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On The Gist, it’s The $10,000 Pyramid with a budget deal twist. Is it possible we don’t know enough about national debt to call our politicians when they’re peddling nonsense? New Yorker staff writer Adam Davidson addresses some common misconceptions and sums up the Republican tax cuts and spending bill this way: “Rich people are stealing the money.” In the Spiel, the Olympics are back, and the Russians got off easy.

Jacob Weisberg talks to John Sipher, a former senior member of the CIA's Intelligence Service, about Christopher Steele and the partisan attacks on him and his work.

Depression often plays a starring role in the entertainment world, although some representations of the condition are more truthful and helpful than others. In Episode 3 of Life Effects, guest John Moe talks about how Depression is portrayed in the pop culture – both good and bad – and discusses how his personal podcast contributes to the conversation. 

Aisha Harris chats women's rights attorney Gloria Allred and film producer Marta Kauffman, about their new Netflix documentary, Seeing Allred, advocating for women’s and minority rights, and Gloria’s fraught relationship with the media. Also, in the wake of the current re-examination of Quentin Tarantino and his filmmaking style, Aisha and film critic Candice Frederick, discuss what it’s like to be women who love Tarantino movies.For links on what we discuss check out our show page.Tell a friend to subscribe! Share this link: megaphone.link/representEmail: represent@slate.comFacebook: Slate RepresentTwitter: @SlateRepresent, @craftingmystyleProduction by Veralyn WilliamsSocial media: Marissa Martinelli

On The Gist, the “When did you stop beating your wife?” question in the White House press briefing. In the interview, Iran may have shelved its nuclear ambitions, but the Middle East is still in trouble. Slate’s Joshua Keating wonders if the Iran deal was worth it. In the Spiel, the world of the FEMA scammer.

On this week’s Slate Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the value of the Nunes memo and accusations of White House aide Rob Porter’s domestic abuse.David Leonhardt joins the gang to discuss whether an increase in wages caused the stock market drop and a Slate Plus segment on emotional support animals.Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/gabfestplus.Twitter: @SlateGabfestFacebook: facebook.com/GabfestEmail: gabfest@slate.comShow notes at slate.com/gabfest

Kurt talks with Ruth Carter, the costume designer who recreated historically accurate clothing for period pictures like “Malcolm X,” “Selma,” and “The Butler,” but for “Black Panther” came up with a bold look for the future. Randy Levin is one of those Billy Joel obsessives who even has recordings of Joel when he played in a psychedelic rock band in the 1960s, but after Levin had kids, he heard one familiar Joel song in a new — and profound — way. Comic Sans is the most hated font, hands down, but Jessamyn West likes it and says you should, too. And John McWhorter tells Kurt why he hates the book that every writer and nitpicky grammarian loves: “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White. 

Rebecca Lavoie, Carvell Wallace, and Gabriel Roth discuss how and whether to reveal a stuffed animal related conspiracy, whether sexual abuse at camp should worry parents, teaching boys to wash their clothes, the sexism of dress codes and more. 

Katie Roiphe is a writer and essayist. She sits down with Isaac Chotiner to discuss her controversial Harper’s essay on #MeToo, why she thinks the movement has gone too far, and whether people who speak out against feminism are really at risk of being “silenced.”  Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs.

Tres periodistas latinos analizan lo último en las pláticas sobre la política migratoria en Estados Unidos, indignados por los insultos que se siguen otorgando a los inmigrantes jóvenes que se dicen Soñadores. Dori Toribio, Fernando Pizarro, y Ariel Moutsatsos entrevistan también a un analista del Cato Institute, Juan Carlos Hidalgo, y entran los cuatro en una discusión viva sobre los méritos del Presidente Trump cuando se trata de la economía americana. El panel también toca: los desfiles militares en la capital, las candidaturas a las elecciones del 2020, y los peluches astronautas que estamos mandando al espacio.

This week, Hanna, June and Noreen discuss the sexual abuse scandal in gymnastics, skincare, and Jordan Peterson on Slate.

America boycotted the Moscow Summer Olympics in 1980 in response to the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. Here on the eve of the next winter Olympiad we’ll have the story of that decision by President Jimmy Carter.Whistlestop is Slate’s podcast about presidential campaign history. Hosted by our political correspondent and Political Gabfest panelist John Dickerson, each installment will revisit a memorable (or even a forgotten) moment from America's quadrennial carnival. Podcast production and edit by Jocelyn Frank. Research by Brian Rosenwald. Love Slate podcasts? Listen longer with Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, ad-free versions, exclusive podcasts and more. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/podcastplus.Email:whistlestop@slate.com

Trump wants a parade. On The Gist, America's longest war, in Afghanistan, rumbles on under a third U.S. president. There is still no exit plan. Steve Coll’s new book explores the covert side of America’s campaign in Afghanistan and the secretive Pakistani intelligence wing lending support to the Taliban. Coll's book isDirectorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  In the Spiel, considering Christopher Steele and Carter Page. 

On this week’s If Then, Slate’s April Glaser and Will Oremus talk about a new anti-tech lobbying group formed by ex-employees of Facebook and Google, the big trial that’s happening this week in San Francisco that involves Waymo accusing Uber of stealing trade secrets in a winner-take-all race for self-driving supremacy. The hosts are also joined by Marcy Wheeler, an independent journalist and long time expert on the ins and outs of FISA and mass digital surveillance. And as always, Don’t Close My Tabs, the hosts’ picks for best on the Web this week.Don’t Close My Tabs:New York Times: Making a Crypto Utopia in Puerto RicoNew York Times: A Driver’s Suicide Reveals the Dark Side of the Gig Economy Podcast production by Max Jacobs.If Then plugs: You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com.If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.