MintPress News journalist Alan MacLeod returns to Bad Faith to talk us through the latest Epstein file revelations: New links between Epstein & Mossad, race science & Jewish supremacy, celebrity sightings, media influence, right-wing pedophile apologia, & more.
Ravi breaks down the week’s most important stories. He examines what’s wrong with the Epstein file release—and what it reveals about elite culture, status addiction, and moral drift. He then turns to an under-covered AI development: a bot-only social network powered by autonomous agents already behaving in unsettling ways. Plus: a striking Cato Institute report on immigration and deficits, a Texas special-election swing, election-system warning signs, and new reporting on foreign money and influence around Trump. The throughline: power without accountability distorts behavior—and the consequences are no longer theoretical.
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Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 201-305-0084
When Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post more than a decade ago, journalists inside and outside the newsroom were cautiously optimistic. But those hopes were dashed on Wednesday, when the paper carried out widespread layoffs.
Erik Wemple, who covered the developments, discusses what went wrong and what comes next.
Guest: Erik Wemple, who reports on the media business for The New York Times.
In this episode, Aaron Renn joins R. R. Reno on The Editor's Desk to talk about his recent essay, “The Problem with the Evangelical Elite” from the January 2026 issue of the magazine.
Paris Marx is joined by AS Hamrah to discuss the proposed Netflix-Warner Bros Discovery merger and what it might mean for the state of decline already facing modern cinema.
Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson.
Today on the Gist, contextualizing Donald Trump's "wrong and crazy" proposal to nationalize elections, arguing that while the rhetoric is alarming, the Constitution makes it impossible to execute. Then Conor Heffernan, author of When Fitness Went Global, joins the show to discuss the history of "physical culture," explaining why he lifts heavy stones in graveyards and how the first fitness influencer, Eugen Sandow, shifted the world from functional strength to pure aesthetics—while selling a few bogus dumbbells along the way. And in the Spiel, Mike analyzes the recent FBI raid in Georgia, arguing that Trump's attempt to weaponize the DOJ to prove a stolen election will likely backfire by highlighting his biggest political liability.
Produced by Corey Wara
Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig
Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump moves to unwind or delay a range of air- and climate-related rules, public-health and environmental advocates warn the shift could hit Texas especially hard.array(3) {
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Art Reinhardt is the director of the San Antonio Public Works Department. He'll discuss large-scale construction projects that will improve streets, drainage, parks and facilities.array(3) {
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Donald Trump is going to do everything he can to hold onto his near monopoly on power after the midterms. Beyond his scheme to invoke the Insurrection Act through a riot he’s trying to will into being in Minneapolis, he could also declare foreign election interference—or claim there was skullduggery afoot in Los Angeles or Georgia precincts. Anything to stall or stop the new Congress from being seated. Who’s going to stop him? Meanwhile, America will get the short end of the stick under his stupid new National Security Strategy. Plus, Dem elites since 2016 have failed to appreciate the economic despair among so many Americans, and some spiritual guidance for getting back to the moral and political pillars of the Declaration of Independence.
Marianne Williamson and Bob Kagan join Tim Miller.
That’s after the Trump administration announced it would end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitians on Feb. 3. After a federal court order on Monday, the program remains in place for now, but could still be undone. The administration says it will appeal the ruling, potentially to the U.S. Supreme Court.
