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!
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!
Sunday Jul 28, 2024
Sunday Jul 28, 2024
In Which We Discuss:
1. The French don’t want their love of ménage à trois to get lost in the olympic frenzy.
2. British pop star Charli XCX makes most important endorsement of the US campaign season.
3. Kamala Harris could set herself apart from past democratic candidates by not making an absolute donkey-brained choice for VP.
4. Nobody wants to sit with JD Vance at the lunch table.
5. Speaking of unpopular people, it’s no longer cool to shake Benjamin Netanyahu’s hand.
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 Jul 17, 2022
Sunday Jul 17, 2022
In Which We Discuss:
1. The West Wing fight, brought to you by Overstock.com
2. The next January 6th hearings are PRIMETIME, which means speculation, drama, and the most primetime of gossiping!
3. John Bolton, the mustache, the weasel, the man, is the master of the self-own
4. Joe Biden checks in with his fraternity bros in Saudi Arabia
5. We’re going to lose Congress for literally no reason whatsoever
6. Joe Manchin and the truth: A Trumpian tale
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
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
In Which We Discuss:
1. Dakota Hall, ED at Alliance for Youth Action, joins us to talk about young voters, the SOTU, and more!
2. Joe Biden misread the mood of the American people as he jovially celebrated returning to the office during the SOTU. That’s right, he wants to send you to the place where your bosses are!
3. Cisneros and Cuellar head into a runoff in the Democrat’s bellwetheriest bellwether race.
4. Mask laws are ending, so get your noses ready for spring.
5. President Zelensky spoke for all of earth when he asked Rick Scott to please, finally, for the love of God, mute himself
Find the Alliance for Youth Action Online:
Twitter: @alliance4youth
Instagram: @allianceforyouthaction
Facebook: @AllianceforYouthAction
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
Sunday Feb 06, 2022
Sunday Feb 06, 2022
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
Sunday Nov 14, 2021
Sunday Nov 14, 2021
In Which We Discuss:
1. We watched Mayor Pete so you wouldn’t have to!
2. But don’t worry, we still took bets on how many collared shirts Steve Bannon will wear when he turns himself in on Monday.
3. Also, Britney is Free...
4. But your groceries sure aren’t, and they’re only getting more expensive.
Get a vaccine 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!
Sunday Aug 22, 2021
Sunday Aug 22, 2021
In Which We Discuss:
1. Lila’s book comes out on TUESDAY AUGUST 24th. Get a copy.
2. If you’re in California, you already have your ballot and you only have to answer one question so voting NO on the recall couldn’t be easier.
3. Prop 22 is as illegal and ridiculous as it sounded.
4. Say it with us: Bush officials are not experts in Afghanistan, they are the opposite of that.
5. The COVID booster shots are coming.
6. Which is a good thing because there’s a post-vax Senate outbreak is in process.
Get a vaccine 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!
Sunday Aug 15, 2021
Sunday Aug 15, 2021
In Which We Discuss:
1. Definitely vote no on the Newsom recall but it’s okay to scream into the void while you do it
2. Democrats actively looking to lose the Senate with new slate of candidates
3. Turns out Democrats did understand the spirit of Trump’s infrastructure week after all.
4. Andrew Cuomo becomes the latest victim of Andrew Cuomo
5. The world is completely falling apart, but at least white people are on the decline
6. Things not working out for 20 years in Afghanistan have surprisingly turned into a continuation of things not working out in Afghanistan
Get a vaccine 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!