The Gist - Character Test

First, we discuss all those dead Russian Generals. Then Jing Tsu joins us to discuss her book Kingdom of Characters, about the century-long effort to make Chinese characters interoperable with Western alphabets. Finally, what if RBG had retired? Mike creates a cornucopia of counterfactuals that gets us precisely to where we are today.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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The Gist - What Progress Have We Seen Since The Murder Of George Floyd?

Jerrika Richardson, Senior Vice President for Equitable Justice & Strategic Initiatives at the National Urban League discusses the actual policing reforms that have been enacted since the protests of 2020. Plus, the best messages to convey on abortion, and a failed Amazon Union vote for a Staten Island warehouse got a lot less coverage than the one a month ago that was supposed to portend a new tide of labor momentum.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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The Gist - No Mo RO

With the indication that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v Wade, @KathaPollitt of The Nation, and Virginia Heffernan, @page88, of the This is Critical podcast analyze the implications of the ruling, and discuss the conditions that made it so. In the spiel, the legitimacy of the court, and just how unusual it is to take away a right Americans absorbed and relied on for half a century.


Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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The Gist - How I Got Inflation Wrong

15 months ago, Binyamin Appelbaum, who writes on economic issues as a member of the NY Editorial Board wrote a piece entitled Inflation Isn’t Lurking Around the Corner. This Isn’t the 1970s." He was very wrong. But he's owning it, and in very productive discussion talks about the macro and micro reasons he was mistaken and which parts of his approach he'll change. Plus, a San Francisco teacher is disciplined for bringing a cotton into the classroom and the NYT (that paper again!) aims 19,000 words at Tucker Carlson


Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

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The Gist - BEST OF THE GIST: What The F**k Is Up With David Daley And Elon Musk

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we ask yesterday’s guest, gerrymandering expert David Daley, “Why so many asterisks in the title of your bestselling book?” Turns out, focus groups made him do it. And then we rewind to Monday’s Spiel, when Mike wonders if there could be a better way to think about Elon Musk buying Twitter than simply asking yourself: How much do I like Elon Musk?

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

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The Gist - Gerrymander Garcia

After Judge Michael Garcia, and all of his peers on the NY State Court of Appeals threw out the Democrats attempt to Gerrymander the state, the national advantage from Gerrymandering moves back to the Republicans. David Daley Author of Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count. Plus, how our coverage of Madison Cawthorn and Majorie Taylor Greene exemplify "the Gist Difference". And finally, we'll examine why of all the judges on NY State's Court of Appeals, why did this description highlight Michael Garcia and not, say, Chief Justice Janet DiFiore? Was it Just to get a C+ episode title? It was, and that is also, sadly, The Gist Difference.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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The Gist - The Cost of Arming the Ukraine

With Joe Biden asking for $33billion in new aid, Mike contemplates and calculates the costs and benefits of this, aid and what we could be spending on in America. Plus, Ken White is back to offer his analysis on the likelihood of a Trump prosecution and what the latest release of an America held captive in Russia means for Brittney Griner.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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The Gist - Trump Legal Jeopardy VS Dems Wishful Thinking

Every day another piece of potentially damning news seems to emerge from the January 6th commission or the NY Attorney General office. But it is so hard to know what are the real risks, and what is just fodder for prosecution thirsty cable news lawyers. Plus, Governor Abbott's backward bus stunt, and the value of corporate amorality.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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The Gist - Coups News

After a period of relative stability, Africa coups d'etat are breaking out all over.  We discuss with Dr Nathaniel Powell,

Africa Analyst with Oxford Analytica. Plus, mash notes sent between leaders on the Korean peninsula, and EVERYONE in the liberal/progressive/mainstream/blue check mark/ non-conservative community being apoplectic about Elon Twitter.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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The Gist - Unlocking the Puzzler Brain

AJ Jacobs stops by to talk about the psychology of puzzles and the nerdles who wordle. His new book is The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life. Plus, a better way to think about Elon Musk buying Twitter than simply asking yourself: How much do I like Elon Musk? And Mike battles with a journalistic convention.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com

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