Chris Molanphy is here to document the top 100 Billboard Christmas songs of all time. Jingle bell time, it’s a swell time to count the songs that top charts like an angel on the tree. Plus, the world’s largest cylindrical aquarium bursts in Germany, ushering in a flood of fish focused frippery. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/ad...
Dec 16, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mike’s done a deep dive on the sappy sentiment, and familiar melodies of a John Lennon’s Christmas “classic.” And we’re joined by Daniel Sloss, the Scottish comic whose new special Socio questions his own possible sociopathy. Plus, Heinrich XIII’s attempted German government overthrow gets deeper … NDA’s were involved. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...
Dec 15, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mike objects to the reflexive negativism that ignores amazing scientific advances, treats progress as depressing, and convinces itself that a fun diversion is nothing short of horrific. And SBF's mom ran superPAC that outsmarted the competition, because of her keen insight, but also lots of crypto-fraud. Plus, we are joined once more with Nina Totenberg NPR's legal affairs correspondent and author of "Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships." Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey ...
Dec 14, 2022•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nina Totenberg has covered the Supreme Court for nearly 50 years for NPR. It’s a career that has given us a deeper understanding of the most mysterious body in American politics, and it gave Nina a friend for life … the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Mike talks to Nina about what it’s like to have to report about your good friend and about her new book Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships. Also on the show, a tripledemic for the ages. And Wakanda Forever. Just that. Produce...
Dec 13, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Wednesday is the tenth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shootings. Alex Jones has filed for bankruptcy in an attempt to shield himself from the approximately $1.5 billion he owes families. Elizabeth Williamson is author of Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy And The Battle For Truth, and she joins us to discuss her coverage of Jones’ trials and insights into his strategy and tactics in avoiding accountability. Plus, President Biden is accused of “weakness” over swapping Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout,...
Dec 12, 2022•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying Mike’s 2022 interview with Douglas Farah, author of Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible, which is about Viktor Bout, the Russian arms trafficker who was exchanged for Brittney Griner this past week. We are also listening to a section of this week’s episode of Not Even Mad, in which Mike talks with David French and Lara Bazelon about the not-terribly-difficult task of getting a seditious conspiracy co...
Dec 10, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Senator from Arizona will no longer be a Democrat. What it means to be an “Independent”? Plus, Philosopher Nick Riggle explores “The Big Question” in his new book This Beauty: A Philosophy of Being Alive. And Mike explains the Twitter Files as if they had been a normal story free of everyone screaming at each other about motives. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your...
Dec 09, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mike is joined by David Sax, author of The Future Is Analog: How To Create A More Human World. Also, the Brittney Griner Prisoner exchange has costs, but it was worth it. And the Justice Department says it’s recovered a Fabergé Egg. Really? Or do they have embarrassment on their face having laid an inaccuracy? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca...
Dec 08, 2022•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast HBO grew from a small cable channel into the best-in-class leader of the golden age of television. Bloomberg’s Felix Gillette and John Koblin of the New York Times join to discuss their new book, It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, And Future of HBO. Plus, Jamaica declares a state of emergency to combat murder, despite having a murder rate actually lower than in American communities. And a giddy night on MSNBC. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.co...
Dec 07, 2022•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast This past Saturday, the U.S. Men’s national soccer team once again crashed out of the World Cup in the Round of 16, beaten handily by The Netherlands 3-1. You’ve got to wonder, with such a love of sport, with such a tremendous potential pool of talent, and with a proven track record in world soccer (our women have won four world cups), why can’t America field a winning men’s soccer team? For that answer, we turned to George Dohrmann, a Pulitzer prize winner and author most recently of Switching ...
Dec 06, 2022•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast With the Senate contest between Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock coming to a vote, Bill Nigut, host of Georgia Political Rewind joins us once more to preview tomorrow’s contest. And how public health officials joined meter maids and baseball umpires as hateable officials. Plus, brawls and coups in Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Burkina Faso, as we air the latest edition of “Sahel: Do Tell,” our irregular compendium of Africa updates. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@m...
Dec 05, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen to the first 20 minutes or so of the most recent episode of our sister podcast, Not Even Mad. In it, Mike, Jamie Kirchick, and Virginia Heffernan discuss the narratives created around mass shootings. Then we dig into The Gist archives and listen back to Mike’s April 2018 interview with National Review editor Charles C. W. Cooke on why he thinks repealing the Second Amendment would be a losing proposition for gun control advocates. Produced by Jo...
Dec 03, 2022•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Emily Oster is a Harvard-educated professor of economics at Brown University, and, despite her lofty credentials, her research has focused on very human problems, like whether knowing you have a short time to live affects your desire to invest in education and job training. She joins us to discuss her recent feature in The Atlantic titled “Let’s Declare A Pandemic Amnesty.” Also, a prediction for Saturday’s World Cup match between the United States and the Netherlands. SPOILER ALERT: The winner ...
Dec 02, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Joe Lieberman has been in politics for most of his adult life. First as a Connecticut State Senator, then as the state’s Attorney General, and finally, as a U.S. Senator for 24 years. A self-proclaimed “centrist,” over the course of his career, he saw the middle of the political spectrum transformed from a place everyone was trying to meet into a place no one would be seen dead. But for Lieberman, the ability to eschew party dogma was a source of power, a journey he documents in his 2021 book, T...
Dec 01, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ted Kennedy: A Life is the sweeping new biography of the Massachusetts Senator whose importance was often overwhelmed by his notoriety. Author John Farrell joins us to analyze the life of The Lion of the Senate. In the Spiel, a contemplation of the murders we attend to and those which pass by without notice. Plus, Stewart Rhodes is found guilty. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn mor...
Nov 30, 2022•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Civil wars are anything but spontaneous, and though they are often decades in the making, they remain challenging to identify before they explode into violence. We interview Barbara F Walter, a world renown expert on political violence and what it portends about her new book How Civil Wars Start: And How To Stop Them, in hopes of answering a dark question: How close is the U.S. to civil war? Also, we wonder how effective protests around the world will be. And why we pay more for products with “9...
Nov 29, 2022•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Heather Knight is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist whose subject areas of expertise include dysfunctional city government, murals, crime and toilets. Also, The Gist establishes itself as your source for Fijian-Kirabati legal news. And why VAR mars the World Cup. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 28, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying a chunk of this past week’s episode of Not Even Mad, the new podcast from the makers of The Gist. Today we listen to Cancel Court where Mike, Virginia Heffernan, and Jamie Kirchick discuss Public-health commentator Leana Wen. Then, we dig into The Gist archives and listen back to Mike’s 2015 spiel on why uncle slander has become a Thanksgiving tradition Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To adverti...
Nov 26, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Chris Molanphy, chart analyst, pop critic and host of the Hit Parade podcast is back to recount the number one hits of 1992. Plus, not feeling bad about not feeling bad about Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the host and the darlings of the World Cup. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 23, 2022•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast For the past 18 years, Chris Hansen has built a career on confronting child predators. We discuss methods, ethics, and the citizen predator-catchers who take inspiration from his work. Plus, the advice Japanese are getting from their leaders to combat winter energy woes. And then, a discussion of the bruising journalists have come to expect when covering topics of medical intervention and gender-affirming care. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advert...
Nov 22, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast When Lula da Silva edged out Jair Bolsonaro to retake the Presidency of Brazil by less than two percent of the popular vote back in October, it was an amazing comeback story for Lula. But maybe more amazing was that Bolsonaro (sometimes called “Tropical Trump”) recognized the results and actually admitted defeat. We talk with the Editor in Chief of Americas Quarter, Brian Winter, about what happened and what it says about election denialism. Also on the show, climate justice gets a win at the UN...
Nov 21, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying a chunk of this past week’s episode of Not Even Mad, the new podcast from the makers of The Gist. We listen in as Mike, Virginia Heffernan, and Jamie Kirchick wonder if campaigning on anti-woke topics will be something we see more of in future elections or not. Then, we dig into The Gist archives and listen back to Mike’s 2020 conversation with Nancy Pelosi biographer Molly Ball about the out-going Speaker of the House. Produced by Joel P...
Nov 19, 2022•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast In Picking Presidents: How to Make the Most Consequential Decision in the World, Gautam Mukunda says that experience is somewhat important, but real inexperience is a huge gamble. So our choice comes down to this: Do we need to take a big risk in selecting who runs America? Also, all those investigations—special and not-so-special—and the baby’s name that will one day be the stuff of Legend. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, vis...
Nov 18, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are joined once again for the remainder of our interview with former Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland to discuss Donald Trump’s skill as a negotiator, his stinginess with TicTacs, and what a $1,000,000 ticket to an inauguration looks like. Also, Pueblo County’s in-your-face method of curing votes, and SBF’s deceit and, more importantly, his cargo shorts. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advert...
Nov 17, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gordon Sondland was Ambassador to the EU, which eventually led to his testimony during the first impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump. Sondland confirmed some elements of the quid-pro-quo, backed up other parts of Trump’s narrative, and was soon fired for his participation. His new book is The Envoy: Mastering the Art of Diplomacy with Trump and the World. Plus, the aforementioned Donald Trump has just announced he’ll run once more for President, Mike has the full breakdown of news, norm...
Nov 16, 2022•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today we test the thesis that a Universal Basic Book Deal (UBBD) could possibly solve society’s ills. We also speak with David Sikorjak and Ben Valenta about their new book Fans Have More Friends, which posits the idea that a shared love of sports and teams can be an unexpected source of community and happiness. Had they not yet heard of the UBBD? And we dream of a day when the House of Representatives is not led by a member of the House of Representatives, because, yeah, that could happen. Prod...
Nov 15, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Princess Martha Louise of Norway is engaged to an American shaman, and the Norwegians have been proving very close-minded about the love between a royal and a healer who believes he descends from a reptilian species and that his $222 amulet can ward of Covid-19. Also, are historic emissions the best way to express which countries bear responsibility for climate change? Plus, Dr. Eugenia Cheng is a mathematician, educator, author (How To Bake Pi, Beyond Infinity, x + y: A Mathematician’s Manifest...
Nov 14, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we look at the squishiest of science: cancelation and polling. Up first, we feature an installment of Cancel Court from Thursday’s episode of Not Even Mad, our sister podcast. Listen in as Mike, Virginia Heffernan, and Jamie Kirchick attempt to rule on the cancelation of Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving for the anti-Semitic remarks he made in a recent documentary? Next, we’ll listen back to Mike’s 2020 interview with Robert Cahaly, head pollster of ...
Nov 12, 2022•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast The pundit, in this case, being The Gist host Mike Pesca. In the Antwentig, an examination of the assumptions and inputs that convinced many (including Mike Pesca) that the Republicans would do better than they did. Plus, Joel Stein, host of Story Of The Week podcast is here to spread mirth, merriment, and, most importantly, knowledge about the Story of the Week. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com...
Nov 11, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we just wait … wait … wait for the results in states like Arizona, Nevada, and California, Mike takes us through the recent news about a Russian troll who admitted to meddling in the election. Bottom line: He’s trolling. Plus, we’re joined once more by Amanda Ripley, author of High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped And How We Get Out, to talk about what to do with prominent predictions of civil war. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the sho...
Nov 10, 2022•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
