On The Gist, the Republican tax bill and insurance premiums.

In the interview: a third-century monk, Paul Revere’s horse, and Death himself … all are characters in humorist Simon Rich’s latest book, Hits and Misses: Stories—and none are in on the joke. “I always related to the characters like Homer Simpson that knew less than they should,” Rich says. “As a child those are the ones that I found more sympathetic and more rootable.” 

In the Spiel, the unemployment numbers, and the lies we’ve told ourselves about the economy. 

This episode is brought to you by Slack, the collaboration hub for work. Learn more at Slack.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices