The Gist

Latest Episodes:

The Tipping Point Mar 08, 2025

Show notes

Today on the Gist we got back to Wednesdays spiel on Trumps speech to congress and go to a 2019 interview with Scotland's Daniel Sloss who churns out comedy specials at an almost alarming rate, completing his tenth at age 28. He's here to talk about circumcision, Brexit, and why the left is doomed to eternally shoot itself in the foot

Produced by Corey Wara

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Oren Kessler, Author of Palestine 1936 Mar 07, 2025

Show notes

The roots of the current conflict in Gaza trace back to the Balfour Declaration and earlier, but also to a series of ethnic killings and counterattacks in the years just before Israel became a state. Oren Kessler joins us to discuss Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict. Plus, Trump's latest tariff chaos has Canadians resorting to some choice words. And in The Spiel, we examine the status of the most aggressive initiatives of the Trump administration.

Produced by Corey Wara

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Not Even Mad: Tariffs and Doge's Dodgy Dogma Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of Not Even Mad, Michael Cohen and Liz Wolfe dissect Trump's State of the Union-ish spectacle, where he barely asked for forbearance on tariffs and delivered a slew of inaccuracies. We debate whether the Democrats' paddle-waving protest theater was cringeworthy or just ineffective. Plus, in Goat Grinders, playground break-ins, Icelandair's deplaning procedures, and the forced obligation of pretending to care about the Oscars.

Produced by Corey Wara

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Veteran Diplomat Charles Kupchan Holds Out Hope For a Peace Deal in Ukraine Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

Charles Kupchan, former European affairs specialist in Obama's White House joins us to discuss whether a viable security agreement could be brokered that meets Ukraine's needs without granting them everything they want. Kupchan isn't entirely pessimistic—but he's also not holding his breath.

Plus, Trump's address to Congress was filled with signature moments: a ripped-up protest sign, a joke about annexing Greenland, and a reading of what he deemed an appropriately deferential letter from Zelensky. But in The Spiel, we break down a different highlight—the section where Trump rattled off supposed cost-saving measures, taking aim at everything from Burmese scholarships to circumcision programs in Mozambique.

Produced by Corey Wara

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Those Tariffs Slap Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

Trump's latest tariff escalation on China, Mexico, and Canada has earned the Wall Street Journal's bluntest critique yet: "dumbest." With markets reacting sharply, Wall Street remains the one force that might actually make him reconsider. Plus, Brenda Wineapple, author of Keeping the Faith: How American Democracy Survives Scandals, Scoundrels, and Cynics, joins to discuss a century-old "trial of the century" and its relevance to today's politics.

Produced by Corey Wara

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The Gist: More News, Less Gratitude Mar 03, 2025

Show notes

Former CBS Evening News executive producer Mosheh Oinounou joins The Gist to discuss Mo News, his fact-first, non-ideological news platform. We talk about his critiques of legacy media, what he saw from the inside, and why he believes journalism is failing as both a business and a public service.

Plus, when it comes to Ukraine the art of negotiation seems to hinge less on geopolitics and more on how much gratitude is lavished upon Trump himself.

Produced by Corey Wara

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Mike Pesca Gets Serious....Again! Mar 01, 2025

Show notes

Today on the Gist. We listen back to Tuesdays Spiel about Mikes time at the Principles First Summit. Then we play some of Mike's appearance on the Podcast "Very Serious with Josh Barro".

Produced by Corey Wara

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Kat Rosenfield on Neil Gaiman, Blake Lively, and Women's Wants Feb 28, 2025

Show notes

Critic and author Kat Rosenfield joins The Gist for a full-show interview, diving into the smear campaign and campaign waged between Blake Lively her director, and the recent sexual abuse allegations against Neil Gaiman. Plus: Analysis of the surprisingly undiplomatic public exchange between Presidents Trump and Zelensky.

Produced by Corey Wara

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Mark Cuban, Pete Buttigieg on the Right Words and Deeds for Dems Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

Edward Fishman, author of Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, is back to discuss the immense power of tariffs, and economic leverage—and how Trump's understanding (or lack thereof) of these tools. Plus, Trump grumbles to British PM Keir Starmer that Ukraine isn't paying back U.S. aid, and in The Spiel, what Democrats can actually stand for beyond simply resisting Trump. Mark Cuban suggests it's about execution, not slogans.

Produced by Corey Wara

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Chokepoints and Full Throated Screams Feb 26, 2025

Show notes

Edward Fishman, author of Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, joins to discuss how global trade vulnerabilities shape geopolitics. Plus Trump's first cabinet meeting sets the stage for what's to come. And in The Spiel, Mike examines Republican town halls across the country—are the viral outbursts truly representative, or is the media cherry-picking the most dramatic moments?

Produced by Corey Wara

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