The Gist

Sadie Dingfelder, journalist and author who explores sight and memory, weighs in on compostable dog poop bags and recycled toilet paper. She explains why many compostable bags do not break down and how industrial composting actually works. She compares recycled versus virgin-pulp toilet paper and offers practical tips for eco-minded dog owners.

Yascha Mounk, political theorist and author focused on democracy and authoritarianism. He discusses whether the U.S. is sliding toward autocracy or holding firm. They examine courts, decentralized elections, media coverage, and the next three years as a crucial test. Britain’s Epstein reckoning and the human costs of policy shifts also come up.

Aaron Magid, Middle East analyst and author of The Most American King, explores King Abdullah II’s deep personal and institutional ties to the United States. He discusses Abdullah’s upbringing, military background, and why Jordan gets special U.S. treatment. Conversation covers security cooperation, refugee policy, human rights tradeoffs, and unanswered questions like the Prince Hamza affair.

Chris Cillizza, political journalist known for election analysis and media commentary, breaks down Trump's nationalize-the-election riff and whether it is strategy or bluster. Short segments explore constitutional roadblocks, how fringe ideas get amplified, the counter-mobilization turnout effect, and the Washington Post layoffs and Bezos' role.

Geoffrey Asmus, a Minnesota stand-up known for character-driven jokes and the special Only Funny White Man, talks craft and comedic strategy. He shares how Catholic school and performing priests shaped his timing. He explains layered jokes that reach different audiences, why losing fans can mean a bit is working, and the power of spacing and order in a set.

Jonathan Cohen, author and critic of modern sports betting who urges policy reforms, and Conor Patrick Heffernan, historian of physical culture, join to discuss two big threads. Cohen argues for adding friction to slow betting and curb harm. Heffernan traces how strength ideals shifted from Charles Atlas to bodybuilding and how resistance shapes bodies across eras.

Conor Patrick Heffernan, historian and author of When Fitness Went Global, explores the rise of physical culture and why he lifts heavy stones in graveyards. He traces stone lifting’s global roots. He narrates the rise of strongmen and vaudeville, and profiles Eugen Sandow as the first fitness influencer who turned strength into spectacle and commerce.

David Greene, former NPR host turned local-news savior who helped convert Lancaster’s 230-year-old paper to a nonprofit. He talks about saving local journalism, building philanthropy as revenue, honoring unions while shrinking print costs, and how newsrooms must innovate for younger audiences and digital survival.

David Greene, journalist and host of David Greene Is Obsessed, explores how fixations reveal deeper selves. Short, surprising stories range from Bozo-the-Clown legal dramas to opera singers mapping public restrooms. Conversations touch on sports fandom, reporter privacy, and why obsessions can lead to advocacy and unexpected insights.

A discussion of how ordinary cellphone videos in Minneapolis turned political pressure against Trump. Analyzes why a chaos-first strategy failed and visuals shifted blame. Explores ICE conduct, internal signals that enabled brutality, and how public outrage reached mainstream audiences. Debates congressional funding fights and whether Republicans will reassert legislative checks.