Law Professor Kermit Roosevelt, author of The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America's Story, is worried about the declining stature of the U.S. in the eyes of young people, including his Ivy League students. So, in a bought of patriotism and scholarship, he argues for redefining the USA as being about 150 years old. Plus, a panel of relatives of shooting victims is very sympathetic ... and very unrepresentative. And how water in the West is like the debt ceiling of hydration. Produced by...
May 23, 2023•36 min
The Arab League has welcomed back Bashar Al-Assad to the organization right as Volodymyr Zelensky pays that organization a visit. Is there a lesson to be learned? Plus, some of the odder names on the Russia Sanction list. And Howard Fishman, author of To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe...
May 22, 2023•31 min
In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s interview with Ohio State University professor Darrick Hamilton, creator of the “Baby Bonds” program which passed a crucial funding hurdle in Connecticut this week. Then, Mike’s take on the narratives around the killing of Jordan Neely. “Heroism” or “evil”? How about “neither”? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to our ad...
May 20, 2023•30 min
Mike speaks with former Obama State Department official Jeremy Shapiro, now the director of research at the European Council on Foreign Relations and author of "The Art of Vassalisation: How Russia’s war on Ukraine has transformed transatlantic relations." And in eulogizing Jordan Neely today, the Reverend Al Sharpton asserted that if a black man killed an Elvis impersonator on the subway, he have been immediately charged. Mike offers contrary evidence. Plus, it's an Antwentig! Lobstars for all!...
May 19, 2023•40 min
A historic marker for Elizabeth Gurley Flynn has been removed because she was a little too communist for everyone in New Hampshire's liking. Plus, the U.S. doesn't want Putin to escalate in Ukraine, but he's all out of escalation gambits ... except the big one. And the return of economist and criminal justice expert Jennifer Doleac, host of the Probable Causation podcast. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertis...
May 18, 2023•37 min
Economics Professor Jennifer Doleac is the Co-Director of the Criminal Justice Expert Panel and host of the Probable Causation podcast. She joins Mike to talk about what we know works and the bad ideas that persist in combatting crime. Plus, the Discord Leaks aren't that leaky. And many Mayoral results show that even city residents want safety and order. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist ...
May 17, 2023•39 min
King James is a new play about male bonding, race, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Mike talks to playwright Rajiv Joseph about making art about sport. Plus, an overlooked musical about the NBA Lockout. And the dismissed-as-nothing-new information in the Durham report. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack...
May 16, 2023•43 min
With criminal charges against the former Marine who choked a homeless man to death on the NYC subway, we're being forced to choose between narratives of heroism or evil. Neither applies, as real people who've really ridden the subway know. Plus, what makes a master a master? And can mastery be gained even when brains become less pliant? It's all answered in Adam Gopnik's new book The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery. Also, Tropical Cyclone Mocha makes landfall ... and a few interesting point...
May 15, 2023•37 min
This week on the Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike’s Monday Spiel, in which he elaborates on all the recent news items he’s chosen not to discuss on the show. And then, his past week we aired Mike’s interview with Leon Neyfakh, the co-creator of a new Audible Original podcast about the music and life of the once king of pop, titled Think Twice: Michael Jackson, which prompted us to re-air Mike’s 2019 interview with Dan Reed, the director of the HBO documentary Leaving Wonderland, which de...
May 13, 2023•30 min
Despite numerous allegations of child abuse in the years before his death, Michael Jackson’s songs can still get you tapping your foot. It can feel confusing, but luckily we have Leon Neyfakh on the show today to explain Jackson’s confusing place in pop culture and his new Audible Originals series Think Twice: Michael Jackson. Plus, at long last, our latest installment of “Names In The News.” Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show: ht...
May 12, 2023•41 min
Stephen Marche is the author of Death Of An Author along with an entity known as "Aidan Marchine," which is a pseudonym for a suite of AI services. The novella works, as does the author, with the computer in a close collaboration. Plus, an analysis of all that went wrong in a CNN Town Hall meeting featuring Donald Trump. And the toll of decades worth of shootings in Chicago. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://adver...
May 11, 2023•41 min
Henry Grabar is the author of the newly published Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World. It does explain it, a lot more than you'd think. Plus, CNN's Town Hall with Donald Trump gets poor previews from MSNBC. And the woman who taught her children a valuable lesson in grief ... by allegedly poisoning her husband. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: h...
May 10, 2023•35 min
Benjamin Wittes, Editor-in-Chief of Lawfare and writer of the Substack Dog Shirt Daily, has been projecting Ukrainian messages onto the Russian Embassies in D.C., and throughout the world. The Russians have fought back, and Twitter, once an amplifier of these "Special Operations" has kicked Wittes off its platform. Plus, the stupid statements under oath that may have doomed Trump's Civil defense. And why would any Hispanic American want to fund reparations for African-Americans, a wealthier grou...
May 09, 2023•47 min
Guns that recognize specific users biometrics are almost ready to be shipped, as the firm Biofire is taking orders for their reliable, and forceful, smart gun. Biofire CEO Kai Kloepfer joins us. Plus, the coronation, debt ceiling, AI, and writers' strike are on the list of worries, but not such specific worries that they should take up too much of your time. And HUMANS ... is there anything they can't figure out? Especially when it comes to the destruction of other humans. Produced by Joel Patte...
May 08, 2023•35 min
When Elon Musk posted a video of himself arriving at Twitter HQ carrying a white sink along with the message “let that sink in!” it marked the end of a dramatic takeover. Musk had gone from Twitter critic to “Chief Twit” in the space of just a few months but his arrival didn’t put an end to questions about his motives. Musk had earned a reputation as a business maverick. From PayPal to Tesla to SpaceX, his name was synonymous with big, earth-shattering ideas. So, what did he want with a social m...
May 06, 2023•7 min
In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we remember singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who passed away on Monday, by revisiting a 2014 Spiel, in which Mike realizes that all songs can be contained within one of Lightfoot’s. It’s hard to explain … just listen. Then we play Mike’s Wednesday Spiel about NBC disinformation reporter Ben Collins. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to our ad...
May 06, 2023•25 min
Jeffrey Toobin, author of Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism, traces the ideology of right-wing extremism from the 1990s to today. Plus, NJ Pasta dump and the often hard-to-document claims behind the day of awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ ...
May 05, 2023•38 min
It's Justice Day on The Gist. Justice for the Proud Boys, Ed Sheeran, and the question of defining justice for a man choked to death on the NYC subway. Plus, Justice Clarence Thomas keeps getting benefits for just being Clarence Thomas. And Mike speaks with Ben Smith, author of Traffic, about Gawker, Buzzfeed, and the rise of the New York slice of digital media in the 2010s. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://adver...
May 04, 2023•34 min
After an early round loss, NBA great Giannis Antetokounmpo had a much watched, quite heartfelt press conference in which he asserted that there's no such thing as failure in sports. Ethan Strauss, NBA expert and former beat writer has a nuanced counter take. Yes, there is. Plus, The Montana Legislature shames itself through censure. And an NBC reporter needs to mix it up, no matter the costs to his credibility. Check out more from Ethan Strauss at his Substack - House of Strauss | Ethan Strauss ...
May 03, 2023•43 min
Megan Phelps-Roper, the host of the podcast The Witch Trials of J. K. Rowling, returns to talk about the backlash from the trans community to the podcast, and how she tried to give all sides of the discussion a voice. Plus, Mike has a lot that he doesn’t want to talk about, though he is in the mood to sing. And ABC’s coverage of black farmers. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe t...
May 02, 2023•43 min
Megan Phelps-Roper, the host of the podcast The Witch Trials of J. K. Rowling, created a podcast weaving her own experience into the task of exploring the views of the famous author who created Harry Potter. She and Mike discuss how to do that fairly, why to do that at all, and how to define "good-faith." Plus, the norm of abnormal gun violence. And how insulting CNN hosts seems to have become a right of passage for Republican elected officials. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us...
May 01, 2023•32 min
In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Joe Biden announced his intention to run for the Presidency again this past week, so we revisit Mike’s analysis of the announcement. Then we listen back to Mike’s January 10, 2017 interview with Chad Nackers, head writer at the Onion, who talked about how his site created a whole new character to satirize Obama’s tee-totaling vice-president, and the delicate balancing act of finding jokes that don’t normalize the next president. Produced by Joel Patterson...
Apr 29, 2023•22 min
Jason Abaluck, an economics professor at the Yale School of Management conducted what was the largest mass masking study to date. He and Mike discuss what he found out about masks and what he found out about researchers who disagreed with his findings. Plus, Airboy Texiera has a home bazooka. And it's an Antwentig! Lobstars and indicia abound. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe t...
Apr 28, 2023•39 min
Roger Parloff, Senior Editor at Lawfare, has been covering the trial of five Proud Boys since it started four months ago. The case is in the jury's hands, and we are in Roger's. And from a jury to a Jerry. In fact a "Jerry! Jerry!" who has shuffled off this mortal jello wrestling pit. Plus, the NYPD disciplinary hearing over a shooting death of a knife-wielding man. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast....
Apr 27, 2023•36 min
Jena Friedman is a comedian, writer, and "correspondent" who has worked with Letterman, Jon Stewart, and Borat (not an actual person), and her new, funny book is Not Funny: Essays on Life, Comedy, Culture, Et Cetera. Plus, an analysis of the words that got a Montana legislator banned from debate, a CNN anchor purged from the network, and Tucker Carlson in hot water over potential civil liability. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show...
Apr 26, 2023•34 min
Steven Brill founder of NewsGuard talks about his for-profit companies business model of issuing nutrition labels for news. Plus, The Covid Crisis Group bears attention. And it's never too earlier for Joe-mentum! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn mor...
Apr 25, 2023•34 min
Indiana University law professor Gerard Magliocca says just as Confederate officers were Constitutionally barred from seeking office, so too should Donald Trump be disqualified under the 14th Amendment. Plus, Fox's ClusterTuck and CNN's Lemonexit. And the not-very-complex complexities of so many shootings. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscrib...
Apr 24, 2023•40 min
In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we rewind to January 2017 to revisit Mike’s interview with Ralph Nader, who had just published his second work of fiction, Animal Envy, which imagines a world where animals can talk to people and start demanding rights. Nader says the fable is meant to prompt deeper thinking about our relationship with nature. “We need to talk about what-if, because if we don’t, we can’t kick in our idealism and imagine real possibilities,” says the 82-year-old author and...
Apr 22, 2023•36 min
Jean M. Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, discusses her new book Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America's Future. Plus, the U.S. blowhard surplus, South Korea paying people to not be shy, and how two warring Sudanese generals fit a universal pattern. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/T...
Apr 21, 2023•37 min
Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English is the new book from Valerie Fridland, professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada Reno. And Mike is all like, "No Way!" and Prof Fridland goes, "No, yeah!" Plus, a SpaceX rocket is destroyed ... sorry, it experienced "rapid unscheduled disassembly." And closing the barn door after the chicken's been singed. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://adver...
Apr 20, 2023•40 min
