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PODCAST

Lost Debate

Lost Debate is a weekly podcast from The Branch that brings you news, ideas, and arguments from around the political spectrum. We engage in the good-faith discussions that too much of our society and media miss. It"s hosted by Ravi Gupta, a former Obama staffer turned school principal.

news politics

All Episodes

54:30

What Washed Away

Lost Debate ·

2025/08/12

Years before the levees failed, New Orleans’ public schools were already in crisis. The corruption was so entrenched that the FBI even set up shop inside the district. The first episode of Where the Schools Went uncovers how decades of mismanagement and neglect turned New Orleans into a cautionary tale long before Hurricane Katrina ever made landfall, and how it set the stage for what would come after. We also follow a group of educators who fled to Houston in the aftermath of the storm and built a

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42:08

Are We Heading for a Recession?

Lost Debate ·

2025/08/06

Ravi is joined by hedge fund founder Spencer Hakimian for a deep dive into the state of the U.S. economy under Trump. They begin with the firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a move that raises urgent questions about data integrity and the politicization of economic institutions. From there, they discuss Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s likely exit and what Trump’s next appointment could mean for the future of the Fed. Finally, Ravi and Spencer assess the growing risk of stagflation and

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2:57

Introducing ‘Where the Schools Went’

Lost Debate ·

2025/08/05

August 2025 marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina altered New Orleans forever. Much has been written about the storm’s destruction and the city’s long road to recovery. But tucked behind those headlines is another story. One that shaped the lives of thousands of children.From The Branch in partnership with The 74 and MeidasTouch, Where the Schools Went is a five-part documentary series about what happened to the city’s schools after the levees broke, and how it led to the most radical education

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50:04

Maxwell Pardon, Tariff Wins, CECOT Prison

Lost Debate ·

2025/07/30

Ravi opens the show by diving into the latest headlines, from Trump's reluctance to rule out a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell to the latest attacks on FEMA and the US. dollar. He then welcomes Gisela Salim-Peyer to the show to discuss her latest piece in The Atlantic, No One Was Supposed to Leave Alive. Gisela shares more about her investigation into El Salvador's mega-prison, where some individuals based in the U.S. have been sent without due process. Ravi and Gisela examine the legal gray zone

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72:02

Epstein Diversions, Russia-gate Revisionism, Gen Z Sex

Lost Debate ·

2025/07/23

Ravi kicks off the show with the latest update in the Epstein scandal — a resurfaced birthday letter allegedly sent from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. He unpacks the implications of Trump's denial, the GOP's strategic calls to "release the list," and what's really at stake in the fight over grand jury testimony. From there, he turns to Trump's latest attacks on Obama, FEMA, and the U.S. dollar, connecting the dots between the President's social media meltdowns, a hollowed-out disaster response

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46:54

Why Epstein Matters

Lost Debate ·

2025/07/16

Ravi unpacks a chaotic week in politics, with Trump’s Epstein scandal spiraling into an unprecedented crisis for his MAGA coalition. He explores how conspiracy thinking fuels Trump’s base and why this case feels different.Next, is America’s crisis infrastructure at risk? Ravi reviews FEMA’s botched disaster response in Texas. He then turns to the president’s recent erratic shifts on Ukraine and the economy and why they may signal a looming economic storm, linking Trump’s tariff threats, service

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54:23

Diddy Verdict, Mamdani Fallout, Hobby Politics

Lost Debate ·

2025/07/02

Ravi welcomes The Atlantic’s Tyler Austin Harper back to the show for a wide-ranging conversation on some of the week’s biggest headlines, from the Diddy verdict and the dangers of prosecutorial outreach to Bernie Sanders’ recent appearance on Rogan and Trump’s escalating legal attacks on the press.They then turn to Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral primary and explore what the victory suggests about shifting ideas of political “moderation” and deep divides within Democratic

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46:23

Historic NYC Upset

Lost Debate ·

2025/06/25

Ravi is joined by Bradley Tusk to break down one of the wildest political upsets in recent memory: Zohran Mamdani’s decisive win in the New York City mayoral primary. They unpack how it happened, why Cuomo flamed out so badly, and what Mamdani needs to do next if he wants to govern the city.From campaign strategy to trash collection, rent freezes to charter schools, Ravi and Bradley dive into what kind of mayor Mamdani might be and what it will take to make the leap from activist to executive

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71:44

Iran War, Tucker v. Cruz, Apple in China

Lost Debate ·

2025/06/19

Are Israel and Iran on the brink of war? Ravi takes a closer look at the rapidly escalating conflict and the unsettling possibility that the U.S. is more deeply involved than most Americans realize. He also explores the growing battle within MAGA over America’s role on the global stage, the political opportunism accompanying the recent wave of political violence, and how the Trump administration’s threats to ramp up deportation efforts could upend key industries that rely on undocumented

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60:48

Clashes in LA, Abrego Indictment, Cartel Influencers

Lost Debate ·

2025/06/10

Ravi opens with a deep dive into the unfolding chaos in Los Angeles, where the Trump administration has deployed federal agents and Marines to respond to the ongoing immigration protests. He breaks down what we know so far, why the deployment of federal troops may set a dangerous precedent for civilian law enforcement, and what else is at stake from a legal and constitutional perspective.Antón Barba-Kay, author of A Web of Our Own Making, then joins the show to explain how Mexican drug cartels

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12:44

The Musk Trump Breakup

Lost Debate ·

2025/06/05

Donald Trump and Elon Musk are on a collision course to all-out political war, and it's messier—and more consequential—than anyone expected.In this breaking news episode, Ravi unpacks how a once-symbiotic alliance devolved into internet warfare, with accusations flying and stakes rising by the hour. He then explores how a Musk-Trump feud could have massive ripple effects on national security, tech policy, and the future of the Republican Party. Finally, Ravi takes a step back to explain why this

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61:55

Tech Monarchists, Elon's Drugs, Past and Future of Work

Lost Debate ·

2025/06/03

Ravi kicks off the episode with a sharp take on the latest headlines, from FEMA’s alarming lack of hurricane preparedness and the fragility of U.S. supply chains to the growing indicators that the country is headed towards stagflation. He also reflects on new reports about Elon Musk’s drug use, the rising political influence of tech elites, and what the new film Mountainhead suggests about this current moment in time. Jamie Hodari, founder of Industrious and now a senior executive at CBRE, then

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56:08

Education Reform’s Identity Crisis

Lost Debate ·

2025/05/22

Ravi sits down with Steven Wilson, founder of Ascend Charter Schools, for a candid conversation about his new book, The Lost Decade, and the current state of education reform. They discuss Steven’s controversial exit from Ascend and then step back to take a broader look at how DEI orthodoxy and anti-racist ideology have reshaped education reform.Steven and Ravi reflect on what’s changed in schools over the past decade, exploring the tension between pushing for academic excellence and navigating a

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50:15

When Entrepreneurship Becomes Exploitation

Lost Debate ·

2025/05/13

Journalist Bridget Read joins Ravi to explore the dark side of multi-level marketing schemes - and why they’re more dangerous and widespread than most people realize. In her new book Little Bosses Everywhere, Read breaks down how these so-called business opportunities often lure in vulnerable people, turning dreams of entrepreneurship into financial traps. Ravi and Bridget discuss why MLMs thrive despite dismal success rates, how they’ve reshaped American society, and what they reveal about the

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61:59

Crypto Corruption, Fetterman Crisis, School Reform

Lost Debate ·

2025/05/08

Ravi kicks off the episode with a blistering critique of the Trump administration’s trade policy chaos, highlighting the economic contradictions, recession risks, and growing corruption tied to foreign investments and crypto schemes. He also addresses the new reports on Senator John Fetterman’s health and why it’s time for leaders to respond to questions about his ability to serve.Ravi then shifts gears to sit down with former U.S. Secretary of Education and current SUNY Chancellor John King for a

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58:01

Fear, Surfing, and Writing with William Finnegan

Lost Debate ·

2025/05/01

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and surfer William Finnegan joins Ravi for a wide-ranging conversation on surfing, storytelling, and the pursuit of mastery. They unpack Barbarian Days and how a lifetime of chasing waves has shaped Bill’s understanding of fear, discipline, and identity. They then turn to the tension between purity and accessibility in surfing and how innovations like wave pools can reflect broader social shifts. They also dig into what it means to be an adult learner in a

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64:10

Abrego Garcia, Powell v. Trump, Education Battles

Lost Debate ·

2025/04/22

Ravi dives into the breaking news of the day, from the Trump administration’s continued attacks on due process and the political meddling at the Fed that could tank the economy, to the latest federal funding threats facing universities.He then sits down with Dana Goldstein of The New York Times to unpack the Trump administration’s aggressive intervention in K-12 education, from targeting DEI efforts to threatening Title I funding and issue vague policies around civil rights law. They explore why

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1:37

One Thing

Lost Debate ·

2025/04/17

The Branch is nominated for a Webby! Vote for Killing Justice for Best Partnership/Collaboration: https://bit.ly/killingjustice

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43:24

Our Constitutional Crisis

Lost Debate ·

2025/04/15

What happens when the president of the United States defies a 9-0 Supreme Court ruling? Ravi is joined by The Atlantic’s Isaac Stanley-Becker to take a closer look at the case of Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man stripped of due process and deported to a Salvadoran prison, and the chilling implications the case may have for immigrants and American citizens more broadly.They then turn to the Trump administration’s escalating campaign of retribution, targeting law firms, universities, and student

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53:43

Recession Risk, Tariff Takes, Class v. Race

Lost Debate ·

2025/04/08

As Trump’s sweeping tariffs continue to spark chaos and backlash nationwide, Ravi delivers a blistering breakdown of the administration’s latest moves and the economic risks they’ve created. He challenges the populist rhetoric behind the trade war, exposes the political theater driving the latest policies, and explains what Trump’s getting wrong about jobs, immigration, and manufacturing.Then, Richard Kahlenberg returns to the pod to discuss his new book, Class Matters. Ravi and Richard examine

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417 results

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