The Gist

On The Gist, the press is too squeamish to clarify that "shithouse" isn't much better than "shithole." In the interview, more on fire and fury—nuclear fire, rhetorical fury, and the consequences of both. Jeffrey Lewis and Aaron Stein, hosts of Arms Control Wonk, assess the Trump administration's tough talk on North Korea and the danger of a South Korea that decides to take matters into its own hands. In the Spiel, Aziz Ansari isn't blameless, but he doesn't deserve a total destruction of his career, either. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Mike examines Trump's bottom-of-the-barrel statements on immigration. In the interview, Dina Temple-Raston explains how she became fascinated by the teenage brain. After years of covering terrorism for NPR, she was stunned to see so many young people leaving their homes to join ISIS. Teenagers aren't just prone to falling in with terrorist recruiters: Their underdeveloped minds make them more susceptible to video gaming compulsions and violent behavior. Why? Temple-Raston finds answers in her Audible Original series, "What Were You Thinking?" In the Spiel, a skit about the science (and lopsided sex ratio) of turtle love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Mike skewers a columnist for concluding that President Trump is sane. In the interview, comedian Judah Friedlander wants to let you know that his new comedy special is all him, even though it's got Netflix's name on it. The 30 Rock alum talks about matters of social justice, satire, and jingoism. In the Spiel, Democrats should stop questioning Trump's mental acuity and focus on midterms instead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, a brief look at what Norway is doing right. In the interview, we turn to self-help experts Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg about the "new you" books that are good, bad, and absolute nonsense. Meinzer and Greenberg are hosts of the Panoply show By the Book. In the Spiel, Mike discovers the best transliteration ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Joe Arpaio's life after pardon. In the interview, MacArthur "genius" award winner Betsy Levy Paluck tells us about her research into mass media and public opinion. We might have the impression that our beliefs are based on reason. But what our neighbors think (or what we think they think) has a lot to do with it, too. In the Spiel, how to charm Twitter trolls into submission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Sen. Lindsey Graham is defending the president extra hard on television … because he knows Trump's watching. In the interview, NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik tells us what to make of Fire and Fury, the book that claims to reveal how dysfunctional the Trump administration really is. In the Spiel, Mike gives props to Oprah for her acceptance speech at the Golden Globes. But that doesn't mean she should run for president. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, third-party voters should answer for Donald Trump's terrible policies at home and warmongering around the world. In the interview, fields don't get much more male-dominated than those of the NFL. Our guest Jen Welter made history as the first woman to hold a coaching position in the league, training the Arizona Cardinals' inside linebackers in the 2015 preseason. Welter is the author of Play Big: Lessons in Being Limitless From the First Woman to Coach in the NFL. In the Spiel, a story about coats, the cold, and charitable giving. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Mike wonders whether the "winner picked out of a bowl" antics in Virginia's House of Delegates will really matter much. In the interview, former Democratic Rep. Jason Altmire has straightforward advice for candidates in blue-collar America: appeal to the center or lose out. Just as importantly, Altmire argues, the Democratic Party as a whole has to let them do it. Altmire's book is Dead Center: How Political Polarization Divided America and What We Can Do About It. In the Spiel, Mike says the economy is looking up, and that means Republicans could keep their congressional majorities in the midterms ahead—barring a foreign policy disaster, of course. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Mike calls foul on the mashup terms used to describe big weather events, such as the latest: bombogenesis. In the interview, police shootings regularly make headlines, but what does the big picture look like? Sam Sinyangwe is a data analyst at Mapping Police Violence, an organization that recently looked at all 1,129 cases in which a person died at the hands of the police in 2017. And yes, there is a racial disparity. In the Spiel, the barbs traded between President Trump and Steve Bannon truly are the stuff of Shakespeare. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Mike tips his hat to the musical talents of Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who announced his retirement Tuesday. In the interview, it took a perfect storm to bring down Richard Nixon's presidency, and it's not guaranteed that another will come for Donald Trump. Slate's Leon Neyfakh and Andrew Parsons tell us about their chart-topping podcast, Slow Burn, and why it shouldn't necessarily give hope to those who want Trump out. In the Spiel, President Trump's latest round of self-congratulating tweets omit a few facts, as usual. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices