Episodes

Sunday Oct 25, 2020
BTL #373 - Things Could Always Be Worse - 10/26/20
Sunday Oct 25, 2020
Sunday Oct 25, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. We’re on track to shatter our voting turnout records at a whopping...62%! Cool. One-third of you guys are still like, “nah.”
2. Trump’s closing argument at debate #2: Things could always be worse.
3. White House staff loved COVID so much the first time, they decided to try it again!
4. We comment on his zombie-like stares all the time, but is Mitch McConnell actually one of the undead?
5. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins never had any principles, guys.
6. Fake Melania’s on a plane!
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, 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!

Sunday Aug 09, 2020
BTL #362 - Rabid Bats - 8/10/20
Sunday Aug 09, 2020
Sunday Aug 09, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. Progressives are on such a winning streak that you only have to raise $25k to win a statewide primary these days.
2. If the widespread confusion is any guide, Joe Biden REALLY doesn’t want to choose Kamala Harris as a running mate.
3. No matter who you are and where you sit on the political spectrum, you will be pissed off by the Democratic National Convention.
4. Practicing his dictator skills, Trump has started work on an Executive Order bonanza
5. What’s happening with TikTok? Also, what is TikTok. Also, we’re too old to be discussing TikTok and that means Donald Trump is too.
6. Rabid bats...is the subject of a story about the Libertarian party so...that tracks.
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, helicopters, 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!

Sunday Jul 05, 2020
BTL #357 - The Frontier Spirit of Las Vegas - 7/6/20
Sunday Jul 05, 2020
Sunday Jul 05, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. The next Michele Bachmann has entered our lives!
2. New Jersey wins the prize for the most creative voter suppression method you’ve never heard about
3. Everyone has coronavirus. Stay home.
4. Donald Trump wowed by the indomitable frontier spirit that brought us Las Vegas
5. Joe Biden wishes you’d tear down those statues more peacefully
6. Kanye West isn’t going to let a web of national crises disrupt his long-time plan to run for president in 2020
NEWS: Make sure to check out Lila's appearance on The Guilty Feminist!
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, helicopters, 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!
*There's a slight technical difficulty that starts at minute 42. We know about it, but what could we do, you know? Thanks for your patience!*

Sunday Jun 28, 2020
BTL #356 - Long-Term Plans - 6/28/20
Sunday Jun 28, 2020
Sunday Jun 28, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. If you run progressives, you sometimes can elect them, and that is the definition of being electable
2. Eating out is nice and all, but what about staying at home and drinking alone...forever?
3. Donald Trump: Where white nationalism and Russian nationalism find their Grand Wizard
4. Progressives can defeat mainline Democrats by thinking long-term
5. DC gets one step closer to statehood. Puerto Rico...still batting zero.
6. California Democrats try a crazy experiment...moving the party forward in a unified way.
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, helicopters, 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!

Sunday Jun 21, 2020
BTL #355 - The Emptysburg Address - 6/22/20
Sunday Jun 21, 2020
Sunday Jun 21, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. Hillary Clinton bravely comes off the sidelines to endorse a 16 term incumbent
2. Trump reveals himself to be an expert ramp physicist at his sparsely attended Tulsa rally
3. Neil Gorsuch borrows Dick Cheney’a hunting rifle for this week’s SCOTUS decisions
4. John Bolton’s Moustache finally reveals its secrets!
5. “Law and Order” president signs entirely predictable policing executive order amidst nationwide protest
6. Klobuchar withdraws from VP race, seemingly unaware that the rest of us had proactively withdrawn her weeks ago
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, helicopters, 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!

Sunday Jun 14, 2020
BTL #354 - Kill The Compromise - 6/15/20
Sunday Jun 14, 2020
Sunday Jun 14, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. Black lives still don’t seem to matter enough to police departments in California and Georgia
2. But don’t worry, the Democrats have seen the protests and boy do they have a compromise for you!
3. The threat of COVID is even worse than that time you stayed in your house for three months
4. Trump’s new campaign strategy: Kill his own supporters so he doesn’t have to be president for four more years
5. Biden’s VP shortlist is shorter in number and short on excitement
6. You can take Bernie Sanders out of the presidential race, but you can’t take his supporters out of the electorate
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, helicopters, 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!

Sunday Jun 07, 2020
BTL #353 - Black Lives Matter, Protest Works - 6/8/20
Sunday Jun 07, 2020
Sunday Jun 07, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. The whole world’s in the streets to protest police brutality
2. But Trump’s in a bunker declaring martial law
3. Police are rioting
4. Mayors are failing
5. But...might we finally see some policy change?
6. And hey, for the people in the back, Black Lives Matter!
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, helicopters, 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!

Sunday May 17, 2020
BTL #351 - Super Duper Missile - 5/18/20
Sunday May 17, 2020
Sunday May 17, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. House Dems Heroes Act finally honors the heroes among us. Lobbyists and rich people.
2. The Nordstrom/Thornburg task force to study the validity of the Biden/Sanders task forces is now in session.
3. Dems will not let Coronavirus trample their record of losing winnable elections.
4. Everyone looking for a good reason to not vote for Biden got one...directly from Joe Biden.
5. We’re struggling about how to make a super duper missile joke when the president has already made it for us.
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, helicopters, 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!

Sunday May 03, 2020
BTL #349 - The Joe Biden Experience - 5/4/20
Sunday May 03, 2020
Sunday May 03, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. If 2019 was the year of believing women, then 2020 is the year we decided to stop.
2. If we can read anything into the Biden VP selection committee, it’s that Biden likes to stick to a theme.
3. If Kansas is lapping you in primary ideas, you might be New York State.
4. States are re-opening, so looks like we may have to die to save capitalism.
5. He may be the king of ratings, but his polling is the one stat Donald Trump can’t rescue through sheer force of personality.
6. If Kim Jong-Un really is back, then he’s wasted an opportunity to peddle a brilliant rebirth story. Amateur.
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of quarantiners, helicopters, 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!

Sunday Apr 12, 2020
BTL #346 - The Easter Spectacular - 4/13/20
Sunday Apr 12, 2020
Sunday Apr 12, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. Bernie is out, but guys, you can still vote in your primary and you can still vote your principles!
2. We’ve got thoughts on Biden’s binders full of women
3. GOP to Wisconsin voters: Drop dead
4. Rampant inequality in life leads to rampant inequality in deaths
5. America’s president is currently the governor of California. Act accordingly.
6. A slice of normalcy in trying times - our yearly easter Q&A.
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in electoral and political news. Join the millions of sirens, helicopters, 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!