The Gist

On the Gist, Trump can't pronounce Mosni, Wisconsin. In the interview, Mike talks with writers Mary Pilon and Louisa Thomas about their foray into collaborative editing. Their new collection of short sports stories called Losers: Dispatches from the Other Side of the Scoreboard is a curated volume that explores what it means to feel defeated. Pilon, a New York Times bestselling author, and Thomas,...

On the Gist, Trump deals in the Middle East. In the interview, we've got the second half of Mike's conversation with Daniel Yergin, an energy expert who has advised the past four presidential administrations and author of The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations . He and Mike talk about the looming cold war with China, how our change in the global energy market affects that relations...

On the Gist, delayed accuracy. In the interview, the first half of Mike's interview with Dan Yergin, an author and energy expert who has advised the past four presidential administrations, who's here to discuss his new book, The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations . He and Mike talk about how innovations in fracking have completely changed the landscape of global energy power, and w...

On the Gist, Trump thinks the weather will balance everything out. In the interview, Mikes talks with Michael Sandel , a political philosopher, global lecturer, and Harvard University professor, about his latest book, The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good ? . In it, Sandel argues that meritocracy offers a false promise and that it's actually eroding American culture. Sandel is a p...

On the Gist, Trump isn't helping you. In the interview, Leon Neyfakh is here to talk about the newest season of Fiasco , which focuses on Boston's effort to desegregate its schools. He and Mike discuss the difficulties of finding a nuanced way to tell a story that complicates it beyond racism, and the reasons Biden's stance on bussing has changed over the years. Fiasco is available on Luminary. In...

On the Gist, Trump isn't helping you. In the interview, the second part Mike's conversation with author and former FBI counter-terrorism staffer Clint Watts on QAnon. They talk about how might time we should give QAnon, how to help those in our own life, and if we eventually have to just let these people flame out in office. He is the author of Messing With the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media W...

On the Gist, Trump's Nobel nomination. In the interview, author and former FBI counter-terrorism staffer Clint Watts is here to talk about QAnon. He and Mike discuss the rise of the conspiracy theory and movement, why its belief structure is so murky, and the oddities of its marketing and merchandising arm. Watts will be back tomorrow for the second half of this conversation. His is the author of...

On the Gist, the police chiefs are stepping down. In the interview, Academy Award-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple is here to talk about her latest film, Desert One . Through new archival footage and the various perspectives of key players, the film reveals the true story behind the secret mission to free hostages captured during the 1979 Iranian revolution. She and Mike discuss how she approa...

On the Gist, gender reveal parties. In the interview, NPR's Jacob Goldstein is here to talk about his new book, Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing . They discuss how Andrew Jackson made mistakes about national banking, why we should never return to the gold standard, and if cash is on the way out. Goldstein is a host of NPR's Planet Money . In the spiel, Trump hates sacrifice. Email us at th...

On the Gist, COVID-19 deaths continue to rise. In the interview, the second half of Mike's discussion with Dr. Rashawn Ray, a sociologist studying new methods of measuring implicit bias using virtual simulations of police officer decision-making at the Lab for Applied Social Science Research at the University of Maryland, College Park. He and his team are encouraged that by researching and educati...

On the Gist, a sigh. In the interview, Mike talks to Dr. Rashawn Ray , a sociologist studying new methods of measuring implicit bias using virtual simulations of police officer decision-making at the Lab for Applied Social Science Research at the University of Maryland, College Park. He and his team are encouraged that by researching and educating law enforcement with real life social interaction...

On the Gist, believing catchy rhyming couplets or policies. In the interview, writer, lawyer and author, Jill Filipovic joins Mike to talk about her latest book, OK Boomer, Let's Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind . Filipovic explains that the millennial generation has it worse than most, the relationship between millennials and their boomer parents, and how those boomers were afforded more s...

On the Gist, Trump visits Kenosha. In the interview, the Wall Street Journal's Gerald Seib is here to discuss his new book, We Should Have Seen It Coming: From Ronald Reagan to Trump—A Front-Row Seat to a Political Revolution . He and Mike talk about how the GOP has changed since the time of Reagan and paved the way for Trump's ascendence. They also touch on why Mitch McConnell keeps blocking reli...

On the Gist, Mike is back. He starts with republicans who dismiss the Hatch Act. In the interview, Mike chats with the creators and executive producers of the animated adventure Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe . Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh explain how they expanded the usual tropes of their short episodes into a feature film, the provenance of their beloved creat...

Today, we welcome Sonari Glinton is back as guest host. A well-known podcast and public radio voice, former NPR business reporter covering the auto industry and economics, and currently hosts the podcast Bring Back Bronco . On the Gist, sports and activism. In the interview, Sonari talks to screenwriter Patricia Resnick about her experience writing the film 9 to 5 starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton...

Today, we welcome Sonari Glinton as guest host. A well-known podcast and public radio voice, former NPR business reporter covering the auto industry and economics, Glinton is also a big music nerd and record collector. On the Gist, RNC bingo. In the interview, Sonari discusses how Covid-19 has affected the auto industry with Scotty Reiss , the founder of A Girls Guide to Cars , a site focused on e...

Today, Kate Klonick is back as the guest host. She is an assistant professor at St. John's Law School, a fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School , and researcher of the intersection between law and tech. She's also co-host of a daily YouTube series called In Lieu of Fun. On the Gist, in 2020, every online company has a community of standards and manually reviews user content....

We are halfway through our guest hosting week. Today, Kate Klonick takes the mic. She is an assistant professor at St. John's Law School, a fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School , and researcher of the intersection between law and tech. She's also co-host of a daily YouTube series called In Lieu of Fun. On the Gist, how Kate found herself on a daily live show during quaranti...

For the next week, Mike passes the mic to a few guest hosts. Today, Annie Duke, former professional poker player, cognitive scientist, and author of Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts is in the seat again. On the Gist, remembering information. In the interview, Annie talks to Katherine Milkman , a researcher and professor at the University of Pennsylvania...

For the next week, Mike passes the mic to a few guest hosts. Today, Annie Duke, former professional poker player and author of Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts takes the helm. On the Gist, Annie recaps the unifying messages from Sen. Sanders and V.P. Biden from the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention. In the interview, Annie talks with Jay van Ba...

On the Gist, 24 hours of weird utterances. In the interview, political strategist and CNN commentator Jess McIntosh joins us as we continue our coverage of the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention. McIntosh and Mike discuss the DNC's short-sightedness with not allowing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a major platform, and how Elizabeth Warren's policy speech on the childcare economy could become a...

On the Gist, Trump is trying to steal the mail. In the interview, New York Times opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg is here as we keep discussing the Democratic National Convention this week. She and Mike talk about the sorts of progressive policies Biden might adopt from his primary opponents, and if a future Biden administration should follow up on the prosecutions Trump's DOJ ignored. Email us...

On the Gist, political television. In the interview, Slate's Will Saletan is here to discuss the first night of the Democratic National Convention. He and Mike unpack how the party is positioning itself as the party of normalcy while still acknowledging the ways progressives like Bernie Sanders pushed the party forward. They look at how conservatives might flip any of the democrats talking points...

On the Gist, a supposedly benevolent association supports a malevolent force. In the interview, we mark the beginning of the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention with a slightly different format; no spiel and more conversation. Mike talks with Charlie Sykes , a republican who will be voting for Joe Biden in November. Author of " How the Right Lost Its Mind , " host of the Bulwark Podcast ,...

On the Gist, Pence's meat scares. In the interview, actor Kyle MacLachlan is here to discuss his performance as Thomas Edison in the new film Tesla . He and Mike talk about his approach to the role, and how this film differs from the other kinds of historical dramas he's done. They also get into some of MacLachlan's other work like Dune , Showgirls and Twin Peaks . Tesla will be released on August...