Explore every episode of the podcast The Gist
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay to Play: The NCAA's Big Payout Era Begins | 04 Aug 2025 | 00:35:29 | |
The NCAA's $2.8 billion settlement doesn't just change the rules—it rewrites the entire playbook. Mike talks with Gabe Feldman, director of Tulane's Sports Law Program, about what happens now that schools can pay athletes directly. They get into how the money will be split, why Olympic sports are suddenly on the chopping block, and whether this new system can survive Title IX scrutiny. Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| Puzzling The Puzzle Master on The Puzzler | 02 Aug 2025 | 00:38:59 | |
Today on The Gist we air Mikes appearence on The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs. Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| Ben Smith On Truth At A Lower Resolution | 23 Jul 2025 | 00:45:21 | |
Editor-in-Chief, co-founder of Semafor, and host of the Mixed Signals podcast Ben Smith assesses how the media lost its footing during the Trump years—not through lies, but through disproportion. He critiques the rise of "disinformation" as a catch-all beat and notes that Substack surprised him by housing everything from bug-eating conspiracies to teen memoirists. Plus the structural distrust in media—and how even flawless reporting wouldn't have prevented audience collapse.
| |||
| The Bliss Gene And The Burden Of Mood | 22 Jul 2025 | 00:32:45 | |
Psychiatrist Richard A. Friedman explains how a rare genetic mutation affecting the enzyme FAAH, and a ubiquitous neurotransmitter called Anandamide may account for unusually low anxiety, reduced drug cravings, and an innate buoyancy, the type of which you might find in a daily podcast host. Plus, Louisville reverses its immigration detainer policy under federal pressure, reigniting the debate over sanctuary cities and local autonomy. And in the Spiel a burial standoff concerning the former President of Zambia. Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| RFK Jr.: Sophist, Saboteur, Snake Oil Secretary | 21 Jul 2025 | 00:32:23 | |
Historian Daniel Immerwahr eviscerates RFK Jr. as a master of glib misinformation—"profoundly informed," yet wielding that knowledge in bad faith to undermine truth and public trust. Kennedy is the conductor of an orchestra of error. Also discussed: how science became political dogma during COVID, how Fauci's certainty helped fuel backlash, and why a provocateur like Kennedy thrives in epistemological gray zones. Also on the show: Trump's obscure-commission chess moves, as he "Truths" his way through any Epstein flak. | |||
| Live From America with Mike Pesca | 19 Jul 2025 | 00:28:16 | |
On this Saturday we play some of Mikes conversation on the podcast Live From America | |||
| Funny You Should Mention: Trae Crowder | 18 Jul 2025 | 01:18:28 | |
The self-proclaimed "Trash Daddy" riffs on meat-in-a-can cuisine, possum PR, and how his accent disarms blue-state crowds, Plus: white supremacist losers, Fruit Loop vape rights, and how cheap heat works in comedy and pro wrestling. Trae takes us through his upbringing, in Celina Tennessee, and discusses his travails with child support bureaucracy , plus he discusses his interpersonal interactions with JD Vance who hit big about the same time Trae did. The two became friendly. For a while.
| |||
| Jake Tapper: Original Sin, Ongoing Fracturing | 17 Jul 2025 | 00:55:04 | |
Jake Tapper returns to dissect his book Original Sin and the failures of mainstream media to report on Joe Biden's decline. He traces how social pressures, cultural taboos, and partisan incentive structures are ongoing threats to the type of journalism he practices and associates with the best forms of truth-telling. Tapper says CNN still strives to flesh out the full story, but acknowledges the shrinking market for non-ideological reporting. Plus, a glimpse into the spectacle of immigration enforcement, where shocking imagery is a Presidential tactic and a public turnoff. Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| The Great Lantern Fly Freakout: Is That BS? | 16 Jul 2025 | 00:37:29 | |
Sadie Dingfelder returns to assess the national stomp-fest against lantern flies and asks: did it do anything, or was it all buggage and bluster? Then, a deep dive into the Supreme Court's CASA ruling on nationwide injunctions, and how a seemingly dramatic limitation on judicial power proved to be less than world-shifting in practice. Finally, Trump disavows Epstein file disclosure demands, setting off a civil war within MAGA media as conspiratorial cracks widen and cranks rage.
| |||
| The War After the War: Hamas and Israel | 15 Jul 2025 | 00:59:13 | |
Times of Israel analyst Haviv Rettig Gur discusses the next phase of the war in Gaza and Israel's many enemies. Also discussed are the ideological roots of Hamas's mission to destroy Israel, settler violence in the West Bank, and the difficulty of safely getting food to the citizens of Gaza.
| |||
| Chris and Paul Weitz say Murderbot Doesn't Want to Be a Real Boy | 14 Jul 2025 | 00:45:00 | |
Murderbot showrunners Chris and Paul Weitz join to discuss their sci-fi series' blend of chamber thriller, workplace satire, and reluctant hero tale—all orbiting a security unit who just wants to be left alone to binge it's stories. They talk robot servitude, world-building exhaustion ("every chair must be a space chair"), and how Alexander Skarsgård's performance brings Scandinavian placidity to a roiling interior monologue. Also: the GOP goes ball(point)istic over Biden's legal use of an autopen. Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| Checking Bags and Attitudes | 12 Jul 2025 | 00:19:53 | |
The TSA is finally starting to phase out its decades-old shoe removal policy. We take a look back at the post-9/11 panic that made bare feet in airport security lines a national ritual—and wonder how we went from hypervigilant to oddly indifferent about terrorism. Plus, from the vaults: A classic Spiel from July 17, 2017, revisits Ann Coulter vs. Delta, Day 3. Yes, it somehow made it to Day 3.
| |||
| The NIH vs. The New Grievance Politics | 01 Aug 2025 | 00:37:41 | |
Former NIH director Elias Zerhouni reflects on the agency's triumphs and shortcomings in light of his new memoir, Disease Knows No Politics. He defends the NIH's legacy while addressing critiques from figures like current NIH head Jay Bhattacharya, and warns that proposed funding cuts could severely undermine scientific progress. Also: the decline of late-night TV amid political sameness, the comic potential of Sydney Sweeney's controversial jeans ad, and a failed auction bid for Larry King's designer denim. Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| Poker Face Goes To Interesting Places | 11 Jul 2025 | 00:40:06 | |
Tony Tost, now showrunning Poker Face, reflects on the show's expertly woven mysteries, genre roots, and why women who don't want to pick up a gun keep finding themselves forced to fire. Tost, an expert in poetry and Johnny Cash, brings a reverence for populist storytelling to a format that straddles the procedural and the mythic. He also discusses why westerns are still a hard sell in Hollywood—even when they're smart, stylish, and starring Sydney Sweeney. Plus, Mike gets hit with a burst of esprit de l'escalier over NATO dues and Plymouth Barracudas. Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| NEM: Carine Hajjar and Jeffrey Maurer | 10 Jul 2025 | 00:56:12 | |
Boston Globe columnist Carine Hajjar and five-time Emmy-winning comedy writer and proprietor of the I Might Be Wrong Substack, Jeff Maurer, join to discuss the flood of ICE agents and President Trump's growing suspicion that Putin isn't on the up-and-up. Plus, in Goat Grinders: teeny-tiny air conditioning in New York, misinterpreting the cane toad, and (hardly ever) exploding sawdust. Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| The Loyalty Trap: Inside the 2024 Biden-Harris Collapse | 09 Jul 2025 | 00:37:06 | |
Josh Dawsey joins to discuss 2024: How Donald Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, digging into Kamala Harris's campaign missteps, Biden's loyalty hangups, and Hunter's oversized influence. In the Spiel, a statistical deep dive tests whether so-called "100-year floods" are actually happening more often as seems to be the case. Spoiler: the data is murkier than the headlines suggest, and the NOAA interface could use a century's worth of upgrades. Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| Iranian Would-Be Assassins and Shoe Would-Be Bombers | 08 Jul 2025 | 00:36:08 | |
An interview with Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Dawsey, co-author of 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, covers Biden's decline, Trump's courtroom rage, and the political strategy behind legal delays. Also , how potent are Iranian-directed assassination crews? And, as the TSA begins phasing out its decades-old shoe removal policy, a look back on how we were very very concerned with terrorism then, and weirdly blasé about terrorism now. And finally a quiz sifts through the TSA's baffling baggage rules, from tamales and chapstick to harry potter wands (non-operational). Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| The Un "Fudge" America Tour Gets "Fudged" From Within | 07 Jul 2025 | 00:43:27 | |
Zee Cohen-Sanchez, a Bernie Sanders campaign veteran, launched "Un**** America" (we're going with Unfudge America) to counter Charlie Kirk's influence on college campuses. But internal drama and performative purity politics quickly sabotaged the project. She recounts how influencer apologies empowered whiny critics and fractured the left's ability to wield electoral power. Plus, with nearly 100 dead from the Texas floods, we examine the explanations. Climate change likely played a role, but history, geography, and neglected hydrology account for just as much—and the reflexive invocation of climate alone can obscure other actionable causes. Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| Cascade PBS: Tapper, Thompson, and Pesca | 05 Jul 2025 | 00:47:22 | |
Today on The Gist we play from Mike Pesca's panel at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival about the book Original Sin with the Authors Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. Produced by Corey Wara | |||
| Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer's Political Past and America's Appetite for Spectacle | 03 Jul 2025 | 00:38:52 | |
Leon Neyfakh joins the show to discuss Final Thoughts, his new podcast chronicling Jerry Springer's transformation from charismatic progressive politician to ringmaster of daytime TV chaos. They explore how Springer's earnest civic ambitions unraveled into tabloid infamy—and why he never fully distanced himself from the circus he hosted. Mike also reflects on America's confusing birthday—whether 1776, 1787, or the neglected Articles of Confederation truly mark the founding—and why the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth never made it to its own sestercentennial. It's a conversation about spectacle, civic identity, and the uneasy line between public service and entertainment. | |||
| The Bane of the Blue Collar | 02 Jul 2025 | 00:45:22 | |
Professor Joan C. Williams joins the show to discuss her book Outclassed: How the Left Lost the Working Class and How to Win Them Back. She explains how the decline of unions, elite cultural codes, and a failure to value stability over novelty have fueled resentment. Mike also examines Pixar's box office collapse, the rise of "bean mouth" animation, and whether John Lasseter's departure was Me Too's costliest ouster. | |||
| Big Beautiful Blunder | 01 Jul 2025 | 00:39:08 | |
The episode kicks off with a withering look at the "Big Beautiful Bill," a deficit-busting tax cut that showers the rich while hacking away at Medicaid for the poorest Americans. Then, a trip to Minnesota's Iron Range, where Bethany McLean discusses the bitter fight over Nippon Steel's bid to buy U.S. Steel—and the awkward dance between union leadership and the workers they claim to represent. It's a story about how economic reality collides with political theater, and why Democrats keep misreading the mood in places that once anchored their coalition. And in the Spiel, a reminder that no amount of spectacle can disguise the trade-offs hiding in plain sight of that big, beautiful boondoggle.
To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack | |||
| Escaping the Nazis. Then Going Back | 30 Jun 2025 | 00:37:24 | |
Daniel Kehlmann joins to discuss The Director, his novel reimagining the life of G.W. Pabst—a brilliant German filmmaker who escaped the Nazis, only to voluntarily return. Kehlmann grapples with how much human suffering we're willing to accept as the cost of art. Later, Ben Wittes of Lawfare weighs in on the often exasperating logic behind international laws governing conflict. Plus, Republicans can either oppose Trump or stay in office—but not both. Produced by Corey Wara | |||
| Airborne Assumptions and Subventilated Science | 31 Jul 2025 | 00:45:38 | |
Carl Zimmer joins to discuss Airborne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe, a book that excavates the forgotten science of airborne disease transmission—from Louis Pasteur's broth experiments to why COVID's airborne nature was dismissed by health authorities. Also : praise for the New York Times' recent front-page study that honestly asses the failure of a cash transfer program to aid in childhood development. Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| The Cuomo Special | 28 Jun 2025 | 00:30:39 | |
Today on The Gist, we go back into the vaults to our 2023 interview with Melissa DeRosa about her book on working with Andrew Cuomo, What's Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis. Then we play a Spiel from earlier in the week about Andrew Cuomo failing to get the Democratic nomination for mayor. | |||
| The Wars We Carry: From Iraq To Port-au-Prince | 27 Jun 2025 | 00:36:55 | |
Jim O'Grady and Thomas Brennan discuss Reveal's episode on the Marines who fought in Fallujah, exploring how the battle's brutality and moral injuries still haunt them 20 years later. In the Spiel, Haiti's use of drones against gangs runs up against the oddity of international law experts declaring such violence not technically an "armed conflict." Plus, a SCOTUS decision that pits lower courts against each other. Produced by Corey Wara | |||
| Closed Schools, Closed Minds | 27 Jun 2025 | 00:33:38 | |
David Zweig, author of An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions, discusses public health's blind spots—and when caution became the risk. Plus, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reshapes the CDC's vaccine advisory panel, swapping experts for skeptics and dredging up the long-debunked thimerosal panic on his way to declaring war on mayonnaise. And in the Spiel: a U.S. strike on Iran's Fordow facility may have been less obliteration than "oblit-ish-ation," though both the administration and its critics are spinning narratives faster than centrifuges. Produced by Corey Wara | |||
| The High Point of Mt. Mamdani? | 25 Jun 2025 | 00:35:25 | |
Zohran Mamdani is likely the next mayor of New York, and progressive enthusiasm is peaking—along with demands that you pronounce his name correctly. Andrew Cuomo, a man of few smiles and even fewer surrogates, concedes with the warmth of a trooper lawsuit. Mike considers whether this is Mamdani's political high-water mark, as voters begin to discover the costs, the quotes, and the Disney press junkets. Also on the show: journalist David Zweig joins to discuss An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| Tehran Target Acquired...Damaged...Destroyed...Debated | 24 Jun 2025 | 00:54:14 | |
Jerusalem Post military correspondent Yonah Jeremy Bob, co-author of Target Tehran: How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination—and Secret Diplomacy—to Stop a Nuclear Iran and Create a New Middle East, explains how Israel coordinated hundreds of strikes and infiltrations across Iran, what the U.S. MOP strike on Fordow actually accomplished, and why Netanyahu's longtime caution gave way to a high-stakes gamble. He also delves into internal Israeli debates over assassinating Khamenei, the strategy behind targeting Iran's domestic enforcers, and why the Iranian nuclear threat is now both diminished and more unpredictable Plus: Mamdani's cheerful radicalism, Cuomo's glower, and a reminder that aspirational politics can veer into Theranos territory. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| Fordow The Mop Tolls | 23 Jun 2025 | 00:42:05 | |
The United States has bombed Iranian nuclear facilities—an extraordinary military action authorized by a President who campaigned against prolonged wars. In today's interview, national security expert Michael Allen, host of NatSec Matters, offers insight into the Israeli strikes, Iran's capacity to respond, and what Trump's decision means for the region and the world. Plus, we weigh the risks of a quagmire against the reactions from MAGA loyalists who only just learned how to pronounce "Fordow." Trump's instincts are erratic, his rhetoric reckless—but the strikes appear largely effective, and now the world waits to see what comes next. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| Chuck Todd and Mike Pesca Join On The Chuck ToddCast | 21 Jun 2025 | 00:58:38 | |
Mike's Recent appearance on Chuck Todds Podcast "The Chuck ToddCast" Want to hear more from Chuck Todd? Check out his YouTube page: www.youtube.com/@TheChuckToddCast Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| Funny You Should Mention: Rosebud Baker | 20 Jun 2025 | 01:03:26 | |
Rosebud Baker joins Funny You Should Mention with the rare gift of making life's toughest moments hilarious, and a point of view that's inseparable from the punchline. Her Netflix special Motherlode delivers pregnancy, parenting, and political edge in one biting package. We talk about her SNL writing process and how to satirize breastfeeding pressure without becoming a parenting brand. Plus: how riding a dolphin convinced her husband to get a hair transplant. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| Pesca Plus Special: Arlie Hochschild | 19 Jun 2025 | 00:39:28 | |
Today on The Gist, we are sharing a Pesca Plus episode on this Holiday to give you a taste of what you can get by being a Pesca Plus Member. Weekly longer episodes, Ad Free listening and more. Click the links below to subscribe. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| Unsympathetic Empathy | 18 Jun 2025 | 00:40:36 | |
Veteran diplomat Stuart Eizenstat joins The Gist to discuss The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements That Changed the World, drawing on his work from Camp David to Holocaust reparations. He shares what it means to practice "unsympathetic empathy," how German officials came to see moral obligation in restitution, and why negotiations fail when mutual interest is absent. Eizenstat contrasts the courage of leaders like Sadat and the UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed with Arafat's refusal to compromise—even amid opportunity. Plus, the Sackler immunity case is a prime example of a major real-world development that resulted from a Supreme Court acting far outside its supposed 6–3 rigidity. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| How to Make Crime Feel Weird | 30 Jul 2025 | 00:36:08 | |
Criminologist Nick Cowen joins to explore how drunk driving transformed from a tolerated norm to a societal taboo, and how deterrence works best when paired with norm-shaping—catching people before tragedy and using lighter sanctions to nudge behavior. He argues that even violent crime clusters could be tackled through community-level norm shifts. Plus, after the worst mass shooting in New York City in 25 years, the New York Times' spotlights the shooter's CTE claims and symbolic vendetta against the NFL.In the Spiel, claims we're reliving 1999.
| |||
| Helen Lewis on Dead Parents, Paper Animals, And The Politics of Genius | 17 Jun 2025 | 00:41:18 | |
Helen Lewis discusses The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea, her critique of how society defines—and distorts—the concept of genius. From Hans Eysenck's wildly specific formula (preferably Jewish, born in February, lose a parent before age 10) to Picasso denying his granddaughter a paper animal because "this is the work of Picasso," Lewis explores how mythmaking inflates flawed men into icons. Plus, negotiations aren't the goal—the goal is the goal. Negotiations are just a way to get there (or not). Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| What Could Go Right, And Why We Rarely Hear About It | 16 Jun 2025 | 00:32:38 | |
Zachary Karabell of The Progress Network and the What Could Go Right podcast lays out a case for "edgy optimism," highlighting under-covered wins in medicine, education, and public policy. From New Mexico's universal childcare to gene therapies for sickle cell disease, he argues the problem isn't a lack of progress—it's our inability to notice. Plus, a new U.S. ad from Benjamin Netanyahu adapts the famous Talmudic credo "Rise and Kill First" into something just a little more TV-friendly. And in the spiel: Trump's gray, soggy military parade gets upstaged by a vibrant "No Kings" protest. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| The Gist List Live with Kat Rosenfield | 14 Jun 2025 | 00:52:14 | |
Replay of the interview Mike Pesca did with Kat Rosenfield on The Gist List. Click the link below to subscribe for free to The Gist List. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| Putting Death Metal On Your Plants Playlist: Is That Bs? | 13 Jun 2025 | 00:33:26 | |
In another edition of Is That BS? Sadie Dingfelder joins to ask: is chatting with your ficus legit, or just verbal compost? The science of sound and strawberries might surprise you. Then in The Spiel, Mike breaks down Israel's sweeping strike on Iran—targeting nuclear sites, scientists, and generals—in what may be a turning point for the region and for Ukraine. Also, New York Democrats choose between a grocery-store socialist and a mispronouncing Cuomo in just 11 days. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| Not Even Mad: Allison Schraeger and Matt Yglesias | 12 Jun 2025 | 01:00:16 | |
Economist Allison Schraeger and Slow Boring's Matt Yglesias join Mike to discuss the unrest in Los Angeles — and how to protest without giving Donald Trump a win. Then, the trio surveys the NYC mayoral mess — or, if not a mess, whatever government-run grocery stores are. Plus, the Big Beautiful Bill is only one of those things, and it's the worse one. Goat Grinders: summer smells, promiscuous earbuds, and that final month of school when they stop even pretending to educate the children. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| Inside the Only Trump Trial (So Far) | 12 Jun 2025 | 00:49:54 | |
New York Times reporter Jonah Bromwich joins to discuss Dragon on Centre Street: New York v. Donald J. Trump, his journalist account of the only Trump trial that resulted in a verdict. They explore how Alvin Bragg revived a politically fraught case using a little-known state election statute, and how, despite prosecutors' storytelling edge in court, Trump's narrative skills ultimately resonated more strongly with voters. Bromwich delves into the balancing act between legal ethics and electoral pressure that defined the prosecution's strategy. Plus, a new Weinstein verdict, part familiar, part new, and part still undecided. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| The Ghost Lab — Bigfoot, Ghosts, and Government Distrust in the Granite State | 10 Jun 2025 | 00:35:04 | |
Author Matt Hongoltz-Hetling returns with The Ghost Lab, a rollicking deep dive into New Hampshire's paranormal subculture, where Bigfoot lurks behind every maple tree and alien abductees fill out grant forms. He profiles a ghost-hunting crew that includes a psychic medium, a paranormal paralegal, and a Bigfoot believer who swears the aliens took him more than once. What starts as a tour of fringe science becomes a sharp look at America's low-trust spiral—where more people believe in demons than in their own democracy. Plus, up top: LA erupts in protest, and Gavin Newsom practically begs Donald Trump to arrest him. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| Jay Inslee vs. the Climate Polling Problem | 09 Jun 2025 | 00:35:17 | |
Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee argues Democrats can win on climate—if they frame it as jobs, savings, and health, not just apocalypse. He points to his state's 62–38 vote preserving ambitious emissions policy, even in red counties, as proof voters can be persuaded. But national polls rank climate near the bottom of priorities, and skeptics like Matt Yglesias say the green agenda may be driving voters away. Plus: it has become ordinary to label events extraordinary—plus the Spiel sorts hype from heat in L.A.'s latest explosion of ICE raids, flash-bangs and freeway fires. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| The Gist List Live with Ben Dreyfuss | 07 Jun 2025 | 00:54:09 | |
Replay of the interview Mike Pesca did with Ben Dreyfuss on The Gist List. Click the link below to subscribe for free to The Gist List. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| Funny You Should Mention: Chris Turner | 06 Jun 2025 | 01:03:17 | |
Comedian, freestyler, and archaeology grad Chris Turner joins the show to explain how a middle-class British kid became one of the most dazzling improv lyricists in comedy. From his early days writing one-liners to mesmerizing crowds at the Comedy Cellar with rhymes about chlamydia, Hispaniola, and Jerry Springer, Turner charts a path that makes no sense—until you see it live. He talks about bombing in polite accents, fax machines causing drive-by shootings, and why freestyling is more like tennis than chess. Plus: ear-wiggling, axolotl envy, and the double-edged sword of being good at something nobody believes you can do. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| The Algorithm Is Hollywood's New God | 29 Jul 2025 | 00:32:52 | |
Filmmaker Justine Bateman argues that Hollywood's creative spark has been smothered by fear, corporate consolidation, and algorithmic decision-making. In her view, true artistry requires fearlessness—and God, or something like it—but today's studios follow data, not inspiration. Also in the episode: Trump's presidential library fund keeps growing thanks to defamation settlements and nearly launched merch like MAGA-branded Instant Pots. In the Spiel, The European Union's timid trade posture, favoring compromise over confrontation in the face of bombastic American tactics. Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| Lawless: A Storm of Shade and Sneering | 05 Jun 2025 | 00:34:05 | |
Leah Litman, author of Lawless: The Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes, argues that originalism masks a partisan project, while critics counter that Roe's reversal doesn't require conspiracy. Her pop culture–infused book uses The Barbie Movie, American Psycho, and Arrested Development to advance critiques of the conservative court. Plus, the NYC mayoral debate crammed nine candidates into two chaotic hours, yielding more zingers than substance. And in the Spiel, rather than accept the usual narrative about the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, a look at actual turnout data post-Shelby County v. Holder—which suggests far less than a real-world calamity. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| Getting on Leah Litman's Case | 04 Jun 2025 | 00:27:38 | |
Law Professor Leah Litman, author of Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes argues that the current Supreme Court operates as a vessel for conservative grievance, with its most consequential 6–3 rulings forming the true shape of its ideological project. Litman insists those rulings matter more than any others—but is that because they affect more lives, or because non-6–3 decisions muddy the thesis? Along the way, she's not afraid to indulge in snark and overstatement—defending her "vibes-forward" tone as capturing a kind of deeper reality. Mike subjects this vibes-nalysis to a bit of strict scrutiny. Produced by Corey Wara Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices | |||
| When Hulk Turned Heel | 28 Jul 2025 | 00:32:35 | |
Marc Raimondi discusses Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Professional Wrestling's New World Order Changed America, his new book on Hulk Hogan's heel turn and how WCW's edgy branding reflected a broader cultural shift. We learn how steroid scandals, media savvy, and black t-shirts reshaped wrestling—and maybe U.S. politics. In the Spiel, Russell Vought's viral soundbites about cocaine beagles and government-funded lizard wind tunnels. Plus: The worst job in Tehran as the wells run dry.
Produced by Corey Wara
| |||
| Mike Pesca talks NPR Funding on The 21st Show | 26 Jul 2025 | 00:28:01 | |
Today on The Gist. We play back Mikes appearance on the 21st Show where they discuss NPR and its funding. It originally aired on Monday July 28th.
| |||