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
Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
In Which We Discuss:
1. Crowd math is not math, it’s a vibe.
2. There’s no such thing as pointless activism.
3. Maybe Democrats never do the WORST version of the thing, but why are they so complicit in the thing?
4. Can Democrats not put us in the position of having to agree with Tucker Carlson?
5. Are you in NYC? Vote for Mamdani! Elect fun people with ideas!
6. Speaking of ideas, you can have them too!
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 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 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.
Friday Aug 23, 2024
Friday Aug 23, 2024
YOU MADE IT TO OUR 500TH EPISODE! We're so happy you're here and hope that in honor of this milestone we hope you'll subscribe and share this special episode featuring Grant Sloss!
This Week We Discuss:
1. Our favorite guest and secret research consultant Grant Sloss is here to celebrate this milestone!
2. Kamala Harris makes her DNC debut in “coconut brown.”
3. There was no Beyonce performance at the DNC…but we did get Lil’ Jon at the Roll Call?
4. The Tim Walz candidacy is apparently going to be 90% football references Lila doesn’t understand.
5. RFK is dropping out in the exact way the brain worms told him to.
6. JD Vance’s advance team is clearly out to get him.
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!
Wednesday Aug 07, 2024
Wednesday Aug 07, 2024
In Which We Discuss:
1. We have a VP candidate! We like him!
2. Democrats are making a slew of good decisions and nobody has any experience with this so we don’t know how to act.
3. What if we all just tried to enact the Democratic party platform? Is that a thing?
4. Trump’s interview with the National Association of Black Journalists somehow went even worse than you’d imagine.
5. If you thought New Gingrich getting bitten by a penguin was crazy, we’ve got a story for you!
6. The Olympics. Still a joy to behold.
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 Jun 30, 2024
Sunday Jun 30, 2024
It’s a June debate and SCOTUS season spectacular with special guest Ben Softness! (Plus the presidential pep talk you’ve been needing.)
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 new podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your podcasts!
Monday Jun 17, 2024
Monday Jun 17, 2024
In Which We Discuss:
1. Sadly Donald Trump is not yet a political prisoner! If only.
2. GOP frustrated that the Hunter Biden conviction they’ve long sought is now here.
3. First presidential debate shaping up to be more physical comedy than content.
4. Democrats mysteriously unbothered by spooky parallels to ‘68 Chicago convention.
5. Did Donald Trump commit 34 felonies to get out of going to Milwaukee for the GOP Convention?
6. Imagine how many trips Doug Burgham would get to take to the border if he was Trump’s VP pick!
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 new podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your podcasts!
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
In Which We Discuss:
1. Henry Kissinger is dead, and not even his dear friend Hillary Clinton offered a statement.
2. George Santos can finally move into his next stage of D-List celebrity.
3. Ron DeSantis is the latest GOP figure to proudly announce he’s carrying pornography on his person.
4. Democrats in Florida move ahead with their plan to save democracy by…eliminating elections.
5. Why are there so many ophthalmologists in congress?
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 new podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your podcasts!
Monday Sep 11, 2023
Monday Sep 11, 2023
In Which We Discuss:
1. Jeremy Payne from Catalyst California is here to explain how we can reform the LA city council
2. Joe Biden is being beaten by a wax figure in the latest 2024 polls
3. Democratic brains fell into a wormhole this week
4. Read the room, Nancy!
5. New Mexico experiments with a new gun control tactic: Actually trying something
Find out more about efforts to reform the LA City Council: www.ourla.org
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 new podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your podcasts!
Monday Jul 24, 2023
Monday Jul 24, 2023
In Which We Discuss:
1. Lila went to Netroots and she has stories.
2. Mitt Romney shows us that, unbelievably, there is a wrong way to hold a hot dog.
3. The greatest danger to children is not drag queens, it’s MTG showing us porn on the floor of the House.
4. The only obstacle to Joe Biden’s re-election? Stairs.
5. Unsurprisingly, cheating is now a legal way to qualify for the GOP Debates.
6. No Labels platform reflects the consensus of…crotchety rich old men.
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, now in it's second season: What Can I Do.