Episodes

Sunday Jun 12, 2022
6/13/22 - It’s On You Right Now
Sunday Jun 12, 2022
Sunday Jun 12, 2022
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

Sunday May 16, 2021
5/17/21 - Embrace the Chaos
Sunday May 16, 2021
Sunday May 16, 2021
In Which We Discuss:
1. CDC’s new mask guidance is to just embrace the chaos. We all have to die sometime.
2. It’s finally okay to work in DC and not want to kill Palestinians! Baby steps.
3. NYC Mayoral Debate season is upon us! Lots of 2020 vibes.
4. Let the one lesson we learn from the pandemic be that you can extract more from your governors if you threaten to fire them.
5. Message to Joe Biden: Success isn’t measured by how many meetings you take with asshat Kevin McCarthy. It’s measured by whether you actually pass a bill.
6. Horse junkies are sweeping the horse races!
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 Dec 20, 2020
BTL #380 - Saving America's Leading Science Deniers - 12/21/20
Sunday Dec 20, 2020
Sunday Dec 20, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. Latest stimulus bill has insulting checks that will arrive just after your kid’s Christmas is ruined
2. The Vaccines are coming for doctors...and America’s leading science-deniers
3. Mayor Mouseface for transpo and other questionable cabinet picks
4. Bill Barr should never be allowed back on the DC dinner party circuit
5. Could it be that asking voters to vote for you is the best way to get voters to vote for you? An experiment moderate Democrats waited until after the election to try!
6. Guardians of the Galaxy joins Star Trek in the Trump Space Force fictional universe
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!

Monday Nov 16, 2020
BTL #375 - The Bad Concession - 11/17/19
Monday Nov 16, 2020
Monday Nov 16, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. Stay away from your grandmother, because COVID is surging everywhere, even in the mythical “real” America that thinks New Yorkers are expendable.
2. Who knows how vaccine science works, but apparently we’re close to having one
3. The “Million MAGA March” a.k.a. the “Desperate White Supremacist March” was not arrest or violence-free, but it was notably rubber-bullet tear-gas free. Imagine that.
4. Trump won’t concede, but he’s as bad at that as he is at everything else
5. Biden is gearing up to be the shadow president by December because currently we don’t appear to have one
6. Arizonans want higher taxes more than they even want Joe Biden
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 02, 2020
BTL #361 - Trump State Media - 8/2/20
Sunday Aug 02, 2020
Sunday Aug 02, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. Donald Trump doesn’t feel like having the election anymore so let’s just pack it in and head home
2. In a twist that only Angelenos should have anticipated, Scientology enters the Veepstakes battle!
3. There is no modern parallel to how terrible the economy is so Republicans are floating ways to make it worse
4. Herman Cain dies of COVID-19 only 11 days after patriotically attending Trump’s Tulsa rally
5. GOP is furious Mark Zuckerberg can’t explain Twitter’s user policies
6. "Demon Semen" is wreaking havoc all over America
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 12, 2020
BTL #358 - Stock Market Sacrifice - 7/13/20
Sunday Jul 12, 2020
Sunday Jul 12, 2020
In Which We Discuss:
1. We shouldn’t have to say this, but you don’t sacrifice the nations children to save the stock market
2. Florida man becomes 15,000th person to get coronavirus in a single day
3. SCOTUS would rather have the President have no immunity, but also no consequence
4. Senate Democratic candidates out-raise Democratic presidential candidates
5. It would have been really nice to know before the Kentucky primary that Ann Coulter would be supporting Amy McGrath
6. Perhaps Trump aced his cognitive test this week because he employed the same strategy he used to take his SATs: hiring someone to do it for him
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 Aug 04, 2019
BTL #321 - I Wrote The Bill - 7/5/19
Sunday Aug 04, 2019
Sunday Aug 04, 2019
In Which We Discuss:
1. Domestic terrorism has had a big week
2. After 12 hours of debate, we still can’t pick the generic white moderates out of a Democratic Debate lineup
3. The people of Puerto Rico overthrew their government last week. Now if only we could overthrow ours...
4. Trump, unsurprisingly, can’t find a National Intelligence Director. Or an intelligent person to work for him in general.
5. Trump furious that Elijah Cummings can’t stop Trump’s own family from slumming up Baltimore
6. Go and demand some impeachment, people!
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!

Sunday May 12, 2019
BTL #316 - FREE THE FRACK - 5/13/19
Sunday May 12, 2019
Sunday May 12, 2019
In Which We Discuss:
1. The earth is a huge disaster, and Joe Biden has a plan to solve it...with fracking!
2. Harris and O’Rourke are already in the market for new reasons to run after already forgetting their original ones
3. No one wants to be in the Senate anymore
4. Tio Sanders and AOC are the duo of our dreams
5. Barr is officially in our contempt, and now the Judiciary Committee’s too
6. When you consider it a victory that your new abortion law doesn’t send women to prison over miscarriages, your bar is too low
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!

Sunday Mar 24, 2019
BTL #311 - WHAT, IF ANYTHING IS OBSTRUCTION - 3/25/19
Sunday Mar 24, 2019
Sunday Mar 24, 2019
In Which We Discuss:
1. So...what does it mean to actually have the Mueller report?
2. Jared Kushner is talking to Saudi criminals on Whatsapp. But, you know, what about her emails?!?!
3. Beto O’Rourke proves yet again that he knows a lot of rich people. (By the way, If anyone knows of any, we are also looking for rich friends.)
4. Joe Biden requires someone other than Joe Biden to make him seem like an attractive candidate.
5. Turns out countries that decide to have gun control can just...have gun control.
6. Safety is now a luxury commodity, just like car elevators.
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!