The Gist

Today on The Gist, a new album from Mac McCaughan captures the feeling of being fifteen in 1982. His new album Non-Believers is available from the label he co-founded, Merge Records. In our segment, you’ll hear the tracks “Box Batteries” from the new album, and at the end of the show, “Noisy Night” by Portastatic. For the Spiel, (the) Magna Carta explained. Plus, be sure to come see Mac live in Durham, NC for Mom and Dad Are Fighting LIVE!: The Indie Rock Parenting Edition at Mororco on Sunday, June 7, 2015. 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, 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

Today on The Gist, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker returns for another installment of “Is That Bullshit?” Maria and Mike take a closer look at compression sleeves used by elite athletes, senior citizens, and injured folks alike.  Plus, we talk about the U.S. military’s Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb and Russia’s Armata supertank with Rebecca Grant, the president of IRIS Independent Research and a contributor to Air Force magazine. For the Spiel, Mike raises an eyebrow at the body count in Avengers: Age of Ultron. 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. Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @slategist   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, Steve Inskeep of NPR's Morning Edition talks about the story of two complicated political leaders he chronicles in a new book, Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab. In the Spiel, a candid question: "What will you do now that the Patriot Act has been temporarily suspended?" 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, 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. Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @slategist   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit pod

Alex Winter went from co-starring with Keanu Reeves in the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure franchise to creating tech-centric documentaries. Today, Winter talks about directing Deep Web, about the online black market Silk Road and its founder Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison on Friday. The show premieres on Epix this weekend. Also, Slate’s Joel Meyer joins us to answer one question, and one question only, about Minneapolis. For the Spiel, should we give so much credit to the sage grouse? 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 brief history of beer with William Glenn and Trish Parry. Their show A Brief History of Beer is at the Under St. Marks Theater in New York the last Sunday of every month. Plus, author Baratunde Thurston joins us from the new Panoply podcast About Race. He’s the author of How to Be Black. Guidelines for talking about race include: 1. Assume good intentions, especially online. 2. Shut up. Listen. 3. Try to make it not just about yourself. “But I’ve never” isn’t a good argument. It’s about a bigger system. For the Spiel, does it matter if our politicians are out of touch? Today’s sponsor: The Netflix original documentary series Chef’s Table. Go inside the lives and kitchens of six of the world’s most renowned international culinary talents. All episodes now streaming on Netflix. 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 other day in the Wall Street Journal, Mike Pesca saw a headline that he adored: World Awash in Too Much of Almost Everything. It wasn’t a pun, just that stark truth, and it reminded Pesca of a book he read years ago called The Progress Paradox by Gregg Easterbrook. They discuss what the rising of material abundance means for the word and the possibility of a post-scarcity economy. For the Spiel, is this our last chance for a President Bernie? Every wonder how we make The Gist? Check out a special Slate Plus feature about the making of our show in this video. Today’s sponsor: The Great Courses, offering engaging audio and video lectures taught by top professors. Courses like Masters of War: History’s Greatest Strategic Thinkers. Right now, get up to 80 percent off the original price when you visit thegreatcourses.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 pod

Today on The Gist, our resident vexillologist Ted Kaye explains why it’s so much fun to visit micronation.org and size up the baby flags. For more flag news, we strongly recommend subscribing to the Vexilloid Tabloid, the bimonthly newsletter of the Portland Flag Association. Then, Mike asks Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker to open our eyes about insomnia, the latest in a series we call “Is That Bulls--t?” In the Spiel, Mike finds himself defending Lindsey Graham. Today’s sponsor: QuickBooks. If you work for yourself, try QuickBooks Self-Employed. See what QuickBooks Self-Employed can do for you with a free 30-day trial at tryselfemployed.com/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

Today on The Gist, we listen back to Billboard hits from 1984. Our regular guest Chris Molanphy explains why the year inspired so many go-to karaoke jams. He writes Slate’s Why Is That Song No. 1 column. For the Spiel, it’s time to name our lobstar of the antentwig. Today’s sponsor: The Great Courses, offering engaging audio and video lectures taught by top professors. Courses like Masters of War: History’s Greatest Strategic Thinkers. Right now, get up to 80% off the original price when you visit thegreatcourses.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

Today on The Gist, professional storyteller Matthew Dicks is here to coach our winning listener Frank Kennedy. We’ll hear stories from Frank’s life raising an autistic son, and hear ideas for how to better integrate them into a larger story. For the Spiel, a story of Kansas punishing people on welfare leads to an amazing stat. Today’s sponsor: QuickBooks. If you work for yourself, try QuickBooks Self-Employed. See what QuickBooks Self-Employed can do for you with a free 30-day trial at tryselfemployed.com/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

In a span of just 14 months, Bob Dylan wrote, recorded, and released three of the greatest albums of all time. Today on The Gist, David Kinney explains how it happened. He’s the author of The Dylanologists: Adventures in the Land of Bob. For the Spiel, you can’t find a better man than David Letterman. Today’s sponsor: Stamps.com. Buy and print official U.S. postage right from your desk using your own computer and printer. Right now, get a no-risk trial and a $110 bonus offer by going to Stamps.com and using 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

Today on The Gist, what does the looong campaign mean for 2016’s candidates? Annie Lowrey from New York magazine joins us for a reasonable amount of time. She’s part of a new Panoply podcast called Podcast for America, which debuts Tuesday on Soundcloud and iTunes.  Then, in another installment of “Is That Bulls--t?” Mike asks Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker if hand sanitizer is a reasonable use of purse space. Her new book The Confidence Game is now available for preorder. For the Spiel, Mike explores the growing popularity of the breastaurant—and does it partly in rhyme. 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, we remind you of what’s in that crate in the back corner of your basement. Author Zac Bissonnette tells the tale of Ty Warner and the craze that launched e-commerce. He’s the author of The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute. For the Spiel, a Gist-vestigation into college diploma mills. Today’s sponsor: Stamps.com. Buy and print official U.S. postage right from your desk using your own computer and printer. Right now, get a no-risk trial and a $110 bonus offer by going to Stamps.com and using the promo code THEGIST. And: QuickBooks. If you work for yourself, try QuickBooks Self-Employed. See what QuickBooks Self-Employed can do for you with a free thirty-day trial at tryselfemployed.com/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

Today on The Gist, Mike Pesca and Slate senior editor Laura Bennett reflect on the unique career of David Letterman, and the new breed of late-night hosts. His last show will be on May 20th, and Slate’s Last Laugh features include many looks at the end of an era in late-night TV.  For the Spiel, lots of death. Sorry. But, the middle part has fun, great blues names! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg are called out for making a notorious cliché on their hit FX spy drama, The Americans. They recently hosted a Slate podcast following Season 3 of their show, available in iTunes, or as an RSS feed. Plus, we discuss the importance of diversity in children’s literature with Minnesota Supreme Court Justice and NFL Hall of Famer Alan Page, and his daughter, educator Kamie Page. They are the authors of the children’s book The Invisible You, available on the Page Education Foundation website, page-ed.org. For the Spiel, please take your political commentary out of the Amtrak tragedy.   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

A new trade bill has split Senate Democrats and united Obama with Republicans. Today on The Gist, we speak with BuzzFeed’s congressional reporter Kate Nocera from the Senate press gallery. For the Spiel, a simple solution to the Amtrak crash. 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, Jared Feldman from Canvs explains how social media is supplanting the old-fashioned focus group for media buyers and TV shows. For the Spiel, how American elections could benefit from candidates with less information. 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.   Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, does the Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev feel remorse? Seth Stevenson has been reporting for Slate on the trial and shares the latest insight into how the defense is attempting to humanize. Plus, are there adverse health effects that come with artificial sweeteners? For a game we call “Is That Bulls--t?,” we take Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker out for lunch to see what she sprinkles in her iced tea. For the Spiel, was the research into Deflategate a worthwhile expense?  Today’s sponsor: QuickBooks. If you work for yourself, try QuickBooks Self-Employed. It helps separate your business and personal expenses, estimate your federal quarterly taxes, and more. See what QuickBooks Self-Employed can do for you with a free 30-day trial at tryselfemployed.com/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 Day Three of Mike's vacation, guest host David Plotz of Atlas Obscura and Slate's Political Gabfest welcomes Wesley Morris to air a few grievances about the state of American fine dining, including his dislike of pre-clearing, gratuitous cluster seating, restaurant uniforms, and being ignored.  Wesley is a staff writer at Grantland and co-host of the film podcast Do You Like Prince Movies? For the Spiel, there's something fishy going on at Gettysburg.   Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @slategist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Day Two of Mike's vacation, Sean Rameswaram guest hosts the show. He's the host of Sideshow, a podcast from Studio 360 about pop culture and the Internet. Today Sean sets out to prove his theory that creative ideas, no matter how bonkers or inconsequential, will find a home online.  First he talks with the creators and curators of the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan 1994 Museum in Brooklyn. Before you ask: Yes, it's in Williamsburg and, yes, it ran a Kickstarter campaign. Later he talks with David Javerbaum, the comedy writer who tweets as @TheTweetOfGod and wrote the new Joe Mantello-directed Broadway show An Act of God. In previews now, it stars Jim Parsons and opens on May 28 at Studio 54. For the Spiel, some pushback on push notifications. 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 Friday, David Plotz of Atlas Obscura and Slate's Political Gabfest sits in for Mike. His guest will be Wesley Morris, Gran

With Mike spending his first vacation day on TV talking about the Deflategate report, his friend Zoe Chace of This American Life steps up to guest-host the show. Today on The Gist, she looks at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s recent ruling on an aggressive claim to the soul of podcasting. Plus, Zoe and her former co-worker Jacob Goldstein of NPR’s Planet Money revisit one of their favorite things: the Planet Money Indicator. For the Spiel, why music lovers should be terrified of growing old.     Today’s sponsor: Shari’s Berries. Fresh berries dipped in chocolate, starting at just $19.99, are a great last-minute gift, and double your berries for just $5. Visit berries.com, click on the microphone, and use the 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. On Tuesday, Sean Rameswaram of Studio 360’s Sideshow podcast guest hosts the show. Then, David Plotz of Atlas Obscura and Slate’s Political Gabfes