The Gist

Why would someone accused of multiple crimes engage in chronic high-risk behaviors? Today on The Gist, Fordham's Barry Rosenfeld explains why Robert Durst would participate in HBO's The Jinx. Plus, economist Adam Davidson explains the Greek financial crisis as it relates to the European Union, especially Germany. For the Spiel, a key retirement in the world of professional football. Today's sponsor: Casper, the online retailer of premium mattresses for a fraction of the price. Get $50 toward any mattress purchase by visiting casper.com/gist and using 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 http://www.slate.com/gistplus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Not every great pop song has a standard format or even a chorus. Today on The Gist, Chris Molanphy joins us to look at the changing placement of the chorus in popular music. He writes Slate's Why Is That Song No. 1 column. For the Spiel, Mike eats at the pop-up restaurant WastED. At the very end of this show, we debut a new They Might Be Giants song, as part of their Dial-a-Song reboot, as we will be doing every Monday this year. You can find videos for the songs on the band's website. This one is called "Unpronounceable." Today's sponsor: Stamps.com. Sign up for a no-risk trial and get a $110 bonus offer, when you visit Stamps.com and enter promo code TheGist. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at http://www.slate.com/gistplus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week the Supreme Court heard arguments in King v. Burwell, the case that could undo Obamacare. Now, as far as we can tell, lawyers who disagree with the Obamacare law always seem to find the policy unconstitutional. Today on The Gist, Harvard law professor Charles Fried is the lone exception. Plus, Dan Pashman from The Sporkful podcast brings reason and order to the Slate office fridge. For the Spiel, it's time for another lobstar of the antentwig. Today's sponsor: The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, the new documentary series from HBO. It airs Sunday at 8 p.m. only on HBO. 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

Today on The Gist, we celebrate the Web series High Maintenance for avoiding stoner comedy clichés, and creating stunning portraits of New Yorkers. Creators Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair explain how the series has worked as a calling card for their creative work. For the Spiel, Mike explains his allergy to doing things for a good cause. Today's sponsor: Stamps.com. Sign up for a no-risk trial and get a $110 bonus offer when you visit Stamps.com and enter promo code TheGist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will a recent Gallup poll be a wake-up call for states like Texas and South Carolina? Today on The Gist, Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport explains what political parties could learn from the underlying political leanings in each state. Plus, we visit our neighborhood haunt Hudson Clearwater to delve into the world of cocktail bitters with Peter Thomas Fornatale and Chris Wertz. They're the authors of Brooklyn Spirits: Craft Distilling and Cocktails from the World's Hippest Borough. For the Spiel, a public servant with a private server. Today's sponsor: Audible, a leading provider of spoken audio information and entertainment. Listen to audiobooks whenever and wherever you want. Get a free audiobook of your choice at AudiblePodcast.com/TheGist. Trying to pick out the right audio book? The Gist recommends Red Notice by our past guest Bill Browder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on The Gist, Mary Pilon shares the real history of the board game your family never finishes. She's the author of The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game. Plus, Mike and his son Emmett explain what Dumbo tells us about the Greek economy. For the Spiel, a deep dive into voice-casting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Obama promised hope and change, but what about managing expectations for hope and change? Today on The Gist, former Obama strategist David Axelrod shares insights from his new book Believer: My Forty Years in Politics. Plus, we examine a strange transitional moment for popular music and the American Songbook with Ben Yagoda. He's the author of The B Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American Song. For the Spiel, a man who never e-mails, and the Yemenis who got caught in the crosshairs. Today's sponsor: Stamps.com. Sign up for a no-risk trial and get a $110 bonus offer, when you visit Stamps.com and enter promo code TheGist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dream job alert. Today on the Gist, Mike talks with KYRSP33DY, jahovaswitniss, and NobodyEpic, a trio of video gamers and video editors who turned their love of comedy and Grand Theft Auto into lucrative YouTube channels. Plus, Seth Stevenson has been reporting for Slate on the trial of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. He reacts to Thursday's gut-wrenching day of testimony. And in the Spiel, Mike's second take on Hillary's email scandal. 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. And HBO, presenting the new documentary miniseries The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. Sundays at 8, only on HBO. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For ages, athletes have been judged by their importance to their team's bottom line, their popularity with fans, and their win-loss record against better opponents. Today on The Gist, we apply those same rubrics to the dozen or so politicians likely to tangle in the Republican primary. Our guest is Harry Enten, senior political writer and analyst for FiveThirtyEight. For the Spiel, you just gotta watch The All-Star Party for "Dutch" Reagan. 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. And The Great Courses. Save up to 80 percent off the original price when you go to TheGreatCourses.com/GIST. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before he was a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and president of the Council on Foreign Relations, Leslie H. Gelb negotiated with the Soviet Union as a senior official in the Pentagon and State Department. Today on The Gist, Mike asks Gelb about negotiating with Iran and Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress. For the Spiel, it's pledge-drive season in public radio. Mike tabs up the amount of time you spend listening to noncommercial appeals for cash. Today's sponsors: Stamps.com. Sign up for a no-risk trial and get a $110 bonus offer, when you visit Stamps.com and enter promo code TheGist. Also, Squarespace.com. Get a free trial and 10 percent off your first purchase when you visit Squarespace.com and enter offer code GIST. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices