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The Gist

Matthew Hiltzik on the Craft of Crisis Communications

The Gist

Mike Pesca

News, Politics, Arts, Daily News

4.43.6K Ratings

🗓️ 3 November 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Hiltzik, founder of Hiltzik Strategies, explains how his background in law, politics, and media shaped his methodical, fact-based approach to strategic communications. He describes the importance of understanding audiences and using social and digital tools with "precision," rather than relying on broad or emotional appeals. Drawing on experiences from campaigns for Schumer, Spitzer, and Clinton, he reflects on how retail politics and attention to detail still matter in the age of algorithms. Also: a look at SNL's mayoral-debate sketch, the blurred impressions of Cuomo, and the D.C. trial of Sean C. Dunn—charged with "assault with a deadly weapon."

Produced by Corey Wara


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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

It's Monday, November 3rd, 2025 from Peachfish Productions.

0:07.4

It's the Gist. I'm Mike Peska.

0:09.7

The trial starts for Sean C. Dunn in Washington, D.C. today.

0:14.4

He's the man who allegedly, but also quite clearly on film,

0:18.0

threw a sandwich at a customs and border protection agent this summer.

0:22.6

They tried to get him on felony assault charges for peppering an agent with the sandwich,

0:27.6

assault with a breadly weapon, not a ghost gun, a toasted bun, because the sandwich wasn't peanut butter,

0:32.6

they couldn't get the charges to stick.

0:34.6

Now, Dunn was released from custody, but then the federal agent's beef

0:39.0

doesn't end there. He's re-arrested after a team of armed agents in riot gear raids his home.

0:46.2

Thank God they wore riot gear. The original officers weren't hurt and yet had to check into the Mayo Clinic.

0:51.9

This trial, this actual trial, taking up the court in America's

0:56.0

time, is on a misdemeanor charge. And it is going forward because, to quote, prosecutors,

1:02.0

the defendant is being prosecuted for the obvious reason that he was recorded throwing a sandwich

1:08.3

at a federal officer at point-blank range.

1:11.9

Point-blank or pork-frank, am I right? I don't know.

1:15.0

Let's not get into if the hot dog is a sandwich.

1:17.7

I definitely cannot wait for the moment where the judge demands order in the court

1:21.4

and 20 people stand up and shouting their cold-cut specifications.

1:25.2

I usually do not believe in a tooth-for-a for a tooth retribution, no matter how tasty.

1:29.5

But if Sean C. Dunn were to, as his sentence, face down a firing squad of submarines, torpedoes

1:38.4

or just crook massures, launched at him in close range, then I would say he and his weapon will both be true heroes.

...

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