The Gist

Latest Episodes:

Don't Worry if Baby Turns Orange Dec 19, 2017

Show notes

On the Gist, why we shouldn't fret every time companies like Netflix show how they're using our personal data.

In the interview, Maria Konnikova runs us through the foods that can turn your skin orange, blue, and red, and whether that's even a bad thing. Konnikova is the author of The Confidence Game.

In the Spiel, what the latest Star Wars movie has in common with Donald Trump.

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Jeff Ross Got Bored, So He Got Political Dec 15, 2017

Show notes

On The Gist, President Trump's judicial nominations are starting to look ridiculous.

In the interview, comedian Jeff Ross got a little tired of his shtick as a go-to roast guy for Comedy Central's famous Friars Club sendups. So he started skewering not people, but places, ideas, and institutions. His latest special, Jeff Ross Roasts the Border, takes viewers to Brownsville, Texas, a city along the U.S.-Mexico border where a huge steel fence is meant to keep migrants from crossing into the United States.

In the Spiel, bidding farewell to the legendary sports radio host, Mike Francesa.

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Revisiting Another Democratic Wave Dec 15, 2017

Show notes

Chris Hurst doesn't want you to know him as the guy whose girlfriend was fatally shot during a live broadcast. But it is a huge part of what compelled him to pursue elected office: "Part of what I want to do is … take this spotlight, that I wish I had a receipt for … 'cause I'd gladly return it, and shine it on people that aren't normally seen." Hurst is a newly elected state representative in Virginia.

For the Spiel, an exclusive clip from Donald Trump Jr.'s testimony to the House Intelligence Committee, courtesy of Maura Quint and McSweeney's.

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The Underdog and the Bully Dec 14, 2017

Show notes

On The Gist, Omarosa makes for the exits.

In honor of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees announced today, we're playing an excerpt from our live show last month, when we went over the ballot with Hit Parade host Chris Molanphy and Washington Post humorist Alexandra Petri.

In the Spiel, reflecting on the Doug Jones win in Alabama.

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It's Partisanship, Stupid Dec 12, 2017

Show notes

On The Gist, the #MeToo movement is only influential insofar as its targets can feel shame and enact accountability.

In the interview, biographer Robert Dallek accounts for Franklin D. Roosevelt's ruthless pragmatism. As president, FDR made the decision to round up 120,000 Japanese Americans to "strike resonant chords with most Americans," and he was silent on anti-lynching bills to appease Democratic segregationists who would later help him pass New Deal legislation. Dallek's book is Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life.

In the Spiel, the Alabama Senate election will come down to all registered voters, not just the roughly 26 percent who happen to be black and are reliably Democratic.

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The Abortion Fight Led Us Here Dec 12, 2017

Show notes

On The Gist, we can have sympathy for all kinds of people—just not the guy who loses all his money on bitcoin.

In the interview, Lenora Chu tells the story of her American family's rude awakening to Chinese education practices. When Chu moved her family to Shanghai, she eagerly enrolled her young son into an elite Chinese public school. She expected academic rigor and an emphasis on work ethic. But she was surprised to find authoritarian teachers and desperate, obsequious parents. What, if anything, should the U.S. borrow from the Chinese education model? Chu's book is Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve.

In the Spiel, what the abortion issue did to sort the parties.

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Drama in Alabama Dec 08, 2017

Show notes

On The Gist, is President Trump to blame for today's violence in Gaza?

In the interview, columnist John Archibald surveys the Senate race in Alabama, where Doug Jones has become the abortion candidate and Roy Moore has become the Trumpism candidate.

In the Spiel, don't talk to Mike about Trump's slurred speech.

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Can You Win as the Party of Purity? Dec 08, 2017

Show notes

On The Gist, Walmart gets a new name.

In the interview, Slate's Dahlia Lithwick thought about one thing when Senate Democrats started calling for Al Franken's resignation: Merrick Garland, which she points to as the beginning in a trend of Democrats trying to be honorable and Republicans trying to win at all costs. Are Democrats abandoning process too readily, only to see Republicans surge ahead again? Dahlia is the host of Slate's Amicus.

In the Spiel, the FBI's testimony on Capitol Hill.

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Next Falls Franken? Dec 07, 2017

Show notes

On The Gist, Slate's Jim Newell explains the moral and political case for forcing out Sen. Al Franken. Dozens of Senate Democrats called on Franken to resign after a seventh woman accused him of sexual misconduct on Tuesday.

Bob Garfield has spent much of his journalism career talking to eccentrics. In his one-man show, Ruggedly Jewish, the quest to explore his own identity dovetails with the story of an uneasy America. The show is touring in Chicago on Saturday, Dec. 9.

And for the Spiel, why President Trump's Jerusalem announcement solidifies his reputation as the chaos candidate.

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The Boys Club on the Bus Dec 06, 2017

Show notes

On The Gist, why Alabama's decrepitude is not incidental to Roy Moore's competitive bid for Senate.

In the interview, Russell Shorto tells the stories of six people living through the Revolutionary War—one is George Washington; the other five, you've probably never heard of. Shorto's book is Revolution Song.

In the Spiel, a counterpoint to Jill Filipovic's New York Times column arguing that the sexual harassers who covered the election threw the whole thing to Donald Trump.

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