Big Beautiful Blunder
The Gist
The episode kicks off with a withering look at the “Big Beautiful Bill,” a deficit-busting tax cut that showers the rich while hacking away at Medicaid for the poorest Americans. Then, a trip to Minnesota’s Iron Range, where Bethany McLean discusses the bitter fight over Nippon Steel’s bid to buy U.S. Steel—and the awkward dance between union leadership and the workers they claim to represent. It’s a story about how economic reality collides with political theater, and why Democrats keep misreading the mood in places that once anchored their coalition. And in the Spiel, a reminder...
info_outline
Escaping the Nazis. Then Going Back
The Gist
Daniel Kehlmann joins to discuss The Director, his novel reimagining the life of G.W. Pabst—a brilliant German filmmaker who escaped the Nazis, only to voluntarily return. Kehlmann grapples with how much human suffering we’re willing to accept as the cost of art. Later, Ben Wittes of Lawfare weighs in on the often exasperating logic behind international laws governing conflict. Plus, Republicans can either oppose Trump or stay in office—but not both. Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at To advertise on the show, contact or...
info_outline
The Cuomo Special
The Gist
Today on The Gist, we go back into the vaults to our 2023 interview with Melissa DeRosa about her book on working with Andrew Cuomo, What's Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis. Then we play a Spiel from earlier in the week about Andrew Cuomo failing to get the Democratic nomination for mayor. Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at To advertise on the show, contact or visit Subscribe to The Gist: Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: Follow...
info_outline
The Wars We Carry: From Iraq To Port-au-Prince
The Gist
Jim O’Grady and Thomas Brennan discuss Reveal’s episode on the Marines who fought in Fallujah, exploring how the battle’s brutality and moral injuries still haunt them 20 years later. In the Spiel, Haiti’s use of drones against gangs runs up against the oddity of international law experts declaring such violence not technically an “armed conflict.” Plus, a SCOTUS decision that pits lower courts against each other. Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at To advertise on the show, contact or visit Subscribe to The...
info_outline
Closed Schools, Closed Minds
The Gist
David Zweig, author of An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions, discusses public health’s blind spots—and when caution became the risk. Plus, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reshapes the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, swapping experts for skeptics and dredging up the long-debunked thimerosal panic on his way to declaring war on mayonnaise. And in the Spiel: a U.S. strike on Iran’s Fordow facility may have been less obliteration than “oblit-ish-ation,” though both the administration and its critics are spinning narratives faster than centrifuges....
info_outline
The High Point of Mt. Mamdani?
The Gist
Zohran Mamdani is likely the next mayor of New York, and progressive enthusiasm is peaking—along with demands that you pronounce his name correctly. Andrew Cuomo, a man of few smiles and even fewer surrogates, concedes with the warmth of a trooper lawsuit. Mike considers whether this is Mamdani’s political high-water mark, as voters begin to discover the costs, the quotes, and the Disney press junkets. Also on the show: journalist David Zweig joins to discuss An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, t
info_outline
Tehran Target Acquired...Damaged...Destroyed...Debated
The Gist
Jerusalem Post military correspondent Yonah Jeremy Bob, co-author of Target Tehran: How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination—and Secret Diplomacy—to Stop a Nuclear Iran and Create a New Middle East, explains how Israel coordinated hundreds of strikes and infiltrations across Iran, what the U.S. MOP strike on Fordow actually accomplished, and why Netanyahu’s longtime caution gave way to a high-stakes gamble. He also delves into internal Israeli debates over assassinating Khamenei, the
info_outline
Fordow The Mop Tolls
The Gist
The United States has bombed Iranian nuclear facilities—an extraordinary military action authorized by a President who campaigned against prolonged wars. In today’s interview, national security expert Michael Allen, host of NatSec Matters, offers insight into the Israeli strikes, Iran’s capacity to respond, and what Trump’s decision means for the region and the world. Plus, we weigh the risks of a quagmire against the reactions from MAGA loyalists who only just learned how to pronounce “Fordow.”
info_outline
Chuck Todd and Mike Pesca Join On The Chuck ToddCast
The Gist
Mike's Recent appearance on Chuck Todds Podcast "The Chuck ToddCast"
info_outline
Funny You Should Mention: Rosebud Baker
The Gist
Rosebud Baker joins Funny You Should Mention with the rare gift of making life’s toughest moments hilarious, and a point of view that’s inseparable from the punchline. Her Netflix special Motherlode delivers pregnancy, parenting, and political edge in one biting package. We talk about her SNL writing process and how to satirize breastfeeding pressure without becoming a parenting brand. Plus: how riding a dolphin convinced her husband to get a hair transplant.
info_outlineJerusalem Post military correspondent Yonah Jeremy Bob, co-author of Target Tehran: How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination—and Secret Diplomacy—to Stop a Nuclear Iran and Create a New Middle East, explains how Israel coordinated hundreds of strikes and infiltrations across Iran, what the U.S. MOP strike on Fordow actually accomplished, and why Netanyahu’s longtime caution gave way to a high-stakes gamble. He also delves into internal Israeli debates over assassinating Khamenei, the strategy behind targeting Iran’s domestic enforcers, and why the Iranian nuclear threat is now both diminished and more unpredictable Plus: Mamdani’s cheerful radicalism, Cuomo’s glower, and a reminder that aspirational politics can veer into Theranos territory.
Produced by Corey Wara
Production Coordinator Ashley Khan
Email us at [email protected]
To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/
Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g
Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: GIST INSTAGRAM
Follow The Gist List at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices