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.
2126
Adam Tries to Ruin a Horrible Election
In his new TV special, professional killjoy Adam Conover of Adam Ruins Everything takes on the 2016 campaign.
26 min
2127
The Case Against Dropping College Debt
New Yorker contributing writer Adam Davidson says the country’s education system exacerbates inequality. But eliminating student loan payments wouldn’t help either.
27 min
2128
Do the Best and Brightest Ever Become President?
Elliott Kalan used to be the head writer for The Daily Show. Now, he studies presidents. And guess what: Most of them weren’t very good.
23 min
2129
Rapid Response: Cirque du Debate
Welcome, fellow voters, to the Punch and Judy show.
11 min
2130
Jill Stein Pitches a Green Foreign Policy
The Green Party presidential candidate says de-escalating tensions with Russia should be our top priority. And neither major party candidate is up to the job.
30 min
2131
How Do You Prep to Debate a Dumpster Fire?
Jonathan Prince has prepared several Democratic candidates before major debates. Here’s his advice for Hillary Clinton.
26 min
2132
The Secret Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump
Ahead of the final debate, we check in with Jennifer Mercieca, an academic with the unenviable job of studying how Donald Trump uses language.
23 min
2133
Inside "Late Night" With Amber Ruffin
The sketch writers sit here, the monologue writers sit there, and someone is probably wearing a dinosaur costume.
26 min
2134
Why Don’t More Women Run for Congress?
Some people say there’s a bias against women running for political office. So gender and politics scholar Jennifer Lawless went looking for it.
27 min
2135
Your Food Will Be Ready When You Look Hungry En...
Dan Pashman from The Sporkful compares the long lines of a legendary pizza place in Brooklyn and an exalted sausage joint in Chicago. Does a long wait enhance a meal?
25 min
2136
Where Do Republicans Go From Here?
The National Review’s Reihan Salam looks at the conservative movement’s future after Donald Trump.
26 min
2137
Rapid Response: The Town Hall Debate
Pundits said this was Trump’s chance to “stop the bleeding.” Isn’t the campaign already dead and bloating?
8 min
2138
Rapid Response: Trump’s Comeuppance?
Television built him up, and television may well tear him down.
5 min
2139
Phoebe Robinson Will Teach You How to Bae
The comedian, podcaster, and author of You Can’t Touch My Hair on collaboration, cultural sensitivity, and Queens versus the Bronx.
26 min
2140
Fact-Checking Won’t Stop Trump
The Republican nominee is saying a falsehood every five minutes. Brendan Nyhan from Dartmouth College weighs in on the failure of fact-checking in the 2016 election.
27 min
2141
Why Do We Use BMI to Measure Health?
Body Mass Index is imperfect. Is there a better way? We asked Maria Konnikova.
18 min
2142
Rapid Response - The VP Debate
Talking about the Fracas in Farmville
8 min
2143
Investigating Long Island’s Not-Deplorables
In WNYC’s “United States of Anxiety” series, Arun Venugopal explores the real people supporting Trump in the New York suburbs.
29 min
2144
How Bad Is the Trump Tax Leak?
Tax expert Philip Hackney on Trump’s billion-dollar write-down.
19 min
2145
Who Called Off the Pretension Police?
Simon Doonan and Mike wonder if, in the last 20 years, we’ve seen a decline in the negativity around pretentiousness.
29 min
2146
The Rules According to Malcolm Gladwell
What was young Malcolm like? He obsessed over ad slogans. He collected car brochures. And he insisted on being every board game’s explainer in chief.
34 min
2147
A Budding Storyteller Turns In His “Homework fo...
Moth champion Matthew Dicks hears from a Gist listener who took his top storytelling tip to heart: Jot down one idea every day.
25 min
2148
Where’s the Beef in Trump’s Ground Game?
Donald Trump’s get-out-the-vote effort defies convention. Then again, so does the entire 2016 presidential campaign.
23 min
2149
Rapid Response: The First Presidential Debate
The “debate of the century” was a bizarre bit of political theatre. But it was also deeply predictable.
9 min
2150
This Debate Is Not the Super Bowl
The first presidential debate may be spectacular, but it lacks the final, unspinnable outcome of a sporting event.
13 min