The Gist

Latest Episodes:

The Past and Future Biden Mar 22, 2019

Show notes

On The Gist, who paid for those two Chinese-born tech magnates to take photos with Trump?

In the interview, Vanderbilt professor Jonathan Metzl is here to discuss his new book Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland.

In the Spiel, litigating Biden's past.

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Solving Maternal Mortality Mar 21, 2019

Show notes

On The Gist, have you heard about the mob hit that took place a few weeks ago?

In the interview, journalist Sarah Kliff joins us to discuss maternal mortality rates in the United States, what California has done to fix it, and what the rest of the country should learn from them. Kliff is the host of Vox's The Impact.

In the Spiel, Donald Trump on John McCain's funeral.

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What Merchants of Truth Gets Right Mar 20, 2019

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On The Gist, it wouldn't just be morally right for Trump to finally denounce white nationalism. It would be politically smart.

In the interview, Jill Abramson's Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts was released to glowing reviews—but valid accusations of plagiarism and factual errors took some of that shine off. As Mike asks Abramson (a former executive editor of the New York Times), were the negative headlines so grabby that they've damned the book's valuable insights? And would that in itself prove many of her worries about journalism in the 21st century?

In the Spiel, the New York Times, biased? You don't say.

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Beto Takes a Stand Mar 19, 2019

Show notes

On The Gist, Beto O'Rourke, the countertop candidate.

In the interview, historian Rutger Bregman got in a spat with Fox host Tucker Carlson, but you wouldn't know it if it weren't for his own video of the incident. Fox never aired it, as Bregman accused Carlson of carrying water for billionaires and Carlson responded with profane insults. Bregman joins the Gist to give us the backstory on that, but not before laying out some of the progressive economic policies—with basis in American history—that he favors, Carlson's disapproval notwithstanding. Bregman is the author of Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal Worldand writes for the Correspondent.

In the Spiel, New Zealand's unity on gun control is admirable. In the big, diverse country that is the United States, things are a little more complicated.

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In New Zealand, the Internet at Its Worst Mar 16, 2019

Show notes

On The Gist, Senator Thom Tillis' op-ed, now with moral fiber!

In the interview, no one's ever had to wonder what was on tech journalist Kara Swisher's mind (she'll just tell you) and that includes the litany of Silicon Valley oligarchs she's interviewed. Swisher tells us how the modern world is very much shaped by company founders' personality quirks and blind spots, what government regulation of Google and Facebook should look like, and what women can do to get what they want in the workplace. Swisher is the co-founder of Recode and the host of its Recode Decode podcast.

In the Spiel, if you want to measure the ills that come with an increasingly connected world, look no farther than the shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand.

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Manafort in Ostrich Court Mar 15, 2019

Show notes

On The Gist, Beto O'Rourke is running for president. But should he?

In the interview, Tim Alberta, chief political correspondent for Politico, recently wrote a piece about Reps. Ilhan Omar and Dean Phillips and the current divide in the Democratic party, "The Democrat's Dilemma." Alberta is here today to discuss the difficulty facing the Democratic party as some new members of Congress seem to be pushing the party further left and whether or not that's a good thing. His upcoming book is American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump.

In the Spiel, Paul Manafort goes to Ostrich Court.

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How to Close the Justice Gap Mar 14, 2019

Show notes

On The Gist, three stray thoughts on the college admissions scandal.

In the interview, Maria Konnikova is back to talk about those naïve millennials. Last year many of them were duped into paying thousands for tickets to Billy McFarland's Fyre Festival, a glamorous event that existed in name only. That begs the question: Are millennials more susceptible to being scammed than other generations, or is that bullshit?

In the Spiel, the rich and powerful often get off easy in the court of law (case in point: Paul Manafort). But instead of throwing the book at them, maybe we should sentence everyone else a little more kindly, too.

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The Fraud Squad Mar 13, 2019

Show notes

On The Gist, Bill de Blasio flapping his arms to R. Kelly.

In the interview, Sal Gentile writes for late night television, but he lives in president Trump's mind around the clock. Every day he writes insights and jokes about Trump's latest ramblings for "A Closer Look," a segment on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers. Gentile talks about his writing process—lots of jokes go into a first draft, but only a few make the cut—and how the instinct to laugh is itself a reliable bullshit detector.

In the Spiel, the college admissions scandal involving Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.

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Let the Sun Shine in 2020 Mar 12, 2019

Show notes

On The Gist, much ado about a toothpick ban. In the interview, Wikipedia is famously edited by its own readers. And no one has made more contributions than Steven Pruitt. A third of English language pages on the site bear his mark! What goes into editing a Wikipedia page, and is it as toxic as other democratic spaces on the internet? In the Spiel, which Democratic candidate gets The Gist's vote? The one to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.

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American Carnage? It's Real Mar 09, 2019

Show notes

On The Gist, Rep. Ilhan Omar and Israel.

In the interview, the Guardian's Chris McGreal covered the deadly toll opiates take on poor American communities "long before it became fashionable because of Trump." He speaks to Purdue Pharma's zealous campaign to push OxyContin ("a chemical cousin of heroin", in the words of the New Yorker) onto doctors and patients—and the federal government's failure to stop it. McGreal is the author of American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts.

In the Spiel, another Lobstar of the Antentwig.

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