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
Monday Dec 15, 2025
Monday Dec 15, 2025
In Which We Discuss:
1. Once again and always and forever. It’s the guns, people.
2. Epstein files are out this Friday so get excited for that Venezuelan ground war you’ve been waiting for!
3. The House GOP finally has a healthcare plan, and it’s somehow even worse than Trump’s own plan to just send people money.
4. Karen Bass gears up for reelection by thinking, eating, and dreaming of the largest police force ever devised.
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 Nov 17, 2025
Monday Nov 17, 2025
In Which We Discuss:
1. It’s Epstein week so…now is not the time to fact check! Spread those memes with courage!
2. As her brain short-circuits, now’s the time to give Marjorie Taylor Green’s brain the correct inputs.
3. Did you know that if you’re elected as a Democratic Socialist you can keep identifying as one while in office?
4. The shutdown is over and…how many times have we had to write the headline “Democrats snatch defeat from the jaws of victory”?
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 Nov 03, 2025
Monday Nov 03, 2025
In Which We Discuss:
1. It’s election day and New York City has predictably stolen the show with the most important election in the nation!
2. Nancy Pelosi makes the shocking decision to not die in office.
3. We’ve entered the “Let them eat cake!” era of the Trump shutdown.
4. Is baseball becoming a Democratic sport?
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 Oct 19, 2025
Sunday Oct 19, 2025
This week, we’re live in the shutdown trenches reporting on a good 2% of the news that’s happened since you last heard from us. (And also the NYC Mayor’s race!)
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 Jun 30, 2025
Monday Jun 30, 2025
In Which We Discuss:
1. Bad things are happening a lot out there, but sometimes good things happen! And that’s okay too!
2. Will John Fetterman ever make it to his beach vacation or will he be stuck forever in the One Big Beautiful Bill vote-a-rama?
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!
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 Oct 20, 2024
Sunday Oct 20, 2024
In Which We Discuss:
1. Early voting is happening and you should do it!
2. How is it possible that we haven’t left Elon Musk on the moon yet?
3. Donald Trump would like you to know something about Arnold Palmer.
4. Jon Tester’s opponent either got shot in a gunfight in Afghanistan, or shot himself with a pistol while visiting a national park. Just depends who you ask.
5. Control of the senate is within the margin of error.
6. Despite what you see in today’s news, Donald Trump still technically hasn’t worked at a McDonald’s.
Need help with your CA ballot? Looking for a breakdown of the props? Check out the BTL CA Prop Guide: https://tinyurl.com/CApropguide2024
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
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!
Monday Sep 23, 2024
Monday Sep 23, 2024
In Which We Discuss:
1. This week’s Police Commissioner FBI raid in New York felt eerily similar to last week’s Police Commissioner FBI Raid.
2. Mark Robinson is playing GOP scandal Mad Libs.
3. Donald Trump’s assassination attempt sequel is a ratings flop.
4. Somehow RFK’s sex scandal is the least provocative of the lot.
5. We’re on the precipice of a world in which Ted Cruz is no longer our problem.
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!
Monday Jun 17, 2024
Monday Jun 17, 2024
In Which We Discuss:
1. Sadly Donald Trump is not yet a political prisoner! If only.
2. GOP frustrated that the Hunter Biden conviction they’ve long sought is now here.
3. First presidential debate shaping up to be more physical comedy than content.
4. Democrats mysteriously unbothered by spooky parallels to ‘68 Chicago convention.
5. Did Donald Trump commit 34 felonies to get out of going to Milwaukee for the GOP Convention?
6. Imagine how many trips Doug Burgham would get to take to the border if he was Trump’s VP pick!
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!