On The Gist, we bring you a Pesca-moderated panel recorded live from Politicon in Los Angeles. Panelists include actor Tony Hale, who plays a body man on TV, and Reggie Love, a real-life body man for six years. We’ll learn what goes into their respective roles—for Love, working as Barack Obama’s right-hand man and confidante throughout the 2008 campaign and into his first days at the White House, and for Hale, playing the assistant to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ VP and now president on HBO’s Veep. Love’s the author of Power Forward: My Presidential Education.

For The Spiel, the return of talk show karaoke.

Today’s sponsors:

The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Watch Rachel as she breaks down the big headlines for the local threads that tie them all together. Weeknights at 9 p.m. Eastern time only on MSNBC.

Citrix GoToMeeting. When meetings matter, millions choose GoToMeeting. Get a free 30-day trial by visiting GoToMeeting.com and clicking the “try it free” button. 

Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.