Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchYour Burning Fire Questions Answered
Should L.A. communities rebuild so close together? Is there a better way to prevent fires from starting in the first place? Would a full reservoir have saved homes in the Pacific Palisades? Does L.A.…
Published on 11 months, 1 week ago
In Defense of Partisanship
Partisanship is often portrayed as a societal ill—usually by those jerks in the other party. But as Julian Zelizer, Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University, argues: partisansh…
Published on 11 months, 1 week ago
Fluoride Is Getting Dangerous: Is That BS?
Many American municipalities fluoridate their water supplies in hopes of lowering the number of cavities in our teeth. The practice stems from some pretty awful dental outcomes in early America that …
Published on 11 months, 1 week ago
No Holding Down Hegseth
Pete Hegseth faced sharp questioning from Senate Democrats over his leadership credentials, allegations of sexism and sexual impropriety, humanitarian record, and even his sobriety. Meanwhile, Republ…
Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago
L.A. Fires: The Cost and the Climate
In Los Angeles, the fires rage on, with damage estimates so high they almost defy belief. But perhaps the L.A. fires truly will cause as much destruction as nearly every major disaster worldwide last…
Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago
BEST OF THE GIST: Greenland Edition
Each weekend on Best of The Gist, we revisit an archival segment from the past and replay something from the current week. This weekend, we listen back to a 2019 Gist intro about Trump’s then-infatua…
Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago
The Apocalypse Musical
Joshua Oppenheimer, the director of the recent apocalypse musical The End, starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon, joins us to discuss musicals and his past work crafting brilliant documentaries.…
Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Fact Check: Meta Goes Fact-Less
Mark Zuckerberg has announced that META platforms Facebook and Instagram are doing away with fact-checking. However, Kate Klonick argues they weren’t doing much fact-checking to begin with and certai…
Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Trudeau Virtue-Signaled Himself Out of Office
Journalist Stephen Marche, author of the NYT op-ed “Justin Trudeau Was His Own Worst Enemy,” argues that the soon-to-be-former Prime Minister’s virtue signaling too often came across as piety, exhaus…
Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago
The Brief Highs and Crushing Lows of Drug Decriminalization
Oregon, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver have all experimented with drug decriminalization over the past few years. The results? A deadly disappointment. Stanford professor Keith Humphreys expla…
Published on 11 months, 3 weeks ago