On the Gist, Trump visits Kenosha. In the interview, the Wall Street Journal’s Gerald Seib is here to discuss his new book, We Should Have Seen It Coming: From Ronald Reagan to Trump—A Front-Row Seat to a Political Revolution. He and Mike talk about how the GOP has changed since the time of Reagan and paved the way for Trump’s ascendence. They also touch on why Mitch McConnell keeps blocking relief packages, and how worried we should be about the future. In the spiel, not paying attention to pol...
Sep 01, 2020•37 min
On the Gist, Mike is back. He starts with republicans who dismiss the Hatch Act. In the interview, Mike chats with the creators and executive producers of the animated adventure Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe. Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh explain how they expanded the usual tropes of their short episodes into a feature film, the provenance of their beloved creations, and how their work on The Simpsons together and their shared sense of humor influenced them cre...
Aug 31, 2020•37 min
Today, we welcome Sonari Glinton is back as guest host. A well-known podcast and public radio voice, former NPR business reporter covering the auto industry and economics, and currently hosts the podcast Bring Back Bronco. On the Gist, sports and activism. In the interview, Sonari talks to screenwriter Patricia Resnick about her experience writing the film 9 to 5 starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin. They discuss how the film became more than just a vehicle for workplace rights act...
Aug 28, 2020•33 min
Today, we welcome Sonari Glinton as guest host. A well-known podcast and public radio voice, former NPR business reporter covering the auto industry and economics, Glinton is also a big music nerd and record collector. On the Gist, RNC bingo. In the interview, Sonari discusses how Covid-19 has affected the auto industry with Scotty Reiss, the founder of A Girls Guide to Cars, a site focused on empowering women to be smarter car owners. Reiss talks about Covid-19’s impact on the global supply cha...
Aug 27, 2020•34 min
Today, Kate Klonick is back as the guest host. She is an assistant professor at St. John’s Law School, a fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, and researcher of the intersection between law and tech. She’s also co-host of a daily YouTube series called In Lieu of Fun. On the Gist, in 2020, every online company has a community of standards and manually reviews user content. In the interview, Kate talks to Harvard law professor Noah Feldman about his idea for Facebook to cre...
Aug 26, 2020•31 min
We are halfway through our guest hosting week. Today, Kate Klonick takes the mic. She is an assistant professor at St. John’s Law School, a fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, and researcher of the intersection between law and tech. She’s also co-host of a daily YouTube series called In Lieu of Fun. On the Gist, how Kate found herself on a daily live show during quarantine. In the interview, Kate talks to Ben Wittes, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, co-founde...
Aug 25, 2020•27 min
For the next week, Mike passes the mic to a few guest hosts. Today, Annie Duke, former professional poker player, cognitive scientist, and author of Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts is in the seat again. On the Gist, remembering information. In the interview, Annie talks to Katherine Milkman, a researcher and professor at the University of Pennsylvania who studies behavior, about how the pandemic has thrown everybody out of their old habits and forced ...
Aug 24, 2020•39 min
For the next week, Mike passes the mic to a few guest hosts. Today, Annie Duke, former professional poker player and author of Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts takes the helm. On the Gist, Annie recaps the unifying messages from Sen. Sanders and V.P. Biden from the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention. In the interview, Annie talks with Jay van Bavel, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at NYU, about how extreme partisanship oc...
Aug 21, 2020•35 min
On the Gist, 24 hours of weird utterances. In the interview, political strategist and CNN commentator Jess McIntosh joins us as we continue our coverage of the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention. McIntosh and Mike discuss the DNC’s short-sightedness with not allowing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a major platform, and how Elizabeth Warren’s policy speech on the childcare economy could become a centerpiece of a future President Biden’s progressive agenda. McIntosh also explains why Biden will...
Aug 20, 2020•35 min
On the Gist, Trump is trying to steal the mail. In the interview, New York Times opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg is here as we keep discussing the Democratic National Convention this week. She and Mike talk about the sorts of progressive policies Biden might adopt from his primary opponents, and if a future Biden administration should follow up on the prosecutions Trump’s DOJ ignored. Email us at [email protected] Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley. Slate Plus members...
Aug 19, 2020•35 min
On the Gist, political television. In the interview, Slate’s Will Saletan is here to discuss the first night of the Democratic National Convention. He and Mike unpack how the party is positioning itself as the party of normalcy while still acknowledging the ways progressives like Bernie Sanders pushed the party forward. They look at how conservatives might flip any of the democrats talking points on them, and the coronavirus of it all. Email us at [email protected] Podcast production by Daniel S...
Aug 18, 2020•35 min
On the Gist, a supposedly benevolent association supports a malevolent force. In the interview, we mark the beginning of the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention with a slightly different format; no spiel and more conversation. Mike talks with Charlie Sykes, a republican who will be voting for Joe Biden in November. Author of "How the Right Lost Its Mind," host of the Bulwark Podcast, and an outspoken critic of the Trump administration, Sykes explains how the DNC will be unlike anything w...
Aug 17, 2020•38 min
On the Gist, Pence’s meat scares. In the interview, actor Kyle MacLachlan is here to discuss his performance as Thomas Edison in the new film Tesla. He and Mike talk about his approach to the role, and how this film differs from the other kinds of historical dramas he’s done. They also get into some of MacLachlan’s other work like Dune, Showgirls and Twin Peaks. Tesla will be released on August 21 by IFC Films. In the spiel, Marjorie Taylor Greene. Email us at [email protected] Podcast productio...
Aug 14, 2020•34 min
On the Gist, the close family members of politicians. In the interview, journalist, historian, and former public radio host Tom Weber is here to discuss his new book, Minneapolis: An Urban Biography. In it, Weber explores the social and political history of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and how it’s responsible for the city’s present-day racial inequities. Weber is also the Second Gentleman of Minnesota; he is the spouse of the state’s lieutenant governor. In the spiel, election forecasting. Email us ...
Aug 14, 2020•37 min
On the Gist, Kamala and bussing. In the interview, creator of the TV series Love on the Spectrum, Cian O’Clery is here to talk with Mike about his new dating reality series telling the stories of people on the autism spectrum looking for love. He and Mike discuss the origins of the series, how this stands apart as a piece of documentary, and the refreshing change of watching a dating show with guileless subjects. Love on the Spectrum is available to stream on Netflix. In the spiel, over and unde...
Aug 12, 2020•33 min
On the Gist, the spotlight on Joe Biden’s running mate. In the interview, Mike talks with Lisi Raskin, a professor and the chair of the Sculpture Department at Rhode Island School of Design about the meaning of sculpture in light of the removal of confederate monuments and statues. Raskin is an artist whose large-scale abstract works are reminiscent of the environment of the Cold War. In the spiel, Trump on fall sports leagues. Email us at [email protected] Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder...
Aug 12, 2020•34 min
On the Gist, pronouncing names. In the interview, Mike is joined by Ed Yong of the Atlantic. As a science writer, not only did he warn of an epidemic in 2018, but he has been covering the coronavirus in a clear and vital way. In his latest piece, “Immunology Is Where Intuition Goes to Die,” Yong articulates how this tragedy could have been prevented, and explains why America isn’t defeating the virus any time soon; it has defeated America. In the spiel, do Trump’s lies still work? Email us at th...
Aug 10, 2020•37 min
On the Gist, TikTok block. In the interview, Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. of Princeton University joins Mike to talk about his newest book and its release in the context of the recent civil uprisings. Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own poses a fundamental argument around how getting it wrong culturally has hurt the fabric of our nation. Glaude helps make sense of where we are today, and explains that Baldwin understood our messy and uneven economic, social and polit...
Aug 07, 2020•34 min
On the Gist, New York’s elections are not unlike Georgia’s. In the interview, our resident vexillologist Ted Kaye is back to talk about the latest in flag news. He fills Mike in on what’s happening in Mississippi as they try to swiftly get a new flag design added to the ballot in November, and the recent proliferation of the ‘thin blue line’ American flag. Kaye’s book is Good Flag, Bad Flag. In the spiel, Trump’s mispronunciations. Email us at [email protected] Podcast production by Daniel Schro...
Aug 06, 2020•29 min
On the Gist, the Beirut blast. In the interview, we’ve got the second half of Jesse Eisenberg’s interview on his new Audible original, When You Finish Saving the World. He and Mike continue discussing the creative process and Jesse’s personal connection to the project, and the difficulty of creating things like future slang. In the spiel, Trump’s lies are pushing voters into the arms of Democrats. Email us at [email protected] Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley. Slate Plu...
Aug 05, 2020•31 min
On the Gist, does Biden need a progressive VP? In the interview, Jesse Eisenberg is here for the first half of a two-part interview on his new Audible original, When You Finish Saving the World. Through a series of connected monologues, Eisenberg stitches together the portrait of a family and explores issues of issues of intimacy, growing up, and social change. He and Mike discuss his writing process and the origins of the project. In the spiel, teachers are inessential. Email us at thegist@slat...
Aug 04, 2020•39 min
On the Gist, staying hopeful, but realistic. In the interview, author, podcast host, and magazine editor Kurt Andersen joins Mike to talk about his new book, Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History. In it, Andersen explains how big business ran unchecked during the final decades of the 20th century allowing greed to ascend and the working person to feel powerless, all while unraveling the fabric of middle class normalcy. In the spiel, Trump tapped Anthony Tata. Email us at thegi...
Aug 03, 2020•32 min
On the Gist, NBA jerseys. In the interview, In the interview, filmmaker Mark Duplass is here to talk about his anthology series Room 104 currently airing on HBO. He and Mike discuss the use of rules in the creative process, why the series seems to defy genre, and the experience of growing up with your brother as your artistic partner. Room 104 airs on Friday nights on HBO. In the spiel, Trump misunderstands the suburbs. Email us at [email protected] Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Mar...
Aug 01, 2020•30 min
On the Gist, Rep. John Lewis and his legacy. In the interview, Mike checks in with Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Jonathan Levinson. As a multimedia reporter and producer, Levinson has been on the ground nightly in Portland following the protests, getting tear gassed in the process. Levinson says that it’s more than just support for the BLM movement, its boiling frustration around governmental systemic failure. In the spiel, because of John Lewis, we have Barack Obama. Email us at [email protected]...
Jul 30, 2020•34 min
On the Gist, anti-maskers are getting the coronavirus. In the interview, Dr. Jennifer Mercieca is here to discuss her new book, Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump. She and Mike talk about the origins of Trump’s verbal tactics, and how he’s been able to manipulate information. They also touch on the variety of ways presidents appeal to the people, and Joe Biden’s best route forward in that regard. In the spiel, making a case for uppercase. Email us at [email protected]...
Jul 29, 2020•31 min
On the Gist, gambling the nation’s health on professional sports. In the interview, Mike talks with Capt. Lawrence Hunter, a retired commanding officer from the Waterbury Police Department in Connecticut, about policing in America. Hunter spent the majority of his career in law enforcement as a high-ranking officer, and as an educator and instructor. In his retirement, he has launched his own series, Captain Hunter’s Podcast, which seeks to “bridge the gap between police and the communities they...
Jul 28, 2020•32 min
On the Gist, the Republicans are misers. In the interview, Zephyr Teachout is here to discuss her new book Break ‘Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom From Big Ad, Big Tech, and Big Money. She and Mike discuss how monopolies have come to dominate so many of our industries, the work that needs to be done to break them up, and why it’s a multi-pronged solution. They also touch on Gov. Cuomo’s response to the pandemic and how her team might have been different if she’d won office. In the spiel, baseball t...
Jul 27, 2020•32 min
On the Gist, losing all the stuff. In the interview, Mike heads to the Lone Star State to speak with Scott Braddock, editor and Texan political analyst at the Quorum Report. Braddock is also host of Texas Take, a podcast from the Houston Chronicle. They dissect Gov. Abbott’s coronavirus response, his backtracking, and why he paused the state’s reopening. And they get into how the state isn’t as securely Republican as many think it is. In the spiel, the Lobstar of the Antentwig. Email us at thegi...
Jul 24, 2020•43 min
On the Gist, Trump’s mind. In a break from our normal format, Virginia Heffernan of Trumpcast is here with Mike to analyze the most aggressive anti-mask rants out there. From across the nation, people who suffer from a touch of the QAnon are unleashing their unsound mask fears on us all, blaming anything from the Deep State to 5G. We’re going to figure out what makes for the most entertaining version of these conspiracy theorists, and what, if anything, we should take seriously. Email us at theg...
Jul 23, 2020•35 min
On the Gist, Life of Kanye. In the interview, Princeton History and Public Affairs Professor Julian Zelizer joins Mike to discuss his latest book on former speaker of the house, Newt Gingrich. With the help of Gingrich’s own congressional documents, Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party explains the ways Newt seized an opportunity to use C-Span cameras and modern technology to his advantage, how he gave rise to partisanship, and hi...
Jul 22, 2020•36 min
