The Gist

Jeremy Hobson has been hosting The Middle, a call-in public radio program. That sounds scintillating enough, but it gets even spicier when you learn that the show is dedicated to non-extremism. As much as this reasonable-seeming description might evoke thoughts of high-minded even-handedness, in practice it's actually quite exciting and exceedingly rare. Plus, the newest members of The Squad squander the brand name, while every Republican on the House Homeland Security committee claims that Alejandro Mayorkis has committed the High Crimes and Misdemeanors worthy of impeachment. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're joined by the show runner of the Peacock series Dr. Death, Ashley Michel Hoban, to discuss why we are drawn to doctors who first do some harm. Lots of it in fact. Plus, Nikki Haley just has no idea about any details of Donald Trump's Trials. And the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act is making progress, yet it feels like ghoulish wound-opening. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, visit: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist Subscribe: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The podcast delves into the notorious Gun Trace Task Force in Baltimore, a corrupt police unit that operated without oversight and abused their power. It explores how they engaged in illegal schemes, threatened individuals, and struck deals with drug dealers for personal gain.

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, upon hearing the news that researchers had discovered four previously unknown colonies of emperor penguins with the help of satellite imagery, we give to you Mike's 2017 interview with penguin researcher Michelle LeRue. Then we replay Mike's January 24, 2024 Spiel about The Los Angeles Times, which isn't his favorite news source. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mike's Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor Brian Klaas, author of Fluke, joins to discuss his book which explores flawed theories of social science. Topics include the impact of AI-generated fake images of Taylor Swift, the role of psychology and complexity in understanding modeling, common traits of cannibalistic dictators and serial killers, the influence of dogs on creativity, and extremist positions and dissent in relation to Israel.

Brian Klaas, political scientist and author of Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters, discusses flawed thinking and flaws of social science. Topics include hiring birds of prey for weddings, contrasting media outlets, influence of random accidents on reality, auditing failures and successful outcomes, misinformation and rape claims, and controversy surrounding a journalist's views on Israel.

Tim Alberta, author of The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory & the definitive Nikki Haley profile, discusses Haley's discontent with Trump. Also, the US enters Angola railway. Plus, analysis on the LA Times as a news institution.

David French, New York Times columnist and Dispatch legal expert, discusses timelines for Trump legal cases and the Colorado Supreme Court's disqualification. They also analyze Biden's stance on Israel and the results of a women's basketball game in New England community college.

Matt Robison and Paul Hodes of Beyond Politics discuss the last chance for Trump's challengers in New Hampshire. Mike questions the claim. Ron DeSantis drops out and possible explanations are ranked. Senator Tim Scott makes unchecked claims on CNN. Trump's grip on the Republican Party is explored. The hosts introduce Solano Fume and dive into New Hampshire politics. The media's portrayal of Trump's performance in the Republican caucuses is debated. The relationship between crime rates, presidential terms, and media coverage is discussed. Emotions and factual achievements in political campaigns are explored.

In this installment of Best Of The Gist, protests of the video game Hogwarts Legacy dealt a blow to the financial empire of J.K. Rowlings' in 2023 … Oh wait, actually, Hogwarts Legacy was the highest grossing game of last year. Nevermind. We listen back to Mike's February 2023 Spiel about the protests. Then we listen to our recent Spiel about Spirit Airlines failure to merge with JetBlue. Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Follow Mike's Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices