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The Gist

The Gist

Mike Pesca

News, Politics, Arts, Daily News

4.43.6K Ratings

Overview

For thirty minutes each day, Pesca challenges himself and his audience, in a responsibly provocative style, and gets beyond the rigidity and dogma. The Gist is surprising, reasonable, and willing to critique the left, the right, either party, or any idea.

2757 Episodes

The Bane of the Blue Collar

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. Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2025

Big Beautiful Blunder

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. Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2025

Escaping the Nazis. Then Going Back

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 Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

Transcribed - Published: 30 June 2025

The Cuomo Special

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. Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

Transcribed - Published: 28 June 2025

The Wars We Carry: From Iraq To Port-au-Prince

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 Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

Transcribed - Published: 27 June 2025

Closed Schools, Closed Minds

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 26 June 2025

The High Point of Mt. Mamdani?

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 June 2025

Tehran Target Acquired...Damaged...Destroyed...Debated

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2025

Fordow The Mop Tolls

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 June 2025

Chuck Todd and Mike Pesca Join On The Chuck ToddCast

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 June 2025

Funny You Should Mention: Rosebud Baker

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 20 June 2025

Pesca Plus Special: Arlie Hochschild

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 June 2025

Unsympathetic Empathy

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 June 2025

Helen Lewis on Dead Parents, Paper Animals, And The Politics of Genius

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 June 2025

What Could Go Right, And Why We Rarely Hear About It

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 June 2025

The Gist List Live with Kat Rosenfield

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. ⁠The Gist List Produced by Corey WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 June 2025

Putting Death Metal On Your Plants Playlist: Is That Bs?

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 June 2025

Not Even Mad: Allison Schraeger and Matt Yglesias

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 June 2025

Inside the Only Trump Trial (So Far)

New York Times reporter Jonah Bromwich joins to discuss Dragon on Center 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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 June 2025

The Ghost Lab — Bigfoot, Ghosts, and Government Distrust in the Granite State

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2025

Jay Inslee vs. the Climate Polling Problem

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 June 2025

The Gist List Live with Ben Dreyfuss

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. The Gist List Produced by Corey WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 June 2025

Funny You Should Mention: Chris Turner

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 June 2025

Lawless: A Storm of Shade and Sneering

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 June 2025

Getting on Leah Litman's Case

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 WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 June 2025

Revolutionary Fog and Folly

Pulitzer Prize–winner Rick Atkinson joins to discuss The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777 to 1780, the second volume in his Revolutionary War trilogy. He explores the crucial but often-overlooked role of France, the underestimated grit of American generals, and the British strategic failures rooted in imperial delusion. Also in the show: Geert Wilders' far-right party pulls out of the Dutch coalition, prompting a government collapse. Immigration strains, war displacements, and global dominoes; we analyze why this Dutch de-Wilders meant such bewilderment. Produced by Corey WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 3 June 2025

Obama’s Elon

Aneesh Chopra, America’s first-ever Chief Technology Officer under Obama, joins The Gist to assess Elon Musk’s rebranded takeover of government tech via “Doge.” He outlines how the US Digital Service began under Obama, evolved during Trump’s first term, and now—chainsaw and hat aside—retains surprising policy continuity across administrations. Plus, even as a Colorado hate crime occurs under the banner of "Free Palestine", it's important to remember that violent people perpetuate violent acts, not impassioned, or even wrong sentiments. And in the spiel - can we please put an end to the term "Stochastic Terrorism"? Produced by Corey WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 June 2025

Mike Stops by The Reason Roundtable

Mike joins The Reason Roundtable Podcast to talk about Trump's War on Harvard. Click here to listen to the rest of the podcast Produced by Corey WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 31 May 2025

Ben Ansell on FAFO, FADFO, and the Myth of Immediate Consequence

Oxford political scientist Ben Ansell discusses the meme-worthy but deeply explanatory concept of FAFO—f**k around and find out—and its subtler cousin FADFO, where reckless policy choices oddly fail to produce blowback. Why bad ideas often go unpunished, from Brexit to tariffs to defund-the-police slogans and MMT. Ansell argues that liberal democracies build buffers that delay "finding out," which populists and ideologues exploit. Plus, thoughts on the limits of idealism in higher ed diplomacy, especially when it comes to the assumed cultural benefits of hosting thousands of Chinese nationals at U.S. universities. Produced by Corey WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 May 2025

Bark Buttons: “Who Let the Dogs Talk?”

Today on The Gist: Sadie Dingfelder returns for an “Is That BS?” segment to investigate dog talking buttons—those viral gadgets that claim to give pets a voice. Are dogs actually communicating abstract thoughts, or is it all one big squeaky placebo? Then, a look at Trump’s trade policy unraveling —cue the Wall Street “TACO trade” (Trump Always Chickens Out). Finally, a Guardian article on defund-the-police “successes” that flat out ignores shocking homicide stats. Produced by Corey WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 29 May 2025

Tusk Talk: Why Cuomo Leads and the Subways Smell Like Sh*t

Political strategist and author Bradley Tusk joins to diagnose the 2025 New York City mayor’s race—why voters seem fine with Andrew Cuomo’s refusal to reckon with past scandals, and why the race feels like it’s happening in a parallel city only 3% of residents live in. Plus The Rehearsal, not only the best comedy on TV, makes a serious point about pilot mental health while still landing the plane with artistry and pathos. ⁠Cascade PBS Info Produced by Corey WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 May 2025

Pig Sacrifices and Talking Drums: Don't Squeeze the Shaman

Manvir Singh, author of Shamanism: The Timeless Religion, shares insights from a decade with Indonesia’s Mentawai people, where healing rituals double as communal celebrations. He discusses how language and metaphor shape worldviews—and where anthropology sits between science and ideology. The U.S. Mint’s final penny order closes the chapter on a coin long derided as economic dead weight. And five years after George Floyd’s murder, polling shows confidence in police—especially among Black Americans—has rebounded, despite minimal national reform and maximal narrative distortion. Cascade PBS Info Produced by Corey WaraProduction Coordinator Ashley KhanEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 May 2025

The Gist List Live w Ethan Strauss

Today on The Gist. Ethan Strauss joined Mike Pesca for a Substack Live conversation. Today we air a portion of it focusing on Caitlin Clark and shoes. You can listen to the full interview by clicking the link below. Live w Ethan Strauss Mike Pesca n' Caitlin Clark, Jayson Tatum & you Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 May 2025

Funny You Should Mention: Robby Hoffman

Comedian, podcaster, and self-described cutie-in-her-own-way Robby Hoffman drops by to discuss her life, her comedy, and why she takes talking as seriously as any other art form. From growing up ultra-Orthodox and ultra-poor to becoming a sought-after stand-up with a Porsche no one wants, Hoffman explains how she’s thrived in disaster and learned to mine discomfort for laughs. The two explore America’s national personality deficit, what makes a story worth telling, and the joys of conflict when you grow up with nine siblings and no private phone line. Plus: hundos, and the humanity-conferring properties of the nightstand. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 May 2025

Realign for Palestine

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, founder of Realign for Palestine and a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, joins to discuss his effort to reframe Palestinian advocacy around coexistence and accountability. He critiques both Hamas and Israel, pushes for reform within the diaspora, and draws a sharp ideological comparison between Hamas and ISIS. Plus, a defense of the “beneficent billionaires,” spotlighting Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg for their under appreciated life-saving philanthropy—including tens of thousands of lives saved from drowning. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 22 May 2025

Not Even Mad: Eli Lake, Michael Cohen on Biden's Health, and the New Human-Rights-Free Foreign Policy

Eli Lake and Michael A. Cohen take stock of the Biden health debate—diagnosis, exaggeration, and whether it’s actually affected his presidency. Michael pushes back on what he calls the “decline industrial complex,” while Eli says its denial to think Biden was up to the job. Then they turn to Donald Trump’s proudly post-moral foreign policy, where human rights don’t even make the brochure and alliances are strictly optional. Realpolitik or just real reckless? Either way, they’re not even mad. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 May 2025

Inside the Movement to Dismantle Democracy in God’s Name

Katherine Stewart, author of Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy, explains how America’s Christian nationalist forces are exporting extremism abroad while cloaking domestic corruption in the guise of faith. Plus a suicide bombing outside a Palm Springs fertility clinic introduces the public to the dark ideology of “efilism”. Plus, Then, another look at the Yale professors fleeing to Toronto: their self-congratulatory tone is punctured by Sarah Longwell and Ben Wittes, who argue that true anti-fascist courage means staying and fighting. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 20 May 2025

Katherine Stewart on Christian Nationalism's Influence on Conservatism

Katherine Stewart, author of Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy, joins to discuss Christian nationalism’s influence on modern conservatism. Also, the distinction between sincere and performative beliefs in the Trump administration, especially economic fictions like tariffs not being taxes. Plus, in the context of assessing Biden’s mental acuity, the new reporting and audio show Robert Hur as a rare source of unvarnished insight, unshaped by partisan aims. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 May 2025

Alexa, What's with the Pope's Brother?

Today on The Gist we revisit an interview from 2017 with Lena Kahn and play a segment from this week where Mike talked abouts the new popes MAGA brother. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 May 2025

Henry Abbott on the Logistics of Ballistics

Henry Abbott joins to discuss Ballistic: The New Science of Injury-Free Athletic Performance, spotlighting insights from Dr. Marcus Elliott—not just about elite training, but how something as basic as learning to land can change careers and prevent lifelong injury. Plus, the three Yale professors so steeped in the study of fascism they fled to Toronto, prompting a reflection on American resilience versus alarmism. And FEMA’s new director storms in unprepared but aggressive, replacing a Trump-era appointee ousted simply for saying FEMA shouldn't be abolished. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 May 2025

Jocelyn Benson on Being a Purposeful / Purple State Warrior

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson joins to discuss her new book The Purposeful Warrior: Standing Up for What's Right When the Stakes Are High.  Benson, frontrunner to become Michigan's next governor discusses the tactics she and other secretaries of state used to combat 2020 election denialism, but also her restraint during efforts to keep Trump off the 2024 ballot.  Plus, RFK Jr. testifies before Congress and defends hiring a man fined for practicing medicine without a license. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 15 May 2025

David Graham on The Project and the Plan to Remake American Government

David Graham author of The Project: How Project 2025 is Changing America, explains how Project 2025 seeks not smaller government, but a more obedient one—politicizing civil service, gutting regulation, and embedding a Trump-aligned worldview across federal agencies. He discusses how its authors blend sincere constitutional theory with radical institutional overhaul. Plus, does the Pope's MAGA-leaning brother demystify the Papacy? Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 May 2025

Character Under Fire: Gen. Stanley McChrystal on the Costs of Conviction

Retired General Gen. Stanley McChrystal joins to discuss his book On Character: Choices that Define a Life, and how real character transcends grit or discipline to include values that hold under fire. Plus, Trump touches the economic stove, recoils, and suddenly recession odds drop along with tariffs rates. And from The Hague, Rodrigo Duterte wins re-election as mayor of Davao in a landslide. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 May 2025

Altman Almighty

Sam Altman’s outsize ambition and messianic optimism take center stage in a conversation with Keach Hagey, author of The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future. From failed flip-phone apps to billion-dollar AI bets, Altman emerges as one of Silicon Valley’s most effective—and unsettling—dream merchants. Plus: Trump’s flying palace may be more than a bribe; it’s a perfect symbol of soft corruption via cushy luxury. And of all the cease-fires for Trump to broker, he chooses one where U.S. weapons and interests are barely at stake. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 May 2025

BLT: Bacon, Lettuce, and Todd

Today on The Gist we play back a section for our Chuck Todd interview that didn't make it on air and revisit a 2020 interview with Don Bacon. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 May 2025

Jim Lampley on the Blows That Made Broadcasting History

Jim Lampley joins to discuss It Happened!: A Uniquely Lucky Life in Sports Television, his memoir of sports, broadcasting, the randomness of a lucky break, and crying along with Mike Tyson. Plus: Trump’s Surgeon General pick, Casey Means, pitches metabolic woo—we break down several of her claims from appearances with Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson. And: Teens with water guns are triggering 911 calls nationwide—senior assassination season is underway. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 May 2025

Not Even Mad: Eric Zorn and Austin Berg

Austin Berg and Eric Zorn are Not Even Mad as we discuss mayoral overcrowding and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, the supposed new MAGA slayer. Plus: a few thoughts on our new American spiritual leader—not the pope, but the Surgeon General. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 8 May 2025

Max Expression, Merz Confusion

Arkells frontman Max Kerman joins to discuss his book Try Hard: Creative Work in Progress, unpacking the craft behind stage banter, songwriting rule-breaking, and joyful collaboration. He explains why athletes lean on superstition while creatives benefit from breaking routine and planting show tickets around Red Deer with a retired farmer. Plus: Germany elects Merz, but to some of us, Fred Mertz is now Chancellor—and the BBC’s schnitzel puns aren't helping. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 May 2025

Holy Vehicles and Hollow Coverage

Pope Francis posthumously sends a Popemobile to Gaza — a gesture more symbolic than logistical. Chuck Todd returns to discuss media complicity, Biden’s bubble-wrap presidency, and the audience-capture logic warping modern newsrooms. In the Spiel, Bernie Sanders’ love of the word “oligarchs” versus Elissa Slotkin’s preference for “kings” is perhaps explained by a family history that makes Slotkin a descendant of America’s hot dog royalty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2025

Chuck Todd Presses On

Former Meet the Press host Chuck Todd joins to talk about his new podcast, The Chuck Toddcast. He discusses why being a non-pushover and being non-partisan are complimentary, and what too many ex-network stars get wrong about "liberation." Also how Priebus, Pence, and Kushner acted as guardrails whereas Trump 2.0 feels more like a solo demolition derby. Plus: Kristen Welker’s Trump interview somehow included dolls, gas prices under $2, and not ruling out war with Canada. And in The Spiel: if California wants just 35% of car sales to be gas-powered by 2026, how exactly do they plan to enforce it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2025

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