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
Crazy Funny with Sara Benincasa, Chris Gethard,...
It’s official. All comedians but Seinfeld are insane. (And maybe Seinfeld.)
18 min
2127
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
2128
When Words Change World Events
Use your words, but don’t forget to use spellcheck, too.
22 min
2129
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
2130
A Triumph of Small Talk
Slate’s Ruth Graham demonstrates a crucial social lubricant while telling us about the weather.
22 min
2131
Are The Dangers of GMOs BS?
Maria Konnikova explains the real effects of genetically modified Frankenfood on humanity.
27 min
2132
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
2133
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
2134
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
2135
Ctrl-Alt-DESTROY
Slate’s Fred Kaplan joins us to share the secret history of U.S. cyberwarfare.
27 min
2136
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
2137
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
2138
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
2139
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
2140
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
2141
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
2142
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
2143
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
2144
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
2145
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
2146
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
2147
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
2148
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
2149
Hillary’s Chances in Nevada
On The Gist, Slate’s Will Oremus joins us for a round of “One Question, One Question Only” about Apple’s battle with the U.S. government. Harry Enten from FiveThirtyEight uses his polling expertise to explain what’s ahead...
26 min
2150
We Knew You’d Listen
On The Gist, we knew you were going to listen to this episode about ESP. Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker joins us for a game we call, “Is That Bulls---?” She’s the author of The Confidence Game. For the Spiel, Donald...
25 min