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 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. 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. New York is the only place on earth insane enough to continually come for Amazon…and win.

2. Trump’s phone logs - or lack thereof - are the latest in his ongoing quest to one-up Richard Nixon. 

3. The White House is very concerned about the effect of inflation on the defense budget, not as concerned about it impacting your ability to eat.

4. Known liar Madison Cawthorn finally gets in trouble for telling an absolutely unbelievable story that’s…probably his first true one.

5. The KBJ SCOTUS hearings prove once again that the GOP cannot think of anything other than child pornography. 

6. America’s least-favorite slam poet is ready to bring crazy sentence syntax back to Washington.

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. Our long-promised guest Kat Calvin is finally here!

2. Biden is collecting his own binders full of women for Breyer’s soon-to-be-open SCOTUS seat.

3. After 36 years of single handedly saving democracy, Pelosi assures us she will run again!

4. We incepted the San Jose Mayor to try gun insurance and couldn’t be more excited!

5. The Olympics are here, so you can finally experience the splendor of living through the Golden Age of Ice Dancing TM.

6. Of course the Bidens are cat people.

Find Kat and Her Work Online:

• Kat on Social: @katcalvinla
• Subscribe to Kat's Newsletter 
• Spread The Vote (@spreadthevoteus on social)
• Project ID Action Fund (@projectidus on social)

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. Extremism, according to Joe Manchin, is you voting.

2. As you bemoan Biden’s bad week last week, the one thing that should give you solace is that this is the 52nd bad week of his term.

3. Note to Kamala Harris and all future Vice Presidents: Veep is a parody.

4. 2024 is shaping up to have…the same primary as 2020?

5. Eric Adams is not even good at nepotism.

Brain Trust Live is (still) 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!

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!

It’s a Thanksgiving conspiracy spectacular!! (Aaaaaaand…we were too lazy to write the rest of the rundown.) So buckle up, because we’ll have that and so much more!

Get a booster so you too can record a podcast in the same room as your co-host!

Brain Trust Live is (still) 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!