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.
2451
Deep Dive Into a Defining Institution
Was racism the progeny of the decision to enslave black people? Today on The Gist, the duo behind a new Slate Academy tell us what they’ve learned so far in a summerlong inquiry into a vast and complex aspect of American history. Mike...
21 min
2452
Google’s Loony Balloons
Today on The Gist, an improbable Google experiment is still afloat. Will this “loony” idea help expand Internet access around the world, or just be a boon to fuzzy sock manufacturers? Slate’s Will Oremus explains. For The Spiel, we...
19 min
2453
My Friend Became a Staunch Anti-Vaxxer. Now What?
Today on The Gist, we dig some of our favorite segments out of the vault. Mike Pesca is still away taping Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me, which you can hear this coming weekend online or on NPR stations across the country.
First up, Mary...
26 min
2454
Tour Guide for The Memory Palace
James Holmes is mounting an insanity defense for his trial in the 2012 movie-theater killings in Aurora, Colorado. But what connection does that tactic have with the actual medical understanding of mental illness? Today on The Gist, Fordham’s...
29 min
2455
Sleeping: You’re Doing It Wrong
Today on The Gist, how common is the phenomenon of the historic genius or eccentric CEO who needs less sleep than the rest of us? Could more of us benefit from less sleep? Mike asks Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker to open our...
23 min
2456
Grasping for the Ferguson Effect
In the Wall Street Journal editorial “The New Nationwide Crime Wave,” Heather Mac Donald argues that spikes in inner city crime are the consequence of “The Ferguson Effect” on police. Today on The Gist, Mike Pesca disagrees....
26 min
2457
Sharon Van Etten, Banter Mentor
Today on The Gist, listener Dillon Kondor explains why he finds himself consistently embarrassed by his own stage banter. Can indie rock singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten save the day? They’ll join us in studio for a thoughtful conversation...
31 min
2458
His Dunkological Clock Was Ticking
When Asher Price reached his mid-30s, he realized it was his last chance to learn how to dunk a basketball. Today on The Gist, we’ll visit the West 4th Street Courts to learn about his training regimen and the symbolism behind a slam dunk....
28 min
2459
Mac McCaughan: Solochunk
Today on The Gist, a new album from Mac McCaughan captures the feeling of being fifteen in 1982. His new album Non-Believers is available from the label he co-founded, Merge Records. In our segment, you’ll hear the tracks “Box...
34 min
2460
Nothing Up Their Sleeves?
A look at the benefits offered, if any, from compression sleeves worn by LeBron James, alpine skiers, and ailing senior citizens.
33 min
2461
What a Cherokee Chief Can Tell Us About Andrew ...
NPR host Steve Inskeep examines the complicated story of America’s seventh president through a new lens.
29 min
2462
Ross Ulbricht and the Silk Road Story
Alex Winter went from co-starring with Keanu Reeves in the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure franchise to creating tech-centric documentaries. Today, Winter talks about directing Deep Web, about the online black market Silk Road and its founder Ross...
30 min
2463
Talking About Talking About Race
Today on The Gist, a brief history of beer with William Glenn and Trish Parry. Their show A Brief History of Beer is at the Under St. Marks Theater in New York the last Sunday of every month.
Plus, author Baratunde Thurston joins us from the new...
26 min
2464
Living in the Post-Material World
The other day in the Wall Street Journal, Mike Pesca saw a headline that he adored: World Awash in Too Much of Almost Everything. It wasn’t a pun, just that stark truth, and it reminded Pesca of a book he read years ago called The Progress...
23 min
2465
Hoist Up the Liberland Flag
Today on The Gist, our resident vexillologist Ted Kaye explains why it’s so much fun to visit micronation.org and size up the baby flags. For more flag news, we strongly recommend subscribing to the Vexilloid Tabloid, the...
28 min
2466
Why Karaoke Carries a Torch for 1984
Today on The Gist, we listen back to Billboard hits from 1984. Our regular guest Chris Molanphy explains why the year inspired so many go-to karaoke jams. He writes Slate’s Why Is That Song No. 1 column. For the Spiel, it’s time to name...
30 min
2467
The Present Tense (and Other Storytelling Secrets)
Today on The Gist, professional storyteller Matthew Dicks is here to coach our winning listener Frank Kennedy. We’ll hear stories from Frank’s life raising an autistic son, and hear ideas for how to better integrate them into a larger...
23 min
2468
Dylan’s 14-Month Miracle
In a span of just 14 months, Bob Dylan wrote, recorded, and released three of the greatest albums of all time. Today on The Gist, David Kinney explains how it happened. He’s the author of The Dylanologists: Adventures in the Land of Bob. For the...
24 min
2469
Nine out of 10 Germs Agree
Today on The Gist, what does the looong campaign mean for 2016’s candidates? Annie Lowrey from New York magazine joins us for a reasonable amount of time. She’s part of a new Panoply podcast called Podcast for America, which debuts Tuesday...
28 min
2470
Why We Lost It Over Beanie Babies
Today on The Gist, we remind you of what’s in that crate in the back corner of your basement. Author Zac Bissonnette tells the tale of Ty Warner and the craze that launched e-commerce. He’s the author of The Great Beanie...
35 min
2471
It’s Letterman’s World, We Just Critique It
Today on The Gist, Mike Pesca and Slate senior editor Laura Bennett reflect on the unique career of David Letterman, and the new breed of late-night hosts. His last show will be on May 20th, and Slate’s Last Laugh features include many looks at...
22 min
2472
Eating Chinese Food Out of the Carton
Today on The Gist, Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg are called out for making a notorious cliché on their hit FX spy drama, The Americans. They recently hosted a Slate podcast following Season 3 of their show, available in iTunes, or as an RSS...
29 min
2473
Another Blow to Bipartisan Spirit
A new trade bill has split Senate Democrats and united Obama with Republicans. Today on The Gist, we speak with BuzzFeed’s congressional reporter Kate Nocera from the Senate press gallery. For the Spiel, a simple solution to the Amtrak...
25 min
2474
On Twitter, TV Follows You
Today on The Gist, Jared Feldman from Canvs explains how social media is supplanting the old-fashioned focus group for media buyers and TV shows. For the Spiel, how American elections could benefit from candidates with less...
26 min
2475
Are Artificial Sweeteners Bullshit?
Today on The Gist, does the Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev feel remorse? Seth Stevenson has been reporting for Slate on the trial and shares the latest insight into how the defense is attempting to humanize. Plus, are there adverse health...
29 min