The Gist

On The Gist, we ask Los Angeles Times reporter Joel Rubin what the San Bernardino investigators are hoping to learn from the decrypted iPhone. For the Spiel, hijacker hijinks! Today's sponsors: Slack. Slack brings all of your communication at work into one place. Create a new team right now at Slack.com/gist and you'll get 100 dollars in credit for when you decide to upgrade to a paid plan. 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, the Guardian's Julian Borger joins us to discuss the International Criminal Court trial of one of the Bosnian War's main malefactors, Radovan Karadzic. Julian is the author of The Butcher's Trail: How the Search for Balkan War Criminals Became the World's Most Successful Manhunt. For the Spiel, Democracy is a pretty good system, except for all the dummies. Today's sponsors: Squarespace.com. Get a free trial and 10 percent off your first purchase when you visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code GIST. 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

On The Gist, we travel back to the year 14-year-olds shouted their favorite hits from Times Square to Carson Daly. Music writer Chris Molanphy shares Billboard hits from 1999 that shaped the future of today's pop charts. Chris writes Slate's Why Is That Song No. 1 column. Mike will be back with a traditional Spiel on Monday. Listen back to the 1999 hits mentioned in today's show in this Spotify playlist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, a classic episode from August 2014. When Amy Solomon was growing up in Chicago, she was obsessed with Gilda Radner. She wanted to be a comedian but worried she didn't have enough problems to talk about. For her Princeton senior thesis, Solomon explored the link between confessional comedy and mental health. In this special segment, Mike also speaks with comedians Sara Benincasa, Chris Gethard, and Gary Gulman about where they find balance. 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, Guardian US editor Lee Glendinning joins us to share findings from their award-winning data initiative the Counted. For the Spiel, Mike offers a textural analysis of the president's visit to Cuba. Today's sponsors: Goldman Sachs. Information about developments currently shaping markets, industries, and the global economy, on the firm's podcast, Exchanges at Goldman Sachs, available on iTunes. 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

On The Gist, Mike predicts what Donald Trump will say at Aipac. Then, the latest bear news headlines reviewed with our regular expert Rae Wynn-Grant from the American Museum of Natural History. For the Spiel, three recent world events where language matters. Today's sponsors: Amazon. Detective Harry Bosch is back on the new season of Amazon's original series Bosch, based on the best-selling novels by Michael Connelly. Stream the new season now on Amazon Prime Video. 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

On The Gist, L. Jon Wertheim from Sports Illustrated explains the effects of sports on the brain. With Sam Sommers, he's the author of This Is Your Brain on Sports. For the Spiel, Mike addresses his white male brethren. 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. 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

On The Gist, Slate's Ruth Graham demonstrates her total mastery of small talk from her piece, "In Defense of Small Talk." For the Spiel, are GMO labels informative or misleading? Today's sponsors: Monster. Find employees who work as hard as you at Monster.com/hiring. Monster. Find Better. 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. 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 ask Slate's chief political correspondent Jamelle Bouie if Donald Trump is a viable candidate in a general election. Then, Maria Konnikova of the New Yorker ends the debate over the dangers of GMOs. She's the author of The Confidence Game. For the Spiel, do the rules apply to Donald Trump? Today's sponsor: Monster. Find employees who work as hard as you at Monster.com/hiring. Monster. Find Better. 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, Mike answers the question, "Why all the horse race?" by offering a close look at the issue of magic from House Resolution 642. Then, Harry Enten from FiveThirtyEight uses his polling expertise to explain what today's many caucus results will means for little Marco Rubio. For the Spiel, even more advice for interpreting Super Tuesday 2 results. Today's sponsor: Roku and HBO Now. Roku players offer the biggest selection of streaming channels, like HBO Now. Learn more and try HBO Now free for one month by going to roku.com/thegist. 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