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.
1551
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
1552
New York’s Bad Math
By losing Amazon, it loses billions in revenue.
35 min
1553
Matt Braunger, Funny Dummy
His main advice is just to learn from your idiocy.
29 min
1554
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
1555
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
1556
Quoth the Maven
Amazon honcho Jeff Bezos could use wise counsel right about now. Fortunately, his Alexa smart speaker has just that.
23 min
1557
The Green New Deal Is a Dream
But can it actually become a reality?
32 min
1558
The State of the Union is… Overrated
Seriously, it might be the least productive day on Congress’s calendar.
26 min
1559
The Culture of Wealth
Can it really make you happy?
23 min
1560
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
1561
This Festival Was Fyre
But what was it like to actually be there?
28 min
1562
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
1563
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
1564
E Pluribus Unum, Still?
31 min
1565
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
1566
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
1567
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
1568
The Dismissal of Kamala Harris
We shouldn’t dismiss her before the 2020 race even starts.
23 min
1569
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
1570
For 2020, Steve King Is Dead Weight
Steve King’s rhetoric is nothing new. But his party’s reaction is.
30 min
1571
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
1572
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
1573
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
1574
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
1575
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