The Gist

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How Quickly We Forget Jul 06, 2018

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On The Gist, Scott Pruitt is out as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency because it turns out someone really can be too corrupt for Trump.

Let us next turn to the Supreme Court—not in America, but Poland, where the rightwing government is forcing nearly 40 percent of judges into retirement. Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer says the country's latest swerve toward authoritarianism proves that democracy can erode just about anywhere.

In the Spiel, Michael Moore claims to know where the Democratic Party has gone wrong and what it needs to do to change direction, but how reliable is he?

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Song, Dance, and Confirmation Jul 03, 2018

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On The Gist, let's watch the latest viral video from the conservative right.

A certain group of Sherlock fans were convinced that John Watson and Sherlock would fall in love. When they didn't, those fans turned on the showrunners. But what responsibility do creators have to their fans? Should they take suggestions? Slate TV critic Willa Paskin dove into the question—and the Sherlock fanbase—on the second episode of Decoder Ring.

In the Spiel, the Supreme Court confirmation process is broken.

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Shameless Mitch Jul 03, 2018

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On The Gist, Mitch McConnell's values have changed—again!

Lounging around in the heat of a sauna might feel nice, but is it good for you, too? Maria Konnikova has gone through the studies (most of them from Finland, where you can't throw a hot rock without hitting a sauna) and is here to boil them down for us. Konnikova writes for the New Yorker and is the author of The Confidence Game.

In the Spiel, let's not get carried away. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got fewer votes than some school district board members.

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In 12,000 Words Jun 30, 2018

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On The Gist, President Trump's demonization of journalists is awful, but it's not the first thing to blame for the Capital Gazette shooting.

The Atlantic recently ran a lengthy article about kids who consider the process of gender transition. Many critics took issue with the author's approach, accusing him of bias and an obsession with trans children. But were his efforts really in bad faith? Alex Barasch wrote a response to the piece for Slate and joins us to add to the debate.

In the Spiel, FBI agents Lisa Page and Peter Strzok were sloppy, but their take on Trump was right on the money.

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Does Authenticity Matter? Jun 29, 2018

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On The Gist, the return of In Search Of hosted by Zachary Quinto, which used to be hosted by Leonard Nimoy, made us notice all the times actors have filled the shoes of others through multiple different reboots.

The FIFA World Cup is great, but only the ConIFA World Football Cup has competitors from Székely Land, Abkhazia, and the County of Nice. Slate's Josh Keating wrote the book on Invisible Countries, those tiny nation-states with little recognition but great stories to tell.

In the Spiel, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated Joe Crowley in the recent Democratic primary race for Congress. Many commentators have called her authentic, but does that word have any actual meaning?

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The Self-Sufficiency Court Jun 28, 2018

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On The Gist, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's primary victory was thanks to low voter turnout. She still deserves it!

Lawfare's executive editor Susan Hennessey says Trump's SCOTUS-approved travel ban is more dangerous in how it changes norms than how it changes facts on the ground. Also: Reality Winner's guilty plea is a no-brainer.

In the Spiel, Justice Kennedy's upcoming retirement is the perfect occasion to talk about … Justice Clarence Thomas.

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The Unpopular Vote and a Few Justices Jun 27, 2018

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On The Gist, what a Trump tweet can teach us about wine.

The latest school shootings have galvanized an already politically minded generation. Harvard's John Della Volpe studies the voting habits of millennials, and how they could swing election results in 2018 and beyond.

In the Spiel, the Supreme Court's support for Trump's travel ban is what happens when our checks and balances fail.

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The New Rules of Civility Jun 26, 2018

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On The Gist, why is the Democratic National Committee being held responsible for Hollywood and the media?

Calvin Buari dealt crack in the Bronx, but that doesn't make him a killer. Buari was convicted of a double murder in 1995 and started a campaign to prove his innocence from behind bars. A big part of that was making phone calls to journalist Steve Fishman, who turned his years of reporting into the binge-worthy Panoply podcast Empire on Blood, and joined us on the Gist.

In the Spiel, Mike tackles the decline of civility, whether democrats should jeer at Trump's staff in public, or if we've just found a new stasis.

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Who Needs Subtext, Anway Jun 22, 2018

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On The Gist, Rep. Jim Jordan's underwhelming attention to detail.

Franchesca Ramsey burst onto the YouTube scene with her viral video, "Shit White Girls Say… to Black Girls." Ramsey's latest video project, MTV News' Decoded, is similar: fun, earnest, and educational. Ramsey's book is Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist.

In the Spiel, about Melania's jacket.

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A Song You Can Graduate To Jun 21, 2018

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On The Gist, those beacons of honesty—retiring Republican members of the Congress.

Cremation has the carbon footprint of a 1,000-mile road trip, your average bee has nearly 1 million brain cells, and only 3 to 4 percent of gossip is actually "malicious." Those are all statistics relayed in Walt Hickey's Numlock News, the daily newsletter he started after four years at FiveThirtyEight.

In the Spiel, graduation songs over the years.

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