The Gist - A Budding Storyteller Turns In His “Homework for Life”

Storyteller Matthew Dicks has one rule for getting better at telling stories: At the end of every day, scribble down the moment that makes the most promising tale. Today on The Gist, we hear from a listener who followed that advice. 

For the Spiel, a bungled marriage proposal at the New York Yankees game. 

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The Gist - Where’s the Beef in Trump’s Ground Game?

In The Gist, PBS NewsHour correspondent Lisa Desjardins surveys the presidential campaigns’ get-out-the-vote efforts: “The first caveat is a lot of the rules don’t apply to this campaign.” 

In the Spiel, are presidential debates like the NFL Scouting Combine? They’re not enough to show if a player will be good on the field, but they're enough to show a player has no business being there in the first place?

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The Gist - This Debate Is Not the Super Bowl

The Gist is awaiting the first presidential debate and preparing a rapid response for early Tuesday morning. In the meantime, we hear from Jeremy Epstein: Four years ago, he was a 20-year-old Hofstra University student facing uncertain job prospects. But after he asked Barack Obama and Mitt Romney about the economy during the first debate, he became briefly famous. He was even impersonated by Fred Armisen on Saturday Night Live. Now, Epstein walks us through what it’s like to ask a question on the debate stage, and if he thinks Lester Holt should pull a Candy Crowley.   

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The Gist - Is Your Favorite World Oddity Wondrous Enough for Atlas Obscura?

The world is not flat, Google hasn’t yet mapped everything, and there are yet places in the world that don’t take your AmEx card. Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders is the immense catalog of the world’s curiosities, from the rainbow river of South America to the medical device museum in Minnesota. On The Gist, editors Dylan Thuras and Ella Morton of Atlas Obscura explain their taxonomy of awe-inspiring sights.

In the Spiel, the return of the Trump Anxiety Hotline.

Today’s sponsors: The Girl on the Train, in theaters Oct. 7.

Upstanders, a new podcast from Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekaran. Hear stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to create positive change in their communities. Listen and subscribe to Upstanders on iTunes starting Sept. 7.  

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The Gist - A How-Not-To Manual for Presidents

Do you have great aspirations of being the best president the United States has ever known? On The Gist, journalist Robert Strauss says you’d be better off trying to learn from the mistakes of America’s duds. That’s why Strauss wrote Worst. President. Ever. about James Buchanan, who has the distinct dishonor of setting the national stage for the Civil War.

In the Spiel, Mike takes on the myth of the “perfect voter.”

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The Gist - How Filmmakers Faked the Moon Landing Inside Real NASA

For their second movie, Matt Johnson and Matthew Miller gave themselves a challenge: Make a period mockumentary about the faking of the moon landing, on a total shoestring budget. Johnson says the finished product, Operation Avalanche, wouldn’t have been possible without the (unwitting) support of NASA, who let the filmmakers shoot inside the unaltered mission control from 1969. The film opens across North America this month.

On the Spiel, Mike tries to get through to those millennials kicking the tires on Gary Johnson and Jill Stein.

Today’s sponsors:

The Gist is brought to you by The Girl on the Train, in theaters October 7th.

And by ABC’s new series, Designated Survivor. Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Cabinet member who is thrust into the presidency after a devastating attack on the government. Designated Survivor premieres Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on ABC.

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The Gist - Maureen Dowd Wants a Candidate Like H.W. Again

Maureen Dowd has covered every president since the early ’90s. The second President Bush even gave her a nickname: “The Cobra.” In her new book, Dowd examines what it takes to lead the country and what the press is missing about the current Republican nominee.

On the Spiel, Mike laments a bygone age of TV advertising. 

Today’s sponsors:

The Gist is brought to you by Betterment, the largest automated investing service. Get up to six months of investing FREE when you go to Betterment.com/gist.

And by ABC’s new series Designated Survivor. Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Cabinet member who is thrust into the presidency after a devastating attack on the government. Designated Survivor premieres Wednesday, Sept. 21 on ABC.

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The Gist - How Do We Fix Down-Ballot Elections?

In 2012, Republicans won a solid majority in the House of Representatives, but only 48 percent of the vote. How did it happen? The Hill’s national correspondent, Reid Wilson, talks about the unusual forces influencing down-ballot races this year. There’s more money from outside forces, like the Koch brothers, but also hyperlocal issues that get lost in coverage of the presidential race. 

On the Spiel, Mike considers an appropriate response to the bombings in Manhattan and New Jersey.  Today’s sponsors: 

Rocket Mortgage from Quicken Loans. Rocket Mortgage brings the mortgage process into the 21st century with an easy online process. Check out Rocket Mortgage today at QuickenLoans.com/gist.

ABC’s new series Designated Survivor. Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Cabinet member who is thrust into the presidency after a devastating attack on the government. Designated Survivor premieres on ABC Wednesday, Sept. 21.

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The Gist - “Mrs. Robinson,” “Hey Jude,” and Some Utter Schlock

The political upheaval of 1968 was ferocious, but the Billboard charts still reflected a calm, placid sensibility. Our guest Chris Molanphy looks at the year in radio hits, from Herb Alpert’s debut as a singer to the novelty tracks competing for air time with the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel. Molanphy writes Slate’s Why Is This Song No. 1? column.  

For the Spiel, a debate with Politico Magazine writer Bill Scher: Was Hillary Clinton taking a risk with her “deplorables” comment?

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