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Step Away From the Screen Mar 27, 2017

Show notes

How much time did you spend on an anti-boredom gadget today? We watch entire seasons of television in a day, we scroll through infinite streams of social media, and we are transfixed by games designed as deftly as slot machines. Adam Alter says it's time to consider measures that will help everyone to cut back. His book is called Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked.

For the Spiel, your leggings have become a problem.

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Feet off the Couch, Please Mar 24, 2017

Show notes

Alyssa Mastromonaco served as White House deputy chief of staff under Barack Obama. Her job was expansive—covering everything from interviewing James Comey to making sure the White House driveway was re-paved[AM1] . Now, she's written a memoir, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House.

In the Spiel, Republicans weren't able to come up with a better plan than "Obamacare bad." Failure was inevitable.

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Slobs vs. Snobs Mar 23, 2017

Show notes

Why does it feel like our political debate was brought to us by the National Lampoon? Sonny Bunch applies his powers of cultural analysis to the changing face of political conservativism. Bunch is executive editor of the Washington Free Beacon, where he also writes film criticism.

In the Spiel, Devin Nunes really messed this thing up, huh?

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Health Care! It's Trump's Problem Now Mar 22, 2017

Show notes

With hours to go before the official vote on Trumpcare, the bill is being altered to make sure moderates in Buffalo and Freedom Caucus members in South Carolina stay onboard. [MW1] Any chance this Frankenstein bill will fail? Slate columnists Jim Newell and Jordan Weissmann look at the costs and politics of the American Health Care Act ahead of Thursday's consequential House vote.

For the Spiel, let's try to be fair to Donald Trump. Just for a moment. It's going to be hard, but dammit we'll try.

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James Comey's Slow Drip Mar 21, 2017

Show notes

What did we learn from Monday's public testimony of FBI Director James Comey? National security ace Ben Wittes says Comey's statements were intriguingly "gentle," though they should still distress the president. Wittes is editor in chief of Lawfare and a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution.

For the Spiel, Neil Gorsuch talks about a pointless race he once did and quotes David Foster Wallace, but doesn't talk about his judicial philosophy.

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Green Mountain Coffee. Green Mountain Coffee is passionate about making a smoother tasting cup. Try it today with $4 off when you buy two boxes of most Green Mountain Coffee K-Cup pods at keurig.com with code TRYGMC.

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Cold, Hard Facts with Wendy Zukerman Mar 20, 2017

Show notes

Wendy Zukerman isn't like some other science reporters in that she doesn't traffic in false equivalencies. "If there's a 95 percent consensus among scientists, you report the consensus," says Zukerman. Her podcast, Science Vs., is on its second season. The topics this year range from immigration and climate change to acne and ghosts.

For the Spiel, you know that new sound you've been looking for? Well, Mike's got it right here.

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What's Next for Travel Ban 2.0 Mar 17, 2017

Show notes

Slate senior legal correspondent Dahlia Lithwick walks us through the next steps for Donald Trump's revised travel ban. Some judges may not use Trump's campaign rhetoric in their rulings; however, "Every time Trump opens his mouth, he makes it harder," says Lithwick. She also discusses next week's confirmation hearings of Neil Gorsuch. Besides covering the courts for Slate, Lithwick is the host of the Amicus podcast.

In the Spiel, it's Lobstar time.

Today's sponsors:

Green Mountain Coffee is passionate about making a smoother-tasting cup. Try it today with $4 off, when you buy two boxes of most Green Mountain Coffee K-Cup pods at keurig.com with codeTRYGMC.

Unpacked, a new Spotify original podcast that explores some of the planet's hottest events. First up? Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest. Listen to Unpacked and all your favorite music on the Spotify mobile app for free now.

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Dangerous Times With Kelly McEvers Mar 16, 2017

Show notes

Before Kelly McEvers landed in her current role as host of NPR's All Things Considered, she was a world-weary conflict-zone reporter. But McEvers says she wasn't bored upon returning to the states: "I came back to America, and I was like, Whoa, America, kind of messed up." McEvers' reporting podcast, Embedded, has just released new episodes. She talked to Mike Pesca last year at the Now Hear This Podcast Festival in Anaheim, California.

In the Spiel, not so much with the Dutch populism.

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Green Mountain Coffee is passionate about making a smoother tasting cup. Try it today with $4 off when you buy two boxes of most Green Mountain Coffee K-Cup pods at keurig.com with code TRYGMC.

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Stretching the Truth With Maria Konnikova Mar 15, 2017

Show notes

Like so many dubious health claims, stretching before exercise has its roots in yoga culture. Maria Konnikova explains that stretching is exercise in-and-of itself and shouldn't be treated like a warm-up. Then why do so many trainers and health nuts preach stretching as gospel? Konnikova is a regular guest on The Gist, a New Yorker staff writer, and the author of The Confidence Game.

In the Spiel, Rachel Maddow's report on President Donald Trump's taxes was fine news but bad showmanship.

Today's sponsors:

Control GX gray-reducing shampoo. It is the first shampoo that gradually reduces gray.

Green Mountain Coffee is passionate about making a smoother tasting cup. Try it today with $4 off when you buy two boxes of most Green Mountain Coffee K-Cup pods at keurig.com with code TRYGMC.

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Todd Barry Would Rather Be Drumming Mar 14, 2017

Show notes

Todd Barry's stand-up comedy falls along the lower end of the register: in volume, in speed, in tone. So maybe it makes sense that he's happiest onstage when he doesn't have to talk at all. Fans may wonder how Barry translates his dry delivery to the page. The answer: by making liberal use of italics. His new book is Thank You for Coming to Hattiesburg: One Comedian's Tour of Not-Quite-the-Biggest Cities in the World.

In the Spiel, joining forces with the News 4 Storm Tracker, it's the most precise name in climate science: Wayne Tracker.

Today's sponsors:

The Great Courses Plus, a video learning service that offers lectures on all kinds of topics. Get a Free Trial when you sign up by going toTheGreatCoursesPlus.com/gist.Green Mountain Coffee is passionate about making a smoother tasting cup. Try it today with $4 off, when you buy two boxes of most Green Mountain Coffee K-Cup pods at keurig.com with code TRYGMC.

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