Keep Calmembert and Carry On
Plus: The Iranian trucker convoy, The National Security Council goes “House of Cards” & a murderer (and former police chief) waltzes out of prison.
Want to see dozens of Brits go arse-over-tea kettle in pursuit of a wheel of cheese? Of course you do—you’re someone who respects world heritage. That’s why some Cheesers (my term for fans of the sport) want their annual cheese roll recognized as a UNESCO cultural event. Like Italy’s Palio di Siena or America’s Gathering of the Juggalos, this festival embodies the traditions the English hold dear: hills, danger, the pursuit of dairy, and the maintenance of a stiff upper lip—and a fractured lower tibia.
The Spanish rely on bovines to supply their frisson of danger. The Brits, characteristically, do it to themselves—as if rehashing the Dardanelles campaign, but with cheddar. Sorry—not Cheddar. Double Gloucester has a natural rind and a hard texture, comparable in quality to the best Cheddar, but really—what Cheddar ever turned a fella into a proper header?
Don’t answer. It’s an Olde English nursery rhyme and rumored to be next in line for the UNESCO playlist, right between Oasis and Benny Hill.
Welcome to the Gist List—a news roundup, interesting things you should know, and my thoughts leading up to today’s podcast episode.
Here’s what’s on my mind:
📦 Aid drop-off in Gaza does NOT go as planned.
🗳️ The stark left-right divide from the 2024 election.
🕹️ GameStop, the purveyor of the world’s finest memes, is making bank on crypto.
👎 The National Security Council goes House of Cards.
😨 A murderer, rapist (and former police chief) waltzes out the front door of a prison.
The Gist List
Crowds Overrun US-Backed Group's New Aid Distribution Site in Gaza (BBC)
In case you’re wondering how the aid drop went in Gaza, “Not great, Baruch.”
Thousands of Palestinians surged into an aid site in Rafah, run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Instead of queuing up nicely, people rushed in and took whatever food they could, which is completely understandable considering the rampant hunger in Gaza. But they didn’t stop there. They tore down the fencing, they took the tables, and they took the chairs. Israeli and American security forces fired shots in the air.
But at least, according to GHF, it has distributed over 462,000 meals so far. Here’s to hoping that the supplies reach their intended destination.
Trump Admin Urged to Support Striking Iranian Truckers: 'Potential to Paralyze Regime' (Fox News)
I have to include this one in today’s Gist List just because I don’t see what I think is an important story covered anywhere else (except for what I think might be a few Iranian state newspapers).
Earlier this month, Iranian truckers started a strike demanding, among other things, better working conditions, roadside aid, reduced freight fees, cheaper spare parts and improved highway security. When your union rep demands include "Please don't rob us," you know things are rough. The truckers have expanded their strike to more than 100 towns and cities, with the government cracking down violently, especially in Kurdish regions like Sanandaj. If you haven’t had your head in the sand over the last few years, you’ll notice that this is part of a trend of civil unrest and protests in Iran.
Although what might be bad for Iran is turning out to be good for the U.S. America is currently in nuclear talks with Iran, and some analysts believe open support for labor unrest could strengthen our negotiating position.
GRAPH: A Party of Sloths (Notes from the Middleground)
If you know me, you know I love a good graph, and
from Notes from the Middleground shared an excellent analysis of a New York Times election stats graph today.
What’s striking about the graph is not so much the share of blue and red across each map, but the fact that…
Republicans are gaining by leaps and bounds in working-class areas (notice all the tiny little counties veering to the right).
In the few places Democrats are gaining, it’s primarily in wealthy areas.
Education is playing a role, with educated areas leaning to the left and less-educated areas leaning to the right.
I also find it interesting that most of those blue arrows are around Atlanta, pushing it further left, although clearly not enough in 2024, because that nail-biter of a race went to Donald Trump.
Meme Retailer GameStop Buys First Bitcoin Batch, Scooping Up $500 Million (CNBC)
GameStop, a “meme retailer” according to CNBC, is re-entering the cryptocurrency market. After the r/WallStreetBets bonanza of 2021, I find myself asking what exactly GameStop does these days. It turns out they became the poster child for "meme stocks"—not a company that's the purveyor of the finest memes, but a company whose stock prices are driven more by online hype and sentiment than by traditional financial metrics, and, well… selling stuff.
Basically, it’s like if in the 2000s, I Can Has Cheezburger had a storefront. Are memes and vibes a viable business model? Maybe, considering that they’re still around. Perhaps GameStop can start the Meme Squad with a Meme Bar where they help people in their 30s, 40s and 50s upload memes to their phones and understand the most recent TikTok trends.
US National Security Council Staff Fired En Masse, Including Mideast, Israel, Iran Chiefs (Times of Israel)
The Trump Admin took no prisoners last week as they purged the National Security Council (NSC)—including the top advisors for the Middle East, Israel, and Iran—in an effort to significantly downsize the staff. One notable, even strange, firee is Merav Ceren, who was hired by the Trump administration and worked on sensitive issues like relations with Israel and policies on Iran. She was not a career bureaucrat, and no one (except for maybe Laura Loomer) could accuse her of being a “deep state” operative.
at The Daily Scroll presented an interesting analysis of Ceren. She was considered to be one of the more Hawkish people when it came to Israel, which likely put her in the crosshairs of isolationist Vice President J.D. Vance. His national security adviser, Andy Baker, appears to be accumulating power and is poised to assume a top role in the freshly purged NSC.Manhunt Launched for Ex-Police Chief Known as 'Devil in the Ozarks' After His Escape from Prison (AP)
It’s a story that has effectively written its own Netflix miniseries. Grant Hardin, a former police chief convicted of murder and rape, waltzed out of a medium-security prison—which, as it turns out was the wrong level of security for this guy—disguised as a corrections officer. Authorities are now searching through the Ozarks through rain and extremely rocky terrain. Naturally, the families of his victims and the community are unsettled and on high alert.
What’s striking about the escape is that he was not wearing a standard corrections officer’s uniform, but was still somehow waved through the gate without batting an eyelash. Hardin, who to my eyes looks like a fleshier version of Ben Bailey from Cash Cab, had also been a correctional officer in Arkansas before his arrest.
Yesterday on the show: A Decade With Indonesia’s Mentawai People
Manvir Singh, author of Shamanism: The Timeless Religion, shares insights from a decade with Indonesia’s Mentawai people, where healing rituals double as communal celebrations. He discusses how language and metaphor shape worldviews—and where anthropology sits between science and ideology.
There’s more where that came from. Listen to The Gist, and upgrade to Pesca Plus for the ad-free version.
Have a story you want us to talk about or an opinion you want to share? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com or share your thoughts in the comments. We might give you a shoutout in our next newsletter or on the air.