The Gist

President Trump vows executive action—this time, against plastic straws. Casey Burgat joins to discuss his book We Hold These Truths:How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back. And in The Spiel, Trump’s blunt and simplistic words, and thoughts about Gaza. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katie Herzog, co-host of Blocked and Reported, and Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, discuss if Donald Trump's attempts to blame DEI for a tragic military plane crash and Elon Musk's unplugging of USAID will wind up hurting the Trumpian agenda. Also discussed, the Democrats’ disastrous brand - what can a party that once prided itself on broad appeal do to find favor with voters? Expect spirited debate, sharp analysis, and a commitment to being Not Even Mad just deeply, deeply exasperated.  Subscribe to NOT EVEN MAD directly for bonus segments and a nice new logo and catch every unflinching take. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/

Sadie Dingfelder joins to ask: Are trigger warnings mostly BS? Plus, Donald Trump shares some big redevelopment plans for Gaza. And in The Spiel, what the demise of the fact-checking service "Verify" reveals about the declining appeal of fact-checking as a standalone brand. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist a look at USAID’s role in global diplomacy and whether shuttering it makes any sense. And in The Spiel, how the punishments for January 6th rioters compare to those handed down for Black Lives Matter protesters. Plus, the conclusion of our interview with retired Air Force General Jay Santee who details breaks down the high-risk mission to neutralize Syria’s chemical weapons and compares it to Israel's more ad-hoc bombing of stockpiles. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Retired Air Force Gen. Jay Santee takes us inside the high-stakes operation to dispose of Syria’s chemical weapons—on a ship. Plus, Trump’s grudge against Canada resurfaces, this time over fentanyl and trade. In The Spiel: How legitimate critiques of DEI programs got stupefied and weaponized into a political sledgehammer. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, though, we’re throwing that formula out the proverbial window and playing an episode of Very Serious with Josh Barro, on which Mike was a guest. He joined Josh, Ben Dreyfuss, and Megan McArdle to talk about Trump’s first week in office.    GIST Coupon Codes ...  Truewerk: truewerk.com/thegist for 15% off your first order  Marley Spoon: marleyspoon.com/offer/thegist for 27 free meals  Quince: quince.com/thegist for free shipping and free returns    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at [email protected]  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Miriam Lewin, subject of the podcast The Burden: Avenger, spent a year in an Argentine torture center and has chronicled the stories of the “disappeared”—dissidents who were drugged and thrown into the Atlantic Ocean. Plus, Trump’s new tariffs: bold move or economic blunder? Also, an Antwentig, where stolen baby formula fuels underground economies. GIST Coupon Codes ... Truewerk: truewerk.com/thegist for 15% off your first order Marley Spoon: marleyspoon.com/offer/thegist for 27 free meals Quince: quince.com/thegist for free shipping and free returns Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Moynihan of The Fifth Column podcast returns to break down Europe’s immigration crisis and how right-wing parties are addressing concerns that classic moderates will not. Plus, Senate hearings heat up over the nominations of RFK Jr., Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard. And Donald Trump reacts to a midair collision with a critique of diversity initiatives—all of which were in place during his first administration. Watch our interview with Michael Moynihan on The Gist's YouTube channel. GIST Coupon Codes ... Truewerk: truewerk.com/thegist for 15% off your first order Marley Spoon: marleyspoon.com/offer/thegist for 27 free meals Quince: quince.com/thegist for free shipping and free returns Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pes

Sweden—once the left’s shining example of social democracy—is now grappling with far-right politics, immigrant buyouts, and a surge in gang violence. How did it get here? Journalist, raconteur, and Sweden expert Michael Moynihan breaks it all down. Plus, a deep dive into new data on affirmative action in college admissions, and a look at the latest conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. GIST Coupon Codes ... Truewerk: truewerk.com/thegist for 15% off your first order Marley Spoon: marleyspoon.com/offer/thegist for 27 free meals Quince: quince.com/thegist for free shipping and free returns Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.co

Randall Woodfin, mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, is leading a city experiencing promising growth in wealth and education while also grappling with a troubling surge in homicides that defies national trends. Woodfin discusses his new book, Son of Birmingham, and the challenges of governing a city at a crossroads. Plus, a CNN stalwart has asked his last confrontational question to a combative president, and the current administration makes some highly questionable claims about condoms and Gaza. GIST Coupon Codes ... Truewerk: truewerk.com/thegist for 15% off your first order Marley Spoon: marleyspoon.com/offer/thegist for 27 free meals Quince: quince.com/thegist for free shipping and free returns Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: P

Most North Dakotans may be skeptical about global warming, but they’re fully committed to making their state a leader in the carbon capture industry. Journalist Adam Willis, who covered the heated debate over carbon capture in North Dakota for Bloomberg, joins us to discuss. Also on the show: the renaming of Forts Benning and Bragg, the surprising presence of anti-vaxxers in the Pentagon, the exclusion of transgender service members, and a look back at the Great Colombian Tariff Tiff of 2025. GIST Coupon Codes ... Truewerk: truewerk.com/thegist for 15% off your first order Marley Spoon: marleyspoon.com/offer/thegist for 27 free meals Quince: quince.com/thegist for free shipping and free returns Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: 

Each weekend on Best Of The Gist, we listen back to an archival Gist segment from the past, then we replay something from the past week. This weekend, we listen back to Mike’s 2022 interview with Kate Shaw, ABC Legal Analyst and co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast. It’s an extended interview about the Equal Rights Amendment, which, many of its backers claim, actually passed and should be the law of the land. Then we listen back to Mike’s Tuesday Spiel about the pardoned January 6th attackers.    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus content.    The Gist is produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara    Email us at [email protected]  Subscribe to The Gist’s YouTube Page  Follow Mike’s Substack > Pesca Profundities  To advertise on the show, click here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meghan Daum, writer and host of The Unspeakable podcast on Substack, joins us for an extended interview about the #MeToo movement, female agency, the efficacy of social movements, and evolving gender dynamics in society. She and Mike discuss women’s progress, exploring the intersection of cancel culture and empowerment within media and publishing. Also on the show, Harvard redefines “antisemitism” to include discrimination against Zionists. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, Mike is joined by Michael A. Cohen of the Truth and Consequences Substack and MSNBC, along with Matt Welch, Editor-at-Large of Reason magazine, for another installment of Not Even Mad. The trio discusses Trump’s inauguration, executive actions, refugee policy, DEI, and the eventful first few days of his second term as POTUS. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump has issued over 50 executive orders—not including a single order that repealed more than 50 of Biden’s executive orders. We delve into the posturing and the potent. Plus, Nate DiMeo, host of the long-running The Memory Palace podcast, drops by to discuss what makes a good podcast episode, what translates well to the page, and why a massive 18th-century painting was chopped up to fit inside a specific room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist Watch Mike Live on Thursday at National Liberty Museum Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Donald Trump’s first day in office, cop-beaters are pardoned, and biology is affirmed. Plus, anthropologist Carrie M. Lane, author of More Than Pretty Boxes: How the Rise of Professional Organizing Shows Us the Way We Work Isn’t Working, reports that professional organizers don’t want to force people to throw things out. Marie Kondo might have something to say about that. GIST Coupon Codes ... Him's: hims.com/thegist Acorns: acorns.com/thegist Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each weekend on Best of The Gist, we revisit an archival segment from the past and replay something from the past week.    This weekend, two selections from the near vault, inspired by the devastating fires in and around Los Angeles over the last week or more. First, Mike’s June 12, 2023, Spiel about the Canadian wildfires that many thought would change minds on climate change—even if we’re not certain they were entirely the result of climate change.    Then, we revisit the intro to our Aug. 18, 2023, episode, in which Mike discusses Herman Andaya, Maui’s emergency chief, who decided not to sound sirens before the fires scorched Lahaina. It seems like an obvious mistake, but all the officials agreed that doing so would have contradicted policy—and perhaps even posed a danger.    GIST Coupon Codes ...  Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3  Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off    SUBSCRIBE  We offer premium subscriptions, including an AD-FREE version of the show and options for bonus

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.‘s fire chief deserve credit or blame? What’s it like to fight a fire in the face of 100 mph winds? These questions and more are answered by Clare Frank, a 30-year veteran of the California Fire Service and the author of Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire. Plus, as TikTok goes splat, other media companies that are allowed to operate as platforms for free speech are instead voluntarily choosing to cut themselves off at the knees. GIST Coupon Codes ... Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/

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: partisanship can be beneficial. In fact, things become rather inefficient without it. Meanwhile, the Hamas-Israel hostage deal remains on the precipice of implementation, and Joe Biden issues a warning about oligarchs. He likely has one specific billionaire in mind, though there is significant political diversity even among the hundred-billionaire class. GIST Coupon Codes ... Harry's: harrys.com/gist for a $13 trial set for just $3 Prolon Life: prolonlife.com/gist for 15% off Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca |

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 caused the U.S. military once upon a time to require a man have at least thirteen teeth to enlist. Conspiracy theorists decry this intrusion into their bodily fluids, claiming its lowering their IQs, but they're just lunatics ... or are they? Sadie Dingfelder joins the show for another round of Is That Bullshit? Also, a peace deal between Hamas and Israel nears. And cosmologists and cosmetologists are concerned with little red dots. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack  Learn more about your ad