The Gist

Latest Episodes:

Quitters Can't Be Leaders Jun 20, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, how President Trump made not breaking up families look like his idea.

Why are the U.S.'s political parties weak? Is the "job guarantee" policy smart? Do voters perceive the economy accurately? Dan Pfeiffer has all the answers. He's a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama and part of the Pod Save America posse. Pfeiffer's new book is Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump.

In the Spiel, the United States shouldn't be leaving the U.N. Human Rights Council. It should work to make it better.

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Polarization Nation Jun 19, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, the inaugural edition of "whoah there, girl!"

Political parties are like people: They grow and change, their values shift, and sometimes they become downright belligerent. Lilliana Mason says America's two political parties are in the middle of a shift, and it won't be over anytime soon: "What happened to conservative southern Democrats after the Civil Rights Act passed? They didn't like it. … It took an entire generation for conservative Southern Democrats to become Republicans." Mason is the author of Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity.

In the Spiel, "angel moms" deserve sympathy, but they're being used.

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Oh, Stephen Jun 19, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, if we can't pronounce Peter Strzok's name right, how will we remember his newfound infamy?

If you consider yourself progressive, chances are Trump's presidency feels like a nightmare. But Politico's Michael Grunwald returns to the Gist with the argument that Obama's legacy is mostly intact—at least on the domestic front. Grunwald's latest book is The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era.

In the Spiel, lookism be damned, it's time to make fun of Stephen Miller.

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The Heisenberg Presidency Jun 15, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, why he lies: a new theory.

"I've hit rock bottom. I'm writing for a cartoon." Such were the thoughts of Mike Reiss when he joined the writers' room for The Simpsons in 1989. Thirty years later, he's worked on all but two seasons of the show, and says it's had one real impact: making television smarter and faster. Reiss' book, co-written with Mathew Klickstein, is Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies From a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons.

In the Spiel, stop us if you've heard this one before: President Donald Trump creates a problem, sometimes makes the problem a little less bad, and then takes a load of credit.

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When Border Policy Crosses the Line Jun 15, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, McClatchy White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez explains the ramifications of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy to prosecute migrants who cross the border illegally. One early consequence: The U.S. government needs more places to detain children separated from their parents.

In the Spiel, the nasty things celebrities say—and their supposedly enormous power to get people to vote stupidly.

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Cup of Corruption Jun 13, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, some fun facts about U.S. Senate candidate Corey Stewart.

In 2010, a certain Christopher Steele was hired to look into Russia's bid to host the World Cup in 2018. What he found ultimately led to a U.S. investigation into FIFA's thoroughgoing sleaziness. There are, around the world, multiple criminal probes around FIFA, and BuzzFeed's Ken Bensinger says "more shoes will fall." Bensinger is the author of Red Card: How the U.S. Blew the Whistle on the World's Biggest Sports Scandal.

In the Spiel, Macedonians, Greeks, and irredentism.

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Summit Skeptical Jun 12, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, a brief review of President Trump's roster of losers (and winners).

Clint Watts is a man of many strengths. He's a former FBI agent and a cybersecurity expert. He can break down information warfare to bleary-eyed U.S. senators. He's been known to track al-Shabaab adherents on Twitter. Watts returns to The Gist to explain how the U.S. government underestimated Russia, and how he himself fell for fake news when trying to protect his daughter. Watts' new book is Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake News.

In the Spiel, the folly of Donald Trump's new friendship with Kim Jong-un.

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G-7 Hangover Jun 12, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, if the Trump-Kim summit goes as poorly as the president's business ventures, we're doomed.

Maria Konnikova is here to smoke out false claims about cannabidiol, or the CBD oil extracted from cannabis. Can it help with insomnia, depression, and epilepsy? We find out in the latest round of "Is That Bulls—t?" Konnikova is a New Yorker contributor and author of The Confidence Game.

In the Spiel, the White House's handling of the G-7 fallout was clueless, thin-skinned, and petty. In other words: peak Trumpism.

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Comedians Can Be Well-Adjusted, Too Jun 08, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, president Trump raised the bar on what's considered a gaffe, and EPA head Scott Pruitt is taking advantage of that.

Very few comedians have never been to therapy. Jerry Seinfeld is one. Tom Papa is another. Papa tells us about cracking jokes at Minnesota Public Radio's Live From Here and his new book, Your Dad Stole My Rake: And Other Family Dilemmas.

In the Spiel, 'tis time for a Lobstar of the Antentwig (right after a response to some sexist tweets).

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#MeToo and McYoga Jun 08, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, comparing Bill Clinton to basketball great Michael Jordan.

Bikram Choudhury's status as a star yoga guru gave him license to be odd (spiritual but with a soft spot for luxury cars, and always wearing a Speedo). But there was more to it than quirkiness, as sexual assault allegations beginning in 2013 basically expelled Choudhury from the United States. ESPN's Julia Henderson practiced Bikram Yoga, before capturing the rise and fall of its founder in a five-part podcast: Bikram.

In the Spiel, punning on some of the weirder names in the news these days.

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