In this installment of Best Of The Gist, some extra bonus content from our Wednesday interview with New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean about her craft and the obituaries she’s been writing. And then we listen back to Wednesday’s Spiel about the recent $438.5 ruling against Juul for its role in marking vaping products to kids. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad ch...
Sep 10, 2022•35 min
A few years ago, Dr. Oz gave an interview about cousin incest. He was wrong, he just didn't know he'd be running for Senate 8 years later. Plus, it's a Vexillology corner with Ted Kaye. In the Antwentig, when is a good time for pushback and when does Mike let it go? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist New American City Flags Survey NAVA (The North American Vexillological Association) has la...
Sep 09, 2022•44 min
Josh Chin, Wall Street Journal Deputy Bureau Chief in Beijing and co-author of Surveillance State: Inside China’s Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control, discusses just how effective the Chinese panopticon is, delivering government services to some, as it oppresses others. Plus, the special master decision gets a special appeal, and Queen Elizabeth’s passing results in an international outpouring. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on th...
Sep 08, 2022•33 min
It might seem odd for Susan Orlean, the bestselling author of The Orchid Thief and the committed bibliophile behind The Library Book, to engage in the act of book explosion, until you realize that she’s not destroying printed word but, in fact, celebrating it as the new co-host of the podcast Book Exploder. Also, polls show Trump is exactly as disliked as he was last time we checked, and Juul pays the price for being so dang sweet. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mi...
Sep 07, 2022•38 min
Are beavers a plague to the natural world, or are they nature’s incredible engineers? Depends on who you ask, but, hey beavers, consider keeping a low profile for a while. Novelist A.M. Homes has yet to write a beaver book, but she’s out with a new offering, The Unfolding, in which she weighs into the most controversial of all subjects … politics. And Mike’s take on Jackson, Mississippi’s awful water mess. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise o...
Sep 06, 2022•38 min
With Labor Day (and back-to-school) upon us, on this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to a couple interviews from the archive about education. Back on May 23, 2018, Mike spoke with Sara Brownell, a neuroscientist and education researcher at Arizona State University, about what she found studying how gender affects students’ perceptions of their own intelligence. Then we listen back to Mike’s February 5, 2020 interview with public education advocate Diane Ravitch about her book Sla...
Sep 03, 2022•37 min
Author of The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa’s Racial Reckoning, Eve Fairbanks joins us again to talk about the fate of white liberals, who fought alongside black South Africans to up-end the status quo, in the post-Apartheid era. Also, an analysis of the arc of history and in which way it really bends. Plus, a guest Spiel from Eli Lake, contributing editor at Commentary Magazine and host of the podcast The Re-Education with Eli Lake. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara E...
Sep 02, 2022•39 min
Author Eve Fairbanks joins us to talk about her new book, The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa’s Racial Reckoning, a story told through the eyes of three characters over the course of five decades as South Africa tried to end white supremacy. Plus, Mike reflects on the rise and fall of Andrew Dice Clay. And a guest Spiel on “Black-Pilling” from writer and podcaster Virginia Heffernan. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the ...
Sep 01, 2022•38 min
In the second half of our interview with U.S. House of Representatives member David Cicilline, author of the newly released House On Fire: Fighting for Democracy in the Age of Political Arson, he discusses the two impeachments of Donald J. Trump from his perspective as an active player in those proceedings. Also, on the 600th anniversary of the death King Henry V of England, we remember his failed struggle with…um…dysentery. And finally, a guest Spiel from former Last Week Tonight with John Oliv...
Aug 31, 2022•38 min
David Cicilline is one half of Rhode Island’s two-member delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, and while he may have been sent to D.C. by a small state, his contributions to the impeachments of Donald J. Trump were huge. Cicilline discusses his new book, House On Fire: Fighting for Democracy in the Age of Political Arson, and about growing up as the son of a criminal defense attorney who occasionally represented the mob, (and did so very well), and how his father’s work shaped his sen...
Aug 30, 2022•39 min
Jay Baruch is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a practicing emergency physician who has just published a memoir or sorts titled Tornado of Life: A Doctor’s Journey through Constraints and Creativity in the ER. He discusses the flaws in our medical system, how COVID exacerbated them, and how a little empathy can go a long way. Also on the show, what Trump got right, and a guest Spiel from Meghan Daum, host of the Unspeakable Podcast. Produced by J...
Aug 29, 2022•43 min
Adam Neumann, the once founder of WeWork, who was famously dismissed from the helm of his own company (many books and TV shows ensued), is back on the business scene. He recently received a $350-million check from venture capital firm a16z to help him launch his new project, Flow, which will focus on a sort of rent-to-own business model. But the check he received touched off a firestorm in the world of start-ups, where, many say, most of the investment capital goes to white men. In this installm...
Aug 27, 2022•33 min
“Neurodivergent” is an important term in the modern study of the human brain, referring to those whose minds function differently from what we would consider “normal”—people diagnosed with ADHD or autism might be considered neurodivergent, for example. But, just as the term is important, it, and what it represents, is also somewhat controversial. Today on the show, a civil debate between Devon Price and Freddie DeBoer, two experts in this field, about the social and medical approaches to neurodi...
Aug 26, 2022•44 min
The announcement that two police officers from Atlanta wouldn’t face murder charges for the 2020 shooting of Rayshard Brooks is justice. Two years on, we can more accurately assess what lit the match in that city in the wake of the shooting. Plus, we’re joined once more by former Aurora, Illinois Police Chief Kristen Ziman. Also, the right question to ask about student debt relief. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https:...
Aug 25, 2022•40 min
On February 15, 2019 in Aurora, Illinois, a workplace dispute turned into a mass shooting. The gunman had prepared to battle the police responding, so it took technology and smarts to put an end to the chaos he created. We talk with Kristen Ziman, the police chief who led Aurora’s response and hear what that tragic day was like for those on the ground. Plus cats are taking over…Is that a bad thing? And who, exactly, leads the troops? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@...
Aug 24, 2022•34 min
After 48 years, Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont is leaving the Senate. In his new memoir, The Road Taken, he reflects on the institution he holds dear, and on the Gist, we make him pick the scariest Joker he ever faced down. Plus, WeWork’s founder’s new funding induced rage, and a Dr. Oz spokesperson stroke-shames their rival. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad c...
Aug 23, 2022•35 min
Just past the one-year mark of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s taking control of the country. How is the nation is faring under the leadership of Mullah Hibatullah Adhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban? With us to answer those questions and more is Jason Campbell, a former director for Afghanistan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy. Plus, an E. coli outbreak begs the question what kind of lettuce we order at Wendy’s, and Mike has some adv...
Aug 22, 2022•34 min
In this installment of Best Of The Gist, former Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel left the game after three seasons to get his PhD in mathematics. Totally normal career path, right? He wrote the book Mind And Matter: A Life In Math And Football alongside his wife, author Louisa Thomas, and they joined Mike in June of 2019 to discuss the similarities and differences between John’s two chosen career paths. And then we listen back to Wednesday’s Spiel, in which Mike ponders the threat...
Aug 20, 2022•34 min
Paul Bloom, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale, Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, and author of The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning stops by to take his punishment and like it! Actually, BDSM is only a fraction of his truly fascinating look at everything from distance running to why sharp pain causes pleasure, but somehow nausea never does. Plus, the San Francisco Police vow to not use a phrase they’ve never used, Colorado Schools will ...
Aug 19, 2022•40 min
The CDC’s head, Rochelle Walensky vows to undertake an agency overhaul, including better communication. Mike argues that when it comes to COVID-19, things were not perfect … maybe even not good … but great leaps in communication are going to be extremely difficult. Plus, Donald Trump “endorses” one of his impeachers, and University of Toronto Professor Jooyoung Lee talks about Canadian gun crime’s roots in the U.S. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To ad...
Aug 18, 2022•37 min
Jonah Blank, senior Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation, assesses the messages sent (and received) by all the Chinese missiles lobbed over Taiwan. Plus, the threat of overstating threats from the right. And is Alaskan Senate Candidate Kelly Tshibaka secretly … maybe … plausibly … part Wookiee? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...
Aug 17, 2022•38 min
Sarah Palin is on the ballot to serve her home state as its At-Large member of Congress. Let’s just say, the process is hardly straightforward. Plus, Dr. Patricia Campos-Medina, the Executive Director of The Worker Institute at Cornell University, discusses union drives at Amazon and Starbucks and if there’s ever a reason for workers to reject an organizing drive. Plus, how Better Call Saul is the rare show that tried to examine what real people might really do in dramatic, made-for-TV-type circ...
Aug 16, 2022•38 min
Journalist, novelist, and former Marine, Elliot Ackerman, who fought the Taliban, joins Mike to discuss his new book “The 5th Act: America’s End In Afghanistan”. Plus, an extroverted Norwegian walrus meets an ignominious end, and assessing our current news drought. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 15, 2022•38 min
In the interview, Mike chats with historian Alexis Coe, author of the new book You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington. They discuss the founding-father's height, dentures and that awkward obsession male historians have about the man's thighs. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara and Ian Scotto Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 13, 2022•27 min
Nathan Allebach, brand consultant and author of https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/brand-twitter-jokes-history.html was for many years the twitter voice of Steak-umm brand meats. As such he engaged with gaseous comedians and angsty millennials and has some theories as to why it all worked. Plus, a media without breathing room makes for madness and the Mar-A-Lago black boxes are like dada experimental theater. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara and Ian Scotto Email us at [email protected]...
Aug 12, 2022•32 min
China thinks in centuries but strikes quickly. China is patient, but impetuous. Is China all these things, or is our shorthand more malleable than diagnostic? And we are joined once more by Jason Kander author of "Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD”. Plus, America plunged into day 3 of the cardboard box crisis that can undue civilization. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara and Ian Scotto Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://adver...
Aug 11, 2022•36 min
Jason Kander was a Democrat-on-the-rise, who was silently struggling with demons. He tells the story of casting aside politics for his own mental survival in “Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD” Plus, our habit of publicly predicting death and civil war after every right-wing paroxysm doesn't serve anyone well, and Domino's somehow fails to take hold in the birthplace of pizza. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara and Ian Scotto Email us at [email protected] To adv...
Aug 10, 2022•38 min
Tomorrow President Biden Signs the Pact Act into law, dedicating funds and expanding VA health care to veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. Jason Piccolo, Host of the Protectors Podcast, served in Iraq and has the lungs to show for it. Plus, what the raid on Mar-a-Lago means, and Ben and Jerry's won't have a chance to personally market their Netanyhagoo crunch or their Wailing Wall Swirl in Israel. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] T...
Aug 09, 2022•32 min
Jim Thorpe was the AP's greatest Athlete of the first half of the 20th century and has a strong claim to the title Greatest of All Time. But his story, as opposed to his myth, is largely untold, until now. David Maraniss’ joins to discuss his new book is Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe. Plus, Joe Biden shouldn't get much credit for Joe Manchin's turnaround, but he shouldn't have gotten the blame either. Plus, a mini-boycott of Trump Toilet Talk. Produced by Joel Patterson, Corey Wa...
Aug 08, 2022•35 min
In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Monday’s Spiel about “unintended consequences,” as they relate to the Dobbs decision. And that inspired us to dig up Mike’s 2017 interview with Kurt Andersen about his book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, in which, Andersen bemoans a system on the brink. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...
Aug 06, 2022•32 min
