The Gist

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In New Zealand, the Internet at Its Worst Mar 16, 2019

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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 is very much shaped by company founders' personality quirks and blind spots, what government regulation of Google and Facebook should look like, and what women can do to get what they want in the workplace. Swisher is the co-founder of Recode and the host of its Recode Decode podcast.

In the Spiel, if you want to measure the ills that come with an increasingly connected world, look no farther than the shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand.

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Manafort in Ostrich Court Mar 15, 2019

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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 party as some new members of Congress seem to be pushing the party further left and whether or not that's a good thing. His upcoming book is American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump.

In the Spiel, Paul Manafort goes to Ostrich Court.

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How to Close the Justice Gap Mar 14, 2019

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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 more susceptible to being scammed than other generations, or is that bullshit?

In the Spiel, the rich and powerful often get off easy in the court of law (case in point: Paul Manafort). But instead of throwing the book at them, maybe we should sentence everyone else a little more kindly, too.

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The Fraud Squad Mar 13, 2019

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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 Meyers. Gentile talks about his writing process—lots of jokes go into a first draft, but only a few make the cut—and how the instinct to laugh is itself a reliable bullshit detector.

In the Spiel, the college admissions scandal involving Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.

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Let the Sun Shine in 2020 Mar 12, 2019

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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 other democratic spaces on the internet? In the Spiel, which Democratic candidate gets The Gist's vote? The one to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.

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American Carnage? It's Real Mar 09, 2019

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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) onto doctors and patients—and the federal government's failure to stop it. McGreal is the author of American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts.

In the Spiel, another Lobstar of the Antentwig.

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The Endless Fact Check Mar 08, 2019

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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, and how neither the left nor the right seem satisfied with his work.

In the Spiel, theology isn't all that interesting… unless there's drama involved, of course.

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The Unbelievably Bad Michael Jackson Defense Mar 07, 2019

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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 scandal that inspired her initial research.

In the Spiel, bad arguments are hard to believe, like those used to defend Michael Jackson.

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Top Chef, the Anti-Reality TV? Mar 06, 2019

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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 kitchens are popping up," Viana says. "It isn't the Gordon Ramsay style." David Viana is the executive chef of New Jersey's Heirloom Kitchen.

The finale of Top Chef: Kentucky airs March 14, 2019 on Bravo. In the Spiel, more from Trump's nonsensical CPAC speech.

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The Incoherent Right Mar 05, 2019

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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 country is working to respond.

In the Spiel, the CPAC lets Trump get away with anything he wants.

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