The Gist

Henry Grabar is the author of the newly published Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World. It does explain it, a lot more than you'd think. Plus, CNN's Town Hall with Donald Trump gets poor previews from MSNBC. And the woman who taught her children a valuable lesson in grief ... by allegedly poisoning her husband. 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.

Benjamin Wittes, Editor-in-Chief of Lawfare and writer of the Substack Dog Shirt Daily, has been projecting Ukrainian messages onto the Russian Embassies in D.C., and throughout the world. The Russians have fought back, and Twitter, once an amplifier of these "Special Operations" has kicked Wittes off its platform. Plus, the stupid statements under oath that may have doomed Trump's Civil defense. And why would any Hispanic American want to fund reparations for African-Americans, a wealthier group than Hispanics? 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.

Guns that recognize specific users biometrics are almost ready to be shipped, as the firm Biofire is taking orders for their reliable, and forceful, smart gun. Biofire CEO Kai Kloepfer joins us. Plus, the coronation, debt ceiling, AI, and writers' strike are on the list of worries, but not such specific worries that they should take up too much of your time. And HUMANS ... is there anything they can't figure out? Especially when it comes to the destruction of other humans. 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 Elon Musk posted a video of himself arriving at Twitter HQ carrying a white sink along with the message "let that sink in!" it marked the end of a dramatic takeover. Musk had gone from Twitter critic to "Chief Twit" in the space of just a few months but his arrival didn't put an end to questions about his motives. Musk had earned a reputation as a business maverick. From PayPal to Tesla to SpaceX, his name was synonymous with big, earth-shattering ideas. So, what did he want with a social media platform? And was this all really in the name of free speech...or was this all in the name of Elon Musk? From Wondery, the makers of WeCrashed and In God We Lust, comes the wild story of how the richest man alive took charge of the world's "digital public square." Listen to Flipping The Bird: Wondery.fm/FTB_TG 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 remember singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who passed away on Monday, by revisiting a 2014 Spiel, in which Mike realizes that all songs can be contained within one of Lightfoot's. It's hard to explain … just listen. Then we play Mike's Wednesday Spiel about NBC disinformation reporter Ben Collins. 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.

Jeffrey Toobin, author of Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism, traces the ideology of right-wing extremism from the 1990s to today. Plus, NJ Pasta dump and the often hard-to-document claims behind the day of awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. 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.

It's Justice Day on The Gist. Justice for the Proud Boys, Ed Sheeran, and the question of defining justice for a man choked to death on the NYC subway. Plus, Justice Clarence Thomas keeps getting benefits for just being Clarence Thomas. And Mike speaks with Ben Smith, author of Traffic, about Gawker, Buzzfeed, and the rise of the New York slice of digital media in the 2010s. 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 an early round loss, NBA great Giannis Antetokounmpo had a much watched, quite heartfelt press conference in which he asserted that there's no such thing as failure in sports. Ethan Strauss, NBA expert and former beat writer has a nuanced counter take. Yes, there is. Plus, The Montana Legislature shames itself through censure. And an NBC reporter needs to mix it up, no matter the costs to his credibility. Check out more from Ethan Strauss at his Substack - House of Strauss | Ethan Strauss | Substack 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.

Megan Phelps-Roper, the host of the podcast The Witch Trials of J. K. Rowling, returns to talk about the backlash from the trans community to the podcast, and how she tried to give all sides of the discussion a voice. Plus, Mike has a lot that he doesn't want to talk about, though he is in the mood to sing. And ABC's coverage of black farmers. 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.

Megan Phelps-Roper, the host of the podcast The Witch Trials of J. K. Rowling, created a podcast weaving her own experience into the task of exploring the views of the famous author who created Harry Potter. She and Mike discuss how to do that fairly, why to do that at all, and how to define "good-faith." Plus, the norm of abnormal gun violence. And how insulting CNN hosts seems to have become a right of passage for Republican elected officials. 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, Joe Biden announced his intention to run for the Presidency again this past week, so we revisit Mike's analysis of the announcement. Then we listen back to Mike's January 10, 2017 interview with Chad Nackers, head writer at the Onion, who talked about how his site created a whole new character to satirize Obama's tee-totaling vice-president, and the delicate balancing act of finding jokes that don't normalize the next 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.

Jason Abaluck, an economics professor at the Yale School of Management conducted what was the largest mass masking study to date. He and Mike discuss what he found out about masks and what he found out about researchers who disagreed with his findings. Plus, Airboy Texiera has a home bazooka. And it's an Antwentig! Lobstars and indicia abound. 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.

Roger Parloff, Senior Editor at Lawfare, has been covering the trial of five Proud Boys since it started four months ago. The case is in the jury's hands, and we are in Roger's. And from a jury to a Jerry. In fact a "Jerry! Jerry!" who has shuffled off this mortal jello wrestling pit. Plus, the NYPD disciplinary hearing over a shooting death of a knife-wielding man. 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.

Jena Friedman is a comedian, writer, and "correspondent" who has worked with Letterman, Jon Stewart, and Borat (not an actual person), and her new, funny book is Not Funny: Essays on Life, Comedy, Culture, Et Cetera. Plus, an analysis of the words that got a Montana legislator banned from debate, a CNN anchor purged from the network, and Tucker Carlson in hot water over potential civil liability. 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.

Steven Brill founder of NewsGuard talks about his for-profit companies business model of issuing nutrition labels for news. Plus, The Covid Crisis Group bears attention. And it's never too earlier for Joe-mentum! 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.

Indiana University law professor Gerard Magliocca says just as Confederate officers were Constitutionally barred from seeking office, so too should Donald Trump be disqualified under the 14th Amendment. Plus, Fox's ClusterTuck and CNN's Lemonexit. And the not-very-complex complexities of so many shootings. 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 rewind to January 2017 to revisit Mike's interview with Ralph Nader, who had just published his second work of fiction, Animal Envy, which imagines a world where animals can talk to people and start demanding rights. Nader says the fable is meant to prompt deeper thinking about our relationship with nature. "We need to talk about what-if, because if we don't, we can't kick in our idealism and imagine real possibilities," says the 82-year-old author and advocate. And we follow that up with a recent Spiel about a colossal barn fired that got Mike thinking about animals. 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.

Jean M. Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, discusses her new book Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America's Future. Plus, the U.S. blowhard surplus, South Korea paying people to not be shy, and how two warring Sudanese generals fit a universal pattern. 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.

Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English is the new book from Valerie Fridland, professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada Reno. And Mike is all like, "No Way!" and Prof Fridland goes, "No, yeah!" Plus, a SpaceX rocket is destroyed ... sorry, it experienced "rapid unscheduled disassembly." And closing the barn door after the chicken's been singed. 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.

Folkenflik: Fox forced to face fiscal fees from faux fidelity to facts. This is just a hint of the insight afforded to us by NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik in a wide-ranging and faithful-to-factuality conversation. 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.

Sixteen-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot by an octogenarian in Kansas City—a crime that is quite rare, yet covered as if it's the norm. Plus, the big banks are rebounding nicely, but despite that, the banking system as a whole is not healthy, says Kathryn Judge, editor of The Journal of Financial Regulation and professor at Columbia School of Law. Also, the Dominion case shows that sometimes Fox propagandizes their audience, and sometimes the audience propagandizes Fox. 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.

Panda diplomacy from Paris to Memphis. Then Mike's take on why newscasters aren't making a bigger deal about Clarence Thomas being on the take. And we're joined by U.S. State Department veteran diplomat and professor Steven Simon, author of Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East. 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 Generation Why Podcast released its first episode in 2012 and pioneered the true crime genre in the podcasting world. Now, in a special, 4-part series, The Generation Why podcast unravels the story of Kalief Browder. A young boy who was falsely accused of stealing a backpack and held without bail at Rikers Island for 3 years. He endured consistent abuse by prison staff and inmates, and was held in solitary confinement for more than seven hundred consecutive days. This is a story about a young life unfairly caught in the middle of the (in)justice system. Listen to this 4-part series on Kalief's story by following Generation Why wherever you get your podcasts: Wondery.fm/Gist_GenWhyMini Hey Prime Members, you can listen to Generation Why ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. 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 delivered a "post-Morty-um" or sorts on this past Tuesday's show. Then, to keep the theme alive, we listen back to Mike's 2019 interview with Larry Lewis, a man who has worked to reduce civilian casualties in conflicts and who also happens to be named Larry. 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.

On today's show, Clarence grants himself clearance over Harlan Crow, collector of memorabilia ... and jurists. And debating the dangers of a gerontocracy vs. an infantocracy. Plus, we're joined once more by Dr. Robert Waldinger, author of The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness. 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.

Robert Waldinger is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which is the subject of his book The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness. Plus, the idiot teens of Thug Shaker Central and their especially idiotic father figure who leaked secret documents. And Bud Light used a trans TikTok influencer to sell beer, and Mike gives tips to cut through exaggerations of how much protests actually damaged Anheuser-Busch. 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 Discord server serves up discord in the form of leaked Pentagon documents, while at the same time TikTok threatens to draw power needed by a munitions factory that could arm the Ukrainians. Plus, data-scientist-turned-whistle-blower-turned-wolf-cryer, Rebekah Jones is back at it again. And Baratunde Thurston, host of the How to Citizen podcast, discusses just that. 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.

Treaties are on the wane. But it's not a lack of war to blame. Plus, Donald G. McNeil Jr., former lead Covid reporter for The New York Times, is back to talk about suppressing misinformation, his assessment of Deborah Birx, and how to think about the current state of the pandemic. And a heroic character with a quirky name gets a post-Mortyum. 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.

Former lead Covid reporter for The New York Times, Donald G. McNeil is still on the plague beat, and brings his expertise to The Gist. Plus, the expelled Tennessee legislators are impassioned, righteous, correct on policy, but also out of step with the actual will of most Tennessee voters. And Mike offers a modest proposal in regards Super Mario Brothers, Italian accents, and inclusion. Mamma Mia, it's-a chance-a for out-a-reach! 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 ESPN's Mike Greenberg talk about a shared passion: the New York Jets. Yes, we're calling it "Jets Talk." And no, it's not AM radio. Then, to honor the passing of legendary food critic Mimi Sheraton, we listen to Mike's interview with her from November of 2018 … an interview conducted in Mimi's kitchen. 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.

Mike watched all three hours of the expulsion hearings of members of the Tennessee State House, he'll bring you more context (and conflict) than you'll find anywhere else. Plus, a rundown on who is saying the Trump indictment is weak ... and who sticks by Bragg. And with banks going down like disoriented sheep suffering from scrapie, we are joined by Aaron Klein, former Chief Economist of the Senate Banking Committee who helped write the banking reforms. He says strict regulations don't matter if you have conflicted regulators. 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 fun round of sports trivia and sports narratives ensue when ESPN's Mike Greenberg comes by to discuss the new book Got Your Number: The Greatest Sports Legends and the Numbers They Own. Plus, an expulsion vote of three Tennessee lawmakers. And Zelensky is still holding it together. 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.

Susan Crawford, author of Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm, sees no way around massive resettlement, at great cost and great opposition. Plus, Donald Trump is trying hard to establish a running gag about one of his prosecutors, which seems like a smart tack. And it was a fiiiiiine day for 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.

Comic Myq Kaplan stops by again to talk about thematic comedy albums and when kids heckle kids. Plus, the indictment and arraignment of Donald Trump went off with the hoopla usually reserved for a papal visit or a state funeral. 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.

Whenever an odious speaker is heard, in the background you also hear the cries to "deplatform" the speaker. Mike thinks that in this, the "attention age," it doesn't work, it can't work, and our energies are better spent on non-wishful thinking. Plus, stand-up comic Myq Kaplan is here before he leaves for an Edinburgh Fringe Festival sting. And while we technically don't know what's in the Trump indictment, we can predict it's nothing good for the former President. 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's Ad-Free and PescaPlus Tiers: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ 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 recent news of Annan Syed's conviction fresh in the news yet again, we listen back to Mike's 2015 interview the hosts of the podcast Undisclosed, Rabia Chaudry, Colin Miller, and Susan Simpson. Then we listen to the PescaPlus cut of Mike's interview with Eric Zorn. 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 Subscribe to Mike's Substack, Pesca Profundities 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 Trump indictment is a lot to process, but let's try ... in the form of a proposed sitcom, The Prison President. Also, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is not to be intimidated, nor are the NYPD going to be scared of Donald Jr.'s mob of mad Proud Boys. And Mike talks with Matt Hongoltz-Hetling, author of If It Sounds Like a Quack...: A Journey to the Fringes of American Medicine. (Trump has a cameo in there, as well.) 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/ 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 subject of Season One of Serial, Adnan Syed is once more in a legal limbo, having had his vacated conviction overturned. However, the latest twist in the case resolves itself it is clear that Syed would never have even gotten a new hearing, were it not for the 2022 passage of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act. We speak to Maryland State Senator Chris West (Republican) about the law and how he had not even heard the name Adnan Syed before he sponsored it. Plus, rethinking the costs of hardening schools as targets. And, on MLB opening day, Mike explains why, even with tweaks, baseball will never be culturally dominant again. 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/ 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 mayoralty of Chicago will be decided next Tuesday, and its a close race between tough-on-crime Paul Vallas and current public schools union leader Brandon Johnson. Eric Zorn, longtime Chicago Tribune columnist, now editor of of the Picayune Sentinel, moderated one of the mayoral debates, and he joins us to assess the race. Plus, NCAA women's basketball ratings. And that's a Woolly Meatball! 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/ 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.

Todd Brewster, co-author of Seen and Unseen: Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial Justice, joins us to talk about a single image's power to galvanize society, and the history of who controls these images. Plus, Adnan Syed's once-vacated conviction has been reinstated. And widening the aperture on victims of police violence. 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/ 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 Recall: Reframed examines the removal of California Judge Aaron Persky after his sentencing of Stanford swimmer Brock Turner. Director Rebecca Richman Cohen discusses the two sides of the progressive movement at odds with each other over this issue, including the difficulty of steering outrage into proper policy. Plus the U.S. Supreme Court debates fake dog poo. And, at the risk of contradicting Color Me Bad, "Uh, TikTok you do stop." For more information on The Recall: Reframed visit Engage | The Recall: Reframed (recallreframed.com) 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/ 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 listen back to Mike's the April 17, 2015 Spiel satirizing the Vladamir Putin Call-In show. Then we listen to this past week's Spiel on Michael Cohen. 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.

Sam Sanders is the host of 2 podcasts (Into It, and Vibe Check) where he weighs in on politics and culture in a way he never could while on NPR. Mike and Sam discuss and debate wokeness, euphemism, the age of podcasts, and if Angela Basset having "Done the Thing" was really internet meltdown worthy. Plus, Canada increases in number and prestige. And a city killing meteor leads us to one-click cancellation contemplation. 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/ 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.

Bradley Tusk worked for years in government, then he struck out on his own and made a lot of money through his firm Tusk Ventures helping companies like Uber and FanDuel navigate government regulation. On the Gist today, he explains how he leverages his expertise as a lobbyist and fixer to give school meals and anti-hunger advocates the kind of muscle they need. Plus, Janet Yellen moves markets by stating obvious truths. And Stanford grapples with the heckler's veto. This episode also features an extended interview AND an extended spiel for subscribers to PescaPlus. To become a subscriber: Subscribe.mikepesca.com 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 interviews Neil Gross, a former cop turned Colby College Sociology professor and now author of Walk the Walk: How Three Police Chiefs Defied The Odds and Changed Cop Culture. We're also joined by Leon Nixon, who voiced the audiobook—a profession he took up after more than 20 years in law enforcement. Plus, a look at the loudest hush money in history. And how Michael Cohen is a colorful character, but he's a questionable character to put on the witness stand. 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.

Following yesterday's conversation with David Zweig about the known and unknown risks associated with how we dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic as a society, today Mike drills down on masks and vaccines with two public health communicators. First up, science writer Michael Schulson, author of the recent article "Do Masks Work? It's A Question of Physics, Biology, and Behavior" in the digital magazine Undark, then Mike talks with epidemiologist and author of the Your Local Epidemiology Substack, Katelyn Jetelina. 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.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we limited contact with other people, we wore masks, and we closed public schools. These actions saved lives. Sort of, says David Zweig, a New York-based writer who became a voice of informed opposition to these sacrifices, stating that we may be saving some lives, but at what cost? His Substack is Silent Lunch. We broke our normal format this episode to give you a longer cut of Mike's interview with Zweig, who has a book on our public health systems' response to the pandemic coming out this summer called An Abundance Of Caution. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist To subscribe to an Ad-Free or Premium version of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mike's 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 2023 March Madness underway, we listen back to Mike's 2022 critique of the instinctive, and backward, admonishment so many announcers issue as time is winding down, "You don't need a 3!" Then we listen to this past week's Spiel on whales. 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.

We're joined this episode by Ted Kaye for another installment of Vexillology Corner, wherein we discuss the big survey of city flags (check them out), the winners and losers, and the difference between a good and bad flag. Plus, attacking TikTok. And in the Antwentig, the Cochrane study questioning masks. 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.

Former diplomat Ethan Chorin joins us to talk about his book Benghazi! A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink. Plus, San Francisco proposes reparations for black residents which has a price tag in the hundreds of billions of dollars. And the Congressional art of asking a questioning and doing everything you can to suppress an answer. 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.