In Which We Discuss:

We’re doing a roundtable about the end of Roe and…that’s basically it.

About Our Guests:

BEN SOFTNESS is an old friend of Lila’s who spent years as partner at a DC law firm, where he briefed half a dozen cases in the Supreme Court on issues of statutory and constitutional law. He’s the author of an article on how the Supreme Court is usually incrementalist and avoids seismic shifts in the law to protect its legitimacy —an article who's premise was recently disproven! He is also the reformed Republican from Lila’s book, Some Kids Left Behind, available wherever books are sold.

SASCHA MEISEL is a lawyer and friend of the pod who’s experience in campaign work and the law seemed relevant here. And also she’s Lila's personal lawyer b/c sometimes Lila gets into her car and cries until she gives her legal advice.

Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, 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

In Which We Discuss:

1. The June corporate appropriation holiday bonanza continues!

2. Biden will try literally anything to make America think he’s President Bartlett.

3. Rudy Giuliani didn’t knowingly break the law, he was just drunk on Diet Pepsi.

4. Can we please put a news embargo on reporting CA election results until we actually have California election results?

5. When will Democrats learn: Part 435 of our ongoing series.

6. Have you ever wondered if the current inflation was caused by something other than that one time the government sent you a measly check? We have.

Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, 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

In Which We Discuss:

1. The fact that it was a Cheney that argued the Jan 6 opening case is an absolutely bananas story point.

2. The gun violence issue has been left to Matthew McConaughey to solve, so we really are out of ideas.

3. We completed Step 1 of stopping Rick Caruso from being the mayor! (No thanks to the celebrity class.)

4. The anti-Biden 2024 whisper campaign is becoming a speaking-volume campaign.

5. COVID. It’s on you right now.

6. If things aren’t enough like a horror movie yet, THE MACHINES ARE COMING ALIVE.

Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, 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

In Which We Discuss:

1. Does Pride Month belong to straight people now? A research-free exposé!

2. It’s shooting city out there, so naturally our representatives are back to begging us for help.

3. Alaska is looking to one-up CA’s chaotic primary process…and succeeding!

4. We’re pretty sure we attended the last Iowa Caucus.

5. Biden White House baffled by sad polling numbers as Americans face numerous predictable and solvable crises.

6. Democrats find unity on student debt cancellation: Everybody hates the White House plan.

Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, 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

In Which We Discuss:

1. Free ballot guides! Free ballot guides! DM us on Twitter if you want our free LA ballot guide!

2. There’s nothing like the sweet taste of learning that PA hates Connor Lamb as much as non-PA does.

3. Big primaries are coming up on Tuesday, including Cuellar/Cisneros.

4. NY’s new maps have led to Manhattan chaos!

5. Eric Adams claims he’s not thinking of running for president, but he’s also lying about living in NJ so do with that what you will.

6. Let them eat formula! But, like, really. Let them. Babies need food.

Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, 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

In Which We Discuss:

1. Protests should feel more like protests and less like guitar circles: A graduate thesis from Brain Trust Live.

2. Somehow Donald Trump missed the opportunity to endorse a pro-rape candidate in the PA primaries, and that seems like an oversight.

3. There’s nobody to vote FOR on the LA mayoral ballot, just people to vote against.

4. Biden had a prime stupidity week, but at least the deficit is going down.

5. Baby formula: Let’s find some.

6. Student Loans: Let’s cancel some.

Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, 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

In Which We Discuss:

1. It’s time to try to dream as big as Republicans.

2. Also, If you’re in line to protest at the homes of the SCOTUS judges, stay in line!

3. When Jen Psaki and Bill Kristol give you life advice, do the opposite.

4. If you’re going to pursue student loan forgiveness, try actually forgiving some loans.

BUT most importantly, you can do more than vote. Burn it down! Become ungovernable!

Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, 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

In Which We Discuss:

1. Our guest Chris Melody Fields Figueredo of Ballot Initiative Strategy Center joins us to talk props and progressive policy!

2. The LA Mayor’s race update you forgot you needed!

3. And the Love is Blind recap that you knew you needed

4. Joe Biden finally delivers on a campaign promise in appointing Ketanji Brown Jackson to SCOTUS

5. In all this week’s excitement, you probably forgot about the SOTU. It’s today!

6. What a dick move to start a war right now, two years into a pandemic. People haven’t even gone to their first party yet!

Find the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) Online:

Twitter: @BallotStrategy

Instagram: @BallotStrategy

Web: www.ballot.org

Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, 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

In Which We Discuss:

1. USA fighting Chinese propaganda by using a private media conglomerate as our own state media.

2. Whether or not the jobs numbers are good, it’s good to remember that they’re always fake

3. CA’s single payer demise is not an indication of voter sentiment, Politico. Stop using consultants as sources.

4. MN Police doing a great job of disproving the one bad apple theory

5. Meanwhile Joe BIden still publicly believing in the one bad apple theory

6. Garcetti holds his breath in photos while Los Angeles holds their breath waiting for him to just go to India already.

Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, 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

In Which We Discuss:

1. Carissa Byrne Hessick joins us to talk about her book Punishment Without Trial: Why Plea Bargaining is a Bad Deal.

2. COVID is everywhere thanks to…teachers?

3. Jobs: You can now even do them with COVID!

4. Voting: What if we could protect your ability to do it

5. Chris Matthews and Hillary Clinton chime in with a message from the bunker.

6. Madison Cawthorn ends his marriage to a Crossfit Influencer who may or may not be a Russian spy.

* Follow Carissa on Twitter: @CBHessick

* Buy Carissa's Book: Punishment Without Trial: Why Plea Bargaining is a Bad Deal

* Buy Lila's Book: Some Kids Left Behind

Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, 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!