“In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?” On The Gist, an audible representation of how Americans have historically answered this Gallup poll question. We asked the Pew Research Center’s founding director Andrew Kohut to explain noticeable blips. Plus, performer Courtney Raia joins us in the character of her one-woman show All My Children, up at the New York International Fringe Festival this weekend. For Mike’s Spiel, a case against overly cute animals. Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2