Replay of the interview Mike Pesca did with Kat Rosenfield on The Gist List. Click the link below to subscribe for free to The Gist List. The Gist List Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com...
Jun 14, 2025•52 min•Ep. 2734
In another edition of Is That BS? Sadie Dingfelder joins to ask: is chatting with your ficus legit, or just verbal compost? The science of sound and strawberries might surprise you. Then in The Spiel , Mike breaks down Israel's sweeping strike on Iran—targeting nuclear sites, scientists, and generals—in what may be a turning point for the region and for Ukraine. Also, New York Democrats choose between a grocery-store socialist and a mispronouncing Cuomo in just 11 days. Produced by Corey Wara Pr...
Jun 13, 2025•33 min•Ep. 2733
Economist Allison Schraeger and Slow Boring 's Matt Yglesias join Mike to discuss the unrest in Los Angeles — and how to protest without giving Donald Trump a win. Then, the trio surveys the NYC mayoral mess — or, if not a mess, whatever government-run grocery stores are. Plus, the Big Beautiful Bill is only one of those things, and it's the worse one. Goat Grinders: summer smells, promiscuous earbuds, and that final month of school when they stop even pretending to educate the children. Produce...
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 2732
New York Times reporter Jonah Bromwich joins to discuss Dragon on Centre Street: New York v. Donald J. Trump , his journalist account of the only Trump trial that resulted in a verdict. They explore how Alvin Bragg revived a politically fraught case using a little-known state election statute, and how, despite prosecutors' storytelling edge in court, Trump's narrative skills ultimately resonated more strongly with voters. Bromwich delves into the balancing act between legal ethics and electoral ...
Jun 12, 2025•50 min•Ep. 2731
Author Matt Hongoltz-Hetling returns with The Ghost Lab , a rollicking deep dive into New Hampshire's paranormal subculture, where Bigfoot lurks behind every maple tree and alien abductees fill out grant forms. He profiles a ghost-hunting crew that includes a psychic medium, a paranormal paralegal, and a Bigfoot believer who swears the aliens took him more than once. What starts as a tour of fringe science becomes a sharp look at America's low-trust spiral—where more people believe in demons tha...
Jun 10, 2025•35 min•Ep. 2730
Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee argues Democrats can win on climate—if they frame it as jobs, savings, and health, not just apocalypse. He points to his state's 62–38 vote preserving ambitious emissions policy, even in red counties, as proof voters can be persuaded. But national polls rank climate near the bottom of priorities, and skeptics like Matt Yglesias say the green agenda may be driving voters away. Plus: it has become ordinary to label events extraordinary —plus the Spiel sorts hy...
Jun 09, 2025•35 min•Ep. 2729
Replay of the interview Mike Pesca did with Ben Dreyfuss on The Gist List. Click the link below to subscribe for free to The Gist List. The Gist List Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/ch...
Jun 07, 2025•54 min•Ep. 2728
Comedian, freestyler, and archaeology grad Chris Turner joins the show to explain how a middle-class British kid became one of the most dazzling improv lyricists in comedy. From his early days writing one-liners to mesmerizing crowds at the Comedy Cellar with rhymes about chlamydia, Hispaniola, and Jerry Springer, Turner charts a path that makes no sense—until you see it live. He talks about bombing in polite accents, fax machines causing drive-by shootings, and why freestyling is more like tenn...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 2727
Leah Litman, author of Lawless: The Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes , argues that originalism masks a partisan project, while critics counter that Roe's reversal doesn't require conspiracy. Her pop culture–infused book uses The Barbie Movie , American Psycho , and Arrested Development to advance critiques of the conservative court. Plus, the NYC mayoral debate crammed nine candidates into two chaotic hours, yielding more zingers than substance. And in...
Jun 05, 2025•34 min•Ep. 2726
Law Professor Leah Litman, author of Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes argues that the current Supreme Court operates as a vessel for conservative grievance, with its most consequential 6–3 rulings forming the true shape of its ideological project. Litman insists those rulings matter more than any others—but is that because they affect more lives, or because non-6–3 decisions muddy the thesis? Along the way, she's not afraid to indulge ...
Jun 04, 2025•28 min•Ep. 2725
Pulitzer Prize–winner Rick Atkinson joins to discuss The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777 to 1780 , the second volume in his Revolutionary War trilogy. He explores the crucial but often-overlooked role of France, the underestimated grit of American generals, and the British strategic failures rooted in imperial delusion. Also in the show: Geert Wilders' far-right party pulls out of the Dutch coalition, prompting a government collapse. Immigration strains...
Jun 03, 2025•38 min•Ep. 2724
Aneesh Chopra, America's first-ever Chief Technology Officer under Obama, joins The Gist to assess Elon Musk's rebranded takeover of government tech via "Doge." He outlines how the US Digital Service began under Obama, evolved during Trump's first term, and now—chainsaw and hat aside—retains surprising policy continuity across administrations. Plus, even as a Colorado hate crime occurs under the banner of "Free Palestine", it's important to remember that violent people perpetuate violent acts, n...
Jun 02, 2025•40 min•Ep. 2723
Mike joins The Reason Roundtable Podcast to talk about Trump's War on Harvard. Click here to listen to the rest of the podcast Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf...
May 31, 2025•33 min•Ep. 2722
Oxford political scientist Ben Ansell discusses the meme-worthy but deeply explanatory concept of FAFO— f**k around and find out —and its subtler cousin FADFO, where reckless policy choices oddly fail to produce blowback. Why bad ideas often go unpunished, from Brexit to tariffs to defund-the-police slogans and MMT. Ansell argues that liberal democracies build buffers that delay "finding out," which populists and ideologues exploit. Plus, thoughts on the limits of idealism in higher ed diplomacy...
May 30, 2025•39 min•Ep. 2721
Today on The Gist : Sadie Dingfelder returns for an "Is That BS?" segment to investigate dog talking buttons—those viral gadgets that claim to give pets a voice. Are dogs actually communicating abstract thoughts, or is it all one big squeaky placebo? Then, a look at Trump's trade policy unraveling —cue the Wall Street "TACO trade" (Trump Always Chickens Out). Finally, a Guardian article on defund-the-police "successes" that flat out ignores shocking homicide stats. Produced by Corey Wara Product...
May 29, 2025•35 min•Ep. 2720
Political strategist and author Bradley Tusk joins to diagnose the 2025 New York City mayor's race—why voters seem fine with Andrew Cuomo's refusal to reckon with past scandals, and why the race feels like it's happening in a parallel city only 3% of residents live in. Plus The Rehearsal, not only the best comedy on TV, makes a serious point about pilot mental health while still landing the plane with artistry and pathos. Cascade PBS Info Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Kha...
May 28, 2025•42 min•Ep. 2719
Manvir Singh, author of Shamanism: The Timeless Religion , shares insights from a decade with Indonesia's Mentawai people, where healing rituals double as communal celebrations. He discusses how language and metaphor shape worldviews—and where anthropology sits between science and ideology. The U.S. Mint's final penny order closes the chapter on a coin long derided as economic dead weight. And five years after George Floyd's murder, polling shows confidence in police—especially among Black Ameri...
May 27, 2025•40 min•Ep. 2718
Today on The Gist. Ethan Strauss joined Mike Pesca for a Substack Live conversation. Today we air a portion of it focusing on Caitlin Clark and shoes. You can listen to the full interview by clicking the link below. Live w Ethan Strauss Mike Pesca n' Caitlin Clark, Jayson Tatum & you Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: ...
May 24, 2025•39 min•Ep. 2717
Comedian, podcaster, and self-described cutie-in-her-own-way Robby Hoffman drops by to discuss her life, her comedy, and why she takes talking as seriously as any other art form. From growing up ultra-Orthodox and ultra-poor to becoming a sought-after stand-up with a Porsche no one wants, Hoffman explains how she's thrived in disaster and learned to mine discomfort for laughs. The two explore America's national personality deficit, what makes a story worth telling, and the joys of conflict when ...
May 23, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 2716
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, founder of Realign for Palestine and a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, joins to discuss his effort to reframe Palestinian advocacy around coexistence and accountability. He critiques both Hamas and Israel, pushes for reform within the diaspora, and draws a sharp ideological comparison between Hamas and ISIS. Plus, a defense of the "beneficent billionaires," spotlighting Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg for their under appreciated life-saving philanthropy—includi...
May 22, 2025•34 min•Ep. 2715
Eli Lake and Michael A. Cohen take stock of the Biden health debate—diagnosis, exaggeration, and whether it's actually affected his presidency. Michael pushes back on what he calls the "decline industrial complex," while Eli says its denial to think Biden was up to the job. Then they turn to Donald Trump's proudly post-moral foreign policy, where human rights don't even make the brochure and alliances are strictly optional. Realpolitik or just real reckless? Either way, they're not even mad. Pro...
May 21, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 2714
Katherine Stewart, author of Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy , explains how America's Christian nationalist forces are exporting extremism abroad while cloaking domestic corruption in the guise of faith. Plus a suicide bombing outside a Palm Springs fertility clinic introduces the public to the dark ideology of "efilism". Plus, Then, another look at the Yale professors fleeing to Toronto: their self-congratulatory tone is punctured by Sarah Longwell and Be...
May 20, 2025•34 min•Ep. 2713
Katherine Stewart, author of Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy , joins to discuss Christian nationalism's influence on modern conservatism. Also, the distinction between sincere and performative beliefs in the Trump administration, especially economic fictions like tariffs not being taxes. Plus, in the context of assessing Biden's mental acuity, the new reporting and audio show Robert Hur as a rare source of unvarnished insight, unshaped by partisan aims. Pr...
May 19, 2025•37 min•Ep. 2712
Today on The Gist we revisit an interview from 2017 with Lena Kahn and play a segment from this week where Mike talked abouts the new popes MAGA brother. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_...
May 17, 2025•23 min•Ep. 2711
Henry Abbott joins to discuss Ballistic: The New Science of Injury-Free Athletic Performance , spotlighting insights from Dr. Marcus Elliott—not just about elite training, but how something as basic as learning to land can change careers and prevent lifelong injury. Plus, the three Yale professors so steeped in the study of fascism they fled to Toronto, prompting a reflection on American resilience versus alarmism. And FEMA's new director storms in unprepared but aggressive, replacing a Trump-er...
May 16, 2025•38 min•Ep. 2710
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson joins to discuss her new book The Purposeful Warrior: Standing Up for What's Right When the Stakes Are High. Benson, frontrunner to become Michigan's next governor discusses the tactics she and other secretaries of state used to combat 2020 election denialism, but also her restraint during efforts to keep Trump off the 2024 ballot. Plus, RFK Jr. testifies before Congress and defends hiring a man fined for practicing medicine without a license. Produced ...
May 15, 2025•43 min•Ep. 2709
David Graham author of The Project: How Project 2025 is Changing America, explains how Project 2025 seeks not smaller government, but a more obedient one—politicizing civil service, gutting regulation, and embedding a Trump-aligned worldview across federal agencies. He discusses how its authors blend sincere constitutional theory with radical institutional overhaul. Plus, does the Pope's MAGA-leaning brother demystify the Papacy? Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com T...
May 14, 2025•36 min•Ep. 2708
Retired General Gen. Stanley McChrystal joins to discuss his book On Character: Choices that Define a Life, and how real character transcends grit or discipline to include values that hold under fire. Plus, Trump touches the economic stove, recoils, and suddenly recession odds drop along with tariffs rates. And from The Hague, Rodrigo Duterte wins re-election as mayor of Davao in a landslide. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact s...
May 13, 2025•31 min•Ep. 2707
Sam Altman's outsize ambition and messianic optimism take center stage in a conversation with Keach Hagey, author of The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future . From failed flip-phone apps to billion-dollar AI bets, Altman emerges as one of Silicon Valley's most effective—and unsettling—dream merchants. Plus: Trump's flying palace may be more than a bribe; it's a perfect symbol of soft corruption via cushy luxury. And of all the cease-fires for Trump to broker, he choos...
May 12, 2025•30 min•Ep. 2706
Today on The Gist we play back a section for our Chuck Todd interview that didn't make it on air and revisit a 2020 interview with Don Bacon. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscr...
May 10, 2025•25 min•Ep. 2705
