The Gist

Latest Episodes:

Ben Wittes on the Latest News Bomb Jul 11, 2017

Show notes

Lawfare's Benjamin Wittes on the latest #ENSH (errant national security horses---) and the brewing scandal surrounding Donald Trump Jr.'s emails.

In the Spiel, we're going back to the event that set all this in motion: the Miss Universe pageant of 2013.

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Twitter Should Drop Trump Already Jul 10, 2017

Show notes

The jobs report has been good, the U.S. isn't in a shooting war, and the economy is booming. So why is Trump still in the high 30s in terms of popularity? Political scientist Seth Masket says it's because of Trump's abrasive presence on Twitter. Masket recently made the case for why it's in everyone's best interest for the president and the social media giant to part ways in the Pacific Standard.

In the Spiel, Kellyanne Conway, the gift that keeps on giving.

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In Defense of Ombudsmen Jul 07, 2017

Show notes

Daniel Okrent did not have a lot of fun as the first public editor for the New York Times. "I was like internal affairs in a police department," said Okrent. "Nobody liked to see me coming." That said, Okrent defends the role ombudsmen play at news organizations, and he thinks the Times messed up earlier this year when it axed the public editor position.

In the Spiel, there was no Labrador at the Trump-Putin meeting, so … good sign?

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Centrists Won't Save Health Care Jul 06, 2017

Show notes

Conservative Philip Klein doesn't think the presence of moderate senators means we'll get better health care policy. "Centrists always get credit and adoration by many elements of the media for talking to the other side and not being ideologically rigid," he says. "But I think that's another way of saying they can be bought off easily." Klein writes about health policy for the Washington Examiner.

Also, the failing New York Times op-ed.

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Chris Christie's Biggest Mistake Jul 05, 2017

Show notes

Gov. Chris Christie's time in the national spotlight has been full of bloopers. But no goof appears as consequential as his call to cancel the ARC project, halting construction of an additional train tunnel between New Jersey and New York City. WNYC's Matt Katz explains why Christie killed ARC.

In the Spiel, Chris Christie and the fat-man theory of optics.

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The Incredible Eddie Izzard Jul 03, 2017

Show notes

Eddie Izzard once thought about playing piano for a living. He's done one professional show. It was in front of tens of thousands of people. That's because fans will watch the comedian do pretty much anything, from running marathons, to telling jokes in German. His new book is Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death and Jazz Chickens.

Also, we celebrate an unheralded date in history: July 3rd.

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Invisibilia Questions Your Emotions Jun 30, 2017

Show notes

NPR's Hanna Rosin and Alix Spiegel explain what they learned about feelings from their third season of Invisibilia. Society has come around to the idea that emotions are a force to be reckoned with – is that a good thing?

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

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Writing Cop Fiction in the Age of Black Lives Matter Jun 29, 2017

Show notes

Crime writer Don Winslow says writing a novel about cops and cartels involves some pretty serious research. "In researching these books," says Winslow, "I meet people. I've been to the funerals, talked to the cops. I've made the sympathy calls!" His newest book, about the NYPD, is The Force.

In the Spiel, Trump's worst tweet yet! Oh boy.

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I Hate This, Don't Quote Me Jun 28, 2017

Show notes

Reporter Marc Fisher explains why he called out a classic game of D.C. deceit in the pages of the Washington Post. And Michelle LaRue, the official Gist penguin expert, returns to explain some news about those troublesome birds.

In the Spiel, how would a normal president handle our world affairs?

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Big Turmoil in Big Sky Country Jun 27, 2017

Show notes

Anne Helen Petersen returns to discuss her new posting—as the Western correspondent for BuzzFeed. Petersen will be reporting on U.S. political culture from her new home, Missoula, Montana. "There's a reason every newspaper used to have bureaus in every part of the country," says Petersen, who recently covered the recent razor-thin House race in which notorious Republican Greg Gianforte came out on top.

On the Spiel, when everything becomes a calamity, nothing is a calamity.

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