The Gist

When thinking about America’s prison problem, at some point we’re going to have to begin asking how we’re going to treat violent offenders differently. On The Gist, Fordham law professor John Pfaff joins us for the rest of our extended interview. Listen back to Monday’s Gist to hear the first part of our short series. For the Spiel, Mike solves more of America’s problems. Today’s sponsors: Casper, the online retailer of premium mattresses for a fraction of the price. Get $50 toward any mattress purchase by visiting casper.com/gist and using the promo code GIST.  RealtyShares. With RealtyShares, you can invest in professionally vetted residential and commercial real estate projects across the United States. Browse all the investments at no cost once you’re qualified, invest as little as $1,000 per transaction, and diversify your portfolio by visiting RealtyShares.com/gist. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus

If you’re 42 or younger, you’ve never lived in a safer America than today. But if you were alive in 1960, today’s crime rates are twice as high as they were then. Could that be why older politicians are resisting prison reform? On The Gist, Fordham law professor John Pfaff joins us for an extended interview. This is the first of a short series about America’s prison problem. Join us on Tuesday for a new Spiel. Today’s sponsors: Stamps.com, where you can buy and print official U.S. postage right from your desk using your own computer and printer. Use the promo code THEGIST to get a no-risk trial and a $110 bonus offer. The Message, a new podcast series from GE Podcast Theater. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, the film Spotlight depicts serious investigative journalism without the usual guns, car cases, and explosions. We speak with subjects from the film including journalists Walter “Robby” Robinson (played by Michael Keaton), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Mike Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo). They’re the authors of the book Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church. For The Spiel, is this the end for Jeb? Today’s sponsors: Squarespace.com. Get a free trial and 10 percent off your first purchase when you visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code GIST. RealtyShares. With RealtyShares, you can invest in professionally vetted residential and commercial real estate projects across the United States. Browse all the investments at no cost once you’re qualified, invest as little as $1,000 per transaction, and diversify your portfolio by visiting RealtyShares.com/gist. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.

On The Gist, professional storyteller Matthew Dicks tells a story about how to tell better stories. It all comes down to the stakes. For the Spiel, a moment in the CNBC GOP debates draws attention to the use of “that” and “who” in public speaking. Today’s sponsors: Goldman Sachs. Information about developments currently shaping markets, industries, and the global economy, on the firm’s podcast, Exchanges at Goldman Sachs, available on iTunes. RealtyShares. With RealtyShares, you can invest in professionally vetted residential and commercial real estate projects across the United States. Browse all the investments at no cost once you’re qualified, invest as little as $1,000 per transaction, and diversify your portfolio by visiting RealtyShares.com/gist. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For many Americans, the salt you sprinkle on your steak has less of an impact on daily sodium intake than what you pour into your … cereal bowl? On The Gist, Mike asks Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker to examine the research into the impact of salt on your long-term health, and the common foods that drive up daily intake. For the Spiel, no one likes Joe Buck. Today’s sponsors: SAP HANA. SAP HANA helps the world’s best companies get the answers they need to become more agile, develop new streams of revenue, and predict the future. Run SAP. And Run Simple. Visit sap.com/reimagine to learn more Casper, the online retailer of premium mattresses for a fraction of the price. Get $50 toward any mattress purchase by visiting casper.com/gist and using the promo code GIST.  Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, should we fear a league of robots taking away our teaching jobs? Slate’s Will Oremus explains why even the smartest teaching tools still need a teacher’s guiding hand. He recently wrote the feature “No More Pencils, No More Books.” For the Spiel, a cadence that many … broadcasters indulge to convey … authenticity. Today’s sponsor: Harry’s, the shaving company that offers German-engineered blades, well-designed handles, and shipping right to your door. Visit Harrys.com for $5 off your first purchase with the promo code THEGIST. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, why the Harvard Business Review’s list of top-performing CEOs has adopted a new formula. The magazine’s editor Adi Ignatius explains why this year’s rankings decided to factor in ESG, the catchall term used to discuss a company’s sustainability and ethical impact. Plus, what you learn when you actually listen closely to the words of Ben Carson. Today’s sponsor: 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Sarah Vowell tells us about Gen. Lafayette, the French teen who befriended George Washington and became a symbol for the French alliance during the American Revolution. Her new book is called Lafayette in the Somewhat United States. In The Spiel, Mike solves politics with the help of Michele Bachmann, Clay Aiken, Jordan Klepper, Dennis Kucinich, James Carville, and Michael Steele. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Jill Duffy from the Productivity Report joins us to share a few tricks for gaming your inbox. Then, Jen Rustemeyer from Peg Leg Films shares what she learned from eating garbage in her documentary Just Eat It. For the Spiel, Mike dives deep into the “questions” asked during Thursday’s Benghazi hearing. Today’s sponsor: The Message, a new podcast series from GE Podcast Theater. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What part of a governor’s economic impact scales at a national level? On The Gist, Ben Casselman from FiveThirtyEight offers a new criterion from his article, “How To Evaluate The Economic Records of Governors Who Want to Be President.” For the Spiel, the moment that stood out to Pesca from Joe Biden’s announcement today. Today’s sponsor: Stamps.com, where you can buy and print official U.S. postage right from your desk using your own computer and printer. Use the promo code THEGIST to get a no-risk trial and a $110 bonus offer. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, learn why WNYC’s Ilya Marritz decided to profile the Columbia University Lions for a new show called The Season. Plus, we’ll hear from the team’s co-captain and star running back Cameron Molina about how a new coach is helping him and his teammates rediscover a love of the game. For The Spiel, tomorrow’s the day Marty McFly travels to in Back to the Future Part II and still no hoverboards. Today’s sponsor: The Message, a new podcast series from GE Podcast Theater Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are conservatives making a horrible mistake … in branding? On The Gist, Slate’s Reihan Salam shares his ideas for how the Republican Party could change the conversation to better match its supporters’ priorities. For the Spiel, nurture your pet cause on Adoption Day. Today’s sponsors: Stamps.com, where you can buy and print official U.S. postage right from your desk using your own computer and printer. Use the promo code THEGIST to get a no-risk trial and a $110 bonus offer.  Prudential’s 40/40 Vision, a multimedia microsite exploring what life—and the future—looks like to today’s fortysomethings. Hear what inspires real people, the hopes they have for tomorrow, and much more. See yourself in their stories at slate.com/4040vision/family.   Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, we travel back to the year Mike Pesca and music writer Chris Molanphy were born. Learn why the Billboard Hits from 1971 stand the test of time, winter, spring, summer, or fall. Chris writes Slate’s Why Is That Song No. 1 column. Listen back to the 1971 hits mentioned in today’s show in this Spotify playlist. (And feel free to skip the Osborne’s.) Today’s sponsor:   Prudential’s 40/40 Vision, a multimedia microsite exploring what life—and the future—looks like to today’s fortysomethings. Hear what inspires real people, the hopes they have for tomorrow, and much more. See yourself in their stories at slate.com/4040vision/family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Immediately upon learning that there’s such a thing as a menstrual cup, Mike Pesca had to ask Slate’s L.V. Anderson to explain. Learn why the DivaCup and Keeper Cup are growing in popularity, and why a new Kickstarter campaign for the Looncup might not make it out of the prototyping stage. Plus, the return of Munitions News. Dr. Rebecca Grant of Iris Research joins us for a round-up of rounds. For The Spiel, what it really means to flip one’s bat. Today’s sponsors: Stamps.com, where you can buy and print official U.S. postage right from your desk using your own computer and printer. Use the promo code THEGIST to get a no-risk trial and a $110 bonus offer. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, did you see the post-debate footage where Bernie Sanders threw his body in front of a surging horde of reporters and saved NBC’s Andrea Mitchell from being flattened, if not scooped? This and other favorite moments from last night’s CNN debates. Then, Mike asks Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker a few listener-submitted questions about gravity’s effects on our aging bodies, focusing specifically on our boobs and faces. For the Spiel, the vocal trick Hillary Clinton has mastered to avoid shouting over crowds. Today’s sponsors: Harry’s, the shaving company that offers German-engineered blades, well-designed handles, and shipping right to your door. Visit Harrys.com for $5 off your first purchase with the promo code THEGIST. Stamps.com, where you can buy and print official U.S. postage right from your desk using your own computer and printer. Use the promo code THEGIST to get a no-risk trial and a $110 bonus offer. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more.

On The Gist, we bring you a Pesca-moderated panel recorded live from Politicon in Los Angeles. Panelists include actor Tony Hale, who plays a body man on TV, and Reggie Love, a real-life body man for six years. We’ll learn what goes into their respective roles—for Love, working as Barack Obama’s right-hand man and confidante throughout the 2008 campaign and into his first days at the White House, and for Hale, playing the assistant to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ VP and now president on HBO’s Veep. Love’s the author of Power Forward: My Presidential Education. For The Spiel, the return of talk show karaoke. Today’s sponsors: The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Watch Rachel as she breaks down the big headlines for the local threads that tie them all together. Weeknights at 9 p.m. Eastern time only on MSNBC. 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

On The Gist, some truths and lies about the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Then, we’re honored to welcome the United State’s new national Poet Laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera. As a bilingual, first-generation immigrant, Herrera explains that writing in Spanish feels like writing in a dream language, where he can play with tenses and use words as sonic instruments. In English, his poetry becomes more about architecture and syntax. For the Spiel, Mike goes on a quest to understand the House Freedom Caucus. Today’s sponsors: SAP HANA. SAP HANA helps the world’s best companies get the answers they need to become more agile, develop new streams of revenue, and predict the future. Run SAP. And Run Simple. Visit sap.com/reimagine to learn more And by The Message, a new podcast series from GE Podcast Theater. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, the last of three episodes recorded at our live show in Brooklyn, New York. From the stage of the Bell House, Mike asks Craig Finn from the Hold Steady about a literary device his songs share with the Bible, Milton, and Shakespeare—polysyndeton. Then, our regular guest Chris Molanphy explains why Billboard hits from 1989 serve as the throat clearing for the 1990s. He writes Slate’s “Why Is This Song No. 1?” column. Check the last two episodes to hear all of the live Gist episodes. Plus, Matthew Dicks performed a story that aired on our “Cred and Ginger” episode. Today’s sponsors: The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Watch Rachel as she breaks down the big headlines for the local threads that tie them all together. Weeknights at 9 p.m. EST only on MSNBC. Prudential’s 40/40 Vision, a multimedia microsite exploring what life—and the future—looks like to today’s fortysomethings. Hear what inspires real people, the hopes they have for tomorrow, and much more. See yourself in their stories at slate.com/404

On The Gist, the second of three episodes recorded at our live show in Brooklyn, New York. From the stage of the Bell House, Harry Enten from FiveThirtyEight uses his poling expertise to explain Trump’s real chances at the presidency. Then, Adam Davidson declares America’s interest rates “the most important thing in the world.” He’s a contributor to the New York Times Magazine and a founder of NPR’s Planet Money. Then, Zoe Chace from This American Life swoops in to help explain the mystery at the heart of our economy: what we think about, what Janet Yellen is thinking about, what we think about Janet Yellen. It will all be clear soon. Check back Thursday for the third part of this special live Gist series. Today’s sponsors: Stamps.com, where you can buy and print official U.S. postage right from your desk using your own computer and printer. Use the promo code THEGIST to get a no-risk trial and a $110 bonus offer. Harry’s, the shaving company that offers German-engineered blades, well-designed handles, and sh

On The Gist, the first of three episodes recorded at our live show in Brooklyn, New York. From the stage of the Bell House, Mike Pesca accepts an award from Slate’s Julia Turner and a drink from bartender Chris Wertz, author of Brooklyn Cocktails. Then, comedian Samantha Bee sinks into the couch to discuss her new show, Full Frontal, coming to TBS in January. She’s later joined by Maria Konnikova to play a round of “Is That Bullshit?” Back in the studio, Konnikova shares her findings relating to the good ol’ saying, Liquor before beer, you're in the clear. Beer before liquor, never been sicker.  Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices