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Brain Trust Live

A totally genius analysis of the week’s political news from two certified brains. Ready to resist, progressive AF. Podcast posted weekly since 2012.

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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…

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11/18/25 - Memes of Courage!

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…

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11/4/25 - Let Them Eat Ballrooms!

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…

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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…

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7/29/25 - A Crisis With No Cause

In Which We Discuss: 1. How many times are we going to get breaking news that this guy is in the Epstein files, a thing we’ve known in our hearts since thinking itself was invented? 2. At long last, Barack Obama has finally been told about the crisis in Gaza! 3. Trump health controversy leads us to discover shocking news: Mitch McConnell is still alive and still in the senate. 4. Democrats so bad…

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7/1/25 - Sometimes Good Things Still Happen!

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,…

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6/17/25 - What's Math Anyway?

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…

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4/21/25 - The Easter Spectacular: 2025 Edition

In Which We Discuss: 1. It’s our yearly Easter special! This year we learn the story of Jesus’s resurrection from leading biblical expert and improvisational essayist Marjorie Taylor Green! 2. Pete Hegseth: Still drunk texting war plans to his friends. 3. Chris Van Hollen is the one Democrat to try a stunt this week. Next week let’s aim for two! 4. Our hot take on private space travel. 5. An…

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4/7/25 - Credible Explanations

In Which We Discuss: 1. The April 5th protests: A great place to be mad about…literally anything. 2. We famously love a filibuster stunt, but save your money. Cory Booker’s presidential campaign will be funded by the “good billionaires,” not your $5. 3. Did you ever wonder if there’s a reason you don’t understand what’s going on with these tariffs? Do you wish somebody credible would explain them…

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3/31/25 - Let's Message

Turn off your push notifications - they're not helping you now. There's a major messaging and strategy challenge in front of us, and we're thinking through how to solve it.

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