The Gist

Today on The Gist, bestselling author Nir Eyal joins the show to discuss his new book, Beyond Belief: The Science-Backed Way to Stop Limiting Yourself and Achieve Extraordinary Results. He explains how the lead singer of Sofi Tukker cured her chronic neuroplastic pain by "throwing ass," why vision boards and manifesting actually ruin your chances of success, and why the placebo effect is getting statistically stronger every year. T...

Today on The Gist, Princeton PhD researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov joins the show to share her harrowing experience of being kidnapped and held hostage in Iraq for over 900 days by the Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah. She details the brutal realities of her captivity, how she used her intellect to outsmart her captors by leaving hidden "breadcrumbs" for intelligence agencies in forced confession videos, and the bizarre reality o...

For this Saturday Show, Mike takes the guest seat on Lifelong with Ethan Suplee. Actor Ethan Suplee (Remember the Titans, My Name Is Earl) is well-known for his incredible physical transformation, having lost hundreds of pounds. Together, he and Mike get into a deep, candid discussion about the lifelong psychology of weight management, the economic politics of GLP-1 drugs, and why the extremes of the "Healthy at Every Size" movemen...

Today on The Gist, A jet-lagged yet very gracious comedian and writer Jena Friedman joins the show to discuss her new stand-up special, Motherfucker. She talks with Mike about why writing abortion jokes is harder than ever in a post-Roe reality, the challenges of making dark topics funny on her true crime series Indefensible, and the current landscape of risky political comedy. Jena also opens up about the vulnerability of tackling...

Today on The Gist, the line between free speech and harassment, and why the progressive left's blind spot for anti-Semitism turns "anti-Zionism" into a convenient excuse for abuse. Then comedian, actress, and writer Jamie Denbo joins the show to discuss reviving her beloved alt-comedy character, Beverly Ginsberg, for The Beverly Podcast. She opens up about her tenure as a writer and producer on Grey's Anatomy, revealing how the net...

Novelist and middle school teacher Brian Platzer discusses the real teacher who inspired his book, a stroke that stole the man's ability to communicate, and Platzer's own baffling neurological disorder. In the Spiel: when deeply unserious rhetoric collides with the deadly serious business of war, and whether Donald Trump's approach to conflict ever moves beyond slogans. Plus,  the cheap-drone revolution in warfare.

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Today on The Gist, Actress Gina Gershon joins the show to discuss her candid new memoir, Alpha Pussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs. She shares the hilarious story of how a tequila-fueled comedy roast landed her a memorable role on Curb Your Enthusiasm, and drops actionable advice on dodging Hollywood predators, setting ironclad boundaries, and surviving the entertainment industry on her own terms. Bound, S...

The U.S. is in its third day of war with Iran, prompting inevitable warnings of another Iraq-style quagmire. But is that the right historical analogy? Long-time national security reporter  Eli Lake (The Free Press) joins Mike to explain why this air-only regime decapitation strategy is completely unprecedented in modern warfare. They break down the dangerous math of missile defense, the race to secure Iran's nuclear material, and w...

It's the Saturday Show and we are airing Mikes appearance The Oath and the Office, hosted by Brown University political science professor Corey Brettschneider and comedian John Fugelsang. The trio dives into the broken pipeline of modern journalism, the unique occupational hazards of political comedy, and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's "stochastic self-censorship" campaign against late-night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert...

James Kimmel Jr. joins to argue that revenge is less a moral impulse than a brain chemistry trap. He tells a rural Pennsylvania origin story that starts with bullying, a beagle named Paula, and a mailbox bombing, then ends with the moment his "stop" circuitry saved him from becoming a murderer. His book is The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World's Deadliest Addiction andHow to Overcome It, Plus, Anthropic backs away from it...

Austin Berg (Chicago Policy Center) and Andrew Egger (The Bulwark) join Mike to dissect Trump's marathon State of the Union: was it a missed opportunity to reach the median voter, or a "clip farming" masterclass? They also unpack the awkwardly timed Supreme Court tariff ruling that derailed his economic pitch, and the high-stakes standoff between the Pentagon and AI giant Anthropic over autonomous weapons. Finally, Goat Grinders ta...

Today on The Gist, President Trump's marathon two-hour State of the Union address with a quick quiz: Can you spot the actual presidential claim among the fakes? Then, philosophy professor C. Thi Nguyen joins the show to discuss his book, The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game. They explore the philosophical definition of a game, the crucial difference between playing f...

DEI is facing unprecedented legal and cultural pushback. Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow, founders of NYU Law's Meltzer Center, argue it's time for a strategic shift: swap the 'E' in DEI for Equality. They join Mike to discuss their new book, How Equality Wins, explaining why mandatory diversity statements often lead to "preference falsification," the importance of supporting dissent, and why the movement must expand its tent to in...

Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow of NYU Law discuss their book How Equality Wins: A New Vision for an Inclusive America and argue that the path forward for DEI is a shift from "lifting" to "leveling." The conversation presses whether this is a genuine doctrinal shift or simply a strategic recalibration in a post-affirmative-action era. Plus, IEEPA ! MOHELA ! and in the Spiel, a Court once declared illegitimate strikes down Trump's t...

On today's Saturday show, we are bringing you Mike's recent guest appearance on Ethan Strauss's podcast, House of Strauss. Mike and Ethan discuss the peculiar, glowing media coverage of Eileen Gu, the American-born skier who won gold for China. Why did she receive almost zero criticism from mainstream U.S. outlets despite accepting millions from an oppressive regime?

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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NOTUS political reporter Alex Roarty joins Mike to survey the 2026 midterm landscape. They discuss the evolving definition of a "quality candidate" for Democrats, breaking down the generational and ideological clashes in the Maine and Texas Senate primaries, plus the MAGA-fueled challenge to Kentucky's Thomas Massie. Plus, the attention economy isn't just a currency; it's the new gatekeeper. Plus: the Heritage foundation hires a ne...

Mike tracks the interstate absurdities created by the EPA's repeal of emissions standards. Buy a car in Iowa, and by the time you hit Illinois, you're dodging an environmental, legal, and ideological patchwork quilt. Then, it's the grand opening of a brand new Cultural/ Podcast institution! Author and critic Kat Rosenfield joins Mike to cut the ribbon on the "Museum of Bad Ideas." Today's inaugural exhibit: Harvard University's pro...

Trump sought $163 billion in cuts, including slashing the EPA by 54 percent, HUD by 44 percent, and the CDC by 41 percent, but even his most loyal House allies let the effort stall under the cover of the budget process. A separate bipartisan attempt to shore up Obamacare subsidies for 24 million Americans also fizzled, with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick warning that letting them lapse would be bad policy and worse politics. The throughlin...

Charles Duhigg joins to explain his MADD versus D.A.R.E. taxonomy, why organizing beats mobilizing, and how MAGA built a durable local infrastructure while Democrats piled on litmus tests and national protests. Plus, a Spiel on Eileen Gu as China's psyops on skis, and how to murder a dissident, how to eulogize a politician, and how to learn about Mike's latest podcast venture, How To! 

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