The Gist

Masha Gessen returns to The Gist, this time to talk about her latest work, The Future Is History. Gessen uses the book to examine the ways in which post-Soviet Russia failed to process the traumas of totalitarianism. In failing to reckon with its past, did Russia doom itself to a bleak future?  In the Spiel, the dearth of details in the Trump administration’s tax plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we learned that Russian-linked Facebook ads targeted swing states during the 2016 election. Initially hesitant about sharing information with the government, Facebook finally gave in to avoid a deeper discussion on regulation, but tech companies have grown so big that it might be time for the government to step in. Journalist Franklin Foer explains how tech has become so powerful, and why it’s essential to be skeptical of technological innovation. Foer’s new book is World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech. In the Spiel, gun-control regulations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Has the military become more tolerant of collateral damage under President Trump? Why are there no good military options in North Korea? And who does it hurt when the president goes off-script about Kim Jong-un? Retired Maj. Gen. James “Spider” Marks has the answers.  In the Spiel, the cost of paying constant attention to the president’s myriad sins and insults. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before the Cold War, the president spent most of his time focusing on long-term problems facing the nation. But ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president has had to devote more time to immediate crises than overarching strategy. Author Jeremi Suri explains how the office of the president has changed so drastically—and whether there’s any way for occupants to succeed now. Suri’s new book is The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office. In the Spiel, more ways to think about gun reform.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, we’re thinking about the mass shooting in Las Vegas and the errors we make when we attempt to explain the motives of an attacker. Author Masha Gessen says it’s all part of our desire to reassure ourselves that we won’t fall victim to a bomb blast or a spray of bullets. “As soon as we find an explanation, we set it aside and we’re reassured that it’s not going to happen to us.” Gessen went in search of an explanation for the Boston Marathon bombing in her book, The Brothers. She’ll be back soon to talk about her latest book, The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia.  In the Spiel, Mike found the perfect metaphor for our familiar reaction to a mass shooting.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charlatans and magical thinkers aren’t new to this country; they helped shape it. So goes the thesis of Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire. Author Kurt Andersen joins Mike to consider religious quacks, the wackadoodles of the left and right, and the shrinking authority of the academy. Andersen is the host of Studio 360.  In the Spiel, we’re long overdue for another Lobstar.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the past 25 years, Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard and Bill Galston of the Brookings Institution have been debating the meaning of presidential elections. But in 2016, they found themselves agreeing much more frequently on issues such as immigration, the tech industry, and tax reform. These men, on opposite sides of center, decided to develop a plan to recenter American politics. Galston and Kristol’s new project is the New Center. In the Spiel, a librarian rejected books donated by Melania Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s time for Vexillology Corner: Last month, the city of Pocatello, Idaho, presented a new city flag to replace their previous one, known for being one of the ugliest flags in the United States. But what makes a flag ugly? Vexillologist Ted Kaye describes Pocatello’s new flag and reminds us why a kid should be able to draw it. Kaye is the author of Good Flag, Bad Flag. In the Spiel, a brief word from economist Tyler Cowen, who summarizes the grim outlook for Puerto Rico.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mark Lilla made a lot of liberals bristle with his New York Times op-ed, “The End of Identity Liberalism.” But Lilla insists that what he’s suggesting should not make the bleeding hearts clutch their hemp necklaces in horror. His premise is simple: To make meaningful gains, Democrats need institutional power (i.e., election wins). And far too often, Lilla says, liberals have sacrificed such ends for what he calls “noble defeats.” Lilla’s book is The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics. In the Spiel, Saudi Arabia will allow women to drive.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Working in the White House sounds impressive, but speechwriter David Litt says it’s not like The West Wing. Some days you just find salmon in a toilet, or have to tell the president that he looks like Hitler. Litt shares his experience as a self-described unimportant person working in the most important place in America. Litt’s new book Thanks, Obama is out now, and you can find him on Twitter. In the Spiel, it’s a sports talk hot take.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The chart-topping hits of 2007 featured Beyoncé at peak pop and Kanye West ahead of the curve with electronic dance music. Why do the hits of 2007 have such impressive staying power? Chris Molanphy says it might be because the 2007 Billboard charts were more comprehensive than ever, marking the first time that digital music sales were incorporated into a song’s ranking. Molanphy writes Slate’s Why Is This Song No. 1? column and hosts the podcast Hit Parade. In the Spiel, John McCain just keeps on delivering.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dylan Moran is a comedian from Ireland, a resident of Scotland, and a worried observer of politics in America. He talks to Mike about his way with words and why he thinks satire might bring down the 45th president. Moran is touring the U.S. now with his latest stand-up show, Grumbling Mustard. In the Spiel, democracy is exacerbating international tragedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This much we know: The Equifax data breach is bad. How can the credit bureaus, who have been described as the “plumbing” of our financial system, show so little regard for the people whose data they collect? New York Times columnist Gretchen Morgenson says it’s simple: We are not their customers, we are their product. Morgenson writes the Fair Game column. Her most recent book is Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon.  In the Spiel, the Jimmy Kimmel test.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sigma Alpha Epsilon was already the country’s deadliest fraternity when it became famous in 2015 for its racist chants. But Bloomberg News senior editor John Hechinger says SAE’s response to its scandal was unusual, as leaders used his reporting to try to reform members. Even so, the rising costs of insuring national fraternities might cause local chapters to shut down before reforms can take root. “The leaders of SAE know they are a legal judgment away from oblivion,” writes Hechinger. His book is True Gentlemen: The Broken Pledge of America’s Fraternities. In the Spiel, Trump’s speech at the United Nations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why does the movie Revenge of the Nerds continue to resonate today? Because, aside from how funny it is, it stands up for outcasts. Actor Curtis Armstrong explains what he took away from the film playing Booger, who was accepted by the nerds despite not really being one of them. Armstrong is the author of Revenge of the Nerd: Or… The Singular Adventures of the Man Who Would Be Booger. In the Spiel, health care for all!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Mike talks to one of his favorites: Musician Ted Leo discusses letting his political frustrations fuel his songwriting (see his song, “William Weld in the 21st Century”) and explains how he finds solace in the tarot card image of the hanged man, which inspired the name of his new album. The Hanged Man is available now. For more on Ted Leo, read Michael Tedder’s story in Stereogum, “Ted Leo Is Like You.” In the Spiel, why it’s silly to say that speech equals violence.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Gretchen Rubin explains why her system of sorting people into four personality types (Rebel, Obliger, Questioner, and Upholder) will make your life easier. Rubin is the author of The Four Tendencies and host of the podcast Happier.  In the Spiel, what happens when politics seeps into sports.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Late-night talk shows adhere to a form: a host behind a desk, pre-produced interviews, and tightly choreographed bits. Chris Gethard wants to break that form apart. With absurd gags like getting dunked in ice water or staying awake for 36 hours, Gethard wants to disarm his celebrity guests and put his viewers in charge. Gethard’s new season of The Chris Gethard Show airs Thursday nights at 11 p.m. Eastern on truTV. In the Spiel, the fatberg of London.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do germaphobic parents doom their kids to a lifetime of allergies and irritable bowels? This sounds like a question for our favorite game, “Is That Bullshit?” Returning champion Maria Konnikova helps us sort good bacteria from bad. Konnikova writes for the New Yorker and is the author of The Confidence Game.  In the Spiel, what should we consider before changing the definition of sexual assault? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former NFL cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha sees his time in football as a prep course for acting.  On The Gist, he explains how he learned to study other people while developing his own style. Asomugha stars in Crown Heights, a film based on the true story of a Brooklyn man trying to prove the innocence of his imprisoned friend. Crown Heights is in select theaters and will be available nationwide starting Friday, Sept. 15.  In the Spiel, why does anyone listen to Ivanka Trump?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices