The Gist

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we listen back to Mike's 2022 interview with Kate Shaw, ABC Legal Analyst and co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast. It's an extended interview about the Equal Rights Amendment, which, many of its backers claim, actually passed and should be the law of the land. Then we listen back to Mike's Tuesday Spiel about the pardoned January 6th attackers. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mike's Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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.

Meghan Daum, writer and host of The Unspeakable podcast on Substack, joins us for an extended interview about the #MeToo movement, female agency, the efficacy of social movements, and evolving gender dynamics in society. She and Mike discuss women's progress, exploring the intersection of cancel culture and empowerment within media and publishing. Also on the show, Harvard redefines "antisemitism" to include discrimination against Zionists. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Today on The Gist, Mike is joined by Michael A. Cohen of the Truth and Consequences Substack and MSNBC, along with Matt Welch, Editor-at-Large of Reason magazine, for another installment of Not Even Mad. The trio discusses Trump's inauguration, executive actions, refugee policy, DEI, and the eventful first few days of his second term as POTUS. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Donald Trump has issued over 50 executive orders—not including a single order that repealed more than 50 of Biden's executive orders. We delve into the posturing and the potent. Plus, Nate DiMeo, host of the long-running The Memory Palace podcast, drops by to discuss what makes a good podcast episode, what translates well to the page, and why a massive 18th-century painting was chopped up to fit inside a specific room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist Watch Mike Live on Thursday at National Liberty Museum 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On Donald Trump's first day in office, cop-beaters are pardoned, and biology is affirmed. Plus, anthropologist Carrie M. Lane, author of More Than Pretty Boxes: How the Rise of Professional Organizing Shows Us the Way We Work Isn't Working, reports that professional organizers don't want to force people to throw things out. Marie Kondo might have something to say about that. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Each weekend on Best of The Gist, we revisit an archival segment from the past and replay something from the past week. This weekend, two selections from the near vault, inspired by the devastating fires in and around Los Angeles over the last week or more. First, Mike's June 12, 2023, Spiel about the Canadian wildfires that many thought would change minds on climate change—even if we're not certain they were entirely the result of climate change. Then, we revisit the intro to our Aug. 18, 2023, episode, in which Mike discusses Herman Andaya, Maui's emergency chief, who decided not to sound sirens before the fires scorched Lahaina. It seems like an obvious mistake, but all the officials agreed that doing so would have contradicted policy—and perhaps even posed a danger. GIST Coupon Codes ... Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mike's Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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.

Should L.A. communities rebuild so close together? Is there a better way to prevent fires from starting in the first place? Would a full reservoir have saved homes in the Pacific Palisades? Does L.A.'s fire chief deserve credit or blame? What's it like to fight a fire in the face of 100 mph winds? These questions and more are answered by Clare Frank, a 30-year veteran of the California Fire Service and the author of Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire. Plus, as TikTok goes splat, other media companies that are allowed to operate as platforms for free speech are instead voluntarily choosing to cut themselves off at the knees. GIST Coupon Codes ... Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Partisanship is often portrayed as a societal ill—usually by those jerks in the other party. But as Julian Zelizer, Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University, argues: partisanship can be beneficial. In fact, things become rather inefficient without it. Meanwhile, the Hamas-Israel hostage deal remains on the precipice of implementation, and Joe Biden issues a warning about oligarchs. He likely has one specific billionaire in mind, though there is significant political diversity even among the hundred-billionaire class. GIST Coupon Codes ... Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Many American municipalities fluoridate their water supplies in hopes of lowering the number of cavities in our teeth. The practice stems from some pretty awful dental outcomes in early America that caused the U.S. military once upon a time to require a man have at least thirteen teeth to enlist. Conspiracy theorists decry this intrusion into their bodily fluids, claiming its lowering their IQs, but they're just lunatics ... or are they? Sadie Dingfelder joins the show for another round of Is That Bullshit? Also, a peace deal between Hamas and Israel nears. And cosmologists and cosmetologists are concerned with little red dots. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Pete Hegseth faced sharp questioning from Senate Democrats over his leadership credentials, allegations of sexism and sexual impropriety, humanitarian record, and even his sobriety. Meanwhile, Republicans on the Armed Services Committee appeared firmly in his corner. In other headlines, Jack Smith reiterated that he would have convicted Trump—unsurprising, of course. Also on the show, we're joined by Sir John Kay, author of The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century: Why (Almost) Everything We Are Told About Business Is Wrong. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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 Los Angeles, the fires rage on, with damage estimates so high they almost defy belief. But perhaps the L.A. fires truly will cause as much destruction as nearly every major disaster worldwide last year. We'll explore which aspects of the damage can be attributed to climate change and which cannot. Plus, we're joined by John Kay, Oxford professor, Financial Times columnist, and author of The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century: Why (Almost) Everything We Are Told About Business Is Wrong. We discuss the assassination of a healthcare executive and reflect on a time when the pharmaceutical industry was one of the most respected sectors in the world. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mike's Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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.

Each weekend on Best of The Gist, we revisit an archival segment from the past and replay something from the current week. This weekend, we listen back to a 2019 Gist intro about Trump's then-infatuation with Greenland. Then, we hear Mike's 2025 Spiel on the same topic. At least he's consistent. Coupon Codes from the episode... Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mike's Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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.

Joshua Oppenheimer, the director of the recent apocalypse musical The End, starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon, joins us to discuss musicals and his past work crafting brilliant documentaries. Plus, we'll hear a direct dispatch from our friend Meghan Daum, whose house was destroyed in the Southern California fires. And I think we can safely say that Donald Trump won't be waging war on Greenland, even if he won't say it clearly. Listen to Meghan's full story from The Unspeakable Podcast at her substack, and consider becoming a paid subscriber. She's a friend of The Gist, a fantastic writer, and a person who could use your support. Voices and Votes: The State of Free Speech After the Election Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Mark Zuckerberg has announced that META platforms Facebook and Instagram are doing away with fact-checking. However, Kate Klonick argues they weren't doing much fact-checking to begin with and certainly weren't receiving much credit for it. But that doesn't mean these changes are benign or beneficial to users. Meanwhile, wildfires rage through Los Angeles, and Fox News, along with the political right, point the finger at… DEI? 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off 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.

Journalist Stephen Marche, author of the NYT op-ed "Justin Trudeau Was His Own Worst Enemy," argues that the soon-to-be-former Prime Minister's virtue signaling too often came across as piety, exhausting Canadians. Plus, medical debt is cleared from credit ratings, and a hockey analogy that belongs in the penalty box. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Oregon, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver have all experimented with drug decriminalization over the past few years. The results? A deadly disappointment. Stanford professor Keith Humphreys explains why. Plus, advice on how hard a bargain Greenland should drive as a target of U.S. acquisition. And why we should embrace New York City's anti-NIMBY declaration, "It Can Happen," as the city strives to become a CITY OF YES. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

An analysis of the most "sympathetic" January 6th rioters hardly supports their innocence. Plus, have we been measuring economic progress all wrong? Allison Schrager, of Bloomberg and the Manhattan Institute, says, "Kind of, yeah." 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we are doing two from the vault. We hear Mike's interview with Ben Bradford, whose podcast Landslide tells the story of the 1976 Presidential race, which was seminal in the invention of modern conservatism. And then we time warp back to 2016 for Mike's interview with Meg Jacobs joins us to discuss the lasting political legacy of the '70s gas crisis. She's the author of Panic at the Pump: The Energy Crisis and the Transformation of American Politics in the 1970s. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mike's Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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.

Services honoring former President Jimmy Carter begin this weekend. We assess his legacy, explore which presidents have rewritten history from the grave, and discuss the growing trend of historians being asked to act as present-day pundits with Lindsay Chervinsky, Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library and co-editor of Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture. Plus, as incidents of people being pushed in front of subways increase, one transit activist has proposed a solution so unconventional it just might work—or almost certainly make things worse. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Brain imaging studies are often cited to prove a point about human behavior, but the claims surrounding them can be quite grand. Sadie Dingfelder is back to ask: Is that bullshit? Plus, Jimmy Carter—a kind, decent man but with a badly bungled presidency. And Gavin Newsom speaks out against snitching but in support of law enforcement. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Comedian Roy Wood Jr., host of CNN's Have I Got News for You and former Daily Show correspondent, joins this episode of Funny You Should Mention. We delve into topics like a near-DUI incident in South Dakota, why the police should occasionally let a criminal go free, and the responsibility comedians have to challenge harmful political ideas—and the politicians who promote them. We also explore the surprising lessons humanity can learn from floating balls of ants and what it reveals when the premise of a joke is proven wrong. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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 Yard is a standup comic who has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, Flatbush Misdemeanors, and was a contributor to The Nightly Show with Larry WiImore. He is both an ex-felon and a union leader at the Museum of Modern Art. In this conversation, we discuss Yard's jokes about his pro-prison stance, leaving the Virgin Islands for the worst neighborhood in Brooklyn, and his suspicions about candlelight vigils. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Django Gold is a stand-up comedian, a former writer for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and a veteran of The Onion. In his stand-up special "Bag of Tricks," he explores not being cool, show-off toilet seats, and the privilege of owning multiple pairs of scissors. His comedy has been described as "cynical and bizarre" but also "surprising, insightful and properly deranged." We discuss the right amount of weird to present to the audience without seeming too weird, and the evolution of the archetype of nerd to IT guy to incel. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. But this weekend, we're simply going to listen to Mike's appearance on Ophira Eisenberg's Parenting Is A Joke podcast. Happy holidays. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mike's Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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.

Our third installment of Funny You Should Mention welcomes Sam Jay, former SNL writer, Tom Brady Roaster, host of HBO's Pause with Sam Jay, and stand-up comic behind such specials as Netflix's 3 In The Morning and HBO's Salute Me or Shoot Me. Sam and Mike talk cops, racism, white vs black people money management, and a joke she'll discuss but won't be telling 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Rachel Feinstein's acting credits include HBO's Crashing, Comedy Central's Inside Amy Schumer, and Hulu's Life & Beth. Her latest stand-up special, Big Guy, came out on Netflix earlier this year. Rachel comes from a family of intellectual giants, though doesn't include herself in that category. In Mike's conversation with her, however, she reveals her insightfulness, which is better suited for comedy than the classroom. Plus she channels her mother, husband, and a variety of Staten Island firefighters. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Funny You Should Mention Episode One: Nimesh Patel. Over his career Nimesh Patel has gone from a comedian who wants to make points and jokes to a purely joke-oriented comic. He's somewhat of the prefect comedian to kick off this series which looks at comedy routines as if they were an argument or an Op-ed. Nimesh has actually written Op-Eds for the NY Times. We discuss being kicked off stage at Columbia University, eviscerating the healthcare system when over a dozen of your cousins are doctors, and more about Indian President Narendra Modi than most conversations with comics usually include. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Jim Rooney, son of the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney—who also served as U.S. Ambassador to Ireland during the Obama administration—has written a book about open doors and iron curtains: A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney's Story, from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule. Plus, unions that didn't endorse Democrats face backlash from Republicans. And we end with a Yeartwentig. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mike's Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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 Biden has commuted the death sentences of 37 out of the 40 people on federal death row. Mike discusses the remaining three. We're joined by stand-up comic Ophira Eisenberg, host of the Parenting Is a Joke podcast, to explore child-rearing and podcast-naming philosophies. Also, Bashar al-Assad's seasonally relevant theme song, and how it has been appropriated by the Koreans. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mike's Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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.

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we listen back to Mike's recent interview with Brian Baumgartner (Kevin from NBC's The Office) and Ben Silverman, who discuss their new book, The Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin. Then, a special Christmas song. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mike's Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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.

Jesse Eisenberg is the writer, director, and star of A Real Pain. We discuss his plays, where you can find early versions of the characters played by Kieran Culkin and Jesse himself, the dynamics of cousin relationships, and when crying can be useful for both the artist and the individual. Plus, another exciting edition of Palter Talk! Oh, and we might just have a government shutdown. Sorry. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mike's Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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.

Elon Musk complicates government funding, Fani Willis is off the Georgia Trump prosecution, and Brian Reed returns to discuss whether "genocidal race war" was the best way to describe the false allegation that Springfield residents were "eating the dogs, eating the cats." SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mike's Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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 creator of S-Town and The Trojan Horse Affair has a new show about journalism and truth called Question Everything. So, we do. Plus, polls show that young people are pro-assassination, which should make us question some of them. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

We are said to be a fed-up nation pushed to the brink, and the result is political violence … or maybe just hack comedy. Also, Nancy Rommelmann joins us to discuss her latest book, 40 Bucks and a Dream: Stories from Los Angeles. She shares insights from her extensive journalism career, including her experience interviewing infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy. And Trump's presidential library gets a healthy donation. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Drone sightings over New Jersey are driving everyone mad—except Bernie Sanders, who seems minimally concerned. Plus, we're joined by Isaac Saul, CEO of Tangle. Isaac shares not just his insights on issues like inflation and immigration, but also his methodology for cutting through the noise to deliver the least ideologically captured explanations to his readers. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we revisit an archival segment from the past and pair it with a replay of something from the past week. This weekend, we revisit Mike's 2018 interview with cultural psychologist Michele Gelfand, who challenges us to think of societies not along the traditional "liberal to conservative" spectrum but instead as ranging from "tight to loose." It's a theory she explores in her book Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World. From the past week, we replay Mike's Tuesday Spiel about the acquittal of Daniel Penny. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mike's Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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 Roy Wood Jr., host of CNN's Have I Got News for You and former Daily Show correspondent, joins this episode of Funny You Should Mention. We delve into topics like a near-DUI incident in South Dakota, why the police should occasionally let a criminal go free, and the responsibility comedians have to challenge harmful political ideas—and the politicians who promote them. We also explore the surprising lessons humanity can learn from floating balls of ants and what it reveals when the premise of a joke is proven wrong. SUBSCRIBE We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show. The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] Subscribe to The Gist's YouTube Page Follow Mikes Substack > Pesca Profundities To advertise on the show, click here 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.

Acts of violence have promoted discussions of self-defense, corporate greed, national healthcare, homeless funding, and political will. The Gist rejects being thrust into that discussion at the point of a gun, but has some insights to offer to the current debate. Plus, the return of Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid to discuss Israel, Gaza, morality, and security. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Shadi Hamid, Washington Post columnist and co-host of the Wisdom Of Crowds podcast, discusses Israel's regard for innocent lives and if the United States would conduct a war in the way the Israelis do. Plus, the island nation of Nauru gets paid off by the Australians not the play footsy with China. And the Syrian navy is sunk, their chemical weapons cache has been destroyed, and no, Israel is not waiting for a thank-you note. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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 acquittal of Daniel Penny, who choked a mentally ill homeless man to death on the New York City Subway, ends the criminal exposure of the former Marine. The charge of "lynching" trails him and the incident, however. But Mike argues the term, as applied to this incident, is both ahistorical and less-resonant with the average American today. Plus, Dave Daley of FairVote drops by to discuss the voting on ranked choice voting. It did well in cities, but was mostly rejected when on state ballots. And plumbing the depths of the "Luigi" discourse. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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 an Assad-free Syria, the population is elated, the rebels have expelled a tyrant, and the region has the breathing room to create a better environment for democratic rule. So why is the foreign policy establishment wringing its hands? And we're joined by two prime-time TV greats, The Office's Brian Baumgartner (he played Kevin Malone) and Ben Silverman (Executive Producer of the show) to talk about their new illustrated book: The Night Before Christmas" at Dunder Mifflin. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we're listening back to Mike's interview with UCLA professor and MacArthur Genius grant recipient Jason De Leon to discuss his book, Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling. Since the interview aired, back in May of this year, Jason has gone on to add another distinction to his resume—he won the National Book Award for Non-Fiction. Then we listen to this past Monday's Spiel, in which Mike challenges the idea that Kamala ran out of time to be President. Produced by Joel Patterson 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 reconstitute Not Even Mad with panelists Liz Wolfe (Reason and the Just Asking Questions podcast) and Michael A. Cohen (MSNBC columnist and author of the Truth and Consequences newsletter) to discuss and debate the pardon of Hunter Biden and all the many, many explanations for the Democrats poor showing on election day 2024. Plus, goats are grinded over Standard Time, "Increasingly," and Pamela Anderson with or without makeup. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

If you've been paying attention bulls*t never left us. Sadie Dingfelder. author of Do I Know You? A Faceblind Reporter's Journey into the Science of Sight, Memory and Imagination is here to call BulLLsh*t on the perenial question "If I die will my cat eat me, while my dog won't?" Plus an AI talk show is amazingly realistic, albeit fascinated by absolutely everything. And Trump Watches For Sale! 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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 Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels have gained ground in Syria, but they aren't the nice, unproblematic, good-for the environment, nice-to-old-people rebels of our dreams. What now? Plus, part two of our interview with Ben Rhodes, former Obama Administration speechwriter and current co-host of Pod Save The World. And how coverage of the many vulnerabilities of Pete Hegseth suggests that the media might just have a few moves left. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Barack Obama's Former Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes discusses whether or not Democrats still embody what they say they stand for. The co-host of Pod Save The World and author of (among many things) a New York TImes Essay, titled "I Study Guys Like Trump. There's a Reason They Keep Winning." Plus, Pete Hegseth's mom was pretty down on Pete Hegseth a few years ago ... and now everyone knows about it. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kamala Harris' staff reveals their biggest challenges, notably the little time they had to sell their candidate to America. Plus, Hunter Biden is pardoned by his father—an act he said he'd never commit, then again, no one thought Hunter would commit many of the acts he committed either. And we're joined by former Congressman Eric Fingerhut, now CEO of the Jewish Federations of America, to discuss what an organization like his does when over a third of Senate Democrats vote to strip Israel of military support. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we listen back to Mike's April 2023 interview with NewsGuard founder Steven Brill about the business of issuing nutrition labels for news. Then we listen back to this past Tuesday's Spiel about the role for NewsGuard in our current political moment. 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 Yard is a standup comic who has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, Flatbush Misdemeanors, and was a contributor to The Nightly Show with Larry WiImore. He is both an ex-felon and a union leader at the Museum of Modern Art. In this conversation, we discuss Yard's jokes about his pro-prison stance, leaving the Virgin Islands for the worst neighborhood in Brooklyn, and his suspicions about candlelight vigils. 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.

Abraham Lincoln certainly loved the nation he led, he loved Democracy, he loved his wife, and he loved some men, too. That's according to a new film, Lover Of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln. Shaun Peterson and Tom Balcerski are back to continue our conversation about our 16th President's loves. Also on the show, Democrats try out a new strategy to battle Trump, and Rudy is tapped out. Promo code for 20% off a PescaPlus membership: "huffelpuffsnuffalapagus" or "cheese" 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: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g 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.