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.
1401
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
1402
Open Season For America’s Wars
President Trump may want sudden troop withdrawals, but he still enjoys post-9/11 America’s carte blanche for the use of military force.
31 min
1403
Quoth the Maven
Amazon honcho Jeff Bezos could use wise counsel right about now. Fortunately, his Alexa smart speaker has just that.
23 min
1404
The Green New Deal Is a Dream
But can it actually become a reality?
32 min
1405
The State of the Union is… Overrated
Seriously, it might be the least productive day on Congress’s calendar.
26 min
1406
The Culture of Wealth
Can it really make you happy?
23 min
1407
To Russia With Love
It may not be a smoking gun, but the Trump campaign team was so foolish as to stun even the Kremlin officials they spoke with.
30 min
1408
This Festival Was Fyre
But what was it like to actually be there?
28 min
1409
Kids Are Weird. You Can Be Weird Too.
Author Hillary Frank is here to give you permission to tell white lies and make everything a game.
25 min
1410
Medicare for All, Dissent From None
If Democrats insist there’s only one right answer on health care, they risk squabbling their way to defeat in 2020.
27 min
1411
E Pluribus Unum, Still?
31 min
1412
Stone Cold Weirdos
Whatever comes of Roger Stone’s indictment, his is a great showcase of how odd one human being can get.
29 min
1413
Big Tent Primaries
Former DNC chair Donna Brazile welcomes the huge field of 2020 candidates (and as for Capitol Hill, she digs Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez).
30 min
1414
Digital Journalism, a Market Failure
The layoffs hitting journalism have nothing to do with its quality—and everything to do with Google and Facebook.
29 min
1415
The Dismissal of Kamala Harris
We shouldn’t dismiss her before the 2020 race even starts.
23 min
1416
Will #MeToo Face the Music?
R. Kelly may be going down, but veteran critic Jessica Hopper sees a long road ahead for the music industry.
26 min
1417
For 2020, Steve King Is Dead Weight
Steve King’s rhetoric is nothing new. But his party’s reaction is.
30 min
1418
Know Your Memes, or Be Fooled by Them
The internet’s briefest form of (dis)information is here to stay. So what’s the best way to understand it?
28 min
1419
Tax Their Stuff, Not Their Money
Raising income taxes on America’s richest wouldn’t bring in that much cash. A wealth tax is where it’s really at.
28 min
1420
Stop Going Nuclear
Nuclear power is too dangerous for use as an energy source. Take it from the guy who chaired a nuclear commission under Obama.
32 min
1421
Against Steve King, Words Aren’t Enough
Republican lawmakers are calling out the racist congressman well enough. But don’t hold your breath for action.
26 min
1422
The Future (of A.I.) Is Chinese
Every year, Eurasia Group puts out a list of top geopolitical risks. In 2019, China looms large in many of them.
31 min
1423
When Fact Meets Fiction
How a documentary filmmaker crafted his first fiction feature, and why it draws so much on his past styles.
26 min
1424
The Kids Are Not All Right
Millennial anxiety comes through in exhaustion over even basic errands (you know, “adulting”).
28 min
1425
Addressing the Facts
Will Donald Trump’s Oval Office address contain any truth at all?
29 min