The Gist

On The Gist, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker explains Sigmund Freud's lasting contributions to psychiatry and castration anxiety everywhere. She's the author of The Confidence Game. For the Spiel, we dive into whale news from around the globe. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Adam Davidson explains why he's rarely enthusiastic about any politicians. How does he feel about experimentations with the American economy proposed by Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders? He's a columnist for the New York Times Magazine and co-host of the podcast Surprisingly Awesome. For the Spiel, Oscars so blah. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, an important update on the Brexit. Then, William Galston joins us to discuss the practical considerations for executing a Bernie Sanders agenda. Can it be done from the executive branch alone? Galston is a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings, and a regular columnist for the Wall Street Journal. For the Spiel, why does Morning Joe hate Marco Rubio? Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Slate's Will Oremus joins us for a round of "One Question, One Question Only" about Apple's battle with the U.S. government. Harry Enten from FiveThirtyEight uses his polling expertise to explain what's ahead for caucus results this weekend and the overall value of political momentum. For the Spiel, let's thank our outsider candidates for rewriting the playbook. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, we knew you were going to listen to this episode about ESP. Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker joins us for a game we call, "Is That Bulls---?" She's the author of The Confidence Game. For the Spiel, Donald Trump for pope! Today's sponsors: Texture, the mobile app that lets you tap directly into the world's most popular magazines using your phone or tablet. Dive deeper into Vogue, People, Esquire, Time—with interactive content for a richer reading experience. Try Texture for free at Texture.com/gist. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Pagan Kennedy explains how writing the New York Times Magazine column "Who Made That?" led her to discover interesting similarities among many inventors. She's the author of Inventology: How We Dream Up Things That Change the World. For the Spiel, we take you to the Westminster dog show. Today's sponsors: Harry's, the shaving company that offers German-engineered blades, well-designed handles, and shipping right to your door. Visit Harrys.com for $5 off your first purchase with the promo code GIST. The Gist is hiring a producer: Slate's consummate daily news and opinion podcast is looking for an experienced and creative producer to join our team. Apply here. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, a special guest host with some words of wisdom for job applicants. Slate's Forrest Wickman explains the complexity of Kanye West as an artist and helps dissect the track "Ultralight Beam" from his new album The Life of Pablo. For the Spiel, please bear with podcasters everywhere. The Gist is hiring a producer: Slate's consummate daily news and opinion podcast is looking for an experienced and creative producer to join our team. Apply here. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, actor David Morse tells us about his role as Big Foster in Outsiders, a new TV series from WGN America. For the Spiel, Mike finds a new appreciation for the furry-hooded coat. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Matthew Dicks and your host record the show in the wee hours of the night, after seeing a Bruce Springsteen concert. They'll present two stories from the Story Collider storytelling night at the Kraine Theater in New York. The first features our winning Gist listener Frank Kennedy, who tells a story of trying to connect with his autistic son. For the Spiel, Mike takes the stage to tell the story behind his big scoop at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. Special thanks this episode to Rose Eveleth, Ben Lillie, and Erin Barker for organizing and recording a wonderful night of stories. They have shows coming up Feb. 16 and March 15 in Brooklyn, and one on March 17 in London. Matthew Dicks is the author of The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs. You can listen back to all the past appearances in our storytelling series here on Soundcloud. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, the daughter of a Fort Hood victim explains how she became friends with the shooter's cousin. We'll speak with the HBO documentary Homegrown's filmmaker Greg Barker and subjects Kerry Cahill (the daughter), Nader Hasan (the cousin), and Philip Mudd, a veteran CIA and FBI counterterrorism official. Hasan and Cahill are both involved in the the Nawal Foundation. Mudd is the author of Takedown: Inside the Hunt for Al Qaeda. The documentary Homegrown is now available from HBO. For the Spiel, a special update about the New Hampshire primaries from the Realistic News Network™. Today's sponsor: Betterment, the largest automated investing service—managing billions of dollars for people just like you. Get up to six months of investing free when you go to Betterment.com/gist. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices