The Gist

Latest Episodes:

Music Is Sex Sep 06, 2017

Show notes

Did the sexual revolution inspire rock 'n' roll or vice versa? Was Elvis Presley a knowing sex symbol or a total innocent? Is it true that there are still blue laws on the books against playing "Tutti Frutti" after dark? NPR's music critic Ann Powers tackles these and other questions in her book, Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music.

In the Spiel, the perfect late-summer sports scandal.

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Choosing Who Gets Flooded Sep 05, 2017

Show notes

The nation has weathered another major natural disaster, and the Army Corps of Engineers once again finds itself under scrutiny. NPR's national desk correspondent Wade Goodwyn says the corps made a choice to open the floodgates of two major reservoirs in southeast Texas, flooding certain neighborhoods and sparing others.

Mike Pesca is back to take his rightful place as spieler in chief. Tuesday's topic: Jeff Sessions finally gets to stick it to the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program.

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Is Amazon a Monopoly? Sep 01, 2017

Show notes

Hosting today's Gist is Robert Smith from NPR's Planet Money.

On the show, he'll talk to Lina Khan, whose research encouraging tighter regulations on Amazon caught some heat from the company's general counsel. Khan works at the Open Markets Program, formerly housed under the New America Foundation.

And in the Spiel, Robert Smith observes a new trend in broadcast news: reporters becoming heroes on live television. What could possibly go wrong?

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Dan Savage on the Nashville Statement Aug 31, 2017

Show notes

Today's guest host is Dan Savage, from the Savage Lovecast. Dan is the internationally syndicated columnist of "Savage Love" and the author of several books. With his husband Terry Miller, he cofounded the It Gets Better project and edited the It Gets Better collection.

On The Gist, Dan talks to author Peggy Orenstein about the lack of sexual education for young women and how book tours can change the writing process. Orenstein is the author of Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape.

In the Spiel: the clueless conservatism of the Nashville Statement.

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Shake It Off, Taylor Aug 30, 2017

Show notes

Question: What's the best way to take a vacation in a Communist society? Answer: With utmost utilitarian seriousness, and possibly without your family. On this last week before Labor Day, guest host and Slate writer Leon Neyfakh talks to historian Diane Koenker about how the Soviet Union came to embrace personal holidays and reconcile them with the Communist doctrine. Koenker is the author of Club Red: Vacation Travel and the Soviet Dream.

In the Spiel, the cautionary tale of Taylor Swift's latest single.

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The Flood Trap That Houston Built Aug 29, 2017

Show notes

Slate's Henry Grabar explains how rampant building in the Houston suburbs have made the area worse for wear during Tropical Storm Harvey. And in the Spiel, guest-host Osita Nwanevu breaks his self-imposed moratorium against criticizing columnist David Brooks.

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Al Letson Became A Human Shield Aug 29, 2017

Show notes

Al Letson was just trying to cover a demonstration – an anti-hate rally in Berkeley. When he saw a group of balaclava-clad men descend on an apparent right-wing agitator, he jumped into the fray, using his body to defend the man from kicks and punches. Letson is the host of Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX.

And for the Spiel, is "#whaboom" the worst of our culture today?

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Mismatch Aug 26, 2017

Show notes

The hype surrounding the Saturday night fight between boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and MMA fighter Conor McGregor is overtly racially charged. Why? Because people are eating it up, says Wesley Morris, critic-at-large for the New York Times. Morris and Mike talk about the role of race in the NFL's treatment of Colin Kaepernick, Dana Schutz's Open Casket painting of Emmett Till, the closing of the Broadway show The Great Comet, and more. Morris is the co-host of the Still Processing podcast.

In the Spiel: We live in interesting times.

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America Is Weird About Sex Aug 25, 2017

Show notes

Understanding sexual consent is complicated. Colleges are working to clarify this issue while also policing sexual assault. But when does this cross over into legislating feelings versus facts? Vanessa Grigoriadis helps us understand the current iteration of the sexual consent debate happening on campuses today. Grigoriadis is the author of Blurred Lines: Rethinking Sex, Power, and Consent on Campus.

In the Spiel: Should we tear down statues?

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Sure, Punching Nazis Feels Good… Aug 23, 2017

Show notes

The antifa movement is resurging. It started in 1920s Europe to fight Hitler and Mussolini and has returned to oppose the current wave of xenophobia in the United States. Author Mark Bray walks us through the history of the antifa movement. Bray is the author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook.

In the Spiel: Trump's campaign speech in Phoenix.

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