Author: Peach Fish Productions

Rust director Joel Souza joins for an interview about finishing a film that nearly killed him—and did kill talented cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Souza speaks candidly about grief, safety failures, and his estrangement from Alec Baldwin, as well as why completing Rust became a moral obligation rather than a commercial one.Plus  National Security Adviser Mike Waltz is out, possibly taking the fall for Trump ally Pete Hegseth. Waltz, with four Bronze Stars and some bipartisan appeal, may have been too respectable for the MAGA machine; Hegseth, flashier and riskier, stays put. Produced by Corey Wara
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Sadie Dingfelder returns to investigate the cult of “mewing” — the viral tongue-posture technique that promises to chisel your jaw and change your life, or IS THAT BS? Then we turn to the rarest development of all: Trump, on Day 100 of his second term, strikes a deal with Zelensky but not the big one. Plus, we salute a scrappy little government agency that thrived on efficiency… until Trump and Musk disbanded it anyway.

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Produced by Corey Wara Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@advertisecast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Faiz Siddiqui discusses Hubris Maximus his sharp chronicle of Elon Musk’s maximalist vision, self-driving delusions, and the rule-breaking impulses that fuel both triumph and tragedy. Plus we hear a tart exchange in the White House briefing room about Amazon’s decision to itemize tariff costs. Plus, its been 100 days. At least 98 could have been a lot better.

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Produced by Corey Wara
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David Frum, former Bush speechwriter and Atlantic contributor discusses Republican cowardice, Democratic excess, and the structural dangers facing American democracy. Frum argues that Donald Trump’s 2025 threat is deeper, more organized, and more perilous than ever before. Plus, Axios reporter Alex Thompson’s apt remarks puncture the often hollow spectacle of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

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Produced by Corey Wara
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Today on the Gist, we open the vaults to 2020 to revisit and interview with Dr. Paul Offit and we replay Monday's spiel on The Full Ginsburg.

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Produced by Corey Wara

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Alan McPherson author of The Breach: Iran-Contra and the Assault on American Democracy joins to discuss the Iran-Contra affair and how it plagued both the end of Regans Presidency and George H. W. Bush’s, but also how it ties into the politics of today. Also, Pete Hegseth is a dirty dirty boy, or at least has a dirty dirty line.  Plus, its an Antwentig. 

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Produced by Corey Wara

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Jeff Maurer, former Last Week Tonight writer, has been knee-deep in century-old New York Times clippings—considering the differences between yesterday’s fascism fears and today’s. In Part 2, Jeff analyzes John Oliver’s recent reliance on straw men and Jon Stewart’s fairly triumphant return to The Daily Show. Plus- who is favored in a trade battle between the US and China contested on questions of tolerance for suffering? 

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We conclude our conversation with Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee, authors of In Covid’s Wake, exploring how political structures—not just bad actors—amplified the crisis. Plus, revisiting a 2021 Washington Post article that sided with YouTube’s removal of a DeSantis-hosted panel questioning masking for young children. And in "The Spiel", a probe of what experts must do to recover lost public trust, especially when once-dismissed claims turn out to be plausible.

Produced by Corey Wara

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The authors of In Covid’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us, political scientists Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee, join for a full-show interview to discuss our failures during the pandemic. The evidence shows non-pharmaceutical interventions did nothing, but the tradeoff was trillions of dollars in deficit spending, lost learning and solitary deathbeds. Plus, Pete Hegseth may be leaking more than leadership; after his second round of Signal-based scheming, the veteran Fox-man-turned-defense-secretary is reportedly on the chopping block.

Produced by Corey Wara

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Senator Chris Van Hollen made the rounds on all five Sunday shows to discuss the detention of Kilmar Abrego Garcia—but curiously avoided using Kilmar’s first name. A dissects of rhetorical and how even drink orders can become political code. Professor Michael Harte talks tariffs and trade and reflects on his time as chief economics advisor to the Falkland Islands. And in the Spiel, a deep dive into the trivia, origins, and peculiar legacy of the “Full Ginsburg.”

Produced by Corey Wara

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