The Gist

On the Gist, we rush to Limbaugh's judgment. In the Interview, political and media historian, Brian Rosenwald , joins Mike to talk about Rush Limbaugh's rise to popularity in conservative media, his power as a voice and entertainer in talk radio, the influence he had on the Republican party, and who is primed to carry his torch over the AM dial or in podcasting. As a national broadcaster, Limbaugh...

On the Gist, Southern cold snap! In the Interview, Sonari Glinton is back! Which means we're talking cars. Glinton and Pesca discuss GM's recent proclamation to go electric by 2025. Glinton says that it's not that car makers aren't making profits off of going electric, it's that General Motors' commitment is a sign that the state of things are grave. He projects that automotive companies will be e...

On the Gist, Mike lives for the arguments Trump's lawyers are making because, well, they're really bad. In the Interview, "She loves America. For her, she was there showing support for the American political process." SUNY Geneseo political science professor and author Karleen West talks to Mike about her mother's participation in the January 6th insurrection. West has spent years studying insurre...

On the Gist, exploring the complexities of the personal stakes of the Senators in the Trump Impeachment trial. In the Interview, it's the second half of our conversation with Jonah Blank , an anthropologist, writer, author, and former policy director for South and Southeast Asia on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Blank joins Mike to talk about the Myanmar coup, the default of...

On the Gist, the prosecution in Trump's Impeachment is firing on all cylinders. In the Interview, we take a look inside the FBI's fight against white supremacy and domestic terrorism. Frank Figliuzzi is a 25-year veteran of the FBI. He joins Mike to talk about why the country needs a domestic terrorism law, the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol, and how the FBI is battling the threat from wi...

On the Gist, the Belknap case is clear precedent. In the Interview, it's round two of vaccine talk. Mike and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed , a former Detroit health director and epidemiologist, talk about equity and the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. They also discuss why we shouldn't heroicize the pharmaceutical industry, using the issue of the sixth dose as a compelling example. El-Sayed's new book Medic...

On the Gist, ads for "The Big Game" are given the Pesca treatment. In the Interview, it's vaccine talk. Mike sits down remotely with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed , a former Detroit health director and epidemiologist about the COVID-19 vaccine. They talk about how social media has spread both information and misinformation, how the response to the coronavirus is eerily similar to climate change, and how Cana...

On the Gist, cost of living and minimum wage around the U.S. In the Interview, journalist David Gilbert from Vice News joins Mike to talk about QAnon, the cult of disinformation, it's propulsion into 2021, and how people from all walks of life are susceptible to believing. Plus, Gilbert translates Marjorie Taylor Greene's floor speech , and explains why it wasn't a disavowing of Q or the conspirac...

On the Gist, stripping Majorie Taylor Greene of her committee membership, but Republicans still want to keep her around. In the Interview, it's coup talk. It's part one of an interview with Jonah Blank , an anthropologist, writer, author, and former policy director for South and Southeast Asia on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Blank joins Mike to talk about the Myanmar coup,...

On the Gist, importing walkie-talkies into Myanmar. In the Interview, we're coming into a new constitutional cycle, and it means Democrats could take quite a bit of power. Well, if they don't blow it. We've been in the same Republican-dominated cycle for decades, according to Jack Balkin , author of The Constitutional Cycles of Time . Balkin and Mike talk about the extreme political polarization n...

On the Gist, Alexei Navalny's sentence. In the Interview, it's part two of a conversation with historian Jill Lepore about her latest book: If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future . Jill discusses that with data mining and analysis there is greater potential for the demeaning of democratic processes, and why in 2021, accepting social media and twitter as a proxy for public opi...

On the Gist, once a Nobel Peace Prize winner, now a war criminal. In the Interview, writer Jill Lepore joins Mike for part one of their conversation on her latest book: If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future , a precursor to data and polling companies. If Then is an account on the mid-century boom in the advertising industry and its overlap with political marketing. Lepore ar...

On the Gist, an Arizona Representative has a plan to win - throw out votes. In the interview, it's all about the voice; John Colapinto's new book, This is the Voice , that is. From sexy baby voice to deep baritones, Colapinto talks about his linguistic journey in writing his new book about the importance of the sounds and the musicality of voice that come out of our mouths, and how a good bedside...

On the Gist, what happens when a conservative pundit and a famous quarterback make a podcast: Bolling with Favre. In the interview, it's been a lonely year, and an especially difficult 10 months to try and find love. But Logan Ury's new book, How to Not Die Alone just may hold the key. Putting psychology first, Ury seeks to give readers a guide to finding and keeping relationships. Spoiler alert:...

On the Gist, you can't trouble us with your labels. In the interview, what is In & Of Itself ? The new Hulu special by Frank Oz and Derek DelGaudio is so much more than just a made-for-TV version of DelGaudio's live show. As creators, Oz and DelGaudio discuss the stigma of illusion, an art form which relies on sleight of hand and audience participation, and talk about how they were able to bring t...

On the Gist, Impeachment logic games. In the interview, it's part two of a conversation with Oscar award winning documentarian and director Bryan Fogel about his latest film The Dissident . The film centers around Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi's brutal murder, and its broader human rights implications. The Dissident is available in theaters, and now via premium video-on-demand. Today,...

On the Gist, Larry King, 'Hello!' In the interview, it's part one of a conversation with Oscar award winning documentarian and director Bryan Fogel about his latest film The Dissident . The film centers around Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi's brutal murder, and its broader human rights implications. Fogel discusses how he seeks to right wrongs through his investigative filmmaking, and...

On the Gist, Trump is deserving of a trial, and a lot more. In the interview, what are the consequences of putting Trump through a Senate trial? Mike does some game theory with Joe Lockhart about the possible implications for Republicans and Democrats when it comes to voting for, and possibly convicting the former president. Lockhart is former press secretary for President Clinton, partner at stra...

On the Gist, before he jetted off to the sunshine state, Trump had a last bit of business to attend to. In the interview, Mike talks to Jeffrey Sonnenfeld , senior associate dean of leadership programs, and the Lester Crown Professor in the Practice of Management for the Yale School of Management. He is also founder and president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute . Mike and Sonnenfeld di...

On the Gist, a decent man gives a speech. In the interview, Mike talks to Sarada Peri about now President Joe Biden's inaugural speech. The former President Barack Obama speechwriter says Biden, "knocked it out of the park." They talk about the most effective moments and the importance of speaking directly about racism and white supremacy. Peri also discusses why Biden addressing the American peop...

On the Gist, Trump is getting traded. In the interview, we bring in Chris Molanphy to discuss the music hits of 2020. They talk about how All I Want For Christmas is You keeps coming back to the top of the charts and the unexpected timeliness of Rockstar by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch. Molanphy is a pop-chart analyst, the writer of Slate's "Why Is This Song No. 1?" series, and host of the podcast...

On the Gist, the QAnon Shaman's lawyer. In the interview, John Fetterman , also known as Lieutenant Governor Stone Cold, talks to Mike about his potential Senate run. The Pennsylvania native talks about his origin story from son of teenagers to Harvard graduate, his thoughts on gun control and incarceration, and the woes of being six-foot-nine. (Not enough suits.) In Remembrances of Things Trump :...

On the Gist, Republicans use their voices to complain about not having a voice. In the interview, Melissa Murray joins Mike to discuss what the articles of impeachment can teach us about constitutional law as we review the events of last week at the Capitol Building. Murray is a professor at NYU Law, co-host of Strict Scrutiny podcast, and a contributor on MSNBC. In Remembrances of Things Trump :...

On the Gist, the gavel was quick and sure during the impeachment hearing. In the interview, what risks lie ahead for 2021? Mike sits down with political scientist Ian Bremmer . They talk about what went wrong in 2020 (hint COVID-19 managed to make a lot of Bremmer's predictions come true). And for 2021 - China, oil and Biden, oh my! Bremmer is the president and founder of Eurasia Group , a firm th...

On the Gist, this is actually who we are because we wouldn't have let it happen. In the interview, Katie Meyer , political reporter at WHYY in Philadelphia joins Mike to talk about the Pennsylvania state legislature, and today's federal ruling on the contested state senate race. In Remembrances of Things Trump , back to the days when Trump was able to tweet, and retweet. In the spiel, defining inc...