In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike’s 2016 interview with Tim Hartford, author of the book Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives. Also, Mike’s Tuesday Spiel about nanoplastics and whether or not they are more dangerous to our bodies or our anxiety levels. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mi...
Jan 13, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Houthis are monstrous militants, which would be reason enough to dispatch them via military might. But also, think of the carbon savings! Plus, Israel defends itself from genocide charges. And we're joined once more by Donald G. McNeil Jr. to discuss his new book The Wisdom of Plagues, a zoonotic origin of Covid, if Anthony Fauci answers about gain-of-function research were accurate, and public health cowardice in the face of m(onkey) pox. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Gift The G...
Jan 12, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast A spirited debate between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley last night allowed the former South Carolina Governor to trot out a new attack line. Also, Donald McNeil Jr. has been covering pandemics since the aid crisis in the 80s. His new book The Wisdom of Plagues, collects all the lessons he has learned covering diseases across the world. And Trump's legal woes have his candidacy on the rocks. Actually, just the opposite. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To...
Jan 11, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast John McCormick, senior editor at The Dispatch, walks us through what the hell congress is doing, if anything, and how the upcoming elections will affect the aforementioned governing body. Plus, a secret tunnel in a Brooklyn synagogue sparks a "Gistvestigation." And South Africa is set to charge Israel with genocide. 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 Subscribe: https:...
Jan 10, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast A new study shows more plastic than could be imagined, and certainly seen, in bottled water. The coverage demands a freakout, rationality demands you take a deep breath, a deep sip, and relax. Plus, the Trump immunity appeal makes for captivating viewing. And we're joined once more by Yaroslov Trofimov, author of OurEnemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine's War of Independence. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Gift The Gist at https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/gifts Email us...
Jan 09, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Yaroslav Trofimov, Chief Foreign-Affairs Correspondent at The Wall Street Journal, discusses his new book, Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine's War of Independence. Plus, our undisclosed, indisposed SecDef. And how Joe Biden defines White Supremacy. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Gift The Gist at https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/gifts Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscri...
Jan 08, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to the episode published the evening of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. It was a defining moment in our nation’s history, and we have a pretty clear understand of what went down that ugly day. On January 6, 2021, though, we didn’t have much detail, but Mike went on to try to put some context around what we were all seeing. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show: https...
Jan 06, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Let's not forget a fact that could be swallowed up in all the big international news: the Houthi rebels—no good, no good at all. Even rhyming chants won't change that. Plus, Biden hits the campaign trail with a focus on protecting democracy. And we're joined by Michael MacCambridge, author of the new book The Big Time: How the 1970s Transformed Sports in America. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Gift The Gist at https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/gifts Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To ...
Jan 05, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump's emoluments entanglements receive further scrutiny. And would a soon-to-explode American airliner have witnessed such an orderly exit? Plus, Adam Nagourney continues his discussion of The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn and the Transformation of Journalism. 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 Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepes...
Jan 04, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Adam Nagourney is the author of The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn and the Transformation of Journalism. Mike questions him about the extent that the NYT actually has escaped scorn. Plus, Israel takes out a top Hamas commander, which threatens to escalate regional tensions, suggesting the region might not want top Hamas commanders taken out. And is Claudine Gay a martyr, a victim or merely a transcription enthusiast? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Gift The ...
Jan 03, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast David Duchovny (like "the truth") is out there as an actor, director, musician, and novelist (or Novella-ist) in the case of his latest The Reservoir. Plus, Nikki Haley didn't say "slavery," but what in the world was she saying? A look at 14 years of her hard-to-parse comments on the causes of the Civil War. Also on the show, the highest paid employees of each state fight in a violent yearly ritual. Programming Note: Our interview with the President of Harvard has been cancelled. Please use the ...
Jan 02, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today is Mike Pesca’s birthday, and as a gift to himself, he requested we replay two classic interviews that he considers some of his favorites. So we’ll be listening back to his conversation with comedian Gary Gulman from 2019 and actor/writer/Fonzie Henry Winkler from 2017. See you in 2024! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https:...
Dec 29, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mike gives his list of the best podcasts of the past calendar year. He also talks with Sonari Glinton, host of the Shattering the System podcast, which tells the story of a politically connected predator who operated out of West Hollywood, and Lauren Chooljian, host of the The 13th Step, which tells the story of a politically connected predator who operated out of New Hampshire. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show: https://advertis...
Dec 28, 2023•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russian dissident Alexi Navalny has been located. It’s someplace cold and inescapable, but he's able to make some Christmasy jokes, so that's “good.” Plus, The Gist has found an interview thought lost, about a 17th Century mathematician who was also, in his way, a little lost. Bernoulli's Fallacy: Statistical Illogic and the Crisis of Modern Science is the book, we talk with its author Aubrey Clayton. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the...
Dec 27, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this day after Christmas, we are choosing to eschew the news cycle and instead have a little fun. We found some oldies-but-goodies from Mike's pre-Gist time at New York Public Radio's On The Media and NPR's Day To Day. With puns, oddities, parodies, and peccadillos galore, it's the perfect soundtrack to accompany you while you return all the awful gifts you got for store credit. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show: https://adver...
Dec 26, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we replay Mike’s Tuesday Spiel about Chicago’s disgruntled neighborhoods, overwhelmed by newly resettled migrants. But lest you think it’s wealthy white people doing the complaining, well … it’s not. Then we rewind to 2016, before Trump, back when newspaper headlines were less terrifying and a bit more song-inspiring. Also … Merry Christmas. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show: https://adver...
Dec 23, 2023•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Don't Worry … it's actually good news. Part of the spate of good news that we can't quite accept or process. Plus, the greatest face-melting rock anthems of all time. And Minnesota's new flag rings out the last Vexillology Corner of 2023, with Ted Kaye, author of Good Flag, Bad Flag. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscri...
Dec 22, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Reena Ninan, veteran broadcast reporter for CBS, ABC, and Fox has been in earlier versions of Hamas tunnels, and she tells us about underground ambitions and over-the-air coverage. Plus, Fat Leonard, Poor Rudy, and the Houthi Creed. And comedian Alex Edelman discusses the difference between anti-semitism and anti-Zionism and anti-Netanyahu-ism. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara The Gist Youtube Channel: The Gist - YouTube Gift The Gist at https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/gifts Email us at...
Dec 21, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump is barred from the ballot in Colorado, for now, interesting reasoning contributed to the court's decision, which probably won't survive SCOTUS. Plus, Lina Khatib, director of the SOAS Middle East Institute at SOAS University of London assesses Israel's neighbor's relations with Palestinians and what hopes there are for a permanent peace. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara The Gist Youtube Channel: The Gist - YouTube Gift The Gist at https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/gifts Email...
Dec 20, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's not just bomb-throwing conservative House members who think migrants arriving at the U.S. southern border are a problem. Turns out, the people who's communities are slated as their new homes feel similarly, and those people are often people of color. And we are joined again by Ryan Grim to continue our interview about his new book, The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution. And, whether you call them the Houthis or the "Hooties," they are a problem. Produced by Joel Patterson an...
Dec 19, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ryan Grim, author of The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution describes the ascent, tactics, behaviors, and personalities of AOC and other young leftists in Congress. Plus, it's hard to talk about immigration, as Joe Manchin, the President of Illinois' NAACP, and, most insensitively of all, Donald Trump show in myriad ways. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Gift The Gist at https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/gifts Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visi...
Dec 18, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we rewind to Tuesday to listen back to Mike’s treatise on New Jersey’s sludge barge, though, for reasons pertaining to the O’Jays song “Love Train,” we are calling it the Sludge Train. Then we rewind way back to 2018, when Mike felt the need to warn listeners about culturally sensitive seasons greetings. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to our ...
Dec 16, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ukraine's EU funding is thwarted by the Hungarian leader whose less Buddah and more Pest, Victor Orban. Plus, Kate Mara and Shawn Bannon drop by to talk about their documentary about hog pollution in North Carolina, The Smell of Money. And an emergency Antwentig, in which secret geopolitical lyrics to OJay's songs are divulged. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Gift The Gist at https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/gifts Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https:...
Dec 15, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Twelve hundred Israelis were killed by Hamas. Perhaps 15,000 Gazans have died as Israel has pursued its attacker, many Hamas fighters among them. But those numbers alone do not help us understand the concept of proportionality in international law. Ben Wittes of Lawfare is here to help us think through the idea. Plus, delving into "Homonationalism." Also on the show, Rudy has defamed and also suffers from having lesser fame than his old client, Donald Trump. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey ...
Dec 14, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Chris Molanphy is here to discuss his new book, what is certainly the most authoritative work of non fiction about the Lil Nas X song "Old Town Road," which is also the name of the book. Plus, Hunter Biden does the old town road of attempting to sidestep a congressional inquest. Also on the show: while congress will vote on an impeachment inquiry, they won't vote on aid for Ukraine. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https...
Dec 13, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Angus Deaton, the Nobel Prize winner who popularized the notion of "deaths of despair" stops by to discuss his latest book, Economics In America: An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality. In it, he discusses the correlation of a college education and a longer life. Plus, digital fungus underrepresentation, and all aboard the SLUDGE TRAIN! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Gi...
Dec 13, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast After the 2019 death of Elijah McClain at the hands of Aurora Colorado police, no charges were filed. Then, spurred on by activism over the murder of George Floyd, the Governor of Colorado ordered the case reopened. After two trials resulting in mixed verdicts, the paramedics who administered ketamine to McClain stand accused. We check in with Alison Borden, an editor from Colorado Public Radio who has been following the case. Plus, the college presidents who muddled a seemingly simple answer ab...
Dec 11, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with the presidents of Harvard, M.I.T., and the University of Pennsylvania being hauled in front of the House of Representatives this past week to answer for antisemitic speech on their campuses, we thought it apropos to listen back to Mike’s interview with Mark Oppenheimer, host of the podcast Gatecrashers, about the hidden history of the relationship between Jews and the Ivy League. Then we’ll hear Mike’s front-of-show Spiel from Tuesday about MSNBC’s h...
Dec 09, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Isaac Saul, a former writer for Vox, The Huffington Post, and Time Magazine, was frustrated with news bias and often slanted coverage. So he founded Tangle News, a politics newsletter which summarizes the best arguments from across the political spectrum on the news of the day. Plus, Mike addresses listeners who say, "We want more Israel criticism, or just less Israel overall." Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show: https://advertise...
Dec 08, 2023•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a national referendum, the country of Venezuela just voted to annex half of Guyana, against the will of the Guyanese ... and international law. And every map. While they have no case, and no means to actually take the land, it might lay the groundwork for further chicanery says Fransisco Toro, our Latin America watcher. Plus, a UC Berkley sociology Jew butts heads with living-in-Israel Jews. Also on the show, does Donald Trump still know how to talk? We watch a speech to determine the extent ...
Dec 07, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
