The Gist

On The Gist, Megyn Kelly's take on blackface was obviously wrong … and wrong for NBC's messaging. Sleep isn't for the weak; it's for those who want their brains flushed of misfolded proteins and fatigue-inducing adenosine. If that sounds like mumbo-jumbo, Maria Konnikova is here to explain it all and answer one question: Is the prescription for precisely eight hours of sleep bullshit? In the Spiel, President Trump riles up his base in all kinds of ways, but we can't honestly blame the recent spate of mail bombs on him and him alone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, first we've got misleading statistics. In 2016, Art Cullen wrote a series of editorials for the Storm Lake Times, a small newspaper in Iowa, uncovering the murky depths of a fight between local and state governments about water pollution. They followed the money, and discovered a fight funded by agricultural corporations, and ended up winning the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. Cullen's new book is Storm Lake: A Chronicle of Change, Resilience, and Hope From a Heartland Newspaper. In the Spiel, gubernatorial races. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, 'tis the season (elections!) for baseless political analysis, courtesy of big network news. Americans spend countless hours watching football, but what do they know about the owners of their favorite teams? In Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times, Mark Leibovich covers the exclusive billionaire boys' club and the "very unimpressive group of inherited misfits" that fills its ranks. In the Spiel, CNN's Van Jones was way too chummy with interview guest Jared Kushner on Monday morning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Europeans are fighting over daylight saving time, which is way better than having a World War. Mother Jones reporter Shane Bauer has been on both sides of a prison's bars. After spending two years as a political prisoner in Iran, he returned to the U.S. and got a job as a private prison guard. His real aim, of course, was to report on why the American prison system—private and public—is broken. Bauer's new book is American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey Into the Business of Punishment. In the Spiel, a debate roundup ahead of the midterms. This episode is brought to you by Exchanges, a podcast from Goldman Sachs. Listen today wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Democrats might actually be winning. Supporters of open immigration policy—and immigrants themselves—often have a rosy view of what awaits them in the United States. National Review executive editor (and Slate alumnus) Reihan Salam says high costs of living can put immigrants in debt rather than on a path to the middle class. "When we're totally sentimental about this, we miss some of those struggles, and those struggles are inconvenient. People don't want to hear about them." Salam's book is Melting Pot or Civil War?: A Son of Immigrants Makes the Case Against Open Borders. In the Spiel, Omarosa again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, bone saws and Jamal Khashoggi. When Joe Hagan began working on the story of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone, Wenner was on board. But as Wenner slowly realized Hagan was writing the true story rather than Wenner's story, things got a bit rough. Hagan joins us to discuss Wenner, reactions since publication, and the tricks of writing about a narcissist. Hagan's book is Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine. In the Spiel, the civility of debates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Saudi Arabia, Trump, and Jamal Khashoggi. Comedy Cellar owner Noam Dworman has had a post-scandal Louis C.K. take to his stage six times now. Why does he welcome him, and if he doesn't draw the line at Louis, is it somewhere else? In the Spiel, the death of Nevada Republican candidate Dennis Hof. This episode is brought to you by Merrill Lynch. Get started today at ML.com/you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, unpacking CNN's list of top Democratic challengers ahead of 2020. Katmai National Park and Preserve's publicity stunt worked: For one week (that's Fat Bear Week), the internet delighted in the tournament bracket that would crown the plumpest predator of them all. Carnivore ecologist Rae Wynn-Grant tells us about the brown bear's diet, the unknown mechanics of hibernation, and why fattest really means fittest for the competition's chunky winner (Beadnose!). In the Spiel, what to make of Elizabeth Warren's DNA-testing gambit. This episode is brought to you by the following advertisers: SimpliSafe, protect your home today with twenty-four seven monitoring for just fifteen dollars a month, visit simplisafe.com/gist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, how coverage of bisexuality has changed (for the better). Thanksgiving approaches, and with it all the tension that comes with mixing family and politics in the age of Trump. In that setting, Ike Barinholtz saw grist for a political comedy. He directs and stars in The Oath, in which a family reunion is cleaved by the federal government's push for Americans to sign a "loyalty waiver to the president." In the Spiel, what Arizona Senate candidate Kyrsten Sinema did as congresswoman is much more important than what she did … in a tutu? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Beto O'Rourke and Ted Cruz. At first The Good Place on NBC appears to be a light and easy sitcom about a bad apple accidentally dropped into heaven, but look at little deeper and you'll find a smart and dense comedy about moral philosophy. Creator Mike Schur joins us to discuss this show's moral compass, baseball, and the Kant of it all. The Good Place airs on Thursdays on NBC. In the Spiel, Trump's rally in Erie, Pennsylvania. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices