The Gist

Latest Episodes:

Ben Carson's Not Worth the Outrage Mar 06, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, if iHeart Media wants to do better, they really ought to change their name.

Did you watch the Oscars? Did you think they were a little lame? Writer Catie Lazarus provides a safe space for your Academy Awards–related shade. Lazarus is host of the Employee of the Month Show. Come see it live on March 15 in New York with guests Hannibal Buress, Emily Mortimer, Alex Lacamoire, and the Resistance Revival Chorus.

In the Spiel, don't let Ben Carson's $31,000 fiasco distract you from the ongoing travesty that is the White House.

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Rejecting Jared Mar 03, 2018

Show notes

Well, what do you know? In 2016, Trump tweeted that he wasn't trying to get a top security clearance for his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. A year later, he's finally right.

On The Gist, what's so special about an octopus? Slate's Daniel Engber has a takedown of the many-armed beast of the deep: The research on cephalopod intelligence is flimsy, he says, and the octopus is hardly the first animal to have fascinated us with its methods of escape.

In the Spiel, it's time to name another Lobstar.

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Watching for a Backtrack Mar 02, 2018

Show notes

Today on The Gist, a unified theory of Donald Trump.

Plus, Trump dragged his fellow Republicans and made his Democrats grin like Cheshire cats at the televised meeting on gun control. What are the chances that the White House lets Trump's comments stand? Mike talks to Slate politics writer Jim Newell.

In the Spiel, the president has a lot of retrograde ideas that suit him. Here's one that doesn't: steel tariffs.

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Heal Thyself, Dana Loesch Mar 01, 2018

Show notes

Quick, who's the Federal Reserve chairman? If you can't remember, take heart: Our minds are filled to capacity with the flotsam and jetsam of the Trump White House.

On The Gist, are you as virtuous as you think? Likely not. Christian Miller delved into social science research to find out if we tend to misjudge the strength of our own moral fiber. Miller's book is The Character Gap: How Good Are We?

In the Spiel, NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch has a hard time living up to her own media criticism.

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The Abbreviated Highlight Reel of Stacey Dash Feb 28, 2018

Show notes

Hang onto your skirts: Clueless co-star Stacey Dash is running for Congress.

On The Gist, returning champion Maria Konnikova is back to sum up the social science on poker tells: Are they BS? Konnikova writes for the New Yorker and is the author of The Confidence Game.

In the Spiel, we should acknowledge our progress.

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Dissing Dianne Feinstein Feb 27, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, President Trump's latest poetry reading.

Last week on the show, we talked about the manifold reasons for optimism in the world. This week, Harvard cognitive scientist Steven Pinker builds on that argument, adding that we've had a roughly 300-year run of steady improvements in technology, health, and civility. It just so happens that the only thing as constant as human progress is our tendency to focus on human shortcomings. Pinker's latest book is Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.

In the Spiel, why it should be worrying that the California Democratic Party snubbed Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

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Don't Fall for It Feb 23, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, Trump boosted an empty idea at CPAC: arming teachers to stop mass shooters.

In the interview, Derek DelGaudio is the magician of our time. His one-man show, In & of Itself, questions identity in a political atmosphere that's consumed by it.

In the Spiel, "unsubstantiated" stories about Trump's lecherous behavior on the set of The Apprentice are obviously, completely, and sadly believable.

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Who Can Check Big Tech? Feb 23, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, NBC's coverage of Olympic athletes' backstories is a little too obvious.

Slate tech writers April Glaser and Will Oremus examine the most plausible methods for reining in our tech overlords. Glaser and Oremus are the hosts of Slate's If Then.

In the Spiel, NRA honcho Wayne LaPierre's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference was downright loony.

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The World Is Coming Up Roses Feb 22, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek will be moderating a gubernatorial debate in Pennsylvania. Mike says no thanks.

In the interview, Gregg Easterbrook is ever the optimist. Despite what your push alerts and Facebook news feed are telling you, the world is steadily getting safer, wealthier, and less afflicted by war and disease. Easterbrook is the author of It's Better Than It Looks: Reasons for Optimism in an Age of Fear.

In the Spiel, gun control advocates shouldn't compromise.

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Free Money City Feb 21, 2018

Show notes

On The Gist, Team USA's low medal count would be a bummer if these Winter Olympics weren't so goofy.

In the interview, Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs didn't campaign on universal basic income, but he's bringing it to his city. Later this year, some residents will start getting $500 a month.

In the Spiel, conservative commentators have it plain wrong when it comes to gun control.

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