The Gist

Kristin Gore, Tallulah Bankhead, and Alice Roosevelt Longworth are all known for their comedic writings  and the daughters of elected officials. Add to that list the Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri. She’s the daughter of retired Wisconsin congressmen Tom Petri, and author of A Field Guide to Awkward Silences. For the Spiel, some numbers to consider alongside stories of church burnings.   Join Slate Plus! Mem bers 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

Today on The Gist, Jeff Ross’ harsh comedic roasts have finally landed him in prison. We’ll speak to the roastmaster general about his new special Jeff Ross Roasts Criminals: Live At Brazos County Jail. Then, Mike asks Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker to poke and prod research into the benefits of acupuncture. For the Spiel, Mike dives into a 1984 lecture at Harvard by John Rawls. 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

The Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage will welcome a new era in equality, acceptance, and fretting. A recent headline even predicted a “twinge of loss” for modern gay culture. On The Gist, Slate’s J. Bryan Lowder explains what the ruling means for gay culture. Be sure to read his cover story “What Was Gay?” from earlier this year. For The Spiel, Mike explores what the Chris Christie presidential candidacy should sound like. Today’s sponsor: 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

Today on The Gist, the return of “Names in the News!” Plus, Brad Melzer from the Lost History TV series explains how real presidential lore and relationships influenced his new novel The President's Shadow. You can hear Brad’s previous appearance on The Gist here. For The Spiel, Mike unwraps how Obama’s heartfelt eulogy in Charleston was an insight into his political strategy. Today’s sponsor: Volvo. Have a month’s payment on Volvo and spend your summer doing the things that matter to you. Plus get up to five years full coverage, including wear and tear. Go to volvocars.com/us. 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

Today on The Gist, Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick explains the vulnerability of Friday’s SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage, and a favorite Scalia moment from the arguments. She’s the host of the Slate podcast Amicus. Plus, our regular guest Chris Molanphy suffers recalling the wide range of hits from 1990. For The Spiel, the tragedy of Bristol Palin, who recently announced that she’s expecting. Read more of Slate’s coverage of same-sex marriage at the Supreme Court.  Today’s sponsor: Vegas.com. With Vegas.com, your summer vacation is just a click away. Find great deals on hotels, shows, tours, and VIP treatment at top clubs. Go to Vegas.com, and enter the promo code GIST for 10 percent off everything but air-hotel packages. 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

Today on The Gist, you will either be happily relieved or totally devastated by what we’ve learned about the “five-second rule.” Mike asks Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker if she’d eat what we’ve dropped in a series we call “Is That Bulls--t?” For the Spiel, Mike speaks with current high school students in Oceanside, New York. Today’s sponsor: Vegas.com. With Vegas.com, your summer vacation is just a click away. Find great deals on hotels, shows, tours, and VIP treatment at top clubs. Go to Vegas.com, and enter the promo code GIST for 10 percent off everything but air-hotel packages. 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

Is there a relationship between celebrity worship and a lack of social mobility? Today on The Gist, we explore the allure of celebrity with professor Timothy Caulfield. He’s the author of Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: How the Famous Sell Us Elixirs of Health, Beauty & Happiness. Plus, Bobby Jindal makes a special announcement and his son knows just what to say. Ever wonder where Mike Pesca gets all his great ideas? In a Slate Plus exclusive, Pesca shares something he calls his “Gist List.” Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike took three months off after each of his sons were born. He considers that time to be the most important bonding he’s ever done, but when it comes to family leave, some new dads aren’t so lucky. CNN’s Josh Levs makes a case for paid paternity leave as a gender equality issue in his new book All In. For The Spiel, is the Trans-Pacific Partnership a good pact? 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. 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 this weekend’s Meet the Press, Mike Huckabee asked, “Is South Carolina a racist state because of the flag that flies on their Capitol grounds?” On The Gist, Mike Pesca answers, “No, the flag flies over the Capitol because it’s a racist state.” Also on the show, professional storyteller Matthew Dicks is here for another lesson with our winning listener, Frank Kennedy. This class focuses on the four lies you’re encouraged to tell when framing your own story. For the Spiel, some non-obvious points about the shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. 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

What kind of person is drawn to write for children’s television? And why does that person always seem to sneak in adult jokes and pop culture references? The creator and executive producer of Doc McStuffins, Chris Nee, shares the wide variety of experiences that led her to create the Peabody Award–winning show for Disney Junior. For the Spiel, it’s time to name a new Lobstar of the antentwig. 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 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

Today on The Gist, a closer look at the apartheid-era South African and Rhodesian flags worn by the Charleston suspect, Dylann Roof, with vexillologist Ted Kaye. Plus, Richard Thaler offers common-sense ideas found in behavioral economics. He’s the author of Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics. For the Spiel, an explanation of the Jexclamation point! 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

Does Congress care about the political interests of regular American citizens as much as those of their affluent donors? Today on The Gist, we speak with Princeton politics professor Martin Gilens about a study in Perspectives on Politics that makes Congress seem less populist than the populace. He’s the author of Affluence and Influence. Plus, we’ll ask Jill Duffy from PC Magazine how fitness trackers will inevitably change our relationship with health care. She’s the author of Get Organized: How to Clean Up Your Messy Digital Life. For The Spiel, Mike chatted with Kim Kardashian West the other day. Here are some of the products Jill mentioned in her conversation with Mike: Athos: Electromyography-sensing pants that measure your muscles as they fire during a workout.   BSXinsight: A compression leg sleeve that measures lactate threshold; much better than having a blood test every three minutes while running on a treadmill! HealthPatch MD: No need to stay in a hospital when you can be discharged with this adh

Was racism the progeny of the decision to enslave black people? Today on The Gist, the duo behind a new Slate Academy tell us what they’ve learned so far in a summerlong inquiry into a vast and complex aspect of American history. Mike speaks with Slate’s Jamelle Bouie and Rebecca Onion about a podcast series called The History of American Slavery. For The Spiel, is Rachel Dolezal insane? 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

Today on The Gist, an improbable Google experiment is still afloat. Will this “loony” idea help expand Internet access around the world, or just be a boon to fuzzy sock manufacturers? Slate’s Will Oremus explains. For The Spiel, we track the use of "the" before "Magna Carta." 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

Today on The Gist, we dig some of our favorite segments out of the vault. Mike Pesca is still away taping Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me, which you can hear this coming weekend online or on NPR stations across the country. First up, Mary Pilon shares the real history of the board game your family never finishes. She’s the author of The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Board Game. Then, should you ever attend a child’s birthday party in a hazmat suit? Slate’s Emily Yoffe joins us for a Post-Prudence Impact Statement with past letter writer “The Shot Is Safe.” For the Spiel, impassioned nominations for the Toy Hall of Fame. This segment was taped in 2014, and since then the Rubik’s Cube, bubbles, and little green army men have all been inducted. Today’s sponsor: Volvo. Have a month’s payment on Volvo, and spend your summer doing the things that matter to you. Plus get up to five years full coverage, including wear and tear. Go to volvocars.com/us. Join Slate Plus! Members get

James Holmes is mounting an insanity defense for his trial in the 2012 movie-theater killings in Aurora, Colorado. But what connection does that tactic have with the actual medical understanding of mental illness? Today on The Gist, Fordham’s Barry Rosenfeld explains the challenge of diagnosing a “guilty mind.” For the Spiel, we ask Nate DiMeo to share an episode of his podcast The Memory Palace about Coney Island’s Dreamland amusement park, and his approach to revisiting history. 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

Today on The Gist, how common is the phenomenon of the historic genius or eccentric CEO who needs less sleep than the rest of us? Could more of us benefit from less sleep? Mike asks Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker to open our eyes about sleep deprivation, the latest in a series we call “Is That Bulls--t?” For the Spiel, Burwell or not so well. 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. 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

In the Wall Street Journal editorial “The New Nationwide Crime Wave,” Heather Mac Donald argues that spikes in inner city crime are the consequence of “The Ferguson Effect” on police. Today on The Gist, Mike Pesca disagrees. Mac Donald is the author of Are Cops Racist, and at the Manhattan Institute scholar.  For the Spiel, is edible normcore taking it on the chin? 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

Today on The Gist, listener Dillon Kondor explains why he finds himself consistently embarrassed by his own stage banter. Can indie rock singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten save the day? They’ll join us in studio for a thoughtful conversation about what’s involved in being a frontman who’s confident in their vulnerability. For the Spiel, the latest Duggar-based revelation. Today’s sponsor: Squarespace, the easiest way to create a beautiful website, blog, or online store. Use the offer code GIST at checkout to get 10 percent off. Squarespace. Build it Beautiful. 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

When Asher Price reached his mid-30s, he realized it was his last chance to learn how to dunk a basketball. Today on The Gist, we’ll visit the West 4th Street Courts to learn about his training regimen and the symbolism behind a slam dunk. He’s the author of Year of the Dunk: A Modest Defiance of Gravity. For the Spiel, debating about debates. Today’s sponsor: Squarespace, the easiest way to create a beautiful website, blog, or online store. Use the offer code GIST at checkout to get 10 percent off. Squarespace. Build it Beautiful. 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