The Gist

Soyeon Lee fled North Korea, was caught, was jailed, was beaten, then fled again. We will talk to her, and the documentarian Madeleine Gavin, about the new film Beyond Utopia, which includes surreptitiously recorded video of dangerous escape attempts. Plus, Joe Biden trails Trump everywhere that counts. Is the "people will figure out Trump is worse" strategy the best strategy? And protesters attack a seventeenth-century oil painting, because they hate paintings. No, wait, it's that they hate oil. Both are equally sensible. 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 explores the inspiration behind the Netflix film 'Pain Hustlers' and interviews the author of 'Hard Sell: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup'. It also discusses diversifying retirement savings, the background of a pharmaceutical entrepreneur, the exploitation of the fentanyl drug market, regulatory failures in the drug distribution system, and the controversy surrounding cancelled job offers.

Walt Hickey is a Pulitzer Prize-winning data journalist and also a real pop-culture-impersonated peruser. His new book is You Are What You Watch, How Movies and TV Affect Everything, and he makes a good case. Plus, when it comes to cease fires, casualties, and rules of engagement in Gaza, meanings are fluid. 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

Guests George Santo and Adam Kinzinger discuss principles governing news and politics. Topics include surviving an expulsion vote, investigating the January 6th attack, expanding the House of Representatives and concerns about upcoming elections. They also explore the issue of offensive bird names and the movement to rename them.

The podcast covers topics such as the prison escape in Philadelphia, the use of conflation in conflicts, the dangers of anti-Semitic threats, and the racial equity efforts in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Greg Lukianoff, President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, discusses cancel culture, social media tactics, and the effectiveness of activism. The podcast also humorously explores political figures' Halloween costumes and delves into Joe Biden's team's strategy for defeating Donald Trump.

President Biden is pretty suspicious about official counts emanating from the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza. News outlets aren't squelching those figures, but they are labelling the agency the "Hamas-controlled health ministry." And Greg Lukianoff, President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, discusses his new book, The Canceling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Undermines Trust, Destroys Institutions, and Threatens Us All—but There Is a Solution. Plus, a made man who didn't sock away sufficient savings from the Lufthansa Heist. 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

Melissa DeRosa is out with a new book, What's Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis, and we had her on the show earlier this week to talk about her experiences in the Andrew Cuomo administration. On this episode of BEST OF THE GIST, a podcast extra with Melissa about power and her assessment of how it was used and wielded in the state house of New York. Naive people, be ready to be disabused of your notions of power. Then we listen back to Monday's Spiel about the latest reports on the wealth gap in America. 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

Israeli defense expert discusses the life or death nature of the Middle East peace debate. Exploration of ground offensive, Hezbollah, and tunnel fighting. Impact of American opinion on Israeli tactics. Comparison of gun violence in Maine to other states. Analysis of reasons behind delay in Israeli ground invasion. Discussion on Hamas and Hezbollah strategy. Perceived bias of progressive elites in West towards Israel's existence.

Death penalty lawyer Stephen Bright discusses the illogical criminal justice system and his book 'The Fear of Too Much Justice.' The podcast also delves into Americans' dissatisfaction with the robust economy and explores the scandal involving a Polish priest and a male prostitute.