Author: The Branch

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 have become social media influencers. Ravi and Anton discuss cartel propaganda, TikTok as a national security threat, and the flattening of culture in the digital age.

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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 brewing battle is anything but entertainment.

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Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570⁠

• Follow Ravi at @ravimgupta
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• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785
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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 returns to the pod for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of work and community. Ravi and Jamie discuss the acquisition of Industrious, the growing tension between autonomy, connection, and fulfillment, and the risks and possibilities of an AI-disrupted labor force.

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Learn more about Ravi's novel: GARBAGE TOWN

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Follow Ravi at @ravimgupta

Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia

Notes from this episode are available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/

Lost Debate is available on the following platforms: 

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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 fast-changing cultural and political landscape. They also unpack what it means to build school cultures that are both rigorous and inclusive, the role funders play in defining priorities, and why it’s more important than ever to have honest, and sometimes uncomfortable, conversations about the future of education.

Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570

Learn more about Ravi's novel and upcoming events: GARBAGE TOWN

---

Follow Ravi at @ravimgupta

Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia

Notes from this episode are available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/

Lost Debate is available on the following platforms: 

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

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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 American obsession with hustle culture and belonging.

Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570

Learn more about Ravi's novel and upcoming events: GARBAGE TOWN

---

Follow Ravi at @ravimgupta

Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia

Notes from this episode are available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/

Lost Debate is available on the following platforms: 

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate

• Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vTERJNTc1ODE3Mzk3Nw 

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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 wide-ranging conversation on public education in America and John’s new book, Teacher by Teacher. John reflects on how his childhood shaped his passion for education and what he’s learned from serving as a teacher, principal, school founder, policy leader, cabinet member under President Obama, and now as the head of the country’s largest state university system. They discuss what’s gone wrong in education reform, what still works, and why public schools remain worth fighting for.

Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570

---

Follow Ravi at @ravimgupta

Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia

Notes from this episode are available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/

Lost Debate is available on the following platforms: 

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate

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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 youth-dominated sport and whether surfing’s soul can survive its growing commercialization. 

Bill and Ravi then turn to Bill’s storied career at The New Yorker and discuss the evolving economics of journalism and the practical realities of building a writing life in today’s digital world. They explore how a new generation of writers and athletes, who’ve never seen the world before the internet, can still find meaning off the beaten path. Finally, they reflect on what it means to fully commit to a craft.

Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570

Learn more about Ravi's novel and upcoming events: GARBAGE TOWN

---

Follow Ravi at @ravimgupta

Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia

Notes from this episode are available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/

Lost Debate is available on the following platforms: 

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate

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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 it’s caused conservatives to flip the script on federal overreach and invoke Brown v. Board to justify crackdowns on local initiatives. Finally, they take a closer look at the rise of Education Savings Accounts, the politics of school choice, and the aftershocks both parties may face from these rapidly evolving education policies.

Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570

Learn more about Ravi's novel and upcoming events: GARBAGE TOWN

---

Follow Ravi at @ravimgupta

Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia

Notes from this episode are available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/

Lost Debate is available on the following platforms: 

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate

• Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vTERJNTc1ODE3Mzk3Nw 

• iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-lost-debate-88330217/

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

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 protestors, and how it’s reshaping who can speak, work, and fight back in America. Finally Ravi and Isaac discuss whether the constitutional crisis many warned about has already arrived.

The Branch is nominated for a Webby! Vote for us:

• Killing Justice (Best Partnership/Collaboration): https://bit.ly/killingjustice

Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570

Learn more about Ravi's novel: GARBAGE TOWN

---

Follow Ravi at @ravimgupta

Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia

Notes from this episode are available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/

Lost Debate is available on the following platforms: 

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate

• Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vTERJNTc1ODE3Mzk3Nw 

• iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-lost-debate-88330217/

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/752ca262-2801-466d-9654-2024de72bd1f/the-lost-debate