This Saturday edition features an unaired segment from the interview with UC Berkeley law professor David Oppenheimer regarding standardized testing in higher education. The discussion centers on a debate over the statistical legitimacy of the LSAT and bar exam passage rates. The episode rounds out with a takedown of anyone claiming New York commuters pronounce the LIRR as the lure.

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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Today on The Gist, the upcoming Enhanced Games are analyzed not as an ethical crisis, but as a weak, corporate-sponsored satire of athletic boundaries. Then, Nobel Prize-winning economist Alvin Roth joins the show to discuss his book Moral Economics: From Prostitution to Organ Sales, What Controversial Transactions Reveal About How Markets Work. He maps out the baseline difference between evolutionary disgust and social repugnance, diving into historic natural experiments, including Rhode Island’s accidental legalization of indoor prostitution and the downstream legalities of international surrogacy, to reveal the real-world trade-offs of market bans. Finally, in the spiel, the latest legislative chaos out of Washington is unpacked, showing how the constant breaking of institutional norms has simply become par for the course.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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Today is Not Even Mad. Tangle founder Isaac Saul and journalist Jamie Kirchick discuss the creation of the Department of Justice's $1.776 billion anti-weaponization settlement fund, the legislative fallout from the Trump primary revenge tour, and the unpredictable new swing votes in the Senate. Finally, they honor the trailblazing legacy and posthumous warnings of the late Barney Frank before sharing their personal weekly grievances on everything from shrieking toddlers to Gen Z's lack of eye contact.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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Today on The Gist, the profound failure of empathy within our immigration bureaucracy is put under the microscope following the tragic freezing death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a blind Rohingya refugee abandoned in a Buffalo parking lot by Border Patrol. Then, UC Berkeley law professor David Oppenheimer joins the show to discuss his book, The Diversity Principle: The Story of a Transformative Idea. He traces the intellectual history of multiculturalism back to 1810 Prussia, arguing that a clash of perspectives is essential for institutional excellence, leading into a spirited debate over the replication crisis in social science and the institutional flaws of the modern DEI apparatus.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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Today on The Gist, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defends a massive compensation fund for Donald Trump alongside a highly convenient IRS waiver. Then, J Schuberth joins the show to discuss her write-in campaign for Oregon governor as a six-foot-tall pencil. She breaks down why the state ranks dead last in fourth-grade literacy, the political pushback against the science of reading, and why adult comfort should not override student outcomes. Finally, in the spiel, a fierce defense of the only correct way to pronounce the LIRR and a thorough takedown of anyone who dares to call it the lurr.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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Today on The Gist, the media coverage surrounding Eileen Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, California who recently pled guilty to acting as a Chinese government agent, is put under the microscope. Then, computational neuroscientist David Sussillo discusses his memoir, Emergence: A Memoir of Boyhood, Computation, and the Mysteries of Mind. He recounts his unlikely trajectory from a neglected childhood in an Albuquerque group home to the bleeding edge of AI at Meta and Stanford, breaking down how he used his intelligence as a psychological shield and why his harrowing experiences leave him optimistic about the future of technology.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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It’s the Saturday show! Today, we’re sharing a recent appearance on the podcast Fake the Nation, hosted by Negin Farsad and featuring comedian Katie Hannigan. The panel tackles the explosion of the "refresher" beverage craze, the death knell of soda, and the performative nature of iced matcha. Then, the conversation shifts to the grim realities of the Iran war, the administration's lack of an exit strategy, the information blackout affecting Iranian citizens, and why the sudden release of blurry UFO footage feels like a convenient distraction.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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Today on The Gist, NCAA softball star Maya Johnson turns down massive NIL offers to stay at Belmont University and pursue a debt-free nursing doctorate. Then, Matt Sterling joins the show to discuss his memoir, Mighty: Finding the Strength to Survive. Born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, Sterling navigated a pre-ADA world to become a highly successful New York City ad sales executive. Plus, a breakdown of the former Arcadia, California mayor who pleaded guilty to acting as a Chinese agent, and why the local press ignored the red flags.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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Today on The Gist, a look at public health communication and the hantavirus. Then, The Atlantic's Franklin Foer returns to face questions about his book, The Last Politician. Did the press miss the signs of Joe Biden's decline? Foer pushes back against accusations of journalistic dereliction, detailing what he actually witnessed in the White House and the difference between cognitive failure and age-induced crankiness. Plus, a critique of a recent New York Times column detailing the abuse of Palestinian prisoners, the destructive influence of Israel's far-right ministers, and the necessity of accountability.

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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Today on The Gist, what do UFO disclosures and covert strikes on Iran have in common? They are all part of the great distraction machine. Then, The Atlantic's Franklin Foer joins the show to discuss his recent project, The Purged. The conversation examines the quiet catastrophe of the administration's dismantling of the civil service, and why replacing seasoned experts with partisan appointees leaves the government fundamentally broken. Plus, an analysis of a revealing Pew survey highlighting America's status as a remarkably low-trust society, and the economic inequalities fueling our mutual resentment.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠

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