Author: Peach Fish Productions

Today on The Gist, RAND Corp. political scientist Jonah Blank puts Obama’s visit to Myanmar in context. Then, the harrowing prison story that inspired Jon Stewart’s directorial debut, Rosewater. The film is based on the memoir Then They Came for Me by our guest journalist Maziar Bahari. For the Spiel, the Gruber gaffe. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Are we entering an era in which failure will dominate our lives? On The Gist, Adam Davidson from Planet Money discusses his New York Times Magazine feature “Welcome to the Failure Age!” and how purple chairs explain progress. Plus, Casper Kelly shares insight into the awful TV-show theme songs that inspired his epic and addictive Adult Swim video "Too Many Cooks." For the Spiel, the fever in song and fact. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, Margaret Aguirre from the International Medical Corps explains how Ebola quarantines are hurting her organization’s efforts to recruit health care professionals. Plus, Middle East analyst Robin Wright explains the historic implications of President Obama’s nuclear weapon negotiations with Ayatollah Khamenei. Will this be the most important foreign policy breakthrough in six presidencies? For the Spiel, some mathematical insight into Pakistan’s “I Am Not Malala” Day. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, Slate’s Jamelle Bouie explains why our democracy may be hardwired to fail. Plus, WKRP in Cincinnati creator Hugh Wilson explains why it took so long to release the classic TV show with original music. For the Spiel, Mike solves the world’s problems. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, our in-house vexilologist Ted Kaye explains what images of ISIS flags tell us about the Islamic State’s messaging. Plus, David Dunning of the Dunning-Kruger Effect explains why confident ignorance is incredibly common and increasingly harmful. You can learn more in Dunning’s Pacific Standard feature "We Are All Confident Idiots." For the Spiel, The Gist gets a new name. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, a collection of some of our favorite Slate Plus bonus segments. First, from the “Joe Biden’s White Teeth” edition of the Political Gabfest: David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon have a conversation about law enforcement and parenting. Then, from the “Are You Looking Forward to Our Wearable Future” edition of the Culture Gabfest: an interview with two fans who enjoy the show so much that they held a bachelorette party in the Slate studio. Last, from the “The All’s Fair in Love and WAR Edition” of Hang Up and Listen: Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca talked to Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post about her column on Mo’ne Davis and how the male-dominated sports world discusses women’s sports. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, Slate’s Josh Voorhees joins us from Iowa to discuss what the pro-pipeline supermajority in the Senate means for environmental legislation. Plus, Monk creator Andy Breckman explains why he decided to pursue a new career as a toy mogul. His new app is called Rigged Trivia. For the Spiel, impassioned nominations for the toy hall of fame. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Raise a toast: There are no more dry states left on Election Day. On The Gist, Mike Pesca’s wonderful parents share a lesson from voting-day drinking in 1970s Greenwich Village. Plus, Brad Meltzer from the Lost History TV series explains how missing artifacts reveal the extraordinary roles that ordinary people play in history. The show airs Friday nights at 10 p.m. ET on H2. For the Spiel, will you please say something nice about your opponent? Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, political writer Harry Enten from FiveThirtyEight breaks down the latest polling data. Then, in our regular segment Is This Bulls--t?, we ask Maria Konnikova of The New Yorker if late-night dinners are really so horrible for our health. For the Spiel, Mike Pesca reports from below daredevil Nik Wallenda’s high wire in Chicago. Today’s show is sponsored by The Great Courses, who have a special offer for The Gist listeners. Order “Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior” and get 80% off the original price. Visit http://www.thegreatcourses.com/gist Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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It looks likely that the Republicans will win the Senate. On The Gist, we ask Slate columnist Reihan Salam if a Republican majority means more will get done in Washington. Plus, Slate’s Emily Yoffe joins us for a Post-Prudence Impact Statement with past letter writer Two Families, One Mortgage. For the Spiel, so many elections, so little time to get to the really stupid things said by our candidates. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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