The Gist

Tom Shapiro is back to explain the thinking behind the title of his book, Toxic Inequality. What's so toxic about it? Shapiro is a professor at Brandeis University, where he directs the Institute on Assets and Social Policy. In the Spiel: Based on the information available, what can we conclude about the media coverage of terrorism? Mike talks to Erin Miller, who oversees the Global Terrorism Database. 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 U.S. has a racial wealth gap problem. By one estimate, at current levels of wealth growth it would take 228 years for the average black family to catch up with levels of wealth among white families. Thomas Shapiro explains some of the surprising reasons parity remains so elusive in his book, Toxic Inequality: How America's Wealth Gap Destroys Mobility, Deepens the Racial Divide, and Threatens Our Future. In the Spiel, there's a reason why the wise people over at Lawfare say this administration is malevolence tempered by incompetence. 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 new movie Okja has pretty much everything. Car chases. Giant mutant pigs. A dystopian future. Jake Gyllenhaal with an outlandish moustache. A subtle social message. Tilda Swinton pretending to be Tony Blair. The movie is written by Korean director Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer) and returning guest Jon Ronson. Ronson takes us into the craft of writing the year's wildest movie. In the Spiel, why congressional comity is overrated. 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 big problem with political arguments, says Robb Willer, is that everyone sees himself or herself as the hero in a zombie movie. "American liberals see themselves as Brad Pitt warding off a zombie horde," says Willer. "But the problem is conservatives see themselves the same way," and no one is able to make arguments that appeal to the other side. Willer teaches sociology at Stanford and writes about the delicate art of political persuasion for places such as the New York Times. In the Spiel, please Mr. President, don't throw the special prosecutor into the briar patch. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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.

Bill Schutt says no one from his childhood is surprised to find out he's been studying cannibalism—after all, he was into vampire bats as a kid. For his new book, he's investigated the (natural) history of people eating one another and why it's only been taboo in some countries, like China, for a short time. In the Spiel, how we talk about domestic terrorism. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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.

You're awkward, but maybe not in the way you think. Psychologist Ty Tashiro explains the hallmarks of social awkwardness, why we're sensitive to it, and why it's not such a bad thing. Tashiro is the author of Awkward: The Science of Why We're Socially Awkward and Why That's Awesome. In the Spiel, more on Donald Trump's 'dear leader' cabinet meeting. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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.

Bassem Youssef hasn't cut open a chest in six years. And he doesn't miss it. "Being into medicine for 19 years, it's a character builder," says the Egyptian comedian, who says his old job prepped him well for his new one. Youssef went from being a surgeon in Cairo to the Jon Stewart of Egypt, a satirist with 40 million views a week. Youssef's brief reign as the king of Egyptian comedy is the focus of a new documentary, Tickling Giants, which is now out on VOD. On the Spiel, Trump has finally accomplished something unthinkable as president. He's got people talking about Shakespeare in the Park. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gistplus. 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 August, Larry Wilmore's talk show was canceled. The Nightly Show focused on issues like equality, activism, and how racism subtly wormed its way into American life. In hindsight, it feels ahead of its time. Wilmore is out with a new podcast, Black on the Air. In the Spiel: Sometimes democracy sucks. 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.

Wednesday on The Gist, John Pfaff refuted the conventional wisdom about mass incarceration. Thursday, Pfaff explains some of the obstacles to reform. Pfaff's book is Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration—and How to Achieve Real Reform. In the Spiel, a loyally honest review of James Comey's testimony. 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.

John Pfaff is on a mission to topple the well-worn myths of the U.S. prison population boom. He says the data tells us to focus on the district attorneys, not the Department of Justice. Pfaff teaches at Fordham University School of Law and is the author of Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform. This is Part I of our interview with Pfaff -- listen tomorrow for Part II. In the Spiel, how are YOU celebrating Infrastructure Week? 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.

There's almond milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, soy milk, hazelnut milk, oat milk, and milk made from anything that grows, pretty much. But is any of it actually milk? And is it actually healthier than dairy? Our debunker-in-chief, Maria Konnikova, investigates the lofty claims of nondairy milks. Konnikova is a contributor to the New Yorker, and the author of The Confidence Game. Her new podcast is called the Grift. In today's Spiel, the White House's long con on infrastructure. 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.

People tell Google things they wouldn't say to anyone else. That's the big insight that motivated the research of Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. His book, Everybody Lies, is about the stories and secrets he uncovered by digging into internet search data. In the Spiel, the best jokes that Mike made on vacation. 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 2008, Al Franken was elected to the United States Senate. Since then, he's become a well-respected member of the upper chamber. But he hasn't lost his keen eye for satire. After the Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage, "I wanted to release a thing saying, 'Mr. Franken is very happy, but he thinks Justice Scalia's dissent was very gay,' " he tells guest host Zoe Chace. "My team told me I couldn't do that." Franken is the author of a new book, Al Franken: Giant of the Senate. Today's Spiel, an ode to the underappreciated, soon-to-be-extinct White House press briefing. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gistplus. 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 April, Donald Trump authorized rocket strikes on a military target in Syria. Most Democrats agreed with it. But when Trump makes a decision, does that make it inherently wrong? New Republic editor and Twitter star Jeet Heer offers a critique of the first few months of Democratic resistance. He wrote about it in the magazine last month. Today's Spiel comes from the archives: For President Trump, you're nobody until you're somebody. And then, you're not just anybody—you're everybody. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gistplus. 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.

Reading, Pennsylvania is the poorest city of its size in the United States. It's also where Lynn Nottage did most of her research for the Pulitzer-winning Broadway show, Sweat. Nottage talks with guest host Aisha Harris about the different kinds of working class in America, and how to maintain empathy when talking with people quite different from yourself. In the Spiel, why calling something a "woman problem" misses the point. 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 can we expect the first tell-all book by a former Trump administration official? David Rosenthal explains the physics of personal memoirs and dishes about what he's heard around the industry rumor mill. Rosenthal runs the Blue Rider Press imprint at the Penguin Group. In the Spiel, guest host Leon Neyfakh explains how the president nearly ruined an otherwise perfect holiday weekend. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gistplus. 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.

Richard Nixon once warned of an America cut in two, a colony of poor, disenfranchised people within a nation of wealth. His law-and-order policies went a long way to making that a reality. In his new book, A Colony in a Nation, Chris Hayes looks at how fear has led to some destructive policies in America's cities. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gistplus. 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 Wittes has a term for the nonsense justifications he observes coming from the Trump administration. He calls it ENSH: errant national security horseshit. On Thursday's show, Wittes shovels up some of the larger ENSH dumps of the past two weeks. Wittes is editor in chief of Lawfare. In the Spiel, naming a long overdue Lobstar. 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 looks a lot more comfortable traveling abroad than he ever has in the White House. Josh King says there's a good explanation for this. "Two Air Force Ones, a beast limousine, all the trappings of the United States government … it's hard to screw that up," says King, an expert in presidential stagecraft. He previously worked as an advance man in the Clinton White House. In the Spiel, the incredibly undeserved comeback of Billy 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.

For Tom Ricks, the whiplash-inducing news of the past two weeks has been especially surreal. Ricks explains why he was stunned to see the National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster defend President Trump. Ricks is out with a new book about two of his heroes, Churchill and Orwell. Ricks writes the Best Defense blog for Foreign Policy magazine. In the Spiel, Mike breaks down former CIA Director John Brennan's exchange with Rep. Trey Gowdy. 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.

Jon Glaser makes his triumphant return to The Gist to talk about season two of the Adult Swim series Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter. Glaser has been a part of some of the most acclaimed shows on TV. He's written for Inside Amy Schumer and Late Night With Conan O'Brien. He played Laird in Girls and Councilman Jamm in Parks and Recreation. But he's feeling torn about making jokes for a living now, with the country seeming more screwed up than usual. In the Spiel, will the U.S.–Saudi Arabia weapons deal mean hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans? 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.

For college athletes, performance bonuses outweigh academic bonuses 15 to 1. That's not acceptable, says Arne Duncan. Duncan served as Barack Obama's education secretary. Now, he's on the Knight Commission, which is trying to lead reforms in college sports. In the Spiel, the strange evolution of Rod Rosenstein. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gistplus. 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.

Thursday morning, Roger Ailes died. The Fox News impresario changed the conversation in America and created a base of support for the current pPresident, Donald Trump. Isaac Chotiner has reported extensively on Fox News for Slate. His new interview podcast is called I Have to Ask. Plus, Mike hits the bar with Peter Fornatale to drink discuss the crown jewel of cocktails. Fornatale is author of Brooklyn Spirits and host of the DRF Players' Podcast. In the Spiel, Mike reflects on how to win listeners and influence presidents. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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.

What's the matter with Alabama? (You could ask the same thing of tens of other states with sleazy political histories, but we're going in alphabetical order.) Today, Alabama reporter John Archibald delves into the concentric scandals rocking the Montgomery establishment. Archibald writes for the Alabama Media Group. In the Spiel, why you shouldn't root for impeachment. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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.

One piece of interview advice from Chuck Klosterman: You can't make a celebrity interview feel like a real conversation. "They know it's not real. They wouldn't be here, and I wouldn't be asking these questions, if it wasn't for the tape recorder," says Klosterman. His new book, X, includes profiles and essays on some of the biggest names in pop culture from Klosterman's storied career, including Kobe Bryant and Taylor Swift. In the Spiel, breaking down the disparate, strange, nonsensical explanations for Donald Trump's Russia leaks. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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.

Lists of inaccurate statements by Donald Trump are good and satisfying and a little funny. But they aren't what we need. We need reporting on the issues behind the lies, says Brooke Gladstone. She's co-host of On The Media and author of a new book, The Trouble with Reality, which looks at the malfunctioning of American democracy. In the Spiel, why voter ID laws are such a unique American con. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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 century ago, bilingual children were seen as disadvantaged—a kid speaking English and Spanish was liable to become confused and might not learn properly. Now? Bilinguals are seen as better than the rest of us. They get dementia later. They have bigger brains and are better at focusing on tasks. So what's the truth? Our resident social science sleuth Maria Konnikova investigates. She's a New Yorker contributor and author of The Confidence Game. Her new podcast is The Grift. In the Spiel, the news buried this week by the firing of James Comey. 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 zooming out on Russia's influencing machine with the help of Clint Watts, the national security expert who had a star turn in March with his soundbite-ready testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Watts explains why the partisan skew on fake news is "kind of garbage." Plus, he has tips for testifying—just in case you get a call from Congress. Watts is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. In the Spiel, hanging on every phrase President Trump invented this week. 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 FBI Director James Comey has been called "rapturous of his own righteousness," but by most accounts the man who assisted in Comey's ouster could be described the same way. Rod Rosenstein, No. 2 at the Department of Justice, wrote the memo justifying Comey's firing, but he's had a sterling reputation until now as a fastidiously apolitical prosecutor. Leon Neyfakh, justice reporter for Slate, explains the lingering questions surrounding Comey's dismissal and Rosenstein's role in what happens next. In the Spiel, остановить! This has nothing to do with Russia. 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.

Soon, every person on Earth will be connected, via social media, to every other person. So why do we approach policy like it's the '70s? In his book The Great Questions of Tomorrow, David Rothkopf asks how we can change our policy outlook to reflect how people actually interact. Rothkopf is CEO and editor of the FP Group and host of The Editor's Roundtable podcast. In the Spiel: Is air travel getting worse or are we just more demanding? 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.

Trump adviser Stephen Miller seemed to burst onto the national scene this past February, with his memorable defense of the White House's travel ban and claims of voter fraud. But New York magazine's Reeves Wiedeman says Miller's education in punditry came years earlier, as a Duke University student commenting on the Duke lacrosse scandal for cable news. Back then, Miller was recognizably pugnacious and self-assured—but he was also right. In the Spiel, we live in times of confusion and flashing-neon warning signs. How does all that add up to utter indifference? 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.

Vox health care writer Sarah Kliff returns to discuss the return of the health care reform bill that just won't die. In Kliff's estimation, the new bill, if passed in the Senate, would be great for the rich and terrible for the sick. Kliff is a columnist and co-host of The Weeds podcast. In the Spiel, why we were surprised by zombie health reform. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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 hallowed day is nearly upon us: Obscura Day on Saturday, May 6. Think of it like a worldwide quest to discover all things odd and remarkable. The whole thing was dreamed up by the surveyors and spelunkers at Atlas Obscura. Today, Mike steps in as your Obscura Day scout, venturing into the Lite Brite Neon Studio in Brooklyn. Saturday's expeditions include a kayaking trip to a ship graveyard in Maryland, an Absinthe demonstration in London, and a tour of the world's first nuclear power plant in Idaho. Check out Atlas Obscura's website to find an Obscura Day event near you. In the Spiel, health care is supposed to be the one intimate area where a politician's lie won't work. So… what's going on? Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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.

Only a fire can prove what survives a fire. Well, no, says Sarah Manguso. It only proves what would survive that fire. Manguso, an essayist and poet, offers modern wisdom and witticisms in her new book 300 Arguments. Plus, Donald Trump gets the Ken Burns treatment. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook. 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.

Harvard professor Cass Sunstein returns to discuss his new book #Republic, which looks at polarization in the digital age. While America isn't more polarized than ever, Sunstein says it's important to focus on how today's problems are different and new. "You find yourself in a cocoon, even if you didn't choose it," says Sunstein. But he sees hope in sites that are actively trying to sell their readers on content from outside their normal media diet. "In the fullness of time, the non–echo chamber model is going to be producing a lot of revenue." No Spiel today, due to technical difficulties. Mike explains in the top of the show. 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 Baxley family was cursed with a horrible disease—something like mad cow, but for human beings. The younger members of the family might have the disease, and there's a test that would tell them definitively. But knowing for sure could screw up their whole family relationship. In her book Mercies in Disguise, author Gina Kolata explores the family's incredibly painful decision. Kolata is a science reporter for the New York Times. Plus, we cover the downfall of Sebastian Gorka and ask why Trump supporters are willing to let some pretty dubious policies slide. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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.

Weeks before the end of their third-year final exams, twins Keith and Kenny Lucas became law school dropouts to pursue careers in comedy. But their whole lives had been about going the other way: Growing up in drug war–ravaged Newark, New Jersey, they were self-professed nerds trying to figure out why their dad was in prison. The Lucas Bros: On DrugsNetflix special shows off Keith and Kenny's perfect timing as a comedy tag team (though they might also be just a little bit high). Their set pokes fun at dead presidents, and their jokes range from annoying drug dealers to Steph Curry, but the act feels like classic vaudeville. In the Spiel, it's time to talk about Kim Jong-un's rational dickishness. 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.

Once upon a time, late-night talk shows were like boozy dinner parties, fun chat-fests where movie stars would reveal a little too much about themselves. Now, they're marked by anti-septic games of charades and sing-alongs. Comedian Guy Branum wants to bring anarchy back to late night with Talk Show: The Game Show. "We'll all watch these people in TV and singing; we know what they're good at," says Branum. "A talk show should let you inside of them a bit more." Plus, we head back to Vexillological Corner for a discussion of city flags with flag expert Ted Kaye. 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.

Slate columnist and Harvard University lecturer Yascha Mounk is worried about liberal democracy. He says Marine Le Pen's second-place finish in France isn't a cause for relief—it's a sign she's closer to power than ever. "It's easy to be right about the problems, it's difficult to be right about the solutions, and there the populists have nothing to offer," says Mounk. He writes the Good Fight column. Plus, Mike translates the Pope's speech and annotates the Trump administration's income tax reform plan. 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.

Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes set out to write a book about Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential bid long before the home stretch of the campaign. In October, Allen got a note from their editor, who was having trouble reconciling his expectation of a Clinton win with his reporters' work uncovering the aimless mess behind the "I'm With Her" stickers. Then Election Day happened. Allen is co-author of the book, Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign. In the Spiel, why couldn't Clinton find a clear message? 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.

Comedian Moshe Kasher is a self-professed lefty and a general fan of cultural sensitivity, but he has a big problem with outrage culture. His new talk show, Problematic, takes aim at any unabashed troglodytes, as well as their supposedly enlightened brethren. As Kasher puts it: "How could it be that both sides think the other side is arguing from a place of zero reality?" Problematic airs on Comedy Central on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (9 p.m. Central). In the Spiel, we're throwing out the 100-day yardstick. 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 1987, and the breakthrough creativity of the early '80s is beginning to sour. Also, everyone's hair is ridiculous, but that's beside the point. Chris Molanphy is our guide to the year's Billboard's hits, which taught us, as he says, that "fairly great art can result from commerce and studio polish." Molanphy writes Slate's Why Is This Song No. 1 column. Plus, what to do about America's antiquated industries, like steel and coal. And Mike answers your emails, tweets, corrections, and anger in the Lobstar. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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 2012, a man named John B. McLemore wrote an email to This American Life asking the radio show to investigate a murder in his hometown. What resulted is S-Town, a podcast that explores McLemore and the people around him. Producer and host Brian Reed stops by to answer our burning questions about the show and how locals in Woodstock, Alabama, have responded since its release. (A warning: certain references in this interview will only make sense if you've heard S-Town. If you haven't listened yet, it's wise to save this episode for later.) Plus, karma finally catches up with Bill O'Reilly. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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.

Experts have had a rough year. Tom Nichols sees a new fervor in the country's anti-intellectualism, and he thinks it stems from frustration with elites. Turns out, there's a difference between the people with expertise and the people with power. Nichols is a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College. His book is The Death of Expertise. In the Spiel, the two recent suicides in the news tell us something about how we talk about murder. 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.

Why are crack users given such long, punishing sentences? It's because of political gamesmanship around crime in the '80s. In the new Audible series 100:1 The Crack Legacy, journalist Christopher Johnson looks at how inner-city drug panics led to today's mass-incarceration crisis. On the Spiel, a thought about America's warship debacle. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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.

Ariel Levy's 2013 New Yorker essay about losing her son, "Thanksgiving in Mongolia," was among the most recommended pieces of writing in recent memory. Levy expands on the essay in her memoir, The Rules Do Not Apply. In the book, Levy wonders if, in wanting to do it all, she set herself up for heartbreak over the things she could not have. In the Spiel, a unified theory of President Trump's policy reversals. 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.

Maria Konnikova has been a special correspondent on The Gist since it began, debunking common myths and pseudoscience. Now, she's starting her own show, a narrative podcast about cons called the Grift. The first two episodes are available for download on your podcatcher of choice. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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.

If aliens came to Earth looking for a dystopian novel that reflected the current political reality, would you recommend that they read The Handmaid's Tale? Guest host Alexandra Petri considers this quandary with Mallory Ortberg, Slate's Dear Prudence advice columnist. In the Spiel, it's time to talk about United Airlines. 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.

Joe Swanberg and Jake Johnson have made a couple of can't-miss indie films in the last few years, including Drinking Buddies, Digging for Fire, and the new poker comedy Win It All. The collaborators talk about improv, making a believable world on-screen, and Jake's unusual leading man role on the Fox sitcom New Girl. In the Spiel, Mike rounds up some news that fell through the cracks this week. 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.

David Letterman was full of contradictions. He hated celebrity, but he hosted a talk show. He was playful, but he never seemed to be enjoying himself. In The Last Giant of Late Night, reporter Jason Zinoman explores the many facets of Letterman's art, and how the TV landscape has suffered without him. In the Spiel, the real stories behind the fall of Alabama's governor, the Wells Fargo clawback, and one teenager's quest for free chicken nuggets. 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.