Lost Debate
Good-faith conversations that cut through the noise.
Have you lost trust in polarizing, partisan media? If so, check out The Lost Debate Podcast, a twice-weekly podcast that brings you news, ideas, and arguments from around the political spectrum, engaging in the good-faith discussions that too much of our society and media are missing. Hosts Ravi Gupta — former Obama staffer turned school principal — and New York Post columnist Rikki Schlott cut through the noise and bring you what’s really going on all around the country.
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HOSTS
![](https://thebranchmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ravi-032723.png)
Before launching Lost Debate, Ravi founded Arena, where he led a team that helped elect over 75 candidates and train over 1500 political operatives. He’s the co-founder and chair of Second Chance Studios, a media company that exclusively employs the formerly incarcerated, and serves as the co-host of Majority 54, a political podcast about talking to friends and family with different political beliefs. Before Arena, he was the founder and CEO of RePublic Schools, a network of charter schools in the South. He also held a number of roles on Obama’s first campaign and first term, including as assistant to David Axelrod and Susan Rice — where he was “a slightly more substantive version of Gary from Veep.” A native of Staten Island, he graduated from Yale Law School, where, unbeknownst to the faculty, he was a pioneer in the concept of remote schooling, and Binghamton University, where he received an excellent and reasonably priced education.
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![](https://thebranchmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Rikki-032723.png)
Rikki Schlott, a self-proclaimed “old person trapped in a young person’s body” is a libertarian journalist, commentator, and politically homeless member of Gen-Z. In addition to being a host at Lost Debate, Rikki is a New York Post columnist, a contributor at Reason Magazine, and a fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Pop culturally clueless and unable to navigate the intricacies of TikTok, Rikki much prefers books to people. If she goes missing, please check the Strand Bookstore’s rare books section prior to calling the authorities. When she isn’t studying history, politics, and philosophy as a part-time student at New York University, Rikki can be found hanging out with her best friend Pippa, a Samoyed puppy who is often confused with a cloud.
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![](https://thebranchmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ravi-032723.png)
Before launching Lost Debate, Ravi founded Arena, where he led a team that helped elect over 75 candidates and train over 1500 political operatives. He’s the co-founder and chair of Second Chance Studios, a media company that exclusively employs the formerly incarcerated, and serves as the co-host of Majority 54, a political podcast about talking to friends and family with different political beliefs. Before Arena, he was the founder and CEO of RePublic Schools, a network of charter schools in the South. He also held a number of roles on Obama’s first campaign and first term, including as assistant to David Axelrod and Susan Rice — where he was “a slightly more substantive version of Gary from Veep.” A native of Staten Island, he graduated from Yale Law School, where, unbeknownst to the faculty, he was a pioneer in the concept of remote schooling, and Binghamton University, where he received an excellent and reasonably priced education.
close
![](https://thebranchmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Rikki-032723.png)
Rikki Schlott, a self-proclaimed “old person trapped in a young person’s body” is a libertarian journalist, commentator, and politically homeless member of Gen-Z. In addition to being a host at Lost Debate, Rikki is a New York Post columnist, a contributor at Reason Magazine, and a fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Pop culturally clueless and unable to navigate the intricacies of TikTok, Rikki much prefers books to people. If she goes missing, please check the Strand Bookstore’s rare books section prior to calling the authorities. When she isn’t studying history, politics, and philosophy as a part-time student at New York University, Rikki can be found hanging out with her best friend Pippa, a Samoyed puppy who is often confused with a cloud.
close
![](https://thebranchmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ravi-032723.png)
Before launching Lost Debate, Ravi founded Arena, where he led a team that helped elect over 75 candidates and train over 1500 political operatives. He’s the co-founder and chair of Second Chance Studios, a media company that exclusively employs the formerly incarcerated, and serves as the co-host of Majority 54, a political podcast about talking to friends and family with different political beliefs. Before Arena, he was the founder and CEO of RePublic Schools, a network of charter schools in the South. He also held a number of roles on Obama’s first campaign and first term, including as assistant to David Axelrod and Susan Rice — where he was “a slightly more substantive version of Gary from Veep.” A native of Staten Island, he graduated from Yale Law School, where, unbeknownst to the faculty, he was a pioneer in the concept of remote schooling, and Binghamton University, where he received an excellent and reasonably priced education.
close
![](https://thebranchmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Rikki-032723.png)
Rikki Schlott, a self-proclaimed “old person trapped in a young person’s body” is a libertarian journalist, commentator, and politically homeless member of Gen-Z. In addition to being a host at Lost Debate, Rikki is a New York Post columnist, a contributor at Reason Magazine, and a fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Pop culturally clueless and unable to navigate the intricacies of TikTok, Rikki much prefers books to people. If she goes missing, please check the Strand Bookstore’s rare books section prior to calling the authorities. When she isn’t studying history, politics, and philosophy as a part-time student at New York University, Rikki can be found hanging out with her best friend Pippa, a Samoyed puppy who is often confused with a cloud.
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EPISODES
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All Seasons
Episode 46
Which Party’s Changed More, Market Turmoil, ACLU, Cap Hill Union, NY Maps
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Episode 45
Roe v. Wade Updates, FDA Bans Menthols, Section 230, Wearable Heath-Tech
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Episode 44
Student Debt, Ohio Primary, Teen Mental Health, China Lockdowns, Chappelle
about the episode