Ravi reacts to President Biden’s performance during the presidential debate, makes the case for Biden to step aside ahead of the Democratic National Convention, and calls for more accountability and honesty from left-wing media and the leadership within the Democratic Party.
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In this special episode, Ravi is joined by Michael D. Shear, White House correspondent at The New York Times, to discuss what to expect from the upcoming presidential debate. They then turn to President Joe Biden’s closest advisers; who they are, why they’re largely unknown, and how they wield their power within the administration. Finally, Ravi and Michael explore the political reasoning behind and implications of Biden’s recent executive actions on immigration.
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President Biden and former President Trump will face off in the first 2024 presidential debate later this week. Ravi takes stock of where both candidates stand heading into the debate, from their status in the polls and different approaches to fundraising to why TikTok videos about Trump receive more positive engagement than videos that mention Biden.
Then, Ravi welcomes Derrell Bradford, president of 50CAN, to discuss the future of education and what we can learn from the evolution of education reform. They explore how the country went from a bipartisan consensus around No Child Left Behind to a backlash against high standards and accountability, growing fissures within education reform, and what it really means for a school to engage in activism. Finally, Ravi and Derrell turn to the future and the growing movement around new school models, including hybrid schools, microschools, and homeschooling. They discuss how Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) might impact this growth, what’s driving families to new school models, the reluctance of many Democrats to join the conversation, and why this is such a revolutionary moment in education.
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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a third term in office earlier this month, but voters denied him an outright parliamentary majority after an election cycle dominated by concerns over the economy, environmental degradation, and corruption. In this special episode, Ravi speaks with Kapil Komireddi, author of the recent New Yorker piece, 'My Father’s Fate and India’s,' about the repercussions of the election, the rise of Hindu nationalism, and what the future of democracy in India could look like.
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The first presidential debate is around the corner. Ravi takes stock of the ways the Biden and Trump teams have approached debate preparation, explains how both camps have worked to shape the narrative leading up to the debate, and whether the candidates’ performance could impact the state of the election. He then turns to external forces in the election and explores a new piece from Julia Ioffe in Puck, which details Russia’s incompetent and sloppy efforts to influence this election cycle.
Then, Reason producer Justin Zuckerman joins to share his recent reporting on the high cost of daycare in Washington, D.C., and the impact of overregulation on various industries. Ravi and Justin tackle the counterproductive regulations that have contributed to Washington’s childcare crisis, including minimum wage requirements, credentialing qualifications, staff-to-student ratios, and the impact of universal pre-K.
Finally, Ravi interviews Liz Crampton, state policy reporter at Politico, about the unprecedented spending in state legislative races and how local elections could influence upper ballot races. They also discuss the repercussions of the recent primary elections in Texas, where Governor Abbott took revenge against his fellow Republican colleagues after they opposed his school voucher legislation.
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President Biden and former President Trump have the highest share of “double haters” in at least three decades, with new data from Pew showing that a quarter of Americans hold unfavorable views of both men. Ravi discusses this after diving into the politics behind Biden’s latest executive action, which will offer new legal projections for undocumented immigrants who are married to or stepchildren of American citizens, and why the turmoil threatening China’s solar industry impacts the world.
Finally, Ravi welcomes Rob Wipond to the show to discuss his new book, ‘Your Consent Is Not Required: The Rise in Psychiatric Detentions, Forced Treatment, and Abusive Guardianships’. They explore the realities of abuse and exploitation within the psychiatric system, the growing movement to expand involuntary commitment powers, which often target homeless individuals, and whether mental health and psychiatric laws infringe on due process rights.
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Hunter Biden was convicted on all three counts in his federal gun trial this week. Ravi takes stock of the verdict and President Biden’s response before diving into the secret recordings of Supreme Court Justices Alito and Roberts, the new partnership between OpenAI and Apple, why to pay attention to foreign political interference in Canada, and what’s behind Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s increased unpopularity.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar says civilian casualties are “necessary sacrifices” and a new op-ed in the Wall Street Journal accuses the International Criminal Court of “brazen” anti-Israel bias. Ravi shares his take on both developments before welcoming Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a U.S. citizen from Gaza, and Michael Bauer, an Israeli, to the show to discuss their perspectives about the current state of the war and the response abroad.
Ravi and Ahmed discuss the potential for a ceasefire and the challenges of negotiating with Hamas, the reasons the American left can’t agree on how – or if – to criticize Hamas, and why the pro-Palestine movement would benefit from a greater diversity of thought. Michael, who lives on a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip, shares his experience on October 7 and then talks with Ravi about the potential for a short-term solution to the war and a long-term resolution to the broader conflict and how the war has impacted the political landscape in Israel.
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Ravi dives into the news of the day, from the aftermath of the Trump verdict and Biden’s asylum ban at the US-Mexico border to what Mexico’s recent elections say about the rise of authoritarianism in the country. He then gives an update on Amanda Knox’s latest legal challenge and explains why more people should care about the lack of air conditioning in U.S. prisons.
Finally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will keep power for a third term after India’s election results were released this week. Ravi welcomes Princeton professor and India policy expert Ashoka Mody to the pod to dissect the results and explore how the country’s challenges with unemployment, the economy, and a broken judicial system impacted the election. They then discuss the disconnect between the Western hype over India’s progress and the reality on the ground, why India must address systemic issues like corruption and environmental degradation, and what Modi’s complicated win and impending third term says about the state of the world’s largest democracy.
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Ravi recently joined Tell Me About Your Father to discuss how his relationship with his parents has influenced everything from his career to how he approaches people with different opinions. To hear more, follow Tell Me About Your Father wherever you listen to podcasts.
On this episode of Tell Me About Your Father, Matt Phillp talks with former Obama staffer and school principal and current co-host of both the Majority 54 podcast and the Lost Debate podcast, Ravi Gupta, about growing up with a democrat mother and an increasingly right wing father and how the conflict between them often took form in political debate. He talks about what it was like to travel with his father to the village in India in which his father grew up for the first time since his father moved to the US decades ago, how he’s managed to find a way of engaging with his father despite their extreme political differences, and gives advice on talking with hostile right wing people who just want to “own the libs”.
Donald Trump has been found guilty on 34 felony counts in his New York hush money criminal trial. Ravi discusses what we know about the breaking news and what could happen next.
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