The Gist

On The Gist, Trump knows how to produce himself. In the interview, America’s discovery of oil fields has long been entwined with godly significance—whether these were exploited by oil barons like the Rockefellers or the smaller producers (or “wildcatters”) they contended with. University of Notre Dame historian Darren Dochuk explores the intersection of oil and religion in America in his new book, Anointed with Oil: How Christianity and Crude Made Modern America.  In the Spiel, Iran and attacks on oil tankers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Canada declares war on the plastic straw.    In the interview, Emmy Blotnick has written for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and served as head writer on The President Show. But she also does stand-up, including in her new album Party Nights, where she gets into her love of pop music and why she joined a social networking site… for tea-drinkers. Blotnick’s album is streaming now—and her next show is at The Bell House in Brooklyn on July 6.  In the Spiel, there’s no good reason for the news media to cover Jessica Biel’s anti-vaxxer stance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, who doesn’t get to be at the debates? In the interview, David Epstein’s new book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World is all about how having a wide base of knowledge is so much better than narrowing your focus. He’s here to talk Roger Federer versus Tiger Woods, how fiction helped him retool his book, and what Malcolm Gladwell got wrong.  In the Spiel, this is stupid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, curse the gauntlet that is buying an event ticket online. In the interview, John Urschel played as an offensive lineman in the NFL all while pursuing the PhD that would support an accomplished career as a mathematician. The values he practiced in each field are the same, he says, but there the similarities between pigskin and math end. Alongside sportswriter Louisa Thomas—the two are married—Urschel is the author of Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football.  In the Spiel, “lock him up” (and you know who “him” is) isn’t a great call either. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Joe Biden curing cancer. In the interview, senior writer at the National Review Michael Brendan Dougherty is here to discuss his new book My Father Left Me Ireland: An American Son’s Search For Home. He and Mike talk about Dougherty’s journey into his father’s history, how the immigrant experience shaped his mother, and the ways Ireland has influenced his politics.   In the Spiel, political pithiness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Democrats bob and weave around the question of abortion. In the interview, victims of crimes are often sidelined in the judicial process—the perpetrator is punished, but his or her target isn’t given the opportunity to set up the kind of face-to-face meeting that might help them heal. Restorative justice seeks to change that, and Lara Bazelon is out with a book on how it applies to those who have been exonerated after wrongful convictions. Bazelon is an associate professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, and the author of Rectify: The Power of Restorative Justice After Wrongful Conviction.  In the Spiel, even with every benefit of the doubt, Elizabeth Warren’s policy ideas just aren’t fundable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, who’s on the right side of less auto pollution? In the interview, Adam Gopnik is here to discuss his new book, A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism, inspired by a conversation with his daughter. Who gets to make arguments? What about identity politics? And why should the rhinoceros should be the symbol of liberalism?  In the Spiel, what are your go-to references? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Joe Biden's careful moderation leads him astray on abortion rights. In the interview, Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick is back to talk all about the Supreme Court. How the recent abortion laws passed in the South impact the continued dismantling of Roe v Wade? And why aren’t the Democrats more animated by the outrageous things happening to our courts? Dahlia is the host of Slate’s Amicus podcast.  In the Spiel, where there’s a jingle, there’s a questionable set of business practices…  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, holding Scott Peterson accountable after the Parkland shooting. In the interview, George Will has led conservative thought for decades, in over a dozen books and a Washington Post column he’s penned since 1974. In his latest work, The Conservative Sensibility, he seeks to define just what “conservative” means. While Mike had him on The Gist, he got Will’s opinion on the lost dignity of the GOP, Elizabeth Warren’s policy proposals (“I think she has a firm grip on half a point”), and the fact that no Democratic candidate is all that close to true socialism.  In the Spiel, Biden and Warren’s new environmental plans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Trump visits the UK and drags London’s mayor.  In the interview, Larry Lewis doesn’t just analyze civilian casualties in the midst of wars; he’s worked within the State Department to minimize them. His research makes clear that sparing non-combatants isn’t just morally laudable, it can help generals reach their objectives and reduce anti-American sentiment.  In the Spiel, is Caster Semenya running? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, even in defeat, Jeopardy! genius James Holzhauer made one really smart play. In the interview, Mike Pesca sometimes bikes to work, and—in full adherence to New York City law, mind you—he doesn’t wear a helmet when he does. Should he, or are the benefits of bike helmets overrated? Maria Konnikova gets into it on the latest edition of The Gist’s “Is That Bullshit?” In the Spiel, the best way to answer a question? Answer the actual question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, what to make of (alleged) executions in North Korea. In the interview, Slate’s chief news blogger, Ben Mathis-Lilley, makes the case for impeaching Trump. In his reasoning, impeachment proceedings would give Congress a stronger hand in forcing new information from the White House, which could then boost public support for the president’s removal from office. And even if it fails, it would have an immediate chilling effect on Trump’s abuse of the constitution. David Epstein, the author of Range, also makes a cameo appearance in the interview.  In the Spiel, an Antentwig on mispronunciation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, using Olympic-sized swimming pools as units of measurements. In the interview, beyond covering national security as a journalist, CNN’s Jim Sciutto worked a stint in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. In both careers, he’s seen signs of a shrinking power imbalance between America and its Russian and Chinese rivals. His latest book warns of the risks carried by Russian offensives in cyberspace, and potential Chinese aggression in actual space. Sciutto is the author of The Shadow War: Inside Russia's and China's Secret Operations to Defeat America.  In the Spiel, the spirituality of the lost hiker in Hawaii. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, it’s a shoe! It’s a phone! It’s… both? In the interview, Darrick Hamilton’s ideas and research have the attention of more than one Democratic candidate for president. The Ohio State University professor—and head of the Kirwan Institute—studies income inequality and the policies that might help close it. He joins The Gist to talk baby bonds, inherited wealth, and the potential in a federal job guarantee.  In the Spiel, special Robert Mueller’s statement at the DOJ contained nothing new, and yet still it still moved the needle on impeachment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, calculating whether or not impeachment is the right move. In the interview, Andrew Johnson was the first president to be impeached so Congress had to basically figure out how it worked as they did it. Brenda Wineapple is here to discuss the reasons for that impeachment, why the conviction failed, and what it can teach us about our current situation. Wineapple’s new book is The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation.  In the Spiel, the 1994 crime bill.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump may yet face impeachment proceedings, so we’re bringing you a roundup of two previous Gist interviews on the topic. The first is with the youngest woman ever elected to the House, Liz Holtzman—who participated in the Nixon impeachment hearings—and CIA alumnus David Priess, who worked at the agency under both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Both have recently published books on impeachment. Holtzman is the author of The Case For Impeaching Trump; Priess is the author of How to Get Rid of a President: History’s Guide to Removing Unpopular, Unable, or Unfit Chief Executives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Theresa May’s resignation. In the interview, Dan Taberski’s latest podcast series Running From Cops digs into the long-running reality series Cops to understand what’s actually going on in those arrests on screen and how accurate the stories that we see are. He’s here to talk about why the show is so watchable, how the cops work with cameramen to exploit those being arrested, and how the nature of reality television has made us slow to notice such exploitation.   In the Spiel, learning from history when it’s always changing.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, a look at the worst arguments in the debate over abortion.  In the interview, After Parkland follows the lives of those affected by the Parkland shooting. That includes Tori Gonzalez, who lost her boyfriend, Joaquin Oliver, to the tragedy. Gonzalez is on The Gist alongside documentary filmmakers Emily Taguchi and Jake Lefferman to discuss the making of the film, useful ways to talk about the event, and how she continues to cope with her loss.  In the Spiel, why the idea of impeaching president Trump is just like riding a motorcycle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Biden’s electability.  In the interview, eight states have passed bills to limit abortion access so far this year. And while these may not end up surviving challenges in court (whether Supreme or lower), getting an abortion is already difficult for women in many parts of the country. Planned Parenthood president Leana Wen reminds us that abortion providers can be vanishingly rare in some states, and that hundreds of laws have been passed in the last few years to restrict access to the procedure: "Forced waiting periods, medically unnecessary ultrasounds…things that we would never consider happening to any other aspect of medicine.”  In the Spiel, Michael Cohen and the pre-pardon pardon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, oh, Ben Carson. In the interview, Felipe Lopez was once billed the Dominican Michael Jordan. His star power even in high school led the team to play in bigger New York City venues—the better to fit the legions of fans who cheered as he carried Harlem’s Rice High School to a championship victory. But his court domination dwindled in college, and in the NBA. Lopez joins The Gist to talk about the joys brought to him by basketball, not least of which is one that college athletes and recruiters rarely think much of: a degree. ESPN’s The Dominican Dream, a documentary on Lopez by Jonathan Hock, is streaming now on ESPN Plus. In the Spiel, M&M’s, cannibalism, and the Game of Thrones finale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices