The Gist

On the Gist, Trump attempts to convince the MAGA nation to wear masks. In the interview, journalist Anne Applebaum is here to talk about her new book Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism. She and Mike discuss how democracies can give way to authoritarian leaders, the delicacy of political systems, and how essential our institutions are for protecting a functioning government. In the spiel, what's happening in Portland, Oregon. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, John Kasich at the Democratic National Convention. In the interview, legal professor and modern Chinese law research scholar Neysun Mahboubi joins Mike to discuss the uprisings in Hong Kong and the extradition bill which would have undone Hong Kong's independence from mainland China. Mahboubi explains the clashes between protesters and counter-protesters which began nearly a year ago, how the Chinese government has used the Covid-19 crisis as a moment to more aggressively assert control over citizens of Hong Kong, and what U.S. involvement could mean. Professor Mahboubi is the host of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for the Study of Contemporary China's flagship podcast. In the spiel, without a microphone Trump can't shout down facts. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, we've got something a little different. In this episode, Mike has brought together the New Republic's Osita Nwenavu, and Yascha Mounk, a contributor to the Atlantic and the founder of Persuasion, to debate the state of public discourse. They discuss the complexities of platform regulation, whether or not the concerns rise to a level of social contagion, and how social media factors into the reactions on all sides. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, Trump is lost in the numbers. In the interview, former mayor of Minneapolis Betsy Hodges joins Mike to talk about her most recent op-ed in the New York Times, "As Mayor of Minneapolis, I Saw How White Liberals Block Change." In it, Hodges challenges white liberals to confront the status quo of comfort and move the horizon of racial disparity that breeds police brutality. In the spiel, is the scientific method white? The Smithsonian seems to think so Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, Trump is full of beans. In the second half of a two-part interview, novelist Curtis Sittenfeld is continues talking her new novel Rodham. She and Mike discuss the critiques of Hillary within the book, the final choices in the book, and how it might relate to modern superhero stories. In the spiel, the need for tough follow-ups with Trump. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, renaming in Burlington, New Jersey. In the first half of a two-part interview, novelist Curtis Sittenfeld is here to discuss Rodham, her new novel exploring an alternative history where Hillary Clinton never married Bill. She and Mike discuss the origins of the novel, how her skills aren't in the public part of politics, and what it's like to create such a fiction. In the spiel, Joe Biden keeping quiet. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, the Washington football team have more work ahead than they realize. In the interview, Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri joins Mike to chat about her recently published book Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why. A hand-picked anthology of her some of her best essays that are mockingly sharp, and unsettlingly cheerful, it showcases the satirist's gleefully distorted take on our political and social realities. In the spiel, educational idiocy. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, Trump's bullying worked. In the interview, Olympic champion Usain Bolt is here to talk with Mike about the new documentary series Greatness Code on Apple TV+. They discuss Bolt's love of the 200 meter race, training, and how he might feel when people start coming for his record. All episodes of Greatness Code are available to stream now on Apple TV+. In the spiel, the parent-teacher mob. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, guns in the U.K. and the U.S. In the interview, we share part two of our conversation with Barry Friedman, founder of the Policing Project at NYU Law, author and legal scholar. Friedman suggests that a hurdle to creating new policies and training is the lack of accountability and uniform data gathering processes provided from police departments around the country. The central idea to the project is how to create good police departments. In the spiel, J.K. Rowling. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, Karens receiving informal justice. In the interview, Mike speaks with Barry Friedman, one of two investigators appointed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the NYPD's actions in protest activity. Founder of the Policing Project at NYU Law, Friedman is a legal scholar and author. In part one of the conversation, Professor Friedman discusses backend versus front end accountability within policing, the executive research forum standards and their guiding principles for use of force, as well as how to diversity police departments. Stay tuned for part two in tomorrow's episode. In the spiel, New York crime during Covid-19. Email us at thegist@slate.com Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices