The Gist

Cass Sunstein joins us to talk about how, without knowing it, we habituate to our circumstances ... regardless of the circumstances. This is both a good thing and bad thing, and it's the subject of Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There . Plus, Trump and Biden visit the border. And Mike spiels about best practices for reigning in talk show guests spewing nonsense. Produced by Joel...

We're joined by James Swanson author of The Deerfield Massacre: A Surprise Attack, a Forced March, and the Fight for Survival in Early America . Plus, a little squiggle of Europe called Transnistria. And 40 years on from Jesse Jackson's Presidential run, Mike spiels about progress. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://...

Wendy's experiments with dynamic pricing, but generally lethargic french fries. Plus, it was a week from hell for Richard Lewis and Mitch McConnell. Well, a bit more for Lewis. And we're joined once more by Steve Coll author of The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq . Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com T...

Steve Coll, author of The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq , worked to declassify the personal recordings of Sadam Hussein. They proved to be an important piece of insight into the dictator, whose nuclear bluff was so good it got him killed. Plus, "Hugs Not Bullets" in Mexico. And in the Spiel, what percentage of the vote in the Michigan Prim...

Joe Biden's foreign policy team has mixed success, or some "non-failures," depending on if you regard the Afghanistan withdrawal plan as a regrettable misstep or bungled necessity. Alexander Ward is out with a new book, The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump . Plus, Shane Gillis hosts SNL, Trevor Noah hosts the Grammys, Joe Koi hosts the Golden Globes, and...

Wondery's podcast American History Tellers takes you to the events, times and people that shaped America and Americans — our values, our struggles and our dreams. In the early 1800s, slavery rapidly expanded across the American South. But each year, thousands of courageous enslaved men, women, and children fled their owners in search of freedom. And in Philadelphia, secret allies came to their aid...

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with the Oscars fast approaching, we listen back to Mike's Thursday Spiel in which he tries to figure out if 2023 was a great or terrible year for women in Hollywood films. We also listen back to our 2015 interview with filmmaker Leslie Headland, whose film Sleeping With Other People had just come out. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at t...

Kinmen Islands is a part of Taiwan, but it's only five miles from China, the main Island of Taiwan laying over 100 miles across the Taiwan Straight. S. Leo Chiang is the director of the Oscar-nominated short documentary about Kinmen called Island In Between . Plus, a Magician apparates in the middle of the Democratic primaries. And, five years on, where would we be without the Green New Deal? Prod...

Andrew Fleischman is an Atlanta-based litigator, and he joins us to discuss the Fani Willis Trial and which way he thinks Judge McAfee will lean in his decision. Plus, in China monkeys are hard to come by, which is something South African wish they could say about ships filled with cattle wallowing in their own feces. And was 2023 the year of the woman in Hollywood? Mike Spiels an answer. Produced...

Even after Tucker Carlson issued his double coupon day dasvidaniya, the ghost of Navalny trails him. Plus, Putin arrests a U.S. ballerina for donating $51 to Ukraine. And we speak with Charles Duhigg, author of Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://adv...

William Ury, author of Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict has worked on peace negotiations in Norther Ireland, South Africa, and Colombia joins us to share some lessons and tactics. One is to imagine your loathed rival delivering a speech to their public. What would he say. If it's Kim Jong Un, would he shout-out Dennis Rodman? Plus, Nikki Haley takes the low road, too. An...

We are off on this Holiday, but we wanted to share two interviews from the archive. One is from 2019 with founding CEO of C-SPAN Brian Lamb and Co-CEO Susan Swain are here to discuss their new book The Presidents: Noted Historians Rank America's Best—and Worst—Chief Executives . Also from 2018 is Kate and J.D. Dobson are out with a book that considers Ulysses S. Grant's quiet charisma, Franklin Pi...

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike's December 6, 2023 interview with Aric Toler about the storied Hamas tunnel network, which, depending on where you get your news, is either a "vast labyrinth" or a 160-yard tunnel with little room for a command center capable of orchestrating the October 7th attack. Aric Toler is a reporter on the Visual Investigations team at The New...

Donald Trump is ordered to pay over $350 million ... bad judgement for him there. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hits back hard at defense attorneys seeking to toss her off the Georgia racketeering case. And we speak with Quico Toro, a Contributing Editor at Persuasion, who tells us the story of Guatemala, where a duly elected president actually got to assume office. He calls it "Janu...

Shootings at Joel Osteen's megachurch and the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl Parade illustrate an American tendency to find meaning in shootings based on the oddest factor: the shooter's motivations and tactics. Plus, we're joined once more by Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware, co-author's of God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America . Also on the show, Chicken Wings: Appetizer, Entree, o...

Bruce Hoffman & Jacob Ware are leading terrorism experts out with a new book titled God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America . We discuss the rise of the far right. Plus, Santos out, Democrat in. And Mike analyzes some Super Bowl commercials ... three days after the game. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: htt...

Jonathan Metzl, Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University and author of What We've Become: Living and Dying in a Country of Arms on examining the flaws in our gun-control strategy and how we talk about gun owners. Plus, the race to replace George Santos comes down to snow. And would a "Winter Wonderland" occur to any songwriter today? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara...

George Hale is the reporter behind Rush To Kill , the eight-part podcast series that looks at federal death row, which lay dormant for years ... until the waning days of the Trump administration. Plus, many Biden defender's attest to the President's unparalleled sagacity and staggering mental capacity rivaling the greatest seers of our age. And President Trump gets the world excited with what amou...

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, in honor of Superbowl Sunday, we listen back to Mike's 2019 interview with former Baltimore Raven offensive lineman John Urschel. After his time in the NFL, Urschel went on to get a PhD and have an accomplished career as a mathematician. He is joined by his co-writer, Louisa Thomas—who is also his wife—to discuss their book Mind and Matter: A Life in Math a...

We end DEI week with the second half of our interview with Denise Hamilton, author of Indivisible: How to Forge our Differences into a Stronger Future. We discuss areas where racism might very well be at play, though focusing on identity isn't necessarily the best way forward. And our President is a well-meaning elderly gentleman, qualities that are apparently much more of an electoral vulnerabili...

Colorado's Lawyer gets schooled by SCOTUS. Bud Light tries to counter the forces of stupidity via the power of goofy Super Bowl ads. Plus, DEI educator and consultant Denise Hamilton, author of Indivisible: How to Forge Our Differences into a Stronger Future . Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheG...

SCOTUS is considering if Donald Trump should appear on Coloradoans ballot in November, and if not, why not? The officially decreed "not immune for all prosecution" former POTUS faces scrutiny from SCOTUS, and we're joined by Jeffrey Rosen, President of the National Constitution Center and host of the We The People podcast. Plus, DEI week continues with more from Coleman Hughes, author of The End o...

Coleman Hughes, author of The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America stops by to add a diversity of thought in his inclusion on DEI week. Plus, our country seems intent on getting nothing done in years divisible by 2. And following up on the question of Kristen Welker's insistence on follow-up questions. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com...

All week, we'll be taking a deep dive into DEI—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion—which has come under attack from conservatives. A great defense would be to point to the many demonstrable successes of DEI, but that's not always easy, because many of the highest profile expressions of DEI haven't yielded quantifiable successes. To kickoff DEI Week, we're joined today by Northwestern School of Educat...

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike's 2019 interview with Anthony Ray Hinton, who was wrongfully convicted for the murder of two teenagers in Alabama in 1985. After 30 years on death row, Hinton's conviction was overturned, and he was released. He's since become an advocate for those facing the death penalty and the abolishment of it in the United States. Hinton's book...