The Gist

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The Scholarly Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jan 30, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, get your clutching pearls ready. Russia alleges that the U.S. is trying to interfere in its election.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been politically precocious since well before his own sports scholarship at UCLA. His latest column for the Guardian argues it's "time to pay the tab for America's college athletes." He says student players should unionize.

In the Spiel, the tactics that responsible Republicans use to communicate their potential opposition: They speak in their home-state argot.

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Good Night, Portlandia Jan 27, 2018

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On The Gist, the Doomsday Clock would be scary if it weren't so bogus.

In the interview, after years of gently poking fun at Portland, Oregon's chill-but-not vibe, Portlandia is on its final season. Series co-star Carrie Brownstein unpacks the show's humor and tells us how a wedding toast kind of doubled as an audition to get the show greenlit.

In the Spiel, Mike awards a Lobstar after an especially lengthy antentwig.

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He Got Trump's Taxes Jan 26, 2018

Show notes

From the annals of monkey research, how 10 primates were gassed in the service of a bad study.

Today on The Gist, investigative reporter David Cay Johnston, who has been reporting on President Trump long enough to simply call him Donald. Johnston has an appreciation for Donald's trademark swindles: refusing payment, lying to vendors, abridging photocopies. He's not surprised to see the same methods at work in the Trump administration. He likens the Trump administration to "political termites," eating their way through the structures of the U.S. government, leaving holes throughout. Johnston is the author of It's Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America.

In the Spiel, the trial, coverage, and sentencing of Larry Nassar.

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Odds, Ends, and Senators Jan 25, 2018

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On The Gist, Devin Nunes probably doesn't know squat.

In the interview, Democrats hold most of the Senate seats up for grabs in this year's midterms, which means they have a lot to lose. But importantly, mathematician Jordan Ellenberg says election predictions often fail to account for national mood. Ellenberg is the author of How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking.

In the Spiel, Mike defends his bougie laundry routine.

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MSG Is A-OK Jan 24, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, more details come out about Garrison Keillor.

In the interview, it turns out something can be good for your taste buds without being bad for your health. Monosodium glutamate has gotten a bad rap since 1968, when a medical journal suggested it might cause all kinds of symptoms. Dan Pashman, creator and host of the Sporkful podcast, tells us why MSG isn't the boogeyman it's been made out to be (and why he adds it to his own cooking).

In the Spiel, behold, the mystical power of Maine Sen. Susan Collins' talking stick.

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The Dems Have a Bad Hand Jan 23, 2018

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On The Gist, what just happened?

And are Democrats sniveling losers or Machiavellian savants? McClatchy reporter Alex Roarty explains why the animating force driving both Democrats and Republicans right now is a loud conservative minority.

In the Spiel, Greece has beef regarding which part of world gets to be called "Macedonia."

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One Year Down Jan 20, 2018

Show notes

Up first on The Gist: It appears the Stormy Daniels story checks out.

Plus, Saturday marks the first anniversary of President Trump's inauguration. The hosts of Slate's Trumpcast join Mike to revise old predictions, make new ones, and consider whether Democrats should be rooting for impeachment via the Robert Mueller investigation.

And in the Spiel, we're on the verge of another government shutdown. It seems normal now. Or have we lost track of what normal looks like?

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Busted: A Gist Productions Parody Jan 19, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, how about those Fake News Awards, huh?

Alan Jacobs questions your ability to think for yourself. Can you really rid yourself of your biases, or do you just develop better biases? Are you really any better than your estranged friends at finding answers, or have you just chosen a different group with whom to associate? Jacobs is the author of How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds.

In the Spiel, relive the horrifying 43 minutes during which America thought a just-inaugurated President Donald Trump had removed Martin Luther King Jr.'s sacred bust from the Oval Office.

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Wait and CR Jan 18, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, the bad news from Freedom House.

U.S. Air Force officer Edward Lansdale promoted a "hearts and minds" approach to diplomacy in the Philippines and Vietnam, only to be steamrolled by America's elite class of policymakers. Max Boot tells us about Lansdale and his own newfound recognition of white privilege and other ideas from the left. Boot's new book is The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam.

In the Spiel, why the continuing resolution is sucking all the fun out of politics.

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Nukes and Crannies Jan 17, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, the press is too squeamish to clarify that "shithouse" isn't much better than "shithole."

In the interview, more on fire and fury—nuclear fire, rhetorical fury, and the consequences of both. Jeffrey Lewis and Aaron Stein, hosts of Arms Control Wonk, assess the Trump administration's tough talk on North Korea and the danger of a South Korea that decides to take matters into its own hands.

In the Spiel, Aziz Ansari isn't blameless, but he doesn't deserve a total destruction of his career, either.

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