Episodes
Sunday Feb 04, 2024
2/5/24 - If a Tree Falls and Zero Voters Hear It...
Sunday Feb 04, 2024
Sunday Feb 04, 2024
In Which We Discuss:
1. Ben Softness, our resident legal expert, who is in no way representing the views of Alphabet Inc., joins us to discuss the recent Trump legal action. (Skip to 39:02 to start there)
2. Can we move on, as a people, from caring about Taylor Swift?
3. If a tree falls in the South Carolina primary, and no voters hear it, did an election actually occur?
4. Hot takes from a low stakes California senate candidate forum.
5. New potential immigration bill might be a paperwork nightmare for drug cartels.
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!
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
Wait...what's this?! It's a special mid-week crossover episode with What Can I Do! We chatted Hot Labor Summer with Maggie Carter of Starbucks Workers United. Find out how she helped unionize her Starbucks store and how you can get involved in the action!
- Follow the Starbucks Workers Union: Website | TikTok | Instagram | Twitter
- Follow the Southern Starbucks Workers Union: Twitter
- Follow Maggie Carter: Twitter
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 Oct 09, 2022
Sunday Oct 09, 2022
Our mystery guest is finally revealed! A couple of weeks ago we had the privilege of interviewing candidate for Congress Maebe A. Girl, a progressive Democrat challenging Rep. Adam Schiff in our very own CD-30. We had a great time chatting about jungle primaries, Maebe's platform, and more!
- Support the campaign: Website
- Follow Maebe: Twitter
- Info on the LWV Candidate Forum on October 12th
Other Updates:
Ballots are on their way and our prop guide is coming soon! Drop us a line at braintrustapproved@gmail.com to join out prop guide email list.
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.
Plus, subscribe to Lila's new podcast, What Can I Do, wherever you get your podcasts!
(Photo: Emily Eizen)
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
6/27/22 - The End of Roe/World Roundtable
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
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
Sunday Mar 13, 2022
Sunday Mar 13, 2022
In Which We Discuss:
1. Kristin Urquiza from Marked by COVID joins us to talk about advocacy, public health policy, and the pandemic.
2. Florida is very committed to its brand
3. Obama shows us that, “Yes We Can!”...still get COVID
4. We joked about it before, but we might actually have attended the nation’s last caucus
5. If Chuck Grassley hates Eric Garcetti so much he should understand why Angelenos are trying to get him to India so fast
6. Mar-a-lago is the hottest gay club in Florida
Find the Kristin Urquiza and Marked by COVID Online:
Twitter: @kdurquiza / @MarkedByCovid
Instagram: @markedbycovid
Facebook: @markedbycovid
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
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
1/19/22 - Veep is Supposed to Be a Parody
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
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!
Sunday Oct 24, 2021
10/25/21 - Zebras on the Loose [w/ guest Tatenda Musapatike]
Sunday Oct 24, 2021
Sunday Oct 24, 2021
In Which We Discuss:
1. Tatenda Musapatike talks voting, Real Housewives, and Dem strategy
2. Infrastructure Update: Just…what?
3. Voting rights is filibuster reform. Everything is filibuster reform.
4. Joe Biden wants you to want to pay your student loans
5. A sentence we never thought would be necessary to say: India Walton is not David Duke
6. Apparently the solution to zebras on the loose is…more zebras on the loose
Follow Tatenda on Twitter and Instagram: @TatendaCheryl
Follow Voter Formation Project: @VoterFormation
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!
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!
Monday Sep 02, 2019
Monday Sep 02, 2019
In Which We Discuss:
1. CA State Senate candidate Kipp Mueller joins us to talk about how you, a person, start a campaign for office! Find out more about his campaign and/or donate at: https://www.kippforsenate.com.
2. Either Biden, Warren, Sanders are winning the Democratic race by either a little or a lot according to various numbers.
3. Biden, much like Trump, is fine with being considered a war hero for stories of his own invention.
4. Could we win the Senate?
5. Bernie is going to cancel medical debt…
6. Which we will all have soon enough since mass shootings are happening every second.
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in 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!
Monday Mar 26, 2018
BTL #283 - MUSTACHE UNKNOWNS - 3/27/18
Monday Mar 26, 2018
Monday Mar 26, 2018
In Which We Discuss:
1. Daring teenagers to do anything is your funeral, a PSA from Brain Trust Live
2. "60 Minutes" gets its ratings money shot with Stormy Daniels interview
3. Your info isn’t safe online. We knew it, and now we know it again.
4. H.R. McMaster is out, and the question on everyone’s mind is: Will we soon be seeing a new, mustache free John Bolton?
5. Trump’s new Russia investigation plan is apparently to just not worry about legal advice full stop
6. We may finally see a Biden vs. Trump matchup! No, not for a presidential election, for a no-holds-barred high school locker room brawl.
Brain Trust Live is Lila Nordstrom and Brent Thornburg's look at the week in political news. Join the millions of sirens and helicopters who love our podcast and tell your friends about BTL! Then rate us on iTunes or find us Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Stitcher, or Instagram!