Populace CEO Todd Rose returns to Lost Debate to discuss his think tank’s latest study on what Americans want out of life. Todd and Ravi explore the study’s findings, what constitutes a successful life, and why Americans are profoundly wrong about how their fellow Americans define success and the American Dream. Read the full study here: Success Index: Misunderstanding the American Dream Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570 Subscribe to our feed on Spotify: http://bi...
Oct 03, 2023•47 min
The GOP presidential candidates took to the debate stage for a second time last night. Were any of them able to escape former president Donald Trump’s shadow? Rikki and Ravi sort through the substance of the discussion and take stock of the night’s winners and losers. San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced a new proposal to combat the city’s fentanyl epidemic: mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients to participate in mandatory drug testing. Why is the Democratic mayor, who’s running fo...
Sep 28, 2023•52 min
Boston University's Center for Antiracist Research, which is run by prominent scholar, activist, and author Ibram X. Kendi, announced it will scale back operations amid allegations of poor management. Are Kendi’s ideas to blame? The fallout continues for Russell Brand after claims of sexual assault and rape became public earlier this month. YouTube has demonetized his videos, the BBC has removed some of his programs, and upcoming tour dates have been canceled. Rikki and Ravi discuss the claims a...
Sep 26, 2023•48 min
Rikki is joined by guest co-host Isaac Saul, founder and author of the popular newsletter Tangle. The rise of candidates like Vivek Ramaswamy and Robert Kennedy Jr. has shaken both Republican and Democrat establishments’ expectations for the upcoming election cycle. Rikki and Isaac discuss how their candidacies could shape the presidential race. Citing “It's time for a new generation of leaders”, Mitt Romney announced he would not seek re-election in 2024, retiring after one term. The hosts deba...
Sep 21, 2023•54 min
The UAW joined the Summer of Strikes last week in an effort to push Detroit’s three major automakers to raise wages. The hosts discuss what makes this strike different from the others and how this wave of strikes could alter the labor landscape. A school principal has taken an unconventional approach to anonymous social media accounts. Ravi and Rikki debate the move and suggest other solutions to combat the rise in anonymous social media accounts and cyberbullying. Finally, the Biden administrat...
Sep 19, 2023•54 min
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden this week. Will the GOP find evidence of wrongdoing, or is this a last-ditch effort by McCarthy to convince members of his party to pass pending spending bills and help avoid a government shutdown? Tech titans like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates have descended on Capitol Hill for a closed-door meeting regarding future AI regulations. Ravi and Rikki discuss what they hope to see from this sessi...
Sep 14, 2023•54 min
Ravi interviews Jamie Hodari, the founder of Industrious, one of the world’s largest flexible workspace providers. Ravi and Jamie discuss a sustainable path for startups in the era of VC money, the future of office work, and some wild run-ins with WeWork’s Adam Neumann. New episodes of Sweat the Technique drop every Wednesday here. 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: https://bit...
Sep 12, 2023•42 min
The hosts kick off today’s show with a round-up of the latest immigration updates, from August’s record-high number of border crossings and a new ruling on Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s floating border barrier in Rio Grande to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ latest proclamation that the migrant crisis will destroy his city. Should students be able to attend virtual reality schools? Ravi and Rikki take stock of the merits, pitfalls, and politics of this new schooling option in Florida. America’s m...
Sep 07, 2023•48 min
Is there a massive spike in “sextortion” among teenagers in America? Ravi and Rikki discuss what sextortion is, why more people should be aware of the signs, and what the numbers tell us. Many experts predict that our global population will never again be as high as it is now. The hosts take stock of the reasons behind an impending population decline and the profound economic consequences. Finally, Ravi and Rikki respond to a listener's feedback about our recent segment on abolishing the Departm...
Sep 05, 2023•45 min
New York City’s guaranteed medical coverage for every active and retired city worker has served as a major selling point over the past 57 years for people who would otherwise choose jobs with higher wages and lower stress. In a city where over 70,000 retirees survive on pensions of less than $1,500 a month, retired or disabled workers have relied upon the city’s promise to cover 100% of their medical expenses through Medicare and Medicare supplemental insurance. But in 2021, then-Mayor Bill de B...
Sep 03, 2023•40 min
Ravi is joined by guest co-host Isaac Saul, founder and author of the popular newsletter Tangle. More eyes are on Vivek Ramaswamy and his populist brand of politics after a breakout performance in last week’s Republican primary debate. Ravi and Isaac break down the true meaning of the term, explore the disconnect between so-called populist leaders and ‘ordinary’ Americans, and whether this strategy will ultimately prove successful for candidates with elite backgrounds. Will the plane crash that ...
Aug 31, 2023•53 min
Four GOP candidates pledged to abolish the U.S. Department of Education during last week’s presidential primary debate. Rikki and Ravi debate the candidate’s arguments, the current state of the department, and the future of the federal government’s role in K-12 education. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee convened a special legislative session on public safety after a school shooter killed six people in Nashville this spring. Most Tennesseans support increased gun regulation, but the seven-day session...
Aug 29, 2023•55 min
With front-runner Donald Trump skipping the first 2024 Republican presidential primary debate, eight candidates brawled for second-place status last night. Who came out the best? Who had a bad night? And did we even learn anything new? There is a childcare crisis in America. And, billions in federal subsidies for childcare providers are set to run out September 30th, leading to some calling a “childcare cliff.” Ronan Farrow just published an eye-opening article on Elon Musk in The New Yorker. Al...
Aug 24, 2023•54 min
The first Republican primary debate is tomorrow. Ravi and Rikki take stock of who’s in, who’s out, and predict the winners and losers. In a new piece in The Atlantic, David Brooks asked why Americans have become so mean. Is he right? The hosts debate this question and what we should do about what Brooks calls a “morally inarticulate, self-referential world”. Finally, Rikki and Ravi take stock of the movement to ban sex education. They break down whether the movement is real, its origins, and the...
Aug 22, 2023•59 min
Ravi interviews Richard Kahlenberg for a special episode about America’s housing crisis, the challenges that caused it, and what we can do to fix it. Kahlenberg is a housing and education expert and author of “Excluded: How Snob Zoning, NIMBYism, and Class Bias Build the Walls We Don’t See.” 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: https://bit.ly/3Gs5YTF Subscribe to our Substack: ht...
Aug 17, 2023•48 min
A Georgia grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies last night, alleging felony racketeering among other conspiracy charges. Ravi breaks down the investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, everything you need to know about the 41-count indictment, and shares five key takeaways. 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 YouTu...
Aug 15, 2023•19 min
Ravi is joined by guest co-host Isaac Saul, founder and author of the popular newsletter Tangle. President Biden recently coined his economic agenda “Bidenomics,” but the White House’s efforts to sell the plan haven’t been successful. So what is Bidenomics, and was it a risk for the Biden admin to stamp the President’s name on it? Fitch Ratings downgraded the U.S. government’s credit rating from ‘AAA’ to ‘AA+’ this month. Ravi and Isaac discuss the first downgrade by a major rating firm in over ...
Aug 14, 2023•53 min
Oregon's controversial initiative to decriminalize the “personal use” of drugs was introduced as an effort to curb overdoses, but there have been unforeseen consequences. Ravi and Rikki dive into the first two years of Measure 110 and what we can learn from it. The backlash against corporate diversity efforts has spiked since SCOTUS’ groundbreaking decision to end affirmative action. As conservative groups challenge corporate America’s policies, the hosts look at the arguments initially used to ...
Aug 10, 2023•56 min
The federal investigations into Hunter Biden continue after a plea deal was put on hold last week. Ravi and Rikki debate the controversies surrounding the president’s son, why public opinion on the investigations has become so polarized, and where Joe Biden fits into all of this. The classical education movement has picked up steam post-COVID. Nowhere is that more true than in Florida, where the state has moved to offer a new test that focuses on some old ideas as an alternative to the SAT and A...
Aug 08, 2023•59 min
In this episode, Marlon Marshall and Ravi discuss the past, present, and potential future of progressive messaging and policy for kids. They survey the landscape of K-12 practice and leadership, giving an honest assessment of the strengths and shortcomings of the movement for student excellence. In the process, they lay out the beginnings of a vision for the future of the so-called education reform movement. Marlon Marshall is a veteran of Democratic politics – having served in senior roles on H...
Aug 06, 2023•44 min
In one of the most important cases in American history, former President Donald Trump was indicted on Tuesday by Special Counsel Jack Smith in connection with Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Rikki and Ravi talk through the indictment, the strength of the case, and Trump’s best defense. A recent study found young men now play video games more than ever before. What are the repercussions of this post-pandemic spike? Finally, a fight is raging over a new religious charter school in O...
Aug 03, 2023•46 min
A wave of major developments at America’s southern border has pitted the Biden administration against a host of forces, including liberal advocacy groups, the Texas governor, and border towns. A new series of eye-opening studies from Science and Nature may challenge the way we view social media and polarization. The results seem to be counterintuitive to the common narrative of social media’s role in polarization, which begs the question – how polarizing is social media? Finally, this year marks...
Aug 01, 2023•50 min
The Department of Education launched a civil rights investigation into Harvard’s legacy admissions policy. Is this the next domino to fall for college admissions? In a bombshell congressional hearing, three retired military veterans spoke about the government’s knowledge of UFOs. Rikki and Ravi debate whether this finally confirms the existence of extraterrestrial life. Finally, the hosts unpack some new and counterintuitive data about how parents view their public schools. Are parents actually ...
Jul 27, 2023•55 min
A new report from the World Health Organization suggests that aspartame, the widely used artificial sweetener, may cause cancer. Should Americans worry about this? Chief diversity officers were some of the hottest hires in corporate America two years ago, but some high-profile companies have started to say goodbye to this role. Ravi and Rikki dissect the new trend and question whether this is the beginning of the end for corporate America’s push for social justice. Lastly, the hosts review a new...
Jul 25, 2023•57 min
Ravi is joined by guest co-host Isaac Saul, founder and author of the popular newsletter Tangle. Senate Democrats plan to push a bill that will impose new ethics rules on the Supreme Court. Does Congress have the authority to act? In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court backed a Colorado web designer's claim that the First Amendment allows her to reject building wedding websites for same-sex couples. Ravi and Isaac break down the ruling and discuss whether it marks a setback for LGBTQ rights. Earth...
Jul 20, 2023•44 min
The Biden administration announced their Plan B for student debt relief. Will it become another legal battle? Ravi answers this and breaks down the political implications of the new proposal. Hollywood faces its first industry wide shutdown in more than 60 years now that SAG-AFTRA has joined the Writers Guild of America on strike. With AI and streaming at the center of the disputes, how could this impact the future of the entertainment industry? Lastly, we listen to recent audience voicemails in...
Jul 18, 2023•1 hr 1 min
The hosts break down Marc Andreessen’s op-ed “Why AI Will Save the World” and the tech billionaire’s optimistic, but potentially controversial, takes. They then parse through Sarah Silverman’s copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI and Meta and discuss the government’s role in regulating AI before turning to the ways artificial intelligence could revolutionize healthcare and potentially save lives. Finally, Ravi and Rikki explore Google’s new generative AI search tool and discuss whether ...
Jul 13, 2023•53 min
Meta kicked off the ultimate social media war with their launch of Threads. The Twitter alternative has quickly become the fastest growing social media network in history. Ravi and Rikki discuss the new platform’s extraordinary rise. They also debate what it might mean for Elon Musk. SCOTUS struck down Biden’s student-loan forgiveness program. The hosts weigh in on the ruling, Biden’s new plan, and what this all means for borrowers. Lastly, writer and education expert Richard Kahlenberg joins to...
Jul 11, 2023•54 min
Ravi sits down with Corey DeAngelis, a self-described “school choice evangelist” and one of the most controversial figures in education policy circles. Corey is a Senior Fellow at the American Federation for Children, where he writes and advocates in support of vouchers and Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). ESAs and vouchers are among the most important policy issues in K-12 education right now, and Corey and Ravi spend the beginning of this conversation on common ground on high-level theories ...
Jul 10, 2023•1 hr 1 min
In this special episode, Ravi reacts to yesterday's groundbreaking decision by the Supreme Court to end affirmative action as we know it. Listen to our previous episodes on this case: A Funeral for Affirmative Action (Regressives, 10/30/22): https://thebranchmedia.org/show/regressives/a-funeral-for-affirmative-action/ The Problem With College Admissions (Regressives, 12/22/22): https://thebranchmedia.org/show/regressives/the-problem-with-college-admissions/ Leave us a voicemail with your thought...
Jun 30, 2023•16 min
