The January 6th Committee has wrapped up their case against former President Trump and will be referring their findings and quite a bit of evidence to Joe Biden's Department of Justice. But we all know the Zen koan of prosecuting Trump: The destination is the journey, because he doesn't write anything down. Then, in part two of our interview with Sam Quinones, author of The Least Of Us: True Tales Of America And Hope In The Time Of Fentanyl And Meth, we discuss pleasure centers and hucksterism. And in the Spiel, you'll get familiar with Mike's opinion about the criminal prosecution of nonagenrian nazis.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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Sam Quinones, author of The Least Of Us: True Tales Of America And Hope In The Time Of Fentanyl And Meth, says that these new drugs are exponentially more potent and dangerous than anything that came before. Also, Congressman-elect George Santos seems to be some guy named George Santos, but that's about it. Plus a study on discrimination at AirBnB shows a much stronger sign of progress than the headlines would suggest.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying Mike's Thursday Spiel—a deep dive on the sappy sentiment, and familiar melodies, of John Lennon's Christmas "classic." And because it's the last weekend of the World Cup, we listen back to Mike's 2009 NPR exposé on the vuvuzela, in which the late, great soccer American reporter Grant Wahl weighs in.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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Chris Molanphy is here to document the top 100 Billboard Christmas songs of all time. Jingle bell time, it's a swell time to count the songs that top charts like an angel on the tree. Plus, the world's largest cylindrical aquarium bursts in Germany, ushering in a flood of fish focused frippery.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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Mike's done a deep dive on the sappy sentiment, and familiar melodies of a John Lennon's Christmas "classic." And we're joined by Daniel Sloss, the Scottish comic whose new special Socio questions his own possible sociopathy. Plus, Heinrich XIII's attempted German government overthrow gets deeper … NDA's were involved.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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Mike objects to the reflexive negativism that ignores amazing scientific advances, treats progress as depressing, and convinces itself that a fun diversion is nothing short of horrific. And SBF's mom ran superPAC that outsmarted the competition, because of her keen insight, but also lots of crypto-fraud. Plus, we are joined once more with Nina Totenberg NPR's legal affairs correspondent and author of "Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships."

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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Nina Totenberg has covered the Supreme Court for nearly 50 years for NPR. It's a career that has given us a deeper understanding of the most mysterious body in American politics, and it gave Nina a friend for life … the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Mike talks to Nina about what it's like to have to report about your good friend and about her new book Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships. Also on the show, a tripledemic for the ages. And Wakanda Forever. Just that.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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Wednesday is the tenth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shootings. Alex Jones has filed for bankruptcy in an attempt to shield himself from the approximately $1.5 billion he owes families. Elizabeth Williamson is author of Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy And The Battle For Truth, and she joins us to discuss her coverage of Jones' trials and insights into his strategy and tactics in avoiding accountability. Plus, President Biden is accused of "weakness" over swapping Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout, and Germany's Prince Heinrich XIII gets pinched.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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In this installment of Best Of The Gist, we are replaying Mike's 2022 interview with Douglas Farah, author of Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible, which is about Viktor Bout, the Russian arms trafficker who was exchanged for Brittney Griner this past week. We are also listening to a section of this week's episode of Not Even Mad, in which Mike talks with David French and Lara Bazelon about the not-terribly-difficult task of getting a seditious conspiracy conviction.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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The Senator from Arizona will no longer be a Democrat. What it means to be an "Independent"? Plus, Philosopher Nick Riggle explores "The Big Question" in his new book This Beauty: A Philosophy of Being Alive. And Mike explains the Twitter Files as if they had been a normal story free of everyone screaming at each other about motives.

Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara

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