Brain Trust Live

12/16/25 - Entangling Innocent People

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!

 

10/20/25 - Why We're Shut Down

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!

 

8/29/23 - A Stratospheric Rise To The Single Digits

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!

8/15/22 - Puppies and Rainbows and Safes

In Which We Discuss:

1. After his home’s FBI raid, Trump turned on his beloved Richard Nixon. Is there no longer such a thing as loyalty!?

2. Trump pleds the fifth 440 times in Tish James’ corruption investigation, which, according to his own 2016 words, means he’s guilty. Congrats to Tish and good game!

3. Democrats finally embrace the Puppies and Rainbows™ bill naming strategy.

4. Elections. Against all odds, they’re still happening.

5. The CDC thinks it’s fine if you want to cough on the elderly. Everybody ultimately dies anyway, right?

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!

11/8/21 - The Congressional MLM Caucus [w/ guest Laura Packard]

In Which We Discuss:

1. Laura Packard is here to talk healthcare and Build Back Better!

2. To the surprise of zero hosts of this podcast, Terry McAuliffe was not the best candidate for Virginia governor

3. The BIF passed, the BBB needs the CBO. Is it DOA?

4. Nobody saw Australia emerging as the supervillan of this week’s climate summit

5. Last month's jobs numbers are great or terrible, depending on whether you’re Brent or Lila

6. Nothing has ever made more sense than Krysten Sinema’s ties to MLM

 

Learn More About Laura:

Follow Laura on Twitter: @lpackard

Follow Laura on Instagram: @laurapackardactivist

Follow Healthcare Voter on Twitter: @HealthCareVoter

Check Out Laura's Recent Op-Ed in Business Insider

 

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!

11/1/21 - When Dad Bods Take Europe

In Which We Discuss:

1. Your kids can finally get microchipped

2. Biden’s plan to brag to Europeans about his fifth rate social safety net proposals are dashed

3. What’s left in BBB? We’ll go over the very short list

4. Terry McAuliffe is not using his prodigious fundraising skills to buy good ideas in Virginia

5. Redistricting is upon us, so expect a bunch of Congresspeople to suddenly leave office for “principled” reasons

6. In the year of our lord 2021, “dad bod” has finally made it into the dictionary

 

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!

7/14/21 - Did We Bomb Somewhere Recently?

This week on the podcast...we’re blindly reacting to news headlines because we didn’t do our homework. Hold onto your hats!

 

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!

3/15/21 - The Accidental Leftist

In Which We Discuss:

1. We had to pass the American Rescue Plan to find out what was in it.

2. Joe Biden discovers that a regular speech can also get you good ratings.

3. Cuomo may get a crash course in NY’s exploitive rental laws.

4. Nevada now a place for socialists instead of Harry Reid.

5. The cancel culture debate confusingly gives Ted Cruz an opening to promote reading.

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!

BTL #390 - Problem Causers Caucus - 3/8/21

In Which We Discuss:

1. Less than $2000 could be coming to a checking account near you very soon!

2. Joe Manchin formed the problem causers caucus, whose political ideology seems vaguely similar to the problem solvers caucus.

3. Marie Antoinette voted no on increasing the minimum wage

4. Neera Tandan. Goodbye forever. We wish you nothing but the worst.

5. For second week in a row: Do not run for a third term in NY state.

6. March 4th has come and gone and Donald Trump has no risen from the swamp.

 

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!

BTL #373 - Things Could Always Be Worse - 10/26/20

In Which We Discuss:

1. We’re on track to shatter our voting turnout records at a whopping...62%! Cool. One-third of you guys are still like, “nah.”

2. Trump’s closing argument at debate #2: Things could always be worse. 

3. White House staff loved COVID so much the first time, they decided to try it again!

4. We comment on his zombie-like stares all the time, but is Mitch McConnell actually one of the undead?

5. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins never had any principles, guys.

6. Fake Melania’s on a plane!

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!