Lost Debate

Who are the Houthis, and why did the US hit back after their multiple attacks on ships in the Red Sea? Ravi and guest host Isaac Saul discuss the Yemen-based group, how the Israel/Hamas war may have influenced the attacks, and whether it will drag the US into a bigger fight in the region. Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. D...

Ravi is joined by Zeke Faux from Bloomberg to discuss his new book, "Number Go Up." The book takes readers on a rollercoaster journey through the crypto world, covering everything from its shady beginnings and huge leap into the limelight to its dramatic crash. Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570 Subscribe to our feed on Spotify: http://bitly.ws/zC9K Subscribe to our...

Ravi speaks with Gabriel Debenedetti from New York Magazine about Trump's resounding victory in Iowa, the prospect of another Trump vs. Biden election, and Gabriel’s recent reporting on whether the Biden team should be more concerned about their odds in 2024. Ravi also speaks with writer and commentator Bridget Phetasy about the roots of the culture war, comedians' role in social commentary, the f...

Guest co-host Todd Rose joins Ravi to discuss America’s collective illusions and how it has driven people into reflexive positions that may not map to their (or the rest of the country’s) privately held views. They tackle the Israel and Hamas war, the media’s role in driving polarization, the 2024 election, and a new study by the New York Times on how college admissions offices were wrong to turn...

Should Trump be allowed to stay on the ballot? As the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on the former president’s eligibility due to his role in the January 6 insurrection, Ravi and guest co-host Isaac Saul discuss the legal and constitutional merits of the pending decision. The American public also has January 6 on its mind, with a new poll showing that a quarter of Americans believe the F...

Dozens of previously sealed court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein have become public. Ravi and guest co-host Bethany McLean discuss what we know so far about the new revelations. What really happened with Sam Altman being ousted and then returning to OpenAI? It remains unclear what made the board decide to act. Our hosts tackle the secrecy around this and other recent tech scandals. Lastly, w...

Tim Alberta joins Ravi to discuss his new book, “The Power, the Glory, and the Kingdom." The book takes an in-depth, personal look at the birth and rise of America’s evangelical movement and explores how deceit, scandal, and fear have contributed to the wreckage it stands on today. Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570 Subscribe to our feed on Spotify: http://bitly.ws/z...

It’s Lost Debate’s last episode of 2023, and Ravi and Rikki take us through their Year in Review, from their favorite segments to the year’s best scandals. They then share their 2024 hot takes and predictions. Share your own by leaving us a voicemail! 321-200-0570 Subscribe to our Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/ Follow The Branch on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebranchmedia...

Rob Copeland joins Ravi to discuss his eye-opening new book “The Fund.” The book offers a searing look into Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, and explores how founder Ray Dalio’s “Principles” may prove to be the firm’s undoing. Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570 Subscribe to our feed on Spotify: http://bitly.ws/zC9K Subscribe to our Substack: ht...

Ravi is joined by Adam Harris from The Atlantic to discuss the genesis of American education, the Reconstruction-era leaders who ensured “education for all,”  and how the trials and tribulations from that era still plague today’s schools.  Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570 Subscribe to our feed on Spotify: http://bitly.ws/zC9K Subscribe to our Substack: https://thel...

Harvard, MIT, and UPenn’s presidents testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce last week, and the controversy over their statements regarding antisemitism on campuses has already led to UPenn president Liz Magill’s ouster. As calls intensify for Claudine Gay (Harvard) and Sally Kornbluth (MIT) to resign, Ravi and Rikki parse through the outrage over the hearings and asses...

President Biden issued an unexpected rebuke of Prime Minister Netanyahu and the state of Israel on Tuesday, condemning its military actions and warning that the government must change in order to maintain U.S. support. Tangle’s Isaac Saul joins Ravi to discuss this new development and the broader state of the war. We then turn to Ukraine, where all eyes are on President Zelensky’s meetings in Wash...

Bethany McLean joins Ravi to discuss her new book The Big Fail, a groundbreaking indictment of how greed and lack of leadership left us unprepared for a global pandemic. Bethany McLean is a journalist and contributing editor for Vanity Fair. She has co-authored multiple bestselling books, including The Smartest Guys in the Room with Peter Elkind and All the Devils Are Here with Joe Nocera. Leave u...

Seattle says landlords cannot reject tenants for having a criminal record. Should the Supreme Court step in? Ravi and Rikki tackle the often overlooked and controversial topic of landlord rights.  Inflation has come down after a historic spike during the pandemic, but everyday Americans say the lower rates haven’t positively impacted their wallets yet. Our hosts debate whether goods deflation is b...

Bradley Tusk joins Ravi to talk about Obvious In Hindsight, his new satire novel about a political campaign that aims to legalize flying cars. Ravi and Bradley then turn to the current political landscape. The two discuss whether New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams can bounce back from his recent scandals and what the Biden campaign should do to win in 2024. Bradley Tusk is a venture capitalist, poli...

Is prompt engineer the dream job of the future? Rikki and Ravi explore the rise of AI-related jobs and debate how artificial intelligence will impact the workforce over the next several years. Do charter schools offer a better education than traditional public schools? Two new studies shed light on which states are getting school choice right. The hosts discuss what we can learn from the findings...

What happens now that Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend the ongoing ceasefire? Ravi is joined by guest co-host Isaac Saul to discuss the current status of the war and its likely outcomes. While Palestinians and Israelis deal with the realities on the ground, the conflict has also exposed growing strife in the U.S. that’s left businesses and corporations scrambling to respond. But why do so ma...

Sam Altman is back as CEO of OpenAI only five days after he was ousted. Ravi breaks down the company's recent chaos and explains why the questions the drama has raised about artificial intelligence's pace, commercialization, and regulation deserve more attention. Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570 Show Notes: OpenAI's Manifesto: https://openai.com/blog/introducing-op...

Ravi tackles the frequently asked questions, criticism, and comments we’ve received in response to our ongoing coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and the broader Israel-Palestine conflict. The Branch will continue to try to bring clarity to the complex dynamics of this war and the longest ongoing conflict in modern history. Leave us a voicemail to let us know the topics you’d like to hear more about...

As the Israel-Hamas war rages on, Yascha Mounk joins Ravi to discuss what’s shaping American leftists' response to the war and the greater Israel/Palestine conflict. They then take a deep dive into the current state of college campuses and offer suggestions for how colleges should respond to the rising backlash against free speech, anti-semitism, and Islamaphobia. Finally, as the war enters its fi...

Are gradualists right and radicals wrong? Ravi is joined by Greg Berman and Aubrey Fox, the authors of "Gradual - The Case for Incremental Change in a Radical Age" to discuss whether incrementalism is the best way forward for societal change. Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570 Subscribe to our feed on Spotify: http://bitly.ws/zC9K Subscribe to our YouTube channel: ht...

What does the future of education look like? Ravi is joined by Sal Khan, the visionary founder and CEO of Khan Academy, to discuss how artificial intelligence could revolutionize education as we know it, why educators should embrace new technologies, and the ways Khan Academy’s Khanmigo is leading the charge to help more kids learn. Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570...

The current conflict between Israel and Hamas has been decades in the making. But who is Hamas? In this special episode, Ravi takes on the complex task of telling the unbiased history of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that currently rules Gaza. Listen to Part One: An Unbiased History of Israel-Palestine (Part 1) Listen to Part Two: An Unbiased History of Israel-Palestine (Part 2) Leave us a...

A new poll shows President Biden trailing Donald Trump in five out of six key swing states just a year before the 2024 election. Ravi and Rikki discuss the poll’s confirmation that the American public has widespread concerns about Biden's age and performance and how the Democratic Party should respond. Once a fringe movement, homeschooling is now the fastest-growing form of education in America. T...

Rikki is joined by Evan Mandery, professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the author of “Poison Ivy - How Elite Colleges Divide Us”. A Harvard College and Harvard Law School graduate, Evan argues elite colleges have become one of the driving forces in widening the gap between the haves and have-nots in America. Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570 Subscrib...