Author: Peach Fish Productions

Today on The Gist, we might have audio from Brian Williams’ helicopter being shot down. Plus, storyteller Matt Dicks tells us about how he pares down memorable moments from his life into the five seconds that are worth telling. He’s helping us train a master storyteller here on The Gist. Want to pitch your tale? Tell us your name, a little bit about you, and brief version of your story. Call 304-607-GIST (4478) with your minute-long pitch. Complete Slate’s podcast listener survey! Tell us about yourself and your favorite podcasts so that Slate can serve you better. We’d appreciate two minutes of your time. Go to slate.com/survey. Today’s sponsors: Squarespace.com. Get a free trial and 10 percent off your first purchase when you visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code GIST. And, The Great Courses. Their course on “The Art of Storytelling: From Parents to Professionals” is a great fit for The Gist listeners. Order from eight of their best-selling courses at up to 80 percent off the original price. Go to thegreatcourses.com/GIST.

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Are headlines about “three-parent babies” far-fetched, or spot-on? Today on The Gist, BuzzFeed science editor Virginia Hughes reminds us what we wish we remembered about mitochondrial DNA from ninth-grade biology. Plus, music writer Chris Molanphy explains why Tom Petty received credit for Sam Smith’s top-10 hit “Stay With Me.” For the Spiel, lower-upper middle-lower-upper class warfare. Complete Slate's podcast listener survey! Tell us about yourself and your favorite podcasts so that Slate can serve you better. We'd appreciate two minutes of your time. Go to slate.com/survey. Today’s sponsors: Stamps.com. Sign up for a no-risk trial and get a $110 bonus offer, when you visit Stamps.com and enter promo code TheGist. Also, Squarespace.com. Get a free trial and 10 percent off your first purchase when you visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code GIST.

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Today on The Gist, a look at how propaganda thrives in North Korea from the perspective of Kim Jong-il’s former poet laureate, Jang Jin-sung. He’s the author of Dear Leader: Poet, Spy, Escapee—A Look Inside North Korea. For the Spiel, a new way to understand the fiery conversation about vaccines. Complete Slate’s podcast listener survey! Tell us about yourself and your favorite podcasts so that Slate can serve you better. We’d appreciate 2 minutes of your time. Go to slate.com/survey. Today’s sponsors: Citrix GoToMeeting. When meetings matter, millions choose GoToMeeting. Get a free 30-day trial by visiting GoToMeeting.com and clicking the “try it free” button. Also, Squarespace.com. Get a free trial and 10% off your first purchase when you visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code GIST.

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Today on The Gist, political analyst Jonah Blank from the RAND Corporation explains the geopolitical impact of election results in Sri Lanka. Plus, are any of those detox diets worth your while? Mike asks Maria Konnikova of The New Yorker to explain the cleanse she does every day. For the Spiel, beast mode explained. Today’s sponsors: Stamps.com. Sign up for a no-risk trial and get a $110 bonus offer, when you visit Stamps.com and enter promo code TheGist. Also, Squarespace.com. Get a free trial and 10 percent off your first purchase when you visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code GIST. Promo Code: Gist.

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Today on The Gist: a visual avenger for the beauty of Woodside, Queens. His canvas? FDNY fire call boxes, many dating back the 1920s. With a fresh coat of glossy paint (that’s also urine-proof and barf-resistant), they look beautiful. We speak with John Colgan, whom you can follow as the Fire Alarm Guy on Facebook. For the Spiel, it’s an antentwig. That’s our name for a three-week period wherein we correct, amplify, and slouch toward plausible deniability, and it all ends in a Lobstar. Complete Slate’s podcast listener survey! Tell us about yourself and your favorite podcasts so that Slate can serve you better. We’d appreciate two minutes of your time. Go to slate.com/survey. Today’s sponsors: Squarespace. Get a free trial and 10 percent off your first purchase when you visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code GIST. Also, Acura, the presenting sponsor of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Check out the all-new Acura TLX at acura.com or test drive one for yourself at your local Acura dealer.

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Fellow dads Mike Pesca and Adam Davidson of NPR are saving up to send their kids to college and are taking advantage of so-called 529 plans. Today on The Gist, why they think these plans shouldn’t exist as a public policy. Plus, journalist Murray Carpenter explains our complicated relationship with an acceptable addiction. He’s the author of Caffeinated: How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts, and Hooks Us. For the Spiel, Mike solves the world’s problems. Today’s sponsors: Squarespace. Get a free trial and 10 percent off your first purchase when you visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code GIST. Also, Acura, the presenting sponsor of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Check out the all-new Acura TLX at acura.com or test drive one for yourself at your local Acura dealer. Complete Slate’s podcast listener survey! Tell us about yourself and your favorite podcasts so that Slate can serve you better. We’d appreciate two minutes of your time. Go to slate.com/survey.

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Do Chris Christie’s outbursts make him impossible to elect as president or beloved for candor? Today on The Gist, WNYC reporter Matt Katz explains his complicated relationship with the New Jersey governor. Katz is the host of the new podcast The Christie Tracker. For the Spiel, Mike unearths an early experiment from NPR’s Day to Day, an ode to the Garden State’s wave of corruption. Today’s sponsors: Citrix GoToMeeting. When meetings matter, millions choose GoToMeeting. Get a free 30-day trial by visiting GoToMeeting.com and clicking the “try it free” button. Also, by Squarespace. Get a free trial and 10 percent off your first purchase when you visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code GIST.

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Does the GOP’s 2016 candidate need to figuratively lose the primaries to win the general? On The Gist, Slate’s Reihan Salam shares which Republican candidates stood out at the Iowa Freedom Summit, and which ones decided not to show. Plus, Slate’s Lily Hay Newman joins us to discuss why Windows 9 got skipped, and Internet Explorer got stuck. For the Spiel, winter weather is snow joke. Today’s sponsors: Acura, the presenting sponsor of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Check out the all new Acura TLX at acura.com or test drive one for yourself at your local Acura dealer. Also, Squarespace, the all-in-one platform that makes it fast and easy to create your own professional website, portfolio, and online store. Get a free trial and 10 percent off your first purchase when you visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code GIST.

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How exactly should the United States go about countering the jihadi narrative? Today on The Gist, we’re joined by Farah Pandith, the first ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities for the United States. She says the solution needs to come from civil society and the private sector, not from government alone. Plus, storyteller Matt Dicks tells us about five seconds from his life. He’s going to help us train a master storyteller on The Gist. Want to pitch your tale? Tell us your name, a little bit about you, and brief version of your story. Call 304-607-GIST (4478) with your minute-long pitch. For the Spiel, how to talk to your kids about deflategate. Today’s sponsors: Acura. Check out the all-new Acura TLX at acura.com or test drive one for yourself at your local Acura dealer. Also, Stamps.com, enter promo code The Gist for a special offer. Get a no-risk trial plus $110 bonus offer, which includes a digital scale and up to $55 free postage.

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Before the Revolutionary War, the tavern founded by Samuel Fraunces in lower Manhattan was the meeting place for the Sons of Liberty. During the Revolutionary War, the tavern took a cannonball through the roof, and after the war’s end, it’s where George Washington bid farewell to his officers. The tavern’s last true brush with history came 40 years ago. On Jan. 24, 1975, Puerto Rican nationalists set off a bomb in the tavern annex, injuring 50 people and killing four people. One off those victims was Frank Connor, a banker from Fair Lawn, New Jersey. His son Joe Connor joins us on The Gist to describe his ongoing work preserving his father’s legacy and pursuing justice. He and Michael Duncan are the authors of The New Founders. For the Spiel, why NFL quarterbacks should get to do whatever they want with their balls. Read Mike’s full article “Let Them Deflate” on Slate. Today’s sponsors: Acura. Check out the all new Acura TLX at acura.com or test drive one for yourself at your local Acura dealer. Also, The Great Courses. Their course on The Art of Storytelling: From Parents to Professionals is a great fit for The Gist listeners. Visit thegreatcourses.com/GIST.

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