The Gist

Today on The Gist. Mike was recently on the podcast House of Strauss and The Dispatch Roundtable. We are going to share a portion, but if you want to listen to the rest of them, use the links below! ⁠⁠HoS: Mike Pesca - by Ethan Strauss - House of Strauss⁠⁠⁠⁠The Dispatch ⁠ ⁠Podcast - Breaking News Commentary & Analysis⁠⁠ Produced by Corey Wara Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@advertisecast.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michelle Buteau stops by to talk about getting high in the reptile house and why she caught flak for doing spon-con souptroversy. We also get into her Dutch husband, the spirituality she doesn’t buy into, and whether her socialism can coexist with her ambition to get paid. Plus, we ask: can a Buteau-pian society have luxe throw pillows? Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@advertisecast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

Rust director Joel Souza joins for an interview about finishing a film that nearly killed him—and did kill talented cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Souza speaks candidly about grief, safety failures, and his estrangement from Alec Baldwin, as well as why completing Rust became a moral obligation rather than a commercial one.Plus  National Security Adviser Mike Waltz is out, possibly taking the fall for Trump ally Pete Hegseth. Waltz, with four Bronze Stars and some bipartisan appeal, may have been too respectable for the MAGA machine; Hegseth, flashier and riskier, stays put. Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@advertisecast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

Sadie Dingfelder returns to investigate the cult of “mewing” — the viral tongue-posture technique that promises to chisel your jaw and change your life, or IS THAT BS? Then we turn to the rarest development of all: Trump, on Day 100 of his second term, strikes a deal with Zelensky but not the big one. Plus, we salute a scrappy little government agency that thrived on efficiency… until Trump and Musk disbanded it anyway. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join The Gist Team⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Produced by Corey Wara Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@advertisecast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

Faiz Siddiqui discusses Hubris Maximus his sharp chronicle of Elon Musk’s maximalist vision, self-driving delusions, and the rule-breaking impulses that fuel both triumph and tragedy. Plus we hear a tart exchange in the White House briefing room about Amazon’s decision to itemize tariff costs. Plus, its been 100 days. At least 98 could have been a lot better. ⁠⁠⁠Join The Gist Team⁠⁠⁠ Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@advertisecast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

David Frum, former Bush speechwriter and Atlantic contributor discusses Republican cowardice, Democratic excess, and the structural dangers facing American democracy. Frum argues that Donald Trump’s 2025 threat is deeper, more organized, and more perilous than ever before. Plus, Axios reporter Alex Thompson’s apt remarks puncture the often hollow spectacle of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. ⁠⁠⁠Join The Gist Team⁠⁠⁠ Produced by Corey WaraEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@advertisecast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

Today on the Gist, we open the vaults to 2020 to revisit and interview with Dr. Paul Offit and we replay Monday's spiel on The Full Ginsburg. ⁠⁠Join The Gist Team⁠⁠ Produced by Corey Wara Email us at ⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠ To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠sales@advertisecast.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alan McPherson author of The Breach: Iran-Contra and the Assault on American Democracy joins to discuss the Iran-Contra affair and how it plagued both the end of Regans Presidency and George H. W. Bush’s, but also how it ties into the politics of today. Also, Pete Hegseth is a dirty dirty boy, or at least has a dirty dirty line.  Plus, its an Antwentig.  ⁠⁠⁠Join The Gist Team⁠⁠⁠ Produced by Corey Wara Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@advertisecast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

Jeff Maurer, former Last Week Tonight writer, has been knee-deep in century-old New York Times clippings—considering the differences between yesterday’s fascism fears and today’s. In Part 2, Jeff analyzes John Oliver’s recent reliance on straw men and Jon Stewart’s fairly triumphant return to The Daily Show. Plus- who is favored in a trade battle between the US and China contested on questions of tolerance for suffering?  Join Team Gist Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We conclude our conversation with Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee, authors of In Covid’s Wake, exploring how political structures—not just bad actors—amplified the crisis. Plus, revisiting a 2021 Washington Post article that sided with YouTube’s removal of a DeSantis-hosted panel questioning masking for young children. And in "The Spiel", a probe of what experts must do to recover lost public trust, especially when once-dismissed claims turn out to be plausible. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The authors of In Covid’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us, political scientists Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee, join for a full-show interview to discuss our failures during the pandemic. The evidence shows non-pharmaceutical interventions did nothing, but the tradeoff was trillions of dollars in deficit spending, lost learning and solitary deathbeds. Plus, Pete Hegseth may be leaking more than leadership; after his second round of Signal-based scheming, the veteran Fox-man-turned-defense-secretary is reportedly on the chopping block. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Senator Chris Van Hollen made the rounds on all five Sunday shows to discuss the detention of Kilmar Abrego Garcia—but curiously avoided using Kilmar’s first name. A dissects of rhetorical and how even drink orders can become political code. Professor Michael Harte talks tariffs and trade and reflects on his time as chief economics advisor to the Falkland Islands. And in the Spiel, a deep dive into the trivia, origins, and peculiar legacy of the “Full Ginsburg.” Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist. ITs a day dedicated to Chickens. Mikes 2017 opening about UK's Chicken places named after US States, and the British are squawking about a different kind of chicken — the chlorinated kind — with tabloids clucking and trade talks at risk of being deep-fried. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian T.J. Miller joins this episode of Funny You Should Mention. You might know him from Silicon Valley, Deadpool, or that time he had a choice between brain surgery with a 10% fatality rate vs. almost surely dying by 35. It is the funniest conversation ever had with the phrase "10% fatality rate" hanging in the air. Also why T.J. insists that comedy should feel like jazz played on a flaming trampoline, and how to let a crowd set the course while always steering the ship. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Boston Globe columnist Carine Hajjar and The Commercial Break’s Bryan Green debate whether Joe Rogan’s platforming of antisemitic conspiracies signals a deeper rot—or just the cost of open conversation. Plus: should Harvard be defunded? And will Kilmar Abrego Garcia stay in a Salvadoran prison? In Goat Grinders, we take aim at student driver bumper stickers, White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood’s biting critique of SNL, and nothing left to stream. Theme by Max Kerman Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In their new book chronicling the 2024 election, Fight, Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes document the disarray inside the Democratic camp during Biden’s final months and Kamala Harris’s precarious rise. Also some items from the debut of The Gist List: Cuomo’s one-handed housing expert explains the typos, and a modest proposal not to euthanizing monkeys. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Trump run for a third term? Someone who has contemplated that is Bruce Peabody author of the law review titled The Twice and Future President Revisited: Of Three-Term Presidents and Constitutional End Runs who joins us to discuss. Plus, Mike questions the political upside of detaining an innocent man, especially when Trump’s allies haven’t mustered a coherent narrative to justify it. And in the Spiel: The SAVE Act is stirring fears that it could disenfranchise tens of millions of married women—but Mike breaks down why, while flawed, the bill is unlikely to actually change voting access. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump just walked back key tariffs on Chinese electronics — but his Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, is still out on a full-throated pro-tariff tour, as if nothing happened. To make sense of Trump’s strategy (or improvisation), Mike turns to Yale Business School professor Barry Nalebuff, who finds the approach confusing because it doesn't align with what appear to be Trump’s actual goals. Meanwhile, in the Spiel, the British are squawking about a different kind of chicken — the chlorinated kind — with tabloids clucking and trade talks at risk of being deep-fried. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist. We go back to the The Colin McEnroe Show where Mike was on as a guest not talking about Tapirs. Then We end with Wednesdays Spiel on Trumps press conference about tariffs. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Clay Risen, author of Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America, joins to discuss the era when suspicion was a political tool and civil liberties were sidelined. Today we have echoes—and outright repetitions—of McCarthyite tactics, from loyalty oaths to immigration crackdowns. Also- there may be three plastic spoons’ worth of microplastic in the average human brain—according to science, which Mike neither trusts nor understands, on account of his 0.5% spoon brain. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The bond market—stodgy, suit-clad, and deeply un-Instagrammable—has the economy feeling either “yippy” or “queasy,” Plus, Republicans are eager to wield the issue of trans athletes, especially when stocks are tumbling. And linguist John McWhorter returns to discuss the beauty of borrowed Yiddish verbs, the aesthetics of the letter X, and why “My wife, she…” is pure Rodney and pure syntax. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John McWhorter joins to discuss his new book Pronoun Trouble, which unpacks the politics and poetry of tiny words. Also, Trump touts his tariff triumph by jabbing Canada, walloping China, and baffling Wall Street into bullishness. He riffed on trade deficits, finger amputations, immigration, mental ward discharge, and compared economic instinct to Indy car strategy. Markets cheered, economists jeered, and Trump took a victory lap after hitting the wall. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former business partner, joins to detail Ukrainian gas deals and what he calls the “Biden brand.” From paper mache with the Vice President to secretive dinners in Paris, he describes selling access, sidestepping scrutiny, and eventually being left holding the legal bag. Also, “10% for the big guy”? Archer says that wasn’t just a turn of phrase—it was the deal. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before diving into tariff turmoil and Senate map math, The Gist features the first part of an in-depth conversation with Devon Archer—former Hunter Biden business associate, House Oversight witness, and recipient of a Trump pardon. Archer discusses Burisma, the fallout with the Bidens, and how his legal saga became a political flashpoint. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two segments from Mikes appearances on Uncertain Things and Vanderpump Robs. Take a listen to Uncertain Things Take a listen to Vanderpump Robs Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Alex Edelman joins this episode of Funny You Should Mention. Alex’s hit one-man show Just For Us was a Broadway sensation and is now streaming on Max. In this conversation, we talk about the anatomy of a bad set, the five constituencies for a joke, and what it takes to turn a pile of bits into a fully realized piece of theater. Plus: how being “right” can be the biggest obstacle to being funny. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this “Not Even Mad” episode, Sarah Isgur of The Dispatch and former Obama speech writer Sarada Peri dig into “massive cuts under DOGE, Cory Booker’s latest stemwinder, recent election results, and somehow, Chester A. Arthur crashes the party. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harry Holzer—former Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor—joins to discuss his concerns over Biden-era regulations alienating voters and thwarting progress. Plus, large protests in Zimbabwe pit Emmerson “The Crocodile” Mnangagwa against crowds urged on by Blessed “Bombshell” Geza. And Democrats embark on their “We Don’t Hate You” tour in an attempt to reconnect with alienated voters. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this, the eve of “Liberation Day,” as key House and judicial races loom, we're joined by David Pakman to discuss his new book, The Echo Machine: How Right-Wing Extremism Created a Post-Truth America. Pakman argues that conservative media and politicians have constructed a parallel reality that undermines Americans’ ability to think critically. But Pakman is also pressed on whether certain narratives on the left are similarly misleading, and if so, how much they contribute to the broader erosion of public trust. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A look at what makes some minds more prone to radical beliefs—and why, with Dr. Leor Zmigrod author of The Ideological Brain: The Radical Science of Flexible Thinking, . Plus, close read of how Judge James Boasberg has become a punching bag for those claiming he coddles Venezuelan deportees while harshing on Jan 6 rioters. The actual court documents—and his sentencing decisions—suggest a far more evenhanded story. And applying the "Michael Clayton Doctrine" to Greenland. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist. We play Mikes appearance on The Mark Reardon Show and play an interview from 2022 with Rafael A. Mangual on Depolicing. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Turkish student at Tufts University was detained by ICE, but the only evidence presented so far is a co-signed campus op-ed critical of Israeli policy—raising serious concerns about the bounds of political expression and immigration enforcement. Also, an interview with former FBI Agent Scott Payne, author of Code Name: Pale Horse: How I Went Undercover to Expose America's Nazis. Plus, Trump loves women, Ireland, Tesler, and Bobby Knight—maybe even all at once. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott Payne is an undercover FBI agent who infiltrated America’s modern Nazis under the ominous alias Pale Horse. Plus, Trump’s back on the tariff train, this time hitting autos, but we dig into the unseen economic cost of shoehorning jobs into unproductive places. And part 4 of the discussion of a police shooting in the NYC subway becomes a case study in media malpractice, this time focusing on public radio. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Isenstadt, national political reporter for Politico and author of Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power discusses how Trump’s inner circle handles the boss. Plus, a House hearing with more culture war than clarity over the governance of NPR and PBS. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris Gethard reflects on how the comedy world has changed and what happened when Shane Gillis publicly took a shot at him—and then privately took it back. Also, the genetic info you gave to 23andMe might soon be available in a bankruptcy fire sale near you. And in the Spiel, a Signal chat goes sideways when Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg is accidentally added to a highly sensitive thread about airstrikes on the Houthis. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris Gethard stops by to talk comedy, ethics, and how audience taste moves like an algorithm with a grudge. Meanwhile, the JFK files are finally released, and it turns out the real mystery was in Finland all along. Also, the government’s got a chainsaw, and it's not just for photo ops: cuts are coming to everything from colorectal cancer screening to the office that won the Cold War-winning offices. Somewhere between chaos and court orders, we try to figure out what still counts as governance. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we discussed high school musicians losing their opportunity to perform with the US Marine Band. And we revisit Mike's 2022 commentary on NCAA swimmer Lia Thomas, newly relevant as the Trump administration moves to defund University of Pennsylvania grants. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today’s Gist, former Impractical Jokers star Joe Gatto joins to discuss his new stand-up special Messing With People and how he pulls off pranks that leave folks smiling, not steaming. Then, Mike breaks down why Disney’s Snow White remake may mark the end of an era where ideology outweighed audience. And in the Spiel, the U.S. retreats from Ukraine—not just militarily, but morally—while the cost of disengagement climbs. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Congressman (and current NYC Council candidate) Anthony Weiner and Reason Editor-at-Large Nick Gillespie square off over whether the national debt is an true crisis, if Chuck Schumer made the best of a bad hand, and whether government can—or should—ever shrink. Plus, in Goat Grinders, we take on Walter Cronkite’s legacy, the absurd NCAA tournament gripes, and the myth of “wanting it more.” Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In The Prosecutor: One Man's Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice, Jack Fairweather tells the story of a Jewish lawyer who fled the Nazis, only to return and put them on trial—despite resistance from the West German government. Plus, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, whom Trump calls a "Radical Left Lunatic," may not be so radical after all. And in the spiel, Mike unpacks a Washington Post “fact check” of Trump’s Voice of America cuts, revealing it as more rhetorical sleight of hand than rigorous analysis. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A federal judge ruled the Trump administration’s deportation flights to El Salvador unlawful—only for the administration to carry them out anyway. Now, Trump is calling for the judge’s impeachment, prompting Chief Justice John Roberts to push back against using impeachment as retaliation for judicial rulings. Plus, NYT journalist David Enrich joins to discuss Murder the Truth: Fear, the First Amendment, and a Secret Campaign to Protect the Powerful and his reflections on covering Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One consequences of Trump's anti-DEI initiatives is the disbanding of a talented youth orchestra featured on 60 Minutes. The Spiel analyzes the recent U.S. airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, comparing the Trump administration's more aggressive approach to previous military engagements and questioning whether tough talk translates to meaningful strategic differences. And Russell Shorto, author of "Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America," explores the fascinating Dutch origins of New York City, and the far-sighted decision to give it up without a fight. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike was recently on the Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em Podcast. Enjoy! Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matthew Schrag, the Alzheimer’s whistleblower who uncovered one of the biggest medical deceptions in history, joins the show. Plus, Chuck Schumer takes the hits, absorbs the pain, and spares Democrats from a brutal shutdown battle—sometimes being a punching bag is part of the job. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rodrigo Duterte stands trial in The Hague for his brutal drug war—a prosecution that is justified but also political. Meanwhile, Sadie Dingfelder joins us to play Is That BS? to determine whether yelling “Help” or “Fire” is the smarter move in an emergency. Plus, Part 2 of Nine Bullets, One Knife, Many Wrong Questions—separating fact from fiction in a fatal NYC subway shooting. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Senate Democrats have a rare chance to force Republican concessions in the government funding battle, but fear of political blame looms large. Lauren Egan, writer of The Bulwark’s Opposition newsletter, examines how Democrats are responding to challenges from within and outside their party—whether it’s policy missteps, messaging struggles, or the new ideological battlegrounds in media and podcasting. Plus, the Spiel on a subway shooting that occurred because of threat to public safety, but which the NY Times continues to frame as an example of overly aggressive crackdown on fare evasion. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wall Street’s downturn suggests that Donald Trump is not immune to the consequences of his bad economic policies. In the spiel, the dubious legal justifications behind the detention of Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil. And we're joined by CNN's Elle Reeve author of Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics. We join her story from the night of the unite the Right rally in Charlottesville Va. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today’s Gist, journalist Elle Reeve discusses her new book, Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics, detailing her firsthand reporting on the radicalization pipelines fueling extremism. Plus, the Trump administration cracks down on Columbia University, and in the Spiel Gavin Newsom’s surprisingly conciliatory conversation with Charlie Kirk. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Gist we got back to Wednesdays spiel on Trumps speech to congress and go to a 2019 interview with Scotland’s Daniel Sloss who churns out comedy specials at an almost alarming rate, completing his tenth at age 28. He’s here to talk about circumcision, Brexit, and why the left is doomed to eternally shoot itself in the foot Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The roots of the current conflict in Gaza trace back to the Balfour Declaration and earlier, but also to a series of ethnic killings and counterattacks in the years just before Israel became a state. Oren Kessler joins us to discuss Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict. Plus, Trump’s latest tariff chaos has Canadians resorting to some choice words. And in The Spiel, we examine the status of the most aggressive initiatives of the Trump administration. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of Not Even Mad, Michael Cohen and Liz Wolfe dissect Trump’s State of the Union-ish spectacle, where he barely asked for forbearance on tariffs and delivered a slew of inaccuracies. We debate whether the Democrats’ paddle-waving protest theater was cringeworthy or just ineffective. Plus, in Goat Grinders, playground break-ins, Icelandair’s deplaning procedures, and the forced obligation of pretending to care about the Oscars. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charles Kupchan, former European affairs specialist in Obama’s White House joins us to discuss whether a viable security agreement could be brokered that meets Ukraine’s needs without granting them everything they want. Kupchan isn’t entirely pessimistic—but he’s also not holding his breath. Plus, Trump’s address to Congress was filled with signature moments: a ripped-up protest sign, a joke about annexing Greenland, and a reading of what he deemed an appropriately deferential letter from Zelensky. But in The Spiel, we break down a different highlight—the section where Trump rattled off supposed cost-saving measures, taking aim at everything from Burmese scholarships to circumcision programs in Mozambique. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump’s latest tariff escalation on China, Mexico, and Canada has earned the Wall Street Journal’s bluntest critique yet: “dumbest.” With markets reacting sharply, Wall Street remains the one force that might actually make him reconsider. Plus, Brenda Wineapple, author of Keeping the Faith: How American Democracy Survives Scandals, Scoundrels, and Cynics, joins to discuss a century-old “trial of the century” and its relevance to today’s politics. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former CBS Evening News executive producer Mosheh Oinounou joins The Gist to discuss Mo News, his fact-first, non-ideological news platform. We talk about his critiques of legacy media, what he saw from the inside, and why he believes journalism is failing as both a business and a public service. Plus, when it comes to Ukraine the art of negotiation seems to hinge less on geopolitics and more on how much gratitude is lavished upon Trump himself. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Gist. We listen back to Tuesdays Spiel about Mikes time at the Principles First Summit. Then we play some of Mike's appearance on the Podcast "Very Serious with Josh Barro". Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Critic and author Kat Rosenfield joins The Gist for a full-show interview, diving into the smear campaign and campaign waged between Blake Lively her director, and the recent sexual abuse allegations against Neil Gaiman. Plus: Analysis of the surprisingly undiplomatic public exchange between Presidents Trump and Zelensky. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Edward Fishman, author of Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, is back to discuss the immense power of tariffs, and economic leverage—and how Trump’s understanding (or lack thereof) of these tools. Plus, Trump grumbles to British PM Keir Starmer that Ukraine isn’t paying back U.S. aid, and in The Spiel, what Democrats can actually stand for beyond simply resisting Trump. Mark Cuban suggests it’s about execution, not slogans. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Edward Fishman, author of Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, joins to discuss how global trade vulnerabilities shape geopolitics. Plus Trump’s first cabinet meeting sets the stage for what’s to come. And in The Spiel, Mike examines Republican town halls across the country—are the viral outbursts truly representative, or is the media cherry-picking the most dramatic moments? Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Bulwark’s Will Saletan joins to discuss Trump, Ukraine, and whether the former president is truly delusional—or just acting like he is. We also examine if the normal laws of political gravity will ever catch up to him. Plus, Trump endorses Elon Musk’s “five things you did last week” questionnaire. And in the Spiel, practical lessons from the Principles First Conference: How should we react when court orders are violated? Who will form the real, effective resistance to Trump’s autocratic ambitions? Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Psychology professor Kurt Gray, author of Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground, joins to discuss how our deep-rooted sense of victimhood is shaped by our evolutionary past as prey—and how that influences modern political and moral conflicts. Plus, Mike recounts his experience at the Principles First Summit, where discussions of civic virtue were overshadowed by bomb threats and the unexpected presence of the Proud Boys. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, we revisit two compelling segments. First, a deep dive into Ukraine's rare earth minerals—why they matter, who wants them, and how they factor into the geopolitical chessboard. Then, a throwback to January 24, 2020, for a look at the human embodiment of droning proceduralism himself, Mitch McConnell. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Rodgers joins to break down the suspension of criminal charges in the case of NYC Mayor Eric Adams. Plus, in The Spiel, we keep track of the growing list of court rulings against Trump—along with the few he's actually won. Keep Track of Court Rulings against Trump Below Just Security Akin Washington Post Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Not Even Mad, Noam Dworman—owner of the Comedy Cellar and host of Live from the Table—and Dan Savage—of Savage Love and Savage Lovecast—join to debate the non-prosecution of NYC Mayor Eric Adams, and the potential for negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. Plus, we dive into "goat grinders" on Adrien Grenier, mirror pronouns, media credibility, and—somehow—dental dams. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Marc J. Dunkelman, author of Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress―and How to Bring It Back, joins to discuss why modern institutions fail at delivering progress and what can be done to fix them. Plus, Trump’s latest feud with Zelensky over Ukraine aid, and in The Spiel, the most electrifying deep dive into rare earth elements you never knew you needed. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Journalist Eli Lake joins for a deep dive into his Breaking History podcast, exploring the stories and narratives that shape our understanding of the past. Plus, a look at the latest Minneapolis crime stats—while national trends show a decline, the city’s murder rate tells the story of a police force hollowed out by officer departures. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Gist is on break for the holiday, so we are sharing an interview we did back in November with the host of "Very Important People", Vic Michaelis. This is the Pesca Plus version of the interview and if you are interested in joining, click the link below. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mikes Appearance on the Savage Podcast Episode: A Very Poly Valentine’s Day Dan Savage is a best-selling author, media pundit, journalist, activist, and co-founder of the It Gets Better Project. He pens the internationally syndicated sex and relationship advice column Savage Love, and hosts the weekly Savage Lovecast podcast where he tackles even more questions, often with the help of special guests. His short form, adult film festival HUMP! Is currently celebrating its 20th season, touring now through May in 45 cities across North America and Europe. Read, listen, follow and more at savage.love. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Public Enemy’s Chuck D is here once more to discuss his writing process, his new book Interficial Artelligence, and how he turns ideas into iconic lyrics. Plus, the Justice Department is inspiring a number of prosecutors to resign rather than drop charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams. And the group Arab Americans for Trump are no longer for Trump. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The legendary Chuck D—Public Enemy’s frontman, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, is now, the author of Interracial Art: Intelligence a collection of drawings, musings, and writings. In the Spiel, the Republican Party recklessly confirms Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run HHS.  Plus, President Trump, in consultation with Vladamir Putin wants to force a “peace plan” on Ukraine. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we speak with Andreas Krieg of King’s College and MENA Analytica about the evolving dynamics in the Israel-Gaza conflict. We break down Hamas’ survival, Hezbollah’s setbacks, and the propagandistic uses Hannibal Directive. With shifting battle lines and long term strategic dilemmas, we ask the fundamental question: Can Israel ever achieve a true victory? Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We dissect the ever-elastic term “constitutional crisis” before diving into a crisis that’s far less abstract: the housing crunch. From misguided policies to market forces, Jonathan F. P. Rose explains why affordable housing remains so elusive—and what can actually be done about it. City of Yes - Mike Pesca and The City of Yes Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump’s latest move? Taking aim at the penny—finally addressing a pet peeve of mine and economists everywhere. Meanwhile, the NIH is slashing “indirect costs,” which will hurt actual vital research. And in today’s interview, Raphael S. Cohen of RAND joins to break down Israel’s battlefield successes and whether Iran truly holds deterrence power in the region. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Gist we go back to 2020 where Mike talked to New School Professor and MSNBC contributor, Maya Wiley. She is also the former chair of the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board - an independent oversight agency of the NYPD. She and Mike talk about how civilians and police officers hold the force accountable, how they’ve failed and the level of complaints they take seriously. Finally, we play a spiel from earlier in the week. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump vows executive action—this time, against plastic straws. Casey Burgat joins to discuss his book We Hold These Truths:How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back. And in The Spiel, Trump’s blunt and simplistic words, and thoughts about Gaza. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katie Herzog, co-host of Blocked and Reported, and Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, discuss if Donald Trump's attempts to blame DEI for a tragic military plane crash and Elon Musk's unplugging of USAID will wind up hurting the Trumpian agenda. Also discussed, the Democrats’ disastrous brand - what can a party that once prided itself on broad appeal do to find favor with voters? Expect spirited debate, sharp analysis, and a commitment to being Not Even Mad just deeply, deeply exasperated.  Subscribe to NOT EVEN MAD directly for bonus segments and a nice new logo and catch every unflinching take. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sadie Dingfelder joins to ask: Are trigger warnings mostly BS? Plus, Donald Trump shares some big redevelopment plans for Gaza. And in The Spiel, what the demise of the fact-checking service "Verify" reveals about the declining appeal of fact-checking as a standalone brand. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist a look at USAID’s role in global diplomacy and whether shuttering it makes any sense. And in The Spiel, how the punishments for January 6th rioters compare to those handed down for Black Lives Matter protesters. Plus, the conclusion of our interview with retired Air Force General Jay Santee who details breaks down the high-risk mission to neutralize Syria’s chemical weapons and compares it to Israel's more ad-hoc bombing of stockpiles. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Retired Air Force Gen. Jay Santee takes us inside the high-stakes operation to dispose of Syria’s chemical weapons—on a ship. Plus, Trump’s grudge against Canada resurfaces, this time over fentanyl and trade. In The Spiel: How legitimate critiques of DEI programs got stupefied and weaponized into a political sledgehammer. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, though, we’re throwing that formula out the proverbial window and playing an episode of Very Serious with Josh Barro, on which Mike was a guest. He joined Josh, Ben Dreyfuss, and Megan McArdle to talk about Trump’s first week in office.    GIST Coupon Codes ...  Truewerk: truewerk.com/thegist for 15% off your first order  Marley Spoon: marleyspoon.com/offer/thegist for 27 free meals  Quince: quince.com/thegist for free shipping and free returns    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Miriam Lewin, subject of the podcast The Burden: Avenger, spent a year in an Argentine torture center and has chronicled the stories of the “disappeared”—dissidents who were drugged and thrown into the Atlantic Ocean. Plus, Trump’s new tariffs: bold move or economic blunder? Also, an Antwentig, where stolen baby formula fuels underground economies. GIST Coupon Codes ... Truewerk: truewerk.com/thegist for 15% off your first order Marley Spoon: marleyspoon.com/offer/thegist for 27 free meals Quince: quince.com/thegist for free shipping and free returns Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Moynihan of The Fifth Column podcast returns to break down Europe’s immigration crisis and how right-wing parties are addressing concerns that classic moderates will not. Plus, Senate hearings heat up over the nominations of RFK Jr., Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard. And Donald Trump reacts to a midair collision with a critique of diversity initiatives—all of which were in place during his first administration. Watch our interview with Michael Moynihan on The Gist's YouTube channel. GIST Coupon Codes ... Truewerk: truewerk.com/thegist for 15% off your first order Marley Spoon: marleyspoon.com/offer/thegist for 27 free meals Quince: quince.com/thegist for free shipping and free returns Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sweden—once the left’s shining example of social democracy—is now grappling with far-right politics, immigrant buyouts, and a surge in gang violence. How did it get here? Journalist, raconteur, and Sweden expert Michael Moynihan breaks it all down. Plus, a deep dive into new data on affirmative action in college admissions, and a look at the latest conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. GIST Coupon Codes ... Truewerk: truewerk.com/thegist for 15% off your first order Marley Spoon: marleyspoon.com/offer/thegist for 27 free meals Quince: quince.com/thegist for free shipping and free returns Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Randall Woodfin, mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, is leading a city experiencing promising growth in wealth and education while also grappling with a troubling surge in homicides that defies national trends. Woodfin discusses his new book, Son of Birmingham, and the challenges of governing a city at a crossroads. Plus, a CNN stalwart has asked his last confrontational question to a combative president, and the current administration makes some highly questionable claims about condoms and Gaza. GIST Coupon Codes ... Truewerk: truewerk.com/thegist for 15% off your first order Marley Spoon: marleyspoon.com/offer/thegist for 27 free meals Quince: quince.com/thegist for free shipping and free returns Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most North Dakotans may be skeptical about global warming, but they’re fully committed to making their state a leader in the carbon capture industry. Journalist Adam Willis, who covered the heated debate over carbon capture in North Dakota for Bloomberg, joins us to discuss. Also on the show: the renaming of Forts Benning and Bragg, the surprising presence of anti-vaxxers in the Pentagon, the exclusion of transgender service members, and a look back at the Great Colombian Tariff Tiff of 2025. GIST Coupon Codes ... Truewerk: truewerk.com/thegist for 15% off your first order Marley Spoon: marleyspoon.com/offer/thegist for 27 free meals Quince: quince.com/thegist for free shipping and free returns Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we listen back to Mike’s 2022 interview with Kate Shaw, ABC Legal Analyst and co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast. It’s an extended interview about the Equal Rights Amendment, which, many of its backers claim, actually passed and should be the law of the land. Then we listen back to Mike’s Tuesday Spiel about the pardoned January 6th attackers.    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meghan Daum, writer and host of The Unspeakable podcast on Substack, joins us for an extended interview about the #MeToo movement, female agency, the efficacy of social movements, and evolving gender dynamics in society. She and Mike discuss women’s progress, exploring the intersection of cancel culture and empowerment within media and publishing. Also on the show, Harvard redefines “antisemitism” to include discrimination against Zionists. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, Mike is joined by Michael A. Cohen of the Truth and Consequences Substack and MSNBC, along with Matt Welch, Editor-at-Large of Reason magazine, for another installment of Not Even Mad. The trio discusses Trump’s inauguration, executive actions, refugee policy, DEI, and the eventful first few days of his second term as POTUS. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump has issued over 50 executive orders—not including a single order that repealed more than 50 of Biden’s executive orders. We delve into the posturing and the potent. Plus, Nate DiMeo, host of the long-running The Memory Palace podcast, drops by to discuss what makes a good podcast episode, what translates well to the page, and why a massive 18th-century painting was chopped up to fit inside a specific room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist Watch Mike Live on Thursday at National Liberty Museum Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Donald Trump’s first day in office, cop-beaters are pardoned, and biology is affirmed. Plus, anthropologist Carrie M. Lane, author of More Than Pretty Boxes: How the Rise of Professional Organizing Shows Us the Way We Work Isn’t Working, reports that professional organizers don’t want to force people to throw things out. Marie Kondo might have something to say about that. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best of The Gist, we revisit an archival segment from the past and replay something from the past week.    This weekend, two selections from the near vault, inspired by the devastating fires in and around Los Angeles over the last week or more. First, Mike’s June 12, 2023, Spiel about the Canadian wildfires that many thought would change minds on climate change—even if we’re not certain they were entirely the result of climate change.    Then, we revisit the intro to our Aug. 18, 2023, episode, in which Mike discusses Herman Andaya, Maui’s emergency chief, who decided not to sound sirens before the fires scorched Lahaina. It seems like an obvious mistake, but all the officials agreed that doing so would have contradicted policy—and perhaps even posed a danger.    GIST Coupon Codes ...  Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3  Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Should L.A. communities rebuild so close together? Is there a better way to prevent fires from starting in the first place? Would a full reservoir have saved homes in the Pacific Palisades? Does L.A.‘s fire chief deserve credit or blame? What’s it like to fight a fire in the face of 100 mph winds? These questions and more are answered by Clare Frank, a 30-year veteran of the California Fire Service and the author of Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire. Plus, as TikTok goes splat, other media companies that are allowed to operate as platforms for free speech are instead voluntarily choosing to cut themselves off at the knees. GIST Coupon Codes ... Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Partisanship is often portrayed as a societal ill—usually by those jerks in the other party. But as Julian Zelizer, Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University, argues: partisanship can be beneficial. In fact, things become rather inefficient without it. Meanwhile, the Hamas-Israel hostage deal remains on the precipice of implementation, and Joe Biden issues a warning about oligarchs. He likely has one specific billionaire in mind, though there is significant political diversity even among the hundred-billionaire class. GIST Coupon Codes ... Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many American municipalities fluoridate their water supplies in hopes of lowering the number of cavities in our teeth. The practice stems from some pretty awful dental outcomes in early America that caused the U.S. military once upon a time to require a man have at least thirteen teeth to enlist. Conspiracy theorists decry this intrusion into their bodily fluids, claiming its lowering their IQs, but they're just lunatics ... or are they? Sadie Dingfelder joins the show for another round of Is That Bullshit? Also, a peace deal between Hamas and Israel nears. And cosmologists and cosmetologists are concerned with little red dots. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pete Hegseth faced sharp questioning from Senate Democrats over his leadership credentials, allegations of sexism and sexual impropriety, humanitarian record, and even his sobriety. Meanwhile, Republicans on the Armed Services Committee appeared firmly in his corner. In other headlines, Jack Smith reiterated that he would have convicted Trump—unsurprising, of course. Also on the show, we're joined by Sir John Kay, author of The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century: Why (Almost) Everything We Are Told About Business Is Wrong. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Los Angeles, the fires rage on, with damage estimates so high they almost defy belief. But perhaps the L.A. fires truly will cause as much destruction as nearly every major disaster worldwide last year. We’ll explore which aspects of the damage can be attributed to climate change and which cannot. Plus, we’re joined by John Kay, Oxford professor, Financial Times columnist, and author of The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century: Why (Almost) Everything We Are Told About Business Is Wrong. We discuss the assassination of a healthcare executive and reflect on a time when the pharmaceutical industry was one of the most respected sectors in the world.   SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best of The Gist, we revisit an archival segment from the past and replay something from the current week. This weekend, we listen back to a 2019 Gist intro about Trump’s then-infatuation with Greenland. Then, we hear Mike’s 2025 Spiel on the same topic. At least he’s consistent.    Coupon Codes from the episode...  Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3  Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joshua Oppenheimer, the director of the recent apocalypse musical The End, starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon, joins us to discuss musicals and his past work crafting brilliant documentaries. Plus, we’ll hear a direct dispatch from our friend Meghan Daum, whose house was destroyed in the Southern California fires. And I think we can safely say that Donald Trump won’t be waging war on Greenland, even if he won’t say it clearly. Listen to Meghan's full story from The Unspeakable Podcast at her substack, and consider becoming a paid subscriber. She's a friend of The Gist, a fantastic writer, and a person who could use your support. Voices and Votes: The State of Free Speech After the Election Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mark Zuckerberg has announced that META platforms Facebook and Instagram are doing away with fact-checking. However, Kate Klonick argues they weren’t doing much fact-checking to begin with and certainly weren’t receiving much credit for it. But that doesn’t mean these changes are benign or beneficial to users. Meanwhile, wildfires rage through Los Angeles, and Fox News, along with the political right, point the finger at… DEI? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Journalist Stephen Marche, author of the NYT op-ed “Justin Trudeau Was His Own Worst Enemy,” argues that the soon-to-be-former Prime Minister’s virtue signaling too often came across as piety, exhausting Canadians. Plus, medical debt is cleared from credit ratings, and a hockey analogy that belongs in the penalty box. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oregon, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver have all experimented with drug decriminalization over the past few years. The results? A deadly disappointment. Stanford professor Keith Humphreys explains why. Plus, advice on how hard a bargain Greenland should drive as a target of U.S. acquisition. And why we should embrace New York City’s anti-NIMBY declaration, “It Can Happen,” as the city strives to become a CITY OF YES. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An analysis of the most “sympathetic” January 6th rioters hardly supports their innocence. Plus, have we been measuring economic progress all wrong? Allison Schrager, of Bloomberg and the Manhattan Institute, says, “Kind of, yeah.” Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we are doing two from the vault. We hear Mike’s interview with Ben Bradford, whose podcast Landslide tells the story of the 1976 Presidential race, which was seminal in the invention of modern conservatism. And then we time warp back to 2016 for Mike’s interview with Meg Jacobs joins us to discuss the lasting political legacy of the ’70s gas crisis. She’s the author of Panic at the Pump: The Energy Crisis and the Transformation of American Politics in the 1970s.    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Services honoring former President Jimmy Carter begin this weekend. We assess his legacy, explore which presidents have rewritten history from the grave, and discuss the growing trend of historians being asked to act as present-day pundits with Lindsay Chervinsky, Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library and co-editor of Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture. Plus, as incidents of people being pushed in front of subways increase, one transit activist has proposed a solution so unconventional it just might work—or almost certainly make things worse. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brain imaging studies are often cited to prove a point about human behavior, but the claims surrounding them can be quite grand. Sadie Dingfelder is back to ask: Is that bullshit? Plus, Jimmy Carter—a kind, decent man but with a badly bungled presidency. And Gavin Newsom speaks out against snitching but in support of law enforcement. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Roy Wood Jr., host of CNN’s Have I Got News for You and former Daily Show correspondent, joins this episode of Funny You Should Mention. We delve into topics like a near-DUI incident in South Dakota, why the police should occasionally let a criminal go free, and the responsibility comedians have to challenge harmful political ideas—and the politicians who promote them. We also explore the surprising lessons humanity can learn from floating balls of ants and what it reveals when the premise of a joke is proven wrong. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Yard is a standup comic who has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, Flatbush Misdemeanors, and was a contributor to The Nightly Show with Larry WiImore. He is both an ex-felon and a union leader at the Museum of Modern Art. In this conversation, we discuss Yard's jokes about his pro-prison stance, leaving the Virgin Islands for the worst neighborhood in Brooklyn, and his suspicions about candlelight vigils. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Django Gold is a stand-up comedian, a former writer for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and a veteran of The Onion. In his stand-up special "Bag of Tricks," he explores not being cool, show-off toilet seats, and the privilege of owning multiple pairs of scissors. His comedy has been described as "cynical and bizarre" but also "surprising, insightful and properly deranged." We discuss the right amount of weird to present to the audience without seeming too weird, and the evolution of the archetype of nerd to IT guy to incel. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. But this weekend, we’re simply going to listen to Mike’s appearance on Ophira Eisenberg’s Parenting Is A Joke podcast. Happy holidays.    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our third installment of Funny You Should Mention welcomes Sam Jay, former SNL writer, Tom Brady Roaster, host of HBO's Pause with Sam Jay, and stand-up comic behind such specials as Netflix's 3 In The Morning and HBO's Salute Me or Shoot Me. Sam and Mike talk cops, racism, white vs black people money management, and a joke she'll discuss but won't be telling again. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rachel Feinstein’s acting credits include HBO’s Crashing, Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, and Hulu’s Life & Beth. Her latest stand-up special, Big Guy, came out on Netflix earlier this year. Rachel comes from a family of intellectual giants, though doesn’t include herself in that category. In Mike’s conversation with her, however, she reveals her insightfulness, which is better suited for comedy than the classroom. Plus she channels her mother, husband, and a variety of Staten Island firefighters. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Funny You Should Mention Episode One: Nimesh Patel. Over his career Nimesh Patel has gone from a comedian who wants to make points and jokes to a purely joke-oriented comic. He’s somewhat of the prefect comedian to kick off this series which looks at comedy routines as if they were an argument or an Op-ed. Nimesh has actually written Op-Eds for the NY Times. We discuss being kicked off stage at Columbia University, eviscerating the healthcare system when over a dozen of your cousins are doctors, and more about Indian President Narendra Modi than most conversations with comics usually include. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jim Rooney, son of the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney—who also served as U.S. Ambassador to Ireland during the Obama administration—has written a book about open doors and iron curtains: A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story, from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule. Plus, unions that didn’t endorse Democrats face backlash from Republicans. And we end with a Yeartwentig.    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joe Biden has commuted the death sentences of 37 out of the 40 people on federal death row. Mike discusses the remaining three. We’re joined by stand-up comic Ophira Eisenberg, host of the Parenting Is a Joke podcast, to explore child-rearing and podcast-naming philosophies. Also, Bashar al-Assad’s seasonally relevant theme song, and how it has been appropriated by the Koreans.    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we listen back to Mike’s recent interview with Brian Baumgartner (Kevin from NBC’s The Office) and Ben Silverman, who discuss their new book, The Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin. Then, a special Christmas song.    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse Eisenberg is the writer, director, and star of A Real Pain. We discuss his plays, where you can find early versions of the characters played by Kieran Culkin and Jesse himself, the dynamics of cousin relationships, and when crying can be useful for both the artist and the individual. Plus, another exciting edition of Palter Talk! Oh, and we might just have a government shutdown. Sorry.    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elon Musk complicates government funding, Fani Willis is off the Georgia Trump prosecution, and Brian Reed returns to discuss whether “genocidal race war” was the best way to describe the false allegation that Springfield residents were “eating the dogs, eating the cats.”    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The creator of S-Town and The Trojan Horse Affair has a new show about journalism and truth called Question Everything. So, we do. Plus, polls show that young people are pro-assassination, which should make us question some of them. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are said to be a fed-up nation pushed to the brink, and the result is political violence … or maybe just hack comedy. Also, Nancy Rommelmann joins us to discuss her latest book, 40 Bucks and a Dream: Stories from Los Angeles. She shares insights from her extensive journalism career, including her experience interviewing infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy. And Trump’s presidential library gets a healthy donation. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Drone sightings over New Jersey are driving everyone mad—except Bernie Sanders, who seems minimally concerned. Plus, we’re joined by Isaac Saul, CEO of Tangle. Isaac shares not just his insights on issues like inflation and immigration, but also his methodology for cutting through the noise to deliver the least ideologically captured explanations to his readers. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we revisit an archival segment from the past and pair it with a replay of something from the past week. This weekend, we revisit Mike’s 2018 interview with cultural psychologist Michele Gelfand, who challenges us to think of societies not along the traditional “liberal to conservative” spectrum but instead as ranging from “tight to loose.” It’s a theory she explores in her book Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World. From the past week, we replay Mike’s Tuesday Spiel about the acquittal of Daniel Penny.    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Roy Wood Jr., host of CNN’s Have I Got News for You and former Daily Show correspondent, joins this episode of Funny You Should Mention. We delve into topics like a near-DUI incident in South Dakota, why the police should occasionally let a criminal go free, and the responsibility comedians have to challenge harmful political ideas—and the politicians who promote them. We also explore the surprising lessons humanity can learn from floating balls of ants and what it reveals when the premise of a joke is proven wrong.    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mikes Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Acts of violence have promoted discussions of self-defense, corporate greed, national healthcare, homeless funding, and political will. The Gist rejects being thrust into that discussion at the point of a gun, but has some insights to offer to the current debate. Plus, the return of Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid to discuss Israel, Gaza, morality, and security. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shadi Hamid, Washington Post columnist and co-host of the Wisdom Of Crowds podcast, discusses Israel's regard for innocent lives and if the United States would conduct a war in the way the Israelis do. Plus, the island nation of Nauru gets paid off by the Australians not the play footsy with China. And the Syrian navy is sunk, their chemical weapons cache has been destroyed, and no, Israel is not waiting for a thank-you note. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The acquittal of Daniel Penny, who choked a mentally ill homeless man to death on the New York City Subway, ends the criminal exposure of the former Marine. The charge of "lynching" trails him and the incident, however. But Mike argues the term, as applied to this incident, is both ahistorical and less-resonant with the average American today. Plus, Dave Daley of FairVote drops by to discuss the voting on ranked choice voting. It did well in cities, but was mostly rejected when on state ballots. And plumbing the depths of the "Luigi" discourse. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In an Assad-free Syria, the population is elated, the rebels have expelled a tyrant, and the region has the breathing room to create a better environment for democratic rule. So why is the foreign policy establishment wringing its hands? And we're joined by two prime-time TV greats, The Office's Brian Baumgartner (he played Kevin Malone) and Ben Silverman (Executive Producer of the show) to talk about their new illustrated book: The Night Before Christmas” at Dunder Mifflin. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we’re listening back to Mike’s interview with UCLA professor and MacArthur Genius grant recipient Jason De Leon to discuss his book, Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling. Since the interview aired, back in May of this year, Jason has gone on to add another distinction to his resume—he won the National Book Award for Non-Fiction. Then we listen to this past Monday’s Spiel, in which Mike challenges the idea that Kamala ran out of time to be President.    Produced by Joel Patterson Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We reconstitute Not Even Mad with panelists Liz Wolfe (Reason and the Just Asking Questions podcast) and Michael A. Cohen (MSNBC columnist and author of the Truth and Consequences newsletter) to discuss and debate the pardon of Hunter Biden and all the many, many explanations for the Democrats poor showing on election day 2024. Plus, goats are grinded over Standard Time, "Increasingly," and Pamela Anderson with or without makeup. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you've been paying attention bulls*t never left us. Sadie Dingfelder. author of Do I Know You? A Faceblind Reporter’s Journey into the Science of Sight, Memory and Imagination is here to call BulLLsh*t on the perenial question "If I die will my cat eat me, while my dog won't?" Plus an AI talk show is amazingly realistic, albeit fascinated by absolutely everything. And Trump Watches For Sale! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels have gained ground in Syria, but they aren't the nice, unproblematic, good-for the environment, nice-to-old-people rebels of our dreams. What now? Plus, part two of our interview with Ben Rhodes, former Obama Administration speechwriter and current co-host of Pod Save The World. And how coverage of the many vulnerabilities of Pete Hegseth suggests that the media might just have a few moves left. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Barack Obama's Former Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes discusses whether or not Democrats still embody what they say they stand for. The co-host of Pod Save The World and author of (among many things) a New York TImes Essay, titled "I Study Guys Like Trump. There’s a Reason They Keep Winning." Plus, Pete Hegseth's mom was pretty down on Pete Hegseth a few years ago ... and now everyone knows about it. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kamala Harris' staff reveals their biggest challenges, notably the little time they had to sell their candidate to America. Plus, Hunter Biden is pardoned by his father—an act he said he'd never commit, then again, no one thought Hunter would commit many of the acts he committed either. And we're joined by former Congressman Eric Fingerhut, now CEO of the Jewish Federations of America, to discuss what an organization like his does when over a third of Senate Democrats vote to strip Israel of military support. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we listen back to Mike’s April 2023 interview with NewsGuard founder Steven Brill about the business of issuing nutrition labels for news. Then we listen back to this past Tuesday’s Spiel about the role for NewsGuard in our current political moment.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Yard is a standup comic who has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, Flatbush Misdemeanors, and was a contributor to The Nightly Show with Larry WiImore. He is both an ex-felon and a union leader at the Museum of Modern Art. In this conversation, we discuss Yard's jokes about his pro-prison stance, leaving the Virgin Islands for the worst neighborhood in Brooklyn, and his suspicions about candlelight vigils. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Abraham Lincoln certainly loved the nation he led, he loved Democracy, he loved his wife, and he loved some men, too. That’s according to a new film, Lover Of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln. Shaun Peterson and Tom Balcerski are back to continue our conversation about our 16th President’s loves. Also on the show, Democrats try out a new strategy to battle Trump, and Rudy is tapped out. Promo code for 20% off a PescaPlus membership: "huffelpuffsnuffalapagus" or "cheese" Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shaun Peterson is director of Lover Of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln. He and historian Tom Balcerski talk about the evidence indicating that Abraham Lincoln shared more than just a cot with Joshua Speed and few others. We debate the evidence, discuss why it matters, and talk for more than you ever knew you wanted to hear about Presidential thighs. Plus, Newsguard attacked by Trump's FCC appointee. Also, what the difference in civilian death tolls in Israeli's wars in Lebanon and Gaza tells us about Israel's enemies therein. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're joined by Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton, who discusses how democrats should engage on important but sensitive issues like trans women in sport. Also discussed: Moulton's conversation with incoming member of congress Sarah McBride, his opposition to Nancy Mace's rules focusing on bathrooms, and what the rest of the Massachusetts Democratic establishment is saying to him ... or, in the case of the chairman, not saying, because he still won't take Moulton's calls. Plus, a Spiel on the Republican overreach on LGBTQ issues, and where the gay rights movement finds itself stuck. Also, the Surgeon General designee runs Mike's doctor shop. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On November 12th, Mike published a story in The Atlantic’s “Ideas” section titled “The HR-ification of the Democratic Party: The party of norms, procedure, bureaucracy, DEI initiatives, rule following, language policing, and compliance” … and it got some buzz. So this weekend on Best Of The Gist, we’re going to listen to two media outlets that featured Mike’s article: POTUS Politics, a Sirius XM talk show hosted by Laura Coates which had Mike on as a guest, and The David McWilliams Podcast, which looks at Mike’s piece from an Euro-centric POV.    Check out our YouTube page! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is tapped to run HHS. Dr. Mehmet Oz has been named as Medicare and Medicaid overseer. Dan Diamond of the Washington Post analyses the importance of those agencies and their vulnerability to ambitious outsiders looking to upend things. Also, new AG designee Pam Bondi served as Florida's Attorney General back when a President of the United States called a different state's attorney general the best looking state attorney general. We'll review. Plus, it's an Antwentig, in which Mike makes pronouncements on everything from Canadian postal codes to Rickrolling listeners who expect guests to be burly.    Check out our YouTube page!    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jay Bhattacharya, the Stanford professor who advocated for widespread openings during the pandemic, months before there was a vaccine, has become a bit of a hero to Americans upset about lockdowns and the suppressing of dissent on social media platforms. Now he may be running the National Institutes of Health. Dan Diamond, reporter for the Washington Post, discusses what Bhattacharya got right, got wrong, and where he wants to take the NIH. Plus, Gaetz skates all the way to the end, and an analysis of all those very good, reasonable points made by RFK Jr.   Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jim O'Heir, who played Jerry (or was it Larry?) on 121 episodes of TV's Parks And Recreation, is out with a new book, Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation. We discuss. Plus, a predictive algorithm tells us who the rest of the Trump appointees are. For instance, Koko The Gorilla for Under Secretary of Defense for Budgeting and Procurement. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NY Governor Kathy Hochul was in favor of congestion pricing before she was against it, now she's for it again. She's in a race against an incoming administration in order to implement her ever-changing plan to tax drivers. The New York Daily News' Harry Siegel joins us to assess the political plays and traffic delays. Plus, long-range missiles for Ukraine irk Vladimir Putin to the point of nuclear reconfiguration, and the Democrats can more easily be more sensible on trans issues if they just scrapped ridiculous and inaccurate talking points. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Music can heal. This explains the song "You dropped a balm on me". Dan Levitin's new book, I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine, sells it out in even greater detail. Plus, there was nothing Democrats could do in the face of inflation, except maybe, not have caused so much inflation. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Normally, each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week, but this weekend we’re scraping that formula and instead listening to an interview Mike did with a podcast called The Commercial Break, hosted by Bryan Green and Krissy Hoadley. It’s a fun conversation, and we hope you enjoy it.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Django Gold is a stand-up comedian, a former writer for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and a veteran of The Onion. In his stand-up special "Bag of Tricks," he explores not being cool, show-off toilet seats, and the privilege of owning multiple pairs of scissors. His comedy has been described as "cynical and bizarre" but also "surprising, insightful and properly deranged." We discuss the right amount of weird to present to the audience without seeming too weird, and the evolution of the archetype of nerd to IT guy to incel. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Tile- Use Code THEGIST to get 15% off Smalls- Use Code THEGIST to get 50% off your first order + Free Shipping Manscaped- Use code THEGIST to get 20% off + Free Shipping True Classic- Perfect fit or your money back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The nomination of Matt Gaetz to be United States Attorney General is shocking, confusing, and tumultuous, but not necessarily a non-starter. Plus, the Democratic Party is the HR department of politics. And, with government efficiency in the news, Richard Coffin of USAFacts stops by to give us the actual facts on where there is fat (or even muscle and sinew) to cut in the Federal budget. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Tile- Use Code THEGIST to get 15% off Smalls- Use Code THEGIST to get 50% off your first order + Free Shipping Manscaped- Use code THEGIST to get 20% off + Free Shipping True Classic- Perfect fit or your money back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peter Hegseth is Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Defense. It's an impossible job, one that he can't possibly fulfill, and maybe that's the point. Plus, Israelis in Amsterdam chased and beaten, but some in the press say they (more or less) deserved it. And we are joined once more by Ben Wittes of Lawfare to talk about Trump's possible prosecutions. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Tile- Use Code THEGIST to get 15% off Smalls- Use Code THEGIST to get 50% off your first order + Free Shipping Manscaped- Use code THEGIST to get 20% off + Free Shipping True Classic- Perfect fit or your money back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Wittes, Editor-in-Chief of Lawfare, discusses what Trump can actually do and where the protections are for those he's threatened to criminally prosecute—Kamala is probably safe, but Jack Smith could be quite inconvenienced. Plus, Kristi Noem for DHS, and to California ballot counters: your torpor is not a virtue. Also, today The Atlantic published Mike's piece about the "HR-ification" of the Democratic party. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Tile- Use Code THEGIST to get 15% off Smalls- Use Code THEGIST to get 50% off your first order + Free Shipping Manscaped- Use code THEGIST to get 20% off + Free Shipping True Classic- Perfect fit or your money back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Revelations from campaigns that could have been shared a while ago are being unearthed now. It turns out CNN knew Kamala Harris wasn't inspiring Pennsylvanians, but ... now they tell us! Plus, Seth Moulton gets pilloried for saying Dems need to talk about more issues openly. And Vic Michaelis of Very Important People stops by. VIP is an amazing show on Dropout TV, in which improvisers in heavy makeup discover they have been turned into werewolves or rocks, and then sit for an in-depth interview on the character they just learned they were. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen to part two of our interview with Washington Post investigative reporter Albert Samaha about his deep dive into the NIL economy. Then we rewind exactly eight years, to the morning America woke up to realize Donald Trump was President.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump knows how to speak so he's heard. Democrats ... much less so. Plus, there are many legitimate recriminations for the Democrats to engage in, but "Elon Musk's money made things unfair" is not one of them. And we speak with Albert Samaha of the Washington Post about the hidden economy of college sports. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The polls were really very accurate, despite what the Nate-haters say. Amy Walter, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report, explains why a clean sweep was not a surprise, assuming you understand concepts like margin of error and correlation. Plus, the offended Puerto-Rican vote failed to materialize, and unmarried women were overwhelmed by the voting preferences of their dads, boyfriends, and guys they went to high school with. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump has won, his coalition is actually more diverse than any Republican since Nixon, and his share of the popular vote could be larger than any Republican since George H.W. Bush in 1988—it was certainly the largest in 20 years. Today, Mike has a critique of the media, hope for the republic, and a pair of interviews. First, he talks with not-Trump-nor-Harris voters Kemele Foster, of The 5th Column podcast, and Coleman Hughes, author of The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America, and we get to hear them react to Trump's victory in the moment. Then Peter Meijer, one of ten House Republicans to vote to impeach Donald Trump, says he stands by his vote, but understands Trump's success. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nah, its the election. We advise against supposed bellwethers, and the scrutinization of early exit polls. Plus, the march of progress by so many statistical measures will happen and has happened, no matter who is President. In today's interview, we're joined by Damon Linker for a conversation replete with wisdom and insight regardless of who wins. And it's clear who has already won ... why, it's the North American Elk, who number over a million and have been successfully reintroduced after 19th century hunters depleted populations, as this plaintive flute solo conveys. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kathy Boockvar, former Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, fought back an orchestrated, well-funded, and dangerous scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election in her state. She shares her playbook for this go 'round. Plus, the last week of the election went quite poorly for Donald Trump. Why did he dress like a Garbage man? That said, he didn't say what they said he said about shooting Liz Cheney. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, though, we’re kicking it old school, with two segments from 2014. First up, Mike’s now-10-year-old interview with Casper Kelly creator of the epic and addictive Adult Swim video Too Many Cooks. Then, with endorsements in the air, we listen back to Mike’s conversation with Patrick LaForge from the New York Times, who tells us the origin story behind the expression “retweets don’t equal endorsements.”    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our third installment of Funny You Should Mention welcomes Sam Jay, former SNL writer, Tom Brady Roaster, host of HBO's Pause with Sam Jay, and stand-up comic behind such specials as Netflix's 3 In The Morning and HBO's Salute Me or Shoot Me. Sam and Mike talk cops, racism, white vs black people money management, and a joke she'll discuss but won't be telling again. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everyone's getting out of the presidential endorsement business, but The Gist, sensing a market opportunity, is wading in! Plus, Bloomberg's Akshat Rathi is back to discuss EVs, the energy needs of the AI revolution, and the banning the domestic extraction of oil? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joe Biden calls Trump supporters "garbage," only he didn't mean it, probably, though he did say it, literally. Ugh. Pennsylvania Puerto Ricans are in play! Plus, Trump and Harris' dueling energy policies, and a conversation with Akshat Rathi, reporter for Bloomberg News, host of Bloomberg's Zero podcast, and author of Climate Capitalism: Winning the Race to Zero Emissions and Solving the Crisis of Our Age. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Four members of the Gen Z cohort, who will be voting in their first Presidential election cycle next week, talk with Mike about America In One Room: The Youth Vote, a deliberative poll and group experiment in direct democracy that was conducted back in July. They'll discuss who they are voting for and why, learning to listen to each other, and how to convince other young people on political issues. Plus, another boring (and ignored) Kamala Harris plan that could have big effects on actual lives of actual Americans. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A joke at a punch rally gets pilloried. And a full-show interview with Musa al-Gharbi on his book We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite. This is the conversation all the symbolic capitalists have been waiting for! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we do neither. Instead, we listen back to Mike’s 2008 NPR interview with Philip Zimbardo, the psychologist who became famous for his Stanford Prison Experiment. Zimbardo died earlier this month. Then we listen to Mike’s recent interview with NewsNation’s Dan Abrams about Kamala Harris’ 60 Minutes interview, in which editing occurred.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To say that comedian Gary Vider's dad was an "unorthodox" parent is to misunderstand the word "unorthodox." His parenting toolbox included lying, deception, and fear, which is par for the course when you are a conman, but it can leaves scars on those close to you. Vider is out with a podcast about his dad and his childhood called #1 Dad. Also on the show, would you sell your vote to Kamala or Donald for $1,300? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fred Kaplan has won a Pulitzer, been nominated for another, and he's covered the national security community for years. So he finally decided to just throw out the rules of non-fiction and write a novel ... about the end of the World, or almost the end of the world. A Capital Calamity is a tale of impending armageddon not with a bang nor a whimper, but because of a consultant. Plus, airlines have finally addressed the on-again-off-again no-smoking sign in a rather stupid way. Also on the show, Trump is close to winning because incumbents the world over are getting "schlonged." Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Greenberg is out with the first biography of Congressman John Lewis, which offers an examination of the highly influential legislator's activism, congressional record, and how his theories of change themselves changed depending on the role he played. Plus, a recent This American Life episode about the Democrats' uncommitted delegates raised the stakes, but left out details. Also on the show, examining Kamala Harris' claims that under a second Trump administration, there will be no patriotic staffers to erect guardrails. CORRECTION: A previous version of The Spiel errantly mentioned that Michigan had the largest Palestinian population of any U.S. state. We corrected the mistake. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christopher Steele's infamous dossier set in motion massive investigations, furious push back, quite nearly an impeachment, and massive turmoil within the intelligence and media communities. In a full-show interview, at times contentious at other times revelatory, Christopher Steele explains his methods and defends his findings. His new book is Unredacted: Russia, Trump, and the Fight for Democracy. Also on the show, Donald Trump's dong diversion. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harry Teinowitz was a storied radio host on ESPN radio in Chicago, a comedian, an actor, and an alcoholic. He's now a playwright. His new play, Another Shot, which chronicles this journey stars Dan Butler, who played Bulldog Briscoe on Frazier for many years. Also, Kamala Harris is down to 39% in one betting market, so Mike bet on her. Plus, Donald Trump mentions a golfer's clubs, but not in the way you think ... unless you were thinking about penises. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we listen back to an extended cut of Mike’s 2023 interview with Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, who were then the recent authors of the new book Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity, and who won the 2024 Nobel Prize for Economics this past week. Then we replay Mike’s recent treatise on when journalism achieves the goals of art, but doesn't quite tell the accurate story.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rachel Feinstein’s acting credits include HBO’s Crashing, Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, and Hulu’s Life & Beth. Her latest stand-up special, Big Guy, came out on Netflix earlier this year. Rachel comes from a family of intellectual giants, though doesn’t include herself in that category. In Mike’s conversation with her, however, she reveals her insightfulness, which is better suited for comedy than the classroom. Plus she channels her mother, husband, and a variety of Staten Island firefighters. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Quico Toro of Persuasion and the OnePercentBrighter.com Substack has been writing about global warming solutions, and analyzing the sorry state of climate journalism. Plus, Yahya Sinwar is dead, his plan having been proven ruinous. Also on the show, Kamala Harris went on Fox, and it was spirited, somewhat informative, and not nearly as clear as the Vice President would have us think. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: Link Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Election is less than 3 weeks away, and CNN's Harry Enten has the breakdown of the demographics, arguments, issues, and attitudes that are going to decide this tight, tight race. We also talk about hamsters. Plus, when journalism achieves the goals of art, but doesn't quite tell the accurate story. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Rosenwald, political and media historian at the University of Pennsylvania and possessor of Pennsylvania knowledge, talks all the key races in the Keystone State. Plus, Kamala Harris is playing tape of Trump at her rallies. Also on the show, Elon Musk's rocket launches have been thwarted by Musk-averse members of the California Coastal Commission and, to a lesser extent, the snowy plover. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are off today due to the Holiday and wanted to give you an idea of what Pesca Plus members get to listen to. Today's interview was with Jake Tapper from Marth 15, 2024 talking about his new CNN Series United States Of Scandal. Use the link below to subscribe! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This weekend on Best Of The Gist, a couple segments from The Dispatch Podcast, on which Mike was a guest last week. Hosts Sarah Isgur and Jonah Goldberg talked with Mike about Israel’s military exchanges with Iran, the legitimacy of “experts,” and some movie reviews.    Big thanks to everyone at The Dispatch.   Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There was a time when "College President" was a cushy job, but that time is officially over. Now its a headache rapped in a time suck surrounded by a protest. Bill Funk, of Funk Associates, is a recruiter of college presidents, and he's here to acknowledge that, indeed, this is the most difficult period he's ever experienced for hiring college presidents. Plus, Trump speaks in Detroit, disparagingly, about Detroit. Also on the show, where have all the critters gone? The WWF finds a 73-percent decline in vertebrates, but Mike has enough backbone to question that stat. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zoning is really, really important, but it's also a tad dry. Well, not when they're putting up a four-storey building right next door, ruining your ability to record a podcast, but maybe I'm getting overly biographical. Sara Bronin, chair of the U.S. Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and former Zoning and Planning Commissioner of the city of Hartford, Connecticut, is here to talk about her book Key To The City: How Zoning Shapes Our World. It gets spicier than the topic of zoning might suggest. Plus, Ron DeSantis responds to a hurricane in a serious and competent manner, which is why the Republicans didn't like him enough to be their nominee. Also on the show, while disinformation is demoralizing, good old fashioned rumors killed some victims of Katrina. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Arlie Russell Hochschild went to Kentucky to study the reasons residents give for supporting Donald Trump, even if so many of his policies seem to be against their interests. The resulting book, Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right describes Trump as the good bully in the eyes of his supporters. Plus, the state of Oklahoma is intent on putting Richard Glossip to death, despite strong evidence he had no hand in the murder for which he was convicted. SCOTUS heard the case today, and analysis of the issues and a brief analysis of Richard Glossip's appeal to multiple women he married while on death row. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Tuesday, November 5th, as they start to tally the ballots and declare electoral votes, few states will be as scrutinized as the Silver State. We talk with veteran Nevada political journalist Jon Ralston of The Nevada Independent about his state's precarious position. Then we shift gears and discuss takeaways from the summer movie season with Sonny Bunch, Culture Editor at The Bulwark. Also on the show, a campaign win. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City and a former cop, is in hot water. He’s been charged with bribery and campaign finance offenses, his friend and Deputy Mayor Phil Banks resigned over the weekend, and the New York Times is out with some polling indicating that 69% of New Yorkers want Adams to go too. To discuss this mess, Harry Siegel of The City and the FAQ NYC podcast joins us. Also on the show, Mike’s thoughts on the one-year anniversary of October 7th, when Hamas attacked Israel, plunging the nation (and possibly the region) into a protracted and deadly war.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we listen back to Mike’s 2016 interview with Chad Millman, author of The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice about the first major act of foreign terrorism on American soil. Then we replay Tuesday’s show intro, in which Mike laments the lamentations of the pundit class.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Funny You Should Mention Episode One: Nimesh Patel. Over his career Nimesh Patel has gone from a comedian who wants to make points and jokes to a purely joke-oriented comic. He’s somewhat of the prefect comedian to kick off this series which looks at comedy routines as if they were an argument or an Op-ed. Nimesh has actually written Op-Eds for the NY Times. We discuss being kicked off stage at Columbia University, eviscerating the healthcare system when over a dozen of your cousins are doctors, and more about Indian President Narendra Modi than most conversations with comics usually include. The Gist Youtube Page Comedy Cellar Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of The Cook Political Report, is here with the news that you knew but didn't know how very true it was—the Presidential race is very, very close. As in, a one percent Harris advantage in the swing states overall. Plus, Jack Smith re-writes his legal brief, making the case that Trump interfered in the 2020 election, but Trump claims the disclosure of said brief is interference in the 2024 election.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The stakes for debates are pretty low when the Vice Presidency is the office in question, but J.D. Vance seems to have said better sounding words than Tim Walz, according to most reactions. Putting in a word for Walz—or at least a warning against Vance—is our guest Democratic strategist and analyst Jess McIntosh, who is here to assess the Vice Presidential debate. Plus, a dock strike could jeopardize goods across America. Turns out, dockworkers earn on average more than $150k a year at the East Coast's biggest port, and they also hold most of the cards in this negotiation. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Iran officially entered the war against Israel this morning, launching just short of 200 ballistic missiles at numerous Israeli targets, pundits continued to praise Israel's tactics but question its strategy. The thing is, the tactics ("kill enemy") and strategy ("win war") seem pretty aligned. Also on the show, Washington Post Opinion columnist Dana Milbank joins us to discuss his newest book, Fools on the Hill: The Hooligans, Saboteurs, Conspiracy Theorists, and Dunces Who Burned Down the House. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For years, the standard thinking was that the ongoing standoff between Israel and its enemies was "no win." Hamas was entrenched. Hezbollah was well-armed. But now, in the wake of a series of massively successful attacks that cut down Hezbollah leadership, and with Iran seeming to be disinclined to counterattack, that thinking is changing. We're joined by Steven Simon, a Clinton and Obama counter-terorrism hand and author of Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East. Plus, Kamala Harris finally does a hard news interview, but with an interviewer who says Kamala Harris really doesn't need to do interviews. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we rewind to Mike’s 2016 interview with Tim Harford, author of Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives. In it, he makes the case for routine-busting labor strikes, cluttered desks, and leaving your emails unsorted. He also explains why we’re smart to want scatterbrained musicians and orderly accountants. Then we’ll replay our most recent Tuesday Spiel, in which Mike weighs in on the controversial topic of the canine gut biome.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wright Thompson’s family farm in Mississippi is 23 miles from the site where fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was murdered in the summer of 1955. In his new book, The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi, Thompson details the length people will go to in order to obscure the truth. He joins us to discuss Emmett, the barn, and his home state. Also on the show, we appreciate you … you know what we’re saying?    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the United States, as well as in many other English-speaking nations, “liberal” is a label with much political baggage. But “liberalism” is a much broader idea. It’s the belief that living in a society that values civil liberties, democracy, free enterprise, and individual rights is the foundation of modern life, and Alexandre Lefebvre believes it’s a good life. He’s written about it in his new book, Liberalism As A Way Of Life. Also on the show, Mike airs his technology-related grievances.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You know it's a kooky election when Omaha, Nebraska could swing the presidency to the Democrats and California is the path to control of the House of Representatives for the Republicans. Mike is joined by Steve Kornacki, NBC National Political Correspondent and host of The Revolution podcast, to talk about recent polling, mail-in voting, the coattails effect, and who the hell the "incumbent" is in the 2024 race. Also on the show, Maine and Nebraska have decided to be special. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In under-covered jungle news, monkeys are being eaten by apes, and this has been going on for a while. In human consumption news, the Senate attempts to browbeat the maker of Wegovy into a price drop. Plus, we're joined for the second half of our interview with Louise Story, co-author of Fifteen Cents on the Dollar: How Americans Made the Black-White Wealth Gap. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Louise Story is here to discuss her new book, Fifteen Cents On The Dollar: How Americans Made the Black-White Wealth Gap. Plus Israel and Hezbollah fighting intensifies and Donald Trump gets us to ask ourselves "What if MLK were a swole bro?" Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/GIST Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we bring you a recent episode of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie, on which Mike Pesca was the guest. It’s an hour of Nick and Mike talking quite a bit about how NPR lost its way.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It wasn't only North Carolina Senate candidate Mark Robinson's political ambitions that were naked, it was his forum for web posting—the Nude Africa website, where he declared himself a "Black Nazi," and where he detailed his particular taste in pornogrpahy. Plus, RFK Jr. takes a lover, and it seems she's a member of the 4th Estate. Plus, we're joined by writer, director, and actress Jennifer Esposito. She starred in Summer of Sam and Spin City, and now she's out with a new film, Fresh Kills. She joins to talk mafia movies, her Staten Island upbringing, and the torture of making and marketing an indie film today. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today a wide-ranging interview with Maryland Governor Wes Moore. We talk about the bipartisan blame for America's housing policy, why Baltimore's murder rate is drastically declining, and his studied assessment of international terrorism. Plus, Mike's fruitless foray into correcting an inaccurate tweet about pet eating. Also, we just posted a video version of Mike's interview with Bradley Tusk from yesterday's show. Find it here. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We do everything on the phone, so why not vote? It's much more secure than you think, says Bradley Tusk, author of Vote With Your Phone: Why Mobile Voting Is Our Final Shot At Saving Democracy. Plus, one of America's two great newspapers tracks down a lost cat that could swing the election, or could have if she were not "lost" but "lunch." Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're joined once more by sitting federal judge Frederic Block to discuss his thought process in sentencing and forgiving. His new book is A Second Chance: A Federal Judge Decides Who Deserves It. Plus, Biden strategically drags his feet on the acquisition of U.S. Steel. And Hezbollah's pagers go off in a big way. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Emmy's are a tradition wherein excellence in television is honored by a long display of inartful television. Plus, Elon Musk is carelessly worsening the atmosphere around the second assassination attempt against Donald Trump. And we're joined by Judge Frederic Block of the Eastern District of New York, who has sentenced scores of defendants to long prison terms, but now the law is providing him with a means to reconsider some of those sentences. He discusses how he approaches his duties under the First Step Act in his new book, A Second Chance: A Federal Judge Decides Who Deserves It. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with the permission of the fine folks at the Savage Lovecast, we will listen to Mike being interviewed by Dan Savage of the trés popular Savage Lovecast, for his series “Sex & Politics.” They discuss the debate and the election, and Mike gives sex advice. So, there’s that.    Big thanks: Nancy Hartunian, Dan Savage, and the crew  Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The UK's Keir Starmer and President Joe Biden are apparently arming the Ukrainians in a way that Vladimir Putin does not approve of. Plus, veteran political journalist Joe Klein, of the Sanity Clause Substack, joins to discuss the debate, the election, and what the Democrats are finally doing right. Also, in the plastic straw wars ... it's the last straw! https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/GIST Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the technical research manager at Stanford Internet Observatory, Renée DiResta studied disinformation and alerted social media companies to violations of their own rules. This opened her up to charges that she was engaging in censorship. Out with a new book, Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality, DiResta discusses those accusations and the difference between disinformation, disliked information, and normal political puffery. She also denies being an active CIA agent, which is exactly what a CIA agent might say. Plus, Donald Trump's cognition needn't be the source of investigation when it's output is the source of so much content. https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/GIST Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump clashes with Kamala Harris in their only scheduled presidential debate. Among the important issues debated: abortion, inflation, and immigrants eating pets. Reasonable people can differ on two of those three issues. Mike is joined by Steve Hayes, editor of The Dispatch to discuss. They disagree on abortion policy, though not on Trump's arguments explaining and advancing his policy. They also disagree on the fairness of the moderators. But their disagreement is a veritable symphony of productivity, as opposed to much of what we heard last night. https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/GIST Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A close read of media choices and voter preferences explains the refrain we've been hearing—shock that the race is so close. Plus, San Fransisco has come up a lot in the presidential race, because Kamala Harris is from there, you may have heard. We're joined by The New York Times San Fransisco Bureau Chief, Heather Knight to talk about her home city and how it's changed since earning a reputation as a place of progressive fervor. She lets us know which of the stereotypes still apply. Prize Picks Link - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/GIST Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Barack Obama speechwriter, Terry Szuplat discusses Kamala Harris' challenges, Barak Obama's techniques, and he is forced to pay a compliment to the rhetorical style of Donald Trump. Szuplat is the author of Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience. Plus, should Elon Musk be arrested? (No.) Should the media tell you the presidential election is close? (They should.) Should teases give away the answers to rhetorical questions? (Only in rare circumstances.) Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Prize Pick Link - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/GIST Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with Presidential candidate Kamala Harris officially reversing her support of a plastic straw ban, a topic stuck in Mike’s craw for years, we replay his 2019 Spiel on the topic. Then we revisit Thursday’s Spiel about Tim Pool, fool.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Covid-19 is still around, but it's far less deadly. And, yet ... still deadly. Katelyn Jetelina, author of the Your Local Epidemiologist Substack, is here to talk about lessons learned, how vigilant we should all be, and if she ever wears a mask anymore. Plus, Hunter Biden pleads to felony tax evasion charges, debate anticipation has put every thing else in suspended animation, and we take listener feedback, play jingles, and award a Lobstar of this Antwentig. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Israel's critics describe it as a colonizer, settler colonizers, in fact. We examine the rational and irrational reasoning behind this as we talk with Adam Kirsch author of On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice. Plus, Tim Pool, amplified by Vladamir Putin and goofball election prognosticator Allan Lichtman, is at it again, with assistance from the entire media. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Unlike anogenital distance researchers on NPR, at the DNC, Kamala Harris accepted her party's nomination with polished, practiced style. Also on the show, author Adam Kirsch joins us to discuss his new book, On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice. Plus, a peace deal not taken. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The greening of energy is fueled not just by air and wind but many minerals that need extraction. Standing in the way: regulations, a flower, and the Apache. Reuters energy reporter, Ernest Scheyder joins us to discuss his book The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives. Plus, a West Indian Day parade experienced deadly violence, as has often been the case ... still, the parade must go on. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are out of the office for the holiday, but we wanted to give you the chance to listen to an interview that Pesca Plus members got to hear. Back on 4/20/23 Mike talked to Valerie Fridland about her book "Well, like, dude". Enjoy the longer version of the interview and you can subscribe to ad free or Pesca plus with the link below. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, while at the DNC a couple weeks back, Mike got to sit down with Friend Of The Gist Jonah Goldberg for a wide-ranging political conversation that became an episode of Jonah’s podcast, The Remnant. Today, we bring you that interview.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new faux-documentary posits a terrifying potential scenario: it's January 6, 2025, and the US government has to confront rogue members of the US military attempting a coup. War Game's stars include veterans of five Presidential administrations who participate in an unscripted exercise to quash the insurrection. We're joined by Director Jesse Moss, and one the film's stars, Peter Strzok, the former FBI Counterintelligence director who led the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election. Also on the show, Kirsten Gillibrand discusses a new era of military justice. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jamil Zaki is a Stanford researcher and the author of the new book, Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness. He brings us a rare positive view of how our society has evolved, what it's evolved into, and he explains the flawed idea of "homo economicus." What does that mean? Listen. Also on the show, hawk tuah. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2020, as the pandemic raged, Andrew Chow found the Clubhouse app, and on it, he marveled at the volume of chatter about cryptocurrencies. He dove into that (mostly male) world of speculative bubbles, NFTs, grandiose ideas, and then watched it all crash and burn. Andrew joins us to discuss his new book, Cryptomania: Hype, Hope, and the Fall of FTX's Billion-Dollar Fintech Empire. Also on the show, Mike says the quiet part out loud. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the show, we are talking about comedic writing with Simon Rich. He has, after all, written for Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, and The New Yorker, so he knows a bit about trying to be funny on the page. And he's out with a new book, Glory Days: Stories, in which he makes light of entering middle age. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on show, a two-part conversation with Evan Ratliff, cofounder of The Atavist Magazine and now host of the Shell Game podcast about how he created an AI version of his voice, hooked it up to a chatbot, and allowed it to speak on his behalf to friends, family, and even telemarketers. Well, especially telemarketers. Also on the show, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined forces with Donald Trump, though, as is typical with RFK Jr's actions, it's hard to tell how or why. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Pesca and Nancy Rommelmann sit down with Michael Moynihan and Batya Ungar-Sargon from The Free Press to react live to Kamala Harris' keynote speech at the DNC. They also get into the party's division over Israel. Head over to TheFP.com/LIVE to watch the conversation in full. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A capable Kamala concludes with a convention capstone for the people. Plus, an assessment, a look forward, and the never-ending attempt to figure out Trump's next maneuver, a conversation with Dave Weigel of Semafor and Marc Caputo of The Bulwark. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Democrats think they may have just found the solution to their "white working class problem" which has plagued them for a generation, according to pundits. But on the floor of the DNC, actual Democrat voters don't necessarily agree there is a problem. Also on the show, protestors demand a spot on the conference agenda. Plus, Tim Walz, defensive coordinator. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the DNC, Brat Summer is still alive, despite Democratic delegates' inability to articulate Harris' "day one" promises. Also, at the DNC, Mike huddles with New York Times Magazine journalist Ross Barkan about who is leading the left wing of the Democratic party ... or, more accurately, who isn't leading them. Plus, former President Barack Obama flops on the DNC stage. Yeah, right! He crushed it. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On his way into the Democrats big show in Chicago, Mike is confronted by protestors, stoned and angry. Inside, he talks to delegates, which makes him wonder who is more in touch with mainstream America ... the screamers or the Kool-Aid drinkers? Also on the show, University of Minnesota bioethicist and whistleblower Carl Elliott is out with a new book, The Occasional Human Sacrifice: Medical Experimentation and the Price of Saying No. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Erwin Chemerinsky is the Dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law and the author of several books, including his latest, No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the United States. He thinks our democracy is under threat, but he sees simple solutions that just require updating our aging Constitution. The thing is, getting that done is anything but simple. Also on the show, the Olympic break dancing pile-on continues. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Gist. We play a June 2019 interview with Kyle Pope. He was the editor of the Columbia Journalism review. Plus we play the spiel from earlier in the week about Margaret Sullivan who runs the ethics center at the Columbia School of Journalism. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a series of high school students began to have odd tics and spasms their upset community didn’t know what to do. Was it poisoning? A mad-cow like neurological disease? Or something no less real, but much more psychological. Dan Taberski, host of the amazing new podcast Hysterical stops by to discuss. Plus, Trump's insults of Kamal Harris, Strategic? Haphazard? Or just stupid? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vibes and Memes translate to cheers and screams for the Harris/ Walz ticket. Mike has 3 theories on what vibes may really mean. Plus, Minouche Shafik is out as President of Columbia, and while we're announcing university HR developments, there's an opening in the Physics department of University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley. https://careers.utrgv.edu/postings/43154 And, Leon Neyfahk and Arielle Paredes are back to talk Juul, Vape and the importance of mangoes, both sliced and whole, in part two of their discussion of their podcast Backfired: The Vaping Wars Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is vaping bad for you? If you don't know the answer to that question it means the wars were never really settled. Luckily Leon Neyfakh and Arielle Pardes the reporters behind the podcast Backfired: The Vaping Wars are here with answers. Plus, the Russians take New York, and Trump is talking differently about Kamala. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kevin Allison, member of MTV's The State, and decade long host of the podcast RISK! talks about chances he's taken in comedy life, sex, and podcasting. Plus, JD Vance's thought experiment and Elon Musk talks particulate matter parts per million with Donald Trump Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Ann Burgess is a pioneering profiler of serial killers, and a primary character in the Netflix series Mindhunter. A new Hulu series directed by Abigail Fuller is out, titled Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer. Both director and subject are on today's show. Plus, the two journalism poo-bahs with consistently terrible ideas about journalism. And our broken breaking discourse. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with Presidential polling and prognosticating in the air, we listen back to Mike’s 2018 with Jordan Ellenberg, a professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison about his book How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking. We also listen back to Mike’s Spiel, in which he recounts the RFK bear fiasco … in song.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the former President of the United States (POTUS) each gave press conferences. One was much much much more unhinged than the other. Guess which one. Plus, a full-show interview with poker player, forecaster, and author Nate Silver about his new book, On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kamala and Tim are in their honeymoon period as a presidential ticket. They are brat. They are joy. They are vibes. They are happy. Why the hell would they throw away all this momentum, just so they could tell Americans where they stand on issues that matter? It's a good question, and they better come up with the right answer or suffer the fate of candidates who hide from the press in their Delaware bunkers. Capisce? Also on the show, a double-interview day. Mo Rocca on his new book about old folks, Roctogenarians: Late in Life Debuts, Comebacks, and Triumphs. Plus, Kiki Friedman on her online abortion-care company, Hey Jane. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A full analysis of Tim Walz's entry into the 2024 presidential race. Discussed are the chants of "coach," the claims of "joy," the new ways of thinking about key issues that he's introduced into the race. Plus, former Ambassador to Moscow and Acting Secretary of State John J. Sullivan discusses his book Midnight in Moscow: A Memoir from the Front Lines of Russia's War Against the West. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Minnesota's current governor, Tim Walz has been named Kamala Harris' Vice Presidential pick. Nate Silver is here to tell us what it means and what Harris missed out on in not picking Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Plus, Shad White, state auditor for Mississippi joins to discuss his new book Mississippi Swindle: Brett Favre and the Welfare Scandal that Shocked America. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On a day when the Dow dipped considerably, we're joined by Kayla Scanlon, the coiner of "vibe session" and author of In This Economy? How Money and Markets Really Work. Plus: RFK. Bear. A bicycle. A coverup. A recap in story and song.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, we listen to a 2007 interview from NPR, wherein Mike spoke with Tim Walz, who has emerged as a serious contender to be Kamala Harris' Vice President, should she win). Also, a little extra segment with our guest earlier this week Corey Brettschneider about John Adams' strange relationship with democracy. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kamala Harris is on the verge of a Vice Presidential choice, and we will evaluate the arguments against the Jewish Governor of Pennsylvania over the perception that his Judaism is a liability. Plus, more on the Olympic Boxers who are women but also did have size and strentgh benefits of testosterone that their fellow competitors did not. Also on the show, Washington And Lee University professors Chris Gavaler and Nat Goldberg discuss their new book, Revising Reality: How Sequels, Remakes, Retcons, and Rejects Explain the World. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Biden now out of the 2024 Presidential race, the polling data has gotten cleaner … so says conservative pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson. She joins us to talk about Kamala’s sugar rush, Trump’s lack of a nickname for his new opponent, and the breaking of Biden’s negative effect on Democratic polling numbers. Also, an Olympic boxer punches “too hard.” And prisoners are swapped. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On a day when former President Donald Trump told black journalists that Kamala Harris denied being black (fact check: untrue), we speak about former President John Adams, who himself ran athwart many Constitutional norms ... or, at least, what we have come to accept as norms. Our guest is Corey Brettschneider, author of Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It. Plus, what Israel's reported assassination of the political leader of Hamas does to the "Israel is doomed to fail" narrative. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With charges of weirdness and cat lady-dom flying around, Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana gets into the act by calling Kamala Harris a "ding dong." Fox News host Neil Cavuto was not having it. Plus, in other Kamala news, she apparently also can't stand Jewish people, which is weird, because she's married to a Jewish person. And Corey Brettschneider is out with a new book in which he contrasts anti-Constitutional acts by such presidents as Woodrow Wilson, Richard Nixon, and John Adams, and identifies the citizens and politicians who worked to preserve constitutional order. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week, after many months spent recovering from a shoulder injury, Clayton Kershaw, maybe the greatest pitcher of his generation, returned to the mound for the LA Dodgers. He is a singular talent in the long history of baseball, and we are joined by Andy McCullough, author of The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness, to discuss how he earned that distinction. Also, Biden proposes major changes to how the Supreme Court works. And an ode to table tennis. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, with the 2024 Summer Olympic Games underway in France, we listen back to a 2016 Spiel, in which, Mike tries to get to the bottom of an Olympian canard about the happiness of bronze medalists. Then we listen back to our Tuesday Spiel, when Mike ponders Kamala Harris’ past as a prosecutor and whether or not that will mean anything as she faces a convicted felon in the race for President.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kamala Harris, or at least some fans, try to remix her way to Coolsville, but there's a detour into Dorksylvania. Sure, go ahead, every candidate gets that treatment, and it all evens out into a thin lime-green meme. Also on the show, we speak with Ibrahim Nash’at, an Egyptian filmaker who imbedded with a group of Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan following the US military withdrawal. The resulting film, Hollywoodgate, is a bizarre, tense, and unique glimpse into how a feared fighting force transitions from guerrilla warfare to actual leadership. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

So Biden didn't say goodbye, but he did explain that duty surpassed ambition in his decision to not seek re-election. Jonah Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Dispatch, drops by to discuss some of the Biden theses. We will also diagnose where Kamala Harris now stands, and where she needs to move to win the favor of the median voter, a person too often forgotten as we chase the label of being "brat."    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kyle Clark, anchor and debate moderator for 9NEWS, Denver's NBC affiliate, recently got a lot of attention for his deft moderation of a debate between Lauren Boebert and five Republican rivals. The kudos were deserved, and in this feature interview, Clark discusses how to conduct a good debate, his critique of CNN's recent debate, and which of the latest trends in long-form interviewing annoy him. Also on the show, Netanyahu goes to Washington ... where he's greeted by maggots. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Astead Herndon, host of The New York Times' podcast The Run-Up, has been covering Kamala Harris for a while. He was the Times' campaign reporter for Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign, and last year he wrote the extensive and fairly devastating profile titled, "In Search of Kamala Harris" for The New York Times Magazine. He here to discuss Harris' skill set, why the cross pressures of the past are gone today, and what arguments she thinks will work against Donald Trump. Plus, as Harris embraces and emphasizes her role as prosecutor, an examination the effectiveness of that argument considering the scale of past prosecutions. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After party leaders, donors, and voters made clear that they didn't want Joe Biden running, this past weekend, the President bowed out. Vice President Kamala Harris is there to take the mantle. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, staff writer for The New Yorker, joins us to talk about the factors that contributed to Biden's decision, the opportunities for Harris to make inroads, and if other Democratic politicians really wanted the job. Plus, how Harris can credibly answer the charge that she's a failed "Border Czar." And does Harris' path to the nomination undercut the charge that Trump is the one who is a threat to democracy? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we replay Mike’s examination of the polarizing effect of fiery political rhetoric is blamed for political violence. And, with political violence on all American minds, we listen back to our 2015 interview with Bryan Burrow who explains what America’s radical underground revolutionaries from the 1970s are up to now. He is the author of Days Of Rage: America’s Radical Underground, the FBI, and the Forgotten Age of Revolutionary Violence.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump spoke for the first time since being shot. He was muted, then rageful ... as usual. We also heard from Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan, and a retinue of supporters and paid employees who spoke of his kindness, politeness, and golf swing. Plus, when politicians achieve a policy goal they've long promised, they crow about it, whether they be promises kept on tax cuts, military spending, or other programs. Then there's abortion. There was a cone of near silence in Milwaukee this week about the subject, but we speak with delegates, religious leaders, and elected officials to parse the politics and tactics behind this taciturnity. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Day One of the 2024 Republican National Convention, five of the six black Republicans in congress spoke to the crowd. Burgess Owens was the sixth, and we tracked him down on the floor of the convention to hear why he, and other black men, are supporting Trump. Also on the show, misleading calls-and-response at the RNC. Plus, the unveiling of the J. D. Vance. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Day 2 of the RNC now in the rearview mirror, we will listen to Mike's interviews with Lauren Boebert and Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate David McCormick, who was in the front row of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Plus, a cute bulldog's middling political prognostication, and a breakdown of the statistics around the crime rates of unlawful immigrants versus the impact on family members of the victims of these crimes. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A run down of the major themes of Day One of the RNC, from gas prices to the many black Republicans who took the stage. Plus, JD Vance and DJ Trump are mirror images. Also, as the polarizing effect of fiery political rhetoric is blamed for political violence, we hear from dozens of Republicans who agree, deflect, deny, explain, excuse, acknowledge. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Other than political brinksmanship, the fraying of societal norms, an ocean of bad information, and nearly unchecked gun ownership, how have we arrived at this moment in which people think the way to settle an election is with an assault rifle? Mike is in Miluakee for the RNC, and he will explain. Also, we are joined by Abby Kiesa, Deputy Director at Tufts University's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), to talk about why young people vote—or, more likely, don't vote—and why it's so hard to study. Plus, the upending of the 2024 election. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we dedicate our weekend Best Of show to an interview Mike did on Yascha Mounk’s podcast, The Good Fight. Mike is the guest in this wide-ranging conversation about media and society, and Yascha’s voice is very calming. Enjoy.    Thanks to Yascha, Brendan, and Jack at The Good Fight for letting us use their episode.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gabriela Cowperthwaite and investigative reporter Nate Halverson join Mike to talk about their film about the international militias and governments waging a war for water, The Grab. Plus, Biden passes his presser, judging on the curve of his capabilities. Also, when Broadway brilliance becomes basic. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the United States, we're told that democracy is "on the ballot." But how do the very people making those claims enjoin the battle to save it? In France, they pulled back from a far right victory. We're joined by Yascha Mounk, the Editor in Chief of Persuasion, a Johns Hopkins Professor, and author of, The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A New York Times front page investigation tallies up all the bird nests (nine total) and other flora, fauna, and civil war battlefields "discommoded" by launches of SpaceX rockets. We contemplate the price of progress vs. the piping plover. Plus, getting French elections shamelessly wrong, and a three-way 1950's Meet The Press-style conversion between Mike, journalist Eric Zorn of The Picayune Sentinel, and Tom Chittum, Senior Vice President of ShotSpotter, the audio detection technology that's been criticized for not providing police accurate enough information. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sadie Dingfelder (or at least someone of her general shape wearing the same outfit) is back to talk more about her research and her new book, Do I Know You?: A Faceblind Reporter’s Journey into the Science of Sight, Memory, and Imagination. Plus, the Alec Baldwin trial begins, and how the extremist MAGA Republican nominee for Governor in North Carolina didn't say the things he's alleged to have said. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The faceblind but otherwise incredibly observant Sadie Dingfelder drops by to discuss her new book, Do I Know You?: A Faceblind Reporter’s Journey into the Science of Sight, Memory, and Imagination. Plus, Joe Biden does well in interviews which seek to assure the Australian nuclear submarine enthusiast community. He also takes credit for some things he previously distanced himself from, and voters will have to decide if the content or the delivery of his arguments matter most. Also, the deal between Skydance and Paramount is a "national amusement" all its own. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, a couple interviews from the vault in honor of Independence Day. First up, historian Gordon S. Wood explains why the friendship between founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and John Adams should give us hope. Then Mike talks about founding fathers’ thighs with Alexis Coe, author of You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Americans talk a big game about the U.S. Constitution and its role in guiding the nation for nearly 250 years, but few try to live strictly by the words of said document. AJ Jacobs is one of them. For a year, this patriot upheld the high values, carried a musket in public, and struggled against the oppression of Revolutionary era socks, and he is out with the book, The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning. Plus, Mike officially disses the Articles of Confederation.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Phil Elwood was a marketer and strategist who helped the governments of Libya, Qatar, Nigeria, and not quite but almost Syria make their cases on the world stage. He was also involved in the Mueller probe, and had a toe touch with Cambridge Analytica. In other words, he's a fascinating, conflicted, but mostly contrite figure, and author of All the Worst Humans: How I Made News for Dictators, Tycoons, and Politicians. Plus, the overstuffed South African cabinet, and a pundit who loved Joe Biden's chances until she didn't. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump lies a lot, and his acolytes construct permission structures to excuse those lies. On the other hand, Joe Biden put forward a cringe-worthy performance, and his VP engaged in some BET Awards cringiness of her own. Voters are more likely to punish cringe. Plus, Phil Elwood put together PR and public policy campaigns for dictators and rogue states. It paid ok, but also, it almost destroyed him, as he chronicles in his new book, All the Worst Humans: How I Made News for Dictators, Tycoons, and Politicians.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SCOTUS gives immunity to Presidents for official acts, and leaves it to lower courts to define (and maybe get overruled on) what constitutes "official acts." Plus, Sarah Isgur, of ABC and The Dispatch, is here again to break down a slew of other Supreme Court cases. Plus, a compendium of some of the most prominent voices arguing that concerns about Joe Biden's age were just Republican talking points, media both-sides-ism, the new Hillary emails, or something other than legitimate ... we're calling it, "How Did We Get Here?" Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, the remainder of Mike’s interview with Ben Smith and Nayeema Rasa, co-hosts of the new Semafor podcast Mixed Signals. Topics touched upon include (but are not limited to) naming a podcast, Vivek Ramaswamy, and the future of media. To hear part one of this interview, listen to our show from Wednesday, June 26, 2026.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jospeh Robinette Biden did not cover himself in glory in last night's debate. As Democrats discuss changing horses midstream, The Gist analyses what went wrong besides the obvious mental discombobulations. Our guest is Sarah Isgur, ABC legal expert, Senior Editor at The Dispatch, and veteran campaign adviser including to Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz, and Mitt Romney. Plus, we trace the circle of blame for Biden's potentially disastrous performance. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With big sporting, cultural, and political events occurring all at once, Mike offers a contemplation of the nature and purpose of speculation about things that are definitely going to happen one way or the other. Plus, Thomas Kail and Lior Ashkenazi are director and actor in the Hulu series We Were The Lucky Ones, the telling of a true story about a family's nearly impossible survival during the Holocaust. We discuss how this film lands differently after October 7th, the benefits and drawbacks of an all-Jewish cast, and how Israelis and Americans react differently toward movie Nazis. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Smith and Nayeema Raza, co-hosts of the Semaphor podcast Mixed Signals, discuss the turmoil at the Washington Post. Plus Jamal Bowman's Israel pronouncements were an important part, but hardly the only factor, in his political demise. And NGOs and the media should be scrupulously accurate about the deprivation and hunger in Gaza. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Hixenbaugh is a Senior Investigative Reporter for NBC News and the co-creator of Southlake, a podcast that won a Peabody for spotlighting the tensions in an affluent Dallas suburb where factions battled for control of the school board in a campaign that mirrored what was happening on a national stage. He's now out with a book, They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New Warfor America's Classrooms. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Investor and climate activist Tom Steyer discusses his new book Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We’ll Win the Climate War and why running for president is an excellent megaphone. Plus, John Fetterman isn't so much trolling the Democratic party as just being his unvarnished hoodie-wearing self. And Joe Biden can't be that much like Abraham Lincoln even if he wanted to be, but the upcoming debate is a situation where he really shouldn't want to be. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike and his first-born son Milo appeared on the Smoke Em If You Got Em podcast this past week. The two Pescas discussed toxic masculinity with the show’s hosts Nancy Rommelmann and Sarah Hepola, and they graciously allowed us to play the interview in its near entirety on this weekend’s Best Of show. Enjoy.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Surgeon General proposes warning labels for social media; we ask, "Do warning labels even do anything?" Plus, Dispatch Editor-in-Chief Jonah Goldberg talks about the decimation of political parties, the decency to lie about your principles, the slogan "Democracy is on the Ballot”, and great TV theme song bass lines. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Glenn McDonald is a streaming music pioneer who worked for years for Spotify. He's out with a new book, You Have Not Yet Heard Your Favorite Song: How Streaming Changes Music. Also, DeSantis and Disney get un-Frozen. Plus, assessing a challenge to New York Congressman Jamal Bowman on an issue other than Israel. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the show today, with Juneteenth coming up tomorrow, we take a look at some dubious holidays in a couple southern states. And in our full show interview this week, Mike talks with John Ganz, author of When The Clock Broke about those crazy 1990s and the birth of modern conservatism. A note to listeners: no-show tomorrow in honor of the holiday. Will be back live on Thursday. Have a great day off. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peter McIndoe is the founder of the Birds Aren't Real movement-slash-conspiracy theory. He is also the author of the book, Birds Aren't Real: The True Story of Mass Avian Murder and the Largest Surveillance Campaign in U.S. History. Peter doesn’t believe any of that, by the way, but has good insights on the type of people who do. Plus, Biden will probably win the debate. And how public access to subway brakes, the inability to license a pot store, and a 30-year-old San Fransisco "shanty town" clearance offer lessons in can-do (and can't-do) governance. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, a recent and a slightly less recent segment about the Supreme Court and their ethics … or lack thereof. From this past week, Mrs. Alito spits fire, and … uh … spit. And from April 2023, Clarence Thomas and his … uh … benefactor.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yusuf Dahl is founder of the Real Estate Lab in Allentown, Pennsylvania and Director for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Lafayette College. He was also sentenced to ten years for dealing drugs at the age of eighteen.  To this day, he can still be legally discriminated against in the housing market, which he recently discovered when attempting to rent a home. We speak about his fight to overturn this measure. Plus, 25 years ago the Santana song "Smooth" went to #1. Would you believe It was the last Billboard #1 single to feature a guitar solo? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The war in Gaza is a type of siege warfare, which is a topic that's been extensively studied by Amos C. Fox. Fox is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who hosts the Revolution in Military Affairs podcast as well as the War On The Rocks podcast. Plus, even the slight discrepancy in numbers in Elon Musk's pay package is so enormous as to confound and dazzle. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dallas sports talk hosts Dan McDowell and Jake Kemp left their station and started a podcast, The Dumb Zone, and, in doing so, they became something of a test case (or maybe "poster guys") for the new Federal Trade Commission rule banning noncompete clauses. The fight for sports talk freedom and Luca Donic discussions ensue. Plus, Joey Chestnut shut up and shut out of Nathan's. And what New York's last minute fold on congestion pricing says about toughness. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A political operative secretly recorded conversations with Justice Samuel Alito, wherein he said nothing much different than he's said before ... or that any reasonable person would say. His wife seems angry, though. Plus, Eric Weiner chats about his latest book, this one about Ben Franklin, Ben & Me: In Search of a Founder's Formula for a Long and Useful Life. And also on the show, will voters pick the father of the felon or the felon, and can they possibly understand the difference? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We looked at the title of Lawrence Wood's new book, Your Caption Has Been Selected: More Than Anyone Could Possibly Want to Know About The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest, and we decided the subtitle was not to be taken literally. Mr. Wood hereby submits to further caption contest questioning. Plus, Doug Burgam on the VP short list (and the bank statement long list). And the rescue of four Israeli hostages sets off recrimination over the cost in enemy and civilian lives.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, in honor of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion this past week, we rewind nearly10 years back to August 2014 and Mike’s interview with Ron Rosenbaum, author of Explaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of His Evil. We also listen back to Mike’s Wednesday Spiel about the true meaning of … “intifada.” Did you think we were going to say, “Christmas”?    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Check out Hunter Design Studio.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ted Kaye, Secretary of the North American Vexillogical Association is back to talk flags, sedition, Sam Alito, and reclamation. Plus, the war in Sudan is, by some measures, the worst in the world. And Mike either suggests a proper epitaph for American society or offers some fun ways to spice up the dreary old summer time guacamole recipe. The answer is lime juice, people! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We discuss with Michael A Cohen his story in The Atlantic "The Rape Denialists: Why has it proved so hard for so many on the left to acknowledge what happened on October 7?" Plus, the conviction of Baltimore Democratic politician and prosecutor rebuts a central premise of the claims of lawfare against Donald Trump. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR issues a balanced, even-handed yet wholly misleading report on what chants of "intifada" really mean. Plus, Bree Davies and Paul Karoli are the cohosts and chroniclers of the title character of the new podcast, Lauren Boebert Can't Lose. And when it comes to both fire safety and Joe Biden's dynamism ... CLOSE THE DOOR! Check out Hunter Design Studio. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte shot a trapped wolf, then he pressured state workers to blame his wolf-loathing pal. But that's not even the weird part. Plus, Harvard becomes the second prominent Massachusetts school to eliminate DEI statements as a requirement for hiring, Tyler Austin Harper is back to discuss these statements and more. And colleges love to brag about their past activism, even if the cause that brought the protesters to the quad was a hoax. Check out Hunter Design Studio. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tyler Austin Harper is a Bard professor and Atlantic feature writer, and he drops by to discuss the themes and implications of his recent story, "America’s Colleges Are Reaping What They Sowed.” Plus, A Jew and an Italian walk into a G20 summit. And in the Spiel, we analyze that time Trump got literally crucified, though not "literally" or "crucified." Check out HunterDesign Studio. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike’s June 2016 Spiel about … yes … quail. We also listen back to Wednesday’s panda spiel.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The trial of Donald Trump was not rigged. That is a piece of disinformation. But those who believe it was might not think it was literally rigged, they might just have the sense that Trump is unfairly victimized in general, and the accusation of rigging more or less fits into the claim of "rigged." It's called a "symbolic belief," and, New Yorker writer and anthropologist, Manvir Singh says that's different from a factual belief. In the Spiel, I talk about all the misinformation flooding into my consciousness, which doesn't originate in Russia or from Trump's statements on Truth Social, but sews doubt just the same. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

And in other news, Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts in his hush money case. Plus, yes, North Korea has in fact been hitting their southern rivals with doody dirigibles, turd zeppelins, poop balloons. Plus, Abigail Shrier joins us to talk about her latest book Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up, which takes on the challenge of the mental health crisis amongst American youth. Shrier does not exactly hand out participation trophies for how we've all handled it. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Justice Samuel Alito is an icon of conservative jurisprudence, a shaper of American laws, and a really challenging neighbor. Mike takes those cues and creates some improvisational theater. Then we pick up where we left off yesterday with Washington Post columnist and novelist David Ignatius. With his help, we're going to drill down on what exactly is going on in Gaza. And also on the show, China will be returning the Pandas we returned to them. We FedEx'd them ... will China DHL them back? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Ignatius, WaPo columnist and the author of Phantom Orbit: A Thriller discusses his reportorial tactics, and how he blends fact and fiction in writing his latest thrillers about weapons in space.  Plus, there were 350,000 polio cases in 1988. Guess how many there were last year. So many pundits are saying that the Trump verdict will be what they've been predicting all along.  The role of "priors" in on-air legal analysis. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this Memorial Day we share an interview with Mike who was recently a guest on Jeff Maurer's Podcast "I Might Be Wrong". Promo Link for 30 Days Free Link to Jeffs Substack Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we travel back to January 2019 to remember the clash between the rowdy teens of Covington Catholic and the stoic drumming of Native American activist Nathan Phillips. We also travel to this past Tuesday to reminisce about the days of peak shrimp.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR was not particularly receptive to the critiques put forth by former Senior Editor Uri Berliner. In a full-show interview on today's show, Berliner makes the case that NPR has become too ideologically rigid, and he spells out some solutions, which do not include government defunding. Plus, when peanut butter cups purport to be specific shapes, but just look like undifferentiated blobs, how many millions is the damage worth? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Justice Samuel Alito has been found to have flown another flag favored by some of the January 6th insurrections. Maybe it's time for a preeminent and powerful jurist to do more than channel Borat in saying, "My Wiiiiife." And we're joined by former NPR and MSNBC host Joshua Johnson to diagnose the critiques of public radio. Johnson is a veteran of (and a huge believer in) NPR, and he rebuts most of the criticism put forth by tomorrow's guest, Uri Berliner. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nellie Bowles, reporter and head of strategy for the Free Press is out with book titled Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History. The New York Times, where Bowles worked for five years titled its review, "Skewering Leftist Excess With Mockery and Sneers" … as if that were an ignoble thing. On The Gist, Nellie layers the nuance and self-reflection on top of the mockery that she, quite honestly, is very good at. Plus, a Palestinian State is recognized by the 4th, 17th, and 19th largest countries in Europe; dramatic predictions ensue. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Red Lobster, trapped in its own promotion, unable to claw back profits, has jumbo problems over endless shrimp. Plus, Trump speaks about FDR to the NRA, and possibly endorses blatant constitutional violations ... but maybe not? And we're joined by UCLA professor and MacArthur Genius grant recipient Jason De Leon to discuss his book, Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Supreme Court spouse (hereafter "Mrs. Alito") hangs a flag upside down. Accusation of traitorousness ensure. Plus, a unionization vote fails in Alabama, or did it really just pre-succeed? And hundreds of years ago we didn't have GPS, Hinge, Tiles, trackers, or asprin, but we did have magic, as practiced by Cunning Folk. We're joined by Tabitha Stanmore the author of Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike’s recent appearance on the House Of Strauss podcast, in which he and Host Ethan Strauss discuss Harrison Butker’s recent commencement address, which would have gone over without a hitch in 1894, but alas, it was delivered in 2024. Harrison is the placekicker of the Kansas City Chiefs, and his remarks drew fire from just about everywhere.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mary Jo Pitzl covers politics for the Arizona Republic, meaning she's steeped in where the state stands on abortion law. Plus, Harrison Butker's spiritual advisor has some odd thoughts on the digestive systems of all working women. Also, a food fight turned sh*t show in the House Oversight Committee. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Journalist Matt Katz's father was barely in his life, and when he was, it was fairly unpleasant for Matt. Then a genetics test tore up Matt's script. That deadbeat dad might have been a deadbeat, but he didn't seem to actually be his dad. Who was? His nine-part podcast Inconceivable Truth details the journey to find out. Also, the cold, hard facts about Cold Lava. Plus, the Obi Wan argument on college campuses and in Gaza. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Economist Allison Schrager, Bloomberg columnist and author of An Economist Walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk, makes the case for working well into your 70s. And even if you think the case is "poor," that's exactly what you'll be if you opt out of the workforce at 62. Plus, a French gangster known as La Mouche, or "The Fly," shoots his way to freedom as the French fret about the Olympics. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A cicada invasion dawns, and edible bugs are all the, if not rage, then opportunity for a quirk filled cooking segment. Plus, protesters at Harvard negotiate their way out of trouble, whereas their Princeton counterparts are redefining hunger, or at least "hunger strike". And we are joined by Wall Street Journal columnist and India expert Sadanand Dhume to discuss Narendra Modi and the world's most sprawling election. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A glimpse into the Trump Trial, where a sleepy former President is somehow more compelling than hush money, off-the-book payments, and getting stiffed on your bonus. Plus, life expectancy by race complicates the narrative of "white supremacy." And we're joined by Sarah McCammon, National Political Correspondent at NPR and author of The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike’s December 5, 2023 interview with author, journalist, and former director of the International Crisis Group’s Arab-Israeli Project, Nathan Thrall. Nathan won the Pulitzer Prize this past week for his most recent book, A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andy Mills and Matthew Boll are out with a new podcast Reflector. Now available. Episode 1 concerns Naltrexone, a drug that actually works to stop alcohol cravings, and yet 12-Step programs are much more popular, despite being much less effective. We are joined by Andy to also talk about media capture and the great podcast fake enthusiasm epidemic. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Steve Fishman is the host and executive producer of The Burden, a podcast which focuses on the string of iffy convictions attained thanks to the police work of a high-flying Brooklyn cop in the 1990s. Plus, balloon releases and issues of cultural insensitivity. And of all of Donald Trump's positions over the years, "missionary" might be the least objectionable. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cindy McCain says there's a "full-blown famine" going on in Gaza. The agency she heads at the UN does not agree. Plus, a House of Representatives hearing into NPR bias was skipped by NPR's CEO and not even covered on CPSPAN, but it did feature a House Republican saying he likes his NPR station, a House Democrat saying maybe NPR really should consider the allegations of bias. And we're joined once more to talk Paul Manafort and other fans of sumptuous fabrics with Brody Mullins, author of The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government. https://surfshark.deals/GIST Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Wolves Of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government is a new book detailing how the influence business took root and metastasized in federal politics. Co-author and Wall Street Journal Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Brody Mullins discusses. Plus, President Biden decries anti-semitism as he stands by Israel as it begins the Rafah phase of the war. And we hear from Nibbles, an overlooked participant in the Kristi Noem quadruped killing spree. https://surfshark.deals/GIST Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The New York Times Executive Editor proclaims the paper to not be in the business of defeating Trump. Howls of outrage ensue. Plus, Donald Trump seems fine with fines. And in a talk with Danielle Clode, author of Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future, we rehabilitate the reputation of the supposedly dim, diseased antipodal cuties. https://surfshark.deals/GIST Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Infrequently, we offer listeners a taste of something we think you may like that isn’t from our kitchen, to torture the metaphor. Such is the case today. You may think you know Malcolm Gladwell. He is, after all, the New York Times bestselling author of Outliers, The Tipping Point, Blink, and other books. He’s also the host of the podcast Revisionist History, and it’s true that his work is heralded and his opinion asked by many folks on a wide array of issues. But what makes Gladwell so different that he has become one of the most successful journalists of our day? In this episode of the acclaimed podcast No Small Endeavor, Malcolm tells his own story, from receiving endorsement from his mother to cut class, to attending a Mennonite barn-raising with his mathematician father, to spending three days a week in Freudian therapy as a young adult.  And if you enjoy what you hear, listen to more episodes of No Small Endeavor here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, a break from our typical format for the weekend. Today we’ll listen to Mike’s recent appearance on WILL, which is Illinois Public Media. He was invited to sit on a panel to discuss if NPR is biased. Mike is just one voice of several in the conversation you will hear (which gets a bit heated in a few spots), but it was an excellent discussion and one we hope you’ll enjoy.  Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For decades, bad posture was seen as everything from a moral failing, to a health risk, to a military vulnerability. In her new book, Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America, University of Pennsylvania historian of medicine Beth Linker discusses how concerns over standing up straight touches eugenics, pseudo-science, and power posing. Plus, Columbia University students inveigh against presumed exclusionary practices at a proposed Tel Aviv campus while supporting a campus in Beijing schooling more Chinese students than any other college. And Chris Hayes of MSNBC argues we've all been paying too much attention to college protests. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charles Kupchan, Georgetown Professor and former Obama National Security official, says that the funding for Ukraine is necessary for the desperate country but probably won't lead to retaking much territory controlled by Russia. He also says, the money will stabilize the country which is exactly what is needed for a true peace process to occur. Plus, Kristi Noem crashes in the polls ... expert's say. And an Arizona senator bucks her party on abortion. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices