The Gist - 50-Year-Old Hits

Today on The Gist, we listen back to Billboard hits from 1965. Our regular guest Chris Molanphy explains why many of these songs remain utterly immortal. He writes Slate’s Why Is That Song No. 1 column. For the Spiel, more about the sexagenarian gyronaut who panicked the Washington press corps. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at http://www.slate.com/gistplus.

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The Gist - Putin Programs, You Decide

Today on The Gist, Phil Galewitz from Kaiser Health News explains an aspect of the new health care law that new Medicaid recipients should know about. Unlike other Obamacare scares, this one is nonfiction. Plus, reporter Lukas Alpert explains that the most effective propaganda is often the hardest to spot. We ask about his Kindle single Kremlin Speak: Inside Putin's Propaganda Factory. For the Spiel, air mail on the Capitol lawn. Today’s sponsor: 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. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at http://www.slate.com/gistplus.

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The Gist - Ar U for Spelling Reform?

Today on The Gist, an update from Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick on the abortion bans in Kansas and Oklahoma. She’s the host of the Slate podcast Amicus. Plus, Masha Bell joins us to discuss the effects of irregular English spellings on educational achievement in English-speaking countries. She’s the author of Spelling It Out: The Problems and Costs of English Spelling. For the Spiel, Mike celebrates his favorite tense: the historical present. 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. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.

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The Gist - Thomas Jefferson as Touchstone

Do women make better presidents? Today on The Gist, we talk with Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Plus, we wish Thomas Jefferson a happy 272nd birthday by discussing how his name is evoked today. Historian Andrew Burstein is the author of Democracy's Muse: How Thomas Jefferson Became an FDR Liberal, a Reagan Republican, and a Tea Party Fanatic, All the While Being Dead. For the Spiel, vetting the vetting of Hillary Clinton. Today’s sponsor: 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. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at http://www.slate.com/gistplus.

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