The Gist

Latest Episodes:

Lights, Camera, Sexism Jul 26, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, let's imagine what's in that "enhanced" Michael Cohen tape.

Born in the 1990s, the 24-hour news cycle was especially unkind to women. The media of the age consistently bashed women's sexuality, ambition, and presentation of women such as Monica Lewinsky and Nancy Kerrigan (case in point: a Washington Post article that asked, "Is Nancy a bitch?"). Journalist Allison Yarrow explores this double-standard and its repercussions in her new book, 90s Bitch: Media, Culture, and the Failed Promise of Gender Equality.

In the Spiel, that was an interesting interview, right? To go with it, Mike pulls statistics on the plight of American women in the '90s compared with the '80s.

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The BS! It's Everywhere! Jul 25, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, President Trump's high approval ratings aren't as significant as they seem.

America is a playground for the rich, and that's in good part because of the expansion of lobbying that started in the 1970s. Steven Brill lays out the many ways in which power begets power in Tailspin: The People and Forces Behind America's Fifty-Year Fall—and Those Fighting to Reverse It.

In the Spiel, keeping track of Trump's bullshit claims is truly God's work.

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When Death Row Stalls Jul 23, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, we're proposing a 2018 Housing and Urban Development festival in Sonoma, California.

Convicted killer Scott Dozier was scheduled to become Nevada's first executed inmate since 2006, until the procedure was canceled with just hours to go. That wasn't a victory for Dozier, who has dropped his appeals and spoken out to the media—including Vice's Gianna Toboni—about his willingness to die.

In the Spiel, how our president reaches out to foreign leaders.

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Bobcat Revival Jul 20, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, ideals are better when kept as general as possible because the more specific the get, the more exclusive they become.

Bobcat Goldthwait made a name for himself with an oddball stand-up act complete with shrieks, grunts, and experimental jokes. But some 10 years after burying that character, his latest work is as a writer and director. His TruTV anthology series, Misfits & Monsters, mashes up television tropes within the genres of horror and comedy.

In the Spiel, Zoe Chace explains why we should stop hoping for Republican senators to stop Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court appointment.

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Democracy Dies in Dark Money Jul 19, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, about those outlandish celebrity baby names.

When the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision made unlimited campaign contributions legal, one state put up a fight. In Dark Money, documentary filmmaker Kim Reed and journalist John Adams exposed the influence of anonymous campaign contributions on Montana's state government even before the Supreme Court rubber-stamped the problem.

In the Spiel, would the high road be so easy to take if Papa John's pizza were delicious?

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A Piece of Pai Jul 19, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, Girl Scouts are earning cybersecurity merit badges.

Sinclair Broadcast Group is trying to acquire Tribune Media so it can extend its television reach, but Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is throwing up roadblocks, which is odd because Sinclair is so pro-Trump. NPR's David Folkenflik joins us to explain exactly what's going on and why Pai is hindering the company he previously seemed to help.

In the Spiel, Vladimir Putin's denials that he has Donald Trump in his pocket.

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The Schoolyard President Jul 18, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, the crocodile massacre in Indonesia that got no attention.

Work-life balance gets a lot of lip service, but we rarely pull it off. Brigid Schulte, host of the Better Life Lab podcast, is looking for solutions in a world of late-night work emails, shaky job security, and Workaholics Anonymous meetings. Better Life Lab is a partnership of Slate and New America.

In the Spiel, president Trump's mea culpa was delivered with all the skill of a fourth-grader.

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Are You Being Servered? Jul 16, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, Trump's press conference with Putin and the red herrings involved.

Silicon Valley is steeped in self-made mythology, with stories about giants like Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Marissa Mayer. But how did Silicon Valley really come into being? Adam Fisher, whose new book is Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley, joins us to discuss where it all started—and the valley's potential future.

In the Spiel, how journalists should respond to criticisms of the media and how they should hold talk show guests accountable.

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Pardon the Arson Jul 13, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, it turns out your ethnicity is really easy to guess.

AnneMarie Sgarlata got rid of her TV months ago, but she still heard about President Trump's pardon of Dwight and Steven Hammond this week—and she wasn't happy. Sgarlata was among the lawyers who originally prosecuted the Hammonds for burning federal land and putting the lives of firefighters, hunters, and a teenage boy at risk.

In the Spiel, what America's political parties can learn from cereal brand mascots.

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A Cancer on the Court Jul 13, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, the biases of Peter Strzok and the need to connect accusations with actual evidence.

President Trump's first appointment to the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, benefited from anonymous donations worth millions. To Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, this "dark money" has created a frightening loop: Deemed lawful by the Supreme Court in 2010, it gives special interests a lock not just on elected officials, but on the courts themselves.

In the Spiel, Trump might not know the difference between Wisconsin and Minnesota.

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