The Gist - White Fragility Kills the Argument

On the Gist, Trump is lost in the numbers.

In the interview, former mayor of Minneapolis Betsy Hodges joins Mike to talk about her most recent op-ed in the New York Times, “As Mayor of Minneapolis, I Saw How White Liberals Block Change.” In it, Hodges challenges white liberals to confront the status quo of comfort and move the horizon of racial disparity that breeds police brutality.

In the spiel, is the scientific method white? The Smithsonian seems to think so

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Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley.

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The Gist - Softball Stupidity

On the Gist, Trump is full of beans.

In the second half of a two-part interview, novelist Curtis Sittenfeld is continues talking her new novel Rodham. She and Mike discuss the critiques of Hillary within the book, the final choices in the book, and how it might relate to modern superhero stories.

In the spiel, the need for tough follow-ups with Trump.

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Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley.

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The Gist - Biden His Time

On the Gist, renaming in Burlington, New Jersey.

In the first half of a two-part interview, novelist Curtis Sittenfeld is here to discuss Rodham, her new novel exploring an alternative history where Hillary Clinton never married Bill. She and Mike discuss the origins of the novel, how her skills aren’t in the public part of politics, and what it’s like to create such a fiction.

In the spiel, Joe Biden keeping quiet.

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Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley.

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The Gist - Uneducated Posturing

On the Gist, the Washington football team have more work ahead than they realize.

In the interview, Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri joins Mike to chat about her recently published book Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why. A hand-picked anthology of her some of her best essays that are mockingly sharp, and unsettlingly cheerful, it showcases the satirist’s gleefully distorted take on our political and social realities. 

In the spiel, educational idiocy.

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Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley.

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The Gist - Usain Bolt’s Greatness Code

On the Gist, Trump’s bullying worked.

In the interview, Olympic champion Usain Bolt is here to talk with Mike about the new documentary series Greatness Code on Apple TV+. They discuss Bolt’s love of the 200 meter race, training, and how he might feel when people start coming for his record. All episodes of Greatness Code are available to stream now on Apple TV+.

In the spiel, the parent-teacher mob.

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Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley.

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The Gist - Guns Make Everything Worse

On the Gist, guns in the U.K. and the U.S.

In the interview, we share part two of our conversation with Barry Friedman, founder of the Policing Project at NYU Law, author and legal scholar. Friedman suggests that a hurdle to creating new policies and training is the lack of accountability and uniform data gathering processes provided from police departments around the country. The central idea to the project is how to create good police departments.

In the spiel, J.K. Rowling.

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The Gist - Policing’s Big Picture

On the Gist, Karens receiving informal justice.

In the interview, Mike speaks with Barry Friedman, one of two investigators appointed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the NYPD’s actions in protest activity. Founder of the Policing Project at NYU Law, Friedman is a legal scholar and author. In part one of the conversation, Professor Friedman discusses backend versus front end accountability within policing, the executive research forum standards and their guiding principles for use of force, as well as how to diversity police departments. Stay tuned for part two in tomorrow’s episode.

In the spiel, New York crime during Covid-19.

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Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley.

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The Gist - Canceling Cancel Culture

On the Gist, crime in unpoliced camps.

In the interview, comedian Tom Papa is here to talk with Mike about his new book You’re Doing Great! and his Netflix special of the same name. He and Mike discuss the choice of happiness, getting stuck, and why we should listen to young people more.

In the spiel, cancel culture.

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The Gist - The Washington Football Team Should Move

On the Gist, Trump at Mount Rushmore.

In the interview, making a strong case for reparations among descendants of enslaved African Americans is economist William Darity, Jr in his new book, From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century. Darity suggests that that in order to close the racial wealth disparities, America must confront injustices and offer a detailed fiscal plan for providing financial gifts to Black Americans to aid their economic well-being.

In the spiel, renaming a football team.

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The Gist - Define the Police

On the Gist, the greatness that will remain long after we’re gone.

In the interview, we present part two of Mike’s conversation with John McWhorter on the linguistics of race, defining ‘Defund the Police,’ and how words we use today will morph over time. WcWhorter is the host of Lexicon Valley and a professor at Columbia University. Find his most recent piece in the Atlantic: “The Dictionary Definition of Racism Has to Change.”

In the spiel, historical truths versus myths.

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Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley.

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