And in other news, Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts in his hush money case. Plus, yes, North Korea has in fact been hitting their southern rivals with doody dirigibles, turd zeppelins, poop balloons. Plus, Abigail Shrier joins us to talk about her latest book Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up, which takes on the challenge of the mental health crisis amongst American youth. Shrier does not exactly hand out participation trophies for how we've all handled it. 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

Justice Samuel Alito is an icon of conservative jurisprudence, a shaper of American laws, and a really challenging neighbor. Mike takes those cues and creates some improvisational theater. Then we pick up where we left off yesterday with Washington Post columnist and novelist David Ignatius. With his help, we're going to drill down on what exactly is going on in Gaza. And also on the show, China will be returning the Pandas we returned to them. We FedEx'd them ... will China DHL them back? 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

David Ignatius, WaPo columnist and the author of Phantom Orbit: A Thriller discusses his reportorial tactics, and how he blends fact and fiction in writing his latest thrillers about weapons in space.  Plus, there were 350,000 polio cases in 1988. Guess how many there were last year. So many pundits are saying that the Trump verdict will be what they've been predicting all along.  The role of "priors" in on-air legal analysis. 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 this Memorial Day we share an interview with Mike who was recently a guest on Jeff Maurer's Podcast "I Might Be Wrong". Promo Link for 30 Days Free Link to Jeffs Substack 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 | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we travel back to January 2019 to remember the clash between the rowdy teens of Covington Catholic and the stoic drumming of Native American activist Nathan Phillips. We also travel to this past Tuesday to reminisce about the days of peak shrimp.    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

NPR was not particularly receptive to the critiques put forth by former Senior Editor Uri Berliner. In a full-show interview on today's show, Berliner makes the case that NPR has become too ideologically rigid, and he spells out some solutions, which do not include government defunding. Plus, when peanut butter cups purport to be specific shapes, but just look like undifferentiated blobs, how many millions is the damage worth? 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

Justice Samuel Alito has been found to have flown another flag favored by some of the January 6th insurrections. Maybe it's time for a preeminent and powerful jurist to do more than channel Borat in saying, "My Wiiiiife." And we're joined by former NPR and MSNBC host Joshua Johnson to diagnose the critiques of public radio. Johnson is a veteran of (and a huge believer in) NPR, and he rebuts most of the criticism put forth by tomorrow's guest, Uri Berliner. 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

Nellie Bowles, reporter and head of strategy for the Free Press is out with book titled Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History. The New York Times, where Bowles worked for five years titled its review, "Skewering Leftist Excess With Mockery and Sneers" … as if that were an ignoble thing. On The Gist, Nellie layers the nuance and self-reflection on top of the mockery that she, quite honestly, is very good at. Plus, a Palestinian State is recognized by the 4th, 17th, and 19th largest countries in Europe; dramatic predictions ensue. 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

Red Lobster, trapped in its own promotion, unable to claw back profits, has jumbo problems over endless shrimp. Plus, Trump speaks about FDR to the NRA, and possibly endorses blatant constitutional violations ... but maybe not? And we're joined by UCLA professor and MacArthur Genius grant recipient Jason De Leon to discuss his book, Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling. 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

A Supreme Court spouse (hereafter "Mrs. Alito") hangs a flag upside down. Accusation of traitorousness ensure. Plus, a unionization vote fails in Alabama, or did it really just pre-succeed? And hundreds of years ago we didn't have GPS, Hinge, Tiles, trackers, or asprin, but we did have magic, as practiced by Cunning Folk. We're joined by Tabitha Stanmore the author of Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic. 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 | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike’s recent appearance on the House Of Strauss podcast, in which he and Host Ethan Strauss discuss Harrison Butker’s recent commencement address, which would have gone over without a hitch in 1894, but alas, it was delivered in 2024. Harrison is the placekicker of the Kansas City Chiefs, and his remarks drew fire from just about everywhere.    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

Mary Jo Pitzl covers politics for the Arizona Republic, meaning she's steeped in where the state stands on abortion law. Plus, Harrison Butker's spiritual advisor has some odd thoughts on the digestive systems of all working women. Also, a food fight turned sh*t show in the House Oversight Committee. 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

Journalist Matt Katz's father was barely in his life, and when he was, it was fairly unpleasant for Matt. Then a genetics test tore up Matt's script. That deadbeat dad might have been a deadbeat, but he didn't seem to actually be his dad. Who was? His nine-part podcast Inconceivable Truth details the journey to find out. Also, the cold, hard facts about Cold Lava. Plus, the Obi Wan argument on college campuses and in Gaza. 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

Economist Allison Schrager, Bloomberg columnist and author of An Economist Walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk, makes the case for working well into your 70s. And even if you think the case is "poor," that's exactly what you'll be if you opt out of the workforce at 62. Plus, a French gangster known as La Mouche, or "The Fly," shoots his way to freedom as the French fret about the Olympics. 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

A cicada invasion dawns, and edible bugs are all the, if not rage, then opportunity for a quirk filled cooking segment. Plus, protesters at Harvard negotiate their way out of trouble, whereas their Princeton counterparts are redefining hunger, or at least "hunger strike". And we are joined by Wall Street Journal columnist and India expert Sadanand Dhume to discuss Narendra Modi and the world's most sprawling election. 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

A glimpse into the Trump Trial, where a sleepy former President is somehow more compelling than hush money, off-the-book payments, and getting stiffed on your bonus. Plus, life expectancy by race complicates the narrative of "white supremacy." And we're joined by Sarah McCammon, National Political Correspondent at NPR and author of The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. 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 | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike’s December 5, 2023 interview with author, journalist, and former director of the International Crisis Group’s Arab-Israeli Project, Nathan Thrall. Nathan won the Pulitzer Prize this past week for his most recent book, A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy.    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

Andy Mills and Matthew Boll are out with a new podcast Reflector. Now available. Episode 1 concerns Naltrexone, a drug that actually works to stop alcohol cravings, and yet 12-Step programs are much more popular, despite being much less effective. We are joined by Andy to also talk about media capture and the great podcast fake enthusiasm epidemic. 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 | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Steve Fishman is the host and executive producer of The Burden, a podcast which focuses on the string of iffy convictions attained thanks to the police work of a high-flying Brooklyn cop in the 1990s. Plus, balloon releases and issues of cultural insensitivity. And of all of Donald Trump's positions over the years, "missionary" might be the least objectionable. 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 | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cindy McCain says there's a "full-blown famine" going on in Gaza. The agency she heads at the UN does not agree. Plus, a House of Representatives hearing into NPR bias was skipped by NPR's CEO and not even covered on CPSPAN, but it did feature a House Republican saying he likes his NPR station, a House Democrat saying maybe NPR really should consider the allegations of bias. And we're joined once more to talk Paul Manafort and other fans of sumptuous fabrics with Brody Mullins, author of The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government. https://surfshark.deals/GIST 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 | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Wolves Of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government is a new book detailing how the influence business took root and metastasized in federal politics. Co-author and Wall Street Journal Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Brody Mullins discusses. Plus, President Biden decries anti-semitism as he stands by Israel as it begins the Rafah phase of the war. And we hear from Nibbles, an overlooked participant in the Kristi Noem quadruped killing spree. https://surfshark.deals/GIST 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 | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The New York Times Executive Editor proclaims the paper to not be in the business of defeating Trump. Howls of outrage ensue. Plus, Donald Trump seems fine with fines. And in a talk with Danielle Clode, author of Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future, we rehabilitate the reputation of the supposedly dim, diseased antipodal cuties. https://surfshark.deals/GIST 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 | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Infrequently, we offer listeners a taste of something we think you may like that isn’t from our kitchen, to torture the metaphor. Such is the case today. You may think you know Malcolm Gladwell. He is, after all, the New York Times bestselling author of Outliers, The Tipping Point, Blink, and other books. He’s also the host of the podcast Revisionist History, and it’s true that his work is heralded and his opinion asked by many folks on a wide array of issues. But what makes Gladwell so different that he has become one of the most successful journalists of our day? In this episode of the acclaimed podcast No Small Endeavor, Malcolm tells his own story, from receiving endorsement from his mother to cut class, to attending a Mennonite barn-raising with his mathematician father, to spending three days a week in Freudian therapy as a young adult.  And if you enjoy what you hear, listen to more episodes of No Small Endeavor here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, a break from our typical format for the weekend. Today we’ll listen to Mike’s recent appearance on WILL, which is Illinois Public Media. He was invited to sit on a panel to discuss if NPR is biased. Mike is just one voice of several in the conversation you will hear (which gets a bit heated in a few spots), but it was an excellent discussion and one we hope you’ll enjoy.  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

For decades, bad posture was seen as everything from a moral failing, to a health risk, to a military vulnerability. In her new book, Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America, University of Pennsylvania historian of medicine Beth Linker discusses how concerns over standing up straight touches eugenics, pseudo-science, and power posing. Plus, Columbia University students inveigh against presumed exclusionary practices at a proposed Tel Aviv campus while supporting a campus in Beijing schooling more Chinese students than any other college. And Chris Hayes of MSNBC argues we've all been paying too much attention to college protests. 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 | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charles Kupchan, Georgetown Professor and former Obama National Security official, says that the funding for Ukraine is necessary for the desperate country but probably won't lead to retaking much territory controlled by Russia. He also says, the money will stabilize the country which is exactly what is needed for a true peace process to occur. Plus, Kristi Noem crashes in the polls ... expert's say. And an Arizona senator bucks her party on abortion. 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 | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA is attacked, and the police are no where to be found. A pro-Palestinian building takeover is thwarted at Columbia, and the police are found at fault. Plus, more uncomfortable conversations with a Jew and a former NFL linebacker. 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 | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Analyzing what the campus divestment movement is really asking for. Is it doable? It is. It is advisable? It isn't. What effect will it have on the war in Gaza? None. Let's riot. Plus, Donald Trump is found guilty of a criminal offense. The experts say this could have little to no effect on his election chances ... Mike thinks otherwise. And Noa Tishby and Emmanuel Acho engage in Uncomfortable Conversations With A Jew. 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

Kristi Noem, the Republican Governor of South Dakota, is out defending her shooting of her dog, which has us wondering why she brought it up in the first place. Today on the show, an extended interview with Becca Rothfeld, the non-fiction book critic for the Washington Post and author of the new book, All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess. 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

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, a jumbo archival interview (originally a two-parter, combined to one) with Prison Consultant Craig Rothfeld, who also happens to be a childhood friend of Mike’s. Rothfeld prepares soon-to-be inmates on the rules and survival techniques of prison life, because, as you might imagine, he himself once did time. In this capacity, Rothfeld was once employed by Harvey Weinstein, whose New York rape conviction was tossed out by an appeals court this week. Then we will listen back to Mike’s April 25, 2024 Spiel addressing the Weinstein ruling.    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

Dana Mattioli is the Wall Street Journal's "Amazon Reporter," and author The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power. Plus, Harvey Weinstein's overturned conviction is portrayed as a defeat of the reality of rape prosecutions. Mike argues that we actually don't have to choose between justice for sexual assault victims and giving criminal defendants the full protections of the law. 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 | MikePesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Tracie McMillan's new book, The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America, the author documents the lives and experiences of a handful of white Americans, including herself, and then attempts to quantify their racial benefit. Plus, Harvey Weinstein's NY State conviction is thrown out—a history and analysis of the Sandoval ruling. 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

Joe Biden's uncle mostly likely wasn't eaten by cannibals, but he could have been, which is more than some members of the public can swallow. Germany resumes UNRWA funding after a UN investigation. And a legal breakdown with Tyler McBrien, managing editor of Lawfare, who has a seat inside the courtroom for the Trump trial into hush money payments and election fraud. McBrien details the judge's upbraiding of defense council and lays out what exactly the jury will have to wade through in order to render a verdict. 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

Ray Suarez is here to talk history, policy, and personal journeys as he discusses his book, “WE ARE HOME: Becoming American in the 21st Century: An Oral History.” Plus, Binghamton NY's "Smoke Outside the Binghamton Police Station” does not go particularly well for all those who actually smoked outside the Binghamton Police Station. 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

College campuses are spoiled by protests, the White House calls out antisemitism, but the NYPD says the soon-to-be-expelled students were perfectly nice. Not nice are calls for 10,000 more October 7ths. But there's a difference between "not nice" and "not acceptable." On the show today, Mike plumbs the difference and explains when anti-zionism really is antisemitic. Plus, the Dems should bail out Mike Johnson. And we're joined once more by Damon Linker to talk politics and shrubbery. 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

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, the first half of our interview with Damon Linker, author of the Notes From The Middleground Substack about his recent Guest Essay for the Opinion page of The New York Times titled, "Why Is Biden Struggling? Because America Is Broken." Then we listen back to Mike’s analysis of NPR’s choice of its new CEO, Katherine Maher.    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

Today a special show, wherein Mike discusses former NPR editor Uri Berliner's critique of the network he no longer works for, including claims about Berliner's veracity and validity. 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

Canadian police are making arrests in the 2023 theft of $14 million of gold from an Air Canada flight. The criminals weapon of choice? Guns? Dynamite? How about fraudulent bills of lading for scrod? Also on the show, Max Stearns is the author of the new book Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy. We will discuss the needed repairs. 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

Evan Waite, writer for Family Guy and The Onion, discusses his career, theories of comedy, and his new book, Life Wants You Dead: A Calm, Rational, and Totally Legit Guide to Scaring Yourself Safe. Plus, why can't Ukraine have the defenses that Israel has? And a new NPR CEO critiques truth. 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

Arwa Damon, recently back from Gaza, is a former CNN International Correspondent who has transitioned to relief work. Her organization is INARA, the International Network for Aid, Relief & Assistance. She discusses the situation in Gaza, how opaque Israeli inspection protocols delay aid, how the killings of World Central Kitchen workers complicated the job of relief workers, and how Gaza compares to other war zones she's covered. ln the Spiel, we can now declare that murder is down, even if we've been falsely declaring it for some time now. And Donald Trump loves comparing himself to Al Capone. 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 the show today, an Iranian attack repelled. And, in a full-show interview, Will Thomas, assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan, joins to talk about Trumps recent bond hearing and explains the process behind the bond and how people go about paying it. 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

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, listen to Mike’s show opener this past Thursday about the death of O.J. Simpson. Then we listen back to our December 6, 2016 interview with Ezra Edelman, whose documentary O.J.: Made In America, explored Simpson’s life. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary at the 2016 Academy Awards.    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 Kenner and Melissa Robledo are the eco-directors of Food Inc 2, which raises questions about how American agribusinesses have an unhealthy relationship with politicians, communities, and our bodies. Plus, the beatings out of Chechnya will continue ... within strict BPM limits. And part two of our look at On The Media's featherbed of a segment on UNRWA and Israel. 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

Chris Molanphy drops by to count down the hits of 1988, a time when we weren't worried, we were happy, and we were making the transition from the exiting of dreams and the entering of cars. Also, in 1988 OJ Simpson was in a new movie called The Naked Gun. Today, OJ Simpson, football great, and adjudicated killer of two people is dead. We can say that and be factual. Plus, an On The Media segment on UNRWA leaves out a bit of context, namely a single inculpatory fact about UNRWA's members involvement in October 7th, or support of Hamas. Link to Episodes mentioned in Spiel: On The Media What Matters Now to Haviv Rettig Gur: UNRWA's problem isn't the terrorists in its ranks 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

The Bulwark's Marc Caputo says Florida's six-week limit on abortion is vulnerable, but not certain, to go down via popular referendum. Even so, Donald Trump has such a huge advantage in the state he's unlikely to suffer from its presence on the ballot. Caputo also says Trump's strategic ambiguity, or even avoidance, of the issue will probably work, based on the general Trump unaccountability theory. Plus, the Tik Tok Taoiseach. And also, what's a "Taoiseach?" 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

The Arizona Supreme Court has banned almost all abortions in the state, deferring to a law written in 1864. Also on the show, a brief history of Ecuador and embassies. Plus, the continuation of our interview with Keith Humphreys, Stanford Professor and co-author of the Atlantic story, "Why Oregon’s Drug Decriminalization Failed." 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

Keith Humphreys, Stanford Professor and author of Addiction: A Very Short Introduction, talks about the of failure of a local Oregon ordinance he was called in to offer expertise about. We discuss his Atlantic story, "Why Oregon’s Drug Decriminalization Failed." Plus, the path of totality, and dealing with Hamas over hostages. 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

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, Mike’s Thursday Spiel about the carnage at NPR and the reason for it. Then we listen back to part of Mike’s January conversation with Jeremy Hobson, host of The Middle and long-time public radio personality, about what’s going wrong at NPR. This part of the interview with Jeremy was formerly a PescaPlus extra.    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