Author: The Branch

Ravi sits down with Doug Lemov and former UK Schools Minister Nick Gibb to discuss Nick’s new book, Reforming Lessons: Why English Schools Have Improved Since 2010 and How This Was Achieved, and explore one of the most ambitious education reform stories of the past two decades.

Nick lays out how a knowledge-rich curriculum, phonics, behavior expectations, and high-stakes accountability helped England leap from the bottom to near the top of global education rankings. Doug, Ravi, and Nick discuss the sharp contrast between this movement and the state of education in the U.S., where both parties are moving away from rigorous assessments and content standards. They also dig into the political strategy behind the reforms and what it takes to keep them in place.

--

Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 201-305-0084⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Follow Ravi at @RaviMGupta
• Notes from this episode are also available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/
• Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

Ravi sits down with legendary war correspondent Dexter Filkins for a closer look into how drones and AI are transforming modern warfare. They explore Dexter’s recent piece in The New Yorker, Is the U.S. Ready for the Next War?, and his on-the-ground reporting in Ukraine, where $500 kamikaze drones are inflicting massive damage on Russian forces and gamified drone warfare is reshaping combat strategy.

The conversation then turns to the implications for U.S. military readiness, China’s dominance in the defense supply chain, and the rise of autonomous weaponry. Finally, they examine Israel’s use of AI in Gaza and what it reveals about the moral cost of algorithmic war.

--

Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 201-305-0084⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Follow Ravi at @RaviMGupta
• Notes from this episode are also available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/
• Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

Years before the levees failed, New Orleans’ public schools were already in crisis. The corruption was so entrenched that the FBI even set up shop inside the district. The first episode of Where the Schools Went uncovers how decades of mismanagement and neglect turned New Orleans into a cautionary tale long before Hurricane Katrina ever made landfall, and how it set the stage for what would come after. We also follow a group of educators who fled to Houston in the aftermath of the storm and built a school for displaced students. And then we follow them – and their students – back to a city and school system struggling to rebuild.

--

Where the Schools Went is an original podcast from The Branch in partnership with ⁠The 74⁠ and ⁠MeidasTouch⁠. For future episodes, make sure to follow the series on Apple ⁠here⁠ and on Spotify ⁠here⁠.

Let us know what you think of the show! Email us at ⁠wheretheschoolswent@thebranchmedia.org⁠ or follow us on ⁠X⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ at @thebranchmedia.

Ravi is joined by hedge fund founder Spencer Hakimian for a deep dive into the state of the U.S. economy under Trump. They begin with the firing of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a move that raises urgent questions about data integrity and the politicization of economic institutions. From there, they discuss Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s likely exit and what Trump’s next appointment could mean for the future of the Fed. Finally, Ravi and Spencer assess the growing risk of stagflation and share how they’re personally thinking about everything from gold and short-term bonds to international stocks and AI-fueled equities in this uncertain environment.

--

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

• Follow Ravi at @RaviMGupta
• Notes from this episode are also available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/
• Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

August 2025 marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina altered New Orleans forever. Much has been written about the storm’s destruction and the city’s long road to recovery. But tucked behind those headlines is another story. One that shaped the lives of thousands of children.

From The Branch in partnership with The 74 and MeidasTouch, Where the Schools Went is a five-part documentary series about what happened to the city’s schools after the levees broke, and how it led to the most radical education experiment in modern American history.

The first episode drops next Tuesday, August 12! Listen and subscribe on Apple here and on Spotify here.

Ravi opens the show by diving into the latest headlines, from Trump's reluctance to rule out a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell to the latest attacks on FEMA and the US. dollar.

He then welcomes Gisela Salim-Peyer to the show to discuss her latest piece in The Atlantic, No One Was Supposed to Leave Alive. Gisela shares more about her investigation into El Salvador's mega-prison, where some individuals based in the U.S. have been sent without due process. Ravi and Gisela examine the legal gray zone CECOT operates in, the recent Venezuela-U.S. prisoner swap, and what it all reveals about the U.S. immigration system and authoritarianism abroad.

--

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

• Follow Ravi at @RaviMGupta
• Notes from this episode are also available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/
• Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

Ravi kicks off the show with the latest update in the Epstein scandal — a resurfaced birthday letter allegedly sent from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. He unpacks the implications of Trump's denial, the GOP's strategic calls to "release the list," and what's really at stake in the fight over grand jury testimony. From there, he turns to Trump's latest attacks on Obama, FEMA, and the U.S. dollar, connecting the dots between the President's social media meltdowns, a hollowed-out disaster response agency, and the economic fallout of chaotic trade policy.

Carter Sherman then joins the show to talk about her new book, The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation’s Fight Over Its Future, which explores Gen Z’s shifting attitudes toward sex, porn, dating apps, and sexual education. Ravi and Carter discuss how digital culture, incel ideologies, and the collapse of comprehensive sex ed are shaping the next generation’s understanding of intimacy and power.

--

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

• Follow Ravi at @RaviMGupta
• Notes from this episode are also available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/
• Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

Ravi unpacks a chaotic week in politics, with Trump’s Epstein scandal spiraling into an unprecedented crisis for his MAGA coalition. He explores how conspiracy thinking fuels Trump’s base and why this case feels different.

Next, is America’s crisis infrastructure at risk? Ravi reviews FEMA’s botched disaster response in Texas. He then turns to the president’s recent erratic shifts on Ukraine and the economy and why they may signal a looming economic storm, linking Trump’s tariff threats, service sector pressure, and politicized debt policy to potential stagflation.

--

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

• Follow Ravi at @RaviMGupta
• Follow Tyler at @Tyler_A_Harper
• Listen to Tyler's podcast, Time to Say Goodbye, on Substack: https://goodbye.substack.com/
• Notes from this episode are also available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/
• Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

Ravi welcomes The Atlantic’s Tyler Austin Harper back to the show for a wide-ranging conversation on some of the week’s biggest headlines, from the Diddy verdict and the dangers of prosecutorial outreach to Bernie Sanders’ recent appearance on Rogan and Trump’s escalating legal attacks on the press.

They then turn to Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral primary and explore what the victory suggests about shifting ideas of political “moderation” and deep divides within Democratic messaging.

Finally, Ravi and Tyler dive into Tyler's recent piece, "What We Lose When We're Priced Out of Our Hobbies," reflecting on the value of personal passions and their growing role as a political and social force.

--

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

• Follow Ravi at @RaviMGupta
• Follow Tyler at @Tyler_A_Harper
• Listen to Tyler's podcast, Time to Say Goodbye, on Substack: https://goodbye.substack.com/
• Notes from this episode are also available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/
• Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

Ravi is joined by Bradley Tusk to break down one of the wildest political upsets in recent memory: Zohran Mamdani’s decisive win in the New York City mayoral primary. They unpack how it happened, why Cuomo flamed out so badly, and what Mamdani needs to do next if he wants to govern the city.

From campaign strategy to trash collection, rent freezes to charter schools, Ravi and Bradley dive into what kind of mayor Mamdani might be and what it will take to make the leap from activist to executive. They also discuss how current Mayor Eric Adams will fare running as an independent in the general, if Cuomo may try to jump back in, and what the national Democratic establishment is getting wrong in their rush to draw lessons from this race.

--

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

• Follow Ravi at @ravimgupta
• Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785
• Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F