‘They're Running Scared’
September 18, 2026, 7pm: Election officials nationwide are bracing for chaos as the Trump Administration works to sow doubt about the election process. Former federal prosecutor Brendan Ballou joins The Weeknight as early voting gets officially underway in a few states. Plus, Rep. Melanie Stansbu...
Trump and Congress in Hiding as Epstein Scandal Developments Turn Against Them
Popok is joined by Public Integrity Project's founder and Katie Phang's attorney Brendan Ballou for an exclusive briefing about Judge Sullivan's latest orders against the DOJ in her case in which the Judge has threatened contempt sanctions if they don't comply with his production orders. Popok a...
When Companies Run the Courts: How Corporate Power Becomes Legal Power (with Brendan Ballou)
We like to think that if a company cheats us, steals our wages, or breaks the law, we can take them to court. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance you’ve already signed that right away.
This week, Brendan Ballou returns to the podcast to explain how forced arbitration created what he calls Ameri...
565. Are Private Equity Firms Plundering the U.S. Economy?
They say they make companies more efficient through savvy management. Critics say they bend the rules to enrich themselves at the expense of consumers and employees. Can they both be right? (Probably not.) RESOURCES:
Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America, by Brendan Ballou (2023).
Two...
How companies weaponize the terms of service against you
Brendan Ballou is founder of the Public Integrity Project and author of the new book, When Companies Run the Courts, about the rise of forced arbitration. Forced arbitration is similarly everywhere in modern life, and there have been some very high-profile cases these past few years highlightin...
Remix: How private equity took over everything
Private equity is a simple concept — a PE firm uses some combination of money and debt to buy a company, then makes a profit — but the reality of what happens to the companies that get acquired is anything but. It's everywhere, and it's not going away. In this summer remix, we're talking with Bre...
Private equity bought out your doctor and bankrupted Toys”R”Us. Here’s why that matters.
The idea behind private equity or PE is simple: a private equity firm gathers up a bunch of cash, raises some investor cash and takes on a lot of debt to buy various companies, often taking them off the public stock market. Then, they usually install new management and embark on aggressive cost c...
Are Private Equity Firms Plundering the U.S. Economy? (Update)
They say they make companies more efficient through savvy management. Critics say they bend the rules to enrich themselves at the expense of consumers and employees. Can they both be right? (Probably not.)
SOURCES:
Brendan Ballou, C.E.O. of the Public Integrity Project.
Dan Glickberg, ventur...
Are Private Equity Firms Plundering the U.S. Economy? (Update)
They say they make companies more efficient through savvy management. Critics say they bend the rules to enrich themselves at the expense of consumers and employees. Can they both be right? (Probably not.)
SOURCES:
Brendan Ballou, C.E.O. of the Public Integrity Project.
Dan Glickberg, ventur...
Are Private Equity Firms Plundering the U.S. Economy? (Update)
They say they make companies more efficient through savvy management. Critics say they bend the rules to enrich themselves at the expense of consumers and employees. Can they both be right? (Probably not.)
SOURCES:
Brendan Ballou, C.E.O. of the Public Integrity Project.
Dan Glickberg, venture-...
