x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

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

51:39

Cuba Libre?

Lost Debate ·

2026/04/16

When Ravi Gupta was a struggling high school student, he pulled Jon Lee Anderson’s biography of Che Guevara off his mom’s bookshelf—and it became the first book that truly grabbed him, shaping how he saw the world. That personal connection sparks a wide-ranging conversation about how Anderson’s globe-trotting childhood led him to report from the frontlines of history and build trust with everyone from warlords to world leaders. The episode traces Cuba’s dramatic ups and downs—from the economic

en

46:10

Iran Ceasefire, Hasan Piker

Lost Debate ·

2026/04/08

Ravi Gupta breaks down what he sees as a major U.S. loss in Iran, arguing that Trump’s threats and ceasefire ultimately left Iran with more power and America with less. He also shares clips of Hasan Piker’s commentary, arguing that Democratic candidates and media outlets should stop treating him as a credible political voice. The episode also covers early reactions to Mayor Mamdani’s first 100 days, Anthropic’s warning about a powerful new AI model, and fresh questions about Sam Altman. It’s a

en

66:14

How to Make and Lose a Million Dollars

Lost Debate ·

2026/04/01

Ravi Gupta sits down with Alexander Hurst, author of Generation Desperation, to unpack his journey from $300 to over $1 million—and the identity he built around the life that money seemed to promise. As his portfolio surged during COVID, meme stocks, and the rise of online trading culture, so did a vision of becoming financially free, creatively unbound, and finally ahead. When the gains reversed and turned into debt, it forced a reckoning—not just with risk, but with how deeply a sense of self can

en

50:14

Iran Quagmire + AI Politics

Lost Debate ·

2026/03/18

What happens when Americans fear AI more than Trump, ICE, or either political party? In this provocative conversation, Catherine Bracy joins Ravi to unpack why voters are deeply skeptical of artificial intelligence — and why neither Democrats nor Republicans have seized the political opportunity. They explore the rising influence of tech billionaires, the possibility of regulating or even “nationalizing” AI, and the surprising new alliances forming across ideological lines. If you want to understand

en

47:53

The People vs. AI

Lost Debate ·

2026/02/25

In this episode, Ravi Gupta talks with Time’s Andrew Chow about an unlikely coalition rising up against AI — from MAGA-aligned tech skeptics to democratic socialists pushing for data center moratoriums. They trace how local activism is already stalling major infrastructure projects, even as Big Tech prepares to flood elections with money to keep regulation at bay. The conversation zeroes in on the highest-stakes frontier: AI’s role in weapons and domestic surveillance, and whether any company will

en

37:20

The Openclaw Revolution

Lost Debate ·

2026/02/18

AI is shifting from something you prompt to something that can proactively work for you. Ravi Gupta sits down with technologist Michael Simon to unpack OpenClaw—an open-source, always-on AI agent that connects to your email, calendar, and other tools to function more like a chief of staff than a chatbot. They explore what this unlocks (from daily briefings to real automation), why it could be economically disruptive fast, and the new security and safety risks that come with always-on agents. The

en

75:57

Wacky Economy, Epstein Fallout, Our Elders

Lost Debate ·

2026/02/12

Ravi Gupta examines new data challenging the idea of a strong economic recovery and connects the week’s biggest political and cultural stories—from deficits, tariffs, and the Epstein revelations to immigration, schools, and AI—before asking a deeper question: what holds a society together when trust in institutions fades? In conversation with former Obama White House lawyer Jason Green, the focus turns to memory, community, and preserving elders’ stories, suggesting that rebuilding meaning may begin

en

24:32

More Epstein Revelations

Lost Debate ·

2026/02/05

Ravi breaks down the week’s most important stories. He examines what’s wrong with the Epstein file release—and what it reveals about elite culture, status addiction, and moral drift. He then turns to an under-covered AI development: a bot-only social network powered by autonomous agents already behaving in unsettling ways. Plus: a striking Cato Institute report on immigration and deficits, a Texas special-election swing, election-system warning signs, and new reporting on foreign money and influence

en

79:37

Pretti Killing, ICE Impunity, NVIDIA Dominance

Lost Debate ·

2026/01/28

Ravi begins by explaining why this conversation matters to him: although he’s often skeptical of tech leaders, he sees Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang as a rare and genuinely consequential figure. He briefly reflects on the Pretti shooting in Minnesota and the broader questions it raises about accountability and transparency before turning to the interview. Ravi then speaks with author Stephen Witt about the forces that shaped Jensen’s leadership—from a punishing childhood and Nvidia’s early brush with

en

46:06

The Moral Cost of Phones

Lost Debate ·

2026/01/21

Ravi sits down with journalist Nick Niarchos, author of The Elements of Power, to expose the hidden human and geopolitical costs behind the batteries powering our phones and cars. They connect Congo’s brutal mining realities and China’s dominance of the battery supply chain to the myths we tell ourselves about “green” tech. It’s a gripping, unsettling look at whether EVs and other battery-powered solutions are nearly as clean—or as moral—as we think.Nicolas Niarchos’ The Elements of

en

72:43

Minnesota, Powell, MAGA Intellectuals

Lost Debate ·

2026/01/14

Ravi opens by running through a turbulent week: the Minnesota ICE shooting, concerns about escalating federal power, and the DOJ’s reported probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s independence, alongside global flash points like Iran and a U.S. electorate that’s increasingly independent. With institutions under strain and norms being tested in real time, he then turns to the ideas shaping this moment. That sets the stage for his conversation with political philosopher Laura K. Field, author of Furious

en

50:26

Venezuela, Bari Weiss, State Censorship

Lost Debate ·

2026/01/07

The U.S. just carried out a stunning strike in Venezuela—capturing Nicolás Maduro—and Ravi argues the hard part isn’t the raid, but the chaos, precedent, and “what happens next,” with oil looming over everything. He’s then joined by The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer to unpack the CBS/60 Minutes controversy, where a vetted segment on deportations to an overseas prison was spiked, allegedly to appease the Trump administration. Serwer argues this exposes a growing double standard on the right: “free speech”

en

56:41

The End of Culture

Lost Debate ·

2025/12/31

Ravi sits down with cultural critic W. David Marx (author of Blank Space) to ask a simple question: if there’s more music, TV, and art than ever, why does culture feel so… stuck? Marx argues it’s not that people stopped creating—it’s that we’ve stopped treating new, daring work like it matters, so breakthroughs rarely spread and change the mainstream. They unpack how algorithms and money-driven incentives steer us toward what’s already popular and easy, instead of what might challenge or surprise

en

43:55

Are We Getting Stupider?

Lost Debate ·

2025/12/18

Are We Getting Stupider?Andrew Rice joins The Lost Debate to ask an uncomfortable question: why are America’s schools getting worse—even in places that claim to care most about equity? Drawing on sobering national data and reporting from affluent liberal districts, Rice argues that declining standards, political complacency, and the abandonment of accountability have quietly erased decades of progress for kids. Ravi and Rice debate how both parties walked away from what worked—and why lowering

en

37:43

The Worst Story of the Year

Lost Debate ·

2025/12/10

This episode takes a visit to the goonverse — a strange online world where hundreds of thousands of people spend hours chasing a “goon state,” a trance-like high reached through marathon adult video consumption. Ravi talks with reporter Daniel Kolitz, whose Harper’s article on this community has become a viral sensation: horrifying, riveting, and impossible to look away from. Together they explore what this subculture reveals about loneliness, post-lockdown life, and the dangers of instant,

en

35:35

How to Think About 2026

Lost Debate ·

2025/12/03

In this episode of The Lost Debate, Ravi steps back from the noise to map the forces that will shape 2026—from AI disruption and China’s industrial surge to U.S. political fractures, economic stress points, and the new wave of weight-loss drugs. Instead of predictions, he lays out the big questions we’ll all have to face in the year ahead. He also opens up about his own fight with “attention poverty,” why he’s switching to a flip phone, and how he’s rebuilding his personal moral code. It’s a

en

56:54

The Market Is Speaking — Are You Listening?

Lost Debate ·

2025/11/19

Ravi sits down with Lawrence McDonald to reveal why the classic “just buy the index” advice may now be one of the biggest risks in the market. They break down how passive investing, AI-driven mega-caps, and relentless stock buybacks have concentrated everyone’s savings into a fragile handful of stocks. McDonald explains how de-dollarization, shrinking demand for U.S. treasuries, and nonstop bailouts are rewriting the safety playbook. He lays out where the real opportunities may be now—in hard

en

48:34

The Age of Extraction

Lost Debate ·

2025/11/13

Ravi sits down with Tim Wu, author of The Age of Extraction, to unpack how America’s biggest tech empires rose—and why they might be due for a breakup. From Teddy Roosevelt’s railroad wars to Amazon’s pay-to-play marketplace, Wu traces how antitrust battles have shaped innovation for more than a century. He explains how Amazon’s tactics—copycat products, buried listings, and punishing sellers—mirror the monopolies of the past, and what the FTC is trying to change. The episode ends on AI, asking

en

56:17

Shrinking US Pop, SC on Tariffs, Low Expectations

Lost Debate ·

2025/11/06

Ravi and Idrees Kahloon start with the current Supreme Court showdown: can a president raise tariffs alone, or does Congress have to sign off? They unpack why the Court might push back—and what that could mean for future presidents. Then they turn to immigration, where the U.S. may soon have more people leaving than arriving, with big effects on jobs and Social Security. Finally, they dig into education: why test scores are falling even as grades rise, and how places like Mississippi and New Orleans

en

66:10

Things Are Really Bad

Lost Debate ·

2025/10/30

Ravi welcomes back Tangle News founder Isaac Saul to discuss his viral essay, “Things Are Really Bad Right Now,” and why he believes recent actions should trouble Americans across the spectrum. They dig into alleged abuses in immigration enforcement, killings at sea, politicized prosecutions, and mounting pressure on the press. Isaac explains why abandoning party loyalty—and focusing only on whether leaders uphold basic principles—led him to sound the alarm, and how his mixed audience reacted. The

en

425 results

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

PBS News Hour - Full Show

PBS News

CD Voice

China Daily

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

Noa Levi

Jeffrey Epstein: The Coverup Chronicles

Bobby Capucci