The Gist

Aaron Tracy joins to talk about The Secret World of Roald Dahl , his podcast about the children's author as war spy, improvised medical inventor, and world-class fabulist with a vicious streak. The conversation gets into Dahl's improbable second act as a children's writer, the darkness that made books like James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory endure, and the harder quest...

Today on The Gist, bestselling author Nir Eyal joins the show to discuss his new book, Beyond Belief: The Science-Backed Way to Stop Limiting Yourself and Achieve Extraordinary Results . He explains how the lead singer of Sofi Tukker cured her chronic neuroplastic pain by "throwing ass," why vision boards and manifesting actually ruin your chances of success, and why the placebo effect is getting...

Today on The Gist, Princeton PhD researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov joins the show to share her harrowing experience of being kidnapped and held hostage in Iraq for over 900 days by the Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah. She details the brutal realities of her captivity, how she used her intellect to outsmart her captors by leaving hidden "breadcrumbs" for intelligence agencies in forced confessio...

For this Saturday Show, Mike takes the guest seat on Lifelong with Ethan Suplee . Actor Ethan Suplee ( Remember the Titans , My Name Is Earl ) is well-known for his incredible physical transformation, having lost hundreds of pounds. Together, he and Mike get into a deep, candid discussion about the lifelong psychology of weight management, the economic politics of GLP-1 drugs, and why the extremes...

Today on The Gist, A jet-lagged yet very gracious comedian and writer Jena Friedman joins the show to discuss her new stand-up special, Motherfucker . She talks with Mike about why writing abortion jokes is harder than ever in a post-Roe reality, the challenges of making dark topics funny on her true crime series Indefensible , and the current landscape of risky political comedy. Jena also opens u...

Today on The Gist, the line between free speech and harassment, and why the progressive left's blind spot for anti-Semitism turns "anti-Zionism" into a convenient excuse for abuse. Then comedian, actress, and writer Jamie Denbo joins the show to discuss reviving her beloved alt-comedy character, Beverly Ginsberg, for The Beverly Podcast . She opens up about her tenure as a writer and producer on G...

Novelist and middle school teacher Brian Platzer discusses the real teacher who inspired his book, a stroke that stole the man's ability to communicate, and Platzer's own baffling neurological disorder. In the Spiel: when deeply unserious rhetoric collides with the deadly serious business of war, and whether Donald Trump's approach to conflict ever moves beyond slogans. Plus, the cheap-drone revol...

Today on The Gist, Actress Gina Gershon joins the show to discuss her candid new memoir, Alpha Pussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs . She shares the hilarious story of how a tequila-fueled comedy roast landed her a memorable role on Curb Your Enthusiasm , and drops actionable advice on dodging Hollywood predators, setting ironclad boundaries, and surviving the entertainmen...

The U.S. is in its third day of war with Iran, prompting inevitable warnings of another Iraq-style quagmire. But is that the right historical analogy? Long-time national security reporter Eli Lake ( The Free Press ) joins Mike to explain why this air-only regime decapitation strategy is completely unprecedented in modern warfare. They break down the dangerous math of missile defense, the race to s...

It's the Saturday Show and we are airing Mikes appearance The Oath and the Office , hosted by Brown University political science professor Corey Brettschneider and comedian John Fugelsang. The trio dives into the broken pipeline of modern journalism, the unique occupational hazards of political comedy, and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's "stochastic self-censorship" campaign against late-night hosts l...

James Kimmel Jr. joins to argue that revenge is less a moral impulse than a brain chemistry trap. He tells a rural Pennsylvania origin story that starts with bullying, a beagle named Paula, and a mailbox bombing, then ends with the moment his "stop" circuitry saved him from becoming a murderer. His book is T he Science of Revenge: Understanding the World's Deadliest Addiction andHow to Overcome It...

Austin Berg (Chicago Policy Center) and Andrew Egger ( The Bulwark ) join Mike to dissect Trump's marathon State of the Union: was it a missed opportunity to reach the median voter, or a "clip farming" masterclass? They also unpack the awkwardly timed Supreme Court tariff ruling that derailed his economic pitch, and the high-stakes standoff between the Pentagon and AI giant Anthropic over autonomo...

Today on The Gist, President Trump's marathon two-hour State of the Union address with a quick quiz: Can you spot the actual presidential claim among the fakes? Then, philosophy professor C. Thi Nguyen joins the show to discuss his book, The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game . They explore the philosophical definition of a game, the crucial difference between playing for the joy of t...

DEI is facing unprecedented legal and cultural pushback. Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow, founders of NYU Law's Meltzer Center, argue it's time for a strategic shift: swap the 'E' in DEI for Equality. They join Mike to discuss their new book, How Equality Wins , explaining why mandatory diversity statements often lead to "preference falsification," the importance of supporting dissent, and why the...

Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow of NYU Law discuss their book How Equality Wins: A New Vision for an Inclusive America and argue that the path forward for DEI is a shift from "lifting" to "leveling." The conversation presses whether this is a genuine doctrinal shift or simply a strategic recalibration in a post-affirmative-action era. Plus, IEEPA ! MOHELA ! and in the Spiel, a Court once declared...

On today's Saturday show, we are bringing you Mike's recent guest appearance on Ethan Strauss's podcast, House of Strauss . Mike and Ethan discuss the peculiar, glowing media coverage of Eileen Gu, the American-born skier who won gold for China. Why did she receive almost zero criticism from mainstream U.S. outlets despite accepting millions from an oppressive regime? Produced by Corey Wara Video...

NOTUS political reporter Alex Roarty joins Mike to survey the 2026 midterm landscape. They discuss the evolving definition of a "quality candidate" for Democrats, breaking down the generational and ideological clashes in the Maine and Texas Senate primaries, plus the MAGA-fueled challenge to Kentucky's Thomas Massie. Plus, the attention economy isn't just a currency; it's the new gatekeeper. Plus:...

Mike tracks the interstate absurdities created by the EPA's repeal of emissions standards. Buy a car in Iowa, and by the time you hit Illinois, you're dodging an environmental, legal, and ideological patchwork quilt. Then, it's the grand opening of a brand new Cultural/ Podcast institution! Author and critic Kat Rosenfield joins Mike to cut the ribbon on the "Museum of Bad Ideas." Today's inaugura...

Trump sought $163 billion in cuts, including slashing the EPA by 54 percent, HUD by 44 percent, and the CDC by 41 percent, but even his most loyal House allies let the effort stall under the cover of the budget process. A separate bipartisan attempt to shore up Obamacare subsidies for 24 million Americans also fizzled, with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick warning that letting them lapse would be bad policy...

Charles Duhigg joins to explain his MADD versus D.A.R.E. taxonomy, why organizing beats mobilizing, and how MAGA built a durable local infrastructure while Democrats piled on litmus tests and national protests. Plus, a Spiel on Eileen Gu as China's psyops on skis, and how to murder a dissident, how to eulogize a politician, and how to learn about Mike's latest podcast venture, How To! Mikes Free P...

On this Saturday edition of The Gist, we present "One From The Future." Mike joins Ruy Teixeira on the Liberal Patriot podcast to discuss a brewing theory regarding the mechanics of political change. They debate the utility of the "Scalpel" (technocratic, targeted cuts) versus the "Chainsaw" (the Elon Musk/DOGE approach of massive disruption). Plus, a look at why Democrats are better at mobilizing...

Today on The Gist, Mike breaks down Judge Richard Leon's ruling that Pete Hegseth's attempt to strip Senator Mark Kelly of his rank was absolute "horse feathers." Then, Ben Terris of New York Magazine joins to discuss his feature on the health of the President in 2026. They discuss the "talking points" held by Walter Reed doctors, the vanity behind the hand bruises, and the difficulty of assessing...

Joe Nocera of The Free Press and Jonah Goldberg of The Dispatch parse the Epstein files fallout on both sides of the Atlantic, from Keir Starmer's London personnel shakeup to America's seemingly bottomless tolerance for shamelessness. Then they pivot to Mark Leibovich's Atlantic provocation, "The Democrats Aren't Built for This," with Nocera arguing the party's job is simple, win elections, and Go...

Sadie Dingfelder returns to rule on compostable dog poop bags and recycled toilet paper in a no-holds-barred round of "Is That Bulls**t?" No, it's dog sh*t. Yes, we know. In the Spiel, Pam Bondi's bruising House Judiciary testimony, in which she spars with Jamie Raskin over the Epstein files and treats oversight like open-mic night. Plus, the Trump Justice Department keeps striking out before gran...

Political theorist Yascha Mounk returns to assess whether the United States is sliding toward autocracy or demonstrating institutional resilience under pressure. He argues that while the Trump administration's actions have been more extreme than expected, courts, elections, and a decentralized system have so far acted as real constraints rather than hollow rituals, a case he first laid out in The...