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Margaret from the future continues her reporting from the front in Catalonia.
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array(3) { [0]=> string(150) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/programs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/78d30acb-8463-4c40-a5ae-ae2d0145c9ff/image.jpg?t=1749835422&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }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, though, we’re throwing that formula out the proverbial window and playing an episode of Very Serious with Josh Barro, on which Mike was a guest. He joined Josh, Ben Dreyfuss, and Megan McArdle to talk about Trump’s first week in office.
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By Lee Herrick
The man behind SoftBank has now teamed up with OpenAI to invest up to $500 billion in American AI infrastructure over the next four years. Masayoshi Son has a vision for the future of the world. But what does that vision look like?
Lionel Barber is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Financial Times and author of the book “Gambling Man: The Secret Story of the World’s Greatest Disruptor, Masayoshi Son.” Ricky Mulvey caught up with Barber to discuss:
- Masa Son’s instincts as a salesperson and investor.
- Why the founder is still driven by his roots.
- Questions for anyone who’s tempted to put their life savings into SoftBank.
Tickers mentioned: SFTBY, NVDA
Host: Ricky Mulvey
Guest: Lionel Barber
Producer: Mary Long
Engineer: Rick Engdahl
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We meet security guard Armia Khalil, whose kindness to a visitor led to his sculpture being exhibited at New York's Met Museum. Also: new hope for Parkinson's; beer that's good for you; and Bhutan welcomes Ed Sheeran.
Victor Davis Hanson discusses the implications of Donald Trump's executive orders, particularly those targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) quotas in government. He delves into recent incidents at Columbia University and NYU involving pro-Palestine protests and their potential consequences for student visas:
“My point is this, all of these Elite students at these elite universities talk a great game, but when they've never faced any consequences, if Donald Trump and if these universities are afraid of Donald Trump and they clamp down, I think you're going to see deterrence start to work to discourage other protests, because one thing we know about all these young students, they are careerist and they are careerists used to being pampered…”
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Fourteen years ago, Amy Chua published Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. It was received less like a book and more like a nuclear bomb. Here are some headlines from the time: “Why I Will Never Be a Tiger Mom.” “Why Amy Chua Is Wrong About Parenting.” “Amy Chua Is a Circus Trainer, Not a Tiger Mother.” “The Human Race Needs Elephant Mothers, Not Tiger Mothers.” “Amy Chua's Recipe for Disaster and the Externalized Cost of Book Sales.”
Then, just as the publicity around Tiger Mother died down, Amy came out with The Triple Package, about why some ethnic groups succeed. People called her racist. Then she came out in support of Brett Kavanaugh's court nomination in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal (before he was accused of sexual assault by Christine Blasey Ford). Afterward, people accused her of misogyny and grooming. And she was almost forced out of Yale for it.
Then, in 2021, she was accused of hosting boozy dinner parties during COVID lockdowns and “dinner party-gate” was born. Yale punished her by barring her from teaching her “small group” first-year student contingency.
Fast-forward to 2025. And the tables have turned.
Being a strict “tiger mom”? In. Free speech? In. Wokeness and hypersensitivity? Out.
Covid lockdowns? Definitely out. Vicious character assassinations at Senate confirmations? Out. As Free Press reporter Peter Savodnik just wrote: “The ideas that Chua was pilloried for are suddenly back in fashion.”
Just a few weeks ago, she attended the inauguration of the incoming president and vice president—one of whom happens to be her former student and mentee.
It’s easy to be a weather vane—to go where the wind blows. It's hard to be Amy Chua—to stand up for your beliefs even when they are not popular, even when it means personal consequences. On today’s episode, live in D.C. during inauguration weekend, Chua explains how and why she won—and what it feels like to be vindicated.
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