On November 12th, Mike published a story in The Atlantic’s “Ideas” section titled “The HR-ification of the Democratic Party: The party of norms, procedure, bureaucracy, DEI initiatives, rule following, language policing, and compliance” … and it got some buzz. So this weekend on Best Of The Gist, we’re going to listen to two media outlets that featured Mike’s article: POTUS Politics, a Sirius XM talk show hosted by Laura Coates which had Mike on as a guest, and The David McWilliams Podcast, which looks at Mike’s piece from an Euro-centric POV.    Check out our YouTube page! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is tapped to run HHS. Dr. Mehmet Oz has been named as Medicare and Medicaid overseer. Dan Diamond of the Washington Post analyses the importance of those agencies and their vulnerability to ambitious outsiders looking to upend things. Also, new AG designee Pam Bondi served as Florida's Attorney General back when a President of the United States called a different state's attorney general the best looking state attorney general. We'll review. Plus, it's an Antwentig, in which Mike makes pronouncements on everything from Canadian postal codes to Rickrolling listeners who expect guests to be burly.    Check out our YouTube page!    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jay Bhattacharya, the Stanford professor who advocated for widespread openings during the pandemic, months before there was a vaccine, has become a bit of a hero to Americans upset about lockdowns and the suppressing of dissent on social media platforms. Now he may be running the National Institutes of Health. Dan Diamond, reporter for the Washington Post, discusses what Bhattacharya got right, got wrong, and where he wants to take the NIH. Plus, Gaetz skates all the way to the end, and an analysis of all those very good, reasonable points made by RFK Jr.   Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jim O'Heir, who played Jerry (or was it Larry?) on 121 episodes of TV's Parks And Recreation, is out with a new book, Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation. We discuss. Plus, a predictive algorithm tells us who the rest of the Trump appointees are. For instance, Koko The Gorilla for Under Secretary of Defense for Budgeting and Procurement. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NY Governor Kathy Hochul was in favor of congestion pricing before she was against it, now she's for it again. She's in a race against an incoming administration in order to implement her ever-changing plan to tax drivers. The New York Daily News' Harry Siegel joins us to assess the political plays and traffic delays. Plus, long-range missiles for Ukraine irk Vladimir Putin to the point of nuclear reconfiguration, and the Democrats can more easily be more sensible on trans issues if they just scrapped ridiculous and inaccurate talking points. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Music can heal. This explains the song "You dropped a balm on me". Dan Levitin's new book, I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine, sells it out in even greater detail. Plus, there was nothing Democrats could do in the face of inflation, except maybe, not have caused so much inflation. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Normally, each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week, but this weekend we’re scraping that formula and instead listening to an interview Mike did with a podcast called The Commercial Break, hosted by Bryan Green and Krissy Hoadley. It’s a fun conversation, and we hope you enjoy it.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Django Gold is a stand-up comedian, a former writer for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and a veteran of The Onion. In his stand-up special "Bag of Tricks," he explores not being cool, show-off toilet seats, and the privilege of owning multiple pairs of scissors. His comedy has been described as "cynical and bizarre" but also "surprising, insightful and properly deranged." We discuss the right amount of weird to present to the audience without seeming too weird, and the evolution of the archetype of nerd to IT guy to incel. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Tile- Use Code THEGIST to get 15% off Smalls- Use Code THEGIST to get 50% off your first order + Free Shipping Manscaped- Use code THEGIST to get 20% off + Free Shipping True Classic- Perfect fit or your money back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The nomination of Matt Gaetz to be United States Attorney General is shocking, confusing, and tumultuous, but not necessarily a non-starter. Plus, the Democratic Party is the HR department of politics. And, with government efficiency in the news, Richard Coffin of USAFacts stops by to give us the actual facts on where there is fat (or even muscle and sinew) to cut in the Federal budget. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Tile- Use Code THEGIST to get 15% off Smalls- Use Code THEGIST to get 50% off your first order + Free Shipping Manscaped- Use code THEGIST to get 20% off + Free Shipping True Classic- Perfect fit or your money back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peter Hegseth is Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Defense. It's an impossible job, one that he can't possibly fulfill, and maybe that's the point. Plus, Israelis in Amsterdam chased and beaten, but some in the press say they (more or less) deserved it. And we are joined once more by Ben Wittes of Lawfare to talk about Trump's possible prosecutions. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Tile- Use Code THEGIST to get 15% off Smalls- Use Code THEGIST to get 50% off your first order + Free Shipping Manscaped- Use code THEGIST to get 20% off + Free Shipping True Classic- Perfect fit or your money back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Wittes, Editor-in-Chief of Lawfare, discusses what Trump can actually do and where the protections are for those he's threatened to criminally prosecute—Kamala is probably safe, but Jack Smith could be quite inconvenienced. Plus, Kristi Noem for DHS, and to California ballot counters: your torpor is not a virtue. Also, today The Atlantic published Mike's piece about the "HR-ification" of the Democratic party. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Tile- Use Code THEGIST to get 15% off Smalls- Use Code THEGIST to get 50% off your first order + Free Shipping Manscaped- Use code THEGIST to get 20% off + Free Shipping True Classic- Perfect fit or your money back Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Revelations from campaigns that could have been shared a while ago are being unearthed now. It turns out CNN knew Kamala Harris wasn't inspiring Pennsylvanians, but ... now they tell us! Plus, Seth Moulton gets pilloried for saying Dems need to talk about more issues openly. And Vic Michaelis of Very Important People stops by. VIP is an amazing show on Dropout TV, in which improvisers in heavy makeup discover they have been turned into werewolves or rocks, and then sit for an in-depth interview on the character they just learned they were. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen to part two of our interview with Washington Post investigative reporter Albert Samaha about his deep dive into the NIL economy. Then we rewind exactly eight years, to the morning America woke up to realize Donald Trump was President.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump knows how to speak so he's heard. Democrats ... much less so. Plus, there are many legitimate recriminations for the Democrats to engage in, but "Elon Musk's money made things unfair" is not one of them. And we speak with Albert Samaha of the Washington Post about the hidden economy of college sports. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The polls were really very accurate, despite what the Nate-haters say. Amy Walter, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report, explains why a clean sweep was not a surprise, assuming you understand concepts like margin of error and correlation. Plus, the offended Puerto-Rican vote failed to materialize, and unmarried women were overwhelmed by the voting preferences of their dads, boyfriends, and guys they went to high school with. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump has won, his coalition is actually more diverse than any Republican since Nixon, and his share of the popular vote could be larger than any Republican since George H.W. Bush in 1988—it was certainly the largest in 20 years. Today, Mike has a critique of the media, hope for the republic, and a pair of interviews. First, he talks with not-Trump-nor-Harris voters Kemele Foster, of The 5th Column podcast, and Coleman Hughes, author of The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America, and we get to hear them react to Trump's victory in the moment. Then Peter Meijer, one of ten House Republicans to vote to impeach Donald Trump, says he stands by his vote, but understands Trump's success. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nah, its the election. We advise against supposed bellwethers, and the scrutinization of early exit polls. Plus, the march of progress by so many statistical measures will happen and has happened, no matter who is President. In today's interview, we're joined by Damon Linker for a conversation replete with wisdom and insight regardless of who wins. And it's clear who has already won ... why, it's the North American Elk, who number over a million and have been successfully reintroduced after 19th century hunters depleted populations, as this plaintive flute solo conveys. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kathy Boockvar, former Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, fought back an orchestrated, well-funded, and dangerous scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election in her state. She shares her playbook for this go 'round. Plus, the last week of the election went quite poorly for Donald Trump. Why did he dress like a Garbage man? That said, he didn't say what they said he said about shooting Liz Cheney. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, though, we’re kicking it old school, with two segments from 2014. First up, Mike’s now-10-year-old interview with Casper Kelly creator of the epic and addictive Adult Swim video Too Many Cooks. Then, with endorsements in the air, we listen back to Mike’s conversation with Patrick LaForge from the New York Times, who tells us the origin story behind the expression “retweets don’t equal endorsements.”    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our third installment of Funny You Should Mention welcomes Sam Jay, former SNL writer, Tom Brady Roaster, host of HBO's Pause with Sam Jay, and stand-up comic behind such specials as Netflix's 3 In The Morning and HBO's Salute Me or Shoot Me. Sam and Mike talk cops, racism, white vs black people money management, and a joke she'll discuss but won't be telling again. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everyone's getting out of the presidential endorsement business, but The Gist, sensing a market opportunity, is wading in! Plus, Bloomberg's Akshat Rathi is back to discuss EVs, the energy needs of the AI revolution, and the banning the domestic extraction of oil? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joe Biden calls Trump supporters "garbage," only he didn't mean it, probably, though he did say it, literally. Ugh. Pennsylvania Puerto Ricans are in play! Plus, Trump and Harris' dueling energy policies, and a conversation with Akshat Rathi, reporter for Bloomberg News, host of Bloomberg's Zero podcast, and author of Climate Capitalism: Winning the Race to Zero Emissions and Solving the Crisis of Our Age. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Four members of the Gen Z cohort, who will be voting in their first Presidential election cycle next week, talk with Mike about America In One Room: The Youth Vote, a deliberative poll and group experiment in direct democracy that was conducted back in July. They'll discuss who they are voting for and why, learning to listen to each other, and how to convince other young people on political issues. Plus, another boring (and ignored) Kamala Harris plan that could have big effects on actual lives of actual Americans. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A joke at a punch rally gets pilloried. And a full-show interview with Musa al-Gharbi on his book We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite. This is the conversation all the symbolic capitalists have been waiting for! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we do neither. Instead, we listen back to Mike’s 2008 NPR interview with Philip Zimbardo, the psychologist who became famous for his Stanford Prison Experiment. Zimbardo died earlier this month. Then we listen to Mike’s recent interview with NewsNation’s Dan Abrams about Kamala Harris’ 60 Minutes interview, in which editing occurred.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To say that comedian Gary Vider's dad was an "unorthodox" parent is to misunderstand the word "unorthodox." His parenting toolbox included lying, deception, and fear, which is par for the course when you are a conman, but it can leaves scars on those close to you. Vider is out with a podcast about his dad and his childhood called #1 Dad. Also on the show, would you sell your vote to Kamala or Donald for $1,300? Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fred Kaplan has won a Pulitzer, been nominated for another, and he's covered the national security community for years. So he finally decided to just throw out the rules of non-fiction and write a novel ... about the end of the World, or almost the end of the world. A Capital Calamity is a tale of impending armageddon not with a bang nor a whimper, but because of a consultant. Plus, airlines have finally addressed the on-again-off-again no-smoking sign in a rather stupid way. Also on the show, Trump is close to winning because incumbents the world over are getting "schlonged." Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Greenberg is out with the first biography of Congressman John Lewis, which offers an examination of the highly influential legislator's activism, congressional record, and how his theories of change themselves changed depending on the role he played. Plus, a recent This American Life episode about the Democrats' uncommitted delegates raised the stakes, but left out details. Also on the show, examining Kamala Harris' claims that under a second Trump administration, there will be no patriotic staffers to erect guardrails. CORRECTION: A previous version of The Spiel errantly mentioned that Michigan had the largest Palestinian population of any U.S. state. We corrected the mistake. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christopher Steele's infamous dossier set in motion massive investigations, furious push back, quite nearly an impeachment, and massive turmoil within the intelligence and media communities. In a full-show interview, at times contentious at other times revelatory, Christopher Steele explains his methods and defends his findings. His new book is Unredacted: Russia, Trump, and the Fight for Democracy. Also on the show, Donald Trump's dong diversion. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harry Teinowitz was a storied radio host on ESPN radio in Chicago, a comedian, an actor, and an alcoholic. He's now a playwright. His new play, Another Shot, which chronicles this journey stars Dan Butler, who played Bulldog Briscoe on Frazier for many years. Also, Kamala Harris is down to 39% in one betting market, so Mike bet on her. Plus, Donald Trump mentions a golfer's clubs, but not in the way you think ... unless you were thinking about penises. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we listen back to an extended cut of Mike’s 2023 interview with Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, who were then the recent authors of the new book Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity, and who won the 2024 Nobel Prize for Economics this past week. Then we replay Mike’s recent treatise on when journalism achieves the goals of art, but doesn't quite tell the accurate story.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rachel Feinstein’s acting credits include HBO’s Crashing, Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer, and Hulu’s Life & Beth. Her latest stand-up special, Big Guy, came out on Netflix earlier this year. Rachel comes from a family of intellectual giants, though doesn’t include herself in that category. In Mike’s conversation with her, however, she reveals her insightfulness, which is better suited for comedy than the classroom. Plus she channels her mother, husband, and a variety of Staten Island firefighters. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Quico Toro of Persuasion and the OnePercentBrighter.com Substack has been writing about global warming solutions, and analyzing the sorry state of climate journalism. Plus, Yahya Sinwar is dead, his plan having been proven ruinous. Also on the show, Kamala Harris went on Fox, and it was spirited, somewhat informative, and not nearly as clear as the Vice President would have us think. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: Link Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Election is less than 3 weeks away, and CNN's Harry Enten has the breakdown of the demographics, arguments, issues, and attitudes that are going to decide this tight, tight race. We also talk about hamsters. Plus, when journalism achieves the goals of art, but doesn't quite tell the accurate story. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Rosenwald, political and media historian at the University of Pennsylvania and possessor of Pennsylvania knowledge, talks all the key races in the Keystone State. Plus, Kamala Harris is playing tape of Trump at her rallies. Also on the show, Elon Musk's rocket launches have been thwarted by Musk-averse members of the California Coastal Commission and, to a lesser extent, the snowy plover. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are off today due to the Holiday and wanted to give you an idea of what Pesca Plus members get to listen to. Today's interview was with Jake Tapper from Marth 15, 2024 talking about his new CNN Series United States Of Scandal. Use the link below to subscribe! Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This weekend on Best Of The Gist, a couple segments from The Dispatch Podcast, on which Mike was a guest last week. Hosts Sarah Isgur and Jonah Goldberg talked with Mike about Israel’s military exchanges with Iran, the legitimacy of “experts,” and some movie reviews.    Big thanks to everyone at The Dispatch.   Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There was a time when "College President" was a cushy job, but that time is officially over. Now its a headache rapped in a time suck surrounded by a protest. Bill Funk, of Funk Associates, is a recruiter of college presidents, and he's here to acknowledge that, indeed, this is the most difficult period he's ever experienced for hiring college presidents. Plus, Trump speaks in Detroit, disparagingly, about Detroit. Also on the show, where have all the critters gone? The WWF finds a 73-percent decline in vertebrates, but Mike has enough backbone to question that stat. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zoning is really, really important, but it's also a tad dry. Well, not when they're putting up a four-storey building right next door, ruining your ability to record a podcast, but maybe I'm getting overly biographical. Sara Bronin, chair of the U.S. Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and former Zoning and Planning Commissioner of the city of Hartford, Connecticut, is here to talk about her book Key To The City: How Zoning Shapes Our World. It gets spicier than the topic of zoning might suggest. Plus, Ron DeSantis responds to a hurricane in a serious and competent manner, which is why the Republicans didn't like him enough to be their nominee. Also on the show, while disinformation is demoralizing, good old fashioned rumors killed some victims of Katrina. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Arlie Russell Hochschild went to Kentucky to study the reasons residents give for supporting Donald Trump, even if so many of his policies seem to be against their interests. The resulting book, Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right describes Trump as the good bully in the eyes of his supporters. Plus, the state of Oklahoma is intent on putting Richard Glossip to death, despite strong evidence he had no hand in the murder for which he was convicted. SCOTUS heard the case today, and analysis of the issues and a brief analysis of Richard Glossip's appeal to multiple women he married while on death row. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Tuesday, November 5th, as they start to tally the ballots and declare electoral votes, few states will be as scrutinized as the Silver State. We talk with veteran Nevada political journalist Jon Ralston of The Nevada Independent about his state's precarious position. Then we shift gears and discuss takeaways from the summer movie season with Sonny Bunch, Culture Editor at The Bulwark. Also on the show, a campaign win. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City and a former cop, is in hot water. He’s been charged with bribery and campaign finance offenses, his friend and Deputy Mayor Phil Banks resigned over the weekend, and the New York Times is out with some polling indicating that 69% of New Yorkers want Adams to go too. To discuss this mess, Harry Siegel of The City and the FAQ NYC podcast joins us. Also on the show, Mike’s thoughts on the one-year anniversary of October 7th, when Hamas attacked Israel, plunging the nation (and possibly the region) into a protracted and deadly war.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we listen back to Mike’s 2016 interview with Chad Millman, author of The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice about the first major act of foreign terrorism on American soil. Then we replay Tuesday’s show intro, in which Mike laments the lamentations of the pundit class.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Funny You Should Mention Episode One: Nimesh Patel. Over his career Nimesh Patel has gone from a comedian who wants to make points and jokes to a purely joke-oriented comic. He’s somewhat of the prefect comedian to kick off this series which looks at comedy routines as if they were an argument or an Op-ed. Nimesh has actually written Op-Eds for the NY Times. We discuss being kicked off stage at Columbia University, eviscerating the healthcare system when over a dozen of your cousins are doctors, and more about Indian President Narendra Modi than most conversations with comics usually include. The Gist Youtube Page Comedy Cellar Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of The Cook Political Report, is here with the news that you knew but didn't know how very true it was—the Presidential race is very, very close. As in, a one percent Harris advantage in the swing states overall. Plus, Jack Smith re-writes his legal brief, making the case that Trump interfered in the 2020 election, but Trump claims the disclosure of said brief is interference in the 2024 election.    Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara  Email us at [email protected]  To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist  Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/  Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The stakes for debates are pretty low when the Vice Presidency is the office in question, but J.D. Vance seems to have said better sounding words than Tim Walz, according to most reactions. Putting in a word for Walz—or at least a warning against Vance—is our guest Democratic strategist and analyst Jess McIntosh, who is here to assess the Vice Presidential debate. Plus, a dock strike could jeopardize goods across America. Turns out, dockworkers earn on average more than $150k a year at the East Coast's biggest port, and they also hold most of the cards in this negotiation. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Iran officially entered the war against Israel this morning, launching just short of 200 ballistic missiles at numerous Israeli targets, pundits continued to praise Israel's tactics but question its strategy. The thing is, the tactics ("kill enemy") and strategy ("win war") seem pretty aligned. Also on the show, Washington Post Opinion columnist Dana Milbank joins us to discuss his newest book, Fools on the Hill: The Hooligans, Saboteurs, Conspiracy Theorists, and Dunces Who Burned Down the House. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For years, the standard thinking was that the ongoing standoff between Israel and its enemies was "no win." Hamas was entrenched. Hezbollah was well-armed. But now, in the wake of a series of massively successful attacks that cut down Hezbollah leadership, and with Iran seeming to be disinclined to counterattack, that thinking is changing. We're joined by Steven Simon, a Clinton and Obama counter-terorrism hand and author of Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East. Plus, Kamala Harris finally does a hard news interview, but with an interviewer who says Kamala Harris really doesn't need to do interviews. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices