The Gist

On the Gist, the close family members of politicians. In the interview, journalist, historian, and former public radio host Tom Weber is here to discuss his new book, Minneapolis: An Urban Biography . In it, Weber explores the social and political history of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and how it's responsible for the city's present-day racial inequities. Weber is also the Second Gentleman of Minnesot...

On the Gist, Kamala and bussing. In the interview, creator of the TV series Love on the Spectrum, Cian O'Clery is here to talk with Mike about his new dating reality series telling the stories of people on the autism spectrum looking for love. He and Mike discuss the origins of the series, how this stands apart as a piece of documentary, and the refreshing change of watching a dating show with gui...

On the Gist, the spotlight on Joe Biden's running mate. In the interview, Mike talks with Lisi Raskin , a professor and the chair of the Sculpture Department at Rhode Island School of Design about the meaning of sculpture in light of the removal of confederate monuments and statues. Raskin is an artist whose large-scale abstract works are reminiscent of the environment of the Cold War. In the spie...

On the Gist, pronouncing names. In the interview, Mike is joined by Ed Yong of the Atlantic . As a science writer, not only did he warn of an epidemic in 2018, but he has been covering the coronavirus in a clear and vital way. In his latest piece, " Immunology Is Where Intuition Goes to Die ," Yong articulates how this tragedy could have been prevented, and explains why America isn't defeating the...

On the Gist, TikTok block. In the interview, Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. of Princeton University joins Mike to talk about his newest book and its release in the context of the recent civil uprisings. Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own poses a fundamental argument around how getting it wrong culturally has hurt the fabric of our nation. Glaude helps make sense of wher...

On the Gist, New York's elections are not unlike Georgia's. In the interview, our resident vexillologist Ted Kaye is back to talk about the latest in flag news. He fills Mike in on what's happening in Mississippi as they try to swiftly get a new flag design added to the ballot in November, and the recent proliferation of the 'thin blue line' American flag. Kaye's book is Good Flag, Bad Flag . In t...

On the Gist, the Beirut blast. In the interview, we've got the second half of Jesse Eisenberg's interview on his new Audible original, When You Finish Saving the World . He and Mike continue discussing the creative process and Jesse's personal connection to the project, and the difficulty of creating things like future slang. In the spiel, Trump's lies are pushing voters into the arms of Democrats...

On the Gist, does Biden need a progressive VP? In the interview, Jesse Eisenberg is here for the first half of a two-part interview on his new Audible original, When You Finish Saving the World . Through a series of connected monologues, Eisenberg stitches together the portrait of a family and explores issues of issues of intimacy, growing up, and social change. He and Mike discuss his writing pro...

On the Gist, staying hopeful, but realistic. In the interview, author, podcast host, and magazine editor Kurt Andersen joins Mike to talk about his new book, Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History . In it, Andersen explains how big business ran unchecked during the final decades of the 20th century allowing greed to ascend and the working person to feel powerless, all while unrav...

On the Gist, NBA jerseys. In the interview, In the interview, filmmaker Mark Duplass is here to talk about his anthology series Room 104 currently airing on HBO. He and Mike discuss the use of rules in the creative process, why the series seems to defy genre, and the experience of growing up with your brother as your artistic partner. Room 104 airs on Friday nights on HBO. In the spiel, Trump misu...

On the Gist, Rep. John Lewis and his legacy. In the interview, Mike checks in with Oregon Public Broadcasting's Jonathan Levinson . As a multimedia reporter and producer, Levinson has been on the ground nightly in Portland following the protests, getting tear gassed in the process. Levinson says that it's more than just support for the BLM movement, its boiling frustration around governmental syst...

On the Gist, anti-maskers are getting the coronavirus. In the interview, Dr. Jennifer Mercieca is here to discuss her new book, Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump . She and Mike talk about the origins of Trump's verbal tactics, and how he's been able to manipulate information. They also touch on the variety of ways presidents appeal to the people, and Joe Biden's best r...

On the Gist, gambling the nation's health on professional sports. In the interview, Mike talks with Capt. Lawrence Hunter, a retired commanding officer from the Waterbury Police Department in Connecticut, about policing in America. Hunter spent the majority of his career in law enforcement as a high-ranking officer, and as an educator and instructor. In his retirement, he has launched his own seri...

On the Gist, the Republicans are misers. In the interview, Zephyr Teachout is here to discuss her new book Break 'Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom From Big Ad, Big Tech, and Big Money . She and Mike discuss how monopolies have come to dominate so many of our industries, the work that needs to be done to break them up, and why it's a multi-pronged solution. They also touch on Gov. Cuomo's response to...

On the Gist, losing all the stuff. In the interview, Mike heads to the Lone Star State to speak with Scott Braddock , editor and Texan political analyst at the Quorum Report. Braddock is also host of Texas Take , a podcast from the Houston Chronicle. They dissect Gov. Abbott's coronavirus response, his backtracking, and why he paused the state's reopening. And they get into how the state isn't as...

On the Gist, Trump's mind. In a break from our normal format, Virginia Heffernan of Trumpcast is here with Mike to analyze the most aggressive anti-mask rants out there. From across the nation, people who suffer from a touch of the QAnon are unleashing their unsound mask fears on us all, blaming anything from the Deep State to 5G. We're going to figure out what makes for the most entertaining vers...

On the Gist, Life of Kanye. In the interview, Princeton History and Public Affairs Professor Julian Zelizer joins Mike to discuss his latest book on former speaker of the house, Newt Gingrich. With the help of Gingrich's own congressional documents, Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party explains the ways Newt seized an opportunity to...

On the Gist, Trump attempts to convince the MAGA nation to wear masks. In the interview, journalist Anne Applebaum is here to talk about her new book Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism . She and Mike discuss how democracies can give way to authoritarian leaders, the delicacy of political systems, and how essential our institutions are for protecting a functioning governm...

On the Gist, John Kasich at the Democratic National Convention. In the interview, legal professor and modern Chinese law research scholar Neysun Mahboubi joins Mike to discuss the uprisings in Hong Kong and the extradition bill which would have undone Hong Kong's independence from mainland China. Mahboubi explains the clashes between protesters and counter-protesters which began nearly a year ago,...

On the Gist, we've got something a little different. In this episode, Mike has brought together the New Republic's Osita Nwenavu , and Yascha Mounk, a contributor to the Atlantic and the founder of Persuasion , to debate the state of public discourse. They discuss the complexities of platform regulation, whether or not the concerns rise to a level of social contagion, and how social media factors...

On the Gist, Trump is lost in the numbers. In the interview, former mayor of Minneapolis Betsy Hodges joins Mike to talk about her most recent op-ed in the New York Times, " As Mayor of Minneapolis, I Saw How White Liberals Block Change. " In it, Hodges challenges white liberals to confront the status quo of comfort and move the horizon of racial disparity that breeds police brutality. In the spie...

On the Gist, Trump is full of beans. In the second half of a two-part interview, novelist Curtis Sittenfeld is continues talking her new novel Rodham . She and Mike discuss the critiques of Hillary within the book, the final choices in the book, and how it might relate to modern superhero stories. In the spiel, the need for tough follow-ups with Trump. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast product...

On the Gist, renaming in Burlington, New Jersey. In the first half of a two-part interview, novelist Curtis Sittenfeld is here to discuss Rodham , her new novel exploring an alternative history where Hillary Clinton never married Bill. She and Mike discuss the origins of the novel, how her skills aren't in the public part of politics, and what it's like to create such a fiction. In the spiel, Joe...

On the Gist, the Washington football team have more work ahead than they realize. In the interview, Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri joins Mike to chat about her recently published book Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why . A hand-picked anthology of her some of her best essays that are mockingly sharp, and unsettlingly cheerful, it showcases the satirist's gleefully distorted take on our po...

On the Gist, Trump's bullying worked. In the interview, Olympic champion Usain Bolt is here to talk with Mike about the new documentary series Greatness Code on Apple TV+. They discuss Bolt's love of the 200 meter race, training, and how he might feel when people start coming for his record. All episodes of Greatness Code are available to stream now on Apple TV+. In the spiel, the parent-teacher m...