The Gist

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It's an Economist's World Sep 07, 2019

Show notes

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: False Prophets, Free Markets, and the Fracture of Society.

In the Spiel, hurricanes and global warming.

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How We Speak Internet Sep 06, 2019

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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 dialect they may have. McCulloch is the author of Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language.

In the Spiel, the climate change debate.

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Lobbying for Good? Sep 05, 2019

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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 book is Helping the Good Do Better: How a White Hat Lobbyist Advocates for Social Change.

In the Spiel, there's a solution to higher rates of maternal mortality among black women, and it involves putting the problem in perspective.

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The Big Power of Right-Wing Radio Sep 03, 2019

Show notes

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 Over a Political Party That Took Over the United States. He's here to talk with Mike about Rush Limbaugh's early years, the outsized importance of Roger Ailes, and where this leaves us today.

In the Spiel, president Trump's pre-hurricane golfing is the last thing we should be worrying about.

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To Greta Goes the Glory? Aug 29, 2019

Show notes

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 wrong in Washington.

In the Spiel, Greta Thunberg's cross-Atlantic trip was an exercise in inconvenience.

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The Mystery of Ivanka Trump Aug 28, 2019

Show notes

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? And when is she headed for Burning Man?

In the Spiel, female political fashion.

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They Tried to Cancel You Aug 27, 2019

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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 thing? And how does attempted cancellation age?

In the Spiel, unproductive Antifa protests.

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What's in a Face, Anyway? Aug 26, 2019

Show notes

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 her experience over at the Washington Post, and does so now on The Gist.

In the Spiel, the Everything Is Alive tariff-a-thon.

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David Koch Was Bad. But Evil? Eh. Aug 24, 2019

Show notes

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") and the daunting task that is healing the upper chamber of Congress. Merkley is the author of America Is Better Than This: Trump's War Against Migrant Families.

In the Spiel, the David Koch obituaries are in. But are they fair?

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Visiting the Migrant Families in Crisis Aug 23, 2019

Show notes

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 the Trump administration, and what we can do about it. His new book is America Is Better Than This: Trump's War Against Migrant Families.

In the Spiel, Trump and Israel.

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