The Gist

On The Gist, Jacob Weisberg helps present favorite moments from the first month of Slate's Trumpcast. First, he talks to journalist Mark Leibovich about Donald Trump's transition into a more tolerable candidate. Then, we ask clinical psychologist Ben Michaelis about narcissistic personality disorder and how he would treat Trump. To close out the episode, Hanna Rosin of Slate's DoubleX Gabfest and...

On The Gist, we discuss the connection between infrastructure and money with Justin Fox from Bloomberg View. Then, Noah Charney explains why the art of Hieronymus Bosch is so hauntingly freaky. He's the author of The Art of Forgery: The Minds, Motives and Methods of the Master Forgers. For the Spiel, inside the so-called "so-called Acela primary." There's no Gist Wednesday, but we'll be back with...

On The Gist, we make a deal with Ted Cruz. Then, futurist Brian David Johnson joins us from the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University. He's currently on tour asking about the future of the American Dream. For the Spiel, is Bernie behind because poor people don't vote? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company...

On The Gist, music writer Chris Molanphy guides us through the purple rain. We'll remember Prince's impact on the Billboard chats over the course of his career. Chris writes Slate's Why Is That Song No. 1 column. He recently wrote about Prince for Slate: "How Prince Ruled the Charts in the '80s—Even When His Name Wasn't on the Songs." For the Spiel, where should we draw the line when it comes to h...

On The Gist, Josh King answers our question about President Obama's visit with King Salman of Saudi Arabia. He was our guest earlier this week, and he's the author of Off Script: An Advance Man's Guide to White House Stagecraft, Campaign Spectacle, and Political Suicide. Then, Meg Jacobs joins us to discuss the lasting political legacy of the '70s gas crisis. She's the author of Panic at the Pump:...

Is Bernie Sanders part of a long Democratic tradition of progressive insurgency? On The Gist, Slate's Jamelle Bouie explains the shifting politics of the Democratic party. Read his front-page story, "There Is No Bernie Sanders Movement." For the Spiel, how to interpret your changing life expectancy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWi...

On The Gist, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker explains why our growing motivational industry needs some oversight. She's the author of The Confidence Game. For the Spiel, the lasting impact of the 1994 crime bill on today's candidates and voters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...

On The Gist, Mike offers keen insight into Sheldon Silver. Then, which Republican presidential nominee is nailing visual optics? Josh King joins us to explain why the visuals and headlines are becoming increasingly important for political campaigns. He's the author of Off Script: An Advance Man's Guide to White House Stagecraft, Campaign Spectacle, and Political Suicide. For the Spiel, the Google...

On The Gist, we travel back to the year our host and music writer Chris Molanphy were in their music-listening prime. We'll count down the Billboard hits from 1986 that marked a significant pivot in music history. Chris writes Slate's Why Is That Song No. 1 column. For the Spiel, favorite moments from Thursday night's Democratic debate in Brooklyn, New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

On The Gist, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker explains what researchers have found when they looked into the health benefits of fasting. She's the author of The Confidence Game. If you enjoyed this interview, you should also check out our past segment with Maria about eating late. For the Spiel, honoring the breakfast cereal spokes-things tradition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...

On The Gist, itching to visit the president of the Republic of Molossia? Or hear the dark histories of Patarei Prison in Tallinn, Estonia? David Plotz from Atlas Obscura offers advice for creating your own adventures on Saturday, April 16 for this weekend's Obscura Day. For the Spiel, why we're not impressed by the depth of your worldview, Mark Zuckerberg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit p...

On The Gist, we use Yodely Guy to discuss the latest news from Goldman Sachs. Then, let's dive deep into Wyoming delegate math with Aimee Van Cleave from the Wyoming Democratic Party. For the Spiel, does Hillary have too many Pinocchios but not enough truths? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for infor...

On The Gist, we again compare the value of winning states vs. winning delegates in Democratic primaries. Which could be more valuable? Then learn the definition of an "S.O.B. flag" when we visit Vexillology Corner with our favorite vexillologist Ted Kaye. He's the author of Good Flag, Bad Flag. For the Spiel, it's time we talk about wolverines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoice...

"Hair too long," "pants too tight," "sounds like Kiss," "Alice Cooper's dead," and other reasons Twister Sister spent a decade trying to get a record deal. On The Gist, John French Segall (you know him as Jay Jay French) and director Andrew Horn join us to tell the story behind a new Twisted Sister documentary. You can read Jay's Inc. magazine column here. For the Spiel, it's time for another Lobs...

On The Gist, a case for playing politics in Myanmar. Then, a clever strategy for preventing a full Zika virus epidemic—genetically modified mosquitos. We'll speak with Nina Fedoroff about her recent op-ed in the New York Times. For the Spiel, Mike imagines what life would look like if he were held to the same standards as Hillary Clinton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/...

On The Gist, arts reporter Mary Lane shares insights from the exhibit "Art From the Holocaust" at the German Historical Museum in Berlin. She wrote " 'Art From the Holocaust': The Beauty and Brutality in Forbidden Works" for the New York Times. For the Spiel, why Wisconsin's primary results tell us so little about who the Democrats want as a nominee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...

On The Gist, a top Armenian comic joins us to discuss if Azubaijan is even a country. Then, Mike asks Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker about the health benefits of hypnosis for a game we call "Is That Bulls--t?" She's the author of The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It ... Every Time . For the Spiel, can we talk about chalk at Emory University? Today's sponsors: Squarespace.com . Get a free tri...

On The Gist, we explore an abuse of power taking place on social media. Journalist Jon Ronson shares why he was compelled to tell the stories behind the public shaming of Jonah Lehrer and Justine Sacco. He's the author of So You've Been Publicly Shamed , now out in paperback. For the Spiel, meet Wisconsin's Jimmy Boy . Today's sponsor: Squarespace.com . Get a free trial and 10 percent off your fir...

On The Gist, actress Erinn Hayes joins us to share her experiences performing as Dr. Lola Spratt on Childrens Hospital from Adult Swim. The show will be ending this year after seven seasons. For the Spiel, Zoe Chace from This American Life takes over. She's been speaking with Republican stalwarts about how Alexander Hamilton inspired them to vote for … Hillary? Today's sponsors: Slack , bring all...

On The Gist, Manisha Sinha joins us to discuss the long roots of the abolitionist movement in American history. She's the author of The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition . For the Spiel, there's no backsies or whoopsies for presidents. Today's sponsor: Betterment , the largest automated investing service—managing billions of dollars for people just like you. Get up to six months of investing f...

On The Gist, Mike asks Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker to explain the link between seasonal affective disorder and winter blues. Is it a real condition, or an overly convenient acronym? For the Spiel, why arguing about instant replays is a beloved American pastime. Today's sponsors: Monster . Find employees who work as hard as you at Monster.com/hiring . Monster. Find Better. Betterment , the la...

On The Gist, we ask Los Angeles Times reporter Joel Rubin what the San Bernardino investigators are hoping to learn from the decrypted iPhone. For the Spiel, hijacker hijinks! Today's sponsors: Slack . Slack brings all of your communication at work into one place. Create a new team right now at Slack.com/gist and you'll get 100 dollars in credit for when you decide to upgrade to a paid plan. Textu...

On The Gist, the Guardian 's Julian Borger joins us to discuss the International Criminal Court trial of one of the Bosnian War's main malefactors, Radovan Karadzic. Julian is the author of The Butcher's Trail: How the Search for Balkan War Criminals Became the World's Most Successful Manhunt . For the Spiel, Democracy is a pretty good system, except for all the dummies. Today's sponsors: Squaresp...

On The Gist, we travel back to the year 14-year-olds shouted their favorite hits from Times Square to Carson Daly. Music writer Chris Molanphy shares Billboard hits from 1999 that shaped the future of today's pop charts. Chris writes Slate 's Why Is That Song No. 1 column. Mike will be back with a traditional Spiel on Monday. Listen back to the 1999 hits mentioned in today's show in this Spotify p...

On The Gist, a classic episode from August 2014. When Amy Solomon was growing up in Chicago, she was obsessed with Gilda Radner. She wanted to be a comedian but worried she didn't have enough problems to talk about. For her Princeton senior thesis , Solomon explored the link between confessional comedy and mental health. In this special segment, Mike also speaks with comedians Sara Benincasa , Chr...