The Gist

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The Divergent Charts of 1994 Apr 13, 2019

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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 were so few number one singles that year—and why was Lisa Loeb considered alternative rock? Molanphy has answers, and is the host of the Hit Parade podcast. He also writes Slate's "Why Is This Song No. 1?" column.

In the Spiel, Rep. Katie Porter's viral moment—taking Jamie Dimon to task for his huge salary—is a little dishonest.

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The Real Cost of Medicare for All Apr 12, 2019

Show notes

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 country's incomplete reconciliation process and oddly rehabilitated politicians. Keefe is the author of Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland.

In the Spiel, Medicare for all isn't as cheap as Bernie wants us to believe.

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The Candace Owens Sideshow Apr 11, 2019

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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 with a surprising amount of philosophy packed in (he's a philosopher himself). Is sand more Kantian or Heideggerian? And what's it like to think as a collective?

In the Spiel, president Trump's public insult of Sen. Mazie Hirono rumbles on.

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Misquoter in Chief Apr 10, 2019

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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 United States in June of 2019, and his specials "Dark" & "Jigsaw" are on Netflix.

In the Spiel, instant replay is a contentious part of refereeing, particularly at a championship.

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The Puppet Masters Apr 09, 2019

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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 his spiritual successors like Phil Spector or Tom Brady's trainer? Amos Barshad, author of No One Man Should Have All That Power: How Rasputins Manipulate the World, has our ear.

In the Spiel, what does Joe Biden stand to gain from apologizing—and shouldn't a (likely) contender for president think in those terms?

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Are Chiropractors Quacks? Apr 06, 2019

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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 Fidler, steps in to offer some adjustments to the conversation.

In the Spiel, Mike offers up a Lobstar challenge.

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There's No Real Dirt on the Dems So Far Apr 05, 2019

Show notes

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 their ordinary flaws. "On some level these stories are all about exploring whether or not there is even such a thing as free will," Thompson says. "I'm fascinated by the way things in our past continue to exert gravitational pull on us now." Wright's new book, a collection of his past work, is The Cost of These Dreams: Sports Stories and Other Serious Business.

In the Spiel, a list of all the non-scandals hitting the Democratic 2020 candidates so far. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more.

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We All Need to Talk Apr 04, 2019

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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 therapists need therapy too.

In the Spiel, the Joe Biden crisis isn't a crisis.

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The Societal Optimist Apr 03, 2019

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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, the problem with microaggressions.

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The Thrilling Don Winslow Apr 02, 2019

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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 DeVos' indefensible Special Olympics funding cuts.

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