Podcast Episodes

Rent-Stabilized and City-Run: Mamdani Rises as Rivals Flail

Harry Siegel joins to break down the chaotic New York mayoral race, where Zohran Mamdani looks like the presumptive next mayor but hasn’t been fully tested. Siegel warns that old tweets, rent-stabili…

Published on 1 week, 4 days ago

Katja Hoyer on Germany’s AFD and the Limits of Calling Someone a Nazi

Today on The Gist, the Texas Democrats’ walk-out, a dramatic gesture that ultimately did little because they never had the leverage to win. From there he zooms out to Europe, where far-right parties …

Published on 1 week, 5 days ago

The Spiel Saturday Show

Today on The Gist we air two spiels from earlier in the week. One about the CDC shooting in Atlanta and then one about Matt Taibbi's murder stat takedown of D.C backfires.

Produced by Corey Wara

Pr…

Published on 2 weeks ago

The Cheesecake Factory Model of Freedom

In The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life, Sophia Rosenfeld traces how choice evolved from secret ballots and dance cards to consumer overload and political battlegrounds. She also di…

Published on 2 weeks, 1 day ago

When the Train to Hell Runs on Time

Aziz Huq, author of The Collapse of Constitutional Remedies, explains how liability insurers shape policing in small towns, why “rights versus rights” conflicts—from same-sex marriage to police bruta…

Published on 2 weeks, 2 days ago

Rights You Can’t Use

Aziz Huq, University of Chicago law professor and author of The Collapse of Constitutional Remedies, lays out how federal courts have gutted the mechanisms for enforcing constitutional rights—blockin…

Published on 2 weeks, 3 days ago

The Case for Good Anger

Samuel Parker, author of Good Anger: How Rethinking Rage Can Change Our Lives, argues that suppressing anger fuels anxiety and that society’s overcorrection toward placidity has blunted a vital emoti…

Published on 2 weeks, 4 days ago

Rebecca Lemov and the Instability of Truth

Harvard historian of science Rebecca Lemov joins to talk about her book The Instability of Truth, which dives deep into the history of mind control, from Cold War POW camps and MKUltra to the quieter…

Published on 2 weeks, 5 days ago

Sarah Ruhl on Lessons from the Teachers Who Shaped Her

Playwright Sarah Ruhl has collected wisdom from her mentors, from Pulitzer winners to driving instructors, in her new book Lessons from My Teachers. She joins Mike to talk about the art of learning, …

Published on 3 weeks ago

Peter Moskos on NYC’s Historic Crime Drop and the Lessons for Today

Homicides are down 14% from pre-pandemic levels and other major crimes have followed suit. But what can today’s drop teach us about the last great decline, the one that transformed New York in the 19…

Published on 3 weeks, 1 day ago