The Gist

On The Gist, Mike explains why a Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich won’t be bringing him back to Starbucks for a while. Then Alex Marshall responds to The Gist calling him “Sir Twiddle Twaddle” in a previous episode and explains why he thinks Americans dislike our national anthem. He’s the author of Republic or Death!: Travels in Search of National Anthems. For The Spiel, how to make the case for stricter gun laws. 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. 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

If women going to a certain foreign country had a 30 percent chance of sexual assault, would we send our daughters there? How is college any different? On The Gist, Slate’s Emily Yoffe explains why the grim portrait painted by the new Association of American Universities study does not reflect reality. Read her entire article, “The Problem With Campus Sexual Assault Surveys,” on Slate. For the Spiel, is America going to hell in a hand basket? Why a small coterie of house Republicans stand athwart compromise. 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, Mike reviews how Lena Dunham and Hillary Clinton conspired to make him look at something he can never un-see. Then, Mike O'Malley joins us to discuss the new season of Survivor’s Remorse on Starz. For the Spiel, the most viewed Arizona Diamondbacks clip of the season inspires Mike’s James Earl Jones voice.  Today’s sponsor: 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.  And Draft Kings. Start this football season by winning $2 million! Use the code GIST to play free for a shot at $2 million in the Week One 10 Million Dollar Millionaire Maker. Go to DraftKings.com. 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, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker shares what’s she’s learned from research into ginger’s super food status. For the Spiel, hear a performance from last night’s live Gist from Moth champ and professional storyteller Matthew Dicks. He’s the author of The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs, available now. 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, a shaved-down tale from an elder Pesca. Mike and The Gist staff are busy preparing for our first live show, so on Tuesday we present a favorite from the Pesca family dinner table. Joe Pesca tells it best. We’ll be back on Wednesday with a full Gist episode. 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, TV writer Phil Rosenthal explains how he came to host his own PBS show about food and travel. His new show, I’ll Have What Phil’s Having, premieres Monday on PBS. For the Spiel, Mike poops on the pope’s media coverage. Can you gush your way into heaven? Today’s sponsors: Draft Kings. Start this football season by winning $2 million! Use code GIST to play free for a shot at $2 million in the Week One 10 Million Dollar Millionaire Maker. Go to DraftKings.com. 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, remembering Phil Patton. Then, writer and filmmaker Leslye Headland explains how she brought lessons from theater and heartbreak into the making of the indie comedy Sleeping With Other People. For the Spiel, highlights from the Values Voter Summit. 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. ET only on MSNBC.  ZipRecruiter. Hiring? You can post to more than 100 job sites with one single click and have the highest chance of finding that perfect candidate. Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.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

On The Gist, we take the vitals on the current state of health care in America. The number of uninsured has dropped dramatically, but are the struggling state exchanges and co-ops a cause for concern? Phil Galewitz from Kaiser Health News joins us for an Obamacare checkup. For the Spiel, are any Catholic members of congress both anti-death penalty and anti-abortion?  Today’s sponsor: ZipRecruiter. Hiring? You can post to more than 100 job sites with one single click, and have the highest chance of finding that perfect candidate. Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.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

On The Gist, how filmmaker Jennifer Nelson helped bring the birthday song back into the public domain. Plus, we welcome back Dax-Devlon Ross to discuss his research into black juror exclusion, one of the facets of the upcoming Supreme Court case Foster v. Humphrey. We first spoke with Dax-Devlon after he wrote about black jury exclusion in VQR last fall, and you can join Dax’s After Schools All-Stars on their World Trade Center climb fundraiser on Oct. 22, 2015. For the Spiel, as a general rule of thumb there’s something all Republicans hate: rules.  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, Emily Bazelon from the New York Times Magazine joins us to answer one question, one question only. This is it: “If Congress defunds Planned Parenthood, is it possible that, even though no government funding funds abortions, they will still have less money available for abortion services?” Then, Mike asks Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker to examine the healing and funk-eliminating powers of copper for a game we call “Is That Bulls--t?” For the Spiel, five impressive things about how Gov. Scott Walker bowed out of the race. Today’s sponsors: 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. 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.

How essential is marriage for aspiring middle-class families? On The Gist, economist and Brookings fellow Isabel Sawhill explains her often-cited “success sequence” and declining marriage rates in the developed world. She’s the author of Generation Unbound. For the Spiel, why Dr. Ben Carson currently has no plans for the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.  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. And Draft Kings. Start this football season by winning 2 million dollars! Use the code GIST to play free for a shot at 2 million dollars in the Week One 10 Million Dollar Millionaire Maker. Go to DraftKings.com.  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, our regular guest Chris Molanphy returns to explore the "psychedelic-lite" and "semi-baroque" Billboard chart hits from 1967. He’ll explain how the music industry took a druggy cultural movement like the "summer of love" and made it palatable for a mainstream audience. For the Spiel, don’t be a Peru, the first meaning. All will be explained in the Lobstar of the Antentwig. Do check out this Spotify playlist to hear the songs mentioned in today’s show one more time. Penny Lane and Ruby Tuesday will both be there. Today’s sponsor: 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. 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, Mike’s personal highlight reel from Wednesday night’s CNN GOP debates. Then, how does the medical community distinguish anger issues from psychopath issues or substance abuse issues?  Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker examines the efficacy of anger management for a game we call “Is That Bulls--t?” Her new book, The Confidence Game, is now available for preorder. For the Spiel, “four or five” news items of note. Get your tickets for The Gist’s live show in Brooklyn on Sept. 29 by visiting slate.com/nycgist. 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. 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. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free t

On The Gist, what’s all this a’boot the shifting Canadian accent? We speak with sociolinguist Paul De Decker. Plus, Douglas Birch from the Center for Public Integrity explains why South Africa still has highly enriched uranium. For the Spiel, should Biden’s unscripted moments inspire confidence or concern? Get your tickets for The Gist’s live show in Brooklyn on 9/29 by visiting slate.com/nycgist. 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 GIST.  And Trunk Club. Answer a few simple questions about your look, style, and size, and receive a trunk full of great looking clothes that fit perfectly and make you look amazing. Only pay for the clothes you keep, and shipping is free. Go to TrunkClub.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 m

On The Gist, Mike chats with the interesting attendees at his friend’s destination wedding in Montenegro. Our audio version of a wedding guestbook includes: John W. Frehse from Core Practice explains what millennials really want; Phil Hochberg remembers his days as an NFL  stadium announcer; Nadia Sood from Impact Investing Partners tells us about working as an election monitor in Nigeria; and David Mark of M-Changa shares what he learned from developing an app for Kenyan sex workers. For the Spiel, travel woes and a few words from Mike’s endlessly patient and loving girlfriend, Michelle.  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, a new podcast unravels the case against Adnan Syed one complex detail at a time. We’ll speak with the podcast’s three hosts, Rabia Chaudry from Split the Moon; Colin Miller of EvidenceProf; and Susan Simpson, who writes for View From LL2. For the Spiel, Mike visits the lost and found office in search of a better phrase. 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. And by Draft Kings. Start this football season by winning $2 million! Use code GIST to play free for a shot at $2 million in the Week One $10 Million Millionaire Maker. Go to DraftKings.com. 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

Notice anything different about your street today? Just ask a dog.  On The Gist, Alexandra Horowitz from the dog cognition lab at Barnard talks us through a dog walk. She’s the author of Inside of a Dog and On Looking: Eleven Walks With Expert Eyes.  For the Spiel, a work of audio fiction about turning 30. This piece was commissioned by the Sarah Awards from Sarah Lawrence College. 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

Why is the female orgasm notoriously difficult to study? On The Gist, guest host Andrea Silenzi avoids tarnishing her browser history by asking Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker about new research into the effects of la petite mort on the brain. For the Spiel, the one thing over-the-air radio has over podcasts—it looks good on TV. 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, comedian Bobcat Goldthwait reflects on how his career in comedy led him to chose the path of a filmmaker. His new documentary tells the story of fellow comic Barry Crimmins and explores the role of politics, anger, and activism in his comedy. Call Me Lucky is available in theaters and via video on demand. For the Spiel, is a 21-year-old mass incarceration bill in the way of a Biden presidency? 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, Colin Atrophy Hagendorf tells us why he decided to eat a slice from every pizzeria in Manhattan. Unlike Super Size Me or Julie & Julia, sometimes ambitious food-related projects aren't life-changing experiences. But they can produce singular memoirs like Slice Harvester. Colin’s favorite pizza place in the city:New York Pizza Suprema, 413 8th Avenue, New York, New York 10001 Also great:Gino’s, 345 E 83rd Street, New York, New York 10028Rossetti’s, 114 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10013 In other cities:Tommy’s, 936 Chalkstone Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island 02908Serrano’s, 3274 21st Street, San Francisco, California 94110  For the Spiel, Mike remembers reporting on Hurricane Katrina for NPR. 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. And by Draft Kings. Start this football season by winning 2 million dollars! Use