Author: Peach Fish Productions

On The Gist, Trump’s press conference with Putin and the red herrings involved.

Silicon Valley is steeped in self-made mythology, with stories about giants like Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Marissa Mayer. But how did Silicon Valley really come into being? Adam Fisher, whose new book is Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley, joins us to discuss where it all started—and the valley’s potential future.

In the Spiel, how journalists should respond to criticisms of the media and how they should hold talk show guests accountable.  

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On The Gist, it turns out your ethnicity is really easy to guess.

AnneMarie Sgarlata got rid of her TV months ago, but she still heard about President Trump’s pardon of Dwight and Steven Hammond this week—and she wasn’t happy. Sgarlata was among the lawyers who originally prosecuted the Hammonds for burning federal land and putting the lives of firefighters, hunters, and a teenage boy at risk.

In the Spiel, what America’s political parties can learn from cereal brand mascots.

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On The Gist, the biases of Peter Strzok and the need to connect accusations with actual evidence.

President Trump’s first appointment to the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, benefited from anonymous donations worth millions. To Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, this “dark money” has created a frightening loop: Deemed lawful by the Supreme Court in 2010, it gives special interests a lock not just on elected officials, but on the courts themselves.

In the Spiel, Trump might not know the difference between Wisconsin and Minnesota.

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On The Gist, “Brett” has got to be the lamest name among Supreme Court justices (or nominees).

“If Jim Brown’s the past, Michael Bennett’s the future.” So says sports writer Dave Zirin, who recently published both a biography of Brown and co-authored Bennett’s memoir. Why the contrast between these two football players? Michael Bennett is a deliberate progressive, while Jim Brown’s work to save young men from gang life is marred by a history of domestic abuse. Zirin’s books are Jim Brown: Last Man Standing and Things That Make White People Uncomfortable.

In the Spiel, Rep. Jim Jordan picked the wrong hill to die on.

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On The Gist, Trump isn’t strategic or defiant, he’s just rapacious.

When discussing #MeToo, the focus is often on the power that men exerted when sexually harassing women, but are their sexual motivations getting left out of the conversation? Emily Yoffe wrote about this in her new piece “Understanding Harvey,” for the Highline, and joins us to discuss.

In the Spiel, Hollywood has taught us that cars explode, but in reality they hardly ever do. Shouldn’t movies teach us more practical lessons about how to handle crises? 

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On The Gist, comparing Trump’s antics to a reality show is no longer a scarlet letter.

Yes, there are storytelling competitions, and Matthew Dicks wins a lot of them. His secret? Keep it visual, and forget about the tangents. Dicks’ new book is Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling.

In the Spiel, “people trapped in holes” is a tale as old as time.

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On The Gist, the shamelessness of the Wall Street Journal editorial board on Scott Pruitt leaving the Environmental Protection Agency.

Advertisements are a pain, interrupting our television programs and distracting us while we play games on our phones. They’re a necessity though, funding all the entertainment we consume. Ken Auletta joins us to discuss the current state of advertising and its uncertain, data-driven future. Auletta’s new book is Frenemies: The Epic Disruption of the Ad Business (and Everything Else). 

In the Spiel, can we please just have targeted ads already?

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On The Gist, Scott Pruitt is out as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency because it turns out someone really can be too corrupt for Trump.

Let us next turn to the Supreme Court—not in America, but Poland, where the rightwing government is forcing nearly 40 percent of judges into retirement. Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer says the country’s latest swerve toward authoritarianism proves that democracy can erode just about anywhere.

In the Spiel, Michael Moore claims to know where the Democratic Party has gone wrong and what it needs to do to change direction, but how reliable is he?

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On The Gist, let’s watch the latest viral video from the conservative right.

A certain group of Sherlock fans were convinced that John Watson and Sherlock would fall in love. When they didn’t, those fans turned on the showrunners. But what responsibility do creators have to their fans? Should they take suggestions? Slate TV critic Willa Paskin dove into the question—and the Sherlock fanbase—on the second episode of Decoder Ring.

In the Spiel, the Supreme Court confirmation process is broken.

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On The Gist, Mitch McConnell’s values have changed—again!

Lounging around in the heat of a sauna might feel nice, but is it good for you, too? Maria Konnikova has gone through the studies (most of them from Finland, where you can’t throw a hot rock without hitting a sauna) and is here to boil them down for us. Konnikova writes for the New Yorker and is the author of The Confidence Game.

In the Spiel, let’s not get carried away. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got fewer votes than some school district board members. 

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