The Gist

Today on The Gist, something we're good at when it comes to fighting infectious disease. Mathematical modeler Nina Fefferman of Rutgers University explains how a mathematical model called R0 can predict the spread of Ebola. Then, in our regular segment Is This Bulls---, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker discusses why some priming research has gone too far. For the Spiel, a Pew Research study reveals a huge knowledge gap when it comes to the economy. 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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on The Gist, the home of the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East is Qatar. Jeremy Shapiro from Brookings Institute explains if we should consider Qatar a friend or frenemy. Plus, Jeffrey Mervis from Science explains why house Republicans are sniffing around National Science Foundation funding decisions. To end the show, Mike's Spiel from the stage of Slate's Live SuperFest in San Francisco. 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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on The Gist, Slate's Dahlia Lithwick previews the Supreme Court cases worth watching closely this term, even if they don't inspire Hobby Lobby–level outrage. Plus, Daisy Waugh explains how modern attitudes toward child-rearing are setting parents up to feel like failures. She's the author of The Kids Will Be Fine. For the Spiel, damn, dams, we wish you were built better. 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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on The Gist, we prepare for a verdict in the Blackwater trial you might not have known is underway. From the hallway of a D.C. federal courthouse, Matt Apuzzo of the New York Times reminds us why it's taken us seven years to prosecute the State Department contractors involved in a shooting in Iraq. Plus, biographer Tanner Colby reviews Cosby: His Life and Times by Mark Whitaker, and discusses the glaring omission of the comedian's sexual assault allegations. For the Spiel, are the terrorists we're fighting smarter than us? 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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is the attorney general the lightening rod of the Cabinet? The Gist's attorneys general theme week continues with Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler. Plus, candy blogger Cybele May explains what flavors are trending on candy aisles, and what candy can tell us about how America is changing. For the Spiel, Isaac Mizrahi–designed tissues. 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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on The Gist, we talk about Andy Warhol's erotic films with McGill University professor Ara Osterweil, who explains how movies like Couch and Blow Job transformed American visual culture. Osterweil is the author of Flesh Cinema: The Corporeal Turn in American Avant-Garde Film. For the Spiel, the kid who kicked a cat and the luxury of outrage. 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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on The Gist, we discuss the legacy of Attorney General Eric Holder with former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Plus, Brett Anderson explains why Louisiana isn't shaped like a boot anymore. In a recent feature for Matter, he collaborated on the making of a new map. For The Spiel, 10 objections that defined history. Illustration by Matthew Woodson for Matter. Source: U.S. Geological Survey's National Land Cover Data (2011). 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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on The Gist, the science journalist's version of "who wore it better." We compare the Wall Street Journal's report with the N.Y. Times' report on the same research from the journal Nature. Ben Lillie from Story Collider explains who did the best job of representing the research. Then Slate's Emily Yoffe joins us for a Post-Post-Prudence Impact Statement with past letter writer "Please No Baby Daddy" from The Gist Episode 15. For the Spiel, we name our new Lobstar of the Antentwig. 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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on The Gist, what happened to the good old days of newsmen keeping quiet about their death threats? Danielle Citron, author of Hate Crimes in Cyberspace, explains why online threats are commonly discussed and more rarely policed. Plus, William Weir explains the sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music. For the Spiel, Mike's wild worldwide warzone wackiness headlines. 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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on The Gist, we ask the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg whether ISIS is indeed an existential threat to the Middle East. Then, Adam Davidson of NPR's Planet Money explains how economists talk about taxes when the rest of us aren't around. Plus, a snappy Spiel about race and long snapping. 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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.