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.
2101
40 Years for Genocide
After hiding in plain sight for years, this Bosnian War criminal’s sentence has made him a symbol for anti-Serb conspiracy theories.
25 min
2102
The Height of Clinton-Era Pop Music
Remembering Billboard hits from 1999, when MTV’s Total Request Live was huge, and our biggest pop stars were teenagers.
24 min
2103
Crazy Funny with Sara Benincasa, Chris Gethard,...
It’s official. All comedians but Seinfeld are insane. (And maybe Seinfeld.)
18 min
2104
1,145 Police Killings
We have terrible statistics from the Justice Department about police killings in America, so a team of Guardian journalists started their own count.
23 min
2105
When Words Change World Events
Use your words, but don’t forget to use spellcheck, too.
22 min
2106
The Secret Genius of the T-Shirt Cannon
We tear apart and affirm some of the most notorious myths about the power of sports over our brains.
27 min
2107
A Triumph of Small Talk
Slate’s Ruth Graham demonstrates a crucial social lubricant while telling us about the weather.
22 min
2108
Are The Dangers of GMOs BS?
Maria Konnikova explains the real effects of genetically modified Frankenfood on humanity.
27 min
2109
All Things Horse Race
As the Super Tuesday 2 results roll in, here’s everything you ever wondered but were too afraid to ask Harry Enten from FiveThirtyEight.
26 min
2110
The Duke Lacrosse Case, 10 Years Later
The new ESPN documentary Fantastic Lies left out one of its interviewees, author William D. Cohan. We bring you our interview with him from 2014.
24 min
2111
The Year of Travolta
In 1978, even the Rolling Stones had a disco hit. We discuss the year the center of culture slipped away from the rockers.
28 min
2112
Ctrl-Alt-DESTROY
Slate’s Fred Kaplan joins us to share the secret history of U.S. cyberwarfare.
27 min
2113
The Things That Dreams Are Made Of
Our host once had a dream where Joe Biden told him to “go diagonal.” What could it mean?
19 min
2114
What Detroit Gave America
Author David Maraniss tells the story of the city that brought us cars, Motown, the labor movement, and the civil rights movement.
18 min
2115
Is Torture Ever Worthwhile?
On The Gist, can we use game theory to make the case for or against the use of torture during an investigation? We explore various models compiled in Does Torture Work? with our guest John Schiemann from Fairleigh Dickinson University. For the Spiel,...
30 min
2116
Adam Davidson Makes Negative Interest Rates Pos...
On The Gist, Adam Davidson explains the latest experimental development of a desperate economy—negative interest rates. Davidson is columnist for the New York Times Magazine and host of a new podcast with Adam McKay called Surprisingly...
23 min
2117
Would I Be Happier in an Arranged Marriage?
On The Gist, the story behind the so-called Chinese curse “may you live in interesting times.” Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker tells us about international efforts to find the recipe for a happy, lasting marriage. She’s...
27 min
2118
Trump’s Tiny Little Lead
On The Gist, Josh Putnam from Frontloading HQ explains what last night’s Super Tuesday results mean when you do the delegate math. He’s a lecturer at the University of Georgia, where he specializes in campaigns and elections. For the...
22 min
2119
This Podcast Is for Losers
On The Gist, do we have more to learn from losers than winners? Huffington Post senior politics editor Sam Stein joins us to share the stories behind his podcast Candidate Confessional. For the Spiel, Mike reveals his workout secrets.
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24 min
2120
Bernie Down the House
On The Gist, writer Matt Bruenig makes the case for electing Bernie Sanders and explains why the candidate’s top economic advisors say his policies could bring 5.3 percent gross national product growth. For the Spiel, a post-Oscars joke...
24 min
2121
Chappelle's Show Co-Creator Neal Brennan
On The Gist, we speak with the brilliant comic mind Neal Brennan about his new one-man comedy show 3 Mics. It’s showing at the Lynn Redgrave Theater in New York City through mid-March. For the Spiel, a crazy 24 hours in presidential politics....
28 min
2122
What’s Next for #OscarsSoWhite?
On The Gist, why the Oscars matter to the future of Hollywood. We discuss the ideas behind #OscarsSoWhite with Slate’s Aisha Harris and NPR TV critic Eric Deggans. Aisha recently wrote “Why Creed’s Best Picture Snub...
33 min
2123
Whale News!
On The Gist, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker explains Sigmund Freud’s lasting contributions to psychiatry and castration anxiety everywhere. She’s the author of The Confidence Game. For the Spiel, we dive into whale news from...
22 min
2124
Yuge Tariffs
On The Gist, Adam Davidson explains why he’s rarely enthusiastic about any politicians. How does he feel about experimentations with the American economy proposed by Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders? He’s a columnist for the New York Times...
27 min
2125
Is Bernie’s Agenda More Than Imaginary?
On The Gist, an important update on the Brexit. Then, William Galston joins us to discuss the practical considerations for executing a Bernie Sanders agenda. Can it be done from the executive branch alone? Galston is a senior fellow in Governance...
23 min