The Gist

Today on The Gist, Chicago's Joshua Sebastian tells a story of parking ticket injustice. Then, in our regular segment "Is This Bulls---?," we ask Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker what to make of Jonah Lehrer's new books, and the mark he left on popular science. For the Spiel, Mike has solved the problem of backpacks on the subway. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, Philip Galewitz from Kaiser Health News explains how the health care shopping experience has improved since Obamacare. Plus, Dan Pashman from The Sporkful explains how artificial scarcity is the real selling point behind food fads like the Pumpkin Spice Latte. He's the author of Eat More Better. For the Spiel, Mike investigates a claim made by Bobby Jindal on Meet The Press.

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Are the recent midterm voters reflective of the American public? Today on The Gist, history and public affairs professor Julian Zelizer explains what's a lame-duck Congress to make of the midterm results. Then Slate's Emily Yoffe joins us for a Post-Prudence Impact Statement with past letter writer "Ethical Dilemma." For the Spiel, we finally get around to addressing the issue of being late. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, RAND Corp. political scientist Jonah Blank puts Obama's visit to Myanmar in context. Then, the harrowing prison story that inspired Jon Stewart's directorial debut, Rosewater. The film is based on the memoir Then They Came for Me by our guest journalist Maziar Bahari. For the Spiel, the Gruber gaffe. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Are we entering an era in which failure will dominate our lives? On The Gist, Adam Davidson from Planet Money discusses his New York Times Magazine feature "Welcome to the Failure Age!" and how purple chairs explain progress. Plus, Casper Kelly shares insight into the awful TV-show theme songs that inspired his epic and addictive Adult Swim video "Too Many Cooks." For the Spiel, the fever in song and fact. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, Margaret Aguirre from the International Medical Corps explains how Ebola quarantines are hurting her organization's efforts to recruit health care professionals. Plus, Middle East analyst Robin Wright explains the historic implications of President Obama's nuclear weapon negotiations with Ayatollah Khamenei. Will this be the most important foreign policy breakthrough in six presidencies? For the Spiel, some mathematical insight into Pakistan's "I Am Not Malala" Day. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, Slate's Jamelle Bouie explains why our democracy may be hardwired to fail. Plus, WKRP in Cincinnati creator Hugh Wilson explains why it took so long to release the classic TV show with original music. For the Spiel, Mike solves the world's problems. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, our in-house vexilologist Ted Kaye explains what images of ISIS flags tell us about the Islamic State's messaging. Plus, David Dunning of the Dunning-Kruger Effect explains why confident ignorance is incredibly common and increasingly harmful. You can learn more in Dunning's Pacific Standard feature "We Are All Confident Idiots." For the Spiel, The Gist gets a new name. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, a collection of some of our favorite Slate Plus bonus segments. First, from the "Joe Biden's White Teeth" edition of the Political Gabfest: David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon have a conversation about law enforcement and parenting. Then, from the "Are You Looking Forward to Our Wearable Future" edition of the Culture Gabfest: an interview with two fans who enjoy the show so much that they held a bachelorette party in the Slate studio. Last, from the "The All's Fair in Love and WAR Edition" of Hang Up and Listen: Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Mike Pesca talked to Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post about her column on Mo'ne Davis and how the male-dominated sports world discusses women's sports. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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Today on The Gist, Slate's Josh Voorhees joins us from Iowa to discuss what the pro-pipeline supermajority in the Senate means for environmental legislation. Plus, Monk creator Andy Breckman explains why he decided to pursue a new career as a toy mogul. His new app is called Rigged Trivia. For the Spiel, impassioned nominations for the toy hall of fame. Get The Gist by email as soon as it's available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

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