The Gist

Sixteen-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot by an octogenarian in Kansas City—a crime that is quite rare, yet covered as if it's the norm. Plus, the big banks are rebounding nicely, but despite that, the banking system as a whole is not healthy, says Kathryn Judge, editor of The Journal of Financial Regulation and professor at Columbia School of Law. Also, the Dominion case shows that sometimes Fox propa...

Panda diplomacy from Paris to Memphis. Then Mike's take on why newscasters aren't making a bigger deal about Clarence Thomas being on the take. And we're joined by U.S. State Department veteran diplomat and professor Steven Simon, author of Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East . Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To adve...

The Generation Why Podcast released its first episode in 2012 and pioneered the true crime genre in the podcasting world. Now, in a special, 4-part series, The Generation Why podcast unravels the story of Kalief Browder. A young boy who was falsely accused of stealing a backpack and held without bail at Rikers Island for 3 years. He endured consistent abuse by prison staff and inmates, and was hel...

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike delivered a "post-Morty-um" or sorts on this past Tuesday's show. Then, to keep the theme alive, we listen back to Mike's 2019 interview with Larry Lewis, a man who has worked to reduce civilian casualties in conflicts and who also happens to be named Larry. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the...

On today's show, Clarence grants himself clearance over Harlan Crow, collector of memorabilia ... and jurists. And debating the dangers of a gerontocracy vs. an infantocracy. Plus, we're joined once more by Dr. Robert Waldinger, author of The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To adv...

Robert Waldinger is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which is the subject of his book The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness. Plus, the idiot teens of Thug Shaker Central and their especially idiotic father figure who leaked secret documents. And Bud Light used a trans TikTok influence...

A Discord server serves up discord in the form of leaked Pentagon documents, while at the same time TikTok threatens to draw power needed by a munitions factory that could arm the Ukrainians. Plus, data-scientist-turned-whistle-blower-turned-wolf-cryer, Rebekah Jones is back at it again. And Baratunde Thurston, host of the How to Citizen podcast, discusses just that. Produced by Joel Patterson and...

Treaties are on the wane. But it's not a lack of war to blame. Plus, Donald G. McNeil Jr., former lead Covid reporter for The New York Times, is back to talk about suppressing misinformation, his assessment of Deborah Birx, and how to think about the current state of the pandemic. And a heroic character with a quirky name gets a post-Mortyum. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at t...

Former lead Covid reporter for The New York Times, Donald G. McNeil is still on the plague beat, and brings his expertise to The Gist. Plus, the expelled Tennessee legislators are impassioned, righteous, correct on policy, but also out of step with the actual will of most Tennessee voters. And Mike offers a modest proposal in regards Super Mario Brothers, Italian accents, and inclusion. Mamma Mia,...

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike and ESPN's Mike Greenberg talk about a shared passion: the New York Jets. Yes, we're calling it "Jets Talk." And no, it's not AM radio. Then, to honor the passing of legendary food critic Mimi Sheraton, we listen to Mike's interview with her from November of 2018 … an interview conducted in Mimi's kitchen. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Emai...

Mike watched all three hours of the expulsion hearings of members of the Tennessee State House, he'll bring you more context (and conflict) than you'll find anywhere else. Plus, a rundown on who is saying the Trump indictment is weak ... and who sticks by Bragg. And with banks going down like disoriented sheep suffering from scrapie, we are joined by Aaron Klein, former Chief Economist of the Sena...

A fun round of sports trivia and sports narratives ensue when ESPN's Mike Greenberg comes by to discuss the new book Got Your Number: The Greatest Sports Legends and the Numbers They Own. Plus, an expulsion vote of three Tennessee lawmakers. And Zelensky is still holding it together. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https:...

Susan Crawford, author of Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm , sees no way around massive resettlement, at great cost and great opposition. Plus, Donald Trump is trying hard to establish a running gag about one of his prosecutors, which seems like a smart tack. And it was a fiiiiiine day for democracy. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advert...

Comic Myq Kaplan stops by again to talk about thematic comedy albums and when kids heckle kids. Plus, the indictment and arraignment of Donald Trump went off with the hoopla usually reserved for a papal visit or a state funeral. 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 Subscr...

Whenever an odious speaker is heard, in the background you also hear the cries to "deplatform" the speaker. Mike thinks that in this, the "attention age," it doesn't work, it can't work, and our energies are better spent on non-wishful thinking. Plus, stand-up comic Myq Kaplan is here before he leaves for an Edinburgh Fringe Festival sting. And while we technically don't know what's in the Trump i...

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with the recent news of Annan Syed's conviction fresh in the news yet again, we listen back to Mike's 2015 interview the hosts of the podcast Undisclosed, Rabia Chaudry, Colin Miller, and Susan Simpson. Then we listen to the PescaPlus cut of Mike's interview with Eric Zorn. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To adver...

The Trump indictment is a lot to process, but let's try ... in the form of a proposed sitcom, The Prison President. Also, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is not to be intimidated, nor are the NYPD going to be scared of Donald Jr.'s mob of mad Proud Boys. And Mike talks with Matt Hongoltz-Hetling, author of If It Sounds Like a Quack...: A Journey to the Fringes of American Medicine . (Trump...

The subject of Season One of Serial, Adnan Syed is once more in a legal limbo, having had his vacated conviction overturned. However, the latest twist in the case resolves itself it is clear that Syed would never have even gotten a new hearing, were it not for the 2022 passage of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act. We speak to Maryland State Senator Chris West (Republican) about the law and how he ha...

The mayoralty of Chicago will be decided next Tuesday, and its a close race between tough-on-crime Paul Vallas and current public schools union leader Brandon Johnson. Eric Zorn, longtime Chicago Tribune columnist, now editor of of the Picayune Sentinel , moderated one of the mayoral debates, and he joins us to assess the race. Plus, NCAA women's basketball ratings. And that's a Woolly Meatball! P...

Todd Brewster, co-author of Seen and Unseen: Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial Justice , joins us to talk about a single image's power to galvanize society, and the history of who controls these images. Plus, Adnan Syed's once-vacated conviction has been reinstated. And widening the aperture on victims of police violence. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegi...

The Recall: Reframed examines the removal of California Judge Aaron Persky after his sentencing of Stanford swimmer Brock Turner. Director Rebecca Richman Cohen discusses the two sides of the progressive movement at odds with each other over this issue, including the difficulty of steering outrage into proper policy. Plus the U.S. Supreme Court debates fake dog poo. And, at the risk of contradicti...

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we listen back to Mike's the April 17, 2015 Spiel satirizing the Vladamir Putin Call-In show. Then we listen to this past week's Spiel on Michael Cohen. 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:...

Sam Sanders is the host of 2 podcasts (Into It, and Vibe Check) where he weighs in on politics and culture in a way he never could while on NPR. Mike and Sam discuss and debate wokeness, euphemism, the age of podcasts, and if Angela Basset having "Done the Thing" was really internet meltdown worthy. Plus, Canada increases in number and prestige. And a city killing meteor leads us to one-click canc...

Bradley Tusk worked for years in government, then he struck out on his own and made a lot of money through his firm Tusk Ventures helping companies like Uber and FanDuel navigate government regulation. On the Gist today, he explains how he leverages his expertise as a lobbyist and fixer to give school meals and anti-hunger advocates the kind of muscle they need. Plus, Janet Yellen moves markets by...

Mike interviews Neil Gross, a former cop turned Colby College Sociology professor and now author of Walk the Walk: How Three Police Chiefs Defied The Odds and Changed Cop Culture . We're also joined by Leon Nixon, who voiced the audiobook—a profession he took up after more than 20 years in law enforcement. Plus, a look at the loudest hush money in history. And how Michael Cohen is a colorful chara...