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.
1651
Is the Iran Deal a Dud?
Slate's Joshua Keating says our focus on Iran kept us from putting out fires across the Middle East.
23 min
1652
The Longest War Is Lost
Steve Coll paints a bleak picture of America’s military involvement in Afghanistan. Pakistan has a lot to do with it.
26 min
1653
America Adrift
Ian Bremmer says the “America First” doctrine could work, if it were implemented like a long-term strategy—but that’s not happening.
28 min
1654
Phil Rosenthal Eats the World
The TV writer's food obsession started with chopped-up garlic.
28 min
1655
Philly vs. Boston
Both cities have a reputation for being obnoxious. But which is worse?
28 min
1656
LBJ, Reconsidered
Without Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency, there would be little welfare state for the GOP to undercut in the first place.
24 min
1657
We Still Have No U.S. Ambassador to South Korea
The Trump White House nixed a well-qualified candidate who discouraged a preventive military strike against North Korea.
30 min
1658
When All the Jobs Are Gone
Author Amy Goldstein went to Janesville, Wisconsin, to see how people coped when their local economy vanished. In short: It’s really hard.
27 min
1659
The Scholarly Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The NBA great sees #BlackLivesMatter as a continuation of the civil rights era that shaped his youth.
25 min
1660
Good Night, Portlandia
Carrie Brownstein's series mocks the region she's from just gently enough.
31 min
1661
He Got Trump’s Taxes
Reporter David Cay Johnston gave the public the first look at Donald Trump’s taxes. He thinks Robert Mueller will show us more.
28 min
1662
Odds, Ends, and Senators
A mathematical computation about the midterms that's, in the words of our expert, "sort of hideously irrelevant."
31 min
1663
MSG Is A-OK
Dan Pashman hosts a food podcast—and dinner parties. In both capacities, he’s big on monosodium glutamate.
30 min
1664
The Dems Have a Bad Hand
Conservative Democratic voters are to blame for Chuck Schumer's move on DACA.
25 min
1665
One Year Down
The hosts of Slate’s Trumpcast dish on the Mueller investigation and Trump’s first year in office.
31 min
1666
Busted: A Gist Productions Parody
Relive the “fake news” media’s greatest mistreatment of the guy who’s just trying to “Make America Great Again.”
27 min
1667
Wait and CR
The continuing resolution is the worst thing in politics.
26 min
1668
Nukes and Crannies
President Trump likes to bluster. But when will North Korea see that as more than talk, and react accordingly?
30 min
1669
Teenage Brains Are Just Different
We’re still learning about how the mind of an adolescent is only half-baked.
22 min
1670
Is Trump Insane? Does It Matter?
Grill him for his deeds, not his ditzy moments.
28 min
1671
A Cry for Self-Help
Books that promise “a new you” often don’t cure us, but they sure can expose our greatest anxieties.
26 min
1672
Radio Reconciliation
Rwanda’s radio programming fueled the country’s infamous genocide in 1994. Could it also help it heal?
30 min
1673
What to Make of Fire and Fury
NPR’s media correspondent says Michael Wolff’s new book is kicking off a more honest conversation on the president’s fitness to hold office.
26 min
1674
Going for Gridiron
Jen Welter grew up without female role models in the NFL. Then she joined the Arizona Cardinals.
34 min
1675
Move to the Center or Keep on Losing
If Democrats want to win back the blue-collar vote, they may need a bigger tent.
32 min