Lost Debate

Ravi and Rikki lead things off by discussing an emerging trend in white-collar work: the four-day week. Then we turn to hospice care and the little-known cottage industry beneath it, plagued with rampant fraud and abuse. Finally, we wrap things up with a big question facing K-12 education: are kids learning the practical skills they need to succeed?  [03:25] Four-Day Workweek [21:55] Hospice Care...

Ravi and Rikki start by revisiting ChatGPT, the OpenAI platform with the potential to dramatically reshape society at every level. Then, the hosts bring in our graphic designer, Aidan, to guide them through another growing trend in America: non-monogamous relationships. Finally, Ravi and Rikki touch on the sobering teacher shortage in Mississippi and how it’s affecting students.   [02:54] Challeng...

In 2022 the NFL's Buffalo Bills announced a deal with the state of New York to build a brand new $1.4 Billion stadium in Erie County. The passage of funding between the state, the Buffalo Bills, and the NFL requires that New York taxpayers front a whopping 60% of the project - or about $850 dollars. This reignited a debate that has been raging in the US for the past two decades: Should taxpayers f...

Ravi and Rikki begin with some hopeful new data in America’s push to eliminate cancer, while acknowledging how far we’ve yet to go. The hosts then take a long hard look in the mirror, reacting to a slowdown in the explosive growth of podcasting. Finally, Ravi and Rikki revisit two pieces of highly controversial legislation affecting classrooms in the Sunshine State: the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” b...

Ravi and Rikki kick things off with a hot top(ic): gas stoves. We’ll talk about what the debate over the beloved kitchen appliance says about American politics. The hosts then turn to Biden’s visit to the southern border and how new shifts in his immigration policies are drawing flak from both the left and right. Finally, we discuss how the typical retirement age figures into the future financial...

Ravi and Rikki begin by addressing two voicemails responding to their last episode, dealing with TikTok and pornography. The hosts then turn to the push and pull between two sides of an emerging debate: the power of public DNA in criminal investigations, and the privacy concerns around its use. Finally, the hosts respond to a provocative piece in the Wall Street Journal, turning back to the nation...

Ravi and Rikki kick things off with Congress’ new TikTok ban, over escalating fears that the app amounts to a “Trojan Horse” for pro-China propaganda. We look at how the app is impacting Americans before switching gears to one of the few forms of content with an even wider reach: pornography. We don’t like to talk about it – or write about it – but how is it affecting our health? Finally, the FTC...

Long before Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, or the birth of “fake news,” Americans had already started to lose their faith in American journalism. The feeling that something had shifted in the media’s discourse had become hard to ignore because mainstream news was no longer just liberal; it was “Woke.” In this episode of Regressives, Ravi interviews Batya Unger-Sargon - the Deputy opinion editor at Ne...

Ravi and Joe start with the unprecedented leadership battle transpiring on Capitol Hill and its consequences on the House Republican majority. Ravi then talks with Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig about Mickey Mouse entering the public domain, what that means for everyday consumers and heavyweights like Disney. Finally, Ravi disentangles Apple’s complex supply chain before examining how their...

Ravi and Rikki kick off the new year by addressing Rep.-elect George Santos’ list of lies, deceptions, and fabrications. Ravi delves into these revelations and debates if Congress can hold him accountable for his dishonesty. They then switch gears to address a provocative piece in The Atlantic, which argues that real estate should be treated as consumption, not an investment, and Rikki questions w...

On this special Best Of episode, Rikki and Ravi take us back to their favorite segments of the year: a fiery debate over Edward Snowden, a lighter look at how dating apps are changing the way we interact, and a deep dive into an important question many take for granted: is the Supreme Court partisan? Subscribe to our channel: https://bit.ly/3Gs5YTF Subscribe to our Substack: https://thelostdebate....

In our last Regressives episode, we went over affirmative action and why it might soon be a thing of the past. Today, we'll go through a less-discussed practice in college admissions: legacy admissions. For a century, it's allowed elite schools to cater to elite families, giving blatantly preferential treatment to the nation's wealthiest sons and daughters. It's created a hyper-exclusive pipeline,...

Ravi and Rikki start with a week’s worth of peak mayhem at Twitter, from the @ElonJet ban, to suspended reporters, to a poll (maybe) deciding Musk’s future at the platform. Then the hosts turn to yet more light on the recent topic of a Regressives episode: discrimination against Asian-American college applicants. Finally, we share some of our favorite content to end the year. [2:43] Twitter Mayhem...

First, Ravi and Rikki chat about SBF’s insistence that he either get some vegan meals or stay out of prison. Then the hosts turn to the Fed’s latest rate hike, look back on the strange economic year that was 2022, and look forward to what’s coming in 2023. Finally, the hosts grapple with a heated debate playing out in Canada and here in the U.S. on the ethics of medically assisted suicide. [3:25]...

First, Ravi and Rikki react to the breaking news on Sam Bankman-Fried’s fraud indictment. Then the hosts turn to the wide-ranging “Twitter Files” reporting, discussing why it’s such a political litmus test and which aspects they consider the most significant. Finally, Rikki and Ravi read us their college application essays as crafted by the revolutionary new AI program ChatGPT. [2:44] SBF Indicted...

Ravi and Rikki start with a rundown of Moore v. Harper, the major Supreme Court case poised to shift election laws. Then the hosts turn to the meteoric rise and precipitous fall of a one-time titan of the internet: BuzzFeed. Finally, we head to Oklahoma, where religiously affiliated charter schools could soon be a major facet of the education landscape. [0:26] Intro [4:45] Moore v. Harper [20:23]...

Ravi and Rikki start with the the fierce legal challenges halting President Biden’s student loan relief plan, before turning to New York’s controversial solution to a hard problem to solve: involuntary hospitalizations for the mentally ill. Finally, we stay here in New York – sorry – to talk about an exciting new opportunity in the city’s government: the Rat Czar. [0:40] Intro/Voicemail [4:09] Stu...

Ravi and Rikki start with the latest fallout from the spectacular downfall of FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried. The hosts then turn to the historic anti-lockdown protests in China with Pulitzer-winning journalist Ian Johnson and some startling inequities in New York City’s special education system. [3:37] SBF [15:08] China Protests [36:36] Inequity in Special Education [49:430 Voicemails Subscribe to our...

Ravi and Rikki start with all the moral relativism coloring this year’s controversial World Cup in Qatar, before opening their hearts to the many Swifties burned by Ticketmaster’s latest monopolistic debacle. The hosts then turn to the isolation epidemic facing America and what can be done to stem social disconnection. [0:27] Intro [3:58] World Cup [27:28] Ticketmaster [36:15] Loneliness [50:18] V...

Ransomware attacks are on the rise. Rikki and Ravi share where the attacks are coming from, laws put in place to combat them, and how to protect yourself from one. The hosts then take a look at which party – if either – won the education culture war based on midterm election results. That’s followed by a conversation about an inconspicuous activity driving more young people into debt these days: d...

Ravi and Rikki analyze the final results of the 2022 midterm and how both parties are assessing their performance. They then delve into the remarkable rise and fall of cryptocurrency exchange FTX and its enigmatic founder, Sam Bankman-Fried. That’s topped off by a discussion about struggling tech companies, and whether we’re on the cusp of the next dot-com bubble. Finally, the hosts take a look at...

Ravi and Rikki dive deep on their reactions to the 2022 midterms, setting out what we know vs. what’s still up in the air, which issues drove voters, which states surprised us, the importance of split-ticket voters this year, and what comes next for both political parties, including the stage now set for a big Republican showdown between FL Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump. [0:5...

Ravi stayed up on election night to put together a quick midnight recap of all the big takeaways from the 2022 midterms. Not everything will hold by tomorrow, but here are the top 10 things you should know about the surprising early returns from a strange cycle, including who's winning the key races for Senate, House, and Governor around the country. Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-...

Ravi and Rikki start with an overview of where things seem to be heading in Tuesday’s midterm elections, forecasting some key Senate races all over the country. Then the hosts turn to a pressing education crisis hidden in plain sight – rising student homelessness – and discuss its causes and possible solutions. Finally, we sit down with the Nevada Independent’s Jon Ralston to preview the high-stak...

Ravi and Rikki start by briefly discussing the oral arguments before the Supreme Court that could decide the fate of affirmative action: the topic of our latest episode of the Regressives. Then the hosts turn to Elon Musk’s first week at the helm of Twitter, why Meta’s full-throttle investments in the Metaverse have investors in crisis mode, and an interview with two reporters from the Arizona Rep...