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On The Gist, Trump boosted an empty idea at CPAC: arming teachers to stop mass shooters.
In the interview, Derek DelGaudio is the magician of our time. His one-man show, In & of Itself, questions identity in a political atmosphere that’s consumed by it.
In the Spiel, “unsubstantiated” stories about Trump’s lecherous behavior on the set of The Apprentice are obviously, completely, and sadly believable.
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On The Gist, NBC’s coverage of Olympic athletes’ backstories is a little too obvious.
Slate tech writers April Glaser and Will Oremus examine the most plausible methods for reining in our tech overlords. Glaser and Oremus are the hosts of Slate’s If Then.
In the Spiel, NRA honcho Wayne LaPierre’s speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference was downright loony.
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On The Gist, Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek will be moderating a gubernatorial debate in Pennsylvania. Mike says no thanks.
In the interview, Gregg Easterbrook is ever the optimist. Despite what your push alerts and Facebook news feed are telling you, the world is steadily getting safer, wealthier, and less afflicted by war and disease. Easterbrook is the author of It's Better Than It Looks: Reasons for Optimism in an Age of Fear.
In the Spiel, gun control advocates shouldn’t compromise.
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On The Gist, Team USA’s low medal count would be a bummer if these Winter Olympics weren’t so goofy.
In the interview, Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs didn’t campaign on universal basic income, but he’s bringing it to his city. Later this year, some residents will start getting $500 a month.
In the Spiel, conservative commentators have it plain wrong when it comes to gun control.
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On The Gist, the market for “how to survive a shooting spree” videos shows how far we’ve strayed in dealing with gun violence.
Interracial marriage on a national level has only been legal for 50 years, after the landmark Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia. Anna Holmes and Lacey Schwartz are two of the minds behind The Loving Generation, a video series by Topic.com on identity and dynamics within multiracial families.
In the Spiel, it’s a no-brainer: Ban civilian ownership of the AR-15, and fewer will die.
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Filling in for Mike Pesca today is Leon Neyfakh, still smoldering after his first season as host of Slate’s hit podcast, Slow Burn.
Leon is indulging in a new fascination lately: the latest “left Twix vs. right Twix” ad campaign and its insistence that we should all pick one.
But, of course, we insist on taking sides. Slate writer Justin Peters sheds some light on the New York Times’ swift hiring and firing of tech journalist Quinn Norton.
In Leon’s Spiel: We must have some moral absolutes. But what is the cost of eschewing bothsidesism?
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On The Gist, names are stupidly important when it comes to getting elected.
The Trump administration is proposing a boost in military spending, but the country’s defense budget actually peaked under President Obama during the troop surge for the war in Afghanistan. Bipartisan support for massive defense spending has been the norm since the Reagan era. Foreign Policy’s Dan De Luce tells us about it.
In the Spiel, lawyer Michael Cohen’s out-of-pocket expenses.
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On The Gist, on the White House budget’s effort to replace half of food-stamp funding with crappy meal boxes.
How do you fix one of the most gerrymandered states in the country? It helps to have a tireless amateur mapmaker in your ranks. Mike talks to Amanda Holt, who spurred Pennsylvania to redraw its legislative districts in 2013 and is closely watching the state’s ongoing court battle over its congressional districts.
In the Spiel, the American intelligence community still has to convince the White House that Russia’s up to no good.
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On today’s Gist, we get metaphysical. The White House is always in chaos. But can chaos be a permanent condition?
Maria Konnikova returns to play our favorite game and answer the question: Does an athletic uniform’s color affect the athlete’s performance? Konnikova writes for the New Yorker is the author of The Confidence Game.
In the Spiel, why Norway is a Winter Olympics marvel.
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On The Gist, it’s The $10,000 Pyramid with a budget deal twist.
Is it possible we don’t know enough about national debt to call our politicians when they’re peddling nonsense? New Yorker staff writer Adam Davidson addresses some common misconceptions and sums up the Republican tax cuts and spending bill this way: “Rich people are stealing the money.”
In the Spiel, the Olympics are back, and the Russians got off easy.
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