The Gist

For their second movie, Matt Johnson and Matthew Miller gave themselves a challenge: Make a period mockumentary about the faking of the moon landing, on a total shoestring budget. Johnson says the finished product, Operation Avalanche, wouldn’t have been possible without the (unwitting) support of NASA, who let the filmmakers shoot inside the unaltered mission control from 1969. The film opens across North America this month. On the Spiel, Mike tries to get through to those millennials kicking the tires on Gary Johnson and Jill Stein. Today’s sponsors: The Gist is brought to you by The Girl on the Train, in theaters October 7th. And by ABC’s new series, Designated Survivor. Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Cabinet member who is thrust into the presidency after a devastating attack on the government. Designated Survivor premieres Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on ABC. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus

Maureen Dowd has covered every president since the early ’90s. The second President Bush even gave her a nickname: “The Cobra.” In her new book, Dowd examines what it takes to lead the country and what the press is missing about the current Republican nominee. On the Spiel, Mike laments a bygone age of TV advertising.  Today’s sponsors: The Gist is brought to you by Betterment, the largest automated investing service. Get up to six months of investing FREE when you go to Betterment.com/gist. And by ABC’s new series Designated Survivor. Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Cabinet member who is thrust into the presidency after a devastating attack on the government. Designated Survivor premieres Wednesday, Sept. 21 on ABC. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2012, Republicans won a solid majority in the House of Representatives, but only 48 percent of the vote. How did it happen? The Hill’s national correspondent, Reid Wilson, talks about the unusual forces influencing down-ballot races this year. There’s more money from outside forces, like the Koch brothers, but also hyperlocal issues that get lost in coverage of the presidential race.  On the Spiel, Mike considers an appropriate response to the bombings in Manhattan and New Jersey.  Today’s sponsors:  Rocket Mortgage from Quicken Loans. Rocket Mortgage brings the mortgage process into the 21st century with an easy online process. Check out Rocket Mortgage today at QuickenLoans.com/gist. ABC’s new series Designated Survivor. Kiefer Sutherland stars as a Cabinet member who is thrust into the presidency after a devastating attack on the government. Designated Survivor premieres on ABC Wednesday, Sept. 21. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free

The political upheaval of 1968 was ferocious, but the Billboard charts still reflected a calm, placid sensibility. Our guest Chris Molanphy looks at the year in radio hits, from Herb Alpert’s debut as a singer to the novelty tracks competing for air time with the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel. Molanphy writes Slate’s Why Is This Song No. 1? column.   For the Spiel, a debate with Politico Magazine writer Bill Scher: Was Hillary Clinton taking a risk with her “deplorables” comment? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, FiveThirtyEight senior political writer and analyst Harry Enten says an averaging of the polls still shows Hillary Clinton has a hefty lead over Donald Trump. Enten also explains the difference between election forecasting and weather forecasting. For the Spiel, seeing the world through Trump-shaded glasses.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does being left-handed make you a threat to civilized society? On The Gist, Maria Konnikova tells the story of the mustachioed Italian criminologist who gave southpaws a bad reputation. But what does handedness really tell us about the brain? Konnikova writes for the New Yorker and is the author of The Confidence Game. This week, Mike challenged his audience to find someone in the country who is torn between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Well, the search is over: We talk to a listener who likes ’em both.  For the Spiel, does Donald Trump believe children are our future? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robby Mook has a tricky job. As Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, he has to find a way to pin down Donald Trump, whose gaffes are constantly overtaking each other. Mook talks to Mike Pesca about the challenge of crafting a single message to combat Trump and recent events on the campaign trail, including Hillary Clinton’s pneumonia diagnosis.  Plus, director Ryan Suffern on his recent ESPN documentary “What the Hell Happened to Jai Alai?” which looks at the swift rise and fall of the sport in America. How come jai alai was never seen as a competitor to football, hockey, and baseball?  For the Spiel, going to school on college rankings.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Clinton Foundation is a superstar in the world of philanthropy—is it OK that it leverages power and celebrity to achieve its mission? On The Gist, two experts disagree.  Kenneth Stern, former CEO of NPR, sheds no tears for the Clinton Foundation. He thinks vanity-giving helps inferior charities persist. Stern is the author of With Charity for All: Why Charities Are Failing and a Better Way to Give. His company has done work for the Clinton Foundation.  Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, says the Clinton Foundation uses its political heft for good. She adds that the most ambitious charities in the U.S. were started by titans of industry seeking to improve their reputations.   For the Spiel, a few choice words about Rudy Giuliani.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tony Kornheiser is joining the pod people. On The Gist, the man behind the Tony Kornheiser Show explains his dive into podcasting: “I watched newspapers die under me.... I began to get the sense that radio was going to die under me too. And so I jumped.” Kornheiser also hosts ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption alongside Michael Wilbon. For the Spiel, pencils down: It’s time for the Lobstar of the Antentwig. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Drew Magary is down to hang. His past story assignments for GQ include a day with Duck Dynasty and a trip with the Kid Rock cruise. But Magary, author of the “Why Your Team Sucks” series­­ on Deadspin, is not one to equivocate. On The Gist, he shares his secret to immersive reporting and explains why he’s OK with grown men who wear sports jerseys. His latest book is The Hike: A Novel.  For the Spiel, Donald Trump’s generalizing about generals. Today’s sponsors: Blue Apron. Blue Apron’s meal kits are delivered right to your door and make cooking at home easy. Get your first three meals free by going to BlueApron.com/gist. Indochino, creators of one-of-a-kind men’s suits that are customized just for you. Get any premium suit for just $399—plus free shipping—by going to Indochino.com and using the promo code GIST at checkout.  Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast

College campuses have become hostile territory for some comedians. A wrong-headed joke can provoke everything from walkouts to protests to death threats. But how should students push back against material they find offensive? Director Ted Balaker and comedian Karith Foster discuss their new film Can We Take a Joke? and the tricky line between free speech and needless offense.  For the Spiel, Mike takes on the dueling accusations of pay-for-play. Rendering judgement on the optics of the appearance of the whiff of the feeling of potential impropriety.    This Gist is supported by Rocket Mortgage from Quicken Loans. Rocket Mortgage brings the mortgage process into the twenty-first century with an easy online process. Check out Rocket Mortgage today at QuickenLoans.com/gist. And by Club W. Get top quality wine delivered right to your door. For 20 dollars off your first order, go to ClubW.com/gist. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today

Kori Schake, a former adviser to President George W. Bush, blanches at the idea of a Donald Trump presidency. But she still has reservations about Hillary Clinton. On The Gist, Schake says Clinton’s poor follow-through at the Department of State gives her something in common with the Bush administration. Schake is a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and regular guest on Foreign Policy’s The Editor’s Roundtable podcast. She edited the recently published Warriors & Citizens: American Views of Our Military with Jim Mattis.  For the Spiel, Mike examines the enduring appeal of unsophisticated ’80s video games—even Mr. Do.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times: Our guest Chris Molanphy says 1991 was a tale of multiple cities, as radio stations began to tailor their playlists to narrower audiences. The result? Little crossover among the Billboard pop, rock, and rap songs charts, and a very eclectic Hot 100 chart. Molanphy writes Slate’s “Why Is This Song No. 1?” column.  For the Spiel, Mike cleans out the fridge before vacation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most of us would be lost without GPS. So why do we think it’s hilarious when people drive into the ocean or walk to the Arctic Circle because phone maps told them to? In Pinpoint, author Greg Milner looks at our uneasy relationship with the technology and the ways GPS has reorganized our culture and our brains.  On The Spiel, Mike looks at Donald Trump’s latest failed endeavor: public opinion polling.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Director Joshua Marston has done his share of shape-shifting. He’s spent time as a teacher abroad. He’s learned Albanian and made some stories for NPR. And he’s directed critically acclaimed movies like Maria Full of Grace. His newest, Complete Unknown, stars Rachel Weisz as a serial imposter who gets stuck at a dinner party with someone from her past.  On The Spiel, the Clinton Foundation pay-for-play mega-scoop that never was. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why so many music phenoms from Iceland? On The Gist, Kaleo frontman JJ Julius Son says he comes from a “fearless” people. About that: Kaleo recently recorded in a volcano. Their latest album is called A/B.  Plus, Slate’s very own Mallory Ortberg, writer of the Dear Prudence column, tells us how to be an entertaining advice-giver. Ortberg is the author of Texts From Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations With Your Favorite Literary Characters. In the Spiel, Russia’s Paralympics propaganda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What made the movies of the 1980s so special, especially as compared to movies being made now? On The Gist, the Guardian’s Hadley Freeman explains. She’s the author of Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned From Eighties Movies (and Why We Don’t Learn Them From Movies Anymore). For the Spiel, Mike revisits the items that have escaped his searching, skeptical gaze.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, the hosts of the podcast that has made the best use yet of the jazz drummer’s brush technique: Politically Re-Active with W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu. The show picks up where the comedians left off when they stopped working in the same TV writers room. Bell hosts CNN’s United Shades of America, and returning guest Kondabolu is on tour with a new comedy album, Mainstream American Comic.  For the Spiel, grilling Jill Stein.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are the nation’s most dangerous warheads secure if a rag-tag troika of peaceniks can break through the storage facility’s back door? On The Gist, Washington Post reporterDan Zak considers the good and not-so-good arguments for nuclear weapons. His book is Almighty: Courage, Resistance, and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age.  For the Spiel, Jill Stein’s unforgivable comments on debt forgiveness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On The Gist, Megan Abbott discusses her latest book, You Will Know Me, a psychological thriller set in the high-pressure world of elite women’s gymnastics. In the Spiel, a send-off for John McLaughlin.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices