A big problem with political arguments, says <a href="https://www.robbwiller.org/">Robb Willer</a>, is that everyone sees himself or herself as the hero in a zombie movie. “American liberals see themselves as Brad Pitt warding off a zombie horde,” says Willer. “But the problem is conservatives see themselves the same way,” and no one is able to make arguments that appeal to the other side. Willer teaches sociology at Stanford and writes about the delicate art of political persuasion for places such as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/opinion/sunday/the-key-to-political-persuasion.html?ref=opinion&amp;_r=0">New York Times</a>. In the Spiel, please Mr. President, don’t throw the special prosecutor into the briar patch.  Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at <a href="http://www.slate.com/gistplus">slate.com/gistplus</a>. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a>

Jon Ronson on Writing the Year’s Wildest Movie

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.