The Gist

On The Gist, how President Trump made not breaking up families look like his idea. Why are the U.S.'s political parties weak? Is the "job guarantee" policy smart? Do voters perceive the economy accurately? Dan Pfeiffer has all the answers. He's a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama and part of the Pod Save America posse. Pfeiffer's new book is Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump. In the Spiel, the United States shouldn't be leaving the U.N. Human Rights Council. It should work to make it better. 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 The Gist, the inaugural edition of "whoah there, girl!" Political parties are like people: They grow and change, their values shift, and sometimes they become downright belligerent. Lilliana Mason says America's two political parties are in the middle of a shift, and it won't be over anytime soon: "What happened to conservative southern Democrats after the Civil Rights Act passed? They didn't like it. … It took an entire generation for conservative Southern Democrats to become Republicans." Mason is the author of Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity. In the Spiel, "angel moms" deserve sympathy, but they're being used. 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 The Gist, if we can't pronounce Peter Strzok's name right, how will we remember his newfound infamy? If you consider yourself progressive, chances are Trump's presidency feels like a nightmare. But Politico's Michael Grunwald returns to the Gist with the argument that Obama's legacy is mostly intact—at least on the domestic front. Grunwald's latest book is The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era. In the Spiel, lookism be damned, it's time to make fun of Stephen Miller. 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 The Gist, why he lies: a new theory. "I've hit rock bottom. I'm writing for a cartoon." Such were the thoughts of Mike Reiss when he joined the writers' room for The Simpsons in 1989. Thirty years later, he's worked on all but two seasons of the show, and says it's had one real impact: making television smarter and faster. Reiss' book, co-written with Mathew Klickstein, is Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies From a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons. In the Spiel, stop us if you've heard this one before: President Donald Trump creates a problem, sometimes makes the problem a little less bad, and then takes a load of credit. 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 The Gist, McClatchy White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez explains the ramifications of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy to prosecute migrants who cross the border illegally. One early consequence: The U.S. government needs more places to detain children separated from their parents. In the Spiel, the nasty things celebrities say—and their supposedly enormous power to get people to vote stupidly. 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 The Gist, some fun facts about U.S. Senate candidate Corey Stewart. In 2010, a certain Christopher Steele was hired to look into Russia's bid to host the World Cup in 2018. What he found ultimately led to a U.S. investigation into FIFA's thoroughgoing sleaziness. There are, around the world, multiple criminal probes around FIFA, and BuzzFeed's Ken Bensinger says "more shoes will fall." Bensinger is the author of Red Card: How the U.S. Blew the Whistle on the World's Biggest Sports Scandal. In the Spiel, Macedonians, Greeks, and irredentism. 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 The Gist, a brief review of President Trump's roster of losers (and winners). Clint Watts is a man of many strengths. He's a former FBI agent and a cybersecurity expert. He can break down information warfare to bleary-eyed U.S. senators. He's been known to track al-Shabaab adherents on Twitter. Watts returns to The Gist to explain how the U.S. government underestimated Russia, and how he himself fell for fake news when trying to protect his daughter. Watts' new book is Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake News. In the Spiel, the folly of Donald Trump's new friendship with Kim Jong-un. 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 The Gist, if the Trump-Kim summit goes as poorly as the president's business ventures, we're doomed. Maria Konnikova is here to smoke out false claims about cannabidiol, or the CBD oil extracted from cannabis. Can it help with insomnia, depression, and epilepsy? We find out in the latest round of "Is That Bulls—t?" Konnikova is a New Yorker contributor and author of The Confidence Game. In the Spiel, the White House's handling of the G-7 fallout was clueless, thin-skinned, and petty. In other words: peak Trumpism. 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 The Gist, president Trump raised the bar on what's considered a gaffe, and EPA head Scott Pruitt is taking advantage of that. Very few comedians have never been to therapy. Jerry Seinfeld is one. Tom Papa is another. Papa tells us about cracking jokes at Minnesota Public Radio's Live From Here and his new book, Your Dad Stole My Rake: And Other Family Dilemmas. In the Spiel, 'tis time for a Lobstar of the Antentwig (right after a response to some sexist tweets). 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 The Gist, comparing Bill Clinton to basketball great Michael Jordan. Bikram Choudhury's status as a star yoga guru gave him license to be odd (spiritual but with a soft spot for luxury cars, and always wearing a Speedo). But there was more to it than quirkiness, as sexual assault allegations beginning in 2013 basically expelled Choudhury from the United States. ESPN's Julia Henderson practiced Bikram Yoga, before capturing the rise and fall of its founder in a five-part podcast: Bikram. In the Spiel, punning on some of the weirder names in the news these days. 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 The Gist, IHOP is changing its name to IHOb. And Mike is here to make fun of that. James Clapper was a senior intelligence adviser for both Republican and Democratic administrations. He was also part of the team that informed President-elect Donald Trump of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Now, as a private citizen, Clapper says he believes Russia actually swung the vote. "That's why you write books," says Clapper. "Because you can express your opinions freely. And I did." His latest is Facts and Fears: Hard Truths From a Life in Intelligence. In the Spiel, our expectations of a first lady are sexist and constricting. Cut Melania Trump some slack for not fitting into them. 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 The Gist, at this point, whatever the Trump administration doesn't say under oath is very possibly untrue. In 1963, Robert F. Kennedy met with black America's greatest artists and intellectuals to talk about race. "And they lit his ass up," according to our guest, making known just how much needed to be done to address racial inequality. Michael Eric Dyson wrote a book about the encounter and its relevance to race issues today. Dyson's book is What Truth Sounds Like. In the Spiel, Miss America is scrapping its swimsuit competition, instantly making the United States perfectly meritocratic. Wait, not really. 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 The Gist, no matter how well the economy goes, pundits can always tell a scary story. What do we get wrong about Darwinism? Evolutionary ornithologist Richard O. Prum says the theory was distorted by Victorian prudes. He explains why a closer look at bird sex shows us what's really going on with adaptation and natural selection. Prum's book is The Evolution of Beauty. In the Spiel, yes, "unindictable" would mean the president could commit any crime he wants, even the colorful ones. But let's not get carried away. 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 The Gist, an appreciation of the man who invented Pong. Barbara Lipska's career as a neuroscientist did not prepare her to identify the dark effects of her own brain tumors diagnosed in 2015. There's studying a damaged brain, and then there's having one. Lipska is the author of The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery. In the Spiel, let's hear it for the ancillary news. 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 The Gist, Samantha Bee said it first, so let us meditate on the C-word. In defense of Googling your own name: Kirsten Pflomm is a white woman from Connecticut who did an online search 15 years ago and discovered she was the descendant of Iceland's famous first black citizen, Hans Jonathan, who escaped slavery and became a war hero. In the Spiel, the Nobel Peace Prize? All President Trump wants are apologies and thank-you's. 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 The Gist, have you heard the one about the journalist who faked his own death to dodge Russian assassins? It's boom times for female buddy comedies. Mike talks to director Alex Richanbach and screenwriter Lauryn Kahn about their new Netflix comedy, Ibiza. Who said men have to star in all the movies about hedonistic sprees? In the Spiel, does anyone believe we have a coherent trade policy right now? 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 Tuesday's Gist, Roseanne gets run out on a rail. Comedian Chris Gethard reflects on how things have changed for his madcap live show, starting from its days on a public access channel to its current home on TruTV. "It's more a TV show than it's ever been, the larger platforms that we get to," says Gethard. "But … it's me, it's really me and I'm letting my guard down." The season finale of The Chris Gethard Show airs Tuesday on TruTV. In the Spiel, the mysterious name of a famous Russian painting. 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 The Gist, we here at Slate take GDPR compliance very seriously … just not in this monologue. Before SNL, David Wain says, the countercultural comedy torch belonged to National Lampoon. The laugh magazine was created by Harvard graduates and became a creative laboratory for movies like Animal House and Caddyshack. Chief among them was Doug Kenney, the subject of Netflix biopic A Futile and Stupid Gesture, which Wain directs. In the Spiel, the nostalgia we feel around meals and dishes is overrated. It's not about the food; it's about the feels. 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 Thursday's Gist, tips for avoiding fake news? Thanks but no thanks, Facebook. There's a new documentary out about the Steubenville, Ohio, rape case, and it got us thinking about the flaws in the public's perception of that saga. Reporter Derek John explains how the dominant narrative of the case was warped by an amateur crime blogger and a protective football team, despite the efforts of local prosecutors. John and Anders Kelto reported the story for Gamebreaker[NP1], a podcast by Audible. In the Spiel, the NFL's fans are way more liberal than its team owners. So how's the kneeling ban supposed to restore its ratings dip? 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 The Gist, the NFL can't give a decent explanation for its kneeling ban. Philip Roth's novels about Jewish life earned him every accolade short of, famously, the Nobel Prize. Mark Oppenheimer, the host of the podcast on all things Jewish (Unorthodox), argues that Roth's "radical candor" was sharply original before becoming a model to imitate. In the Spiel, there are a lot of "peripheral rogues" in Trump's orbit (how about those "taxi king" headlines?), but their public reckonings don't necessarily spell trouble for the president himself. 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 Gist, whatever happens in the governor's primary in Georgia Tuesday night, it will be a big step forward for women named Stacey. Neuroscientist and education researcher Sara Brownell explains what she found studying how gender affects students' perceptions of their own intelligence. Brownell is an assistant professor at Arizona State University. In the Spiel, consider the "no shit" factor in Trumpian news cycles these days. 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 The Gist, Hawaii's "laze" is some seriously bad branding. In the interview, our two-party system may seem inevitable, but political scientist Sam Rosenfeld digs into its engineered history, including the 1950 government report that pushed the country "Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System." Before then, what you thought about health care, guns, or abortion had little to do with where your vote went. Rosenfeld is the author of The Polarizers: Postwar Architects of Our Partisan Era. In the Spiel, the latest school shooter didn't raise any red flags or wield an AR-15. But gun control is still what we need. 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 The Gist, our attempt to track the new scoops that affected the Mueller investigation. We're not playing "Is That Bulls--t" on the show today, but if we were, comedy writer Nell Scovell would probably say, "Yes." Yes, the dearth of women in late-night writers' rooms is bulls--t. Yes, men's explanations are bulls--t. And, yes, sometimes women themselves willingly succumb to the bulls--t because, as Scovell says, "Look, this s--t is deep." Her new book is Just the Funny Parts. In the Spiel, denigrating the top 80 books sold on Amazon. 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 Gist, the Alex, Inc. drinking game you can play with the whole family. Becky Hammon is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs and is a leading candidate to become the first female head coach in the NBA. Hammon got passed over this week by the Milwaukee Bucks, but Ringer staff writer Shea Serrano and New Yorker contributor Louisa Thomas talk about why Hammon is still expected to break the NBA's glass ceiling. In the Spiel, today's off-the-cuff remarks from the president. 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 Gist: laurel or yanny? We have questions about the protests in Israel. Daniel Shapiro is here to answer them. Shapiro was the U.S. ambassador to Israel for most of the Obama administration. He is now a visiting fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies. In the Spiel, an irksome aspect to the coverage of the deaths in Gaza. 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 Gist, we're tearing up the playbook. We're playing the first episode of our new limited-run podcast, Upon Further Review, based on the book of the same name. In this episode, Slow Burn host Leon Neyfakh imagines how American history might have been different if Richard Nixon had been any good at playing football. For more fascinating sports what ifs, subscribe to Upon Further Review now. 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 Gist, is Sen. John McCain really the greatest political leader of all time? Have you heard of face gyms? Beauty gurus are rushing to recommend exercises for the forehead, chin, and cheeks to look younger and healthier. Our expert bullshitologist Maria Konnikova is here to scrutinize the case for facial toning. Konnikova is a contributor to the New Yorker and the author of The Confidence Game. In the Spiel, Salena Zito's populist divining rod. 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 The Gist, the mainstream media is too buttoned-up when describing the Trump administration's shenanigans. There is no Russian Federation as we know it without Vladimir Putin. Former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul explains how parts of Russian society are eager for new leadership despite that. As for its relations with the U.S., McFaul sees continuity in how the Obama and Trump administrations (though perhaps not Trump himself) put pressure on Russia. McFaul's new book is From Cold War to Hot Peace. In the Spiel, email newsletters are where you'll find the best and worst headlines. Plus, it's time to award a Lobstar of the antentwig! 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 The Gist, torture is torture, and the news media should call it that. Tiger Woods dominated his sport like perhaps no other athlete. But that success came at a price. Woods' almost military upbringing as a golfing machine lead to a lack of interpersonal connections and, years later, numerous scandals in the public eye. Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian are out with the eponymous biography Tiger Woods, and talk about the golfer's struggles, successes, and chances at redemption. In the Spiel, more thoughts on the awful practice that is torture. 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 Gist, Michael Cohen has weaved a tangled web, but the mere fact that it's confusing doesn't mean we can assume he's a criminal. Tim Weiner wrote the definitive book on the CIA in 2008 with his Legacy of Ashes. Today, he helps decipher the Senate confirmation testimony of Gina Haspel, President Trump's pick to be the next CIA director. Why is the CIA rooting for Haspel? How did she dodge questions about the agency's torture program? Would the hearing have gone differently if Sen. John McCain had been present? In the Spiel, why Gina Haspel should not be confirmed. 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 Tuesday's Gist, the undoing of the Iran deal. Democrats are tense. 2018 is supposed to be a banner year for the left, but the party is struggling to balance an energized base and an unpredictable general electorate. As a result, there have been a lot of bigfoot sightings in primaries across the country, as Democratic Party honchos step in to pick preferred candidates. Who's wiser, the party or the voters? Alex Roarty, who covers the Democrats for McClatchy newspapers, says it's not so simple. In the Spiel, the gall of Don Blankenship. After the Spiel, keep listening for a trailer of Slate's upcoming podcast, Upon Further Review. It's based on Mike Pesca's book, Upon Further Review: The Greatest What-Ifs in Sports History. 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 Gist, there's a special place in hell for women who don't want Gina Haspel to run the CIA. Jake Tapper's latest book is The Hellfire Club. It's a work of historical fiction; a political thriller set in the 1950s, when Washington was gripped by McCarthyism. Tapper says he saw echoes of President Donald Trump as he read about Sen. Joe McCarthy's attacks on his political enemies. "The people who survived the '50s with their reputations intact were the ones who stood up to McCarthy," said Tapper. "Either decency and truth are important to you, or they're not." Tapper is the host of CNN's The Lead and State of the Union. In the Spiel, the armed and fabulous women of the NRA. 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 The Gist, a movie pitch: Kushner family racket. Returning champion Chris Molanphy takes us back to 1991 and its chart toppers: Mariah Carey's explosive debut, the Swedish group that topped the charts for a fourth time (it wasn't ABBA!), and the Michael Jackson and Madonna music videos that had censors flustered. Molanphy is the host of Slate's Hit Parade. In the Spiel, the best movie lines of all time. 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 Gist, what's this about a Tony Award–winning dry cleaner? Presidential inexperience does not always lead to failed presidencies. Some traits can temper inexperience—like the depressive realism of Abraham Lincoln or Lyndon B. Johnson. Other traits magnify inexperience—like narcissism. Gautam Mukunda takes a close look at presidential inexperience in his 2012 book, Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter. In the Spiel, Rudy Giuliani had a strategy. 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 Gist, a fond farewell to Ty Cobb. Gen. Michael Hayden was running the National Security Agency and then the CIA, he couldn't talk about our national security risks. If he could have, most people would have listened to him. But things are different now. Hayden talks about the decline of fact-based arguments, the Iran nuclear deal, and the future of privacy. His latest book is The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies. In the Spiel, Kanye West knows he has flaws. He just can't learn from them. 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 Gist, thick-as-bricks Lego thieves come a-tumbling down. Hurricane recovery has been a disaster in Puerto Rico. NPR's Laura Sullivan wanted to know why. So she found documents revealing a FEMA in shambles. She traced Puerto Rico's economic troubles back to a 1996 tax vote. And she explains how the island's remaining wealth was wiped out by years of shady municipal debt deals. Sullivan's report for NPR and Frontline is called "Blackout in Puerto Rico." You should really watch it. In the Spiel, is it spring yet? 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 Gist, President Trump's Nobel in the making. There is no market quite like the boomers—that was true when they were young, and it remains true as they enter their 60s and 70s. So how do you market to the olds? The answer lies in a few busted bits of conventional wisdom, the millennial lifestyle, and probably your mom's iPad. Joseph F. Coughlin explains it all in his book The Longevity Economy: Unlocking the World's Fastest-Growing, Most Misunderstood Market. In the Spiel, what happened at the White House Correspondents' Dinner? 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 The Gist, when your sympathy for the poor goes beyond platitudes, Paul Ryan fires you. In the interview, the New York Times' Rukmini Callimachi has a new podcast. Caliphate lays out how she knows what she knows about ISIS. Through her reporting in Iraq, she's learned how the group endeared itself to locals with services as simple as garbage collection. And though the would-be Islamic State has fallen, the extremists behind it persist as an insurgency. In the Spiel, there is no Spiel! 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 Thursday's Gist, EPA chief Scott Pruitt's behavior is too plainly unethical to sweep under the rug. What does a Malaysian party boy have to do with President Trump's potential breach of the Emoluments Clause? Reveal's Amy Walters and WAMU's Patrick Madden can explain everything in their story for Reveal, "Check into Trump's Washington Hotel." In the Spiel, how about that batshit crazy rant courtesy of our president on Thursday morning? 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 Wednesday's Gist, you didn't think Trump's latest political nominee was scandal-free, did you? And as the Supreme Court weighs Trump's travel ban on Muslim-majority countries, one of its most notorious decisions still stands. Korematsu v. United States upheld America's wartime internment of thousands of Japanese Americans, and it's still cited as legal precedent today. Harvard Law School's Martha Minow recently wrote about the decision and its relevance in 2018. In the Spiel, president Trump's approval ratings are highest in West Virginia. Senate candidate (and former convict) Don Blankenship is rolling with it. 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 Tuesday's Gist, Donald Trump's win has inspired a whole bunch of down-ballot Republicans, and boy, are they lame. What is retroactive classification, and is it going to get former FBI Director James Comey in trouble? Bradley P. Moss specializes in litigation related to security clearance law. He explains why Comey may need to worry about prosecution for leaking government secrets. Moss is the deputy executive director of the James Madison Project to promote government accountability and reduction of secrecy. In the Spiel, is third-time dad Prince William ugly? We ask the question, for science! 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 The Gist, Sen. Bob Corker's definition of a "gotcha question" is a bad sign for public discourse these days. Before his Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into the rampant sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein, Ronan Farrow worked in the State Department. His new book, War on Peace, documents the department's loss of personnel and prestige under every recent president—especially the current one. In the Spiel, banning high-capacity magazines would save lives. The foiled shooting in Nashville just proved it. 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 Gist, the retroactively classified memos of James Comey. New Yorker writer Adam Davidson says the raids on Michael Cohen's offices signal the beginning of the end for the Trump presidency. Here's why: Cohen is the key to learning about Trump's personal peccadillos as well the international expansion of the Trump Organization, which Davidson says should be "ridiculously rich hunting ground" for prosecutors. He also thinks we're about to learn a lot more about Trump's sex life. In the Spiel, we insult our friends: When podcasts root out artifice, starting with the edifice. 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 The Gist, if Chuck Schumer gets his way with decriminalizing marijuana, we can finally say goodbye to the lowest-hanging fruit: pot jokes. Crooked Media founder Jon Lovett finds the James Comey book deeply frustrating—to read, to hear about, to contemplate. "But, you know," says Lovett, "I'm a political self-harmer so I have downloaded the audiobook." He explains the logical fallacy at the heart of one of Comey's most frequent recitations and does a little free campaign consulting. Listen to his shows, Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It. In the Spiel, let's draw a lesson from Meghan McCain's faux pas (and real props) regarding J. Edgar Hoover. 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 Gist, don't all these senators know the depths of CIA Director Mike Pompeo's patriotism? Plus, why are chemical weapons useful to Bashar al-Assad? "They're really weapons of terror," explains Aaron Stein, co-host of the Arms Control Wonk podcast. Stein is the author of Turkey's New Foreign Policy. And filmmakers Tony Gilroy and Brad Anderson tell us what it was like filming their latest movie, Beirut, during a particularly long and hot Ramadan. In the Spiel, a few more words about the late Barbara Bush. 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 Tuesday's Gist, that old Watergate maxim, "the cover-up is worse than the crime," should be revised to recognize the Michael Cohen effect. Plus, we take a closer look at the vertical merger of AT&T and Time Warner, and why the Justice Department has sued to stop it. Wall Street Journal reporter Brent Kendall walks us through the case so far. And in the Spiel, who is the "famous Houston sketch artist" drawn into the Stormy Daniels affair? 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 Monday's Gist, we're counting Pulitzers and powering up. Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms sort power into two categories: old and new. Old power is like Congress: top-down, official. New power is like Facebook: decentralized, crowd-sourced. What is the best way to meld both kinds of influence to improve our lives? Heimans and Timms have the beginnings of an answer. They're the authors of New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World – and How to Make It Work for You. In the Spiel, James Comey does seem ego-driven. That's not always a bad thing. 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 The Gist, have you heard? Chemistry has been debunked. Thank Russia. Ed Helms is best known for comedic roles—see Andy Bernard on The Office. But in the drama Chappaquiddick, Helms plays Joseph Gargan, the cousin and lawyer of Sen. Ted Kennedy. Gargan found himself in Kennedy's inner circle as the young senator came under scrutiny for his role in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne. In the Spiel, pervs are making news again. Plus: say hello to a new Lobstar of the Antentwig. 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 The Gist, Zuckerberg's hearings got crowded out by bigger news. Too bad. Facts are facts, even in the greatly polarized year that is 2018. Holmes Lybrand writes the Weekly Standard's "Fact Check" series, and even though it isn't all about Trump's latest tweets and utterances, it sometimes gets readers angry. In the Spiel, the president's saber rattling over Syria is classic Trump: The man lies about his past statements. 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 The Gist, Paul Ryan cared about just one thing: cutting taxes. Word choice is not always the most stimulating place to start an interview with an author, but it works when you're talking to Sloane Crosley. The essayist defends metaphors like "Holocaust bunk bed" and the related analogy, "as if the Brady Bunch were filmed in Nazi Germany." Crosley's latest book—a collection of essays—is Look Alive Out There. In the Spiel, Congress failed to pin Mark Zuckerberg down. 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.