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.
1351
Solving Maternal Mortality
How California fixed its maternal health crisis
26 min
1352
What Merchants of Truth Gets Right
Valid accusations of plagiarism shouldn’t tar Jill Abramson’s entire book. And if they do, that would only be prove her point on our hair-trigger news environment.
35 min
1353
Beto Takes a Stand
We may not know much about Beto O’Rourke’s political stances, but his physical one—atop diner countertops—is clear.
29 min
1354
In New Zealand, the Internet at Its Worst
The man who murdered dozens of worshippers in Christchurch didn’t get his twisted ideas from nowhere. Our increasingly connected world is to blame.
32 min
1355
Manafort in Ostrich Court
Paul Manafort might be able to sidestep Federal court, but there’s one court of law he can’t dodge.
27 min
1356
How to Close the Justice Gap
The best move for society would be to sentence the powerless—not just the likes of Paul Manafort—with leniency.
31 min
1357
The Fraud Squad
Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were indicted for fraud in a college admissions scam.
35 min
1358
Let the Sun Shine in 2020
Pro tip for the Democratic candidate looking to stand out: Setting our clocks to Daylight Saving Time permanently is where it’s at.
30 min
1359
American Carnage? It’s Real
The opioid epidemic inflicted war-like casualties for years before getting national attention.
31 min
1360
The Endless Fact Check
Keeping up with Trump’s lies is basically a full-time job.
27 min
1361
The Unbelievably Bad Michael Jackson Defense
It’s hard to take an argument seriously when it’s executed so poorly.
33 min
1362
Top Chef, the Anti-Reality TV?
The kitchen is a treacherous place, but Top Chef competitor David Viana says the vibe on set was medium-well.
33 min
1363
The Incoherent Right
Their indulgence in Trump’s rhetoric is intolerable.
29 min
1364
Believing Jackson’s Accusers
HBO’s Leaving Neverland presents the stories of Jackson’s alleged victims in grueling, compelling detail.
27 min
1365
Is AOC Post-Truth Too?
As fact-checkers cover Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, should “larger truth” get any consideration? It’s complicated.
21 min
1366
Michael Cohen Isn’t Smart
He just did what Trump told him.
18 min
1367
The Spring Breaker Vote
High schoolers in Oregon are using their upcoming vacation to rally for a lower voting age.
25 min
1368
Mayor for America
Pete Buttigieg has hit success as mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Could he make the leap to president?
30 min
1369
Billionaire Bashing Is Just for Sport
America’s billionaires don’t make the rest of us any poorer.
32 min
1370
A Show, But a Riddle Too
Netflix’s Russian Doll is structured in such a way—its main character stuck in a time loop—that it could be watched in any order.
34 min
1371
The Viability of Bernie Sanders
Can his policy ideas work in this newly progressive Democratic party?
32 min
1372
The Chinese Threat is Overblown
The huge challenges posed by global warming and nuclear armament can only be met with U.S.-China cooperation.
28 min
1373
New York’s Bad Math
By losing Amazon, it loses billions in revenue.
35 min
1374
Matt Braunger, Funny Dummy
His main advice is just to learn from your idiocy.
29 min
1375
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Seconds
A podcast host pressed his colleague for details about advising presidential hopeful Howard Schultz. It didn’t end well.
30 min