A totally genius analysis of the week’s political news from two certified brains. Ready to resist, progressive AF. Podcast posted weekly since 2012.
Episodes
Sunday Apr 20, 2025
Sunday Apr 20, 2025
In Which We Discuss:
1. It’s our yearly Easter special! This year we learn the story of Jesus’s resurrection from leading biblical expert and improvisational essayist Marjorie Taylor Green!
2. Pete Hegseth: Still drunk texting war plans to his friends.
3. Chris Van Hollen is the one Democrat to try a stunt this week. Next week let’s aim for two!
4. Our hot take on private space travel.
5. An important general PSA: Have fun out there, guys!
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of chirping birds, sirens, helicopters, barking dogs, and computer beeps who love our podcast and tell your friends about BTL! Then rate us on iTunes or find us Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Stitcher, or Instagram!
And, as always, you can buy and review Lila's book here: Some Kids Left Behind.
Plus, subscribe to Lila's other podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your podcasts!
Sunday Apr 06, 2025
Sunday Apr 06, 2025
In Which We Discuss:
1. The April 5th protests: A great place to be mad about…literally anything.
2. We famously love a filibuster stunt, but save your money. Cory Booker’s presidential campaign will be funded by the “good billionaires,” not your $5.
3. Did you ever wonder if there’s a reason you don’t understand what’s going on with these tariffs? Do you wish somebody credible would explain them to you? Us too.
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of falling phones, sirens, helicopters, barking dogs, and computer beeps who love our podcast and tell your friends about BTL! Then rate us on iTunes or find us Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Stitcher, or Instagram!
And, as always, you can buy and review Lila's book here: Some Kids Left Behind.
Plus, subscribe to Lila's other podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your podcasts!
Sunday Mar 30, 2025
Sunday Mar 30, 2025
Turn off your push notifications - they're not helping you now. There's a major messaging and strategy challenge in front of us, and we're thinking through how to solve it.
Sunday Nov 17, 2024
Sunday Nov 17, 2024
Welp....that happened. We're not really sure what the report this week so welcome to our post-election real-time brainstorm session!
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of falling phones, sirens, helicopters, barking dogs, and computer beeps who love our podcast and tell your friends about BTL! Then rate us on iTunes or find us Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Stitcher, or Instagram!
And, as always, you can buy and review Lila's book here: Some Kids Left Behind.
Plus, subscribe to Lila's other podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your podcasts!
Sunday Nov 03, 2024
Sunday Nov 03, 2024
🚨ELECTION DAY IS TOMORROW, NOVEMBER 5th!!! Need help with your CA ballot? Looking for a breakdown of the props? Check out the BTL CA Prop Guide: https://tinyurl.com/CApropguide2024 🚨
In Which We Discuss:
1. What do you do when the one outlier poll is the most respected state pollster in the nation?
2. Newspapers are afraid of Trump. Is it possible pollsters are too?
3. Early vote continues to tell us…that a lot of people are early voting and little else.
4. Brain Trust Live Exclusive: We’re not doing “election week” this year.
5. Trump closing argument: I can be even more orange than I was in 2020.
6. Kamala’s closing argument: Your vote is secret and vibing together is fun.
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of falling phones, sirens, helicopters, barking dogs, and computer beeps who love our podcast and tell your friends about BTL! Then rate us on iTunes or find us Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Stitcher, or Instagram!
And, as always, you can buy and review Lila's book here: Some Kids Left Behind.
Plus, subscribe to Lila's other podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your
Sunday Oct 27, 2024
Sunday Oct 27, 2024
In Which We Discuss:
1. Early voting numbers. We’ve got ‘em, and we don’t know what they mean! (Don’t worry, nobody does.)
2. The Trump Nazi Rally adds insult to injury by denying New Yorkers their daily bagel run.
3. Harris’ ability to stay on message in front of television cameras is expiring.
4. Beyhive and KHive finally become one.
5. Latest debacle at LA Times and Washington Post are pretty excellent reasons for doing away with billionaires.
6. Trump’s Rogan interview reminds us that at his core, he’s really just a mediocre entertainer.
ALSO, need help with your CA ballot? Looking for a breakdown of the props? Check out the BTL CA Prop Guide: https://tinyurl.com/CApropguide2024
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of falling phones, sirens, helicopters, barking dogs, and computer beeps who love our podcast and tell your friends about BTL! Then rate us on iTunes or find us Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Stitcher, or Instagram!
And, as always, you can buy and review Lila's book here: Some Kids Left Behind.
Plus, subscribe to Lila's other podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your
Sunday Oct 20, 2024
Sunday Oct 20, 2024
In Which We Discuss:
1. Early voting is happening and you should do it!
2. How is it possible that we haven’t left Elon Musk on the moon yet?
3. Donald Trump would like you to know something about Arnold Palmer.
4. Jon Tester’s opponent either got shot in a gunfight in Afghanistan, or shot himself with a pistol while visiting a national park. Just depends who you ask.
5. Control of the senate is within the margin of error.
6. Despite what you see in today’s news, Donald Trump still technically hasn’t worked at a McDonald’s.
Need help with your CA ballot? Looking for a breakdown of the props? Check out the BTL CA Prop Guide: https://tinyurl.com/CApropguide2024
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of falling phones, sirens, helicopters, barking dogs, and computer beeps who love our podcast and tell your friends about BTL! Then rate us on iTunes or find us Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Stitcher, or Instagram!
And, as always, you can buy and review Lila's book here: Some Kids Left Behind.
Plus, subscribe to Lila's other podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your
Monday Oct 14, 2024
Monday Oct 14, 2024
Our ballots have arrived in the mail, and now we have to actually fill them out. It's not such an easy task, though. In every election, Californians are asked to parse a truly unconscionable number of ballot propositions and make informed votes on a number of obscure topics. But here at Brain Trust Live, we're here to help!
Enter: The CA Prop BTL Spectacular. Dive in to our 10 state propositions and learn more about how the system works and what we could do differently. Then, make sure to check out (and share) our written guide, which you can find HERE. (It includes additional recommendations for county and city props in our area.)
More questions? Feel free to email us at braintrustapproved@gmail.com.
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of falling phones, sirens, helicopters, barking dogs, and computer beeps who love our podcast and tell your friends about BTL! Then rate us on iTunes or find us Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Stitcher, or Instagram!
And, as always, you can buy and review Lila's book here: Some Kids Left Behind.
Plus, subscribe to Lila's other podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your podcasts!
Monday Oct 07, 2024
Monday Oct 07, 2024
In Which We Discuss:
1. Californians, if you just got your 94 page sample ballot, never fear! Our prop guide is on the way!
2. Eric Adams: He’s not just bad at funding libraries, he’s bad at criming too!
3. What is going on with the Nebraska senate seat? A question we never thought we’d ask!
4. Tim Walz was a model of Minnesota nice even when presented with the world’s most punchable face.
5. Note to the Harris campaign: There is no constituency of Dick Cheney voters.
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of falling phones, sirens, helicopters, barking dogs, and computer beeps who love our podcast and tell your friends about BTL! Then rate us on iTunes or find us Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Stitcher, or Instagram!
And, as always, you can buy and review Lila's book here: Some Kids Left Behind.
Plus, subscribe to Lila's other podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your podcasts!
Monday Sep 23, 2024
Monday Sep 23, 2024
In Which We Discuss:
1. This week’s Police Commissioner FBI raid in New York felt eerily similar to last week’s Police Commissioner FBI Raid.
2. Mark Robinson is playing GOP scandal Mad Libs.
3. Donald Trump’s assassination attempt sequel is a ratings flop.
4. Somehow RFK’s sex scandal is the least provocative of the lot.
5. We’re on the precipice of a world in which Ted Cruz is no longer our problem.
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of falling phones, sirens, helicopters, barking dogs, and computer beeps who love our podcast and tell your friends about BTL! Then rate us on iTunes or find us Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Stitcher, or Instagram!
And, as always, you can buy and review Lila's book here: Some Kids Left Behind.
Plus, subscribe to Lila's other podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your podcasts!