Lost Debate from The Branch
The Lost Debate is part of The Branch, a non-profit media company combating two of the biggest problems in America today: polarization and misinformation. We bring people together for nuanced conversations while challenging each other in good faith.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 13
- Latest publication
- Sep 24, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 7, 2026
Latest issues
Nikole Hannah-Jones, WH Press Ban, Ed Sheeran (opens the original)
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Ravi is joined by Jeremiah, host of the New Liberal podcast, for a wide-ranging conversation that starts with the seemingly endless things people blame on capitalism. Then they take on Nikole Hannah-Jones’s account of choosing a school that reflected her beliefs about integration—and realizing her daughter wasn’t getting the education that was best for her. They also discuss the White House’s restrictions on press access, the Trump administration’s ties to right-wing influencers, and the Ed Shee
The Skillbatical (opens the original)
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To celebrate the launch of his new book, The Invisible List, Ravi shares an audiobook excerpt about his “skill sabbatical” learning to surf—an exhilarating, difficult, and at times terrifying pursuit. Along the way, he explains how he transformed his life by treating each year like a school year—and himself as his only student. But the chapter isn’t really about surfing; it’s about facing fear, embracing discomfort, and finally tackling the big thing on your invisible list—the one you’ve dreamed
Will AI Lead to Socialism? (opens the original)
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As AI becomes capable of doing more of the work once reserved for highly educated people, could it push society toward socialism? Labor lawyer and policy thinker Matt Bruenig joins Ravi to imagine a future in which human intelligence no longer carries the same economic value, traditional careers disappear, and education must be reinvented. They examine how people might earn a living and find purpose in a world with far less human labor—and whether AI will reduce inequality or concentrate even mo
Did Al-Qaeda lose? (opens the original)
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Journalist Graeme Wood explores how the son of a wealthy Saudi construction magnate became the world’s most notorious terrorist, the fatal miscalculations behind 9/11, and how Al-Qaeda evolved into a powerful global network. He explains where Al-Qaeda remains strongest, whether it still threatens the United States, and how modern surveillance has transformed the fight against terrorism.Graeme Wood’s The Way of the Strangers: Encounters
Negative Immigration, Trump on Data Centers, Alpha Schools (opens the original)
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Ravi examines the economic consequences of Trump’s immigration crackdown as net migration turns negative and labor shortages ripple across the country. He also unpacks Trump’s full-throated support for data centers—even as opposition grows among Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike. Then, educator Dan Meyer joins the show to scrutinize Alpha School, the buzzy AI-powered model promising students twice the learning in just two hours a day. Is Alpha reinventing education—or making bold cl
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