Today on the Gist, a look at the recent security incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and why Donald Trump's demand for a new White House ballroom draws striking parallels to his infamous border wall. Then, American journalist Suzy Hansen joins the show to discuss her new book, From Life Itself: Turkey, Istanbul, and a Neighborhood in the Age of Erdoğan. She details how a massive influx of Syrian refugees transformed a historic Istanbul neighborhood, how Erdoğan leveraged the crisis against Europe to fuel his neo-Ottoman ambitions, and the devastating consequences of his economic house of cards.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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Suzy Hansen: How The Syrian War Radicalized Erdoğan