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 [email protected] To advertise...

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...

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 [email protected]  To advertise on the show:...

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 [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe:...

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...

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...

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...

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 [email protected] To...

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 [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free...

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 [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit:...

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 [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit:...

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...

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...

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 [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit:...

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...

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 [email protected]  To...

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...

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...

The pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA is attacked, and the police are no where to be found. A pro-Palestinian building takeover is thwarted at Columbia, and the police are found at fault. Plus, more uncomfortable conversations with a Jew and a former NFL linebacker. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes...

Analyzing what the campus divestment movement is really asking for. Is it doable? It is. It is advisable? It isn't. What effect will it have on the war in Gaza? None. Let's riot. Plus, Donald Trump is found guilty of a criminal offense. The experts say this could have little to no effect on his election chances ... Mike thinks otherwise. And Noa Tishby and Emmanuel Acho engage in Uncomfortable Conversations With A Jew. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at...

Kristi Noem, the Republican Governor of South Dakota, is out defending her shooting of her dog, which has us wondering why she brought it up in the first place. Today on the show, an extended interview with Becca Rothfeld, the non-fiction book critic for the Washington Post and author of the new book, All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit:...

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, a jumbo archival interview (originally a two-parter, combined to one) with Prison Consultant Craig Rothfeld, who also happens to be a childhood friend of Mike’s. Rothfeld prepares soon-to-be inmates on the rules and survival techniques of prison life, because, as you might imagine, he himself once did time. In this capacity, Rothfeld was once employed by Harvey Weinstein, whose New York rape conviction was tossed out by an appeals court this week. Then...

Dana Mattioli is the Wall Street Journal's "Amazon Reporter," and author The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power. Plus, Harvey Weinstein's overturned conviction is portrayed as a defeat of the reality of rape prosecutions. Mike argues that we actually don't have to choose between justice for sexual assault victims and giving criminal defendants the full protections of the law. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at...

In Tracie McMillan's new book, The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America, the author documents the lives and experiences of a handful of white Americans, including herself, and then attempts to quantify their racial benefit. Plus, Harvey Weinstein's NY State conviction is thrown out—a history and analysis of the Sandoval ruling. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit:...