Expertly-curated progressive politics, news, and culture produced by leftist humans, not algorithms or AI. This is an award-winning podcast that dives deeply into a wide range of national and international issues facing society and governments. We draw from hundreds of sources of progressive news and commentary. Est. 2006. Save time by listening to a range of perspectives on a focused topic in each episode and be introduced to new sources you will not have come across on your own!
Listeners of Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy that love the show mention: young turks, progressive talk, progressive news, counterspin, rachel maddow, front page, jay does a great job, thanks jay, thank you jay, progressive podcasts, collects, tomlinson, stephen colbert, lee camp, best of the left podcast, aggregation, citizen radio, brings together, compiling, culling.
The Best of the Left - Progressive Politics and Culture, Curated by a Human podcast is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to expand their understanding of current events and progressive ideas. With great content, diverse voices, and excellent curation by Jay, this podcast offers a unique perspective that is often missing from traditional news outlets. It features wonderful music and covers a wide range of topics that are both interesting and relevant. The show provides valuable insights that help listeners navigate the chaos happening around them.
One of the best aspects of this podcast is its ability to bring together various voices that are not typically heard on TV or in daily news coverage. It offers a platform for marginalized voices and amplifies the perspectives of those who are often excluded from mainstream media. This diversity of voices helps provide a more comprehensive understanding of complex issues.
Another standout feature is the strong curation by Jay and his team. They carefully select the best content from across the progressive pod-universe and present it in one place. This saves listeners time and effort in searching for information themselves. The episodes are well-organized around specific themes or topics, allowing for deep dives into important subjects.
While there are many positive aspects to this podcast, one potential downside is its length. Episodes can be quite long, usually around 90 minutes, which may be too much for some listeners to commit to on a regular basis. However, considering the amount of valuable information presented in each episode, it can be seen as a worthwhile trade-off.
In conclusion, The Best of the Left - Progressive Politics and Culture, Curated by a Human podcast is an exceptional resource for anyone seeking diverse perspectives on current events and progressive ideas. Its great content, wonderful music, and strong curation make it stand out among other podcasts in similar genres. While it may require a time commitment due to its length, the wealth of insights provided make it well worth it. Overall, this podcast serves as an invaluable tool for understanding the world around us and encourages critical thinking and informed discussions.
Air Date: 3/3/2026 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we examine the multi-front struggle for control: military force and economic coercion seizing resources abroad, institutions weaponized to constrain bodies at home, platforms and propaganda capturing minds, and the democratic resistance proving that organized people can still win. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! PART 1: TAKING WHAT THEY WANT (00:02:31) #1762 - Trump's Imperialistic Shakedown of Venezuela 1: Trump Admits Venezuela Attacks Are All About Their Oil - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 12-18-25 2: USA Is the Worst Pirate on Earth: Trump Boasts of Stealing Venezuela's Oil - Geopolitical Economy Report - Air Date 12-26-25 3: Trump's Piracy in the Caribbean - The Real News Podcast - Air Date 12-23-25 (00:29:28) #1768 - The End of an Era: The International Rules-Based Order Gives Way to Trump's Might-Makes-Right Plutocracy 4: Gaza, Venezuela, and Greenland Mark End of World Legal Order Set up in 1945 - Redeye - Air Date 1-19-26 5: "Empire in Decline": Historian Alfred McCoy on U.S. Aggression in Venezuela, Iran & Beyond - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-13-26 6: Mark Carney and the New World Order - Front Burner - Air Date 1-20-26 (00:53:33) #1764 - Wealth Inequality is Bad for Society and There's No Good Counterargument 7: The Capitalist Mindset - The Market Exit - Air Date 12-9-25 8: Where Are Americas Leaders? - Robert Reich and Inequality Media Civic Action - Air Date 1-6-26 PART 2: CONTROLLING BODIES (01:04:42) #1766 - The Fragility of State Violence: The ICE Occupation, Renee Good, and the Minneapolis Uprising 9: Abolish ICE - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-7-26 10: ICE Is a Way to Deal With Surplus Males - Therese - Air Date 1-9-25 11: ICE Can Hack Your Phone Without You Knowing - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 9-5-25 (01:30:58) #1763 - It's Not a Health Care System, it's a Wealth Extraction System 12: 20M Americans Set to Lose Healthcare Coverage Jan. 1 After Congress Goes on Recess - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-30-25 13: Agonizing Choices on ACA Deadline Day Part 1 - Brian Lehrer_ A Daily Podcast - Air Date 12-15-25 14: Medicare For All Non-Negotiable #3 Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 2-8-25 (01:57:14) #1767 - Wars Are Won By Teachers and Trump is Attacking Them Like a Foreign Adversary 15: 'Abandoning' Kids' Futures AFT Pres. Slams Trump Dept. of Education Changes - MS NOW - Air Date 11-19-25 16: How Trumps Agenda Hurts College Students - Right Now With Perry Bacon - Air Date 11-19-25 17: Trump Set to Garnish Wages for Student Loan Defaults - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-30-25 PART 3: CONTROLLING MINDS (02:20:20) #1773 - How Big Tech Captured Attention, Kids, and Democracy 18: Trouble at TikTok Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 2-4-26 19: Is Social Media Having Its Big Tobacco Moment Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 2-16-26 20: DMs! My Kingdom For DMs! - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 2-17-26 (02:46:22) #1765 - AI Capitalism Will Not Deliver an AI Utopia 21: The AI Bubble Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 10-28-25 22: Desperate OpenAI Turns To Erotica - Novara Media - Air Date 10-16-25 23: Trump Considers Order to Override State Regulations on Artificial Intelligence - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 11-20-25 (03:09:13) #1772 - From Fragile to Fascist: How Broken Masculinity Feeds Authoritarianism 24: The Terrifying Rise of "Vice Signalling" - JimmyTheGiant - Air Date 1-28-26 25: The Incel to ICE Pipeline (with F.D Signifier and Caroline Kwan) Part 1 - Matt Bernstein - Air Date 2-6-26 26: The Rise of the Authoritarian-Curious - Then & Now - Air Date 2-9-26 (03:35:07) #1769 - Politics Beyond the Ballot Box: Elections and the Movements that Power Them 27: Donald Trump Wants to Cancel the Midterm Elections Part 1 - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-16-26 28: The Next Socialist In Congress with Claire Valdez Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 1-22-26 PART 4: THE PEOPLE PUSH BACK (03:48:36) #1770 - Getting in the Fight Against ICE and Authoritarianism 29: What I've Learned From Reading History - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-28-26 30: Americans Flex Democratic Muscles to Show That, Together, They're Stronger Than Trump - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 1-27-26 31: ICE Out of Minnesota: Unions & Churches Lead Economic Blackout in "Day of Truth and Freedom" - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-23-26 (04:04:47) #1771 - They Need You in the Dark: Information, Journalism, and the Fight Against Fascism 32: AG Bondi Confirms FBI Executed Search Warrant at WaPo Reporter's Home - MS Now - Air Date 1-13-26 33: Why Trump Arresting Journalists Is a Sign of Weakness - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-30-26 34: Humor Can Topple Dictators Part 1 - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 10-18-25 Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Original Air Date: 3-1-2024 We don't have to think too hard to understand the fears of a world in which work, and the ability of millions to support themselves, are lost to automation and artificial intelligence. But that is only a capitalist future in which the benefits of technological advancement are hoarded by the already-wealthy. Today we imagine a different path. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Introduction to Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work by Srnicek & Williams - Dank Audio Stash - Air Date 4-8-21 Introduction to Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work by Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams Ch. 2: The People's Republic of Walmart Interview with Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski - Novara Media - Air Date 6-13-19 Since the demise of the USSR, the mantle of the largest planned economies in the world has been taken up by the likes of Walmart, Amazon and other multinational corporations. Ch. 3: The Two Futures Of Automation Capitalism VS Socialism - Second Thought - Air Date 12-15-21 With jobs being automated and handed off to machines at an ever-increasing pace, it's only natural to consider what our future will look like. Ch. 4: Planet of the Robots: Four Futures of AI (Documentary) - 1Dime - Air Date 10-15-21 In this video we will be discussing automation, which is often confused with being the 'technological revolution' in it of itself as it is what the mainstream focuses on, and for good reason, as how we handle automation will determine the trajectory or co Ch. 5: Universal Basic Income Explained (An Automation Solution) - Futurology - Air Date 5-28-24 With jobs being automated and handed off to machines at an ever-increasing pace, it's only natural to consider what our future will look like. Ch. 6: The Two Futures Of Automation Capitalism VS Socialism Part 2 - Second Thought - Air Date 12-15-21 In this video we will be discussing automation, which is often confused with being the 'technological revolution' in it of itself as it is what the mainstream focuses on, and for good reason, as how we handle automation will determine the trajectory or co Ch. 7: Universal Basic Income Explained (An Automation Solution) Part 2 - Futurology - Air Date 5-28-24 Since the demise of the USSR, the mantle of the largest planned economies in the world has been taken up by the likes of Walmart, Amazon and other multinational corporations. Ch. 8: The People's Republic of Walmart Interview with Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski Part 2 - Novara Media - Air Date 6-13-19 Ch. 9: The People's Republic of Walmart Interview with Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski Part 3 - Novara Media - Air Date 6-13-19 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS: Description: Photo of a patch on a backpack that says "What would you do if your income were taken care of?" Credit: "Berlin UBI March" by Patrick Maynard, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Original Air Date: 1/31/2023 Today, we take a look at just some of the nearly infinite ways in which our society, culture and economy are infused from top to bottom with Scam Culture™ that is bleeding us dry both financially and mentally. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: The Grift Economy: Everything is a scam, always. - Thought Slime - Air Date 11-5-21 For those that need to read this: you aren't a capitalist. You're capital. Ch. 2: Power and Corruption: The Devos Family - iilluminaughtii - Air Date 1-20-23 Betsy DeVos and her family have been important figures in the business world for decades. They're involved in a massive MLM, invest in shady businesses, and have put their money toward politics for as long as anyone can remember. Ch. 3: Bill Black: The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One - theAnalysis.news - Air Date 5-31-21 How does a corrupt mortgage scam by brokers in California become a massive national fraud that puts the whole economy into a deep crisis? Bill Black on theAnalysis.news with Paul Jay. Ch. 4: Why FTX's Crypto Scam Is A Tale As Old As Time - The Problem With Jon Stewart Podcast - Air Date 12-7-22 "Whatever fun name you wanna put on it, it's the same damn thing we've seen over and over again." David Dayen, Executive Editor of The American Prospect, joins us to talk through the spectacular rise and fall of crypto exchange FTX Ch. 5: The Gig Economy Was Always A Scam - Wisecrack - Air Date 8-8-22 The gig economy has revolutionized how we think about work, but not necessarily for the better. How have a bunch of multi-billion-dollar companies like Uber or Instacart so fundamentally changed our economy? Ch. 6: Why Spotify Will Ultimately Fail - Benn Jordan - Air Date 1-9-23 An investor's guide to breaking the thing you're trying to sell. Ch. 7: James O'Brien caller wrote his dissertation on 'incel' culture - LBC - Air Date 1-27-23 Explaining the appeal of Andrew Tate and his accolites to young, insecure men Ch. 8: TikToker Exposes New A.I. Scam That Is Absolutely TERRIFYING - Rebel HQ - Air Date 1-13-23 TikToker @benno56 shares his family's experience with a terrifying new A.I. voice-mimicking scam. Max Burns breaks it down. Ch. 9: Mark Rober's Prank And The Truth About Scammers And Capitalism - Second Thought - Air Date 6-17-22 Scam call centers are just one cancerous offshoot of bureaucracy under capitalism, and while pranking these places may be cathartic, it's not enough to tackle the root cause. Ch. 10: Is all money just a ponzi scheme? | Vicki Robin - Big Think - Air Date 7-22-18 "Money, it's a gas," wrote Pink Floyd's Roger Waters for their hit 'Money'. Author, speaker, and social innovator Vicki Robin would probably agree: she posits that most people don't understand the true, human, working value of money. Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 2-17-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - The "dual state" concept coined by German Jewish political scientist and labor lawyer Ernst Fraenkel in his 1941 book "The Dual State: A Contribution to the Theory of Dictatorship" Ch. 2 - Navigating the psychological toll of living under authoritarianism Ch. 3 - "Woke 2.0" as a movement, and dismantling conservative critiques of virtue Ch. 4 - What is actually required to build an effective, broad anti-authoritarian coalition movement SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): Deprograming Nazis and the "run the ball" football strategy for our times Leave a message on our new system! FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES Your friends are still acting like everything is normal in America. What do you do? - Vox They Were Ordinary Germans. We Are Ordinary Americans. - The New York Times How to Survive the Information War - The Atlantic Galaxy Brain podcast: How to Be A Citizen in the Information War (And Stay Sane) - Galaxy Brain (The Atlantic) Can Woke 2 Go IRL? Even Thomas Chatterton Williams Thinks It's Possible - Vanity Fair Why Hannah Arendt and the Banality of Evil Still Matter Today - Philosopedia The Popular Front Isn't Foreign — It's American /// Want to Fight Fascism? Look to U.S. History. - In These Times As Congress Begins to Grapple With Restrictions on ICE, States Take Matters Into Their Own - Talking Points Memo Lawmakers visit Minnesota for inspiration — and to warn the nation - Minnesota Reformer BACKSTAGE We Must Establish The Run Against Authoritarianism - Bad Faith Times EXTRAS: 00:13:27 Best of the Left #1770 - Getting in the Fight Against ICE and Authoritarianism 00:19:42 Best of the Left Bonus Edition #334 - "Collaborators, Internal Exiles, and Dissidents" from Jan. 26, 2025 (pre-YouTube) SAMPLE | MEMBERS Prosecutor Fired After Voicing Frustration With Immigration Caseload - The New York Times F Minus Comics TAKE ACTION: How to Support Minneapolis Communities In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY No Kings Next Steps One Million Rising Trainings 5calls.org Find your Indivisible group - or start one Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Air Date: 2/23/2026 Today we examine how the platforms that monetize your attention are merging with state power. We'll hear how TikTok's new owners include Trump ally Larry Ellison, how DHS sent hundreds of subpoenas to unmask anonymous ICE critics, how Ring's Super Bowl ad cheerfully introduced AI-powered neighborhood surveillance, and how the social media addiction trials that are being likened to the Big Tobacco settlement of the 90s, are finally exposing what these companies knew about the harmful nature of their products all along. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Chris Hayes in Conversation with Jonathan Haidt About The Sirens Call Part 1 - All In W Chris Hayes - Air Date 2-10-26 KP 2: Trouble at TikTok Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 2-4-26 KP 3: Is Social Media Having Its Big Tobacco Moment Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 2-16-26 KP 4: The Social Media Addiction Trials Begin Part 1 - On The Media - Air Date 2-13-26 KP 5: Ring's Lost Pet Ad Fetching a Surveillance State - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 2-10-26 KP 6: DMs! My Kingdom For DMs! - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 2-17-26 (00:53:14) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Big Tech is the New Big Tobacco - Here's what that means for our future DEEPER DIVES (01:01:11) SECTION A: LAWSUITS A1: Predatory Tech Silicon Valley on Trial in Landmark Youth Social Media Addiction Case Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 2-19-26 A2: Why New Mexico Is Taking Meta to Court - Here & Now Anytime - 2-5-26 A3: The Social Media Addiction Trials Begin Part 2 - On The Media- Air Date 2-13-26 A4: Is Social Media Having Its Big Tobacco Moment Part 2 - The Global Story - Air Date 2-16-26 A5: Trouble at TikTok Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 2-4-26 A6: Predatory Tech Silicon Valley on Trial in Landmark Youth Social Media Addiction Case Part 2 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 2-19-26 (01:44:53) SECTION B: TIKTOK B1: TikTok, Gen Z's Move to Social Media and Elite Panic Over Unsanctioned News Part 1 - Citations Needed - Air Date 2-4-26 B2: TikTok's New Trump-Approved US Owners Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 1-28-26 B3: TikTok, Gen Z's Move to Social Media and Elite Panic Over Unsanctioned News Part 2 - Citations Needed - Air Date 2-4-26 B4: TikTok's New Trump-Approved US Owners Part 2 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 1-28-26 (02:19:50) SECTION C: PLATFORM POWER C1: Tech Giants Are Nothing But Middlemen, with Tim Wu Part 1 - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 2-18-26 C2: The Plan Is to Make the Internet Worse Forever with Cory Doctorow Part 1 - Downstream - Air Date 12-8-25 C3: Let's Talk About Ring, Lost Dogs, and the Surveillance State - Decoder with Nilay Patel - Air Date 2-16-26 C4: Tech Giants Are Nothing But Middlemen, with Tim Wu Part 2 - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 2-18-26 (02:56:37) SECTION D: ATTENTION HARMS D1: Chris Hayes in Conversation with Jonathan Haidt About The Sirens Call Part 2 - All In W Chris Hayes - Air Date 2-10-26 D2: AI Chatbots Upended Their Lives. Then They Turned to Each Other - Consider This - Air Date 2-4-26 D3: The Plan Is to Make the Internet Worse Forever with Cory Doctorow Part 2 - Downstream - Air Date 12-8-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of a pre-teen girl leaning on a table holding a phone in her hands that she looks at so closely it covers her entire face. Credit:"teen iphone smartphone girl" by cyndidyoder83, Pixabay | Pixabay License Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 2/19/2026 Today we trace the pipeline from masculine grievance to fascism. We'll hear how ICE agents' own family members describe them as low-IQ bullies chasing signing bonuses, why a former white nationalist explains that the alternative to unpacking discomfort is becoming overtly racist, how incel culture evolved from lonely forums into a MAGA recruitment tool, and what researchers found about why men socialized to equate violence with manhood end up joining state-sanctioned death squads. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: White Men, We Have A Problem - Swolesome - Air Date 1-7-26 KP 2: Do You Get It Now, Ben? - SOME MORE NEWS - Air Date 2-11-26 KP 3: ICE Agents' Own Family Members Expose How They're "Low IQ" and "Racist" Losers - The Humanist Report - Air Date 2-5-26 KP 4: The Terrifying Rise of "Vice Signalling" - JimmyTheGiant - Air Date 1-28-26 KP 5: Who's We? - PissedMagistus - Air Date 1-17-26 KP 6: The Incel to ICE Pipeline (with F.D Signifier and Caroline Kwan) Part 1 - Matt Bernstein - Air Date 2-6-26 (00:49:13) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR The Manosphere Correctly Diagnoses Some Problems but Their Solutions are a Con DEEPER DIVES (01:04:19) SECTION A: FRAGILE MASCULINITY A1: The Patriarchy Is Fracturing… - Dr. Deneen Speaks - Air Date 1-17-26 A2: Are Women Responsible For Fixing Broken Men? - The Speech Prof - Air Date 2-9-26 A3: Masculinity Isn't Real | The History They Won't Teach - Therese - Air Date 1-27-26 A4: "Any Woman Who Doesn't Find Me Attractive Is LYING!!!" - The Speech Prof - Air Date 1-27-26 (01:27:11) SECTION B: PIPELINE TO HELL B1: The Incel to ICE Pipeline (with F.D Signifier and Caroline Kwan) Part 2 - Matt Bernstein - Air Date 2-6-26 B2: The Masculine Urge to Join a Fascist Death Squad - Signified B Sides - Air Date 1-26-26 B3: Here's Why Tim Pool LOVES ICE - Luke Thomas Gets Political (LTGP) - Air Date 1-27-26 B4: Syril Karn in Andor Is The PERFECT Representation of Fascism! - Film Obsessed - Air Date 1-22-26 B5: Everything Is Gender - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-11-26 (02:07:49) SECTION C: THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE C1: Political Meme Propaganda Machine - Harland Spinks - Air Date 1-25-26 C2: Exposing the Far Right - Against the Grain - Air Date 2-4-26 (02:26:50) SECTION D: AUTHORITARIAN CURIOUS D1: The Contradiction That Exposes Scott Galloway's Real Agenda - Therese - Air Date 12-4-25 D2: The Rise of the Authoritarian-Curious - Then & Now - Air Date 2-9-26 D3: Shirley, He Can't Be This Stupid - We Gon Be Alright - Air Date 1-19-26 D4: America's Nazi Influencers - Novara Media - Air Date 1-20-26 D5: The CRAZY Thing That Connects Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson, Jordan Peterson, and Nick Fuentes - Science Fiction with Damien Walter - Air Date 12-23-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite image of photos of a white man looking sad facing away from the camera, and then enraged looking toward the camera. Credit: Internal composite design. Images by Engin_Akyurt, Pixabay | Pixabay License Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date 2/15/2026 Today we explore the gap between free speech rhetoric and the reality of arrested reporters. We'll hear how a decade of cancel culture panic over college students gave way to actual government suppression of journalists, why the DOJ is perverting a law designed to fight the Ku Klux Klan to prosecute Black journalists, how the administration that promised to "bring back free speech" is maintaining lists of forbidden words, and what history teaches about humor as a weapon against authoritarianism. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: AG Bondi Confirms FBI Executed Search Warrant at WaPo Reporter's Home - MS Now - Air Date 1-13-26 KP 2: Why Trump Arresting Journalists Is a Sign of Weakness - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-30-26 KP 3: The Justice Department Tries to Prosecute Black Journalists Part 1 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 2-3-26 KP 4: Stars and Stripes in Peril Part 1 - On The Media - Air Date 1-28-26 KP 5: Humor Can Topple Dictators Part 1 - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 10-18-25 KP 6: The Effectiveness of Nonviolent Activism - Inside International Affairs - Air Date 2-28-24 (00:52:02) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On why authoritarians are so afraid of the media DEEPER DIVES (01:02:13) SECTION A: STATE REPRESSION A1: One Authoritarian's Playbook - Rights & Wrongs - Air Date 6-2-25 A2: Following Independent Journalists Fighting for Free Press in Russia - Fresh Air - Air Date 2-5-26 A3: Stars and Stripes in Peril Part 2 - On The Media - Air Date 1-28-26 A4: FBI Searches Reporter's Home, Raising Concerns About Intimidation of Free Press - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 1-14-26 (01:26:49) SECTION B: LEGAL ATTACKS B1: Trump Lashes Out at Reporter, Highlighting a Pattern of Attacking Press He Dislikes - Trump's Terms - Air Date 11-20-25 B2: Trump Continues Series of Verbal Attacks on Female Reporters - Anderson Cooper 360 - Air Date 12-9-25 B3: Deportation of Reporter Mario Guevara's Is Attack on Free Speech and Journalism - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-3-25 B4: Don Lemon Arrested for Reporting on Minneapolis, 12 States Are Suing HHS, and Queer Artists Win Big at the Grammy's - Queer News - Air Date 2-2-26 B5: Journalism Is Not a Crime: Georgia Fort & Don Lemon Arrested for Covering St. Paul Church Protest - Democracy Now! - Air Date 2-2-26 B6: The Justice Department Tries to Prosecute Black Journalists Part 2 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 2-3-26 (02:03:30) SECTION C: MEDIA INSTITUTIONS C1: Will Journalists Choose to Save or Sink Democracy with Joy Reid & Dean Obeidallah Part 1 - Laura Flanders and Friends - Air Date 1-23-26 C2: The Washington Post Cuts and the Role of the Foreign Correspondent - The Monocle Daily - Air Date 2-5-26 C3: 'If You Can Keep It' The Future Of The Free Press Part 1 - 1A - Air Date 2-2-26 C4: Will Journalists Choose to Save or Sink Democracy with Joy Reid & Dean Obeidallah Part 2 - Laura Flanders and Friends - Air Date 1-23-26 C5: 'If You Can Keep It' The Future Of The Free Press Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 2-2-26 C6: Setareh Ghandehari on ICE Violence, Jon Schleuss on Pittsburgh Paper Shutdown - CounterSpin - Air Date 1-16-26 (02:56:52) SECTION D: LAUGHTIVISM D1: Humor Can Topple Dictators Part 2 - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 10-18-25 D2: Biology!, Jokes About Death & Humor as a Practice of Resistance with ALOK - The Daily Show - Air Date 1-15-25 D3: The Power of Laughtivism | Srdja Popovic at TEDxBG - TEDx Talks - Air Date 2-14-13 D4: ICE Agents Can't Keep It Together When Protester Trolls Them - The Majority Report - Air Date 10-12-25 D5: A Message From The Frog Resistance - The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - Air Date 10-13-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite design of a photo of a press pass on a lanyard on a table overlaying a photo of an ICE protest in Minneapolis. Credit: Internal design. Photo 1: "Standard Press Credentials - Minneapolis Civil Unrest" by Tony Webster, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Cropped & blended | Photo 2: "Protest against ICE in downtown Minneapolis" by Fibonacci Blue, Flickr | CC BY 4.0 | Cropped & blended Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 2-3-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - Trump's Pillars of Support, and plugging into community building & local support networks Ch. 2 - Case studies in success: Avelo Airlines & Spotify and why they matter Ch. 3 - Pressure campaigns at home and abroad and why they are important Ch. 4 - The new cracks in MAGA, and building up the political opposition party we need SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): The second amendment folks' weird moment after ICE murdered Alex Pretti FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES DISCUSSED Why Nonviolent Resistance Doesn't Require Your Opponent to Have a Conscience - Tim Hjersted, Films for Action Think There's Nothing You Can Do to Stop ICE? Think Again. - The Nation Here's How We Pressured an Airline to End Its Contract With ICE - TruthOut Want to Stop ICE? Go After Its Corporate Collaborators. - The Nation CEOs of major Minnesota businesses finally speak out, sign meek call for 'deescalation' - Bring Me The News 'Tariff for Oligarchs': Top Economist Urges Europe to Fight Trump by Punishing US Billionaires - Common Dreams Some Conservatives Veer Off Party Line After DHS Agents Kill Another US Citizen - Mother Jones Here's Your Damn Playbook, Democrats - The New Republic This Could Be the Moment MAGA Collapses - The New Republic MORE RESOURCES Here's How to Find Out Which Corporations Are Collaborating With ICE - Little Sis How to Weaken ICE: Cut Off the Corporations That Make Deportations Possible: Unified Strategy to Join, Support, or Build Boycott Campaigns Against ICE Vendors and Suppliers - Herman Legal Group We Must Establish The Run Against Authoritarianism - Bad Faith Times BACKSTAGE Trump is Making an Enemy of the Gun Lobby - The Intercept EXTRAS: Meta lays off employees across multiple teams - Tech Crunch (Oct 16, 2024) People Think Amazon Is an E-Commerce Company, but 74% of Its Profit Comes From This Instead Best of the Left #1769 Politics Beyond the Ballot Box: Elections and the Movements that Power Them Fox News's Peter Doocy Confronts Kristi Noem: 'Is It the Protocol To Use Deadly Force' if Alex Pretti 'Was Disarmed?' ICE confirms new office in College Park - Atlanta News First Ossoff Inquires about Rumored New ICE Detention Facility - Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) Prominent MAGA streamer compares ICE to Gestapo after Pretti shooting TAKE ACTION: How to Support Minneapolis Communities In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY No Kings Next Steps One Million Rising Trainings 5calls.org Find your Indivisible group - or start one Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Air Date 2/10/2026 Today we explore what effective resistance actually looks like. We'll hear why Jamelle Bouie says the panic of those in power signals that opposition is working, what abolitionists teach us about fighting without knowing the ending, and how Minneapolis proved that democratic force can overwhelm physical force. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: What I've Learned From Reading History - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-28-26 KP 2: Five Ways to Fight Trumps Fascism - Robert Reich - Air Date 8-19-25 KP 3: Abolish ICE! No Brainer. Then What? Also, How? - Matthew Cooke - Air Date 1-27-26 KP 4: "They Have Agency In This Moment. They Can Walk Away" - Maria J. Stephan's Message To ICE Officers - The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - Air Date 1-23-26 KP 5: Democrats Need To Change How We Talk About ICE | Kat Abughazaleh For Illinois - Kat Abughazaleh - Air Date 1-26-26 KP 6: Gadgets For People Who Don't Trust The Government - Benn Jordan - Air Date 1-4-26 KP 7: What Does Minnesota Today Tell Us About What Resistance Requires? - Tad Stoermer - Air Date 1-24-26 KP 8: What Is a General Strike (and Why Did the U.S. Outlaw Them) - More Perfect Union - Air Date 5-1-25 KP 9: Elites Shit Themselves as Serious Momentum Builds for a Nationwide General Strike - The Humanist Report - Air Date 1-28-26 KP 10: We Don't Need Irony. Just Make It Good - Jessie Gender - Air Date 1-26-26 (00:49:16) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the war on empathy A Time to Be Cringe: Why Gen Z Needs Some Millenial Humor (SOLVED! #29 - 12-12-25) DEEPER DIVES (00:59:25) SECTION A: WHAT DO WE WANT A1: Force the Fight: A Resistance History Lesson From the Anti-Federalists - Tad Stoermer - Air Date 1-26-26 A2: Trump's Vacant Stare Is Sending Shockwaves Around the World - Heather Delaney Reese - Air Date 1-24-26 A3: The Kids Aren't Alright - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 1-25-26 (01:21:40) SECTION B: WHAT DID WE WANT B1: Beyond the Ballot Box: Pacification and Intergenerational Memory in Social Movements Part 1 - Radicals in Conversation - Air Date 11-28-24 B2: The Black Labor Movement Part 1 - Against the Grain - Air Date 1-20-26 B3: Policing the Civil Rights Movement - Against the Grain - Air Date 1-26-26 (01:50:25) SECTION C: HOW DO WE DO IT C1: Beyond the Ballot Box: Pacification and Intergenerational Memory in Social Movements Part 2 - Radicals in Conversation - Air Date 11-28-24 C2: The 3.5 Percent Rule - Erica Chenoweth - You Are Not So Smart - Air Date 5-11-25 C3: ICE Protesters GO OFF After Alex Pretti Murder: "Trump's Troops SLAYING US in the Street!" - Status Coup News - Air Date 1-25-26 C4: "We Stand with Minneapolis": Baltimore Marches Against ICE - The Real News Network - Air Date 1-24-26 C5: Americans Flex Democratic Muscles to Show That, Together, They're Stronger Than Trump - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 1-27-26 (02:24:10) SECTION D: WHAT WORKS D1: ICE Out of Minnesota: Unions & Churches Lead Economic Blackout in "Day of Truth and Freedom" - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-23-26 D2: "ICE Out": Tens of Thousands March in Minnesota in General Strike Against Immigration Raids - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-26-26 D3: The Black Labor Movement Part 2 - Against the Grain - Air Date 1-20-26 D4: 1946 Oakland General Strike - Stuff You Missed in History Class - Air Date 3-24-25 D5: Confronting Capitalism: Why the US Never Got a Labor Party - Jacobin Radio - Air Date 1-21-26 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of a protest in Minneapolis showing people holding signs that say "ICE is not welcome!" And "FUCK ICE" and "ICE OUT OF MN", etc. Credit: "Protest against ICE in Minneapolis" by Fibonacci Blue via Flickr | CC BY 4.0 | Cropped Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Original Air Date: 8-25-2017 Today we look at the constant struggle between the freedom to speak and the necessary limits placed on that freedom due to the rights of others to not be substantially harmed by that speech Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! Show Notes Ch. 1: WSJ Reports: ACLU Rethinks Defending Hate Groups Protesting with Guns - Wochit News - Air Date 8-17-17 Ch. 2: ACLU Will No Longer Defend Hate Groups Protesting With Firearms - MSNBC Ch. 3: Understanding the line between free speech and hate speech - BackStory - Air Date 8-23-17 Ch. 4: I was a prominent neo-Nazi. Ignoring white extremists is a mistake. - Vox - Air Date 4-14-17 Ch. 5: Nazis Don't Get Free Speech! - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 08-22-17 Ch. 6: Understanding who joins Antifa - Trumpcast from @Slate - Air Date 8-18-17 Ch. 7: How Do We Define Hate Speech? - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 8-21-17 Ch. 8: Antifa: A Look at the Antifascist Movement Confronting White Supremacists in the Streets - @DemocracyNow - Air Date: 08-16-17 Ch. 9: How not to fall for fascist rhetoric - 1943 US War Department Voicemails Ch. 19: Free speech absolutism - Ryan in Minneapolis, MN Ch. 20: Free speech absolutism is bullshit - Zach from Atlanta, GA Ch. 21: Railing against free speech would be a gift to the right - Todd from Delaware, OH Ch. 22: Recommending Chomsky video - Elizabeth from North Carolina Ch. 23: The Constitution is not a suicide pact - Will from Mississippi Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 01-28-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch 1 - Why it's not actually "fun" to be right too early (despite being called 'insufferable') Ch 2 - The political elites and neoliberals who are frantically changing their tune now that a left-wing populist movement is here Ch 3 - The Cassandras of the Left who knew and tried to warn that Trump would be a fascist Ch 4 - The Anti-Alarmists who stifled the Cassandras warnings Ch 5 - What if we actually listened to the Left next time? SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): That one time progressives were very wrong FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES The Left is Always Right Too Early - Current Affairs Well, It's Time for Populism, They Guess - Slate The Trump Backers Who Have Buyer's Remorse - The Atlantic The Vibe Shifts Against the Right - NY Times The Americans Who Saw All This Coming—but Were Ignored and Maligned - The New Republic The Resistance Libs Were Right - NY Times BACKSTAGE Eugenics: the skeleton that rattles loudest in the left's closet - The Guardian EXTRAS: Hot Dog Car Sketch - I Think You Should Leave CLIP: Leigh McGowan (Politics Girl) responds to Scott Jennings on CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip "One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This" by Omar El Akkad (If you buy this book, or another, through this link, you support indie book stores and we get a small commission! Check out other great books on our Bookshop shelf) "A Time to Be Cringe: Why Gen Z Needs Millennial Humor" (SOLVED! #29) TAKE ACTION: How to Support Minneapolis Communities In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY No Kings Next Steps One Million Rising Trainings 5calls.org Find your Indivisible group - or start one Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Air Date 2/1/2026 Today we examine what's actually working against the Trump regime and the role of this year's elections. Unsurprisingly, his own voter fraud investigation just proved him a liar, Democrats are overperforming expectations in House special elections, and Zohran Mamdani's campaign based on having fun in community needs to be a model for every movement against authoritarianism. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Trump Admin's Endless Waste, Fraud, Abuse in Elections Part 1 - The BradCast - Air Date 1-20-26 KP 2: Donald Trump Wants to Cancel the Midterm Elections Part 1 - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-16-26 KP 3: Get Out the Vote with Tom Lopach Part 1 - The Practivist Pod - Air Date 12-4-25 KP 4: Mobilizing the Mamdani Volunteer Army Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 1-12-26 KP 5: Daily Take Is the Post Office About to Decide the 2026 Midterms - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 1-2-26 KP 6: THAT Is A Mandate (feat. Kat Abughazaleh) Part 1 - The Daily Beans - Air Date 11-5-25 KP 7: The Next Socialist In Congress with Claire Valdez Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 1-22-26 (00:55:41) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the role of community and friendship in fighting fascism DEEPER DIVES (01:03:26) SECTION A: IMMIGRATION POLICING A1: THAT Is A Mandate (feat. Kat Abughazaleh) Part 2 - The Daily Beans - Air Date 11-5-25 A2: Mobilizing the Mamdani Volunteer Army Part 2 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 1-12-26 A3: Karen Hunter To Counter Trump We Protest, Fight Back, and Double Down on Building a Community Part 1 - The Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 1-17-26 (01:24:17) SECTION B: POWER AND ORGANIZING B1: The Democratic Party's McClellan Problem - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 12-30-25 B2: Mobilizing the Mamdani Volunteer Army Part 3 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 1-12-26 B3: The Next Socialist In Congress with Claire Valdez Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Date 1-22-26 B4: Working Families Party on Mamdani's Win; 2026 Midterms - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 11-17-25 B5: Karen Hunter To Counter Trump We Protest, Fight Back, and Double Down on Building a Community Part 2 - The Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 1-17-26 (02:04:54) SECTION C: VOTING RIGHTS C1: Donald Trump Wants to Cancel the Midterm Elections Part 2 - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-16-26 C2: Trump Admin's Endless Waste, Fraud, Abuse in Elections Part 2 - The BradCast - Air Date 1-20-26 C3: Justice for Victims, Housing Hope, and the Rise of Progressive Leadership - Good News for Lefties | Daily News for Democracy - Air Date 1-12-26 C4: Get Out the Vote with Tom Lopach Part 2 - The Practivist Pod - Air Date 12-4-25 (02:32:50) SECTION D: CANDIDANCY D1: Hardcore Competence with Kat Abughazaleh - Hysteria - Air Date 1-22-26 D2: Good News Deep Dive with Candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alabama Dakarai Larriett - Good News for Lefties Daily News for Democracy - Air Date 1-24-26 D3: Mamdani's Momentous Win with Sarah Jaffe - The Curve - Air Date 11-5-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of one half of a huge crowd of Zohran Mamdani campaign volunteers in a park holding campaign signs and smiling. Credit: "Zohran Mamdani volunteer canvassers" via Zohran for NYC Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date 1/29/2026 Today we examine the collapse of the American-led, rules-based world order (such as it was) in real time. Canada's Prime Minister pointed out that the emperor has no clothes and declared US hegemony over while Europe called Trump's bluff on Greenland... all the more reason why he would prefer a fake "Board of Peace" that he can rule over as a worldwide plutocracy. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: TACO Returns: Trump 'isolated and Humiliated' by Greenland Saga Says Hayes - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 1-21-26 KP 2: Why Trump Just Threatened Canada in Davos | About That - CBC News - Air Date 1-21-26 KP 3: Trump's War on Iran / Davos / Canada-China Relations with Prof. Jiang Xueqin of Predictive History - Reason2Resist with Dimitri Lascaris - Air Date 1-22-26 KP 4: MAGA Empire with Aslı Bâli and Greg Grandin Part 1 - The Dig - Air Date 1-16-26 KP 5: Iran's Protest Movement with Yassamine Mather and Kevan Harris - Jacobin Radio - Air Date 1-20-26 KP 6: Mehdi Reacts to the Intense Debate Over Iran's Protests - Zeteo - Air Date 1-17-26 (00:44:46) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On why an might-makes-right is evil DEEPER DIVES (00:56:10) SECTION A: GREENLAND (OR IS IT ICELAND?) A1: Chris Hayes' Map-based Theory Behind Trumps Greenland Obsession - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 1-14-26 A2: Why Donald Trump Really Wants Greenland - Full Story - Air Date 1-19-26 A3: 'What Starts World Wars': Trump Ramps up Greenland Obsession, Floats Military Action - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 1-6-26 A4: Trump Threatens Greenland: The Start of World War 3? with Richard Wolff - The Socialist Program with Brian Becker - Air Date 1-21-26 A5: Greenland Tariffs Have European Leaders Ready To Give Up On Trump - Mallen Baker - Air Date 1-18-26 (01:33:49) SECTION B: IRAN IN CHAOS AND STILL A TARGET B1: Iran's Khamenei Says US, Israel Links Behind "thousands Killed" in Protests - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 1-18-26 B2: MAGA Empire with Aslı Bâli and Greg Grandin Part 2 - The Dig - Air Date 1-16-26 B3: News Brief: For Media Reporting on Iran, Trump Suddenly Morphs Into Pro-Democracy Humanitarian - Citations Needed - Air Date 1-17-26 B4: What Will Happen in Iran Now That Protests Have Died Down? - DW News - Air Date 1-17-26 (02:02:12) SECTION C: CANADA MADE AN ADVERSARY C1: Canada Prepares For US INVASION - And Mark Carney Declares US Hegemony OVER - Owen Jone - Air Date 1-21-26 C2: Mark Carney and the New World Order - Front Burner - Air Date 1-20-26 C3: Canada-China Form New Partnership: This Is Huge - The Rational National - Air Date 1-16-26 (02:25:22) SECTION D: THE WORLD MOVES AWAY FROM THE DOLLAR D1: The New Trump World Order - Why, America? with Leeja Miller - Air Date 1-19-26 D2: Oxfam Warns of Rising Authoritarianism & Billionaire Boom - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-21-26 D3: Foreign Central Banks Are Dumping US Debt At Alarming Rates - UNFTR Media - Air Date 12-19-25 (02:50:02) SECTION E: DYING COLONIALIST EMPIRE E1: "Empire in Decline": Historian Alfred McCoy on U.S. Aggression in Venezuela, Iran & Beyond - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-13-26 E2: Will Trump's Board of Peace Replace the UN? - Today in Focus - Air Date 1-21-26 E3: MAGA Empire with Aslı Bâli and Greg Grandin Part 3 - The Dig - Air Date 1-16-26 E4: Gaza, Venezuela, and Greenland Mark End of World Legal Order Set up in 1945 - Redeye - Air Date 1-19-26 E5: America Is Now The Enemy - Large Man Abroad - Air Date 1-20-26 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland standing alone, half in shadow, and off to the right against a wall with logos of the summit. Credit: "President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland" by the U.S. Government via Wikimedia Commons| Public Domain Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Re-Air Date: 01–26-26 Original Air Date: 06-09-24 Unless you were a member in June of 2024, this episode of SOLVED! will be brand new to you! If you were a member back then, THANK YOU and this one is worth a re-listen. We're slowing down production for a little bit to reorganize our production processes, so enjoy this episode from our archives (and before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: - How the media focus on the "politics" of an event trivializes the impact that event has on real people - The detrimental effects combining the daily news grind and the prioritization of profits forces has on news coverage - How keeping news coverage light and ignoring the effects of neoliberalism leaves desperate people vulnerable to fascism - The way history is repeating itself when it comes to news media not treating a demagogue's rhetoric as the emergency it is - The difference between symbolic beliefs vs factual beliefs FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon REFERENCES: Why Americans Hate the Media - The Atlantic (1996) The Media Still Doesn't Grasp the Danger of Trump - The Intercept Don't Believe What They're Telling You About Misinformation - The New Yorker TAKE ACTION: How to Support Minneapolis Communities In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach No Kings Next Steps Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation One Million Rising Trainings Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 Find your Indivisible group - or start one Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Air Date: 1/25/2026 Today we examine education as the battleground for democracy itself. We'll hear how authoritarians erase history to maintain power, why liberal arts colleges don't exist in authoritarian societies, how the administration is punishing universities for their political views, and what the detention of student protesters reveals about the cost of dissent in Trump's America. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Rewriting Reality How the Battle for History Shapes the Future - WhoWhatWhy's Podcasts - Air Date 9-26-24 KP 2: Fighting Fascism with Education - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 9-26-25 KP 3: 'Abandoning' Kids' Futures AFT Pres. Slams Trump Dept. of Education Changes - MS NOW - Air Date 11-19-25 KP 4: 50 Years After the Birth of Special Education, Some Fear for Its Future Under Trump - All Things Considered - Air Date 12-3-25 KP 5: How Trumps Agenda Hurts College Students - Right Now With Perry Bacon - Air Date 11-19-25 KP 6: Trump Set to Garnish Wages for Student Loan Defaults - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-30-25 (00:46:40) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the American and Chinese Cassandras of authoritarianism DEEPER DIVES (00:54:44) SECTION A: EDUCATION AND DEMOCRACY A1: Rewriting Reality How the Battle for History Shapes the Future Part 2 - WhoWhatWhy's Podcasts - Air Date 9-26-24 A2: Fighting Fascism with Education Part 2 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 9-26-25 A3: Because Democracy Depends On It - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 11-29-25 A4: The Great US Brain Drain - Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - Air Date 1-9-25 (01:31:21) SECTION B: EDUCATION AND MONEY B1: Republicans Plan to Overhaul the Federal Student Loan System. Here's What to Know - Trump's Terms - Air Date 4-30-25 B2: How Trumps Agenda Hurts College Students Part 2 - Right Now With Perry Bacon - Air Date 11-19-25 B3: Federal Student Loans Are Changing. Here's What to Expect in 2026 - Morning Edition - Air Date 12-23-25 B4: Community Colleges Face New Challenges as Trump Battles with Higher Education - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 11-18-25 B5: Trump Officials Loosen Strings on Federal Education Money for Iowa. More States Could Follow - Latest Stories From The Associated Press - Air Date 1-7-26 (01:56:44) SECTION C: EDUCATION AND FREE SPEECH C1: 'If You Can Keep It' Trump Takes Aim At Academic Freedom Part 1 - 1A - Air Date 10-20-25 C2: Student Detained for Foreign Policy Views Speaks - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 12-22-25 C3: 'If You Can Keep It' Trump Takes Aim At Academic Freedom Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 10-20-25 C4: Student Detained for Foreign Policy Views Speaks Part 2 - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 12-22-25 (02:27:06) SECTION D: EDUCATION AND THE DOE D1: Inside the Trump Administrations Plan to Change Public Education - ProPublica - Air Date 1-6-25 D2: Trump Hurts His Base Again Education Cuts Hit Red States More, Ending Help for Most Vulnerable - The Briefing - Air Date 7-16-25 D3: Inside the Trump Administrations Plan to Change Public Education Part 2 - ProPublica - Air Date 1-6-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Close up photo of the seal of the US Department of Education with a sign over it that says "CLOSED" Credit: Internal composite design. Elements from Pixabay | Pixabay License Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 1/21/2026 Today we look at ICE's reign of terror as a paramilitary occupation force and the communities pushing back. We'll hear about Renee Goode, an unarmed woman shot dead by federal agents, and Keith Porter, killed by an off-duty agent on New Year's Eve, in addition to historical parallels from Civil-Rights Era Selma, Alabama and the Boston Massacre. The signs of hope here are that the oppressed won those fights and the oppressors were forced to retreat - there's every reason to believe that the same pattern can repeat today. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: 'We Want This Terror to Stop': Ilhan Omar Calls for ICE to Leave Minnesota - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 1-13-26 KP 2: Peaceful Vs. Violent Resistance — What's the Answer? - The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel - Air Date 1-9-26 KP 3: ICE Is a Way to Deal With Surplus Males - Therese - Air Date 1-9-25 KP 4: How Do You Share a Country With People Who Reject Reality? - Cy Canterel - Air Date 1-12-26 KP 5: Abolish ICE - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-7-26 (00:46:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR From the Boston Massacre to Renee Good: How the State Demonizes Its Victims DEEPER DIVES (00:46:37) SECTION A: IT'S ALWAYS BEEN RACISM A1: Trump Wants To 'Ethnically CLEANSE' America: Rep. Frost to Mehdi - Zeteo - Air Date 12-19-26 A2: Making Sense of This Moment | Explainer - Heather Cox Richardson - Air Date 1-8-26 A3: "Stolen From Us": Family Demands Justice for Keith Porter, Black Father Killed by Off-Duty ICE Agent - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-13-26 A4: Black Folks Have Been Warning Us - Elliot Sang Again - Air Date 1-13-26 (01:22:43) SECTION B: ICE ABUSES PEOPLE B1: How Trump's Deportation Campaign Is Reshaping Small Town America - Bloomberg Originals - Air Date 12-1-25 B2: Where ICE Has Taken The Most People | On The Grid - WIRED - Air Date 10-8-25 B3: Why the US Is Deporting so Many People - Johnny Harris - Air Date 10-31-25 (01:50:19) SECTION C: POLICE ARE A DOMESTIC MILITARY C1: ICE Is Evolving Into an Extrajudicial Army. Dr Richard Wolff Explains How - The Real News Network - Air 1-12-26 C2: How America Turned Its Police Into an Army - New Economic Thinking - Air Date 2-28-18 C3: Secretive Border Patrol Program Is Detaining US Citizens for 'suspicious' Travel - Associated Press - Air Date 11-19-25 C4: Why Americas Police Look Like Soldiers - Vox - Air Date 6-25-20 (02:09:52) SECTION D: REVOLUTION D1: Immigration, ICE, and Working Class Rebellion w/ Cecilia Guerrero Part 1 - Upstream - Air Date 1-7-26 D2: More Americans Are Saying the Quiet Part Loud: They Want a Revolution - The Humanist Report - Air Date 1-14-26 D3: Can Anyone Stop ICE? - Today, Explained - Air Date 1-14-26 (02:38:44) SECTION E: ICE IS ABOUT PROJECTING POWER E1: Will ICE Get Away With This? - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 1-15-26 E2: ICE Can Hack Your Phone Without You Knowing - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 9-5-25 E3: 'STUNNING': Trump's DOJ Won't Investigate ICE Shooting, Prompting Outrage and Resignations - The Briefing with Jen Psaki - Air Date 1-13-26 E4: "ICE Is OK with Renee Good's Killing": Journalist Ken Klippenstein on ICE Tactics & Recruitment - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-14-25 (03:10:48) SECTION F: WHAT COMES NEXT? F1: Immigration, ICE, and Working Class Rebellion w/ Cecilia Guerrero Part 2 - Upstream - Air Date 1-7-26 F2: Governor Walz Addresses Ongoing Federal Presence in Minnesota - Office of the Governor of Minnesota - Air Date 1-14-26 F3: Minnesota Is A Training Ground For Whats To Come - Leeja Miller - Air Date 1-12-26 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of ICE in Minneapolis neighborhood facing a group of residents. Credit: "ICE agents in Minneapolis after shooting" by Chad Davis, Flickr | CC by 4.0 Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 01-12-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - Why it's actually NOT a "Male Loneliness Epidemic (TM)" and even the non-crazy male influencers aren't helping Ch. 2 - Why loneliness is better understood by age, and how society has not emotionally equipped men for struggle Ch. 3 - Why American-style capitalism is the root cause of loneliness epidemic and is stranding women and mothers Ch. 4 - Why the solutions for societal loneliness don't align with fascist governments, and calling out those who would rather you stay lonely and buy stuff SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): "Looks Maxing" & our initial thoughts on the invasion of Venezuela" FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES Does Anyone Care That Young Women Are Just as Lonely as Men Are? - Cosmopolitan What Did Men Do to Deserve This? - The New Yorker The male loneliness epidemic is a myth - The Quinnapiac Chronicle Don't blame women for men's loneliness. Blame capitalism - Salon America glorifies what makes it lonely, and women silently pay the price | Opinion - USA Today Unlocking Economic Mobility Through Social Connectedness - Purpose Building Communities America has a loneliness epidemic. Here are 6 steps to address it (2023) - NPR (2023) Why America Needs More Public Pools - The Atlantic EXTRAS: Best of the Left #1433 "The legacy of White Supremacy in schools, health care and public pools" (Aired: Aug. 10, 2021) "Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World" by Anand Giridharadas (If you buy this book, or another, through this link, you support indie book stores and we get a small commission! Check out other great books on our Bookshop shelf) "A Time to Be Cringe: Why Gen Z Needs Millennial Humor" (SOLVED! #29) TAKE ACTION: No Kings Next Steps Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Find your Indivisible group - or start one Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Air Date: 1/17/2026 There's a lot to be concerned about with AI but the biggest concern is the economic system we have in place at the moment when AI is being introduced. Capitalism is not a good steward of new and potentially dangerous technology, as we've seen from Zuckerberg's move-fast-and-break-things era of social media that he later recognized as having triggered a genocide. When the profit drive necessitates light-speed growth, ethical and safety considerations are the first things to be jettisoned and things get broken. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: What Sam Altman Doesn't Want You To Know - More Perfect Union - Air Date 12-19-25 KP 2: The AI Bubble Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 10-28-25 KP 3: The Hidden Forces Driving the AI Bubble Part 1 - Instant Genius - Air Date 11-13-25 KP 4: Desperate OpenAI Turns To Erotica - Novara Media - Air Date 10-16-25 KP 5: Avoiding Fake News in the AI Era Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 1-8-25 KP 6: Trump Considers Order to Override State Regulations on Artificial Intelligence - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 11-20-25 (00:48:47) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On why capitalism is the biggest problem of AI DEEPER DIVES (00:57:14) SECTION A: AL BUBBLE A1: So Are We in an AI Bubble? Here Are Clues to Look for Part 1 - Planet Money - Air Date 1-9-25 A2: The Hidden Forces Driving the AI Bubble Part 2 - Instant Genius - Air Date 11-13-25 A3: The AI Bubble Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 10-28-25 A4: AI Robot Slaves and Other CES Miracles Part 1 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 1-12-26 A5: So Are We in an AI Bubble? Here Are Clues to Look for Part 2 - Planet Money - Air Date 1-9-25 (01:39:59) SECTION B: PORN AND SLOP B1: Avoiding Fake News in the AI Era Part 2 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 1-8-25 B2: Deep Fakes, Data Centers, and AI Slop — Are We Cooked Part 1 - On the Media - Air Date 12-19-25 B3: Meet The Women Being Deepfaked Into Porn by AI - BBC - Air Date 9-4-24 B4: Digital Stimulation AI and Porn - The Economist - Air Date 12-10-25 B5: How AI Porn Isolates Us with Noelle Perdue Part 1 - The 404 Media Podcast - Air Date 12-9-25 B6: AI Robot Slaves and Other CES Miracles Part 2 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 1-12-26 B7: How AI Porn Isolates Us with Noelle Perdue Part 2 - The 404 Media Podcast - Air Date 12-9-25 (02:30:14) SECTION C: REGULATION C1: Two Proposed Bills Cover AI and Deep Fake Pornography in Indiana - WTHR - Air Date 1-2-26 C2: Deep Fakes, Data Centers, and AI Slop — Are We Cooked Part 2 - On the Media - Air Date 12-19-25 C3: AI 1 — Humanity 0 - Today, Explained - Air Date 12-17-25 C4: Trump Family Businesses Rake in $4 Billion After His Reelection with Focus on AI, Crypto, & Nuclear - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-6-26 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite image of a high-tech robot running on a road while money falls into flames behind it. Credit: Internal design. Images via Pixabay | Pixabay license Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 1/14/2026 Being a bad person who doesn't care about others is helpful in one's pursuit of becoming wealthy. However, becoming wealthy is also helpful in becoming a bad person who doesn't care about others, not that anyone sets out with this as a goal but it is a natural byproduct of wealth and the normal functioning of our market economy. What this means is that the nature of money, market dynamics, and wealth to corrode morality is a systemic problem, not a collection of individual failings, and should be addressed as such. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: The Truth About Income Inequality No One Told You - UNFTR Media - Air Date 7-21-25 KP 2: K-shaped Economy: Why the Wealthy Are Thriving as Most Americans Fall Behind - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 10-14-25 KP 3: Chris Hedges: The Warped Psychology of the Rich - The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel - Air Date 6-24-25 KP 4: The Capitalist Mindset - The Market Exit - Air Date 12-9-25 KP 5: How Power Corrupts Part 1 - The Art of Manliness - Air Date 4-6-22 KP 6: Where Are Americas Leaders? - Robert Reich and Inequality Media Civic Action - Air Date 1-6-26 KP 7: Why WORKERS Should OWN Companies - The Market Exit - Air Date 4-30-25 (00:48:50) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On all the reasons we need to squash wealth inequality DEEPER DIVES (01:02:59) SECTION A: THE EFFECTS OF WEALTH INEQUALITY A1: The USA Is a "Third World" Country for Millions of Americans - Raising Wildflowers - Air Date 7-13-25 A2: The Shocking Truth About Wealth Inequality in America - Established Context - Air Date 2-22-2025 A3: How Wealth Corrupts Democracy with Christy McGillivray - Head in the Office - Air Date 10-24-25 A4: How Power Corrupts Part 2 - The Art of Manliness - Air Date 4-6-22 A5: UK Budget - The End of Democracy? Part 1 - Garys Economics - Air Date 11-23-25 (01:42:01) SECTION B: THE MINDSET OF THE RICH & POWERFUL B1: RESOURCE WARS and the Economics of Scarcity with Richard D Wolff - Jacobin - Air Date 9-4-24 B2: Tax Is Not Theft: Why the "It's My Money" Argument Is Wrong - Richard J Murphy - Air Date 12-18-25 B3: The Jacob Rees-Mogg Illusion: Why the Rich Think They're the Victims - Barry's Economics - Air Date 11-16-25 B4: The Fraud Behind Our 'Thought Leaders' - The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel - Air Date 1-5-26 (02:18:09) SECTION C: TAX THE RICH C1: 'People Are so Disgusted' - Economist Thomas Piketty on Why We Need a Wealth Tax - Channel 4 News - Air Date 12-10-25 C2: UK Budget - The End of Democracy? Part 2 - Garys Economics - Air Date 11-23-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: A horizontally split image of two photos: on top, an extravagant yacht sailing at sunset. On bottom, an open wallet with some $1 bills inside and some coins spilling out. Credit: Internal composite design. Images: "Wallet" and "yacht" via Pixabay | Pixabay license Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 1/9/2026 The Republican Party has been angry about every government service and regulation designed to help average people for at least the past 90 years. And, given any opportunity to hobble or destroy any of those services or regulations in the past decades, they've done just that. Now, after 15 years of striving to destroy the Affordable Care Act - itself originally a conservative plan from the Heritage Foundation (not joking) - they're using the cult-like hold that Trump has on the party to move faster and more recklessly than they are usually able. And again, average people are going to pay the price in both dollars and deaths. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: 20M Americans Set to Lose Healthcare Coverage Jan. 1 After Congress Goes on Recess - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-30-25 KP 2: Roundup Congress Skips Town Without ACA Vote, Trump Reclassifies Cannabis - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 12-19-25 KP 3: Getting Serious About Medicare For All with Dr. Abdul al-Sayed (Ep 313) Part 1 - The Bitchuation Room - Air Date 12-23-25 KP 4: TrumpRx - Today, Explained - Air Date 10-6-25 KP 5: Agonizing Choices on ACA Deadline Day Part 1 - Brian Lehrer_ A Daily Podcast - Air Date 12-15-25 KP 6: Medicare For All Non-Negotiable #3 Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 2-8-25 KP 7: Its Time for Medicare for All Part 1 - Solutions with Henry Blodget - Air Date 11-10-25 (00:56:07) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On how our health system harms everyone except the owners DEEPER DIVES (01:05:14) SECTION A: ACA SUBSIDIES A1: Republicans and Obamacare, Again - Start Making Sense - Air Date 12-10-25 A2: Trump Keeps Claiming He Has a Health Care Plan, Flubs Congo Presidents Name, & Takes Another Nap - Jimmy Kimmel Live - Air Date 12-4-25 A3: Agonizing Choices on ACA Deadline Day Part 2 - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 12-15-25 A4: Federal Health Subsidies Are Expiring. Now, States Are Trying to Fill the Gap - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 12-31-25 A5: Money Is What Matters (to Republicans) Part 1 The Hartmann Report - Air Date 12-30-25 A6: Medicare For All Is Still The Solution! Part 1 - Current Affairs - Air Date 1-15-25 A7: Old Man Shouts At People, and Other End of Year Observations, with Heather Digby Parton and 'Driftglass' - The Bradcast - Air Date 12-19-25 (01:57:02) SECTION B: DRUG PRICING B1: TrumpRx Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 10-6-25 B2: Its Time for Medicare for All Part 2 - Solutions with Henry Blodget - Air Date 11-10-25 (02:16:13) SECTION C: HEALTHCARE REFORM C1: Medicare For All Is Still The Solution! Part 2 - Current Affairs - Air Date 1-15-25 C2: Getting Serious About Medicare For All with Dr. Abdul al-Sayed (Ep 313) Part 2 - The Bitchuation Room - Air Date 12-23-25 C3: Medicare For All Non-Negotiable #3 Part 2 - UNFTR - Air Date 2-8-25 C4: Money Is What Matters (to Republicans) Part 2 - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 12-30-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of a doctor's stethoscope laying on top of $5 and $20 bills. Credit: "Stethoscope On Money" by George Hodan | https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/ Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Original Air Date: 2/8/2019 Amid the ongoing fallout of a contested presidential election, we take a look back, briefly, at the last 100 years of Venezuelan history to understand how they went from oil riches and inequality to revolution and social progress only to run afoul of American imperialism. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Attempted Coup in Venezuela with Abby Martin, Greg Wilpert, Paul Jay - @TheRealNews - Air Date 1-26-19 Sharmini Peries hosts a wide-ranging conversation about the US-backed attempted coup in Venezuela Ch. 2: How Did Venezuela Go From So Rich To So Poor - The Inquiry - Air Date 5-10-17 Venezuela was split between the rich and poor. Politicians lead the way to oil reliance. Ch. 3: Venezuela in Crisis- Defending the Bolivarian Revolution - Revolutionary Left Radio - Air Date 7-29-17 Topics Include: Hugo Chavez, the Constituent Assembly, the opposition, the Venezuelan Communes, the concept of dual power, Jacobin Magazine and the Bolivarian Revolution Ch. 4: Is Donald Trump waging a coup in Venezuela? - Majority Report (@MajorityFM) - Air Date 1-25-19 You need to be paying attention to what's happening in Venezuela. Eva Golinger joins Michael Brooks and the Majority Report crew to discuss this. Ch. 5: Maduro's Corruption Pushed Venezuela Further Into Economic DISASTER - @RingOfFireRadio - Air Date 2-2-19 Ivan Briscoe, Latin America and Caribbean program director for Crisis Group, joins Ring of Fire's Sam Seder, to talk about Maduro's corruption and Venezuela's economic disaster. Ch. 6: Jorge Martin on what's next for Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution? - @ThisIsHellRadio - Air Date 5-25-18 Writer Jorge Martin examines the two futures of Venezuela and the Bolivarian revolution. Jorge wrote the article "Maduro Wins Presidential Election, Despite Imperialist Meddling – What Next?" Ch. 7: The Yankee Plot to Overthrow Nicolás Maduro and Steal Venezuela's Oil - The Intercept - Air Date 2-2-19 This push for regime change in Venezuela did not appear in a vacuum. The CIA has been plotting with so-called rebels in Venezuela from the early days of the Trump administration. Ch. 8: As U.S. Moves to Oust Maduro, Is Invading Venezuela Next? Allan Nairn on Trump's Attempted Coup - @DemocracyNow - Air Date 1-30-19 Investigative journalist Allan Nairn explains many aspects of the US attempts at a coup in Venezuela Ch. 9: Many Countries at UN Oppose Trump Interference in Venezuela - @TheRealNews - Air Date 1-29-19 Larry Wilkerson joins Paul Jay discuss why countries that claim to support the UN and international law are supportive of US imperialistic escapades Ch. 10. Bonus Edition #137 Propaganda by poem and whole lot more about Venezuela Jay shares a ton of additional content on Venezuela and muses on the developing pattern of the Trump administration using poem-based propaganda Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 1/3/2026 Imperialism is best thought of as a "Wealth Pump," extracting wealth from one country and depositing it in another. Venezuela has wealth and wealth is the only thing Trump cares about, his willingness to break his promise of being the peace president and go along with traditional Republican hawks is not a complicated mystery. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: 'Clearly B.S.': Dem Rep. Slams Hegseth's Explanation for Boat Strikes - MS NOW Reports - Air Date 12-30-25 KP 2: Trump Admits Venezuela Attacks Are All About Their Oil - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 12-18-25 KP 3: What's Behind Trump's Christmas Strikes on Nigeria? Anti-Christian Genocide or Appeasing MAGA Base? - Democracy Now ! - Air Date 12-29-25 KP 4: Trump, Venezuela, and the New Cold War with China | Pinch Point - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 11-27-25 KP 5: "Trump Has Appointed Himself Judge, Jury, and Executioner" - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 12-12-25 KP 6: Venezuela to Trump's 'Total Blockade': You Will Never Colonize Us - The Socialist Program with Brian Becker - Air Date 12-17-25 (00:48:15) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the structure of imperialism DEEPER DIVES (01:02:10) SECTION A: DRUG WAR BS A1: Bonus - Venezuela, the Drug War, and U.S. Power in the Caribbean with Aileen Teague - American Prestige - Air Date 12-28-25 A2: US Strikes Against Venezuela: Trump "Wants the Oil" as Grassroots Resist "Economic Asphyxiation" - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-31-25 A3: New Regime-Change War Dropped with Ken Klippenstein & Wajahat Ali - The Bitchuation Room - Air Date 9-5-25 A4: US Uses Drug Trafficking as Pretence to Force Regime Change in Venezuela - FRANCE 24 English - Air Date 10-16-25 A5: Collateral Damage - Airborne Imperialism: The Tragic Deaths of Veronica and Charity Bowers - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 12-26-25 (01:41:05) SECTION B: THE MONROE DOCTRINE 2.0 B1: 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for Anti-Maduro Leader María Corina Machado "Opposite of Peace": Greg Grandin - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-10-25 B2: Trump's Piracy in the Caribbean - The Real News Podcast - Air Date 12-23-25 B3: Why Do Horrible People Keep Winning Nobel Peace Prizes? - Overzealots - Air Date 11-15-25 B4: USA Is the Worst Pirate on Earth: Trump Boasts of Stealing Venezuela's Oil - Geopolitical Economy Report - Air Date 12-26-25 B5: Exposing Trump's Latin America Policy and Why It Will Fail with Richard Wolff - The Socialist Program with Brian Becker - Air Date 12-17-25 (02:20:52) SECTION C: NIGERIA BOMBING C1: Inside Nigeria's Bombed Border Communities - Focus on Africa - Air Date 12-29-25 C2: Breaking Down US Strikes on ISIS in Nigeria and the Complicated Conflict There - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 12-26-25 (02:37:40) SECTION D: WAR WITH VENEZUELA D1: Trump's Regime Change Operation Ramps Up with Blockade of Venezuelan Oil - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-17-25 D2: They Finally Admitted Its All Fake - Chris Norlund - Air Date 12-29-25 D3: Loose Lips Trump Blabs About Covert Venezuela Mission; Appears To Be Making It Up As He Goes - The Briefing with Jen Psaki - Air Date 12-30-25 D4: Venezuela? I Hardly Knew Ya - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 12-12-25 D5: Why a US Ground Invasion of Venezuela Would Be a Disaster | About That - CBC News - Air Date 12-19-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite graphic showing Trump looking proudly at strikes on a small alleged "drug runner" boat while the corner of the image is flipped up revealing his arm grabbing barrels of Venezuelan oil. Credit: Internal composite design, Elements from Pixabay | Pixabay License | Unclassified boat image from U.S. D.O.D. shared on social media. Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 12-23-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - Why everything is so ugly these days Ch. 2 - The story of "Millennial Gray" and how our personal spaces are impacted by beauty Ch. 3 - How government intervention and regulation does (and could) impact the beauty in our surroundings Ch. 4 - How beauty impacts sustainability as well as our very important feelings of belonging BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: Why people around the globe are unhappy despite increasing wealth and progress FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES Why Do All Fast Food Chains Look Like Boring Gray Boxes Now? - Delish How Did The World Get So Ugly? (YouTube video) -Sheehan Quirke Why Millenial's Have No Taste (Youtube video) - Answer in Progress Trump executive order mandates classical architecture for federal buildings, discourages brutalism - CNN 'We're doing arch': Trump says his plan for DC's answer to the Arc de Triomphe is moving forward - The Independent Zoning Incentives Mandate Private Developers Create Public Open Space - Sustainability The Impact of Architectural Guidelines on Shaping Our Cities - Plusurbia The most sustainable building is one too beautiful to tear down. - Lloyd Alter on Substack Building, Beauty, and Belonging - The Public Discourse BACKSTAGE: The Psychological Reason You Can't Seem to Stay Happy - Very Well Mind The world has gotten richer — so, why aren't we happier? - Vox EXTRAS: "Palaces for the People" by Eric Klinenberg (If you make a purchase after clicking this link, we get a small commission!) Best of the Left #1758 - "Why Dictators Are Lunatics and Their Followers are Fools" TAKE ACTION: No Kings Next Steps Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Find your Indivisible group - or start one Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Air Date 12/30/2025 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we start with the infrastructure of imperial violence—from Dick Cheney's legacy to the arms race to Sudan's genocide. Then we expose how power exploits ordinary people through predation and financialized desperation. But here's the thing: resistance is working and the facade is crumbling. From courtroom wins to Mamdani's victory to young Republicans fleeing and conspiracies consuming the right, we end on the insight that authoritarian control is far more fragile than it pretends. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! PART 1: THE WEIGHT OF EMPIRE (00:02:43) None - #1756 War Criminal Dick Cheney's Guide to Ethical Governance and Saving Democracy 1: "The Dark Side": Dick Cheney's Legacy From Iraq Invasion to U.S. Torture Program - Democracy Now! - Air Date 11-4-25 2: Dick Cheney BLOWBACK and South Africa's Israel & Anti-COMMUNIST Connection - Jacobin - Air Date 11-21-25 3: Dick Cheney Invades Hell - Colonial Outcasts - Air Date 11-4-25 (00:26:25) None - #1752 Reigniting the Nuclear Arms Race: Fat Man, Little Boy, and Donald Trump 4: Marshall Islands: Paradise Interrupted Part 1 - At the Brink - Air Date 12-5-23 5: Are We Living Through a New Nuclear Arms Race? - The Bunker – News Without the Nonsense - Air Date 7-24-25 6: Trump's Nuclear Arms Race - 7am - Air Date 11-6-25 (00:51:53) None - #1758 Why you think the Sudanese civil war doesn't involve you 7: Will the International Community Act Preschool Massacre & Large Piles of Bodies in Sudan Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-10-25 8: Sudan Civil War the Terrifying Escape From El Fasher - Global News Podcast - Air Date 12-1-25 PART 2: EXTRACTION AND EXPLOITATION (01:02:44) None - #1754 The Epstein Files and Donald Trump, Our Predator-in-Chief 9: 1992 Tape Of Trump And Epstein - The Day That Was - MS Now - Air Date 7-18-19 10: Epstein's Arms Deal And Intelligence Connections With Israel W Murtaza Hussain Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-18-25 11: Trump Welcomes Murderer to White House; Congress Votes to Release 'Epstein Files' - The BradCast - Air Date 11-18-25 (01:24:21) None - #1757 Life is But a Game (that you can now bet on) 12: Welcome to the Casino Economy - On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti - Air Date 11-13-25 13: Kalshi's Extremely Dark Vision For The Future - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 12-4-25 14: Big Tech Is Betting on Gambling and Scams - Voidzilla - Air Date 12-5-25 PART 3: RESISTANCE THAT'S WORKING (01:50:41) None - #1753 What the Shutdown and Weaponized Hunger Exposed About Our Asymmetric Morality 15: Government Shutdown or General Strike How to Fight Trumps Agenda - The Socialist Program W Brian Becker - Air Date 11-12-25 16: What Its Like Suing Trump in Court Over SNAP Funding - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 11-13-25 17: Senator Sanders Slams The Surrender Dems - What A Day - Air Date 11-11-25 (02:14:38) None - #1755 Affordability: Actual Economic Populism is the Kryptonite to Fake Populism 18: Can Zohran's NYC Win Spark a New Era for Democratic Socialism? - UNFTR Media - Air Date 11-6-25 19: "Caved Too Soon": Ro Khanna on Senate Shutdown Deal, Why Schumer Should Step Down & Epstein Files - Democracy Now! - Air Date 11-12-25 20: Calls For Schumer to Step Down Grow as Democrats Cave on Healthcare to Pass Funding Bill - Democracy Now! - Air Date 11-11-25 PART 4: THE FACADE CRUMBLING (02:36:05) None - #1760 Hot Mess: Conservative Chaos Below the Surface of Trump's Authoritarian Regime 21: The Republicans Bucking Trump Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 12-9-25 22: Candace Owens at a Turning Point Part 1 - What Next - Air Date 12-17-25 (02:54:31) None - #1759 Why Dictators Are Lunatics and Their Followers are Fools 23: Trump Centers Himself at Kennedy Center Honors - The Beat with Ari Melber - Air Date 12-8-25 24: Trumps Ballroom Is a Lie - The Drey Dossier - Air Date 12-15-25 Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date 12/26/2025 Authoritarian governments are always very focused on making it look like they have everything on absolute lock down. Everyone in lockstep, everything proceeding according to plan. But they do this for propaganda purposes, not because it has anything to do with reality. In fact, the opposite is always true. All of which is to say that conservatives are not in chaos because Trump is particularly chaotic, though he is. They're in chaos because that is the natural result of attempting to enforce monolithic thinking and ideological conformity. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: The Republicans Bucking Trump Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 12-9-25 KP 2: House Republicans Defy Trump; Plus, When WWII Vets Came Home Part 1 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 11-19-25 KP 3: Indiana Republicans Say No to Trump and Illinois Protects Immigrants in Courthouses, Schools, and Hospitals - Good News for Lefties - Air Date 12-13-25 1 KP 4: The Mainstreaming of Nick Fuentes by the Coward Tucker Carlson Part 1 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 11-13-25 KP 5: The Republican Party's 'Civil War' Part 1 - On The Media - Air Date 11-12-25 KP 6: Candace Owens at a Turning Point Part 1 - What Next - Air Date 12-17-25 KP 7: What The Susie Wiles Article REALLY Reveals About The White House - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 12-17-25 (00:56:36) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On why chaos is endemic to authoritarian governments DEEPER DIVES (01:02:30) SECTION A: GOP LAWMAKERS A1: Marjorie Taylor Greene Vs Donald Trump Part 1 - Americast - Air Date 11-21-25 A2: Marjorie Taylor Greene Talks About Leaving Congress Before Walking Out of Interview Early - 11Alive - Air Date 12-10-25 A3: Divorced From Reality Economist Dean Baker Fact-Checks Trump's Primetime Speech - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-18-25 A4: The Rise of the New Right and MAGA with Laura K. Field Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-17-25 A5: Marjorie Taylor Greene Vs Donald Trump Part 2 - Americast - Air Date 11-21-25 (01:45:12) SECTION B: STATE POLITICS B1: House Republicans Defy Trump; Plus, When WWII Vets Came Home Part 2 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 11-19-25 B2: The Republicans Bucking Trump Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 12-9-25 (02:01:08) SECTION C: CLASHING IDEOLOGIES C1: The Republican Party's 'Civil War' Part 2 - On The Media - Air Date 11-12-25 C2: The Mainstreaming of Nick Fuentes by the Coward Tucker Carlson Part 2 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 11-13-25 C3: The American Rights Civil War Over Israel with David Austin Walsh Part 1 - The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer - Air Date 11-9-25 C4: The Mainstreaming of Nick Fuentes by the Coward Tucker Carlson Part 3 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 11-13-25 C5: The American Rights Civil War Over Israel with David Austin Walsh Part 2 - The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer - Air Date 11-9-25 C6: The Rise of the New Right and MAGA with Laura K. Field Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-17-25 (02:57:28) SECTION D: CANDACE OWENS D1: Candace Owens at a Turning Point Part 2 - What Next - Air Date 12-17-25 D2: Candace Owens Is Not Your Friend - Hysteria - Air Date 9-25-25 D3: This Toxic Feud Just Got WAY Worse - The Majority Report - Air Date 12-22-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Graphic depicting the Republican Party elephant icon on concrete with a giant crack running through it. Credit: Internal composite design, Elements from Pixabay | Pixabay License Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Original Air Date: 7/4/2022 Today, for this milestone episode, I attempted to squeeze in as many clever and interesting ideas as I could and ended up writing a starter guide to understand the United States. Plus, there are jingles! Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES (00:01:30) Ch. 1: Political Structures of Our Country Tracking the political eras that proceeded our current situation and looking at what may come next. Jingle 1: Strawman (00:13:09) Ch. 2: Progressives and Progress Looking at a progressive perspective of the last 20 years and the process of progress itself Jingle 2: Defer to Authority (00:24:25) Ch. 3: Understanding Race, Gender, Privilege and Power Understanding why our understanding of the world is often insufficiently complicated Jingle 3: Just Asking Questions (00:37:06) Ch. 4: Progressives in Politics Tracing the fissures on the political left from Bush to Biden Jingle 4: Manipulating Data (00:46:45) Ch. 5: Republican Transformation Tracing conservatism from mid-century Republicans to 21st-century insurrectionists Jingle 5: Appeal to Emotion (00:59:32) Ch. 6: Foreign/Power Looking at various forms of power and how they play out on the international stage Jingle 6: Passive Voice (01:08:52) Ch. 7: The Progress Trap The progress traps of new technology and why we're not defending against them Jingle 7: Clickbait (01:19:07) Ch. 8: Structural Thinking and the Alternative What happens when an individualist thinker is faced with problems that only structural thinking can handle? Jingle 8: Conspiracy Theories Jingles: Concept and Some Lyrics by Jay Tomlinson, Music and Most Lyrics by Jonathan Mann Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date 12/22/2025 It's said that mockery is one of the most effective weapons against dictators. I guess it depends on your goal, but still, there's truth there. And the good thing in that regard is that they are so very mockable. No really nice, likable, non-clownish people make themselves dictators and so the people who do are, without exception, absolutely ridiculous lunatics who deserve all the mockery and disdain in the world. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Worlds Most Peaceful Man Finally Wins Peace Prize - Weekly Weird News - Internet Today - Air Date 12-6-25 KP 2: Why Is Trump so Obsessed with the Kennedy Center? - Post Reports - Air Date 8-14-25 KP 3: The Secret Life of Dictators with Frank Dikötter | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution Part 1 - The Secrets of Statecraft - Air Date 10-31-25 KP 4: A Guide to Propaganda - Shawn Grenier | The Canvas - Air Date 1-29-23 KP 5: How Dictators Really Control the World I Anne Applebaum Part 1 - Brad Carr - Air Date 9-18-25 KP 6: On The Epstein Loop and Parallel Improvisation - Robert Arnold - Air Date 12-20-25 (00:47:46) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On Trump's narcissism DEEPER DIVES (00:55:26) SECTION A: MADE UP AWARDS (01:18:24) SECTION B: MONUMENTS TO SELF (01:40:40) SECTION C: PROPAGANDA WORKS (02:08:56) SECTION D: DICTATORS ARE ALL THE SAME MAN (03:04:50) SECTION E: DICTATORSHIPS ALWAYS END HOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Cartoon image of Trump in the famous portrait of King Louis XIV, with a giant long curly wig, tights and robes. Credit: "donald-trump-louis-xiv-létat" by heblo, Pixabay | Pixabay License Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Re-Air Date: 12–18-25 Unless you were a member in December of 2024, this episode of SOLVED! will be brand new to you! If you were a member back then, THANK YOU and this one is worth a re-listen. We're slowing down production for a little bit to reorganize our production processes, so enjoy this episode from our archives (and before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - What the orcas are up to Ch. 2 - Confronting the truth about eating meat Ch. 3 - How to not let grief destroy leftist movements Ch. 4 - Living a better life by accepting our own mortality FOLLOW US ON: In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon REFERENCES: Confessions of a Former Carnivore - The New Republic For Our Movements to Win, We Must Learn How Not to Let Our Grief Destroy Us - TruthOut You Are Going to Die - The Atlantic EXTRAS: 00:50:04 - Best of the Left Ep. #1672 - "Keep an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out' (11-26-24) TAKE ACTION: No Kings Next Steps Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Air Date 12/14/2025 The sad ease with which we manage to ignore some atrocities, even while paying much attention to others, has to do with how visible or invisible to us the systems are that are propping up those events. Nothing happens in a vacuum and in our world, if you're willing to dig deep enough, you'll always find how we're all connected - across both time and geography. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Will the International Community Act Preschool Massacre & Large Piles of Bodies in Sudan Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-10-25 KP 2: Sudan Civil War the Terrifying Escape From El Fasher - Global News Podcast - Air Date 12-1-25 KP 3: Can Trump Help Sudan Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 11-19-25 KP 4: The War In Sudan with Khalid Medani Part 1- American Prestige - Air Date 5-10-24 KP 5: South Sudans Failed Peace Deal with Joshua Craze Part 1 - American Prestige - Air Date 5-27-25 KP 6: Decolonise Sudan - The Sages Cabin - Herbs & Liberation - Air Date 11-6-25 (00:45:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the past 20 years of politics DEEPER DIVES (00:50:08) SECTION A: VIOLENCE NOW (01:12:13) SECTION B: HISTORICAL ROOTS (01:51:58) SECTION C: OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE (02:12:01) SECTION D: RESOLUTION AND SOLIDARITY HOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of Sudanese refugee women, one with her baby, standing in line for food aid in Chad carrying bags, and boxes. Credit: "24 January 2025, Adre, Chad. Sudanese refugees who have fled the conflict in Sudan register for food aid in neighbouring Chad." by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (UK), Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 12-10-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin was out this week) discuss: Ch. 1 - Generational humor, and analysis of Gen Z's absurdist humor and the impact it's having Ch. 2 - The unexpected social side effects of NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's campaign on Gen Z volunteers Ch. 3 - The "App"stinence Movement helping people get off of social media Ch. 4 - How the peak Millennial humor mobile game "Sword and Sworcery" has evolved with the times SOLVED! Backstage: Behind the Algorithm: Elon Musk's "Grokapedia" reminding us of the "Conservapedia" of 2010s punchlines, and the co-opting of Gen Z meme humor by right wing extremists to normalize hate. REFERENCES Gen Z Humour: What's so funny about something so unfunny? - Hayden Lim Khai Eun via Medium Inside 'Gen Z humor,' the layered and absurdist internet jokes millennials are struggling to keep up with - Business Insider A crash course in Gen Z humor - Pion We Laughed Into The Void—And It Laughed Back: Understanding Gen Z Humor - Berkeley Political Review A Little-Noted Element Propelled Mamdani's Rise: Gen Z Loneliness - The New York Times A mass exit from social media - Mashable Should you practice Appstinence? Gen Z and Gen Alpha are embracing this Harvard student movement - Fast Company 7 Reasons to Think Social Media Has Peaked The platforms have serious problems. - New York Magazine The Mysteries Of Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP - Waltorious Writes About Games Social media is dead – here's what comes next - New Scientist EXTRAS NOT SPONSORS/AFFILIATES Appstinence Brick - Device to help you manage phone use Freedom - App to help you manage device use How to make your smartphone into a dumb phone - (Modern Dumbphone)
Air Date 12/14/2025 Albert Einstein said, "Life is just like a game, first you have to learn rules of the game, and then play it better then any one else." (Or just get some insider knowledge about which team is paid off to lose and bet on the game rather than playing it, am I right?) Now, while it's well known that sports gambling has great potential to corrupt the game, I'm sure being able to bet on literally anything in life all the time right from your phone with billionaires funding persuasion campaigns to convince you to do it will probably work out fine. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: America Is Losing Big on Sports Betting Part 1 - The Gray Area with Sean Illing - Air Date 8-11-25 KP 2: The Nuzzi-Lizza Show & CNN's Prediction Play - The Powers That Be: Daily - Air Date 12-5-25 KP 3: Welcome to the Casino Economy - On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti - Air Date 11-13-25 KP 4: Is the Sports Betting Industry a Huge Mistake? - Good Work - Air Date 2-9-24 KP 5: Why The New Gambling Epidemic Should Terrify You - GEN - Air Date 11-8-25 (00:46:01) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On Best of the Left turning 20! DEEPER DIVES (00:49:22) SECTION A: GAMBLING ON EVERYTHING (01:30:27) SECTION B: THE UBIQUITY OF SPORTS BETTING (01:56:28) SECTION C: SPORTS BETTING IS BAD FOR SPORTS 02:34:14) SECTION D: GAMIFYING LIFE SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of a man staring up at multiple screens showing sports betting updates, along with a live football and hockey game, above the betting counter in a Las Vegas casino. Credit: "Sports Betting at a Las Vegas Casino" by Baishampayan Ghose, Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date 12/10/2025 Dick Cheney used to be thought of as Darth Vader but did he have an end-of-life conversion back to the light side of the force? No, he was bad all along and only thought Trump was worse. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Dick Cheney Invades Hell - Colonial Outcasts - Air Date 11-4-25 KP 2: Weapons of Mass Distraction with Chris Toensing - This Is Hell! - Air Date - 3-23-23 KP 3: Obama Admin: Torture Not Illegal, Just A "Disagreement" - The Young Turks - Aired 3-27-10 KP 4: Living and Reliving the U.S. Invasion of Iraq with Rasha Al Aqeedi - This Is Hell! - Air Date 4-10-23 KP 5: Shock Corridor with Naomi Klein - Blowback - Air Date 8-19-20 KP 6: Never Forget: Lessons of the Post-9/11 Warpath - Empire Files - Air Date 10-1-21 (00:48:24) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the legacies of Dick Cheney and Darth Vader DEEPER DIVES (01:00:59) SECTION A: LEGACY (01:54:23) SECTION B: IRAQ (02:11:15) SECTION C: USING 9/11 FOR POWER & PROFIT (02:31:51) SECTION D: NO ACCOUNTABILITY SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Sidewalk graffiti stencil of Dick Cheney's face and the word "Terrorist" underneath Credit: "Terrorist" by David Drexler, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Re-Air Date: 12–2-25 Unless you were a member in May of 2024, this episode of SOLVED! will be brand new to you! If you were a member back then, THANK YOU and this one is worth a re-listen. We're slowing down production for a little bit to reorganize our production processes, so enjoy this episode from our archives (and B.Y: before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - How supply and demand economics is not about "distribution of goods with the greatest efficiency" and is instead about nothing more than predatory greed Ch. 2 - How what we value as humans goes far beyond the price of commodities Ch. 3 - More examples of "enshitification" as companies reach inside our homes to control things we already bought Ch. 4 - How companies are restricting functionality to extract even more from us FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon REFERENCES: WELCOME TO PRICING HELL - The Atlantic The Gap Between the Price You See and What You Pay Is Getting Worse - The Wall Street Journal Welcome to the Golden Age of User Hostility - The Atlantic My Printer Is Extorting Me - The Atlantic Bought a Model Y? Tesla may charge you to use the battery's full range - Yahoo! Finance Corporate America Knows We're Miserable. Is a Toilet Bomb the Answer? - The Wall Street Journal EXTRAS: 00:12:53 "Not everything that counts can be counted" by Billy Bragg 00:42:41 Best of the Left Ep. #1629 - "Hitting Where it Hurts in Our Era of Negative Partisanship: Messaging left-wing politics amid cultish politics" (Air Date: May 2024) 00:48:44 Best of the Left Ep. #1628 - "New Era of Antitrust for a New Era of Capitalism, Mega-Corporations and Big Tech" (Air Date: May 2024) Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening!
Original Air Date: 1-23-2024 The recent discovery of hundreds of bodies buried behind a jail in unmarked graves sparks a renewed discussion about the futility and counter-productiveness of our system of incarceration and the context of our history that has brought us to this point. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Families in disbelief after hundreds of bodies found buried behind Mississippi jail - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 1-10-24 Ch. 2: The Most Infamous Jail in America - Olurinatti - Air Date 3-29-23 Ch. 3: Behind the News: The State of the Carceral State w/ Wanda Bertram - Jacobin Radio - Air Date 3-20-23 Ch. 4: Angela Davis on the argument for police and prison abolition | UpFront - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 12-17-21 Ch. 5: The Part of History You've Always Skipped | Neoslavery - Knowing Better - Air Date 4-4-22 Ch. 6: Penitence for the privileged - Beyond Prisons - Air Date 7 Ch. 7: Debunking "Norwegian Prison Reform" As Propaganda with Oakland Abolition and Solidarity - Millennials Are Killing Capitalism - Air Date 3-28-23 EDUCATE YOURSELF & SHARE 8 Ways You Can Advocate for Justice Reform in 2024 (Vera) Prison and Jail Reform (Brennan Center for Justice) Criminal Justice Reform (Equal Justice Initiative) Cutting Jail and Prison Populations (Brennan Center for Justice) SHOW IMAGE Description: Photograph of the outside of Coyote Ridge Corrections Center. Barbed wire lines the fences of the entrance in front of the dark gray cement building with tinted windows. Credit: "A sagebrush sea change from behind barbed wire" by U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date 12/2/2025 If you need more evidence for just how far from rationality our politics have slid in recent decades, Zorhan Mamdani is seen by many as a radical for mostly just saying that people should be able to afford to buy the things they need to live. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Affordability & Trump: Here's How Democrats Won Big Across The Country In 2025 Elections - Forbes Breaking News - Air Date 11-6-25 KP 2: How Trump's 2024 Coalition Is Already Falling Apart - TLDR News Global - Air Date 11-12-25 KP 3: Democrats Snatch Defeat From the Jaws of Victory (again) - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 11-11-25 KP 4: Trump's Affordability Tailspin: 50-Year Mortgages, Tariff Checks & Maybe Socialism - The Daily Show and Josh Johnson - Air Date 11-11-25 KP 5: Kurt Andersen & Josh Turek - Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast - Air Date 9-9-25 KP 6: Can Zohran's NYC Win Spark a New Era for Democratic Socialism? - UNFTR Media - Air Date 11-6-25 (00:49:49) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the path forward for the Left: Targeted Universalism DEEPER DIVES (01:07:50) SECTION A: AFFORDABILITY (01:43:42) SECTION C: DEMS CAVE (02:24:44) SECTION D: SYSTEMIC RESISTANCE TO CHANGE SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: A vibrantly colorful artistic rendering of Zohran Mamdani at a podium speaking into a microphone with his hand up. The edges appear to vibrate outwards. Credit: "Zohran Mamdani" by Taymaz Valley, Flickr | CC BY 4.0 | Changes: Expanded background with layers and smudging Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 11-25-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - The extremists trying to create race-based neighborhoods all over the U.S. Ch. 2 - What we can learn from Ireland's history of sectarian violence Ch. 3 - How the Irish became white Ch. 4 - An inconvenient truth from Frederick Douglas (and some modern, mild misreadings) Ch. 5 - What you can do to fight back against white supremacists where you live BACKSTAGE! Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): Why some marginalized people cozy up to power FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES Inside Return to the Land, a new group attempting to legalize segregation - SPLC The reality of ethnic and sectarian divisions - Irish Post Legacy of past hangs over anti-immigrant violence in Northern Ireland - Reuters The Irish Had to Ask to Be White - Medium The white man's happiness cannot be purchased by the black man's misery. - Elevate Society The Destiny of Colored Americans - Teaching American History "Missouri Is Next": Neo-Nazi Network Expanding Whites-Only Towns—Here's Where They're Looking - Kansas City Defender TAKE ACTION: No Kings Next Steps Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 Find your Indivisible group - or start one Write to the DNC Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Original Air Date: 6–22-2020 Today we take a look at the history of racist policing which flows seamlessly into our present racist policing which itself flows into Trump's authoritarian glee at the opportunity to consolidate violent, racist power in response to protests against violent, racist power. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) SHOW NOTES American Police - Throughline - Air Date 6-4-20 From Slavery to George Floyd: The Racist History of U.S. Policing - Democracy Now - Air Date 6-10-20 Protests Sweep Across the Globe - The Daily Show - Air Date 6-9-20 The Truth: Police Are Lynching Black Americans! W/ Dr. Jhacova Williams, PhD - Thom Hartmann - Air Date 6-10-20 Why Ta-Nehisi Coates Is Hopeful - The Ezra Klein Show - Air Date 6-4-20 Unmasking The 'Outside Agitator' - Code Switch - Air Date 6-10-20 "Looting" Concerns Distract From Bureaucratic Violence Toward Black People - Democracy Now - Air Date 6-6-20 The Man Who Teaches Our Cops To Kill - Behind the Bastards - Air Date 6-1-20 Protests Sweep Across America and Beyond - The Daily Show - Air Date 6-9-20 Systemic Exhaustion - In The Thick - Air Date 6-10-20 The Rebellion in Defense of Black Lives Is Rooted in U.S. History, so Too Is Trump's Authoritarian Rule Part 1 - Intercepted - Air Date 6-3-20 Is This Trump's Reichstag Fire Moment? - Deconstructed with Mehdi Hasan - Air Date 6-4-20 The Military Stands Up To Trump - On the Media - Air Date 6-18-20 Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X
Air Date 11/25/2025 We live in a world awash with baseless conspiracy theories but that doesn't mean there are no true conspiracies, as exemplified by Jeffrey Epstein. But it bears repeating, that we didn't need the exposure of a massive conspiracy to know that Donald Trump was a sexual predator because he said as much on tape before he was elected the first time in 2016. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Trump Welcomes Murderer to White House; Congress Votes to Release 'Epstein Files' - The BradCast - Air Date 11-18-25 KP 2: How Epstein Email Politics Shifted Over The Weekend Part 1 - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 11-17-25 KP 3: 1992 Tape Of Trump And Epstein - The Day That Was - MS Now - Air Date 7-18-19 KP 4: Epstein Emails: The Inbox Of The Rich & Heinous Part 1 - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 11-18-25 KP 5: 16 Women and Donald Trump • Trump's History of Sexual Assault - Brave New Films - Air Date 11-15-17 KP 6: Epstein's Arms Deal And Intelligence Connections With Israel W Murtaza Hussain Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-18-25 KP 7: Jeffrey Epstein and the American Empire with Van Jackson Part 1 - The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer - Air Date 11-16-25 (00:50:50) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the conspiracy of wealth and power DEEPER DIVES (00:57:28) SECTION A: INBOX FALLOUT (01:45:02) SECTION B: EPSTEIN WORLDWIDE (02:18:32) SECTION C: PREDATOR-IN-CHIEF SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Screen shot of a recently released email from Jeffery Epstein to Ghislaine Maxwell with a line highlighted that says "I want you to realize that the dog that hasn't barked is trump…[VICTIM] spent ours at my house with him,, he has never once been mentioned." Credit: Internal composite design. Screen shot of email from files released by U.S. House Oversight Committee. Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X
Re-Air Date: 11–18-25 Unless you were a member in December of 2024, this episode of SOLVED! will be brand new to you! If you were a member back then, THANK YOU and this one is worth a re-listen. We're slowing down production for a little bit to reorganize our production processes, so enjoy this episode from our archives (and B.Y: before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - The political origins of SimCity and how capitalism warps our choices Ch. 2 - A new video game offering a very different vision of societal management Ch. 3 - Naomi Klein's insights on the Left's missteps responding to the Mirror World Ch. 4 - Applying cynicism and skepticism in moderation FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES: SimCity Isn't a Model of Reality. It's a Libertarian Toy Land - Wired Build-a-Brrr - The Baffler Naomi Klein on her doppelganger (and yours) - Vox Be Like Claud Cockburn: Tell Truths to the Masses - Counter Punch TAKE ACTION: No Kings Next Steps Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 Find your Indivisible group - or start one Write to the DNC Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Air Date 11/21/2025 In an ethical political system, being willing to break the law in order to starve people amid a political dispute wouldn't be a source of greater leverage and power but it is in ours and the shutdown put the wildly different senses of ethics between the parties on full display. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Government Shutdown or General Strike How to Fight Trumps Agenda - The Socialist Program w Brian Becker - Air Date 11-12-25 KP 2: What Its Like Suing Trump in Court Over SNAP Funding - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 11-13-25 KP 3: The History of SNAP How Food Stamps Feed America - The Politics of New America - Air Date 11-4-25 KP 4: MAGA Republican ERUPTS Over Major SNAP Consequences As Gross Tantrum Backfires - The Damage Report - Air Date 10-31-25 KP 5: Addressing Food Insecurity With Dignity - The Giving Garden - Air Date 9-3-25 KP 6: Senator Sanders Slams The Surrender Dems - What A Day - Air Date 11-11-25 KP 7: Pope Condemns Trump Hispanics Quit GOP More Illegal Airstrikes How SNAP Boosts The Economy - The David Feldman Show - Air Date 11-10-25 (00:55:53) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On how to preserve democracy DEEPER DIVES (01:10:38) SECTION A: SHUTDOWN 02:01:39) SECTION B: FOOD INSECURITY (03:19:42) SECTION C: GOP AWFULNESS SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite image of the SNAP program logo (food stamps) and a symbol of a stethoscope (healthcare) in a closed cage with a GOP elephant symbol standing on top against a faded American flag background. Credit: Internal composite design. Elements from Pixabay | Pixabay license | and UDSA Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft
Air Date: 11-10-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” Ch. 2 - “Politically correct” Ch. 3 - “Ethnic cleansing” Ch. 4 - “Meritocracy” Ch. 5 - Our current “wealth pump” crisis and how it has been solved throughout history BACKSTAGE! Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): The best words to articulate the current moment FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon REFERENCES Why The Phrase 'Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps' Is Nonsense - Huffington Post How Cancel Culture Became Politicized — Just Like Political Correctness - NPR Manifest Destiny and Zionism, a legacy of ethnic cleansing - Mondo Weiss What Happens to Language When Authoritarianism Takes Hold - Lucid (Substack) RSA Minimate: The Tyranny of Merit - Michael Sandel The Satirical Origins of the Meritocracy - Kottke Hundreds of societies have been in crises like ours. An expert explains how they got out. - Vox TAKE ACTION: Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Find your Indivisible group - or start one Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening!
Air Date 11/7/2025 The most dangerous part of nuclear weapons has always been the people in charge of them. As we potentially enter a new arms race, some of the worst people in the world are in charge of the vast majority of nuclear weapons. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Will Trump Spark a New Nuclear Arms Race - TLDR News Global - Air Date 11-9-25 KP 2: A History of the Doomsday Clock in 4 Minutes - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - Air Date 1-30-24 KP 3: The Lie of Nuclear Deterrence - ICAN's Melissa Parke in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, & Korea for Atomic Bomb 80th Commemorations, Hibakusha Part 1 - Nuclear Hotseat - Air Date 8-13-25 KP 4: Voices of Hiroshima - Scene On Radio - Air Date 8-6-25 KP 5: Marshall Islands: Paradise Interrupted Part 1 - At the Brink - Air Date 12-5-23 KP 6: The Lie of Nuclear Deterrence - ICAN's Melissa Parke in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, & Korea for Atomic Bomb 80th Commemorations, Hibakusha Part 2 - Nuclear Hotseat - Air Date 8-13-25 (00:44:32) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the morality of facts we don't question DEEPER DIVES (00:56:09) SECTION A: CONSTANT PERIL (01:22:44) SECTION B: THE NEW ARMS RACE, WORSE THAN THE FIRST (02:05:41) SECTION C: THE DETERRENCE MYTH (02:44:12) SECTION D: THE AFTERMATH 80 YEARS LATER SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Image of a president's hand reaching out to press a big red button. Credit: “war-nuclear-war” by geralt, Pixabay | Pixabay license Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date: 11/11/25 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we examine how power is being quietly consolidated across institutions, how propaganda and AI are reshaping our sense of reality, and how division and fear are fueling both domestic repression and global aggression. From the Supreme Court to state media manipulation, from dismantled voting rights to foreign influence campaigns, we trace the machinery of authoritarian control—and spotlight the journalists, educators, and activists still pushing back to keep truth and democracy alive. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! PART 1: INSTITUTIONAL CAPTURE & CONSOLIDATION (00:01:44) 1742 Captured Court, Captured Nation: SCOTUS Serves Trump's Authoritarianism (00:16:53) 1743 Trump and Project 2025: Blitzkrieg Against America (00:43:56) 1749 Democracy: In Theory, In Practice, and Under Threat PART 2 INFORMATION WARFARE & REALITY CONTROL (01:08:35) 1746 What an actual attack on free speech looks like (01:40:37) 1745 Fake New World: The Age of AI Slop, AI Education, and AI Fascism (01:54:27) 1744 Sell Outs, Shills, and Scandals: Saudi Arabia and Israel are buying the credibility they can't earn honestly PART 3 OTHERING & EXPANSION (02:13:08) 1747 Racism in the United States, it turns out, is a problem (02:31:27) 1741 Global Uprisings: Dissatisfaction Roiling France, the UK, and Nepal (02:56:07) 1750 "American's Backyard" - The War on Terror Meets the War on Drugs (03:20:01) 1748 Patriotism in Peril: Democracy, the Military, and the Fight Over What America Means Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date 11/7/2025 The United States claiming a divine (and imperialist) right to tamper in the politics of South American countries is nothing new. As is so often the case with Trump, the biggest difference is that he's doing proudly and in the open what used to be done only shamefully and in secret. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: What Is Happening with Venezuela & The US EXPLAINER - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 9-8-25 KP 2: Ceasefire in Gaza, The Monroe Doctrine Under Trump, and a US Economy on the Brink of Collapse Part 1 - Red Menace - Air Date 10-14-25 KP 3: Jeffrey Stein on Trumps Boat Attacks, Katya Schwenk on AI Surveillance Pricing Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 10-24-25 KP 4: Bailing on Farmers to Bail Out Argentina: Two to Tango Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 10-6-25 KP 5: Trumps Hegemony Gambit; The Rights Warm Racist Embrace with Jeet Heer Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-1-25 (00:53:59) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the long history of messing with Latin America DEEPER DIVES (00:59:42) SECTION A: HISTORY AND NARRATIVE (01:20:49) SECTION B: MILITARY PRETEXT (01:58:37) SECTION C: US AGGRESSION (02:28:44) SECTION D: REGIONAL ECHOES SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Image of a topographical globe of the Earth, only showing North America and South America. Credit: “Globe-world-earth-planet” by quimono, Pixabay | Pixabay license Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Re-Air Date: 11–6-25 Unless you were a member in January of 2025, this episode of SOLVED! will be brand new to you! We're slowing down production for a little bit to reorganize our production processes, so enjoy this episode from our archives (and B.Y: before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - Why people love villains Ch. 2 - How plutocracy kills Ch. 3 - Why the path forward is through membership organizations FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES The Year Villainy Won - Wired https://www.wired.com/story/the-year-villainy-won/ Plutocracy Kills - The American Prospect https://prospect.org/2024/12/26/2024-12-26-tkacik-best-of-2024/ Democracy Is Not a Customer Loyalty Program - Jacobin https://jacobin.com/2024/11/political-parties-schumpeter-democracy-liberalism
Air Date 11/4/2025 Elections are always coming up, some sooner than others, so we thought we would take a look at the state of our democracy and what we must do to maintain it in the face of the greatest direct assault on our institutions we've seen in our 250 year history. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Trump 2028? - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 10-29-25 KP 2: Why Im Voting YES On Prop 50 - Robert Reich - Air Date 10-28-25 KP 3: Trumps 'Crowd Control' Plan For Midterm Election Is Real - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 10-27-25 KP 4: Exposing Trumps 2026 Election Mastermind Part 1 - Democracy Docket - Air Date 10-22-25 KP 5: Trump's Predictable Bad Faith on Election Security Gives His Opponents an Advantage - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 10-28-25 KP 6: ‘They're Spending More Than I'd Tax Them': Mamdani Slams Mega-donors Funding Cuomo - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 10-28-25 KP 7: What If Zohran Loses? Part 1 - Zaid Tabani - Air Date 10-29-25 KP 8: My Message to Muslim New Yorkers — and Everyone Who Calls This City Home. - Zohran Mamdani for NYC - Air Date 10-24-25 (00:49:12) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the willingness to sound the alarm DEEPER DIVES (00:58:05) SECTION A: MAGA POLITICS (01:25:25) SECTION B: GENERAL POLITICS (02:01:21) SECTION C: PROGRESSIVE POLITICIANS (02:25:17) SECTION D: ZOHRAN MAMDANI SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Close up photo of a “I voted early!” sicker from the City of New York Board of Elections Credit: “I voted early!“ by Eden, Janine and Jim | CC BY 4.0 | Changes: Heavily cropped, slight increased saturation and decreased contrast Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X
Air Date 11/02/2025 A lot of people on the left aren't feeling the love for their country right now and that's understandable but we have some thoughts on more productive ways to channel those conflicting feelings toward a country that is currently falling far short of living up to its founding ideals. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Democracy's Morticians Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt on 'How Democracies Die' Part 1 - Lawfare Archive - Air Date 5-1-18 KP 2: How Trump Changed the World with Anne Applebaum Part 1 - PoliticsJOE Podcast - Air Date 6-14-25 KP 3: Giving Up Is Unforgivable with Joyce Vance Part 1 - Stay Tuned with Preet - Air Date 10-23-25 KP 4: How to FIGHT Mob Boss Politics in America with Senator Andy Kim Part 1 - How to Fix It with John Avlon - Air Date 10-19-25 KP 5: Unitary Executive Meets Textualism Part 1 - #SistersInLaw - Air Date 10-11-23 KP 6: How Underdogs Build Power Stephanie Luce Part 1 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 10-23-25 KP 7: Reclaiming Patriotism From Trumps America with Ted Johnson Part 1 - How to Fix It with John Avlon - Air Date 4-27-25 (00:59:59) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On how the Left embraces the contradictions of the US DEEPER DIVES (01:10:45) SECTION A: SOCIETAL DRIVERS (01:47:04) SECTION B: INSTITUTIONAL EROSION (02:18:26) SECTION C: MILITARIZED LAWFARE (02:41:12) SECTION D: PATRIOTISM AND NARRATIVE SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite image of the Declaration of Independence with three question marks on top filled with the image of the American flag. Credit: Internal composite design. Images via Pixabay. | Pixabay License Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date 10/28/2025 As we were looking for episode topics, I came across an article making the case that racism is a real problem in the country and that there were lots of recent examples that proved the point. And I was like, "Racism? In the US?! In Trump's Republican Party?? That doesn't sound like the country I've heard of." (sarcasm) But then we looked into it and it turns out racism is everywhere and also quite bad. (true) Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Will Supreme Court Gut Voting Rights Act Weaken Electoral Power of Black Americans? - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-16-25 KP 2: 'Kids Telling Edgy Jokes'? Hayes SHREDS Vance's Defense of Racist GOP Group Chat - All In W/ Chris Hayes - Air Date 10-15-25 KP 3: Capitol Police INVESTIGATING SWASTIKA FLAG Found in REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMANS DC Office! - Jesse Dollemore - Air Date 10-16-25 KP 4: Racism Is the Policy: Here's 10 Months of Receipts - The Keith Boykin Channel - Air Date 10-15-25 KP 5: TheGrio Daily, Michael Harriot - Systemic Racism Explained - Air Date 4-22-24 KP 6: The Racist Origins of US Law - PBS Origins - Air Date 8-6-20 KP 7: ‘A Very Dangerous Theory:' MAGA's Mask-off Racist Vision of America - Velshi - Air Date 9-7-25 (00:50:25) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On how you CANNOT purchase your happiness with the misery of others DEEPER DIVES (00:56:12) SECTION A: HISTORICAL CONTEXT (01:36:52) SECTION B: WHITE LASH (02:04:02) SECTION C: SYSTEMIC RACISM (02:50:39) SECTION D: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: 1970s poster that says “Racism Chains Both” with an image of a black person's hand and a white person's hand both in connected shackles. Credit: “Racism chains both Hugo Gellert artist” via Library of Congress Public Domain Archive Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!
Air Date 10/25/2025 Trump's attacks on free speech, particularly with the use of the Federal Communications Commission, goes far beyond the Jimmy Kimmel story. We're in the middle of an all-out assault on freedom of speech, a free and unbiased press, and freedom of association. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: FCC's Anna Gomez & Axios' Sara Fischer - Axios - Air Date 9-19-25 KP 2: Bari Weiss, CBS News, And The Conservative Media Takeover - Lever Time - Air Date 10-9-25 KP 3: Trumps Horrifying Plan to Destroy Free Speech W/ Ken Klippenstein - Current Affairs - Air Date 10-10-25 KP 4: ‘They'll Be Others': Trump THREATENS More Indictments of Foes After Comey - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 9-26-25 KP 5: Is ANTIFAscism Really a Violent Extremist Movement? - Matthew Cooke - Air Date 10-14-25 (00:48:56) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On 'Working the Refs' DEEPER DIVES (00:53:51) SECTION A: ANTIFA (01:15:09) SECTION B: POLITICAL ENEMIES (01:53:02) SECTION C: FREE SPEECH (02:29:52) SECTION D: MEDIA TAKEOVER (02:52:28) SECTION E: MOCKING THE FACISTS SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Black and white version of the official portrait of FCC Chair Brendan Carr with the list of words banned by the Trump administration in red over his face. Credit: Internal composite design. | Carr official portrait via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Original Air Date: 10/13/2020 Today we take a look at the myths of Columbus and American Exceptionalism™ that we cling to and turn our gaze to some of the less-understood but more accurate and important aspects of our collective history Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Can You Handle The Truth? - Native Opinion Podcast an American Indian Perspective - Air Date 10-20-19 Ch. 2: Why the US celebrates Columbus Day - Vox - Air Date 10-8-20 Ch. 3: Columbus In His Own Words - Let's Talk Native TV - Air Date 10-12-19 Ch. 4: In Search of a Better American Myth - Progressive Faith Sermons, Dr. Roger Ray - Air Date 10-11-20 Ch. 5: Jon Schwarz on social silence, hidden history, and why Trump is our most honest president - The Katie Halper Show - Air Date 11-22-18 Ch. 6: City Upon A Hill: A History Of American Exceptionalism - BackStory - Air Date 1-22-16 Ch. 7: The American Exceptionalism Mythology - Loud & Clear - Air Date 7-5-19 Ch. 8: Columbus redux! - Let's Talk Native - Air Date 7-17-19 Ch. 9: Why The Right Is So Dishonest About American History - Cracked (Some More News) - Air Date 11-21-17 SHOW IMAGE "Christopher Columbus Statue Torn Down at Minnesota State Capitol" by Tony Webster, Flickr | License | Modifications: Cropped Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Air Date: 10–14-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - The cartoonish conservative and libertarian responses to Trump's state capitalism Ch. 2 - Trump's interest in sovereign wealth funds, and the lie the right sells its supporters about getting money back Ch. 3 - The left spectrum of reactions to Trump's state capitalism Ch. 4 - Why Trump is definitely, 100%, not in any way a socialist SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: Ayn Rand's nearly psychotic opposition to altruism FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES: The Danger of Trump Seizing Private Companies - Time magazine Trump's “State Capitalism … a Hybrid Between Socialism and Capitalism” Won't Make America Great Again - Cato Institute Trump Is Embracing 'Daddy State' Economics - Reason Trump's brand of US capitalism faces 'socialist' backlash from conservatives - BBC Trump, national-capitalism at bay - Heterodox Don't Let Trump Define What State Capitalism Can Be - The New Republic What State Capitalism Can Do—and What It Can't - The American Prospect Unfortunately, Donald Trump is Not a Socialist - Current Affairs EXTRAS Were the Nazis Socialists? - Britannica r/AskHistorians: “Is Nazism right wing or left wing?” Interview with Hitler - Interviews (Anthology 1859-1993) BACKSTAGE I've spent my entire career studying stress—the No. 1 cure for it might ‘surprise' you - CNBC Leonard Peikoff - Wikipedia
© 2020-2026 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
