The Gist

A look at what makes some minds more prone to radical beliefs—and why, with Dr. Leor Zmigrod author of The Ideological Brain: The Radical Science of Flexible Thinking, . Plus, close read of how Judge James Boasberg has become a punching bag for those claiming he coddles Venezuelan deportees while harshing on Jan 6 rioters. The actual court documents—and his sentencing decisions—suggest a far more evenhanded story. And applying the "Michael Clayton Doctrine" to Greenland. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist. We play Mikes appearance on The Mark Reardon Show and play an interview from 2022 with Rafael A. Mangual on Depolicing. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Turkish student at Tufts University was detained by ICE, but the only evidence presented so far is a co-signed campus op-ed critical of Israeli policy—raising serious concerns about the bounds of political expression and immigration enforcement. Also, an interview with former FBI Agent Scott Payne, author of Code Name: Pale Horse: How I Went Undercover to Expose America's Nazis. Plus, Trump loves women, Ireland, Tesler, and Bobby Knight—maybe even all at once. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott Payne is an undercover FBI agent who infiltrated America’s modern Nazis under the ominous alias Pale Horse. Plus, Trump’s back on the tariff train, this time hitting autos, but we dig into the unseen economic cost of shoehorning jobs into unproductive places. And part 4 of the discussion of a police shooting in the NYC subway becomes a case study in media malpractice, this time focusing on public radio. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Isenstadt, national political reporter for Politico and author of Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power discusses how Trump’s inner circle handles the boss. Plus, a House hearing with more culture war than clarity over the governance of NPR and PBS. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris Gethard reflects on how the comedy world has changed and what happened when Shane Gillis publicly took a shot at him—and then privately took it back. Also, the genetic info you gave to 23andMe might soon be available in a bankruptcy fire sale near you. And in the Spiel, a Signal chat goes sideways when Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg is accidentally added to a highly sensitive thread about airstrikes on the Houthis. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris Gethard stops by to talk comedy, ethics, and how audience taste moves like an algorithm with a grudge. Meanwhile, the JFK files are finally released, and it turns out the real mystery was in Finland all along. Also, the government’s got a chainsaw, and it's not just for photo ops: cuts are coming to everything from colorectal cancer screening to the office that won the Cold War-winning offices. Somewhere between chaos and court orders, we try to figure out what still counts as governance. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we discussed high school musicians losing their opportunity to perform with the US Marine Band. And we revisit Mike's 2022 commentary on NCAA swimmer Lia Thomas, newly relevant as the Trump administration moves to defund University of Pennsylvania grants. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today’s Gist, former Impractical Jokers star Joe Gatto joins to discuss his new stand-up special Messing With People and how he pulls off pranks that leave folks smiling, not steaming. Then, Mike breaks down why Disney’s Snow White remake may mark the end of an era where ideology outweighed audience. And in the Spiel, the U.S. retreats from Ukraine—not just militarily, but morally—while the cost of disengagement climbs. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Congressman (and current NYC Council candidate) Anthony Weiner and Reason Editor-at-Large Nick Gillespie square off over whether the national debt is an true crisis, if Chuck Schumer made the best of a bad hand, and whether government can—or should—ever shrink. Plus, in Goat Grinders, we take on Walter Cronkite’s legacy, the absurd NCAA tournament gripes, and the myth of “wanting it more.” Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In The Prosecutor: One Man's Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice, Jack Fairweather tells the story of a Jewish lawyer who fled the Nazis, only to return and put them on trial—despite resistance from the West German government. Plus, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, whom Trump calls a "Radical Left Lunatic," may not be so radical after all. And in the spiel, Mike unpacks a Washington Post “fact check” of Trump’s Voice of America cuts, revealing it as more rhetorical sleight of hand than rigorous analysis. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A federal judge ruled the Trump administration’s deportation flights to El Salvador unlawful—only for the administration to carry them out anyway. Now, Trump is calling for the judge’s impeachment, prompting Chief Justice John Roberts to push back against using impeachment as retaliation for judicial rulings. Plus, NYT journalist David Enrich joins to discuss Murder the Truth: Fear, the First Amendment, and a Secret Campaign to Protect the Powerful and his reflections on covering Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adc

One consequences of Trump's anti-DEI initiatives is the disbanding of a talented youth orchestra featured on 60 Minutes. The Spiel analyzes the recent U.S. airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, comparing the Trump administration's more aggressive approach to previous military engagements and questioning whether tough talk translates to meaningful strategic differences. And Russell Shorto, author of "Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America," explores the fascinating Dutch origins of New York City, and the far-sighted decision to give it up without a fight. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca

Mike was recently on the Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em Podcast. Enjoy! Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matthew Schrag, the Alzheimer’s whistleblower who uncovered one of the biggest medical deceptions in history, joins the show. Plus, Chuck Schumer takes the hits, absorbs the pain, and spares Democrats from a brutal shutdown battle—sometimes being a punching bag is part of the job. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rodrigo Duterte stands trial in The Hague for his brutal drug war—a prosecution that is justified but also political. Meanwhile, Sadie Dingfelder joins us to play Is That BS? to determine whether yelling “Help” or “Fire” is the smarter move in an emergency. Plus, Part 2 of Nine Bullets, One Knife, Many Wrong Questions—separating fact from fiction in a fatal NYC subway shooting. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Senate Democrats have a rare chance to force Republican concessions in the government funding battle, but fear of political blame looms large. Lauren Egan, writer of The Bulwark’s Opposition newsletter, examines how Democrats are responding to challenges from within and outside their party—whether it’s policy missteps, messaging struggles, or the new ideological battlegrounds in media and podcasting. Plus, the Spiel on a subway shooting that occurred because of threat to public safety, but which the NY Times continues to frame as an example of overly aggressive crackdown on fare evasion. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Su

Wall Street’s downturn suggests that Donald Trump is not immune to the consequences of his bad economic policies. In the spiel, the dubious legal justifications behind the detention of Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil. And we're joined by CNN's Elle Reeve author of Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics. We join her story from the night of the unite the Right rally in Charlottesville Va. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today’s Gist, journalist Elle Reeve discusses her new book, Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics, detailing her firsthand reporting on the radicalization pipelines fueling extremism. Plus, the Trump administration cracks down on Columbia University, and in the Spiel Gavin Newsom’s surprisingly conciliatory conversation with Charlie Kirk. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Gist we got back to Wednesdays spiel on Trumps speech to congress and go to a 2019 interview with Scotland’s Daniel Sloss who churns out comedy specials at an almost alarming rate, completing his tenth at age 28. He’s here to talk about circumcision, Brexit, and why the left is doomed to eternally shoot itself in the foot Produced by Corey Wara Email us at [email protected] To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices