The Gist

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**The Gist**

For thirty minutes each day, Pesca challenges himself and his audience, in a responsibly provocative style, and gets beyond the rigidity and dogma. The Gist is surprising, reasonable, and willing to critique the left, the right, either party, or any idea.

Latest Episodes:

Mike on Uncertain Things and Vanderpump Robs Apr 05, 2025

Show notes

Two segments from Mikes appearances on Uncertain Things and Vanderpump Robs.

Take a listen to Uncertain Things

Take a listen to Vanderpump Robs

Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

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Funny You Should Mention Season 2 - Alex Edelman Apr 04, 2025

Show notes

Comedian Alex Edelman joins this episode of Funny You Should Mention. Alex's hit one-man show Just For Us was a Broadway sensation and is now streaming on Max. In this conversation, we talk about the anatomy of a bad set, the five constituencies for a joke, and what it takes to turn a pile of bits into a fully realized piece of theater. Plus: how being "right" can be the biggest obstacle to being funny.

Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist

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Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack

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

Not Even Mad: Sarah Isgur and Sarada Peri Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

In this "Not Even Mad" episode, Sarah Isgur of The Dispatch and former Obama speech writer Sarada Peri dig into "massive cuts under DOGE, Cory Booker's latest stemwinder, recent election results, and somehow, Chester A. Arthur crashes the party.

Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist

Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g

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Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack

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

Crocodile vs. Bombshell Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

Harry Holzer—former Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor—joins to discuss his concerns over Biden-era regulations alienating voters and thwarting progress. Plus, large protests in Zimbabwe pit Emmerson "The Crocodile" Mnangagwa against crowds urged on by Blessed "Bombshell" Geza. And Democrats embark on their "We Don't Hate You" tour in an attempt to reconnect with alienated voters.

Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist

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Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g

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Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack

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.

David Pakman Calls Out Right-Wing Lies—and Is Challenged on the Left's Spin Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

On this, the eve of "Liberation Day," as key House and judicial races loom, we're joined by David Pakman to discuss his new book, The Echo Machine: How Right-Wing Extremism Created a Post-Truth America. Pakman argues that conservative media and politicians have constructed a parallel reality that undermines Americans' ability to think critically. But Pakman is also pressed on whether certain narratives on the left are similarly misleading, and if so, how much they contribute to the broader erosion of public trust.

Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist

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Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack

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.

The Ideological Brain with Dr. Leor Zmigrod Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

A look at what makes some minds more prone to radical beliefs—and why, with Dr. Leor Zmigrod author of The Ideological Brain: The Radical Science of Flexible Thinking, .

Plus, close read of how Judge James Boasberg has become a punching bag for those claiming he coddles Venezuelan deportees while harshing on Jan 6 rioters. The actual court documents—and his sentencing decisions—suggest a far more evenhanded story. And applying the "Michael Clayton Doctrine" to Greenland.

Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist

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Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g

Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM

Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack

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

Mike on The Mark Reardon Show Mar 29, 2025

Show notes

Today on The Gist. We play Mikes appearance on The Mark Reardon Show and play an interview from 2022 with Rafael A. Mangual on Depolicing.

Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist

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Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g

Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM

Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack

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.

Trump Loves Women and Many Other Things Mar 28, 2025

Show notes

A Turkish student at Tufts University was detained by ICE, but the only evidence presented so far is a co-signed campus op-ed critical of Israeli policy—raising serious concerns about the bounds of political expression and immigration enforcement. Also, an interview with former FBI Agent Scott Payne, author of Code Name: Pale Horse: How I Went Undercover to Expose America's Nazis. Plus, Trump loves women, Ireland, Tesler, and Bobby Knight—maybe even all at once.

Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist

Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g

Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM

Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack

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

Code Name: Pale Horse — Scott Payne vs. the American Reich Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

Scott Payne is an undercover FBI agent who infiltrated America's modern Nazis under the ominous alias Pale Horse. Plus, Trump's back on the tariff train, this time hitting autos, but we dig into the unseen economic cost of shoehorning jobs into unproductive places. And part 4 of the discussion of a police shooting in the NYC subway becomes a case study in media malpractice, this time focusing on public radio.

Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist

Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g

Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM

Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack

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.

Trump's Revenge Mar 26, 2025

Show notes

Alex Isenstadt, national political reporter for Politico and author of Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power discusses how Trump's inner circle handles the boss. Plus, a House hearing with more culture war than clarity over the governance of NPR and PBS.

Produced by Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist

Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/

Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g

Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM

Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack

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.