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.
1801
Writing Cop Fiction in the Age of Black Lives M...
Crime writer Don Winslow on the deep research that goes into writing modern crime fiction
20 min
1802
I Hate This, Don’t Quote Me
In one paragraph, Washington Post reporter Marc Fisher held the line against anonymous sources and “outright awfulness.”
28 min
1803
Big Turmoil in Big Sky Country
Anne Helen Petersen returns to discuss her new posting—covering politics in Montana for BuzzFeed.
27 min
1804
The Rise and Reign of Unruly Women
In her new book, author Anne Helen Petersen on how our culture treats women defying norms.
26 min
1805
Do Radicals Change the World?
Author Jeremy McCarter on the five people who changed the course of America in 1917.
31 min
1806
Scaachi Koul on Surviving the Trolls
It helps to stay off Twitter.
25 min
1807
The Musings of Wallace Shawn
The playwright and actor on the struggle of making a creative statement in the face of political chaos.
28 min
1808
Is Terrorism Coverage Racist?
A few problems with the recent study suggesting white terrorists get less media play than Muslim terrorists.
29 min
1809
Lies vs. BS
A handy guide to parsing the president’s tweets.
25 min
1810
Jon Ronson on Writing the Year’s Wildest Movie
The Welsh journalist on his new movie, the meat-is-murder fantasy adventure Okja.
26 min
1811
The Delicate Art of Political Persuasion
Robb Willer on how to reframe debates in a way the “other side” will understand.
25 min
1812
He Ate Human Flesh for Science
Bill Schutt on his comprehensive new book, Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History
27 min
1813
Awk-ward!
Why does awkwardness make us so uncomfortable?
28 min
1814
Autocrats Can’t Take a Joke
Comedian Bassem Youssef satirized two Egyptian presidents. They were not amused.
23 min
1815
Larry Wilmore is Black on the Air
The comedian talks about his new podcast and why satire can’t change minds.
32 min
1816
What We Get Wrong About Mass Incarceration, Pt. II
Criminal justice quant John Pfaff says to bring down the prison population we must rein in prosecutors. Can that be done?
22 min
1817
What We Get Wrong About Mass Incarceration, Pt. I
Hint: It’s not about the feds, it’s about local prosecutors.
25 min
1818
Why So Morose About Lactose?
Our resident debunker, Maria Konnikova, on the truth and the fiction about nondairy milks.
26 min
1819
O Great Confessor Google
Seth Stephens-Davidowitz combs internet search data to uncover secrets that elude pollsters.
29 min
1820
You Can’t Say That, Mr. Senator
Guest host Zoe Chace talks to Al Franken about jokes you can’t say out loud in Washington.
35 min
1821
The Path of Most Resistance
New Republic editor Jeet Heer on how the election of Donald Trump has remade the Democratic Party.
27 min
1822
A Playwright in the Rust Belt
Lynn Nottage on her Pulitzer Prize–winning Broadway show Sweat.
23 min
1823
Donald Trump, Body Snatcher
Why is it so hard to talk about Trump without sounding like warmed-over commentary on CNN?
23 min
1824
The Colony and the Nation
MSNBC host Chris Hayes on how the law-and-order policies of Richard Nixon have created a bifurcated America
33 min
1825
Ben Wittes Digs Out
The editor of Lawfare returns to wade through the past two weeks’ worth of ENSH (errant national security horses--t).
27 min