The Gist

Latest Episodes:

James Comey's Ego Trip Apr 17, 2018

Show notes

On Monday's Gist, we're counting Pulitzers and powering up.

Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms sort power into two categories: old and new. Old power is like Congress: top-down, official. New power is like Facebook: decentralized, crowd-sourced. What is the best way to meld both kinds of influence to improve our lives? Heimans and Timms have the beginnings of an answer. They're the authors of New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World – and How to Make It Work for You.

In the Spiel, James Comey does seem ego-driven. That's not always a bad thing.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chemistry No More Apr 14, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, have you heard? Chemistry has been debunked. Thank Russia.

Ed Helms is best known for comedic roles—see Andy Bernard on The Office. But in the drama Chappaquiddick, Helms plays Joseph Gargan, the cousin and lawyer of Sen. Ted Kennedy. Gargan found himself in Kennedy's inner circle as the young senator came under scrutiny for his role in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne.

In the Spiel, pervs are making news again. Plus: say hello to a new Lobstar of the Antentwig.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"I Never Said That" Apr 12, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, Zuckerberg's hearings got crowded out by bigger news. Too bad.

Facts are facts, even in the greatly polarized year that is 2018. Holmes Lybrand writes the Weekly Standard's "Fact Check" series, and even though it isn't all about Trump's latest tweets and utterances, it sometimes gets readers angry.

In the Spiel, the president's saber rattling over Syria is classic Trump: The man lies about his past statements.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tax Cut Conundrum Apr 12, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, Paul Ryan cared about just one thing: cutting taxes.

Word choice is not always the most stimulating place to start an interview with an author, but it works when you're talking to Sloane Crosley. The essayist defends metaphors like "Holocaust bunk bed" and the related analogy, "as if the Brady Bunch were filmed in Nazi Germany." Crosley's latest book—a collection of essays—is Look Alive Out There.

In the Spiel, Congress failed to pin Mark Zuckerberg down.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's Regulation Time Apr 10, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, beware the rise of the despot's son-in-law.

In the interview, media scrutinizer Brooke Gladstone wrote a graphic novel about the "Influencing Machines" that we often blame modernity's problems on. Facebook is the latest of these, but this time, it's less scapegoat and more actual problem to be reckoned with. Brooke's book, illustrated by Josh Neufeld, is The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media.

In the Spiel—attorney-client privilege, dead? No it taint!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Zuck Everlasting Apr 09, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, president Trump just doesn't have the ambition to tackle a problem like Syria.

It's a critical week for Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg has two dates with Congress, where he'll be answering questions on the company's loss of millions of its users' data to Cambridge Analytica. Slate writer April Glaser tells us what to expect ahead of the hearings.

In the Spiel, the least the Trump circus can do is give us some decent TV.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrew Cuomo's Pun Problem Apr 06, 2018

Show notes

On today's show, we don't need a whole shadow Cabinet—we just need a shadow Trump.

Comedian Hari Kondabolu is back—and this time, he brought his brother. Hari came to comedy after working as a community activist, but his younger brother, Ashok, was a bit more wayward. On The Gist, Ashok recounts his life as a subway vagabond in New York City. Hari and Ashok's new podcast is called Kondabolu Brothers.

In the Spiel, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's alarming lack of pun-sense.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kevin Williamson Dies by the Sword Apr 05, 2018

Show notes

On today's Gist, London's enviable crime wave.

Plus, what will we think of the Obama presidency in 50 years? Julian Zelizer set out to get really smart people to "take a first cut" at the Obama legacy on an array of issues. One person from his brain trust is Peniel Joseph, who surveys the Obama administration's work on criminal justice. Their book is The Presidency of Barack Obama: A First Historical Assessment.

In the Spiel, why Mike rejects both tribes' arguments on the Atlantic's firing of conservative writer Kevin Williamson.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Oh Good, It Was Just a Handgun Apr 04, 2018

Show notes

On today's Gist, why the YouTube shooter's use of a handgun doesn't take anything away from arguments to outlaw the AR-15.

Plus, Radley Balko tells the story of two men who put innocent Mississippians behind bars using junk science and pseudo-expert testimony. Balko is the co-author, along with Tucker Carrington, of The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South.

In the Spiel, why the Roseanne reboot isn't harmful pop culture.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shulkin Be Sulkin' Apr 03, 2018

Show notes

On Tuesday's Gist, an ode to the end of March Madness.

Plus, Maria Konnikova returns to play our favorite game. Are parabens really bad for you? Konnikova is a contributing writer to the New Yorker and author of The Confidence Game.

In the Spiel, why David Shulkin got the boot.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected