The Gist

Latest Episodes:

Summit Skeptical Jun 12, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, a brief review of President Trump's roster of losers (and winners).

Clint Watts is a man of many strengths. He's a former FBI agent and a cybersecurity expert. He can break down information warfare to bleary-eyed U.S. senators. He's been known to track al-Shabaab adherents on Twitter. Watts returns to The Gist to explain how the U.S. government underestimated Russia, and how he himself fell for fake news when trying to protect his daughter. Watts' new book is Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake News.

In the Spiel, the folly of Donald Trump's new friendship with Kim Jong-un.

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G-7 Hangover Jun 12, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, if the Trump-Kim summit goes as poorly as the president's business ventures, we're doomed.

Maria Konnikova is here to smoke out false claims about cannabidiol, or the CBD oil extracted from cannabis. Can it help with insomnia, depression, and epilepsy? We find out in the latest round of "Is That Bulls—t?" Konnikova is a New Yorker contributor and author of The Confidence Game.

In the Spiel, the White House's handling of the G-7 fallout was clueless, thin-skinned, and petty. In other words: peak Trumpism.

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Comedians Can Be Well-Adjusted, Too Jun 08, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, president Trump raised the bar on what's considered a gaffe, and EPA head Scott Pruitt is taking advantage of that.

Very few comedians have never been to therapy. Jerry Seinfeld is one. Tom Papa is another. Papa tells us about cracking jokes at Minnesota Public Radio's Live From Here and his new book, Your Dad Stole My Rake: And Other Family Dilemmas.

In the Spiel, 'tis time for a Lobstar of the Antentwig (right after a response to some sexist tweets).

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#MeToo and McYoga Jun 08, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, comparing Bill Clinton to basketball great Michael Jordan.

Bikram Choudhury's status as a star yoga guru gave him license to be odd (spiritual but with a soft spot for luxury cars, and always wearing a Speedo). But there was more to it than quirkiness, as sexual assault allegations beginning in 2013 basically expelled Choudhury from the United States. ESPN's Julia Henderson practiced Bikram Yoga, before capturing the rise and fall of its founder in a five-part podcast: Bikram.

In the Spiel, punning on some of the weirder names in the news these days.

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James Clapper: Yeah, Russia Swung the Election Jun 06, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, IHOP is changing its name to IHOb. And Mike is here to make fun of that.

James Clapper was a senior intelligence adviser for both Republican and Democratic administrations. He was also part of the team that informed President-elect Donald Trump of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Now, as a private citizen, Clapper says he believes Russia actually swung the vote. "That's why you write books," says Clapper. "Because you can express your opinions freely. And I did." His latest is Facts and Fears: Hard Truths From a Life in Intelligence.

In the Spiel, our expectations of a first lady are sexist and constricting. Cut Melania Trump some slack for not fitting into them.

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So You Think You Know About Race Jun 06, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, at this point, whatever the Trump administration doesn't say under oath is very possibly untrue.

In 1963, Robert F. Kennedy met with black America's greatest artists and intellectuals to talk about race. "And they lit his ass up," according to our guest, making known just how much needed to be done to address racial inequality. Michael Eric Dyson wrote a book about the encounter and its relevance to race issues today. Dyson's book is What Truth Sounds Like.

In the Spiel, Miss America is scrapping its swimsuit competition, instantly making the United States perfectly meritocratic. Wait, not really.

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Shots Fired, but Not Really Jun 05, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, no matter how well the economy goes, pundits can always tell a scary story.

What do we get wrong about Darwinism? Evolutionary ornithologist Richard O. Prum says the theory was distorted by Victorian prudes. He explains why a closer look at bird sex shows us what's really going on with adaptation and natural selection. Prum's book is The Evolution of Beauty.

In the Spiel, yes, "unindictable" would mean the president could commit any crime he wants, even the colorful ones. But let's not get carried away.

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It's Not Just You Jun 01, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, an appreciation of the man who invented Pong.

Barbara Lipska's career as a neuroscientist did not prepare her to identify the dark effects of her own brain tumors diagnosed in 2015. There's studying a damaged brain, and then there's having one. Lipska is the author of The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery.

In the Spiel, let's hear it for the ancillary news.

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Folks, We're Talking About the C-Word Jun 01, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, Samantha Bee said it first, so let us meditate on the C-word.

In defense of Googling your own name: Kirsten Pflomm is a white woman from Connecticut who did an online search 15 years ago and discovered she was the descendant of Iceland's famous first black citizen, Hans Jonathan, who escaped slavery and became a war hero.

In the Spiel, the Nobel Peace Prize? All President Trump wants are apologies and thank-you's.

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Our Trade Snore With China May 30, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, have you heard the one about the journalist who faked his own death to dodge Russian assassins?

It's boom times for female buddy comedies. Mike talks to director Alex Richanbach and screenwriter Lauryn Kahn about their new Netflix comedy, Ibiza. Who said men have to star in all the movies about hedonistic sprees?

In the Spiel, does anyone believe we have a coherent trade policy right now?

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