we really have been as impressed with[...]

On The Gist, what correlates with anti-abortion views (and votes) more than being a man? Being a Republican. In the interview, Jared Diamond brings new meaning to the old slogan that the personal is political. The author of Guns, Germs, and Steel argues that just as individuals go through crises to which they may either[...]

On The Gist, anti-abortion state legislatures know full well that the Supreme Court could one day turn on Roe v. Wade. In the interview, Chuck Rosenberg is a former U.S. attorney who also once worked for Robert Mueller. He’s here to talk about his new podcast The Oath, where he sits down with other former[...]

On The Gist, the NBA draft lottery. In the interview, Richard Clarke doesn’t have security clearance anymore, so on his podcast he talks to a lot of people who still do. His 10 years as a White House official gave him the bug for asking questions to sharp experts on matters of life or death—otherwise[...]

On The Gist, groans over Game of Thrones.  In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back for another round of “Is That Bullshit?” Because Mike experiences less anxiety than most, he has often wondered if he has higher levels of anandamide—a neurotransmitter associated with regulating anxiety and stress—caused by a specific genetic variation. Maria walks him[...]

On The Gist, Instagram and FOMO. In the interview, they say president Trump has killed comedy. But in Larry Wilmore’s book, comedy isn’t responsible for leading us to the “right” kind of outrage or political enlightenment. Its role—get this—is to make us laugh. “Activists should engage in activism, and I always feel like that’s why[...]

On The Gist, magic mushrooms afoot! In the interview, every Avengers movie has an argument at its core. In the Marvel franchise’s finale—Avengers: Endgame—director Anthony Russo says it’s “that you can change destiny, but at the same time, you can’t always change it on your terms.” He and his co-director (and brother) Joe Russo weigh[...]

On The Gist, maybe Trump wants to be impeached?  Then it’s a change of format as all the former and current producers of The Gist gather together for a roundtable. Founding producer Andrea Silenzi discusses the origins of The Gist, past producers Chris Berube and Mary Wilson talk about the thrills of covering the presidential[...]

On The Gist, president Trump’s mixes and matches idioms all the time, but his rhetoric doesn’t really suffer from it. In the interview, 2014 was full of retro vibes and repeats, with hits like “Happy,” “All About That Bass,” and “Blank Space” echoing older styles and Eminem’s “Monster” recreating his past chart-topping collaboration with Rihanna.[...]

On The Gist, do we need primary debates? We're starting our fifth anniversary celebration week with a look back at the past. Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad was a guest on the first episode of The Gist so he’s back to reflect on the last five years, how podcasting has changed, and the impact of the medium. [...]

On The Gist, is it unusual that Attorney General William Barr didn’t look at the underlying evidence covered in the Mueller report? In the interview, Tuca & Bertie is the new series from Lisa Hanawalt, best know for her art direction on Bojack Horseman. She’s here to discuss the origins of her new series, all[...]

On The Gist, how many people have declared they’re running for president? In the interview, breaking a record doesn’t always mean going home a winner. Adam Levin learned that in his recent run on Jeopardy!, where he banked more money than any runner-up in the history of the game show (thus walking away with just[...]

On The Gist, the latest in the Mueller report saga.  In the interview, the Kentucky Derby is this Saturday, but this year, the horse racing event is overshadowed by high fatality rates among equines in California's Santa Anita Park: 23 have died in just three months. Peter Fornatale follows the races closely, and sees mismanagement[...]

On The Gist, the New Yorker’s profile of John Bolton. In the interview, coders have gone from a band of misfits to rulers of Silicon Valley. Clive Thompson is out with a book about that evolution, which examines the reckless product design stoked by the pursuit of hockey-stick revenue growth and a lack of workplace[...]

On The Gist, the news media is getting better at demoting the names of America’s mass shooters. That’s a good thing, even as the internet’s darker corners do the opposite. In the interview, comedian Josh Gondelman is from Boston, but he often comes across as Minnesota nice. Can a comedian get laughs without being a[...]

On The Gist, the 2020 candidates’ proposals shouldn’t be compared to some progressive ideal, but to some of the stuff we spend taxpayer dollars on now. In the interview, the pace of technological change means we might only be catching onto malicious disinformation techniques after it’s too late to counter them. Still, scientific inquiry is[...]

On The Gist, the difference between one million and one billion. In the interview, Nathaniel Rich is here to discuss his new book Losing Earth about the decade of 1979-1989 and why they are so important to understanding America’s political history of climate change and the current state of denialism we find ourselves in.  In[...]

On The Gist, whether he’s on the most electable part of the political spectrum or not, Joe Biden is about to go through the wringer.    In the interview, winning a major sports championship is a thrill few ever get to know. But what happens when you keep stacking trophies, like the NBA’s Golden State[...]

On The Gist, Kate Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America.” In the interview, comedian and filmmaker Lake Bell is here to discuss her new tv series Bless This Mess. About a newlywed couple who move from New York City to Nebraska, it’s a play on the fish-out-of-water trope, but packed with more jokes than you[...]

On The Gist, Rudy Giuliani was a big, loud, and busy distraction this past Sunday. In the interview, it’s a round of “Is That Bullshit?” with Maria Konnikova. In the hot seat: the humble egg. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that eggs can increase your chances of[...]

On The Gist, sick children and dead ducks are pretty convincing. In the interview, South African comedian Loyiso Gola is here to talk about his stand up special on Netflix, what it’s like performing in different countries, and why talking about the economy is so difficult for everyday people. Gola is performing at the Soho[...]

On The Gist, Trump’s fundamental misreading of politics.  In the interview, Garrett Graff’s afternoon was as busy as any journalist’s, picking through the redacted Mueller report released by the Department of Justice. There’s something new on every page, Graff says, including the Trump campaign’s awareness of Russian efforts against Hillary Clinton—and its expectation to benefit[...]

On The Gist, the redacted Mueller report as an exercise in Zen.  In the interview, economist Tyler Cowen is just about the smartest person in Mike Pesca’s podcast feed. He’s on the Gist to answer rapid fire questions on the college admissions scandal, what the likes of Herman Cain would mean for the Fed, and[...]

On The Gist, sparing a thought for Notre Dame… and how Americans pronounce it. In the interview, Politico’s Anna Palmer on what Trump is doing to America as he navigates a government he doesn’t understand. Her book, co-written with Jake Sherman, is The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of[...]

On The Gist, wait, what did I miss? In the interview, Democratic candidates for the presidency recently flew to Iowa for a forum on agriculture to answer some questions. And asking them was Storm Lake Times editor Art Cullen, who knows a thing or two about corporate agribusiness and its impact on Iowans, the food[...]

On The Gist, two popes is one pope too many. In the interview, songs like “The Sign” and “I’ll Make Love to You” dominated the charts in 1994, but they weren’t all that emblematic of what was happening in music that year. Chris Molanphy has ideas as to why, and also opines on why there[...]

On The Gist, the political parties of Israel. In the interview, Jean McConville’s murder in 1972—when The Troubles were at their bloodiest—sparked what few deaths did in Northern Ireland: a reckoning. The New Yorker’s Patrick Radden Keefe joins us to give context to McConville’s death, from the various factions at war back then to the[...]

On The Gist, Candance Owens isn't digging herself out of this ahistorical, Hitler-relativizing hole.  In the interview, Ian Chillag is back with another season of Everything Is Alive, a podcast where he interviews the everyday objects around us that we don’t think of. Chioke I’Anson is here too because he played a grain of sand[...]

On The Gist, Trump’s latest campaign video is wild. In the interview, Scotland’s Daniel Sloss churns out comedy specials at an almost alarming rate, completing his tenth at age 28. He’s here to talk about circumcision, Brexit, and why the left is doomed to eternally shoot itself in the foot. Sloss will be back in[...]

The worst part about the Trump administration’s high turnover? Every cabinet member is worse than the last. In the interview, Grigori Rasputin bent the ear of the last Russian tsar, manipulating affairs of state behind the scenes as he saw fit. But how did a man like him rise to such power? And what about[...]

On The Gist, like every week in Trump’s America, this has been a wasted one.  In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back for another round of “Is That Bullshit?” She talks chiropractors, whether or not cracking your back and neck is helpful, and what strokes have to do with it. Then, Mike’s own chiropractor, Jason[...]

On The Gist, Mueller’s report (or much of it) is bound to go public. In the interview, Wright Thompson has his place on the Mount Rushmore of sports writers, and his signature form is the profile. Tiger Woods, Lionel Messi, Michael Jordan and the like are fascinating in their relationship to fame, but also in[...]

On The Gist, Trump should avoid healthcare. In the interview, Lori Gottlieb is a journalist and a therapist, and she’s here to discuss her new book Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed, why she became a therapist, how to deal with patients who’ve Googled you, and why[...]

On The Gist, calming down about Trump’s bombast. In the interview, Nicholas Christakis is here to discuss his new book Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society, how he studied the progression of goodness throughout human history, the way healthy communities evolve, and why shipwrecks were so important to his research.  In the Spiel,[...]

On The Gist, Joe Biden’s nose nuzzle. In the interview, Don Winslow’s new book The Border is the final part of his trilogy on drug cartels. He’s here today to discuss the work, how it’s been twenty years in the making, and the difficulty of trying to get things right.   In the Spiel, Betsy[...]

On The Gist, the next wave of start-ups should be like the tech companies we have now, but with a conscience.    In the interview, filmmaker Anthony Maras is more wedded to a theme—people in extremis—than a form, and his latest is a thriller based on true events. Hotel Mumbai follows a band of diverse[...]

On The Gist, Mike Pesca, in true hipster fashion, laments the end of Wow Air. In the interview, much of the news media was guilty of hyping up the knockout blow that Mueller’s report would deliver president Trump. But a few journalists on the left were always skeptical of the investigation’s origins and potential. Among[...]

On The Gist, Boeing is in a tight spot.    In the interview, the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas was one for the ages. Everyone so expected Tyson to win that people weren’t even placing bets until the odds were 42 to 1. In the new 30 for 30 film 42 to[...]

On The Gist, the latest gridlock facing the Green New Deal should clue in its backers in Congress. In the interview, Huwe Burton was 16 years old when detectives browbeat him into a false confession of murder. He spent about 20 years in prison as a result, and found an outlet in the quarter-mile track[...]

On The Gist, we should be willing to accept that the Barr letter and Mueller report won’t lead to any indictments. In the interview, David Priess, former CIA staffer and daily intelligence briefer for Robert Mueller, is here to talk about the Mueller report. What do we know? What questions are still unanswered? And where[...]

On The Gist, ISIS may be defeated, but the people who made up its forces aren’t gone.  In the interview, novelist John Lanchester is here to discuss his new novel The Wall, the symbolic and practical use of walls, and how closely we should pay attention to our dreams.   In the Spiel, Jim Nantz[...]

On The Gist, who paid for those two Chinese-born tech magnates to take photos with Trump?  In the interview, Vanderbilt professor Jonathan Metzl is here to discuss his new book Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America’s Heartland.  In the Spiel, litigating Biden’s past. Learn more about your ad choices.[...]

On The Gist, have you heard about the mob hit that took place a few weeks ago? In the interview, journalist Sarah Kliff joins us to discuss maternal mortality rates in the United States, what California has done to fix it, and what the rest of the country should learn from them. Kliff is the[...]

On The Gist, it wouldn’t just be morally right for Trump to finally denounce white nationalism. It would be politically smart. In the interview, Jill Abramson’s Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts was released to glowing reviews—but valid accusations of plagiarism and factual errors took some of that shine[...]

On The Gist, Beto O’Rourke, the countertop candidate. In the interview, historian Rutger Bregman got in a spat with Fox host Tucker Carlson, but you wouldn’t know it if it weren’t for his own video of the incident. Fox never aired it, as Bregman accused Carlson of carrying water for billionaires and Carlson responded with[...]

On The Gist, Senator Thom Tillis’ op-ed, now with moral fiber!            In the interview, no one’s ever had to wonder what was on tech journalist Kara Swisher’s mind (she’ll just tell you) and that includes the litany of Silicon Valley oligarchs she’s interviewed. Swisher tells us how the modern world[...]

On The Gist, Beto O’Rourke is running for president. But should he? In the interview, Tim Alberta, chief political correspondent for Politico,  recently wrote a piece about Reps. Ilhan Omar and Dean Phillips and the current divide in the Democratic party, “The Democrat’s Dilemma.” Alberta is here today to discuss the difficulty facing the Democratic[...]

On The Gist, three stray thoughts on the college admissions scandal.  In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back to talk about those naïve millennials. Last year many of them were duped into paying thousands for tickets to Billy McFarland’s Fyre Festival, a glamorous event that existed in name only. That begs the question: Are millennials[...]

On The Gist, Bill de Blasio flapping his arms to R. Kelly. In the interview, Sal Gentile writes for late night television, but he lives in president Trump’s mind around the clock. Every day he writes insights and jokes about Trump’s latest ramblings for “A Closer Look,” a segment on NBC’s Late Night with Seth[...]

On The Gist, much ado about a toothpick ban. In the interview, Wikipedia is famously edited by its own readers. And no one has made more contributions than Steven Pruitt. A third of English language pages on the site bear his mark! What goes into editing a Wikipedia page, and is it as toxic as[...]

On The Gist, Rep. Ilhan Omar and Israel. In the interview, the Guardian’s Chris McGreal covered the deadly toll opiates take on poor American communities "long before it became fashionable because of Trump." He speaks to Purdue Pharma’s zealous campaign to push OxyContin (“a chemical cousin of heroin”, in the words of the New Yorker)[...]

On The Gist, Stormy is in the news (but not that Stormy). In the interview, Donald Trump speaks many untruths every day, and someone has to track them all. Somehow that task has fallen to a Canadian. The Toronto Star’s Daniel Dale is here to tell us what counts as a lie, why details matter,[...]

On The Gist, distracting Congress from H.R. 1. In the interview, sexual promiscuity is judged differently among men compared to women, and that goes double for sex addiction. Franco-Moroccan novelist Leïla Slimani’s latest protagonist, Adèle, knows that firsthand. Slimani joins us to talk about her relationship with her translator—and her own characters—and the French sex[...]

On The Gist, Fox News isn’t distributing Trump’s talking points. Worse, it’s defining them. In the interview, reality TV typically thrives on drama and negativity. Top Chef isn’t necessarily an exception, but season 16 competitor David Viana says morale was high on set—and that that’s a good sign for the culinary world overall. “Better, healthier[...]

On The Gist, the White House PR machine. In the interview, John Carlin is a former Asst. Attorney General for the Dept. of Justice and former Chief of Staff to Robert Mueller, and his new book Dawn of the Code War tracks the rise of global cyber threats from Russia and China, and how our[...]

On The Gist, John Hickenlooper might be running for president. In the interview, Dan Reed reached out to Wade Robson and James Safechuck before #MeToo exploded, but its influence is clear. In the director’s documentary for HBO, Leaving Neverland, we hear again how the effects of sexual abuse—in this case, at the hands of Michael[...]

On The Gist, the empty political rhetoric that is “everyday people.” In the interview, fact-checking is big business in the age of Trump. But one politician diametrically opposed to the president—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—is playing fast and loose with statistics too, and journalists have noticed. Should she be called out? NY Magazine’s Eric Levitz says it’s complicated.[...]

On the Gist, Michael Cohen is not a smart guy, and that makes his testimony all the more trustworthy.  In the interview, Casey Burgat of R Street is here to talk about Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s staff turnover data. Does she seem to churn through staff more than most, or are a few big exits skewing[...]

On The Gist, corn syrup and beer.  In the interview, what’s the difference between a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old? In terms of maturity, not so much. But only one of them has the right to vote. In Oregon, state Sen. Shemia Fagan is hoping to change that, and she’s letting young activists take the lead. [...]

On The Gist, asymmetric warfare means America’s got some pretty lame enemies. In the interview, women aren’t the only demographic group making the 2020 race especially diverse. Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is considering a run for office; he’s a millennial, a veteran, and openly gay. We get his thoughts on[...]

On The Gist, even with a genuinely good story, president Trump just can’t get his facts right. In the interview, his name is Mo Rocca, and he’s out with a new podcast of obituaries. So it’s only natural, of course, that it be called Mobituaries. His audio tributes can be for both people and things,[...]

On The Gist, the deep state or a shallow president? In the interview, director Leslye Headland has been on The Gist before, and is back for more. But unlike the protagonist of Russian Doll, her new Netflix show, he isn’t likely to find herself stuck in a time loop, reliving the same moments over and[...]

On The Gist, news should be new. In the interview, our resident vexillologist Ted Kaye is back to talk about San Francisco’s flag. Where does its design come from, and is it really the best modern representation of the city? Kaye’s book is Good Flag, Bad Flag. In the Spiel, Bernie Sanders and the viability[...]

On The Gist, Bernie is in. Are billionaires out? In the interview, president Trump may be the chief saber-rattler when it comes to China, but acting tough against the world’s second biggest economy is a bipartisan pastime. With challenges like global warming and nuclear armament on the line, Kaiser Kuo says, the U.S. might do[...]

On The Gist, racy names for missiles. In the interview, Chris Molanphy is here to talk about the Billboard hits of 1979, disco’s last hurrah, and how the year prepares for the coming wave of pop. Molanphy is the host of Hit Parade and writes the column Why Is This Song No. 1?  In the[...]

On The Gist, sometimes Howard Stern can be helpful. In the interview, stand-up comedian and podcaster Matt Braunger is here to discuss his new special Finally Live in Portland, his podcast Advice From a Dipshit, and whether or not he would eat racist fudge.  In the Spiel, the human tragedy of losing animals. Learn more[...]

On The Gist, Democratic leaders should slow down the next time a Virginia-sized fiasco comes along. In the interview, podcasters can storm off a set too—even if it’s their own. Words Matter host Adam Levine pressed his colleague Steve Schmidt on details about his advising gig for 2020 hopeful Howard Schultz. And it wasn’t just[...]

On The Gist, if president Trump wanted to denounce bullying, he could have done better than inviting a boy named Trump (no relation) to the State of the Union address. In 2001, Congress gave president Bush a nearly blank check for command of an American military bent on punishing the terrorist groups directly (and not[...]

On The Gist, wise words from the mouth of Jeff Bezos… by way of Amazon’s Alexa. In the interview, green energy may be clean, but that doesn’t mean its infrastructure is any less garish. Energy reporter Amy Harder reminds us that one of the lesser-discussed obstacles to a Green New Deal is good old-fashioned nimbyism:[...]

On The Gist, don’t lick people you work with. In the interview, reading a whole book is great, but sometimes all you need is the introduction. Author Elisa Gabbert thinks so, and joins us to talk about intros and other “front matter”; a novel that unfolds over the course of an escalator ride; and how[...]

On The Gist, who oh who will govern the state of Virginia? In the interview, when Roger McNamee jumped in as an early investor in Facebook, he might not have figured he’d end up testifying about the company in front of Congress. McNamee charts Facebook’s worrying evolution in his new book: Zucked: Waking Up to[...]

On The Gist, Gov. Andrew Cuomo still doesn’t understand puns. In the interview, Lauren Greenfield has been documenting the wealthy for the past 25 years and has finally turned that into her new film Generation Wealth, an exploration of the rise of wealth culture and the implications it has on those immersed in it. Can[...]

On The Gist, parsing president Trump’s one-on-one press interviews may be a fool’s errand, but at least it’s a fun one. In the interview, the Washington Post’s Greg Miller has reported from the murkiest depths of the Trump swamp. He’s on The Gist to talk about Russia’s connections to the Trump campaign, the challenges of[...]

On The Gist, throwback to Mike Pesca's unnecessarily censored yearbook quote. In the interview, Seth Crossno, also known by his online persona William Needham Finley IV, thought it would be fun to go to the Fyre Festival with his buddies. And while the festival might have been a mess, being a part of two competing[...]

On The Gist, get off of your phone and out of my way when it’s snowing.  In the interview, there’s no one right way to raise a child, but a few hacks sure help. Podcaster, author, and mother Hillary Frank gives you permission to do what it takes to make your kid’s childhood easier on[...]

On The Gist, this one is brought to you by the letter T. In the interview, does using a stool really help your stool? Can the Squatty Potty offer any actual health benefits or is that smooth dookie all in your mind? Maybe the contraption’s popular just because it rhymes… Anyway, Maria Konnikova is here[...]

On The Gist, “the big game” is a dumb way to refer to the Super Bowl. If you were to pick a moment in U.S. history that put it on the path to polarization, you could do worse than Watergate. What followed were the blue and red bubbles staked out by CNN in the '80s,[...]

On The Gist, Nancy Pelosi is a skilled politician, sure… but she’s scoring her wins against an incompetent one in president Trump. In the interview, we obsess about the lives of stars, but what about their not-so-famous siblings? Comedy Central’s The Other Two focuses on the brother and sister of a pre-teen who rocketed to[...]

On The Gist, pairing 2020 candidates with this or that Oscar-nominated film. In the interview, don’t take a shot every time Donna Brazile calls herself one of the Democratic Party’s “original gangsters.” But it’s true: she’s been at the heart of its workings for decades. In 2020, she plans on keeping out of the Democratic[...]

On The Gist, Necco Wafers are out this Valentine’s Day, but don’t shed a tear. In the interview, some movies live for the twist. Steven Knight’s latest film, Serenity, is ostensibly about a sea captain’s Melvillian obsessions. Knight joins us to talk about how Matthew McConaughey gets it right, Saint Lucia, and writing screenplays in[...]

On The Gist, you can’t give Ann Coulter a win.  Rick Pitino is a former American basketball coach who experienced a number of scandals in the past few years, leading him to leave America for the Greek Basket League. But how did a renowned basketball coach find himself coaching in Greece? Journalist Michael Sokolove is[...]

On The Gist, Joni Ernst’s divorce filing. When Jessica Hopper started out writing about music, trolls and affronted fans didn’t tweet at you; they wrote you a letter. The world’s move to digital has changed that, and helped bring about the #MeToo movement (notice the hashtag?). But despite R. Kelly’s fall, Hopper says the rest[...]

On The Gist, BuzzFeed’s new report on Trump.  Earlier this week Rep. Steve King was denounced by much of his party because of remarks he gave to the New York Times about white supremacy. He may have misspoken or chosen to change his wording if given the chance, but according to the Storm Lake Times’[...]

On the Gist, the knife-wielding skills of Nancy Pelosi. In the interview, An Xiao Mina has tracked the meme from its goofy origins to its use in anti-authoritarian protest and (more recently) disinformation. What’s next, and how can we minimize the harm caused by the internet’s worst actors? An Xiao Mina is the author of[...]

On The Gist, Kirsten Gillibrand running for president.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently floated the idea of a 70 percent marginal tax rate on America’s highest earners. That’s bad for millionaires, but is it even that good for everyone else? The New Yorker’s Adam Davidson argues it isn’t: High taxes wouldn’t rake in that much cash, and[...]

On The Gist, ’twas an eventful news day (William Barr, opioid fatality statistics, Brexit … ), but Mike’s got a big Spiel to fry. In the interview, Greg Jaczko served as chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission under Obama—and soon grew disillusioned with nuclear energy technology itself. He joins us to explain what changed[...]

On The Gist, president Trump is far from tough on Russia, and too many news talk shows let his allies make that claim. In the interview, Jennifer Traig thought she knew what she was getting into when she became a parent, until “washing diarrhea out of neckfolds” came along. In her latest book, she turns[...]

On The Gist, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s star power isn’t something to fear. Especially if you’re a Democrat. “The world is a very dangerous place!” as a statement from President Donald Trump’s desk once put it. Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer gets that, which is why his firm writes a list of top geopolitical risks at the[...]

On The Gist, costs and benefits in the government. In the interview, Matthew Heineman is here to discuss his new film A Private War. Though usually a documentary filmmaker, this time around he tried his hand at a feature. Focused on the life of journalist Marie Colvin, it’s surprising how many documentary techniques Heineman employed[...]

On The Gist, the days are getting longer, the brand names shorter. In the interview, millennial whisperer (or, you know, just plain millennial) Anne Helen Petersen recently diagnosed “the burnout generation” in a viral feature for BuzzFeed. Student debt, the 2008 financial crisis, relatively low levels of family wealth—all have contributed to their dire straits.[...]

On The Gist, do presidential addresses change anything?  In the interview, NPR’s David Folkenflik joins us to talk about Donald Trump’s Oval Office address. Should the networks give airtime to someone so averse to facts, even if he is the president? Is there any precedent for this? And what repercussions for lying will Trump face,[...]

On The Gist, news networks should do us a favor and not air Trump’s prime-time speech on Tuesday night. In the interview, Greg Sargent is an indispensable voice for anyone looking to grasp the inner workings of American democracy. In his new book, he argues that compromise is possible even on issues as stark as[...]

On The Gist, works produced 75 years ago are now entering the public domain. And some are what 2019 would call “problematic.” David Bowie once sang that we can all be heroes … but villainy is where it’s really at. In the Ringer podcast Villains, host Shea Serrano and his guests analyze film’s best baddies[...]

On The Gist, what do Kim Jong-un’s letters and Shaquille O’Neal sneakers have in common? In the interview, you’ve likely heard of microplastics, but are they something to worry about? Maria Konnikova is here with answers in another round of “Is That Bullshit?”. Konnikova is the author of The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for[...]

On The Gist, the government shutdown continues. In the interview, impeachment proceedings have never removed a president from office (in Bill Clinton’s case, they even offered a bump in approval ratings). So is it really the best route for those who see nothing but rot in Trump’s presidency? Lawfare Institute COO David Priess surveys the[...]

On The Gist, Mike Pesca is leaving Facebook, mostly. In the interview, Andy Serkis is here to discuss his newest movie, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, along with the film’s star Rohan Chand. They talk about the magic of working in motion capture, how it really isn’t all that different from other types of acting,[...]

On The Gist, why do daily news podcasts think they can take off for the holidays? In the interview, journalist Priska Neely has been writing about the rates of black infant mortality and why they’re so much higher than American infant mortality rates overall. She joins us today to discuss the possible reasons, including community[...]

On The Gist, Donald Trump is to "wall" as zombies are to "braaaains." In his Broadway show (The New One) Mike Birbiglia tells you why procreation is a terrible idea, before waxing lyrical on the joys of raising a daughter—it’s complicated; he’s complicated. On The Gist, he spares a thought for how to tip at[...]

On The Gist, Amazon or marijuana? In the interview, Andrew Yang has declared his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election, and his platform is universal basic income. But how does that work? Is there room for that and other progressive platforms like free college tuition or universal health care? Yang’s new book is The War[...]

On The Gist, the government shutdown and Santa. In the interview, Adam Conover joins us to discuss the latest season of Adam Ruins Everything, how they ruin things like guns and mattresses, the mistakes they’ve made along the way, and if there are any topics they aren’t allowed to cover. Adam Ruins Everything airs on[...]

On The Gist, why Mick Mulvaney’s trash talk didn’t cost him a job under Trump. In the interview, is the alt-right waning? An expert on the movement, George Hawley, says that de-platforming worked to counter hateful figures like Milo Yiannopoulos and Alex Jones and that the news media may have overestimated their cunning—throwing memes at[...]

On The Gist, maybe Rudy Giuliani isn’t deteriorating. Rather, his job now (defending Trump’s shenanigans) is tougher than any he’s had. Maria Konnikova is back to call bullshit on astrology. She walks us through its origins in ancient Chaldea, its popularity among history’s scientists and philosophers, and the present day—where real experiments have been run.[...]

On The Gist, the demise of the Weekly Standard. Then, going with your gut isn’t always best (despite what President Donald Trump may tell you). Writer Steven Johnson says making better decisions can be as simple as considering multiple options instead of focusing on the “should I” or “shouldn’t I.” He’s also got anecdotes about[...]

On The Gist, Jeff Bezos is one rich man. That doesn’t make him (and Amazon) bad for New York City. In the interview, First Man is as much about Neil Armstrong the man as it is about Neil Armstrong the astronaut. Instead of depicting him planting a U.S. flag on the moon, screenwriter Josh Singer[...]

On The Gist, President Trump interrupted Nancy Pelosi because he interrupts everyone. In the interview, the deputy executive director of U.N. Women, Åsa Regnér, knows how to bring more women into politics. Countries like Bolivia, Rwanda, and those in Scandinavia have achieved more equal representation. So how useful are quotas? Does religion play a role?[...]

On The Gist, it’s tough to find a host for the Oscars. In the interview, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame can quickly become incestuous, since past winners get to vote on future inductees. But this year’s 15 nominees break the mold of guitar-slinging dudes with long hair. Sure, Def Leppard is in the[...]

On The Gist, the bottomless Pinocchio. Americans are filled with anxiety in the pursuit of happiness, and social media isn’t making it any better. But how do we even define happy, and will changing our online habits actually change anything? Author Ruth Whippman, who wrote about the phenomenon in the recent New York Times piece,[...]

On The Gist, the GOP isn’t overtly racist. But it once was. In the interview, Liz Holtzman was the youngest woman to be elected to the House of Representatives, and she did it in 1973. She also served as a member of the House Judiciary Committee as they held impeachment hearings for Richard Nixon. In[...]

On The Gist, is Sherrod Brown annoying? In the interview, Matt Green is on a yearslong mission to walk all the streets of New York City—and Jeremy Workman filmed him doing many of them for a documentary, The World Before Your Feet. Alongside Workman and executive producer Jesse Eisenberg, Green talks about Staten Island’s ordinary[...]

On The Gist, stop wishing Jews happy holidays if Hanukkah has already passed. How do you explain wit? James Geary attempted to answer that question with his new book, Wit’s End: What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need It, but quickly found that the only way to write about comedy is to[...]

On The Gist, a “tariff man” sing-along! Then, Maria Konnikova is back for another round of “Is That Bullshit?” She and Mike discuss the cigar-shaped space object (known as ‘Oumuamua) picked up by astronomers last year. Was it an alien vehicle, or just another flying rock? In the Spiel, Mike proudly backs the Slate stance:[...]

On The Gist, in doing less than his son did in the Middle East, George H.W. Bush did better. In the interview, Wild Wild Country was one of the year’s most riveting documentaries. But one of its sources, journalist Les Zaitz, argues that it pulls punches on the cult that overtook a small town in[...]

On The Gist, should people be let go for one bad idea? 30 for 30 has been a hugely successful documentary series in both video and audio form for ESPN. Jody Avirgan sits at its podcast helm with a new season covering stories like Jose Canseco’s steroid use, the 2003 World Series of Poker, and[...]

On The Gist, cows are beef, even if they’ve reached internet fame. In the interview, Steven Caple Jr. watched everything from Jean-Claude Van Damme movies to street-fight videos before directing Creed II, the latest film in the Rocky franchise. He joins The Gist to talk about how to shoot a fight scene, his favorite Rocky[...]

On The Gist, the Nancy Pelosi nonstory (spoiler alert: she’s going to win the speakership) is distracting us from the Trump administration’s latest misdeeds. In the interview, Kim Brooks received 100 hours of community service in 2011 for leaving her son alone in a car during a quick errand. Then she connected with other parents[...]

On The Gist, Cindy Hyde-Smith is on the MAGA wagon.  In the interview, the U.S. has long been the global leader in military spending. But is that enough to guarantee victory in a war against Russia, China, or both? Aaron Mehta covers the Pentagon for Defense News and has written about a bipartisan commission’s new[...]

On The Gist, Danielle Pletka’s thoughts on climate change and Saudi Arabia. In the interview, the Republican Party’s voter suppression isn’t the result of philosophy or values—it just helps them win. In making the fight over voting rights public, Democrats have two advantages: It’s obviously the right thing to do, and it would help them[...]

On The Gist, the state of the runoff Senate election down in Mississippi. Fat shaming is inexcusable. But so is denying some of the health problems that come with being obese. Maria Konnikova gives us a pre-Thanksgiving report on the latest science and reminds us that obesity in the U.S. is driven by social “superforces”[...]

On The Gist, a historian at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner? Why not? When a young Peter Sagal was labeled “not great at sports,” it didn’t sit well with him. But if that drove him to running in the first place, he now has plenty of reasons to keep up the pace—not the least of[...]

On The Gist, violent, vicious, and terrible. These are a few of Trump’s favorite words. In the interview: Verne Lundquist announced sports games for decades. But in retirement, he has more time for classical music than whatever game is on TV. “I’m not a passionate sports fan,” he says. “I’ve got X number of years[...]

On The Gist, President Donald Trump has finally made a nomination for ambassador to South Africa. And it is a terrible one. It’s hard to make comedy when your story, like Ben Stiller’s latest direction, is based on a state inspector general’s report. Escape at Dannemora is drama through and through, based on the prison[...]

On The Gist, Nancy Pelosi and new House leadership. Then, the self-help organization known as NXIVM had thousands of paying customers, but only some were involved in the cultish operations that, once exposed, brought it crashing down. In Uncover: Escaping NXIVM, host Josh Bloch follows one of the company’s unknowing recruiters, who disavowed the group[...]

On The Gist, who’s running in 2020? Should we even speculate yet?  Time for another segment of Mike debates Slate. Staff writer Henry Grabar is here to discuss Amazon’s choice of New York City, why people seem to keep misunderstanding what subsidies are, and how the benefits of Amazon moving to Long Island City outweigh[...]

On The Gist, when will everyone stop walking and chewing gum at the same time?  In the interview, it may have been a political stunt ahead of the midterms, but president Trump’s deployment of U.S. service members to the border continues. What are they even up to? Veteran and writer Jack Murphy fills in the[...]

On The Gist, what kind of sped-up sports replays is Kellyanne Conway watching? The simplicity of basketball is also its genius, allowing players to exercise skill, heart, genius and passion in endlessly creative ways. Dan Klores embraces just that in his ESPN documentary Basketball: A Love Story and talks about specific players, the NBA’s leaders,[...]

On The Gist, by any previous standard, we’d be saying that President Donald Trump lost the midterms, plain and simple. In the interview, Tuesday’s midterms saw red states get redder and blue ones bluer. If results like those keep repeating themselves, Slate panelists—Dahlia Lithwick, Jamelle Bouie, and Jim Newell, hosted live in New York by[...]

On The Gist, the Democrats’ big win. Bradley Tusk has been in the background everywhere. His hand guided the rise of big political and tech brands, from advising Rod Blagojevich not to extort Rahm Emanuel to facilitating Uber’s explosive growth. He joins us to discuss his political savvy saving campaigns and startups and why he’s[...]

On The Gist, was last night a wave or not? If congresswoman Jackie Speier still kept a gratitude journal (“I don’t have time to do it!”), it would include an entry about the Democratic Party reclaiming the House in Tuesday’s midterms. Instead she’s out with a new memoir—Undaunted: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back—and[...]

On The Gist, who gets to vote? Mimi Sheraton, the first female food critic at the New York Times, has had a prolific career sharing her opinion on everything like ladyfinger sellers, hope chests and china patterns, and why we’re all eating kale wrong. She joins us today to talk her career as a food[...]

On The Gist, live, from Slate, it’s a post-apocalyptic skit that just might come to pass if you don’t vote on Tuesday. In the interview, for decades, there was no need to hope for (or fear) a blue wave; until 1994, the Democratic Party enjoyed a 40-year monopoly on the House of Representatives. Then came[...]

On The Gist, the Republican tax bill and insurance premiums. In the interview: a third-century monk, Paul Revere’s horse, and Death himself … all are characters in humorist Simon Rich’s latest book, Hits and Misses: Stories—and none are in on the joke. “I always related to the characters like Homer Simpson that knew less than[...]

On The Gist, Pew’s analysis of European opinion surveys is out. Let’s look at Greece! In the interview, the American electorate has come to sort itself not just on political issues, but by worldview. Life is either a gauntlet of hazards (say Republicans) or an array of sights to see (as the Dems think). In[...]

On The Gist, Trump’s xenophobic campaign, with a Spooktacular twist! In the interview, hate is hard to measure, but the Southern Poverty Law Center paints a picture of growing prejudice in America. Heidi Beirich and the organization’s Intelligence Project go beyond FBI and Department of Justice statistics to include press reports and even tips from[...]

On The Gist, Mike’s bottom five causes.  In the interview, we rewind to the story of the mail bomber, which was quickly eclipsed by a massacre in Pittsburgh and one loud president. Steve Johnson, who directs Cranfield University’s Forensic Explosive and Explosion Investigation program in the U.K., provides details about Cesar Sayoc’s homemade devices.  In[...]

On The Gist, surprise surprise, right-wing commentators aren’t apologizing for getting the mail bomber story totally wrong. In the interview, brands don’t make it big by mistake. Behind the success of Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte and Jell-O are stories worth hearing. Dan Bobkoff’s podcast for Business Insider, Household Name, explores the odd origins of TGI[...]

On The Gist, the man in the van is a sad man indeed.  Harry Enten is a senior writer and analyst for CNN Politics and steeped in the polling data for the election. Will Beto O’Rourke beat Ted Cruz?  Is the blue wave cresting early? And why do Democrats care about Hamilton? Enten joins us[...]

On The Gist, Georgia’s exact match law is an extra hurdle for those with hyphenated last names, which, let us speculate, may be more common among black Americans. In the interview, CNBC contributor Ron Insana on Dow drops, market swings, and the uncertain rise of the job-stealing robots. In the Spiel, Megyn Kelly’s reportedly been[...]

On The Gist, Megyn Kelly’s take on blackface was obviously wrong … and wrong for NBC’s messaging. Sleep isn’t for the weak; it’s for those who want their brains flushed of misfolded proteins and fatigue-inducing adenosine. If that sounds like mumbo-jumbo, Maria Konnikova is here to explain it all and answer one question: Is the[...]

On The Gist, first we’ve got misleading statistics.  In 2016, Art Cullen wrote a series of editorials for the Storm Lake Times, a small newspaper in Iowa, uncovering the murky depths of a fight between local and state governments about water pollution. They followed the money, and discovered a fight funded by agricultural corporations, and[...]

On The Gist, ’tis the season (elections!) for baseless political analysis, courtesy of big network news. Americans spend countless hours watching football, but what do they know about the owners of their favorite teams? In Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times, Mark Leibovich covers the exclusive billionaire boys’ club and the “very unimpressive group[...]

On The Gist, Europeans are fighting over daylight saving time, which is way better than having a World War. Mother Jones reporter Shane Bauer has been on both sides of a prison’s bars. After spending two years as a political prisoner in Iran, he returned to the U.S. and got a job as a private[...]

On The Gist, Democrats might actually be winning. Supporters of open immigration policy—and immigrants themselves—often have a rosy view of what awaits them in the United States. National Review executive editor (and Slate alumnus) Reihan Salam says high costs of living can put immigrants in debt rather than on a path to the middle class.[...]

On The Gist, bone saws and Jamal Khashoggi. When Joe Hagan began working on the story of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone, Wenner was on board. But as Wenner slowly realized Hagan was writing the true story rather than Wenner’s story, things got a bit rough. Hagan joins us to discuss Wenner, reactions since publication,[...]

On The Gist, Saudi Arabia, Trump, and Jamal Khashoggi.  Comedy Cellar owner Noam Dworman has had a post-scandal Louis C.K. take to his stage six times now. Why does he welcome him, and if he doesn’t draw the line at Louis, is it somewhere else?  In the Spiel, the death of Nevada Republican candidate Dennis[...]

On The Gist, unpacking CNN’s list of top Democratic challengers ahead of 2020. Katmai National Park and Preserve’s publicity stunt worked: For one week (that’s Fat Bear Week), the internet delighted in the tournament bracket that would crown the plumpest predator of them all. Carnivore ecologist Rae Wynn-Grant tells us about the brown bear’s diet,[...]

On The Gist, how coverage of bisexuality has changed (for the better). Thanksgiving approaches, and with it all the tension that comes with mixing family and politics in the age of Trump. In that setting, Ike Barinholtz saw grist for a political comedy. He directs and stars in The Oath, in which a family reunion[...]

On The Gist, Beto O’Rourke and Ted Cruz. At first The Good Place on NBC appears to be a light and easy sitcom about a bad apple accidentally dropped into heaven, but look at little deeper and you’ll find a smart and dense comedy about moral philosophy. Creator Mike Schur joins us to discuss this[...]

On The Gist, should we continue to trust Facebook with our data?  Saudi Arabia’s disastrous war with rebel tribes in Yemen is 3½ years deep, as is America’s support for it. Michael Knights, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, details the kingdom’s goals: stopping the missile attacks sailing in from Yemen,[...]

On The Gist, it would be cynical to view the Supreme Court as illegitimate. Brett Kavanaugh has done it. But how will the other members of the Supreme Court treat him? And does his promotion affect the American people’s faith in the nation’s highest court? Slate’s courts correspondent Dahlia Lithwick joins us to discuss. In[...]

On The Gist, after all of that, not a single senator changed his or her vote to back (or stop) Kavanaugh. In the interview, Jill Lepore’s new book focuses in part on the marginalized groups forgotten by other American histories. It also denounces the polling industry born in the ’30s, which turned politics into business[...]

On The Gist, the hippocampus has its moment. Tom Arnold believes incriminating tapes of Donald Trump are out there, and he wants to find them. In his new series for Viceland, The Hunt for the Trump Tapes, he’s looking for anything from more Access Hollywood obscenities to the infamous pee tape. But would publishing any[...]

On The Gist, Brett Kavanaugh’s high school and college buddies had some weird nicknames, and it’s not helping his case. Rebecca Traister is angry, and she knows other women are too. Events from Trump’s election through the #MeToo movement inspired her new book, Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger. In the Spiel,[...]

On The Gist, Beto O’Rourke has the momentum but also a mountain to climb.  In the interview, Neal Katyal has argued 37 cases before the Supreme Court, and (better yet!) joined Mike Pesca on stage at Slate Day in Austin, Texas. Our condensed version of the interview covers the implications of a confirmed Brett Kavanaugh,[...]

On The Gist, guest host John McWhorter considers campus safe spaces.  In the past few years, college campuses have been shifting away from havens for free speech to safe spaces that bar divisive speakers from campus. But is this the right move, or are we damaging the growth of college students by creating these spaces[...]

On The Gist, guest host Isaac Butler talks about all the news we forgot about thanks to the Kavanaugh hearing. The Constitution is a sacred text in America, but should it be? Heidi Schreck’s play What the Constitution Means to Me tackles that question through her high school experience of giving speeches about the Constitution[...]

On The Gist, the Kavanaugh hearing. By all accounts, Derek Black was supposed to become the next David Duke. He was the man’s godson, after all, and his father, Don Black, had founded Stormfront, the world’s first and biggest white nationalist website. But then Derek went to New College of Florida, where—as told by the[...]

On The Gist, the GOP hired a woman! Nicole Holofcener’s films have centered women for more than two decades, but her latest one, The Land of Steady Habits,focuses on a man’s tumultuous story arc. She joins us to talk about adaptations (it was a novel before Holofcener made it into a movie), the slow and[...]

On The Gist, Trump gets laughs at the United Nations. After a few eccentric comedy specials, Bo Burnham next turned to his sympathy for the anxieties of middle school girls, and made a movie. If Eighth Grade (starring Elsie Fisher) seems to imitate life so well, it’s because Burnham watched hundreds of vlogs made by[...]

On The Gist, how the breaking news machine bungled the Rod Rosenstein story. In the interview, California is set to ban certain restaurants from serving straws unless customers ask for one. But given that straws represent a tiny fraction of the plastics choking our oceans, can initiatives like these really make a difference? Ban-the-straw advocate[...]

On The Gist, National Review has one good take on the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation story … and a lot of bad ones. In the interview, we’re used to thinking of societies along the “liberal/conservative” spectrum, but cultural psychologist Michele Gelfand has her own axis to consider: tight versus loose. They aren’t quite the same: Abu[...]

On The Gist, Christine Blasey Ford deserves a hearing on her own terms, and that’s all we can say for now. Bert Kreischer is a comic who started out as just the biggest college partier in America according to Rolling Stone magazine in 1997. Since then he’s been grappling with fame, how much of his[...]

On The Gist, the latest in inane Trump statements. Climate change is bigger than any one of us, including the president of the United States. Given his backward policies and denials of scientific fact, he deserves his share of criticism in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. Climate scientist Andrea Schumacher explains which aspects of hurricane[...]

On The Gist, taking issue with the sloppy headlines about the support (or lack thereof) for Brett Kavanaugh. In the interview, Stacey Abrams’ run for governor in Georgia has been criticized because of her huge outstanding debt. That got Ozy.com reporter Nick Fouriezos wondering how much political candidates typically owe as they run for office.[...]

On The Gist, Hurricane Florence. Ethan Hawke has stunned us with his earnest, moving performances on-screen, but he’s also a talent behind the camera. His new directorial feature Blaze explores the life and love of the largely forgotten musician Blaze Foley. He joins us to talk filmmaking, the difficulty of music, comic book movies, and[...]

On The Gist, Vladimir Putin, RT, and the Salisbury poisoning.   Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez might have scary values to conservatives. But to the national director of the Democratic Socialists of America, she’s a moderate. Maria Svart calls the DSA a “big tent organization,” meaning it makes room for everything from AOC’s Scandinavian-style social policies to the[...]

On The Gist, John Hockenberry’s piece in Harper’s. Donald Trump is no stranger to settlements, and the latest of these come between his administration and hundreds of asylum-seekers. They were rejected after making their cases under the duress of being separated from their children … or their parents. “How are the kids supposed to say[...]

On The Gist, Vladimir Putin’s “private citizen” excuse doesn’t hold water. In the interview, philanthropic billionaires are better than villainous ones, but Anand Giridharadas argues they could do better. Instead of insisting on the superiority of private efforts, they ought to pay more taxes and leave some things to the government. Giridharadas’ book is Winners[...]

On The Gist, Mike is thinking he’ll vote Andrew Cuomo—but he’s open to you changing his mind. The 2014 shooting of Michael Brown upheaved many things in the U.S., including the career of DeRay Mckesson, who quit his job as an educator to become a full-time activist. Now he uses his podcast Pod Save the[...]

On The Gist, are we having a national crisis? The New York Times’ publication of an anonymous op-ed has sparked rounds of speculation as to who’s behind it—and the deep-state trappings it describes. Some see the word “lodestar” as signature Mike Pence, but as Sadia Afroz explains, stylometry—the analysis of prose to uncover its author’s[...]

On The Gist, Lincoln, Kennedy, and Lincoln Kennedy could all speak better than President Trump. If you’re old enough to remember November 2016, you know that telling a good story—even an untrue one—wins elections. Author Yuval Noah Harari worries that populism has liberalism beat on this front, especially given an uncertain future looming with AI,[...]

On The Gist, Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing. The Pentagon’s third-in-command is reportedly losing his job, and it’s hardly making news. As the Defense Department’s first-ever chief management officer, John Gibson is in charge of saving billions of dollars for reinvestment. He’s to be fired because of a reported “lack of performance,” but Defense News’ Aaron[...]

On The Gist, Bob Woodward’s good intentions. Wealth and road trips are two of America’s favorite obsessions. In his new novel, Lake Success, Gary Shteyngart explores these themes through the story of a hedge fund manager who, after a crisis, takes a trip across the country by bus. Shteyngart joins us today to discuss his[...]

On The Gist, Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation is all but certain. A recent Donald Trump tweet gave credence to a bogus (and dangerous) claim: that South Africa’s white farmers are the first targets in a looming genocide. Quartz reporter Lynsey Chutel has the actual statistics, as well as the political context—land reform—that pushed white[...]

On The Gist, Democrats, Republicans, and the N-word. Facebook now has television shows. While it might be surprising for viewers, for creators it’s an exciting new avenue to find an audience for shows not necessarily meant for the mainstream. Strangers is precisely one of those shows, about two queer women trying to make it in[...]

On The Gist, there’s no use sugarcoating Starbucks’ Frappuccino. And in the interview… unprecedented! Preposterous! Unimaginable! Trump’s presidency and the GOP’s machinations actually do have antecedents, says historian Heather Cox Richardson. They’re in the 1890s, when robber barons partnered with the Republican Party to pack the courts. Richardson is the author of To Make Men[...]

On The Gist, war games are back. Hoaxes have fooled us at least since the era of P.T. Barnum, but they’re especially prevalent in our era of political disinformation. Kevin Young is the author of Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News and tells us about the racist roots of[...]

On The Gist, Louis C.K. isn’t as despised as Twitter makes it seem, which is why an eventual comeback is likely. In the interview, Maria Konnikova breaks down the science of fasting, and why it’s currently associated with cancer treatments. Can it really help reduce cancer growth? And is it a useful practice for healthy[...]

On The Gist, the news media reveres John McCain because he failed with grace—and wasn’t too conservative. Chances are you’ve heard #AbolishICE before. Journalist and activist Sean McElwee kick-started it and argues it’s not just the agency that needs to go down, but the criminalization of undocumented residence within American borders. In the Spiel, stupid[...]

On The Gist, guest host Stephanie Foo dives into Crazy Rich Asians, speaking with friend and fellow producer Kat Chow about Asian representation in media, the inspiration to create, and a hope that this film will lead to more Asian-centered media.  Then she speaks with producer and former film professor B.A. Parker about seeing your[...]

On The Gist, nobody move or the economy gets it, Trump says. The guys behind the left’s most irreverent podcast (Chapo Trap House) want the Democratic Party to forget about Robert Mueller and set their sights on 2020. But in the short term? They’re rooting for a blue wave. Alongside Felix Biederman and Brendan James,[...]

On The Gist, guest host Alex Roarty thinks Sen. Elizabeth Warren has a way better message than simply “impeach Trump.”     #NeverTrump Republicans are a vanishing breed. Crooked Media’s Tim Miller is one of them, and he tells Alex that the news media’s biases favor president Trump more than they weigh him down.  In the[...]

On The Gist, guest host Max Kerman considers why politicians are getting duped by Sacha Baron Cohen. Trump has lied so many times since he took office that it’s difficult for the normal person to focus on them. Luckily we’ve got Daniel Dale at the Toronto Star keeping track. Dale joins us to talk about[...]

On The Gist, how will Rudy Giuliani go down in history, and in public memory? The midterm elections are looming, and the big question is how far the Democrats will go. Are they really likely to retake the House of Representatives? And how would that affect Trump’s re-election campaign in 2020? Gist guest host Steve[...]

On The Gist, if Trump weren’t so repulsive, would we judge his murky dealings a little more kindly? And we don’t much think about the inanimate objects in our lives, never considering the rich inner life of the lamppost, the can of Coke, or the humble pillow. But Ian Chillag knows they have stories to[...]

On The Gist, the free press. Aretha Franklin has died at 76, and she was much more than a golden voice. Slate’s Chris Molanphy recalls her talents at the piano and in the composition room, where she wrote timeless music and, with her covers, transformed songs from her own genre and beyond. (See “Bridge Over[...]

On The Gist, autocracy isn’t always bad for an economy. But as Turkey shows, idiocy definitely is. Reality television has a reputation for uninhibited narcissism, ruthless competition, and terrible business pitches. But when Jon Murray created The Real World in 1992, he worked to make something complex and innovative, not a circus of humanity’s basest[...]

On The Gist, should news outlets halt election coverage on Election Day? “Usually, if you look at American history, we’ve kind of taken a relook at our democracy every 50 years.” And now we’re overdue, according to Jason Kander, an Army veteran and Democratic candidate for mayor of Kansas City. The big things to shake[...]

On The Gist, Trump is a racist? That’s not much of a scoop, Omarosa. There were plenty of Republicans standing against Donald Trump—before he won the White House. After the 2016 election, many of them traded in their values for a seat on the bandwagon. Rick Wilson isn’t among them, and he explains why in[...]

Mike Pesca talks with Leon Neyfakh, host of the Slate podcast Slow Burn, about season two of the hit show. Subscribe to Slow Burn here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, “the so-called chairman of the Intelligence Committee,” Devin Nunes. Superheroes and comic books may seem ripe for parody nowadays with the constant onslaught of nerd media, but The Venture Bros. has been doing it for years. Part Jonny Quest parody, part exercise in the esoteric, this show really leans into its own[...]

On The Gist, Trump’s lack of income disclosures. Colin Kaepernick took a stand in 2016 by taking a knee during the national anthem at a football game, sparking a debate about racial injustice that continues to roil. But he’s just the latest in a long line of black activist athletes that have used their status[...]

On The Gist, Jay Sekulow and Rudy Giuliani. The financial crisis of 2008 wasn’t just an American phenomenon. It was felt all across the globe, with other Western countries suffering the same pain, but enough hasn’t been done about our banks to ensure long-term stability. Will we ever be able to recover fully without a[...]

On The Gist, Trump’s lies and steel mills. The Arab Spring caused a major shift in Egypt in 2011, and the politics only got murkier during the military coup in 2013. But are autocrats really the best allies for the United States, or just for our current president? David Kirkpatrick explores what happened to Egypt[...]

On The Gist, Turkey and Trump. We’ve got another round of Is That Bullshit? Drugs treating cognitive malfunctions like narcolepsy, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s disease, are useful for people with those conditions—but what about the rest of us? Can ADHD medication make us smarter? Can narcolepsy drugs really keep us awake longer? Resident debunker Maria Konnikova[...]

On The Gist, guest host Jeffrey Lewis fills in for Mike and talks about trying to solve big problems. Regulating space is tough because it surrounds the whole world, and people can’t even agree where the Earth’s atmosphere stops and space begins. Jonathan McDowell, astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, thinks he has the[...]

On The Gist, QAnon and sound design. Comedian Guy Branum is a hilarious intellect with an intimidating amount of pop culture knowledge. In his new book, My Life as a Goddess: A Memoir Through (Un)Popular Culture, Branum explores things like his love of civics, his Northern California childhood, and his experiences writing jokes for other[...]

On The Gist, who makes the CNN Sucks onesie? Jimmy Carter’s reputation is that of an ineffective president. But his chief domestic policy adviser, Stuart Eizenstat, argues that Carter fought for America’s energy independence, doubled the size of the national park system, and appointed “more minorities and women to judgeships and senior positions than all[...]

On The Gist, let’s face it: A.I. and robots are going to take jobs from us humans. Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination has restarted the debate on how we vet candidates and whether the Supreme Court is too easy to game. Lori Ringhand, a professor of law at the University of Georgia and an expert[...]

On The Gist, sorry, not every product gets to be a lifestyle brand. A few decades ago, it wasn’t uncommon for voters to support the presidential candidate from one party and the senator from another. “Ticket-splitting” is pretty rare now, and as Alan Abramowitz argues, just one of the many signs of an America divided.[...]

On The Gist, do we really have to give up plastic straws? Then, and more seriously: a look back on a recent episode. On Wednesday, The Gist ran an interview with Allison Yarrow about 90s Bitch, her book about sexism in the age of 24-7 news coverage. And in the Spiel, Mike offered a rebuttal[...]

On The Gist, the glee of seeing Facebook stock take a dive. Imran Khan is poised to lead Pakistan as its next prime minister. The former cricket star campaigned on a promise of transparency, but his focus “is only on anti-corruption when it comes to finding ways to bring down political opponents,” says Alyssa Ayres,[...]

On The Gist, let’s imagine what’s in that “enhanced” Michael Cohen tape. Born in the 1990s, the 24-hour news cycle was especially unkind to women. The media of the age consistently bashed women’s sexuality, ambition, and presentation of women such as Monica Lewinsky and Nancy Kerrigan (case in point: a Washington Post article that asked,[...]

On The Gist, President Trump’s high approval ratings aren’t as significant as they seem. America is a playground for the rich, and that’s in good part because of the expansion of lobbying that started in the 1970s. Steven Brill lays out the many ways in which power begets power in Tailspin: The People and Forces[...]

On The Gist, we’re proposing a 2018 Housing and Urban Development festival in Sonoma, California. Convicted killer Scott Dozier was scheduled to become Nevada’s first executed inmate since 2006, until the procedure was canceled with just hours to go. That wasn’t a victory for Dozier, who has dropped his appeals and spoken out to the[...]

On The Gist, ideals are better when kept as general as possible because the more specific the get, the more exclusive they become. Bobcat Goldthwait made a name for himself with an oddball stand-up act complete with shrieks, grunts, and experimental jokes. But some 10 years after burying that character, his latest work is as[...]

On The Gist, about those outlandish celebrity baby names. When the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision made unlimited campaign contributions legal, one state put up a fight. In Dark Money, documentary filmmaker Kim Reed and journalist John Adams exposed the influence of anonymous campaign contributions on Montana’s state government even before the Supreme Court rubber-stamped[...]

On The Gist, Girl Scouts are earning cybersecurity merit badges. Sinclair Broadcast Group is trying to acquire Tribune Media so it can extend its television reach, but Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is throwing up roadblocks, which is odd because Sinclair is so pro-Trump. NPR’s David Folkenflik joins us to explain exactly what’s going[...]

On The Gist, the crocodile massacre in Indonesia that got no attention. Work-life balance gets a lot of lip service, but we rarely pull it off. Brigid Schulte, host of the Better Life Lab podcast, is looking for solutions in a world of late-night work emails, shaky job security, and Workaholics Anonymous meetings. Better Life[...]

On The Gist, Trump’s press conference with Putin and the red herrings involved. Silicon Valley is steeped in self-made mythology, with stories about giants like Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Marissa Mayer. But how did Silicon Valley really come into being? Adam Fisher, whose new book is Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon[...]

On The Gist, it turns out your ethnicity is really easy to guess. AnneMarie Sgarlata got rid of her TV months ago, but she still heard about President Trump’s pardon of Dwight and Steven Hammond this week—and she wasn’t happy. Sgarlata was among the lawyers who originally prosecuted the Hammonds for burning federal land and[...]

On The Gist, the biases of Peter Strzok and the need to connect accusations with actual evidence. President Trump’s first appointment to the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, benefited from anonymous donations worth millions. To Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, this “dark money” has created a frightening loop: Deemed lawful by the Supreme Court in 2010,[...]

On The Gist, “Brett” has got to be the lamest name among Supreme Court justices (or nominees). “If Jim Brown’s the past, Michael Bennett’s the future.” So says sports writer Dave Zirin, who recently published both a biography of Brown and co-authored Bennett’s memoir. Why the contrast between these two football players? Michael Bennett is[...]

On The Gist, Trump isn’t strategic or defiant, he’s just rapacious. When discussing #MeToo, the focus is often on the power that men exerted when sexually harassing women, but are their sexual motivations getting left out of the conversation? Emily Yoffe wrote about this in her new piece “Understanding Harvey,” for the Highline, and joins[...]

On The Gist, comparing Trump’s antics to a reality show is no longer a scarlet letter. Yes, there are storytelling competitions, and Matthew Dicks wins a lot of them. His secret? Keep it visual, and forget about the tangents. Dicks’ new book is Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of[...]

On The Gist, the shamelessness of the Wall Street Journal editorial board on Scott Pruitt leaving the Environmental Protection Agency. Advertisements are a pain, interrupting our television programs and distracting us while we play games on our phones. They’re a necessity though, funding all the entertainment we consume. Ken Auletta joins us to discuss the[...]

On The Gist, Scott Pruitt is out as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency because it turns out someone really can be too corrupt for Trump. Let us next turn to the Supreme Court—not in America, but Poland, where the rightwing government is forcing nearly 40 percent of judges into retirement. Eurasia Group president[...]

On The Gist, let’s watch the latest viral video from the conservative right. A certain group of Sherlock fans were convinced that John Watson and Sherlock would fall in love. When they didn’t, those fans turned on the showrunners. But what responsibility do creators have to their fans? Should they take suggestions? Slate TV critic[...]

On The Gist, Mitch McConnell’s values have changed—again! Lounging around in the heat of a sauna might feel nice, but is it good for you, too? Maria Konnikova has gone through the studies (most of them from Finland, where you can’t throw a hot rock without hitting a sauna) and is here to boil them[...]

On The Gist, President Trump’s demonization of journalists is awful, but it’s not the first thing to blame for the Capital Gazette shooting. The Atlantic recently ran a lengthy article about kids who consider the process of gender transition. Many critics took issue with the author’s approach, accusing him of bias and an obsession with[...]

On The Gist, the return of In Search Of hosted by Zachary Quinto, which used to be hosted by Leonard Nimoy, made us notice all the times actors have filled the shoes of others through multiple different reboots. The FIFA World Cup is great, but only the ConIFA World Football Cup has competitors from Székely[...]

On The Gist, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s primary victory was thanks to low voter turnout. She still deserves it! Lawfare’s executive editor Susan Hennessey says Trump’s SCOTUS-approved travel ban is more dangerous in how it changes norms than how it changes facts on the ground. Also: Reality Winner’s guilty plea is a no-brainer. In the Spiel, Justice[...]

On The Gist, what a Trump tweet can teach us about wine. The latest school shootings have galvanized an already politically minded generation. Harvard’s John Della Volpe studies the voting habits of millennials, and how they could swing election results in 2018 and beyond. In the Spiel, the Supreme Court’s support for Trump’s travel ban[...]

On The Gist, why is the Democratic National Committee being held responsible for Hollywood and the media? Calvin Buari dealt crack in the Bronx, but that doesn’t make him a killer. Buari was convicted of a double murder in 1995 and started a campaign to prove his innocence from behind bars. A big part of[...]

On The Gist, Rep. Jim Jordan’s underwhelming attention to detail.  Franchesca Ramsey burst onto the YouTube scene with her viral video, “Shit White Girls Say… to Black Girls.” Ramsey’s latest video project, MTV News’ Decoded, is similar: fun, earnest, and educational. Ramsey’s book is Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist. [...]

On The Gist, those beacons of honesty—retiring Republican members of the Congress. Cremation has the carbon footprint of a 1,000-mile road trip, your average bee has nearly 1 million brain cells, and only 3 to 4 percent of gossip is actually “malicious.” Those are all statistics relayed in Walt Hickey’s Numlock News, the daily newsletter[...]

On The Gist, how President Trump made not breaking up families look like his idea. Why are the U.S.’s political parties weak? Is the “job guarantee” policy smart? Do voters perceive the economy accurately? Dan Pfeiffer has all the answers. He’s a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama and part of the Pod Save[...]

On The Gist, the inaugural edition of “whoah there, girl!” Political parties are like people: They grow and change, their values shift, and sometimes they become downright belligerent. Lilliana Mason says America’s two political parties are in the middle of a shift, and it won’t be over anytime soon: “What happened to conservative southern Democrats[...]

On The Gist, if we can’t pronounce Peter Strzok’s name right, how will we remember his newfound infamy? If you consider yourself progressive, chances are Trump’s presidency feels like a nightmare. But Politico’s Michael Grunwald returns to the Gist with the argument that Obama’s legacy is mostly intact—at least on the domestic front. Grunwald’s latest[...]

On The Gist, why he lies: a new theory. “I’ve hit rock bottom. I’m writing for a cartoon.” Such were the thoughts of Mike Reiss when he joined the writers’ room for The Simpsons in 1989. Thirty years later, he’s worked on all but two seasons of the show, and says it’s had one real[...]

On The Gist, McClatchy White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez explains the ramifications of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy to prosecute migrants who cross the border illegally. One early consequence: The U.S. government needs more places to detain children separated from their parents.  In the Spiel, the nasty things celebrities say—and their supposedly enormous power[...]

On The Gist, some fun facts about U.S. Senate candidate Corey Stewart. In 2010, a certain Christopher Steele was hired to look into Russia’s bid to host the World Cup in 2018. What he found ultimately led to a U.S. investigation into FIFA’s thoroughgoing sleaziness. There are, around the world, multiple criminal probes around FIFA,[...]

On The Gist, a brief review of President Trump’s roster of losers (and winners). Clint Watts is a man of many strengths. He’s a former FBI agent and a cybersecurity expert. He can break down information warfare to bleary-eyed U.S. senators. He’s been known to track al-Shabaab adherents on Twitter. Watts returns to The Gist[...]

On The Gist, if the Trump-Kim summit goes as poorly as the president’s business ventures, we’re doomed. Maria Konnikova is here to smoke out false claims about cannabidiol, or the CBD oil extracted from cannabis. Can it help with insomnia, depression, and epilepsy? We find out in the latest round of “Is That Bulls—t?” Konnikova[...]

On The Gist, president Trump raised the bar on what’s considered a gaffe, and EPA head Scott Pruitt is taking advantage of that. Very few comedians have never been to therapy. Jerry Seinfeld is one. Tom Papa is another. Papa tells us about cracking jokes at Minnesota Public Radio’s Live From Here and his new[...]

On The Gist, comparing Bill Clinton to basketball great Michael Jordan. Bikram Choudhury’s status as a star yoga guru gave him license to be odd (spiritual but with a soft spot for luxury cars, and always wearing a Speedo). But there was more to it than quirkiness, as sexual assault allegations beginning in 2013 basically[...]

On The Gist, IHOP is changing its name to IHOb. And Mike is here to make fun of that. James Clapper was a senior intelligence adviser for both Republican and Democratic administrations. He was also part of the team that informed President-elect Donald Trump of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Now, as a private[...]

On The Gist, at this point, whatever the Trump administration doesn’t say under oath is very possibly untrue. In 1963, Robert F. Kennedy met with black America’s greatest artists and intellectuals to talk about race. “And they lit his ass up,” according to our guest, making known just how much needed to be done to[...]

On The Gist, no matter how well the economy goes, pundits can always tell a scary story. What do we get wrong about Darwinism? Evolutionary ornithologist Richard O. Prum says the theory was distorted by Victorian prudes. He explains why a closer look at bird sex shows us what’s really going on with adaptation and[...]

On The Gist, an appreciation of the man who invented Pong. Barbara Lipska’s career as a neuroscientist did not prepare her to identify the dark effects of her own brain tumors diagnosed in 2015.  There’s studying a damaged brain, and then there’s having one. Lipska is the author of The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind:[...]

On The Gist, Samantha Bee said it first, so let us meditate on the C-word. In defense of Googling your own name: Kirsten Pflomm is a white woman from Connecticut who did an online search 15 years ago and discovered she was the descendant of Iceland’s famous first black citizen, Hans Jonathan, who escaped slavery[...]

On The Gist, have you heard the one about the journalist who faked his own death to dodge Russian assassins? It’s boom times for female buddy comedies. Mike talks to director Alex Richanbach and screenwriter Lauryn Kahn about their new Netflix comedy, Ibiza. Who said men have to star in all the movies about hedonistic[...]

On Tuesday’s Gist, Roseanne gets run out on a rail. Comedian Chris Gethard reflects on how things have changed for his madcap live show, starting from its days on a public access channel to its current home on TruTV. “It’s more a TV show than it’s ever been, the larger platforms that we get to,”[...]

On The Gist, we here at Slate take GDPR compliance very seriously … just not in this monologue. Before SNL, David Wain says, the countercultural comedy torch belonged to National Lampoon. The laugh magazine was created by Harvard graduates and became a creative laboratory for movies like Animal House and Caddyshack. Chief among them was[...]

On Thursday’s Gist, tips for avoiding fake news? Thanks but no thanks, Facebook. There’s a new documentary out about the Steubenville, Ohio, rape case, and it got us thinking about the flaws in the public’s perception of that saga. Reporter Derek John explains how the dominant narrative of the case was warped by an amateur[...]

On The Gist, the NFL can’t give a decent explanation for its kneeling ban. Philip Roth’s novels about Jewish life earned him every accolade short of, famously, the Nobel Prize. Mark Oppenheimer, the host of the podcast on all things Jewish (Unorthodox), argues that Roth’s “radical candor” was sharply original before becoming a model to[...]

On today’s Gist, whatever happens in the governor’s primary in Georgia Tuesday night, it will be a big step forward for women named Stacey. Neuroscientist and education researcher Sara Brownell explains what she found studying how gender affects students’ perceptions of their own intelligence. Brownell is an assistant professor at Arizona State University. In the[...]

On The Gist, Hawaii’s “laze” is some seriously bad branding. In the interview, our two-party system may seem inevitable, but political scientist Sam Rosenfeld digs into its engineered history, including the 1950 government report that pushed the country “Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System.” Before then, what you thought about health care, guns, or abortion[...]

On The Gist, our attempt to track the new scoops that affected the Mueller investigation. We’re not playing “Is That Bulls--t” on the show today, but if we were, comedy writer Nell Scovell would probably say, “Yes.” Yes, the dearth of women in late-night writers’ rooms is bulls--t. Yes, men’s explanations are bulls--t. And, yes,[...]

On today’s Gist, the Alex, Inc. drinking game you can play with the whole family. Becky Hammon is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs and is a leading candidate to become the first female head coach in the NBA. Hammon got passed over this week by the Milwaukee Bucks, but Ringer staff writer[...]

On today’s Gist: laurel or yanny? We have questions about the protests in Israel. Daniel Shapiro is here to answer them. Shapiro was the U.S. ambassador to Israel for most of the Obama administration. He is now a visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies.  In the Spiel, an irksome aspect to the[...]

On today’s Gist, we’re tearing up the playbook. We’re playing the first episode of our new limited-run podcast, Upon Further Review, based on the book of the same name. In this episode, Slow Burn host Leon Neyfakh imagines how American history might have been different if Richard Nixon had been any good at playing football.[...]

On today’s Gist, is Sen. John McCain really the greatest political leader of all time? Have you heard of face gyms? Beauty gurus are rushing to recommend exercises for the forehead, chin, and cheeks to look younger and healthier. Our expert bullshitologist Maria Konnikova is here to scrutinize the case for facial toning. Konnikova is[...]

On The Gist, the mainstream media is too buttoned-up when describing the Trump administration’s shenanigans. There is no Russian Federation as we know it without Vladimir Putin. Former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul explains how parts of Russian society are eager for new leadership despite that. As for its relations with the U.S., McFaul sees[...]

On The Gist, torture is torture, and the news media should call it that. Tiger Woods dominated his sport like perhaps no other athlete. But that success came at a price. Woods’ almost military upbringing as a golfing machine lead to a lack of interpersonal connections and, years later, numerous scandals in the public eye.[...]

On today’s Gist, Michael Cohen has weaved a tangled web, but the mere fact that it’s confusing doesn’t mean we can assume he’s a criminal. Tim Weiner wrote the definitive book on the CIA in 2008 with his Legacy of Ashes. Today, he helps decipher the Senate confirmation testimony of Gina Haspel, President Trump’s pick[...]

On Tuesday’s Gist, the undoing of the Iran deal. Democrats are tense. 2018 is supposed to be a banner year for the left, but the party is struggling to balance an energized base and an unpredictable general electorate. As a result, there have been a lot of bigfoot sightings in primaries across the country, as[...]

On today’s Gist, there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t want Gina Haspel to run the CIA. Jake Tapper’s latest book is The Hellfire Club. It’s a work of historical fiction; a political thriller set in the 1950s, when Washington was gripped by McCarthyism. Tapper says he saw echoes of President Donald[...]

On The Gist, a movie pitch: Kushner family racket. Returning champion Chris Molanphy takes us back to 1991 and its chart toppers: Mariah Carey's explosive debut, the Swedish group that topped the charts for a fourth time (it wasn't ABBA!), and the Michael Jackson and Madonna music videos that had censors flustered. Molanphy is the[...]

On today’s Gist, what’s this about a Tony Award–winning dry cleaner? Presidential inexperience does not always lead to failed presidencies. Some traits can temper inexperience—like the depressive realism of Abraham Lincoln or Lyndon B. Johnson. Other traits magnify inexperience—like narcissism. Gautam Mukunda takes a close look at presidential inexperience in his 2012 book, Indispensable: When[...]

On today’s Gist, a fond farewell to Ty Cobb. Gen. Michael Hayden was running the National Security Agency and then the CIA, he couldn’t talk about our national security risks. If he could have, most people would have listened to him. But things are different now. Hayden talks about the decline of fact-based arguments, the[...]

On today’s Gist, thick-as-bricks Lego thieves come a-tumbling down. Hurricane recovery has been a disaster in Puerto Rico. NPR’s Laura Sullivan wanted to know why. So she found documents revealing a FEMA in shambles. She traced Puerto Rico’s economic troubles back to a 1996 tax vote. And she explains how the island’s remaining wealth was[...]

On today’s Gist, President Trump’s Nobel in the making. There is no market quite like the boomers—that was true when they were young, and it remains true as they enter their 60s and 70s. So how do you market to the olds? The answer lies in a few busted bits of conventional wisdom, the millennial[...]

On The Gist, when your sympathy for the poor goes beyond platitudes, Paul Ryan fires you. In the interview, the New York Times’ Rukmini Callimachi has a new podcast. Caliphate lays out how she knows what she knows about ISIS. Through her reporting in Iraq, she’s learned how the group endeared itself to locals with[...]

On Thursday’s Gist, EPA chief Scott Pruitt’s behavior is too plainly unethical to sweep under the rug. What does a Malaysian party boy have to do with President Trump’s potential breach of the Emoluments Clause? Reveal’s Amy Walters and WAMU’s Patrick Madden can explain everything in their story for Reveal, “Check into Trump’s Washington Hotel.”[...]

On Wednesday’s Gist, you didn’t think Trump’s latest political nominee was scandal-free, did you? And as the Supreme Court weighs Trump’s travel ban on Muslim-majority countries, one of its most notorious decisions still stands. Korematsu v. United States upheld America’s wartime internment of thousands of Japanese Americans, and it’s still cited as legal precedent today.[...]

On Tuesday's Gist, Donald Trump’s win has inspired a whole bunch of down-ballot Republicans, and boy, are they lame. What is retroactive classification, and is it going to get former FBI Director James Comey in trouble? Bradley P. Moss specializes in litigation related to security clearance law. He explains why Comey may need to worry[...]

On The Gist, Sen. Bob Corker’s definition of a “gotcha question” is a bad sign for public discourse these days. Before his Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into the rampant sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein, Ronan Farrow worked in the State Department. His new book, War on Peace, documents the department’s loss of personnel and prestige[...]

On today’s Gist, the retroactively classified memos of James Comey. New Yorker writer Adam Davidson says the raids on Michael Cohen’s offices signal the beginning of the end for the Trump presidency. Here’s why: Cohen is the key to learning about Trump’s personal peccadillos as well the international expansion of the Trump Organization, which Davidson[...]

On The Gist, if Chuck Schumer gets his way with decriminalizing marijuana, we can finally say goodbye to the lowest-hanging fruit: pot jokes. Crooked Media founder Jon Lovett finds the James Comey book deeply frustrating—to read, to hear about, to contemplate. “But, you know,” says Lovett, “I’m a political self-harmer so I have downloaded the[...]

On today’s Gist, don’t all these senators know the depths of CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s patriotism? Plus, why are chemical weapons useful to Bashar al-Assad? “They’re really weapons of terror,” explains Aaron Stein, co-host of the Arms Control Wonk podcast. Stein is the author of Turkey’s New Foreign Policy. And filmmakers Tony Gilroy and Brad[...]

On Tuesday’s Gist, that old Watergate maxim, “the cover-up is worse than the crime,” should be revised to recognize the Michael Cohen effect. Plus, we take a closer look at the vertical merger of AT&T and Time Warner, and why the Justice Department has sued to stop it. Wall Street Journal reporter Brent Kendall walks[...]

On Monday’s Gist, we’re counting Pulitzers and powering up. Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms sort power into two categories: old and new. Old power is like Congress: top-down, official. New power is like Facebook: decentralized, crowd-sourced. What is the best way to meld both kinds of influence to improve our lives? Heimans and Timms have[...]

On The Gist, have you heard? Chemistry has been debunked. Thank Russia. Ed Helms is best known for comedic roles—see Andy Bernard on The Office. But in the drama Chappaquiddick, Helms plays Joseph Gargan, the cousin and lawyer of Sen. Ted Kennedy. Gargan found himself in Kennedy’s inner circle as the young senator came under[...]

On The Gist, Zuckerberg’s hearings got crowded out by bigger news. Too bad. Facts are facts, even in the greatly polarized year that is 2018. Holmes Lybrand writes the Weekly Standard’s “Fact Check” series, and even though it isn’t all about Trump’s latest tweets and utterances, it sometimes gets readers angry. In the Spiel, the[...]

On The Gist, Paul Ryan cared about just one thing: cutting taxes. Word choice is not always the most stimulating place to start an interview with an author, but it works when you’re talking to Sloane Crosley. The essayist defends metaphors like “Holocaust bunk bed” and the related analogy, “as if the Brady Bunch were[...]

On The Gist, beware the rise of the despot’s son-in-law. In the interview, media scrutinizer Brooke Gladstone wrote a graphic novel about the “Influencing Machines” that we often blame modernity’s problems on. Facebook is the latest of these, but this time, it’s less scapegoat and more actual problem to be reckoned with. Brooke’s book, illustrated[...]

On The Gist, president Trump just doesn’t have the ambition to tackle a problem like Syria. It’s a critical week for Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg has two dates with Congress, where he’ll be answering questions on the company’s loss of millions of its users’ data to Cambridge Analytica. Slate writer April Glaser tells us what to[...]

On today’s show, we don’t need a whole shadow Cabinet—we just need a shadow Trump. Comedian Hari Kondabolu is back—and this time, he brought his brother. Hari came to comedy after working as a community activist, but his younger brother, Ashok, was a bit more wayward. On The Gist, Ashok recounts his life as a[...]

On today’s Gist, London’s enviable crime wave. Plus, what will we think of the Obama presidency in 50 years? Julian Zelizer set out to get really smart people to “take a first cut” at the Obama legacy on an array of issues. One person from his brain trust is Peniel Joseph, who surveys the Obama[...]

On today’s Gist, why the YouTube shooter’s use of a handgun doesn’t take anything away from arguments to outlaw the AR-15. Plus, Radley Balko tells the story of two men who put innocent Mississippians behind bars using junk science and pseudo-expert testimony. Balko is the co-author, along with Tucker Carrington, of The Cadaver King and[...]

On Tuesday’s Gist, an ode to the end of March Madness. Plus, Maria Konnikova returns to play our favorite game. Are parabens really bad for you? Konnikova is a contributing writer to the New Yorker and author of The Confidence Game.  In the Spiel, why David Shulkin got the boot.  Learn more about your ad[...]

On Monday’s Gist, the White House press corps needs a break. And guest host Mary Wilson knows who should take their place in the interim. Plus, NationalReview.com editor Charles C. W. Cooke explains why he thinks repealing the Second Amendment would be such a losing proposition for gun control advocates. And in the Spiel, Slate’s[...]

On The Gist, Good Friday is actually pretty great, from a cosmic perspective. In the interview, Aparna Nancherla tells us how to go from introverted kid (“my mom was very afraid of how unassertive I was”) to making it in comedy. In the Spiel, a deep dive into the world of acronyms. Learn more about[...]

On The Gist, the Department of Energy has a chief creative officer? Let’s roll with it. In the interview, upstanding Pennsylvanian Amanda Holt updates us on the state’s new congressional district lines. In the Spiel, some hyperlinks are all hype, especially when it comes to censoring conservative opinion writers. Learn more about your ad choices.[...]

On The Gist, Sean Hannity doesn’t like this podcast. In the interview, Korea expert Bruce Bechtol tells us what might be going on in Kim Jong-un’s mind and how to set it on denuclearization. In the Spiel, president Trump might be acting tough on Russia, but he doesn’t get what the big deal is.  Learn[...]

On The Gist, forget Stormy Daniels. The Kushners’ massive loan deals are where the real dirt is at. In the interview, the world’s growing complexity can be measured in dusty cables, useless features, and lines of code. Chris Clearfield and András Tilcsik talk about the problems that snowball when even the smallest thing goes wrong.[...]

On The Gist, “affair” is too rich a word to describe anything Donald Trump is emotionally capable of. In the interview, arts reporter Mary M. Lane tells us about the art collection looted by Hitler’s art dealer, inherited by that dealer’s son, and finally confiscated by the German government. In the Spiel, a survey of[...]

On The Gist, Donald Trump’s presidency brings race relations, at best, to a standstill. Case in point: the police shooting in Sacramento, California.    The Americans is back for its final season next week. Showrunners Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg talk about their research into ruthless Soviet tactics, their obsession over historical detail, and why[...]

On The Gist, what to make of yet another round of White House reshuffling.    As mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu has used his office to take down four of the city’s Confederate monuments. His new book reckons with race relations in his city, the South, and the country. Landrieu’s book is In the[...]

On The Gist, even if we get a law to make Robert Mueller unfireable, President Trump could trample all over it.  In the interview, sports journalist Mary Pilon tells the story of Olympic sailor Kevin Hall’s struggle with the Truman Show delusion (where someone believes he or she is the focus of a reality TV[...]

On The Gist, before Donald Trump’s headline-hogging presidency, things like bridge collapses made news for more than a few days.  In the interview, Cass Sunstein’s new book asks if the U.S. is fundamentally immune to authoritarianism, or whether president Trump has proved the opposite. His new book—Can It Happen Here?: Authoritarianism in America—puts the question[...]

On today’s Gist, we’re nixing the Spiel to go on a Slate Podcasts retreat! Shouldn’t the White House staff have their own officewide retreat day? Plus, Maria Konnikova considers receipt paper toxicity: Is it BS? Konnikova writes for the New Yorker and is the author of The Confidence Game.  Learn more about your ad choices.[...]

On The Gist, “meddling” is too weak a word to describe what Russia did during in the U.S. election. In the interview, Chris Molanphy walks us through the No. 1 hits of 1969, the year flower power and psychedelic pop went fully mainstream. Chris is the host of Slate’s Hit Parade.  In the Spiel, our[...]

On The Gist, the Trump administration walks back a line about U.S. trade with Canada. And which American president was the studliest? Kate and J.D. Dobson are out with a book that considers Ulysses S. Grant’s quiet charisma, Franklin Pierce’s youthful charm, and the distinguished eyebrows of a certain Warren G. Harding. The Dobsons are[...]

Well, it’s a tough day to be Fox News.  On today’s Gist, a closer look at the Department of State. It’s not that Rex Tillerson was wrong to want to reform how we do diplomacy—it’s that he utterly failed to deliver. Tom Hill, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, says the U.S. approach to[...]

On today’s Gist, the lesser-known story of Colombia: Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno has written a moving account of Colombia’s post–Pablo Escobar years, when the illegal drug trade was taken up by one of the factions in the country’s long-running civil war. Her book, There Are No Dead Here, spotlights the work of Colombians who risked their[...]

On The Gist, is it OK to ape a Russian accent when saying Russian names? And we revisit an interview with filmmaker Bryan Fogel, whose documentary, Icarus, recently won an Academy Award. In the Spiel, a short conversation with author Steven Pinker about the state of academia. Is it really doing that badly? Learn more[...]

On The Gist, if sitting down with North Korea wasn’t a good idea for past U.S. presidents, how is it a good idea for our current one?        In the interview, Slate’s Fred Kaplan and former Ambassador to the U.N. Bill Richardson are both cautiously optimistic about upcoming negotiations between Trump and Kim[...]

On The Gist, it’s a Jon Favreau–flavored mash-up: Swing Wars. In the interview, the walls cave in, the props catch fire, the actors stammer and forget … and it’s all part of the plan. Kevin McCollum, one of the producers of Broadway’s longest-running play, tells Mike how The Play That Goes Wrong makes audiences laugh. [...]

On The Gist, who’s left to work for Trump when even the nincompoops are quitting?    In the interview, Richard Aborn has helped get gun control laws on the books. As president of the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City, he has the data on what works, what doesn’t, and how New York City[...]

On The Gist, Lego business is hurting.  In Steve James’ latest documentary, the bank is the good guy. New York’s district attorney brought charges against a Chinatown-based bank after the 2008 financial crisis, even though the bank had little to do with subprime mortgages. James is the director of the Oscar-nominated Abacus: Small Enough to[...]

On The Gist, if iHeart Media wants to do better, they really ought to change their name.    Did you watch the Oscars? Did you think they were a little lame? Writer Catie Lazarus provides a safe space for your Academy Awards–related shade. Lazarus is host of the Employee of the Month Show. Come see[...]

Well, what do you know? In 2016, Trump tweeted that he wasn’t trying to get a top security clearance for his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. A year later, he’s finally right. On The Gist, what’s so special about an octopus? Slate’s Daniel Engber has a takedown of the many-armed beast of the deep: The research on[...]

Today on The Gist, a unified theory of Donald Trump. Plus, Trump dragged his fellow Republicans and made his Democrats grin like Cheshire cats at the televised meeting on gun control. What are the chances that the White House lets Trump’s comments stand? Mike talks to Slate politics writer Jim Newell. In the Spiel, the[...]

Quick, who’s the Federal Reserve chairman? If you can’t remember, take heart: Our minds are filled to capacity with the flotsam and jetsam of the Trump White House. On The Gist, are you as virtuous as you think? Likely not. Christian Miller delved into social science research to find out if we tend to misjudge[...]

Hang onto your skirts: Clueless co-star Stacey Dash is running for Congress. On The Gist, returning champion Maria Konnikova is back to sum up the social science on poker tells: Are they BS? Konnikova writes for the New Yorker and is the author of The Confidence Game. In the Spiel, we should acknowledge our progress.[...]

On The Gist, President Trump’s latest poetry reading. Last week on the show, we talked about the manifold reasons for optimism in the world. This week, Harvard cognitive scientist Steven Pinker builds on that argument, adding that we’ve had a roughly 300-year run of steady improvements in technology, health, and civility. It just so happens[...]

On The Gist, Trump boosted an empty idea at CPAC: arming teachers to stop mass shooters. In the interview, Derek DelGaudio is the magician of our time. His one-man show, In & of Itself, questions identity in a political atmosphere that’s consumed by it.  In the Spiel, “unsubstantiated” stories about Trump’s lecherous behavior on the[...]

On The Gist, NBC’s coverage of Olympic athletes’ backstories is a little too obvious. Slate tech writers April Glaser and Will Oremus examine the most plausible methods for reining in our tech overlords. Glaser and Oremus are the hosts of Slate’s If Then. In the Spiel, NRA honcho Wayne LaPierre’s speech at the Conservative Political[...]

On The Gist, Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek will be moderating a gubernatorial debate in Pennsylvania. Mike says no thanks.  In the interview, Gregg Easterbrook is ever the optimist. Despite what your push alerts and Facebook news feed are telling you, the world is steadily getting safer, wealthier, and less afflicted by war and disease. Easterbrook[...]

On The Gist, Team USA’s low medal count would be a bummer if these Winter Olympics weren’t so goofy.      In the interview, Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs didn’t campaign on universal basic income, but he’s bringing it to his city. Later this year, some residents will start getting $500 a month.  In the Spiel,[...]

On The Gist, the market for “how to survive a shooting spree” videos shows how far we’ve strayed in dealing with gun violence.    Interracial marriage on a national level has only been legal for 50 years, after the landmark Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia. Anna Holmes and Lacey Schwartz are two of the[...]

Filling in for Mike Pesca today is Leon Neyfakh, still smoldering after his first season as host of Slate’s hit podcast, Slow Burn.  Leon is indulging in a new fascination lately: the latest “left Twix vs. right Twix” ad campaign and its insistence that we should all pick one.  But, of course, we insist on[...]

On The Gist, names are stupidly important when it comes to getting elected.  The Trump administration is proposing a boost in military spending, but the country’s defense budget actually peaked under President Obama during the troop surge for the war in Afghanistan. Bipartisan support for massive defense spending has been the norm since the Reagan[...]

On The Gist, on the White House budget’s effort to replace half of food-stamp funding with crappy meal boxes. How do you fix one of the most gerrymandered states in the country? It helps to have a tireless amateur mapmaker in your ranks. Mike talks to Amanda Holt, who spurred Pennsylvania to redraw its legislative[...]

On today’s Gist, we get metaphysical. The White House is always in chaos. But can chaos be a permanent condition? Maria Konnikova returns to play our favorite game and answer the question: Does an athletic uniform’s color affect the athlete’s performance? Konnikova writes for the New Yorker is the author of The Confidence Game.  [...]

On The Gist, it’s The $10,000 Pyramid with a budget deal twist. Is it possible we don’t know enough about national debt to call our politicians when they’re peddling nonsense? New Yorker staff writer Adam Davidson addresses some common misconceptions and sums up the Republican tax cuts and spending bill this way: “Rich people are[...]

On The Gist, the “When did you stop beating your wife?” question in the White House press briefing.  In the interview, Iran may have shelved its nuclear ambitions, but the Middle East is still in trouble. Slate’s Joshua Keating wonders if the Iran deal was worth it.  In the Spiel, the world of the FEMA[...]

Trump wants a parade. On The Gist, America's longest war, in Afghanistan, rumbles on under a third U.S. president. There is still no exit plan. Steve Coll’s new book explores the covert side of America’s campaign in Afghanistan and the secretive Pakistani intelligence wing lending support to the Taliban. Coll's book isDirectorate S: The C.I.A.[...]

Listen, chattering classes: Let’s at least chatter correctly. We take a minute on the proper name pronunciation for the scandals of the day. Today on The Gist, U.S. foreign policy is a mess. But U.S. foreign policy has been a mess for decades. Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, explains.  In the Spiel, what[...]

On The Gist: Dow goes down, Trump gets mad.  In the interview, comedian Phil Rosenthal went to six cities across the globe to eat everything they had to offer and put it on Netflix. He tells Mike about his new show, Somebody Feed Phil, and the creative angst behind the sitcom that put him on[...]

On The Gist, Super Bowl LII is an occasion to ask the age-old question: Who’s more obnoxious, people from Philadelphia or Boston? Plus, Another Period takes the Gilded Age as its setting to satirize the worst of reality TV: extravagant wealth, petty arguments, and a shaky camera. Riki Lindhome co-created and stars in the Comedy[...]

Lyndon B. Johnson doesn’t always get the consideration he deserves as one of America’s great presidents. On today’s Gist, historian Joshua Zeitz says LBJ’s fight for welfare reform and civil rights redefined the country, even as those legal achievements come under attack by today’s Republican Party. Zeitz is the author of Building the Great Society:[...]

On The Gist, Trey Gowdy bows out. Fred Kaplan explains why foreign policy experts are concerned by the Trump administration’s move to renege on its choice of ambassador to South Korea at the last minute. Kaplan writes the War Stories column for Slate. He is the author, most recently, of Dark Territory: The Secret History[...]

On The Gist, the pomposity and circumstantial evidence of the State of the Union. Janesville, Wisconsin, had the oldest operating GM assembly plant in the country until 2008. The factory’s closure left thousands of employees in the lurch. Amy Goldstein’s book Janesville: An American Story describes the choices facing three families as they pick up[...]

On The Gist, get your clutching pearls ready. Russia alleges that the U.S. is trying to interfere in its election. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been politically precocious since well before his own sports scholarship at UCLA. His latest column for the Guardian argues it's "time to pay the tab for America's college athletes.” He says student[...]

On The Gist, the Doomsday Clock would be scary if it weren’t so bogus. In the interview, after years of gently poking fun at Portland, Oregon’s chill-but-not vibe, Portlandia is on its final season. Series co-star Carrie Brownstein unpacks the show’s humor and tells us how a wedding toast kind of doubled as an audition[...]

From the annals of monkey research, how 10 primates were gassed in the service of a bad study. Today on The Gist, investigative reporter David Cay Johnston, who has been reporting on President Trump long enough to simply call him Donald. Johnston has an appreciation for Donald’s trademark swindles: refusing payment, lying to vendors, abridging[...]

On The Gist, Devin Nunes probably doesn’t know squat.  In the interview, Democrats hold most of the Senate seats up for grabs in this year’s midterms, which means they have a lot to lose. But importantly, mathematician Jordan Ellenberg says election predictions often fail to account for national mood. Ellenberg is the author of How[...]

On The Gist, more details come out about Garrison Keillor. In the interview, it turns out something can be good for your taste buds without being bad for your health. Monosodium glutamate has gotten a bad rap since 1968, when a medical journal suggested it might cause all kinds of symptoms. Dan Pashman, creator and[...]

On The Gist, what just happened? And are Democrats sniveling losers or Machiavellian savants?  McClatchy reporter Alex Roarty explains why the animating force driving both Democrats and Republicans right now is a loud conservative minority.  In the Spiel, Greece has beef regarding which part of world gets to be called “Macedonia.” Learn more about your[...]

Up first on The Gist: It appears the Stormy Daniels story checks out.   Plus, Saturday marks the first anniversary of President Trump’s inauguration. The hosts of Slate’s Trumpcast join Mike to revise old predictions, make new ones, and consider whether Democrats should be rooting for impeachment via the Robert Mueller investigation.   And in[...]

On The Gist, how about those Fake News Awards, huh?  Alan Jacobs questions your ability to think for yourself. Can you really rid yourself of your biases, or do you just develop better biases? Are you really any better than your estranged friends at finding answers, or have you just chosen a different group with[...]

On The Gist, the bad news from Freedom House. U.S. Air Force officer Edward Lansdale promoted a “hearts and minds” approach to diplomacy in the Philippines and Vietnam, only to be steamrolled by America’s elite class of policymakers. Max Boot tells us about Lansdale and his own newfound recognition of white privilege and other ideas[...]

On The Gist, the press is too squeamish to clarify that “shithouse” isn’t much better than “shithole.” In the interview, more on fire and fury—nuclear fire, rhetorical fury, and the consequences of both. Jeffrey Lewis and Aaron Stein, hosts of Arms Control Wonk, assess the Trump administration’s tough talk on North Korea and the danger[...]

On The Gist, Mike examines Trump’s bottom-of-the-barrel statements on immigration. In the interview, Dina Temple-Raston explains how she became fascinated by the teenage brain. After years of covering terrorism for NPR, she was stunned to see so many young people leaving their homes to join ISIS. Teenagers aren’t just prone to falling in with terrorist[...]

On The Gist, Mike skewers a columnist for concluding that President Trump is sane. In the interview, comedian Judah Friedlander wants to let you know that his new comedy special is all him, even though it’s got Netflix’s name on it. The 30 Rock alum talks about matters of social justice, satire, and jingoism. In[...]

On The Gist, a brief look at what Norway is doing right.  In the interview, we turn to self-help experts Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg about the “new you” books that are good, bad, and absolute nonsense. Meinzer and Greenberg are hosts of the Panoply show By the Book.   In the Spiel, Mike discovers[...]

On The Gist, Joe Arpaio’s life after pardon.    In the interview, MacArthur “genius” award winner Betsy Levy Paluck tells us about her research into mass media and public opinion. We might have the impression that our beliefs are based on reason. But what our neighbors think (or what we think they think) has a[...]

On The Gist, Sen. Lindsey Graham is defending the president extra hard on television … because he knows Trump’s watching. In the interview, NPR’s media correspondent David Folkenflik tells us what to make of Fire and Fury, the book that claims to reveal how dysfunctional the Trump administration really is.    In the Spiel, Mike[...]

On The Gist, third-party voters should answer for Donald Trump’s terrible policies at home and warmongering around the world. In the interview, fields don’t get much more male-dominated than those of the NFL. Our guest Jen Welter made history as the first woman to hold a coaching position in the league, training the Arizona Cardinals'[...]

On The Gist, Mike wonders whether the “winner picked out of a bowl” antics in Virginia’s House of Delegates will really matter much. In the interview, former Democratic Rep. Jason Altmire has straightforward advice for candidates in blue-collar America: appeal to the center or lose out. Just as importantly, Altmire argues, the Democratic Party as[...]

On The Gist, Mike calls foul on the mashup terms used to describe big weather events, such as the latest: bombogenesis.   In the interview, police shootings regularly make headlines, but what does the big picture look like? Sam Sinyangwe is a data analyst at Mapping Police Violence, an organization that recently looked at all[...]

On The Gist, Mike tips his hat to the musical talents of Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who announced his retirement Tuesday. In the interview, it took a perfect storm to bring down Richard Nixon’s presidency, and it’s not guaranteed that another will come for Donald Trump. Slate’s Leon Neyfakh and Andrew Parsons tell us about[...]

On The Gist, Mike is down with feminism but argues that woke should be Merriam-Webster’s word of the year instead. In the interview, Anjelah Johnson was living off grocery store gift cards in L.A. before a new thing called YouTube launched her comedy career. Someone uploaded a video of her stand-up routine to the site[...]

On The Gist, Mike says goodbye to Roy Moore yet again, after an Alabama judge rejected Moore’s lawsuit to contest his opponent’s Senate win. In the interview, Dan Ariely tells us “how we misthink money and how to spend smarter.” That’s the subtitle of his book on the ways we value the wrong things and[...]

On The Gist, Mike runs through the major news of the past few days, while much of the news media is on vacation.      In the interview, Hobby Lobby scored a famous Supreme Court win for evangelicals in 2014, allowing certain corporations to deny covering their employees’ contraception costs. Professor of theology Candida Moss[...]

On The Gist, Ken Stern explains why the deplorable label doesn’t sit well with him, even if it’s defensible. Stern is the author of Republican Like Me: How I Left the Liberal Bubble and Learned to Love the Right. In the Spiel, is life better in the U.S. or Europe? Mike considers it with David[...]

On The Gist, why the Republican tax overhaul is unlikely to spur hiring. Michael Carpenter explains what we lose when the Trump administration doesn’t try to put the heat on Russia. Carpenter is a former deputy assistant secretary of defense and foreign policy adviser to former Vice President Joe Biden. He and Biden are the[...]

On The Gist, it seems that congressional investigators have nabbed a big fish: Jill Stein. Plus, New York Times columnist David Leonhardt explains why the Republicans absolutely had to pass the tax bill, even if polls suggest it could be an albatross around their necks during the midterms. Leonhardt authors the Times’ absolutely essential Opinion[...]

On The Gist, Mike talks about the consequences of fast-tracking a major tax overhaul. In the interview, how did the team behind The Daily manage to create a show that’s unlike anything we’ve heard before and also oddly perfect for this moment in news? Host Michael Barbaro and managing producer Theo Balcomb say they talked[...]

On the Gist, why we shouldn’t fret every time companies like Netflix show how they’re using our personal data.    In the interview, Maria Konnikova runs us through the foods that can turn your skin orange, blue, and red, and whether that’s even a bad thing. Konnikova is the author of The Confidence Game.  In[...]

On The Gist, President Trump’s judicial nominations are starting to look ridiculous. In the interview, comedian Jeff Ross got a little tired of his shtick as a go-to roast guy for Comedy Central’s famous Friars Club sendups. So he started skewering not people, but places, ideas, and institutions. His latest special, ­­Jeff Ross Roasts the[...]

Chris Hurst doesn’t want you to know him as the guy whose girlfriend was fatally shot during a live broadcast. But it is a huge part of what compelled him to pursue elected office: “Part of what I want to do is … take this spotlight, that I wish I had a receipt for …[...]

On The Gist, Omarosa makes for the exits.  In honor of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees announced today, we’re playing an excerpt from our live show last month, when we went over the ballot with Hit Parade host Chris Molanphy and Washington Post humorist Alexandra Petri.  In the Spiel, reflecting on the[...]

On The Gist, the #MeToo movement is only influential insofar as its targets can feel shame and enact accountability. In the interview, biographer Robert Dallek accounts for Franklin D. Roosevelt’s ruthless pragmatism. As president, FDR made the decision to round up 120,000 Japanese Americans to “strike resonant chords with most Americans,” and he was silent[...]

On The Gist, we can have sympathy for all kinds of people—just not the guy who loses all his money on bitcoin. In the interview, Lenora Chu tells the story of her American family’s rude awakening to Chinese education practices. When Chu moved her family to Shanghai, she eagerly enrolled her young son into an[...]

On The Gist, is President Trump to blame for today’s violence in Gaza?  In the interview, columnist John Archibald surveys the Senate race in Alabama, where Doug Jones has become the abortion candidate and Roy Moore has become the Trumpism candidate.   In the Spiel, don’t talk to Mike about Trump’s slurred speech. Learn more[...]

On The Gist, Walmart gets a new name.  In the interview, Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick thought about one thing when Senate Democrats started calling for Al Franken’s resignation: Merrick Garland, which she points to as the beginning in a trend of Democrats trying to be honorable and Republicans trying to win at all costs. Are Democrats[...]

On The Gist, Slate’s Jim Newell explains the moral and political case for forcing out Sen. Al Franken. Dozens of Senate Democrats called on Franken to resign after a seventh woman accused him of sexual misconduct on Tuesday. Bob Garfield has spent much of his journalism career talking to eccentrics. In his one-man show, Ruggedly[...]

On The Gist, why Alabama’s decrepitude is not incidental to Roy Moore’s competitive bid for Senate.  In the interview, Russell Shorto tells the stories of six people living through the Revolutionary War—one is George Washington; the other five, you’ve probably never heard of. Shorto’s book is Revolution Song. In the Spiel, a counterpoint to Jill[...]

Before Pete Souza became the most famous troll on Instagram, he was the White House photographer for the duration of the Obama administration. Souza explains his approach to capturing moments and shares why he doesn’t consider his work to be propaganda. His book of pictures from the Obama presidency is Obama: An Intimate Portrait.  In[...]

Bob Saget has long been known as the cuddly, sitcom dad with a surprisingly raunchy side. The comedian talks about the two shows that launched his career and the very first jokes he wrote as a teenager. Bob Saget’s comedy special is Zero to Sixty. In the Spiel, Mike pays an overdue visit to mail[...]

There hadn’t been an English-language novel about ethnic Koreans living in Japan until this year’s Pachinko. Author Min Jin Lee chalks it up to the complicated history of the Korean Japanese. They were colonized by Japan, they were forced or compelled to migrate, and they were targets of anti-Korean discrimination. But Lee was surprised to[...]

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were very different guys representing opposing political parties. Jefferson was a wildly popular aristocrat from Virginia; Adams was a middling, dyspeptic lawyer from Massachusetts. But they were fast friends, and their relationship ultimately survived a presidential election in which they faced off as candidates. Historian Gordon S. Wood explains why[...]

Can you move toward greater income equality without asking America’s richest to give something up? In a word, no. On The Gist, Richard Reeves argues that the upper echelons of the U.S. are bogarting wealth that would otherwise go to the middle class. His latest book is Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class[...]

Elliott Abrams narrowly missed out on the State Department’s No. 2 job under President Trump, and it wasn’t just because of his sharp criticism of Trump, the candidate. In his book, Realism and Democracy, he argues that the U.S. should stay involved ­in the Arab world, going against the Trump administration’s “America First” doctrine. Abrams[...]

Standup comic and writer Dana Gould talks to Mike about growing up in a family of manly hunters and writing a character inspired by his dad. Gould is the creator of IFC’s Stan Against Evil, a show about a small-town New Hampshire sheriff who fights demons.   In the Spiel, how to get a rise[...]

The anti-war movement of 1968 looks inevitable today, but at the time, it felt “freaking bananas.” MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell explains the charisma of Bobby Kennedy, the fervor of Eugene McCarthy, and the crushing blow they dealt to sitting President Lyndon B. Johnson, who withdrew from the campaign after a narrow win in the New Hampshire[...]

In his 37 years as president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe has learned how to play hardball. While his past methods have invited sanctions for human rights violations, the 93-year-old is staying within the confines of the law to fend off the coup at his doorstep. Chipo Dendere, a visiting assistant professor of political science at[...]

Comedian Gilbert Gottfried is known for his notorious voice and jokes that toe the borderline between daring and tasteless. In the documentary Gilbert, we see his softer side: his wife, Dara, rubs schmutz off his robe, his kids hug him goodbye before padding off to school, he sweet-talks a hotel concierge into giving him free[...]

Elizebeth Smith got her start poring over Shakespearean verse for secret messages that were not there. But she soon used those skills to break codes used by America’s enemies in both world wars. The FBI took credit for her decryptions of Nazi messages, and her husband’s work received much greater attention from the wars’ historians.[...]

How can savvy activism topple decades of legal precedent? The ACLU’s David Cole tells us about three issues in which like-minded citizens advanced their agenda: marriage equality, gun ownership, and checking George W. Bush’s war on terror. Cole’s book is Engines of Liberty: The Power of Citizen Activists to Make Constitutional Law.   In the[...]

President Trump’s top economics adviser is Kevin Hassett, a guy who has made some very bad calls—most notably, his assertion that the Bush tax cuts would make the U.S. economy recession-proof. New Yorker writer Adam Davidson takes us to economics school and parses some of Hassett’s years old gobbledygook.  In the Spiel, holding Bill Clinton’s[...]

As America’s prison population surged in the ’80s and ’90s, private prisons were billed as the solution. They were supposed to bring innovations to incarceration and save tax dollars. But as criminal justice expert Lauren-Brooke Eisen tells us, private prisons are no more cost-effective, and the corporations behind them operate in secrecy. Eisen’s book is[...]

Loudon Wainwright III has been plumbing his personal relationships and dysfunctions for decades in his music. His latest book continues on that theme as he examines the influence of his father. The book is Liner Notes: On Parents & Children, Exes & Excess, Death & Decay, & a Few of My Other Favorite Things. In[...]

As the Soviet Union crumbled, George H.W. Bush’s strategy was simple: say nothing. Historian Jeffrey Engel tells us about Bush’s plain oratory and his relationship with the USSR’s last leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. Engel says Bush Sr. and Trump scarcely look like they’re from the same party—which, of course, they aren’t. His book is When the[...]

Democrats are feeling triumphant after Tuesday’s state and local elections. But it’s not a referendum on the president until his name is on the ballot, so E.J. Dionne and Thomas Mann are here to explain remains unique about this moment in American history. Dionne, Mann, and Norman Ornstein are the authors of the book One[...]

Theodore Johnson caught our attention for his tweets about how the White House reacts to protest from black Americans. He brings an interesting perspective as a black man in the U.S. with two decades of military service under his belt—identities, he writes, that stand “toe to toe.” Johnson is a fellow at New America and[...]

How do you attempt to document an event as complex and inexplicable as the Vietnam War? Filmmaker Lynn Novick says it helped to prioritize Vietnamese voices as well as people with a flair for speaking. “There’s a poetry in just how people express themselves that we look for,” said Novick. She and Ken Burns co-directed[...]

The #MeToo movement is flushing out clear-cut cases of sexual harassment and assault, but is it helping us judge cases that are far murkier? Erin Gloria Ryan, senior editor for the Daily Beast, wonders whether people will separate into two camps: those who think accusers should be listened to, regardless of consequences, and those who[...]

The tax plan is out, and New Yorker writer Adam Davidson joins us to play One Question, One Question Only: Is this tax reform? And the voluble Michael Rapaport unleashes his opinions about various “stickmen” (read: athletic Casanovas) and why he’s embarrassed to be a Knicks fan. Rapaport’s new book is This Book Has Balls:[...]

Birgitta Jónsdóttir has an unusual background for a politician: she’s a poet and a free speech activist. Since 2013, she’s been a member of the Icelandic parliament representing the anti-establishment Pirate Party. Jónsdóttir talks to Mike about what it’s like to work within a fledgling political party and why she’s disappointed with what Wikileaks has[...]

Was Dr. Seuss racist? Or did his books just not age well? And what is the appropriate response to a canonical work that seems to be littered with racially charged depictions? Philip Nel takes on all these questions and poses some more of his own in his latest book, Was the Cat in the Hat[...]

Can you be scared to death? Can your hair go white from fear? This sounds like a job for “Is That Bullshit?” with Maria Konnikova, our favorite BS detector. Konnikova writes for the New Yorker and is the author of The Confidence Game.  In the Spiel, the never-ending baseball game and a bothersome T-Mobile ad. [...]

Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker has rolled out the kind of marijuana legalization bill progressives love to fawn over and libertarians love to ridicule. The plan would pressure states to legalize marijuana by withholding federal money. Booker cedes that the bill’s passage doesn’t seem imminent, but he likens marijuana legalization to gay marriage, another[...]

Talking about sex makes some people squirm. For everyone else there’s Guys We Fucked, a podcast hosted by Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson that started off as a series of interviews with their old partners. Now it’s more of a coffee klatsch between two raunchy feminists.Their new book is F*cked: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident[...]

Jacob Weisberg says the Clinton campaign’s links to the Steele dossier matters, but not as much as the veracity of the oppo research itself. Weisberg is host of Trumpcast and editor in chief of the Slate Group. In the Spiel, the death of Fats Domino. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shareholder returns aren’t the only barometer of CEO success anymore, or else Jeff Bezos would be on top. In recent years, sustainability and diversity have gained importance—and in those areas, European CEOs are lapping their American competitors. Adi Ignatius, editor in chief of the Harvard Business Review, joins us to discuss the metrics for CEO[...]

Kathleen Horan writes obituaries for the living. Her Audible original series, Mortal City, is an anthology of lesser-known New York characters: Douglas the sanitation worker, Serge the barman, Rocky the ambulance commandant. “I just kept feeling like there were people that I was missing,” says Horan. She prefers to talk to people who live and[...]

Marc Maron says he “didn’t know anything about anything” when he began working in radio. But producer Brendan McDonald can tell you the moment he knew Maron could be a radio star. It was during a morning show on the ill-fated Air America network, and then-host Maron was ranting about overcooked lentils. “The phones lit[...]

Some national flags are created to unify nations, but others are simply based on myths. The Danes believe God threw theirs from heaven, and the Catalonians tell the story of a severed arm dragged across a shield. Vexilloligist and author Tim Marshall joins us to explain these myths and the complex politics of national flags.[...]

If the roulette wheel keeps stopping on green, it’s bound to stop on red soon, right? It must be time for another round of “Is That Bullshit?” Maria Konnikova returns to debunk our ideas about probability and gambling. Konnikova writes for the New Yorker and is the author of The Confidence Game.   In the[...]

Thought-leaders build careers out of TED talks, inspirational quotes, and branded products. Dexter Guff is a big player in that space, teaching his listeners how to crush it every day. But Dexter Guff is not a real guy. His podcast, Dexter Guff Is Smarter Than You, is a satirical show starring actor Peter Oldring. Oldring[...]

You can’t get away from Obamacare news, and with each repeal effort there are familiar, wild-eyed claims from the law’s supporters and detractors. Will chipping away at the Affordable Care Act cause people to die? Did the health care law “bend” the cost curve? Did your taxes go up to pay for healthcare for the[...]

Why did it take years of reporting before any news organizations could nail down the Harvey Weinstein story? NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik says previously, the allegations received only “twilight” coverage. He considers why NBC might have whiffed on the Weinstein story, and how the network’s hard pass is being recast in conservative circles. Folkenflik[...]

What does it mean to be Muslim in the U.S. right now? Slate’s Aymann Ismail set out to understand, interviewing the founder of right-wing website Gateway Pundit, a former Muslim extremist, and his own family members, among others. What Aymann has learned so far has surprised him. His Slate video series is “Who’s Afraid of[...]

Things are looking bleak in Oklahoma. Low taxes and slashed state spending mean schools, prisons, and even the state capitol building itself are failing. Russell Cobb, a native Okie, explains how his home state came to be so screwed up.  In the Spiel, what’s so wrong with a gun registry?   Learn more about your[...]

Comedian Jason Kravits can write a Broadway hit, on the spot. That’s the premise of his improv cabaret show, where he invents tunes based on audience suggestions, such as “Yom Kippur” or “a Victorian sewer.” The show, Off the Top, is on the second Saturday of every month at the Duplex in Manhattan. His next[...]

Masha Gessen returns to The Gist, this time to talk about her latest work, The Future Is History. Gessen uses the book to examine the ways in which post-Soviet Russia failed to process the traumas of totalitarianism. In failing to reckon with its past, did Russia doom itself to a bleak future?  In the Spiel,[...]

This week, we learned that Russian-linked Facebook ads targeted swing states during the 2016 election. Initially hesitant about sharing information with the government, Facebook finally gave in to avoid a deeper discussion on regulation, but tech companies have grown so big that it might be time for the government to step in. Journalist Franklin Foer[...]

Has the military become more tolerant of collateral damage under President Trump? Why are there no good military options in North Korea? And who does it hurt when the president goes off-script about Kim Jong-un? Retired Maj. Gen. James “Spider” Marks has the answers.  In the Spiel, the cost of paying constant attention to the[...]

Before the Cold War, the president spent most of his time focusing on long-term problems facing the nation. But ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president has had to devote more time to immediate crises than overarching strategy. Author Jeremi Suri explains how the office of the president has changed so drastically—and whether there’s any[...]

On The Gist, we’re thinking about the mass shooting in Las Vegas and the errors we make when we attempt to explain the motives of an attacker. Author Masha Gessen says it’s all part of our desire to reassure ourselves that we won’t fall victim to a bomb blast or a spray of bullets. “As[...]

Charlatans and magical thinkers aren’t new to this country; they helped shape it. So goes the thesis of Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire. Author Kurt Andersen joins Mike to consider religious quacks, the wackadoodles of the left and right, and the shrinking authority of the academy. Andersen is the host of Studio 360.  In the[...]

For the past 25 years, Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard and Bill Galston of the Brookings Institution have been debating the meaning of presidential elections. But in 2016, they found themselves agreeing much more frequently on issues such as immigration, the tech industry, and tax reform. These men, on opposite sides of center, decided[...]

It’s time for Vexillology Corner: Last month, the city of Pocatello, Idaho, presented a new city flag to replace their previous one, known for being one of the ugliest flags in the United States. But what makes a flag ugly? Vexillologist Ted Kaye describes Pocatello’s new flag and reminds us why a kid should be[...]

Mark Lilla made a lot of liberals bristle with his New York Times op-ed, “The End of Identity Liberalism.” But Lilla insists that what he’s suggesting should not make the bleeding hearts clutch their hemp necklaces in horror. His premise is simple: To make meaningful gains, Democrats need institutional power (i.e., election wins). And far[...]

Working in the White House sounds impressive, but speechwriter David Litt says it’s not like The West Wing. Some days you just find salmon in a toilet, or have to tell the president that he looks like Hitler. Litt shares his experience as a self-described unimportant person working in the most important place in America.[...]

The chart-topping hits of 2007 featured Beyoncé at peak pop and Kanye West ahead of the curve with electronic dance music. Why do the hits of 2007 have such impressive staying power? Chris Molanphy says it might be because the 2007 Billboard charts were more comprehensive than ever, marking the first time that digital music[...]

Dylan Moran is a comedian from Ireland, a resident of Scotland, and a worried observer of politics in America. He talks to Mike about his way with words and why he thinks satire might bring down the 45th president. Moran is touring the U.S. now with his latest stand-up show, Grumbling Mustard. In the Spiel,[...]

This much we know: The Equifax data breach is bad. How can the credit bureaus, who have been described as the “plumbing” of our financial system, show so little regard for the people whose data they collect? New York Times columnist Gretchen Morgenson says it’s simple: We are not their customers, we are their product.[...]

Sigma Alpha Epsilon was already the country’s deadliest fraternity when it became famous in 2015 for its racist chants. But Bloomberg News senior editor John Hechinger says SAE’s response to its scandal was unusual, as leaders used his reporting to try to reform members. Even so, the rising costs of insuring national fraternities might cause[...]

Why does the movie Revenge of the Nerds continue to resonate today? Because, aside from how funny it is, it stands up for outcasts. Actor Curtis Armstrong explains what he took away from the film playing Booger, who was accepted by the nerds despite not really being one of them. Armstrong is the author of[...]

On The Gist, Mike talks to one of his favorites: Musician Ted Leo discusses letting his political frustrations fuel his songwriting (see his song, “William Weld in the 21st Century”) and explains how he finds solace in the tarot card image of the hanged man, which inspired the name of his new album. The Hanged[...]

On The Gist, Gretchen Rubin explains why her system of sorting people into four personality types (Rebel, Obliger, Questioner, and Upholder) will make your life easier. Rubin is the author of The Four Tendencies and host of the podcast Happier.  In the Spiel, what happens when politics seeps into sports.  Learn more about your ad[...]

Late-night talk shows adhere to a form: a host behind a desk, pre-produced interviews, and tightly choreographed bits. Chris Gethard wants to break that form apart. With absurd gags like getting dunked in ice water or staying awake for 36 hours, Gethard wants to disarm his celebrity guests and put his viewers in charge. Gethard’s[...]

Do germaphobic parents doom their kids to a lifetime of allergies and irritable bowels? This sounds like a question for our favorite game, “Is That Bullshit?” Returning champion Maria Konnikova helps us sort good bacteria from bad. Konnikova writes for the New Yorker and is the author of The Confidence Game.  In the Spiel, what[...]

Former NFL cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha sees his time in football as a prep course for acting.  On The Gist, he explains how he learned to study other people while developing his own style. Asomugha stars in Crown Heights, a film based on the true story of a Brooklyn man trying to prove the innocence of[...]

Standup comic Ms. Pat is used to getting follow-up questions about her jokes. Did your mom really shoot a gun in the house? Did you really get pregnant when you were 13? Did you really have fleas? It’s all true, and now it’s even been fact-checked. Patricia Williams tells Mike about what it was like[...]

Hurricane Harvey has caused a huge amount of property damage, but so far the death toll remains remarkably low. Why? Mike talks to John Mutter, a Columbia University professor who studies how natural disasters affect the poor. Mutter is the author of The Disaster Profiteers. In the Spiel, the deal-making wizardry of President Trump.  Learn[...]

Did the sexual revolution inspire rock ’n’ roll or vice versa? Was Elvis Presley a knowing sex symbol or a total innocent? Is it true that there are still blue laws on the books against playing “Tutti Frutti” after dark? NPR’s music critic Ann Powers tackles these and other questions in her book, Good Booty:[...]

The nation has weathered another major natural disaster, and the Army Corps of Engineers once again finds itself under scrutiny. NPR’s national desk correspondent Wade Goodwyn says the corps made a choice to open the floodgates of two major reservoirs in southeast Texas, flooding certain neighborhoods and sparing others.  Mike Pesca is back to take[...]

Hosting today’s Gist is Robert Smith from NPR’s Planet Money. On the show, he’ll talk to Lina Khan, whose research encouraging tighter regulations on Amazon caught some heat from the company’s general counsel. Khan works at the Open Markets Program, formerly housed under the New America Foundation.  And in the Spiel, Robert Smith observes a[...]

Today's guest host is Dan Savage, from the Savage Lovecast. Dan is the internationally syndicated columnist of “Savage Love” and the author of several books. With his husband Terry Miller, he cofounded the It Gets Better project and edited the It Gets Better collection. On The Gist, Dan talks to author Peggy Orenstein about the[...]

Question: What’s the best way to take a vacation in a Communist society? Answer: With utmost utilitarian seriousness, and possibly without your family. On this last week before Labor Day, guest host and Slate writer Leon Neyfakh talks to historian Diane Koenker about how the Soviet Union came to embrace personal holidays and reconcile them[...]

Slate’s Henry Grabar explains how rampant building in the Houston suburbs have made the area worse for wear during Tropical Storm Harvey. And in the Spiel, guest-host Osita Nwanevu breaks his self-imposed moratorium against criticizing columnist David Brooks.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Al Letson was just trying to cover a demonstration – an anti-hate rally in Berkeley. When he saw a group of balaclava-clad men descend on an apparent right-wing agitator, he jumped into the fray, using his body to defend the man from kicks and punches. Letson is the host of Reveal from the Center for[...]

The hype surrounding the Saturday night fight between boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and MMA fighter Conor McGregor is overtly racially charged. Why? Because people are eating it up, says Wesley Morris, critic-at-large for the New York Times. Morris and Mike talk about the role of race in the NFL’s treatment of Colin Kaepernick, Dana Schutz’s[...]

Understanding sexual consent is complicated. Colleges are working to clarify this issue while also policing sexual assault. But when does this cross over into legislating feelings versus facts? Vanessa Grigoriadis helps us understand the current iteration of the sexual consent debate happening on campuses today. Grigoriadis is the author of Blurred Lines: Rethinking Sex, Power,[...]

The antifa movement is resurging. It started in 1920s Europe to fight Hitler and Mussolini and has returned to oppose the current wave of xenophobia in the United States. Author Mark Bray walks us through the history of the antifa movement. Bray is the author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook. In the Spiel: Trump’s campaign[...]

Filmmaker Bryan Fogel had a simple hypothesis: The worldwide anti-doping system is a joke. To test his theory, Fogel wanted to dope himself and evade detection. A Russian anti-doping lab director agreed to help. Months later, Fogel’s personal doping coach was blowing the whistle on Russia’s piss-swapping scam to get around anti-doping rules. Fogel’s documentary,[...]

Malcolm Gladwell’s hit podcast Revisionist History spits out neat, distilled theories in every episode. Some of them are careful, others are reductive. But Gladwell says his theories aren’t all meant to be airtight: They just help him organize his stories, or merely spruce them up. “In some of them I’m trying to make a very,[...]

In 1982, MTV started guiding Billboard’s taste in music. The year was filled with elaborate videos and cheesy ballads. Chris Molanphy takes us through all the hand claps and synth vibes of that year’s Billboard hits. Molanphy writes Slate’s Why Is This Song No. 1 column and hosts the podcast Hit Parade.  In the Spiel:[...]

Did Steve Bannon really misunderstand the meaning of off the record during his now-infamous “interview” with the American Prospect? “Yup,” says Joshua Green, author of Devil’s Bargain, a book about Bannon’s influence on the Trump presidency. Green addresses the latest rumors of Bannon’s political demise, and tries to sort out why, exactly, Trump’s chief strategist[...]

Political scientist Moshe Maor says Donald Trump’s policy ideas are very, very over-the-top. But that’s exactly the point. On issues like immigration and transgender service members, bold overreactions are the only kind of policies that speak to cynical voters. “People want immediate action,” says Maor. “Morality aside, Trump is playing his cards right.” Maor is[...]

Guest host Leon Neyfakh speaks with retired Boston cop Tom Nolan about the politics of police unions. While unions in other industries put on a progressive face to the world, police unions tend to be defensive of everything from disrespecting the mayor of New York to rough treatment of prisoners. But Nolan says he’s encouraged[...]

Typically Congress has an order to follow when creating bills and passing them into law. There’s committee writing, revisions, and a bipartisan back-and-forth. In recent years that order has broken down and caused major divides inside both parties. Georgetown senior fellow Joshua Huder details this process and how it went wrong. Huder’s writing can be[...]

Brandt Tobler has had a crazy life. His stand-up comedy is the sum of his stories as a small-town wayward kid busting out of Wyoming. He was the don of a criminal syndicate he called the “mallfia,” he ran the Las Vegas strip placing bets for gambling titans, and he plotted to kill his estranged[...]

Google’s reputation for openness took a tumble when its CEO fired James Damore, the author of a memo questioning the company’s efforts to achieve gender parity. Amy Webb, founder of the Future Today Institute, blames the internet. She says easy access to data is allowing us to make dumb arguments. In the Spiel, Mike has[...]

Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century, but he didn’t spend his entire life in the ring. During the Vietnam War, he spent his time trying to avoid the draft as a conscientious objector. Journalist Leigh Montville says the struggle changed Ali’s life—and the country. Montville’s new book is Sting[...]