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.
1726
Are Receipts Toxic?
How concerned should we be about receipt paper? Maria Konnikova helps us investigate.
16 min
1727
The Year Groove Went Mainstream
Closing out the decade, 1969 sent the sound of flower power and psychedelic pop to the top of the charts.
27 min
1728
Hot or Not: Presidents' Edition
We're talking looks, physique, and charisma.
23 min
1729
The Rogue at State
How Rex Tillerson botched the one thing he could have done to improve the State Department and please Trump.
27 min
1730
The Heroes of Colombia
Why do we know so much about Colombia's narcos and so little about the people who risked everything to fight them?
31 min
1731
Russian Doping, Revisited
We dip into the archives for our interview with Bryan Fogel about his documentary, Icarus. The film just won an Academy Award.
29 min
1732
North Korea Is Setting the Table
And we should be worried that president Trump will have a seat and be himself.
29 min
1733
No Rules for the Wicked
Kellyanne Conway's violation of the Hatch Act isn't calamitous, but it's one of countless trespasses by the Trump team.
19 min
1734
Guns, Controlled
New York State (and NYC) are shining models of how to cut gun violence.
26 min
1735
The Scapegoat in Chinatown
How did a small, family run bank in New York wind up in court after the 2008 financial crisis? An Oscar-nominated documentary tells the story.
27 min
1736
Ben Carson's Not Worth the Outrage
His "dining set" fiasco is small potatoes compared to the ongoing disaster that is the Trump administration.
26 min
1737
Rejecting Jared
In 2016, Trump insisted he wasn't trying to get a top security clearance for his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. See? Now it's finally true.
25 min
1738
Watching for a Backtrack
Trump's concessions on immigration didn't last a week. Will White House staff swoop in to revise his comments on guns, too?
24 min
1739
Heal Thyself, Dana Loesch
The NRA's spokeswoman is a capable spin doctor. But she can't live up to her own media criticism.
32 min
1740
The Abbreviated Highlight Reel of Stacey Dash
Today, in "Congressional Candidates Who Cannot Possibly Win."
31 min
1741
Dissing Dianne Feinstein
Why is a lioness of the Senate being spurned by the California Democratic Party?
29 min
1742
Don't Fall for It
Arming educators is a recipe for disaster. It's also an utterly unserious proposal.
27 min
1743
Who Can Check Big Tech?
Can the companies who build our smartphones and run our social networks be regulated? Or will they have to regulate themselves?
30 min
1744
The World Is Coming Up Roses
War, murder, poverty, and disease: They're all trending downward here on planet Earth.
30 min
1745
Free Money City
Once bankrupt, Stockton, California, will soon test the effects of universal basic income.
26 min
1746
Ban the AR-15
It's a no-brainer: Taking the mass killer's weapon of choice off store shelves would save lives.
26 min
1747
Which Side Are You On?
What the Quinn Norton fracas and the latest Twix bar marketing campaign have in common.
28 min
1748
Runaway Military Spending
Are we hiking the defense budget mostly out of habit?
22 min
1749
Spoon-Fed by the Feds
The White House's fiscal 2019 budget would cut food stamp funding, and tell its recipients what to eat.
23 min
1750
Don’t Call It a White House Shake-Up
This is the Trump administration at rest. Chaos is its equilibrium.
24 min