Episodes

Monday Aug 28, 2023
8/29/23 - A Stratospheric Rise To The Single Digits
Monday Aug 28, 2023
Monday Aug 28, 2023
In Which We Discuss:
1. Joe the Plumber, the 2008 political symbol celebrated for his misunderstanding of tax laws, is dead at 49. He leaves behind a fully broken political system.
2. The Trump trial calendar is getting competitive!
3. Nikki Haley makes a stratospheric rise to fifth place and a higher single digit number in GOP post-debate polls.
4. It’s finally time to find out which 10 (and only 10 drugs) won’t send you into bankruptcy! Maybe!
5. Air travel is dangerous enough without being in Putin’s crosshairs.
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 Apr 23, 2023
4/24/23 - The New Coal Baron in town
Sunday Apr 23, 2023
Sunday Apr 23, 2023
In Which We Discuss:
1. GOP undercard debate shaping up to be just as crazy as we’d hoped.
2. Polls show nobody wants Trump or Biden to run so naturally it’s looking like Trump v. Biden in 2024.
3. Donld Trump admits to living in one of the “worst states.
4. Look out Joe Manchin! There’s a new coal baron in town.
5. Dianne Feinstein Retirement-Watch 2023 continues.
6. GOP’s massive successes are being celebrated…under the cover of darkness?
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 May 22, 2022
5/23/22 - Let Them Eat Formula!
Sunday May 22, 2022
Sunday May 22, 2022
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

Monday May 09, 2022
5/9/22 - Governing With Imagination
Monday May 09, 2022
Monday May 09, 2022
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
![6/22/21 - The Dem Consensus on Consensus [w/ guest Kat Calvin (@KatCalvinLA)]](https://deow9bq0xqvbj.cloudfront.net/ep-logo/pbblog456765/IMG_0920_300x300.jpg)
Monday Jun 21, 2021
Monday Jun 21, 2021
In Which We Discuss:
1. Kat Calvin (@KatCalvinLA) is in the studio to tell you why we can’t have a Dem consensus on Voter ID that involves...having Voter ID. [Go share her twitter thread about it!]
2. Democrats are bad at power: an exposé
3. The latest on infrastructure season is that it is now infrastructure year. We will never have an infrastructure deal. Get a new hobby.
4. The NYC Mayor’s race is ending in the same chaotic fashion it started: with headlines about Andrew Yang
5. Rhode Island: A non-surprising place to find an all-white country club
6. Happy Father’s day to all, including the sad men crashing weddings and funerals just for the attention while they work as unpaid hotel concierges at tacky resorts in Florida!
Also:
CALL YOUR REPS. ABOUT EVERYTHING. Make this number your profile picture. Tweet it every day. Add it to your phonebook:
Capitol Hill Main Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
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 Feb 21, 2021
BTL #388 - The Weather Messed With Texas - 2/22/21
Sunday Feb 21, 2021
Sunday Feb 21, 2021
In Which We Discuss:
1. Rush Limbaugh: A terrible person, now with deadness.
2. The weather messed with Texas and...Texas folded immediately.
3. Ted Cruz picked himself up by his bootstraps and flew himself to Cancun for some fun in the sun while Texas froze.
4. “Joe Manchin saves the day” is a sentence we never thought we’d write.
5. Famous empath Joe Biden can’t seem to find the aforementioned empathy for minimum wage workers and student borrowers.
6. It’s so annoying that we’re going to have to boycott all the gig employers in California.
Also:
CALL YOUR REPS. ABOUT EVERYTHING. Make this number your profile picture. Tweet it every day. Add it to your phonebook:
Capitol Hill Main Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
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 Oct 18, 2020
BTL #372 - Who Needs The News - 10/19/20
Sunday Oct 18, 2020
Sunday Oct 18, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. Americans everywhere vote early, wish they could now just sleep for weeks and wake up on November 4th.
2. Amy Coney Barrett is awful, but is there anyone worse than Dianne Feinstein?
3. Biden hits Trump where it hurts the most: TV ratings.
4. Trump now banking all his election hopes on locking up all Democrats.
5. The NY Post posts the postiest election conspiracy theory yet.
6. In a shocking departure from Trump, Chris Christie has mostly the right takeaways after his week in the ICU.
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!

Monday Sep 07, 2020
BTL #366 - The Remarkable Joe Kennedy - 9/8/20
Monday Sep 07, 2020
Monday Sep 07, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. Joe Kennedy has finally become a remarkable Kennedy, but only because he destroyed the dynasty
2. Joe Biden’s gamble in running as a Republican pays off in money, whether it pays off in votes remains to be seen
3. Biden campaign visits Kenosha, which is exactly one more visit to Wisconsin than the entire Clinton campaign
4. You’re not really telling us we need video proof of Trump calling the troops losers. The proof is in our hearts.
5. The month’s jobs numbers are notable but still fake
6. The sinking Trumptilla perfectly embodies the Trumpian philosophy of doing whatever the hell you want, other people be damned
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 23, 2020
BTL #364 - 2004 RNC - 8/24/20
Sunday Aug 23, 2020
Sunday Aug 23, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. Reflections on the 2004 RNC, as seen in last week’s network primetime
2. Expectations for the 2020 RNC, to be seen in this week’s primetime
3. Important Post Office Questions: Do we still have one? And why do they have a secret police force?
4. The Russia “Witch Hunt” found the witch, the witch was real, the witch was guilty, and the witch was Donald Trump
5. In other conspiracy theories that turned out to be true, the Massachusetts State Democrats did in fact conspire to take down Alex Morse
6. Kanye West campaign update: He doesn’t appear to have one
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 Aug 16, 2020
BTL #363 - Massachusetts: Who Knew? - 8/17/20
Sunday Aug 16, 2020
Sunday Aug 16, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. Become a Vote Captain, sign up to be a poll worker, and offer ballot pick-ups in your community.
2. All that suspense was for nothing in Joe Biden’s veepstakes saga
3. The DNC lineup leaves us wondering how you protest at a virtual convention
4. Another squad member “survives” a 20 point victory
5. Massachusetts: Who knew?
6. QAnon is headed to Congress!
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!