The Gist

Latest Episodes:

After Family Separations, a Settlement Sep 14, 2018

Show notes

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 why they fear persecution? Try having that conversation with a 4-year-old," says Margo Schlanger, who headed the Department of Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties under Obama. If approved by the court, the settlement would give the migrants a second chance to apply for asylum.

In the Spiel, impeachment.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Billionaires Don't Know Best Sep 12, 2018

Show notes

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 Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World.

In the Spiel, FiveThirtyEight currently says Republicans have a 1-in-6 chance of keeping the House. What else has that kind of odds?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

DeRay Mckesson Makes the Case for Hope Sep 12, 2018

Show notes

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 Peopleas a national platform to speak out against police violence and highlight news that flies under the radar. Mckesson's new memoir is On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope.

In the Spiel, want to feel less anxious? Put the phone down.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stylometry for Dummies Sep 11, 2018

Show notes

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 identity—is a little more complicated than looking at individual words. Afroz is a senior research scientist at the International Computer Science Institute.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If You Want Power, Sell It Sep 07, 2018

Show notes

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, biotechnology, and the possible obsolescence of the human worker. Harari's new book is 21 Lessons for the 21st Century.

In the Spiel, a lawmaker's voting record is the only thing we should judge them on.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The DoD Payroll Just Got Smaller Sep 06, 2018

Show notes

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 Mehta says the task was nearly impossible in the first place.

In the Spiel, who really wrote that New York Times op-ed?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hedging Your Bets With Lake Success Sep 05, 2018

Show notes

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 research on Wall Street, the concept of privilege, and his trips on Greyhound busses.

In the Spiel, Gwyneth Paltrow and jade eggs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Farming for Red Herring Sep 04, 2018

Show notes

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 nationalists into embracing victimhood in the first place.

In the Spiel, a roundup of the minor scandals that broke over Labor Day weekend.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bright Gays, Big City Sep 01, 2018

Show notes

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 New York City. Creator Mia Lidofsky joins us to discuss her show, how wonderfully queer it is, and what it's like making a show for Facebook. The new season of Strangers is all available to stream on Facebook Watch.

In the Spiel, funerals.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The OG GOP Aug 30, 2018

Show notes

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 Free: A History of the Republican Party.

In the Spiel, what do we make of the Catholic Church?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected