The Gist

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 [email protected] 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.