Lost Debate

• Crypto Corruption, Fetterman Crisis, School Reform

  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 • 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

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  1:01:59
• Fear, Surfing, and Writing with William Finnegan

  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 • 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

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  58:01
• Abrego Garcia, Powell v. Trump, Education Battles

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

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  1:04:10
• One Thing

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

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  1:37
• Our Constitutional Crisis

  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

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  43:24

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