The Gist

On The Gist, Mike runs through the major news of the past few days, while much of the news media is on vacation. In the interview, Hobby Lobby scored a famous Supreme Court win for evangelicals in 2014, allowing certain corporations to deny covering their employees' contraception costs. Professor of theology Candida Moss tells us about the family behind the company, and their crusade to promote fundamental Christianity. Moss is the co-author, with Joel Baden, of Bible Nation: The United States of Hobby Lobby. In the Spiel, it's almost as if the scales are tipped in favor of Vladimir Putin as he runs for re-election in March. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Ken Stern explains why the deplorable label doesn't sit well with him, even if it's defensible. Stern is the author of Republican Like Me: How I Left the Liberal Bubble and Learned to Love the Right. In the Spiel, is life better in the U.S. or Europe? Mike considers it with David Plotz, CEO of Atlas Obscura. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, why the Republican tax overhaul is unlikely to spur hiring. Michael Carpenter explains what we lose when the Trump administration doesn't try to put the heat on Russia. Carpenter is a former deputy assistant secretary of defense and foreign policy adviser to former Vice President Joe Biden. He and Biden are the co-authors of the Foreign Affairs article, "How to Stand Up to the Kremlin." In the Spiel, robots take over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, it seems that congressional investigators have nabbed a big fish: Jill Stein. Plus, New York Times columnist David Leonhardt explains why the Republicans absolutely had to pass the tax bill, even if polls suggest it could be an albatross around their necks during the midterms. Leonhardt authors the Times' absolutely essential Opinion Today newsletter. In the Spiel: Income inequality may not be the perfect descriptor for what ails us, but it's the best term we've got. And the Republican tax bill makes our inequality problem worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Mike talks about the consequences of fast-tracking a major tax overhaul. In the interview, how did the team behind The Daily manage to create a show that's unlike anything we've heard before and also oddly perfect for this moment in news? Host Michael Barbaro and managing producer Theo Balcomb say they talked extensively about what they didn't want to sound like. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I never want to do a jobs report,' " says Balcomb. " 'Can we promise we're never going to do a jobs report?' " In the Spiel, Republicans aren't necessarily committing political suicide with their $1.5 trillion tax plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the Gist, why we shouldn't fret every time companies like Netflix show how they're using our personal data. In the interview, Maria Konnikova runs us through the foods that can turn your skin orange, blue, and red, and whether that's even a bad thing. Konnikova is the author of The Confidence Game. In the Spiel, what the latest Star Wars movie has in common with Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, President Trump's judicial nominations are starting to look ridiculous. In the interview, comedian Jeff Ross got a little tired of his shtick as a go-to roast guy for Comedy Central's famous Friars Club sendups. So he started skewering not people, but places, ideas, and institutions. His latest special, ­­Jeff Ross Roasts the Border, takes viewers to Brownsville, Texas, a city along the U.S.-Mexico border where a huge steel fence is meant to keep migrants from crossing into the United States. In the Spiel, bidding farewell to the legendary sports radio host, Mike Francesa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris Hurst doesn't want you to know him as the guy whose girlfriend was fatally shot during a live broadcast. But it is a huge part of what compelled him to pursue elected office: "Part of what I want to do is … take this spotlight, that I wish I had a receipt for … 'cause I'd gladly return it, and shine it on people that aren't normally seen." Hurst is a newly elected state representative in Virginia. For the Spiel, an exclusive clip from Donald Trump Jr.'s testimony to the House Intelligence Committee, courtesy of Maura Quint and McSweeney's. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Omarosa makes for the exits. In honor of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees announced today, we're playing an excerpt from our live show last month, when we went over the ballot with Hit Parade host Chris Molanphy and Washington Post humorist Alexandra Petri. In the Spiel, reflecting on the Doug Jones win in Alabama. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, the #MeToo movement is only influential insofar as its targets can feel shame and enact accountability. In the interview, biographer Robert Dallek accounts for Franklin D. Roosevelt's ruthless pragmatism. As president, FDR made the decision to round up 120,000 Japanese Americans to "strike resonant chords with most Americans," and he was silent on anti-lynching bills to appease Democratic segregationists who would later help him pass New Deal legislation. Dallek's book is Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life. In the Spiel, the Alabama Senate election will come down to all registered voters, not just the roughly 26 percent who happen to be black and are reliably Democratic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices