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75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Gist

Peach Fish Productions

For thirty minutes each day, Pesca challenges himself and his audience, in a responsibly provocative style, and gets beyond the rigidity and dogma. The Gist is surprising, reasonable, and willing to critique the left, the right, either party, or any idea.

news daily news

All Episodes

64:00

Not Even Mad: Sarah Isgur and Sarada Peri

The Gist ·

2025/04/03

In this “Not Even Mad” episode, Sarah Isgur of The Dispatch and former Obama speech writer Sarada Peri dig into “massive cuts under DOGE, Cory Booker’s latest stemwinder, recent election results, and somehow, Chester A. Arthur crashes the party. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube

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40:40

Crocodile vs. Bombshell

The Gist ·

2025/04/02

Harry Holzer—former Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor—joins to discuss his concerns over Biden-era regulations alienating voters and thwarting progress. Plus, large protests in Zimbabwe pit Emmerson “The Crocodile” Mnangagwa against crowds urged on by Blessed “Bombshell” Geza. And Democrats embark on their “We Don’t Hate You” tour in an attempt to reconnect with alienated voters. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show,

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54:55

David Pakman Calls Out Right-Wing Lies—and Is...

The Gist ·

2025/04/01

On this, the eve of “Liberation Day,” as key House and judicial races loom, we're joined by David Pakman to discuss his new book, The Echo Machine: How Right-Wing Extremism Created a Post-Truth America. Pakman argues that conservative media and politicians have constructed a parallel reality that undermines Americans’ ability to think critically. But Pakman is also pressed on whether certain narratives on the left are similarly misleading, and if so, how much they contribute to the broader erosion

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43:54

The Ideological Brain with Dr. Leor Zmigrod

The Gist ·

2025/03/31

A look at what makes some minds more prone to radical beliefs—and why, with Dr. Leor Zmigrod author of The Ideological Brain: The Radical Science of Flexible Thinking, . Plus, close read of how Judge James Boasberg has become a punching bag for those claiming he coddles Venezuelan deportees while harshing on Jan 6 rioters. The actual court documents—and his sentencing decisions—suggest a far more evenhanded story. And applying the "Michael Clayton Doctrine" to Greenland. Produced by Corey

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43:25

Mike on The Mark Reardon Show

The Gist ·

2025/03/29

Today on The Gist. We play Mikes appearance on The Mark Reardon Show and play an interview from 2022 with Rafael A. Mangual on Depolicing.Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com 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

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38:58

Trump Loves Women and Many Other Things

The Gist ·

2025/03/28

A Turkish student at Tufts University was detained by ICE, but the only evidence presented so far is a co-signed campus op-ed critical of Israeli policy—raising serious concerns about the bounds of political expression and immigration enforcement. Also, an interview with former FBI Agent Scott Payne, author of Code Name: Pale Horse: How I Went Undercover to Expose America's Nazis. Plus, Trump loves women, Ireland, Tesler, and Bobby Knight—maybe even all at once. Produced by Corey Wara Email us

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41:52

Code Name: Pale Horse — Scott Payne vs. the American...

The Gist ·

2025/03/27

Scott Payne is an undercover FBI agent who infiltrated America’s modern Nazis under the ominous alias Pale Horse. Plus, Trump’s back on the tariff train, this time hitting autos, but we dig into the unseen economic cost of shoehorning jobs into unproductive places. And part 4 of the discussion of a police shooting in the NYC subway becomes a case study in media malpractice, this time focusing on public radio.Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show,

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46:41

Trump's Revenge

The Gist ·

2025/03/26

Alex Isenstadt, national political reporter for Politico and author of Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power discusses how Trump’s inner circle handles the boss. Plus, a House hearing with more culture war than clarity over the governance of NPR and PBS.Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to

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40:30

The Great Houthi Whoopsie

The Gist ·

2025/03/25

Chris Gethard reflects on how the comedy world has changed and what happened when Shane Gillis publicly took a shot at him—and then privately took it back. Also, the genetic info you gave to 23andMe might soon be available in a bankruptcy fire sale near you. And in the Spiel, a Signal chat goes sideways when Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg is accidentally added to a highly sensitive thread about airstrikes on the Houthis.Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on

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39:26

Chris Gethard and the Great Helsinki Caper

The Gist ·

2025/03/24

Chris Gethard stops by to talk comedy, ethics, and how audience taste moves like an algorithm with a grudge. Meanwhile, the JFK files are finally released, and it turns out the real mystery was in Finland all along. Also, the government’s got a chainsaw, and it's not just for photo ops: cuts are coming to everything from colorectal cancer screening to the office that won the Cold War-winning offices. Somewhere between chaos and court orders, we try to figure out what still counts as

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23:38

Penn Swimmer's Success Costs School Millions 3 Years...

The Gist ·

2025/03/22

This week we discussed high school musicians losing their opportunity to perform with the US Marine Band. And we revisit Mike's 2022 commentary on NCAA swimmer Lia Thomas, newly relevant as the Trump administration moves to defund University of Pennsylvania grants.Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ Subscribe to The

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39:27

Joe Gatto Continues Messing with People

The Gist ·

2025/03/21

On today’s Gist, former Impractical Jokers star Joe Gatto joins to discuss his new stand-up special Messing With People and how he pulls off pranks that leave folks smiling, not steaming. Then, Mike breaks down why Disney’s Snow White remake may mark the end of an era where ideology outweighed audience. And in the Spiel, the U.S. retreats from Ukraine—not just militarily, but morally—while the cost of disengagement climbs. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on

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86:17

Not Even Mad: Anthony Weiner and Nick Gillespie

The Gist ·

2025/03/20

Former Congressman (and current NYC Council candidate) Anthony Weiner and Reason Editor-at-Large Nick Gillespie square off over whether the national debt is an true crisis, if Chuck Schumer made the best of a bad hand, and whether government can—or should—ever shrink. Plus, in Goat Grinders, we take on Walter Cronkite’s legacy, the absurd NCAA tournament gripes, and the myth of “wanting it more.”Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show,

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39:23

The German Jew Who Tried The Nazis

The Gist ·

2025/03/19

In The Prosecutor: One Man's Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice, Jack Fairweather tells the story of a Jewish lawyer who fled the Nazis, only to return and put them on trial—despite resistance from the West German government. Plus, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, whom Trump calls a "Radical Left Lunatic," may not be so radical after all. And in the spiel, Mike unpacks a Washington Post “fact check” of Trump’s Voice of America cuts, revealing it as more rhetorical sleight of hand than rigorous

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48:47

Murdering the Truth and Defying the Courts

The Gist ·

2025/03/18

A federal judge ruled the Trump administration’s deportation flights to El Salvador unlawful—only for the administration to carry them out anyway. Now, Trump is calling for the judge’s impeachment, prompting Chief Justice John Roberts to push back against using impeachment as retaliation for judicial rulings. Plus, NYT journalist David Enrich joins to discuss Murder the Truth: Fear, the First Amendment, and a Secret Campaign to Protect the Powerful and his reflections on covering Brett Kavanaugh’s

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39:02

The Dutch Once Owned This Isle

The Gist ·

2025/03/17

One consequences of Trump's anti-DEI initiatives is the disbanding of a talented youth orchestra featured on 60 Minutes. The Spiel analyzes the recent U.S. airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, comparing the Trump administration's more aggressive approach to previous military engagements and questioning whether tough talk translates to meaningful strategic differences. And Russell Shorto, author of "Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America," explores

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103:41

Mike Pesca on the Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em Podcast

The Gist ·

2025/03/15

Mike was recently on the Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em Podcast. Enjoy!Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com 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 Mikes Substack at: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca |

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44:51

Matthew Schrag Alzheimer's Whistle Blower, and Chuck...

The Gist ·

2025/03/14

Matthew Schrag, the Alzheimer’s whistleblower who uncovered one of the biggest medical deceptions in history, joins the show. Plus, Chuck Schumer takes the hits, absorbs the pain, and spares Democrats from a brutal shutdown battle—sometimes being a punching bag is part of the job. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist Subscribe to The

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35:28

Should You Shout "Help" or "Fire"?

The Gist ·

2025/03/13

Rodrigo Duterte stands trial in The Hague for his brutal drug war—a prosecution that is justified but also political. Meanwhile, Sadie Dingfelder joins us to play Is That BS? to determine whether yelling “Help” or “Fire” is the smarter move in an emergency. Plus, Part 2 of Nine Bullets, One Knife, Many Wrong Questions—separating fact from fiction in a fatal NYC subway shooting. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or

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40:30

The Opposition

The Gist ·

2025/03/12

Senate Democrats have a rare chance to force Republican concessions in the government funding battle, but fear of political blame looms large. Lauren Egan, writer of The Bulwark’s Opposition newsletter, examines how Democrats are responding to challenges from within and outside their party—whether it’s policy missteps, messaging struggles, or the new ideological battlegrounds in media and podcasting. Plus, the Spiel on a subway shooting that occurred because of threat to public safety, but which the

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2,874 results

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