When Holden met Shiloh
Politically coded baby names, the Chinese are nuts for pistachios & Episcopalian Church ends refugee resettlement program with federal government.
Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has won the mayoral election for his home city in a landslide. One catch, he’s in a prison in the Hague. Turns out the thing that put him there—rounding up and killing drug dealers—is also the same thing that made him popular.
He edged out runner-up Karlo Nograles with almost 63.3% of the vote to Nograles’ 7.8%. Never-Duerte political commentators say Nograles should have done more bro podcasts.
This news is a big boost for his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, who is facing an impeachment trial for alleged misuse of public funds and for conspiring to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and the Speaker of the House—as one does. Despite these minor legal setbacks, she is still a strong contender for the 2028 presidential race.
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:
🥜 The Chinese are nuts about pistachios.
🥊 Kurdish insurgent group says its mission is complete.
📣 Laura Loomer is looming over politics.
✝️ The Episcopal Church will end refugee resettlement partnership with U.S. Government.
👶 Oakleigh, Kai and other politically coded baby names.
The Gist List
Trade Chaos Raises Big Question: Why Does China Eat So Many American Pistachios? (WSJ)
And now for the question you’ve lost sleep over: Where will the Chinese get their pistachios now that tariffs are on the table?!
This is a big concern for the tentative trade deals with China. California pistachio growers have seen a 1,904.76% increase in sales to China between 2017 and 2024, probably due to the popularity if Dubai chocolate. And since there are no rules in love or trade wars, China has threatened a 125% tariff on U.S. pistachios, threatening growers’ livelihood. Farmers have gotten a temporary reprieve since a tentative trade deal lowered China’s tariffs to 10%, but they are still worried.
Kurdish Insurgent Group Says It Is Ending Conflict With Turkish State (NYT)
The P.K.K. is going away. After its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, said that armed conflict was not worth it, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (P.K.K.), a Kurdish militant group that fought the Turkish state for 40 years, announced it would disband and lay down arms (but not before losing 40,000 lives in the conflict). According to Ocalan, they have “carried the Kurdish issue to a level where it can be solved by democratic politics, and the P.K.K. has completed its mission in that sense.”
Kurds are now turning to more diplomatic measures to try to obtain Kurdish rights, with the hope that this move will lead to expanded cultural and educational rights. There is also a hope that Turkey’s new cooperation with the group can ripple out into Iraq and Syria.
Ben Shapiro, Laura Loomer Lead Rare MAGA Backlash to Trump's Qatari Jet (Axios)
Despite losing reach on X after her scuffle with Elon Musk, Laura Loomer has a lot to say about how she thinks things should be done in the Trump administration. This time around, she’s joining the ranks of Ben Shapiro—and in a horseshoe configuration we may have seen coming, Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer—in criticizing President Trump for accepting the jet from the Qataris, saying on X, “I love President Trump. I would take a bullet for him. But, I have to call a spade a spade. We cannot accept a $400 million 'gift' from jihadists in suits.”
Of course, this is not the only right-wing infighting that is going on in Loomerland. She also recently inserted herself in a battle between The Wellness Company and Calley Means, Casey Means’ brother and an HHS adviser, when she tweeted the accusation that Means was committing tax fraud.
Episcopal Church Refuses to Resettle White Afrikaners, Citing Moral Opposition (NPR)
Red and yellow, and black and white, they are precious in His sight. "Jesus Loves the Little Children” might need some rewording after the Episcopal Church announced that it will end its almost 40-year relationship with the U.S. Government to resettle refugees after the Trump Administration permitted white Afrikaner refugees into the country. The church said it crossed a “moral line” given its longstanding commitment to racial justice, historic opposition to apartheid, and ties to leaders like Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Now, maybe I’m no expert, but it doesn’t exactly feel like a reaction motivated by an abundance of Christlike love. Yes, there is some controversy over whether they should actually be classified as refugees. Yes, even though apartheid was a morally unconscionable system of oppression, it doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t any white South Africans who don’t face discrimination. And yes, it might be hard to get a handle on the situation given how notoriously corrupt the South African government is. BUT it seems like even if their refugee status is questionable, a church shouldn’t be throwing out an entire program over a small population of refugees because they’re white, even if it is true that racial animus is driving the decisions of the Trump administration.
America's Red-Blue Divide Shows Up Even in Baby Names (Boston Globe🔒, NPR)
Can you guess where someone is from based on their kids’ names? Apparently, if you’re from a blue state, you’re more likely to choose an ethnically diverse name for your kid, with over 80% of the top “bluest” names being from languages other than English, and 97% of babies named Moshe living in blue states. For red states, on the other hand, you’re much more likely to find someone who saw the news about Brexit and thought, “Brehxytte would be a lovely baby name!”
How likely is it that the Moshes, Santinos and Aaliyahs of the world will be spending time with the Stetsons, Gunnars and Oaklees? For some areas, there might not even be that much zip code crossover. Even in deep blue states, I’d like to think that the Moshes and the Moeshas, who might have grown up mere blocks apart, will interact and flourish, but it seems more Hope than Reality to select popular baby name number 317 and federal inmate 22056-021.
Yesterday on the show: Sam Altman—From Failed Flip-Phone Apps to Billion-Dollar AI Bets
Sam Altman’s outsize ambition and messianic optimism take center stage in a conversation with Keach Hagey, author of The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future. From failed flip-phone apps to billion-dollar AI bets, Altman emerges as one of Silicon Valley’s most effective—and unsettling—dream merchants.
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.