Author: Peach Fish Productions

On The Gist, the news media is getting better at demoting the names of America’s mass shooters. That’s a good thing, even as the internet’s darker corners do the opposite.

In the interview, comedian Josh Gondelman is from Boston, but he often comes across as Minnesota nice. Can a comedian get laughs without being a bit of an asshole? Gondelman discusses that, his latest comedy album—Dancing on a Weeknight—and why writing for Showtime’s Desus & Mero involves shedding fewer tears than does scripting Last Week Tonight. 

In the Spiel, if you’re going to enjoy this Avengers: Endgame parody, you’ll have to contend with a spoiler or two. Cool?

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On The Gist, the 2020 candidates’ proposals shouldn’t be compared to some progressive ideal, but to some of the stuff we spend taxpayer dollars on now.

In the interview, the pace of technological change means we might only be catching onto malicious disinformation techniques after it’s too late to counter them. Still, scientific inquiry is useful in telling us how manipulation works. In The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread, authors Cailin O'Connor and James Owen Weatherall argue that social dynamics often trump intellectual ones in determining what we fall for, including bogus information peddled by anti-vaxxers. “You, in the right social context, would hold a lot of false beliefs too,” says O’Connor. 

In the Spiel, putting the Anita Hill hearings in context.

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On The Gist, the difference between one million and one billion.

In the interview, Nathaniel Rich is here to discuss his new book Losing Earth about the decade of 1979-1989 and why they are so important to understanding America’s political history of climate change and the current state of denialism we find ourselves in. 

In the Spiel, is impeachment worth it? If we don’t will Trump get reelected?

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On The Gist, whether he’s on the most electable part of the political spectrum or not, Joe Biden is about to go through the wringer.   

In the interview, winning a major sports championship is a thrill few ever get to know. But what happens when you keep stacking trophies, like the NBA’s Golden State Warriors have done in recent years? The Athletic’s Ethan Strauss covers the team, and wonders “if the Warriors suffer from, shall we call it, winner’s ennui.” Strauss is the host of the House of Strauss podcast and wrote a chapter on the Warriors in Mike Pesca’s book, Upon Further Review: The Greatest What-Ifs in Sports History. 

In the Spiel, it’s one from the vault on HBO’s The Jinx, which, it’s now come to light, included some misleading editing.

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On The Gist, Kate Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America.”

In the interview, comedian and filmmaker Lake Bell is here to discuss her new tv series Bless This Mess. About a newlywed couple who move from New York City to Nebraska, it’s a play on the fish-out-of-water trope, but packed with more jokes than you know what to do with. Bless This Mess airs on Tuesdays at 9:30pm on ABC. 

In the Spiel, the questions at the CNN town halls weren’t all that great. 

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On The Gist, Rudy Giuliani was a big, loud, and busy distraction this past Sunday.

In the interview, it’s a round of “Is That Bullshit?” with Maria Konnikova. In the hot seat: the humble egg. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that eggs can increase your chances of heart disease. But is this study all it’s cracked up to be? The nutritional science has gone back and forth on the health benefits and risks of this breakfast food. Maria boils it down.

In the Spiel, dragons roast their victims—and we roast Elizabeth Warren’s Game of Thrones critique.

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On The Gist, sick children and dead ducks are pretty convincing.

In the interview, South African comedian Loyiso Gola is here to talk about his stand up special on Netflix, what it’s like performing in different countries, and why talking about the economy is so difficult for everyday people. Gola is performing at the Soho Playhouse until April 21, 2019. 

In the Spiel, time for an early Antentwig. 

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On The Gist, Trump’s fundamental misreading of politics. 

In the interview, Garrett Graff’s afternoon was as busy as any journalist’s, picking through the redacted Mueller report released by the Department of Justice. There’s something new on every page, Graff says, including the Trump campaign’s awareness of Russian efforts against Hillary Clinton—and its expectation to benefit from them politically. Graff wrote a biography of Robert Mueller. His latest ebook is Mueller’s War. 

In the Spiel, Mueller did a great job, and if this report came out in a different climate it’d actually lead to real consequences.

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On The Gist, the redacted Mueller report as an exercise in Zen. 

In the interview, economist Tyler Cowen is just about the smartest person in Mike Pesca’s podcast feed. He’s on the Gist to answer rapid fire questions on the college admissions scandal, what the likes of Herman Cain would mean for the Fed, and the virtues of big American enterprises. That last topic is the subject of Cowen’s new book, Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero. His podcast is Conversations with Tyler. 

In the Spiel, oh how we forget the gulf that lies between lived experience and public recollection.    

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On The Gist, sparing a thought for Notre Dame… and how Americans pronounce it.

In the interview, Politico’s Anna Palmer on what Trump is doing to America as he navigates a government he doesn’t understand. Her book, co-written with Jake Sherman, is The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump’s America. 

In the Spiel, moms are not off limits for quotes—about their children—published by the New York Times.

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