The Gist: David Greene’s lessons from the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Russians Don't Want American-Style Democracy. NPR's David Greene Explains.

Russians Don't Want American-Style Democracy. NPR's David Greene Explains.

A daily news and culture podcast with Mike Pesca.
Dec. 4 2014 6:48 PM

Orchestral Snoring on the Trans-Siberian Railway

David Greene explains how his old desk neighbor, Mike Pesca, drove him into the arms of Vladimir Putin.

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Our guest is NPR's David Greene.

Photo Illustration by Slate. Photo by David Gilkey/NPR.

Listen to Episode 149 of Slate’s The Gist:

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On The Gist, NPR’s David Greene joins us in studio to explain the many things Americans don’t understand about Russia. Greene traveled far from his cozy Moscow bureau to experience the vast country by train, an experience that is the subject of his book Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey Into the Heart of Russia. For the Spiel, can the right and left come together around the death of Eric Garner?

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Mike Pesca is the host of the Slate daily podcast The Gist. He also contributes reports and commentary to NPR.