Lost Debate - After the Verdict, How to Be Happy, Liberalism in Peril

Ravi kicks off the show with breaking news, including updates on Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial, ex-OpenAI board member Helen Toner’s tell-all interview about Sam Altman’s short-lived firing, why the Texas elections have seen a wave of pro-school voucher candidates, and the latest drama in New York City’s casino permit fight.

Ravi then welcomes Adam Gopnik, legendary staff writer at The New Yorker, to talk about his book, “All That Happiness Is,” what it truly means to be happy, and the unexpected benefits that can come from learning new skills. They then turn to Adam’s latest piece in The New Yorker, "Why Liberals Struggle to Defend Liberalism,” and discuss why liberal democracy is in crisis, what we get wrong when we talk about Hitler, and the importance of pluralism in a healthy society.


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Lost Debate - Amanda Knox Changes Her Mind

Amanda Knox joins Ravi to discuss her riveting piece in The Atlantic, “What If He Actually Did It?” In the article, she writes about her support of Jens Söring, a man who spent 33 years in prison for a double homicide he insists he didn’t commit, and how she began to reexamine her advocacy for his innocence. Ravi and Amanda explore her emotional journey as she reflects on the friendship she developed with Jens, how the parallels between his story and her own influenced her stance, and the process it took to reevaluate her position on his case.


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Lost Debate is also available on the following platforms: 

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Lost Debate - Netanyahu Warrant, City of Yes, More Alito Drama

Ravi breaks down what you need to know about the second controversial flag spotted outside one of Justice Alito's properties, the leaked OpenAI documents, and why a majority of Americans wrongly believe the U.S. is in a recession.

Mayor Eric Adams wants to make New York City the “City of Yes.” Thesis Driven’s Brad Hargreaves joins Ravi to discuss the mayor’s rezoning proposal, which would roll back regulations that have long hindered housing development. Ravi and Brad also take a look at the current and future state of key influencers on the housing market, from fertility and marriage rates to immigration.

Finally, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it has applied for arrest warrants for Hamas and Israeli leaders. Oona Hathaway, Yale Law professor and international law expert, joins the pod to help explain what the ICC is and talk with Ravi about how Israel, Hamas, and the U.S. could respond.


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Lost Debate is also available on the following platforms: 

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Lost Debate - Altman, Alito In The Hot Seat, Food Inc.

Ravi kicks off the episode with a round-up of breaking news: from the latest in Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial to OpenAI's new model of GPT and the controversy surrounding Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and his wife.

Then, Eric Schlosser, author of "Fast Food Nation," joins the show to discuss his new documentary, "Food, Inc. 2." They dive into everything from the consolidation and corporate power in the food industry, the role of government subsidies in supporting factory farms, and the negative impact on small and medium-sized farmers to the need for stronger antitrust enforcement and getting money out of politics to address these issues.


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Lost Debate - Introducing ‘Killing Justice’

When a judge in India dies of a heart attack, his passing barely makes the news. But when his niece approaches a journalist two years later, she shares a different story: that the circumstances around Judge Brijgopal Loya’s death have made his family doubt the official story.

From Crooked Media and The Branch, Killing Justice investigates how one man’s death has become a lodestone for increasingly polarized politics in India. Following the reporting and legal fallout that arise from this tip, host Ravi Gupta examines the conflicting evidence and grapples with the broader implications a single night in the city of Nagpur has on the world’s largest democracy.

The first two episodes drop next Monday, May 27! Subscribe to Killing Justice HERE.

Lost Debate - Marriage, Polyamory, and Kids

Ravi welcomes Tyler Austin Harper and Brad Wilcox to the pod for a special episode on relationships. Ravi first talks with Tyler about polyamory, its portrayal in the media, and why a poly lifestyle has grown in popularity among affluent progressives. They also explore the decline of social institutions, generational attitudes toward relationships, and the impact of activism and progressivism in universities.

Ravi and Brad then discuss his new book Get Married, where he explores the divide between the way elites talk about marriage and relationships and the decisions they actually make. They dive into the decline of marriage and childbearing rates in the United States and globally, examining causes such as the rise of individualism, secularism, economic shifts, and the impact of technology.


Time stamps:

Tyler Austin Harper - 0:37

Brad Wilcox - 42:01


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Lost Debate - The Lawyers: Past, Present, and Future

Ravi is joined by due process expert and lawyer Dan Schorr to discuss the history and evolution of Title IX and the potential repercussions of the Biden administration's recent proposed changes to its regulation of the federal civil rights law. They explore how the updates could impact due process rights and what this means for students and educational institutions across the country.

Then, Ray Brescia joins the show to talk about his new book, Lawyer Nation: The Past, Present, and Future of the American Legal Profession. They dive into the history and evolution of the American legal profession, examining the origins of law firms, bar associations, and law schools. Ravi and Ray highlight how these institutions, now central to the profession, are still relatively new developments before turning to look at what the future might hold for lawyers in America.


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Lost Debate - Ceasefire Talks, Lessons From the Protests, Title IX

Ravi welcomes Tangle's Isaac Saul back to the show to update listeners on the current state of the war in Gaza, including Israel's escalating attacks in Rafah and the proposed ceasefire deal. Ravi and Isaac then turn to college campuses in the U.S. to explore the complexities and potential unintended consequences of the ongoing campus protests. They also examine why so many protests throughout history have struggled to achieve their goals and what today's protestors should take from these learnings. Finally, Ravi and Isaac dive into the Biden administration's recent changes to Title IX. They take a look at what implications the updated rules have on due process rights in campus sexual assault and harassment cases, why due process advocates on both sides of the aisle are concerned about the changes, and what it means to protect the rights of both the accusers and the accused in these cases.


Isaac is the founder of Tangle, the widely regarded non-partisan newsletter that summarizes the best arguments from the left and right on the news of the day. 


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Lost Debate is also available on the following platforms: 

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Lost Debate - Trump’s Hope Hicks Problem, Gun Scapegoats

Kim Wehle joins the show to talk with Ravi about the latest in the Trump case in New York, including why Hope Hicks is such an integral part of the prosecution’s case and how her recent testimony could inform the eventual verdict. They then discuss the presidential pardon power, whether self-pardons are constitutional, and how Trump may attempt to pardon himself regardless of the outcome of the 2024 election.


Ravi and Kim also discuss the controversial prosecution in the Crumbley case, the dynamics of the trial, and what the verdict means for future gun control legislation in the United States. 


Kim is a professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, a legal contributor for ABC News, author of How to Think Like a Lawyer – and Why, and founder of the Simple Politics Substack blog.


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Lost Debate is also available on the following platforms: 

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Lost Debate - The Perils of the Trump Cases

Ravi welcomes Amy Davidson Sorkin from The New Yorker to the show to explore the legal challenges of the various cases against Donald Trump, including the immunity case before the Supreme Court, and the potential consequences of a conviction before the election. They then turn to Joseph Fischer v. United States and discuss how the Supreme Court might rule on whether prosecutors can use federal obstruction laws to charge individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol attack.


Tim Daly, founder of The Education Daly and CEO of EdNavigator, then joins Ravi to explain why experts considered Finland the exemplar of quality education for many years and what we can learn from its steep decline. Ravi and Tim talk about how Finland's education system impacted advocacy around No Child Left Behind and why it's important to develop a deeper understanding of what drives educational success.


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Lost Debate is also available on the following platforms: 

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