Today on The Gist, Mike is joined by Michael A. Cohen of the Truth and Consequences Substack and MSNBC, along with Matt Welch, Editor-at-Large of Reason magazine, for another installment of Not Even Mad. The trio discusses Trump’s inauguration, executive actions, refugee policy, DEI, and the eventful first few days of his second term as POTUS. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To ad...
Jan 23, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Donald Trump has issued over 50 executive orders—not including a single order that repealed more than 50 of Biden’s executive orders. We delve into the posturing and the potent. Plus, Nate DiMeo, host of the long-running The Memory Palace podcast, drops by to discuss what makes a good podcast episode, what translates well to the page, and why a massive 18th-century painting was chopped up to fit inside a specific room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegi...
Jan 22, 2025•47 min
On Donald Trump’s first day in office, cop-beaters are pardoned, and biology is affirmed. Plus, anthropologist Carrie M. Lane, author of More Than Pretty Boxes: How the Rise of Professional Organizing Shows Us the Way We Work Isn’t Working, reports that professional organizers don’t want to force people to throw things out. Marie Kondo might have something to say about that. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email u...
Jan 21, 2025•36 min
Each weekend on Best of The Gist, we revisit an archival segment from the past and replay something from the past week. This weekend, two selections from the near vault, inspired by the devastating fires in and around Los Angeles over the last week or more. First, Mike’s June 12, 2023, Spiel about the Canadian wildfires that many thought would change minds on climate change—even if we’re not certain they were entirely the result of climate change. Then, we revisit the intro to our Aug. 18, 2023,...
Jan 18, 2025•24 min
Should L.A. communities rebuild so close together? Is there a better way to prevent fires from starting in the first place? Would a full reservoir have saved homes in the Pacific Palisades? Does L.A.‘s fire chief deserve credit or blame? What’s it like to fight a fire in the face of 100 mph winds? These questions and more are answered by Clare Frank, a 30-year veteran of the California Fire Service and the author of Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire. Plus, as TikTok goes splat, other media compan...
Jan 17, 2025•42 min
Partisanship is often portrayed as a societal ill—usually by those jerks in the other party. But as Julian Zelizer, Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University, argues: partisanship can be beneficial. In fact, things become rather inefficient without it. Meanwhile, the Hamas-Israel hostage deal remains on the precipice of implementation, and Joe Biden issues a warning about oligarchs. He likely has one specific billionaire in mind, though there is significant political divers...
Jan 16, 2025•43 min
Many American municipalities fluoridate their water supplies in hopes of lowering the number of cavities in our teeth. The practice stems from some pretty awful dental outcomes in early America that caused the U.S. military once upon a time to require a man have at least thirteen teeth to enlist. Conspiracy theorists decry this intrusion into their bodily fluids, claiming its lowering their IQs, but they're just lunatics ... or are they? Sadie Dingfelder joins the show for another round of Is Th...
Jan 15, 2025•45 min
Pete Hegseth faced sharp questioning from Senate Democrats over his leadership credentials, allegations of sexism and sexual impropriety, humanitarian record, and even his sobriety. Meanwhile, Republicans on the Armed Services Committee appeared firmly in his corner. In other headlines, Jack Smith reiterated that he would have convicted Trump—unsurprising, of course. Also on the show, we're joined by Sir John Kay, author of The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century: Why (Almost) Everything We ...
Jan 14, 2025•33 min
In Los Angeles, the fires rage on, with damage estimates so high they almost defy belief. But perhaps the L.A. fires truly will cause as much destruction as nearly every major disaster worldwide last year. We’ll explore which aspects of the damage can be attributed to climate change and which cannot. Plus, we’re joined by John Kay, Oxford professor, Financial Times columnist, and author of The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century: Why (Almost) Everything We Are Told About Business Is Wrong. W...
Jan 13, 2025•37 min
Each weekend on Best of The Gist, we revisit an archival segment from the past and replay something from the current week. This weekend, we listen back to a 2019 Gist intro about Trump’s then-infatuation with Greenland. Then, we hear Mike’s 2025 Spiel on the same topic. At least he’s consistent. Coupon Codes from the episode... Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE versi...
Jan 11, 2025•16 min
Joshua Oppenheimer, the director of the recent apocalypse musical The End, starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon, joins us to discuss musicals and his past work crafting brilliant documentaries. Plus, we’ll hear a direct dispatch from our friend Meghan Daum, whose house was destroyed in the Southern California fires. And I think we can safely say that Donald Trump won’t be waging war on Greenland, even if he won’t say it clearly. Listen to Meghan's full story from The Unspeakable Podcast at...
Jan 10, 2025•43 min
Mark Zuckerberg has announced that META platforms Facebook and Instagram are doing away with fact-checking. However, Kate Klonick argues they weren’t doing much fact-checking to begin with and certainly weren’t receiving much credit for it. But that doesn’t mean these changes are benign or beneficial to users. Meanwhile, wildfires rage through Los Angeles, and Fox News, along with the political right, point the finger at… DEI? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepes...
Jan 09, 2025•56 min
Journalist Stephen Marche, author of the NYT op-ed “Justin Trudeau Was His Own Worst Enemy,” argues that the soon-to-be-former Prime Minister’s virtue signaling too often came across as piety, exhausting Canadians. Plus, medical debt is cleared from credit ratings, and a hockey analogy that belongs in the penalty box. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscr...
Jan 08, 2025•36 min
Oregon, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver have all experimented with drug decriminalization over the past few years. The results? A deadly disappointment. Stanford professor Keith Humphreys explains why. Plus, advice on how hard a bargain Greenland should drive as a target of U.S. acquisition. And why we should embrace New York City’s anti-NIMBY declaration, “It Can Happen,” as the city strives to become a CITY OF YES. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.c...
Jan 07, 2025•34 min
An analysis of the most “sympathetic” January 6th rioters hardly supports their innocence. Plus, have we been measuring economic progress all wrong? Allison Schrager, of Bloomberg and the Manhattan Institute, says, “Kind of, yeah.” Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/U...
Jan 06, 2025•42 min
Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we are doing two from the vault. We hear Mike’s interview with Ben Bradford, whose podcast Landslide tells the story of the 1976 Presidential race, which was seminal in the invention of modern conservatism. And then we time warp back to 2016 for Mike’s interview with Meg Jacobs joins us to discuss the lasting political legacy of the ’70s gas crisi...
Jan 04, 2025•48 min
Services honoring former President Jimmy Carter begin this weekend. We assess his legacy, explore which presidents have rewritten history from the grave, and discuss the growing trend of historians being asked to act as present-day pundits with Lindsay Chervinsky, Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library and co-editor of Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture. Plus, as incidents of people being pushed in front of subways increase, one transit activis...
Jan 03, 2025•38 min
Brain imaging studies are often cited to prove a point about human behavior, but the claims surrounding them can be quite grand. Sadie Dingfelder is back to ask: Is that bullshit? Plus, Jimmy Carter—a kind, decent man but with a badly bungled presidency. And Gavin Newsom speaks out against snitching but in support of law enforcement. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist...
Jan 02, 2025•37 min
Comedian Roy Wood Jr., host of CNN’s Have I Got News for You and former Daily Show correspondent, joins this episode of Funny You Should Mention. We delve into topics like a near-DUI incident in South Dakota, why the police should occasionally let a criminal go free, and the responsibility comedians have to challenge harmful political ideas—and the politicians who promote them. We also explore the surprising lessons humanity can learn from floating balls of ants and what it reveals when the prem...
Jan 01, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Mike Yard is a standup comic who has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, Flatbush Misdemeanors, and was a contributor to The Nightly Show with Larry WiImore. He is both an ex-felon and a union leader at the Museum of Modern Art. In this conversation, we discuss Yard's jokes about his pro-prison stance, leaving the Virgin Islands for the worst neighborhood in Brooklyn, and his suspicions about candlelight vigils. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise...
Dec 31, 2024•53 min
Django Gold is a stand-up comedian, a former writer for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and a veteran of The Onion. In his stand-up special "Bag of Tricks," he explores not being cool, show-off toilet seats, and the privilege of owning multiple pairs of scissors. His comedy has been described as "cynical and bizarre" but also "surprising, insightful and properly deranged." We discuss the right amount of weird to present to the audience without seeming too weird, and the evolution of the arch...
Dec 30, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. But this weekend, we’re simply going to listen to Mike’s appearance on Ophira Eisenberg’s Parenting Is A Joke podcast. Happy holidays. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com Subscribe to The Gist’s Yo...
Dec 28, 2024•45 min
Our third installment of Funny You Should Mention welcomes Sam Jay, former SNL writer, Tom Brady Roaster, host of HBO's Pause with Sam Jay, and stand-up comic behind such specials as Netflix's 3 In The Morning and HBO's Salute Me or Shoot Me. Sam and Mike talk cops, racism, white vs black people money management, and a joke she'll discuss but won't be telling again. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast....
Dec 27, 2024•56 min
Rachel Feinstein’s acting credits include HBO’s Crashing, Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, and Hulu’s Life & Beth. Her latest stand-up special, Big Guy, came out on Netflix earlier this year. Rachel comes from a family of intellectual giants, though doesn’t include herself in that category. In Mike’s conversation with her, however, she reveals her insightfulness, which is better suited for comedy than the classroom. Plus she channels her mother, husband, and a variety of Staten Island firefi...
Dec 26, 2024•57 min
Funny You Should Mention Episode One: Nimesh Patel. Over his career Nimesh Patel has gone from a comedian who wants to make points and jokes to a purely joke-oriented comic. He’s somewhat of the prefect comedian to kick off this series which looks at comedy routines as if they were an argument or an Op-ed. Nimesh has actually written Op-Eds for the NY Times. We discuss being kicked off stage at Columbia University, eviscerating the healthcare system when over a dozen of your cousins are doctors,...
Dec 25, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Jim Rooney, son of the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney—who also served as U.S. Ambassador to Ireland during the Obama administration—has written a book about open doors and iron curtains: A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story, from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule. Plus, unions that didn’t endorse Democrats face backlash from Republicans. And we end with a Yeartwentig. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content...
Dec 24, 2024•49 min
Joe Biden has commuted the death sentences of 37 out of the 40 people on federal death row. Mike discusses the remaining three. We’re joined by stand-up comic Ophira Eisenberg, host of the Parenting Is a Joke podcast, to explore child-rearing and podcast-naming philosophies. Also, Bashar al-Assad’s seasonally relevant theme song, and how it has been appropriated by the Koreans. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The G...
Dec 23, 2024•38 min
Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we listen back to Mike’s recent interview with Brian Baumgartner (Kevin from NBC’s The Office) and Ben Silverman, who discuss their new book, The Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin. Then, a special Christmas song. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is pro...
Dec 21, 2024•35 min
Jesse Eisenberg is the writer, director, and star of A Real Pain. We discuss his plays, where you can find early versions of the characters played by Kieran Culkin and Jesse himself, the dynamics of cousin relationships, and when crying can be useful for both the artist and the individual. Plus, another exciting edition of Palter Talk! Oh, and we might just have a government shutdown. Sorry. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus ...
Dec 20, 2024•47 min
Elon Musk complicates government funding, Fani Willis is off the Georgia Trump prosecution, and Brian Reed returns to discuss whether “genocidal race war” was the best way to describe the false allegation that Springfield residents were “eating the dogs, eating the cats.” SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com Subscribe to The Gist’s Y...
Dec 19, 2024•42 min