The Gist

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Medicare for All, Dissent From None Jan 31, 2019

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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 to judge, appropriately, whether that is bullshit.

In the Spiel, Medicare is only a minefield if Democrats make it one.

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E Pluribus Unum, Still? Jan 30, 2019

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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, Fox News in the '90s, and social media in the 2000s. Princeton professors Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer lived through that history, created a course on it, and cover it in their new book,Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974.

In the Spiel, Chris Christie's new book.

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Stone Cold Weirdos Jan 29, 2019

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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 pop stardom. Drew Tarver plays one of those siblings, and discusses what it's like living in the shadow of a more famous family member (not just in this role, but in real life). The Other Two airs on Thursdays on Comedy Central. In the Spiel, on the eccentricities of Roger Stone and Randy Credico.

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Big Tent Primaries Jan 26, 2019

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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 primaries, all while keeping up with the many rule changes they've adopted since 2016. Brazile is the co-author of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics.

In the Spiel, an analysis of Trump's shutdown backdown.

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Digital Journalism, a Market Failure Jan 25, 2019

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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 a detached state of mind ("It's almost like accessing whatever the hell it is that creates dreams").

In the Spiel, journalists are losing their jobs. And there's some BS out there about why that is.

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The Dismissal of Kamala Harris Jan 24, 2019

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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 here with the story. Sokolove's new book is The Last Temptation of Rick Pitino: A Story of Corruption, Scandal, and the Big Business of College Basketball.

In the Spiel, dismissing Kamala Harris.

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Will #MeToo Face the Music? Jan 23, 2019

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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 of the music industry may prove resistant to change. Hopper is the author of a new memoir, Night Moves.

In the Spiel, the Covington Catholic teens aren't the disease, they're a symptom.

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For 2020, Steve King Is Dead Weight Jan 19, 2019

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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' Art Cullen, who has been covering King for years in Iowa and recently wrote about King in the Guardian, that's just not his style. But his straight talk won't work in Iowa if it's riddled with dishonesty. Art Cullen is here to discuss.

In the Spiel, feeding the anger machine.

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Know Your Memes, or Be Fooled by Them Jan 18, 2019

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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 Memes to Movements: How the World's Most Viral Media Is Changing Social Protest and Power.

In the Spiel, Pelosi can't go to Afghanistan because Trump is one impetuous manbaby.

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Tax Their Stuff, Not Their Money Jan 17, 2019

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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 they might even scare taxpayers out of the country. Still, he's clear-eyed about the dangers of concentrated money and thinks a wealth tax (on the value of what you own, not what you make) is where it's really at.

In the Spiel, you should have thought of that.

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