Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy

Jaksot

• 
  #1822 The State Media Playbook: The FCC and Billionaires Are Waging a War on the Free Press 15.09.2026 3t 7min

  Air Date: 9/13/2026 Today we trace the two-front war on the American press. On one side, government regulators and members of Congress are going after news outlets for the stories they choose to run. On the other, politically friendly buyers are taking ownership of major networks to turn them into free-market versions of state media. Full Show Notes Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Support and Get No Ads!) Everything in one place! (Support, contact, follow, books + merch) ..TOP TAKES KP 1: How to Build a State Media - Blonde Politics | The Silly Serious - Air Date 12-13-25 KP 2: Breaking: ABC SUES Trump Over Free Speech After Kimmel's WIN - The Beat with Ari Melber - Air Date 8-18-26 KP 3: How Thiel, Musk, and Other Tech Billionaires Bought the Liberal Media / Eoin Higgins - This Is Hell! - Air Date 2-4-25 KP 4: Congress Just Subpoenaed Our Newsroom for Doing Journalism - BreakThroughNews - Air Date 7-23-26 KP 5: Public Media - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - Air Date 11-17-25 KP 6: "A Victory for Journalism": Washington Post Ordered to Rehire Fired Opinion Columnist Karen Attiah - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-26-26 KP 7: Coyote Vs. Acme Proves the CEOs Don't Know S***. - Adam Conover - Air Date 9-4-26 (00:56:23) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Corporate Media Cannot Be Trusted to Serve the Public Interest My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:06:24) SECTION A: THE FCC WEAPONIZED A1: ABC Says FCC Waging a Retaliatory Campaign Violating Free Speech Rights - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 8-18-26 A2: Trump's Scheme to Control the Media - Robert Reich and Inequality Media - Air Date 5-7-26 A3: Trump's "Authoritarian Takeover" of the Media, ABC Suing FCC & the Meta Trial: Free Press's Jessica González - Air Date 8-19-26 (01:23:10) SECTION B: JOURNALISTS IN THE CROSSHAIRS B1: FBI Raids Home of Washington Post Reporter as Attacks on Press Freedom Intensify Under Trump - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-15-26 B2: Media Under Scrutiny Following Tragic Death Of Jason Arday | Novara Live - Novara Media - Air Date 8-17-26 B3: A New McCarthyism? House GOP Subpoenas BreakThrough News in Escalating War on Progressive Groups - Democracy Now! Air Date 7-28-26 B4: US Media's Hasan Piker Derangement Syndrome Is Ridiculous - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 8-11-26 B5: Katy Tur Sounds More Like 1930s German Propaganda Than Journalism - Paul Lance - Air Date 9-3-26 B6: Joy Reid & Dean Obeidallah: Fascism Tests Journalistic Integrity In Modern Media - Laura Flanders and Friends: Solutions-Focused Progressive Perspectives on Politics, News, and Culture - Air Date 8-19-26 (02:06:18) SECTION C: WHO'S BUYING, WHO'S CASHING IN C1: The Playbook Putin Used Is Being Run in America Right Now | Media Consolidation - Jim Acosta - Air Date 3-23-26 C2: FOR SALE: Truth Social Selling Early Access to Trump's Posts - Connnect W/ Jacob Soboroff - Air Date 8-9-26 C3: The Meta Settlement Isn't The Victory You Think It Is - Leeja Miller - Air Date 8-28-26 C4: "Profoundly Corrupt": Trump Sued for Selling Early Access to His Truth Social Posts for $100K/Month - Democracy Now! - Air Date - 8-19-26 C5: Finance Bros Are Coming for the Public Airwaves - On The Media - Air Date 8-28-26 (02:35:41) SECTION D: BUILDING SOMETHING BETTER D1: The World After Billionaire Media - Lever Time - Air Date 6-21-24 D2: News Brief: The Call to Boycott—and Delegitimize—the New York Times - Citations Needed - Air Date 5-28-26 D3: From Deadspin to Defector: The Power of Worker-owned News Outlets - Laura Flanders and Friends: Solutions-Focused Progressive Perspectives on Politics, News, and Culture - Air Date 8-12-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1821 Election Sabotage, Voting System Vulnerabilities, and the Defense of the 2026 Midterms 10.09.2026 2t 50min

  Air Date: 9/9/2026 Today we look at the strategies being deployed by the Trump administration and their enablers to undermine the midterm elections and what it actually takes to fight back. The lawyers fighting in court against the efforts to destroy our democracy are clear-eyed that you cannot litigate your way to a free election. The most durable defense is a turnout margin too large to plausibly contest, and organizers are building toward it now. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: President Trump Is Trying to Change How Elections Are Run. Where Do Things Stand - Consider This - Air Date 8-28-26 KP 2: Trump's Strategy to Rig the Midterms + Jake Lang's Christian Nationalist Spectacle Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-25-26 KP 3: Protecting the Midterms—at the Grassroots and in the Courts Part 1 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-19-26 KP 4: Is SCOTUS Letting Trump Meddle in the Midterms Part 1 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 8-31-26 KP 5: Will Dems Risk Being Called 'Election Deniers' If They Need to Challenge Midterms - The BradCast - Air Date 8-27-26 KP 6: Will Data Centers Cost Republicans the Midterms - Runaway Country with Alex Wagner - Air Date 8-27-26 KP 7: Protecting the Midterms—at the Grassroots and in the Courts Part 2 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-19-26 (00:54:01) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On Burnout and ADHD My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:00:47) SECTION A: THREAT AND BACKFIRE A1: What Happens if Trump Tries to Mess with the Midterms - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 8-28-26 A2: Trump's Strategy to Rig the Midterms + Jake Lang's Christian Nationalist Spectacle Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-25-26 A3: Trump Accidentally Wrecks GOP Midterm Message in Dumbest Self-Own Ever - THE DAILY BLAST - Air Date 8-28-26 (01:32:06) SECTION B: CRACKS AND CONSTRAINTS B1: Trump Election Scheme Suddenly Blocked in Late Night Order Part 1 - Legal AF - Air Date 8-29-26 B2: Is SCOTUS Letting Trump Meddle in the Midterms Part 2 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 8-31-26 B3: Alarming Voting System Vulnerabilities Persist, with Guest Susan Greenhalgh, Election Security Expert Part 1 - The BradCast - Air Date 8-10-26 B4: Trump Election Scheme Suddenly Blocked in Late Night Order Part 2 - Legal AF - Air Date 8-29-26 B5: Alarming Voting System Vulnerabilities Persist, with Guest Susan Greenhalgh, Election Security Expert Part 2 - The BradCast - Air Date 8-10-26 (02:14:39) SECTION C: RESISTANCE AND RESPONSE C1: Distraction Drugs For America; A Crucial Voting Strategy For Before November Part 1 - The Politicrat - Air Date 9-2-26 C2: Powerful, Brave, and Free with Tamika Middleton Part 1 - The Anti-Authoritarian Podcast - Air Date 9-2-26 C3: Distraction Drugs For America; A Crucial Voting Strategy For Before November Part 2 - The Politicrat - Air Date 9-2-26 C4: Powerful, Brave, and Free with Tamika Middleton Part 2 - The Anti-Authoritarian Podcast - Air Date 9-2-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  SOLVED! #39 - Why You Should Care About Prisons in the Fight for a Better World (Throwback) 06.09.2026 1t 29min

  Re-Air Date: 8/5/26 Original Air Date: 4/24/26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - Why victims of crime are underserved and actually prefer rehabilitative, root-case approaches to justice Ch. 2 - How cashless bail reform has shrunk jail populations and fueled momentum to block new jail construction Ch. 3 - The local fight over a proposed mega-prison in Arkansas making some conservatives question mass incarceration itself Ch. 4 - A think tank report that proves the glaringly obvious facts about what reduces recidivism, and an article on the community "solutionaries" already preventing and disrupting violence without police SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): Aramark's inhumane "service" in the prison system Leave us a message on our new system! FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES The People Most Ignored by the Criminal-Justice System - The Atlantic Jails Are Closing Across America. Why? - The Nation Judge Orders Colorado to Stop Throwing Prisoners in Solitary for Refusing to Work - BOLTS Magazine The Prison Next Door - The Nation A better path forward for criminal justice: Changing prisons to help people change - A Report by the Brookings AEI Working Group on Criminal Justice Reform Making Communities Safe, Without the Police - Boston Review BACKSTAGE Prison Dining Giant Aramark Serves Inedible Food to Drive Commissary Sales, Lawsuit Alleges - The Appeal EXTRAS: BOOK: "We Do This Til We Free Us" by Mariame Kaba (Buying through this link supports indie book stores and this show!) BOOK: "The New Jim Crow" by Michele Alexander (Buying through this link supports indie book stores and this show!) DOCUMENTARY: "13th" by Ava DuVernay (Netflix) DOCUMENTARY: "The Alabama Solution" (HBO) TAKE ACTION: Stop the prison industrial complex with Critical Resistance and the Abolitionist Law Center Push for the passage of bills like the End of For-Profit Prisons Act of 2025 MayDayStrong.org - May 1st - No Work. No School. No Shopping. Stop Trump's Wars REI Co-Op Members: Vote to Boycott Greeley Meatpacking Workers (UFCW Local 7R) Strike Fund No Kings - What's Next? One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach How to Support Minneapolis Communities Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY 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 [email protected] Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
• 
  #1820 Science and Public Health Under Attack by Our Own Government 03.09.2026 3t 1min

  Air Date: 9/2/2026 Today we look at how public health is being gutted by a system that took ordinary parental worry and organized, radicalized and monetized it into an anti-science "wellness" movement large enough to seize real political power. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: We Need to Accept That We Elected an Actual Madman to Be President - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 8-11-26 KP 2: The 'Anti-Science Disinformation Ecosystem': Experts Decode Trump's War on Health and C Limate - Zeteo - Air Date 10-22-25 KP 3: Welcome to the Vaccine Free-for-All - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 9-4-25 KP 4: Fauci Takes the 5th Amendment While MAGA Cracks His Diary Open & Calls Him Hitler - The Daily Show - Air Date 7-30-26 KP 5: The Infodemic — and the Scientists Fighting Against It | Jessica Malaty Rivera Part 1 - TED Talks Daily - Air Date 8-7-26 KP 6: The Anti-Vaccine Movement Part 1 - Throughline - Air Date 9-25-25 KP 7: Skepticism of Science in Health Care: Who Doesn't Trust Whom and Why? | Robert Field - Fondation Brocher - Air Date 12-16-24 (00:59:02) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR In 1955 Newspapers Announced the Polio Vaccine Like a War Victory My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:09:24) SECTION A: THE CURRENT DAMAGE A1: Fauci, RFK Jr., and the Latest in American Health Part 1 - Reveal - Air Date 8-11-26 A2: Sick Boy – How RFK's Crank Health Agenda Is Making America Ill Again - The Bunker – News Without the Nonsense - Air Date 4-13-26 A3: Fauci, RFK Jr., and the Latest in American Health Part 2 - Reveal - Air Date 8-11-26 (01:35:53) SECTION B: HOW WE GOT HERE B1: The Anti-Vaccine Movement Part 2 - Throughline - Air Date 9-25-25 B2: Peter Hotez: Mapping the Anti-Science Machine - Yale Insights - Air Date 11-27-25 B3: To Be a Trump Republican You Have to Dare to Be Stupid - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 8-27-26 (01:59:55) SECTION C: WHY IT WORKS C1: Fall Of The House Of Misinformation: Science At Work Part 1 - Unbiased Science - Air Date 4-17-24 C2: Social Influence: Crash Course Psychology #38 - CrashCourse - Air Date 11-11-14 C3: Fall Of The House Of Misinformation: Science At Work Part 2 - Unbiased Science - Air Date 4-17-24 (02:23:55) SECTION D: RESPONDING TO THE MOMENT D1: One Crisis After Another | Jessica Malaty Rivera Part 1 - Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Lab - Air Date 5-13-26 D2: Why Doctors Are Mad at Me for My Debate - Doctor Mike - Air Date 12-17-25 D3: One Crisis After Another | Jessica Malaty Rivera Part 2 - Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Lab - Air Date 5-13-26 D4: The Infodemic — and the Scientists Fighting Against It | Jessica Malaty Rivera Part 2 - TED Talks Daily - Air Date 8-7-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1819 Coerced Sterilization, Abortion Bans, and the New Pronatalism: Who Controls American Reproduction (Transcript) 31.08.2026 3t 25min

  Air Date: 8/29/2026 Today we examine what happens when the state wants to decide whether a person reproduces. A century ago, American courts sanctioned the forced sterilization of women deemed unfit to reproduce. 60 years ago, a communist dictator ran a pronatalist experiment with disastrous results. Now, abortion access is collapsing and a new pronatalist movement is rising to wreak havoc. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: Buck V. Bell Part 1 - 5-4 - Air Date 5-26-20 KP 2: Fannie Lou Hamer - Who Did What Now - Air Date 3-5-26 KP 3: Erika Cohn - Belly of the Beast Part 1 - Bitch Talk Podcast - Air Date 1-27-21 KP 4: Explaining This Moment of Pronatalism Part 1 - rePROS Fight Back - Air Date 6-16-26 KP 5: If Roe Was Never Enough, Why Was It Everything (And a Word to My Boom! Lawyered Fam) Part 1 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 6-11-26 KP 6: Explaining This Moment of Pronatalism Part 2 - rePROS Fight Back - Air Date 6-16-26 (00:50:53) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Update on Recovery From Work Burnout My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (00:55:30) SECTION A: EUGENIC LEGAL FOUNDATION A1: Buck V. Bell Part 1 - Stuff You Missed in History Class - Air Date 8-20-25 A2: Buck V. Bell Part 2 - 5-4 - Air Date 5-26-20 A3: Buck V. Bell Part 2 - Stuff You Missed in History Class - Air Date 8-20-25 (01:19:19) SECTION B: COERCED STERILIZATION TODAY B1: The Dark History of Forced Sterilization - Breakthrough News - Air Date 10-21-20 B2: We're Still Here with Simon and Julie - The John Fugelsang Podcast - Air Date 6-21-25 B3: Erika Cohn - Belly of the Beast Part 2 - Bitch Talk Podcast - Air Date 1-27-21 (01:40:32) SECTION C: POST-DOBBS LEGAL BATTLEFIELD C1: The Voters Have Spoken Protecting Reproductive Freedom Through Ballot Initiatives Part 1 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 3-31-26 C2: Return of the Abortion Pill Wars - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 5-16-26 C3: Uncertainty Is a Given Litigation Post-Roe Part 1 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 7-28-26 C4: The Voters Have Spoken Protecting Reproductive Freedom Through Ballot Initiatives Part 2 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 3-31-26 C5: If Roe Was Never Enough, Why Was It Everything (And a Word to My Boom! Lawyered Fam) Part 2 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 6-11-26 C6: Uncertainty Is a Given Litigation Post-Roe Part 2 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 7-28-26 (02:33:29) SECTION D: PRONATALISM, STATE-DIRECTED REPRODUCTION IN REVERSE D1: Pronatalism Make America Procreate Again Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 3-27-25 D2: Why Do Musk and Vance Want More US Babies - BBC News - Air Date 10-8-25 D3: The Lost Children of Romania's Ceaușescu Dictatorship Part 1 - FRANCE 24 English - Air Date 2-14-25 D4: Findings From the Bucharest Early Intervention Project Early Life Deprivation Charles A. Nelson - UCTV - Air Date 12-14-19 D5: Pronatalism Make America Procreate Again Part 2 - The Global Story - Air Date 3-27-25   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1818 Flock Cameras, ICE, and the Surveillance State Targeting Everyone 26.08.2026 3t 26min

  Air Date: 8/25/2026 Today we explore the resistance to Flock cameras and mass surveillance as a whole. Communities across the country are voting to cancel their tracking-camera contracts, others are filing records requests to drag secret police deals into daylight, and some people stopped waiting and went out at night with wire cutters. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: Flock Cameras: ACLU Raises Alarm About Nationwide Surveillance Database - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-21-26 KP 2: Ohio Professor Specialized in Policing Nails Why Flock Cameras Are a Threat to Everyone - More Perfect Union - Air Date 8-16-26 KP 3: We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in Under 30 Seconds. 🫥 Part 1 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 11-16-25 KP 4: The Politics of Spider-Man: Brand New Day - Shawn Grenier | The Canvas - Air Date 8-11-26 KP 5: Copaganda / Alec Karakatsanis - This Is Hell! - Air Date 4-15-25 KP 6: Former ICE Lawyer Says the Point of Trump's ICE Is to "engender Fear" - The Current - Air Date 7-14-26 KP 7: Pushing Back On Flock Cameras with Kate Bertash - The Final Straw Radio - Air Date 4-13-25 (00:58:52) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR A Texas Deputy Typed "had an Abortion, Search for Female" My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:10:50) SECTION A: WHAT FLOCK ACTUALLY IS & THE BUSINESS OF SURVEILLANCE A1: Flock Cameras Are Tracking You and Getting It Wrong (The Roman Report) - Regular Car Reviews - Air Date 7-31-26 A2: Breaking The Creepy AI in Police Cameras - Benn Jordan - Air Date 8-26-25 A3: Flock Is Tracking People, Not Just Cars - 404 Media - Air Date 6-22-26 A4: Police Surveillance Technology - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 8-3-26 A5: We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in Under 30 Seconds. 🫥 Part 2 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 11-16-25 (01:56:22) SECTION B: BEYOND FLOCK - THE FULL SURVEILLANCE MACHINE B1: The Panopticon Effect - 99% Invisible - Air Date 3-28-23 B2: It's Time to Take Down Your Smart Cameras 😬 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 4-2-26 B3: Police Are Buying $1M Spy SUVs - Silicon Cowboy - Air Date 8-18-26 B4: Meta Glasses Are Spying On You - imuRgency - Air Date 7-9-26 B5: Meta's New Product Is So Bad It Got Banned Immediately - House of El: AI - Air Date 7-17-26 (02:36:56) SECTION C: COPAGANDA & THE ICE ENFORCEMENT ARM C1: Why Does ICE Want to Use Electronic Shock Gloves? - Here & Now Anytime -Air Date 8-13-26 C2: DHS Makes INSANE Purchase As Terrifying New ICE Weapon Unveiled - The Damage Report - Air Date 8-16-26 C3: School Kids Being ZAPPED with ICE Shock Gloves - Status Coup News and MeidasTouch - Air Date 8-18-26 C4: Minnesota AG Sues Texas Governor Over ICE Agent Extradition - WCCO - CBS Minnesota - Air Date 8-18-26 C5: A Note For ICE - UNFTR Media - Air Date 8-20-26 (03:02:12) SECTION D: FIGHTING BACK D1: Inside the Vigilante Movement Destroying Flock Cameras - Stateside with Kai and Carter - Air Date 8-5-26 D2: How to Surveil the Police - 404 Media - Air Date 8-10-26 D3: ICE Just Cost Me (part of) My Job. But I'm Not Even Mad About It. News - Brenna Perez - Air Date 8-18-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1817 Worse on Purpose: Trump is Killing Our Response to the Climate Emergency 22.08.2026 3t 31min

  Air Date: 8/22/2026 Today we look at how the Republican Party made climate denial its policy more than twenty years ago and is now removing the government's ability to see the problem at all. The Environmental Protection Agency under Bush refused to regulate carbon in 2003, and now the Trump administration is dismantling the science that would help us both avoid worsening the climate emergency and mitigate the inevitable destruction to lives and property now baked into the system. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: When It Comes to Climate Change, Is There a Point When Adaptation Isn't Enough - Consider This - Air Date 7-31-26 KP 2: Fire Climate Hot, Dry, Windy Days Are Becoming Common, Making Wildfires Harder to Control - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-6-24 KP 3: Five Lies Republicans Tell About the Climate Crisis - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 8-9-26 KP 4: Is This How We Invade Greenland - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 8-11-26 KP 5: Europes Summer of Fire The New Normal Part 1 - Outrage + Optimism The Climate Podcast - Air Date 7-30-26 KP 6: Climate Wayfinding A Compass for the Climate Crisis Part 1 - Sea Change - Air Date 5-22-26 (00:52:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR An Update on the Show My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:00:01) SECTION A: ON THE GROUND A1: Executive Disorder Spokane Wildfires, Abdul Wins Michigan Primary, Munition Shortage Part 1 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 8-7-26 A2: Wildfires Rage Across the Okanagan Part 1 - The Current - Air Date 8-10-26 A3: Farmers Struggle with Crops as Climate Change Makes Weather Less Predictable - PBS Newshour - Air Date 6-23-26 A4: Wildfires Rage Across the Okanagan Part 2 - The Current - Air Date 8-10-26 (01:29:50) SECTION B: EUROPE ON FIRE B1: Wildfires Are Burning Through Europe Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-4-26 B2: Europes Summer of Fire The New Normal Part 2 - Outrage + Optimism The Climate Podcast - Air Date 7-30-26 B3: Wildfires Are Burning Through Europe Part 2 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-4-26 (01:58:01) SECTION C: THE DELAY MACHINE C1: What Happens When the Bedrock of US Climate Policy Is Wiped Away Part 1 - Climate Court Voices - Air Date 5-15-26 C2: Slow Moving Disasters Climate Change, Artificial Intelligence and The Democratic Party. - UNFTR - Air Date 8-4-26 C3: What Happens When the Bedrock of US Climate Policy Is Wiped Away Part 2 - Climate Court Voices - Air Date 5-15-26 C4: Trump Administration Ends Funding for Arctic Climate Report - PBS Newshour - Air Date 8-13-26 C5: Ex Oil-Engineer Turned Climate Whistleblower_ We Face Collapse. with Kevin Anderson Part 1 - Downstream - Air Date 8-10-26 C6: Executive Disorder Spokane Wildfires, Abdul Wins Michigan Primary, Munition Shortage Part 2 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 8-7-26 C7: Ex Oil-Engineer Turned Climate Whistleblower: We Face Collapse. with Kevin Anderson Part 2 - Downstream - Air Date 8-10-26 (02:59:45) SECTION D: WHAT COMES NEXT D1: A Biden Climate Retrospective Part 1 - Left Anchor - Air Date 8-14-26 D2: Climate Wayfinding A Compass for the Climate Crisis Part 2 - Sea Change - Air Date 5-22-26 D3: A Biden Climate Retrospective Part 2 - Left Anchor - Air Date 8-14-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1816 IP'd to Death: How Intellectual Property Law Went from a Protection to a Weapon 20.08.2026 3t 31min

  Air Date: 8/19/2026 Today we trace the corporate capture of ideas themselves. What began as a brief legal incentive granting fourteen years of exclusive rights to a creation has become a system that kept a pandemic vaccine from reaching poorer countries and where entertainment conglomerates and technology giants fence off and sell our own culture back to us. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: Why We Should Get Rid Of Intellectual Property - Second Thought - Air Date 11-18-22 KP 2: How Patent Abuse Blocks Patient Access to Generic Drugs - PIRGvideos - Air Date 4-18-23 KP 3: YouTube's Copyright System Isn't Broken. The World's Is. Part 1 - Tom Scott - Air Date 5-23-20 KP 4: How Disney Will Control Mickey Forever - LegalEagle - Air Date 1-10-26 KP 5: We Are Being IP-ed to Death / Vicky Osterweil Part 1 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 5-27-26 KP 6: Is AI Burning The Library Of Alexandria? - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 8-5-26 KP 7: Should We Abolish Copyright? Part 1 - Tom Nicholas - Air Date 10-2-19 (00:56:46) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Disney Lobbied for Walls in 1998. OpenAI Asked for Holes in 2025. My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:07:51) SECTION A: HOW WE GOT HERE A1: The 5 Phases of Corporate IP Ownership - David Stewart - Air Date 7-8-18 A2: Amanda Kleintop on Abolishing Property Rights in Slaves During and After the US Civil War - The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition - Air Date 1-24-22 A3: Maggie Blackhawk and K-Sue Park - Digging a Hole: The Legal Theory Podcast - Air Date 3-23-21 A4: Claire Priest - Digging a Hole: The Legal Theory Podcast - Air Date 2-16-21 A5: YouTube's Copyright System Isn't Broken. The World's Is. Part 2 - Tom Scott - Air Date 5-23-20 (01:50:20) SECTION B: WHO PROFITS, WHO PAYS B1: A Deepfake Stole My Face and Voice | Rich Roll (Ep. 20) - Life with Machines - Air Date 5-13-25 B2: Can Artists Protect Their Work From AI? – BBC News - Air Date 6-18-23 B3: Brian Eno Explains Why AI Art Sucks - Life With Machines - Air Date 10-31-25 B4: YouTube's Fair Use Paradox - Vertex Effects - Air Date 7-18-25 B5: We Are Being IP-ed to Death / Vicky Osterweil Part 2 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 5-27-26 (02:27:53) SECTION C: THE DISNEY PLAYBOOK C1: A Disney Monopoly Is A Problem (According To Disney's Recess) - Just Write - Air Date 11-30-19 C2: Vicky Osterweil on Disney, Intellectual Property and Storytelling Part 1 - The Final Straw Radio - Air Date 5-3-26 C3: Everyone's Wrong About John Oliver's Trademark War - LegalEagle - Air Date 8-8-26 C4: Vicky Osterweil on Disney, Intellectual Property and Storytelling Part 2 - The Final Straw Radio - Air Date 5-3-26 C5: We Are Being IP-ed to Death / Vicky Osterweil Part 3 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 5-27-26 (03:14:03) SECTION D: WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT D1: Should We Abolish Copyright? Part 2 - Tom Nicholas - Air Date 10-2-19 D2: The Ethical Case Against Intellectual Property (by David Koepsell) - V for Voluntary Library - Air Date 5-17-10   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1815 Sanctioned Ignorance: The Assault on Museums, Libraries, and American Memory 16.08.2026 3t 14min

  Air Date: 8/16/2026 Today we look at what Toni Morrison called "sanctioned ignorance," the deliberate manufacture of a version of the past that keeps citizens from connecting the dots between what their government did then and what it's doing now. They're doing it by attacking museums, libraries, and everyone dedicated to ensuring that people have access to accurate information because that's what it takes to implement authoritarian control over a society. It's also the reason that countries under authoritarian rule suffer from the lack of benefits that comes with the free exchange of ideas. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: David Blight Makes Opening Statement in Hearing on How Smithsonian Presents History - PBS Newshour - Air Date 7-21-26 KP 2: Trying to Rewrite History - Letters From an American - Air Date 7-28-26 KP 3: Trump Orders Signs at Smithsonian Museum Warning of 'Inaccurate' History - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 7-30-26 KP 4: Rebecca Nagle on the Boomerang of Empire Part 1 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 7-11-26 KP 5: Right-Wing Attacks on Small-Town Libraries; Plus The Snow Leopard Part 1 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-17-23 KP 6: Free Speech for Me, but Not for Thee. Plus, Librarians Under Siege. - On the Media - Air Date 9-19-25 KP 7: Why Libraries Matter in a Fascist Moment Part 1 - Movement Memos - Air Date 3-19-26 (00:57:23) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Why Authoritarians Always Create a Brain Drain That Leaves Their Country Intellectually Impoverished My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:08:29) SECTION A: THE CRACKDOWN A1: What Is the Smithsonian - Civics 101 - Air Date 6-25-24 A2: 'If You Can Keep It' The Smithsonian Part 1 - 1A - Air Date 8-18-25 A3: Trumps Assault on Museums and Libraries, the Art Markets 12% Fall, Evie Hone and Mainie Jellett Part 1 - The Week in Art - Air Date 4-10-25 A4: 'If You Can Keep It' The Smithsonian Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 8-18-25 A5: Trumps Assault on Museums and Libraries, the Art Markets 12% Fall, Evie Hone and Mainie Jellett Part 2 - The Week in Art - Air Date 4-10-25 (01:47:35) SECTION B: HISTORIANS PUSH BACK B1: Historian Douglas Brinkley on MAGA-fying the Smithsonian Part 1 - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 8-21-25 B2: Trumps Renewed War, More ICE Killings, and Teaching American History - Start Making Sense - Air Date 7-15-26 B3: Historian Douglas Brinkley on MAGA-fying the Smithsonian Part 2 - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 8-21-25 (02:13:02) SECTION C: LIBRARIES UNDER SIEGE C1: From Budget Cuts to Book Bans — The Decades-Long Assault on Public Libraries Part 1 - Citations Needed - Air Date 3-29-23 C2: Why Libraries Matter in a Fascist Moment Part 2 - Movement Memos - Air Date 3-19-26 C3: From Budget Cuts to Book Bans — The Decades-Long Assault on Public Libraries Part 2 - Citations Needed - Air Date 3-29-23 C4: Right-Wing Attacks on Small-Town Libraries; Plus The Snow Leopard Part 2 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-17-23 (02:44:58) SECTION D: THE LONGER ARC - EMPIRE, IDEOLOGY, AND THE WORLD'S VIEW D1: The US Struggles with History, Stephen Friedman Gallery Closes, Tudor Heart Pendant Acquired by the British Museum - The Week in Art - Air Date 2-12-26 D2: Museum Responses to Fascism (or Not) Part 1 - The Modern Art Notes Podcast - Air Date 8-6-26 D3: Museum Responses to Fascism (or Not) Part 2 - The Modern Art Notes Podcast - Air Date 8-6-26 D4: Rebecca Nagle on the Boomerang of Empire Part 2 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 7-11-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1814 Open Imperialism in Latin America: Trump Says the Whole Hemisphere Is His to Run 13.08.2026 3t 11min

  Air Date: 8/12/2026 Today we follow the latest in Western Hemisphere imperialism. American presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump have invoked the Monroe Doctrine and its claim on the whole hemisphere to justify coups, sanctions, and now an outright military abduction in Latin America. Trump, as always, is bragging loudly about the parts most before him knew to keep quiet. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: "Imperial Laboratory": Alexander Aviña on the "Donroe" Doctrine & U.S. Intervention in Latin America - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-6-26 KP 2: Trump Took Billions From Venezuela, Congress Is Demanding Answers - The Ring of Fire - Air Date 7-24-26 KP 3: Where Did Venezuela's $13 Billion Go? Part 1 - Patrick Boyle - Air Date 7-25-26 KP 4: Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega Dismantles Elections - The World - Air Date 7-21-26 KP 5: "Criminal Approach to Politics": Trump Ally Abelardo De La Espriella Wins Colombian Presidency - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-22-26 KP 6: Cuba's Deepening Crisis as Residents Ask How Much Longer They Can Endure - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 7-18-26 (00:49:42) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR The Brag Defense: Announcing a Crime Makes It Look Innocent My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:02:49) SECTION A: VENEZUELA: THE MONEY, THE OIL, THE RUINS A1: Venezuela Earthquakes: U.S. Sanctions Impede Rescue Efforts as Death Toll Soars - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-26-26 A2: What They Don't Tell You About Venezuela - Bianca Graulau - Air Date 5-7-26 A3: 'Pre-existing Vulnerabilities: Venezuela Already Experiencing Economic Turmoil, Displacement Crisis' - FRANCE 24 English - Air Date 6-29-26 A4: Where Did Venezuela's $13 Billion Go? Part 2 - Patrick Boyle - Air Date 7-25-26 A5: Venezuelan Government and Opposition Faction Are to Hold Talks | Inside Story - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 8-2-26 (01:45:10) SECTION B: CUBA IN THE CROSSHAIRS B1: Is Cuba Waging a Secret Campaign Against the US? | The Global Story Part 1 - BBC News - Air Date 6-27-26 B2: 'Cuba Is Not Venezuela': Trump's Takeover Threat Collides with 'disciplined Revolutionary State' - FRANCE 24 English - Air Date 3-18-26 B3: Is Cuba Waging a Secret Campaign Against the US? | The Global Story Part 2 - BBC News - Air Date 6-27-26 (02:09:15) SECTION C: REGIONAL RIPPLES AND HUMAN FALLOUT C1: Colombia Takes a Hard-Right Turn: Who Is Abelardo De La Espriella? - Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters - Air Date 6-23-26 C2: Human Rights in Nicaragua Part 1 - 35 West - Air Date 4-16-26 C3: Missouri Couple Murdered in Guatemala After Husband Was Deported - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 7-30-26 C4: Human Rights in Nicaragua Part 2 - 35 West - Air Date 4-16-26 (02:39:49) SECTION D: HISTORICAL ROOTS: THE DONROE DOCTRINE'S LONG SHADOW D1: A Brief History of US Interventions in Latin America - TRT World - Air Date 1-13-26 D2: American-Backed Coups, Mapped - Johnny Harris - Air Date 2-9-23 D3: How The United States Trained Latin American Dictators - The Cold War - Air Date 7-27-25 D4: What a Secret Government Warehouse in Venezuela Says About the US Today - Mother Jones - Air Date 1-20-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1813 Suffering is the Strategy: ICE, Mass Deportation, and Demographic Engineering 09.08.2026 3t 32min

  Air Date: 8/8/2026 Today we examine the mass deportation machine that's been intentionally designed to inflict suffering, from the conditions inside immigration jails to the reckless actions of ICE agents, and the systematic dismantling of accountability. All of this in service of a blatant demographic engineering program to forcibly Whiten the country. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: Lauren Bonds on ICE Murders Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 7-17-26 KP 2: Trumps National Killer Police Force Part 1 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 7-24-26 KP 3: Uncovering Abuse Inside America's Largest ICE Detention Center Part 1 - Fresh Air - Air Date 7-14-26 KP 4: ICE Took Mom and Dad. Now the Kids Are on Their Own. Part 1 - Reveal - Air Date 7-25-26 KP 5: ICE Deports Family To Their Deaths In Guatemala - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-29-26 KP 6: ICE Took Mom and Dad. Now the Kids Are on Their Own. Part 2 - Reveal - Air Date 7-25-26 (00:58:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Mass Deportation and the Birth Rate Panic Are One Project My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:18:16) SECTION A: INEVITABLE BRUTALITY A1: What We Know About the Recent ICE Killings Part 1 - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 7-20-26 A2: ICE Kills Again Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-13-26 A3: What We Know About the Recent ICE Killings Part 2 - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 7-20-26 A4: ICE Kills Again Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-13-26 A5: Trump Endorses Non Citizen FBI Stops Investigating ICE Shootings Maine Dems Pick Platner's Sub - David Feldman Show - Air Date 7-19-26 A6: ICE Murders and the Maine Senate Scramble with David Dayen and David Weigel - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 7-17-26 (02:15:18) SECTION B: DESIGNED TO BE UNBEARABLE B1: Killer ICE Agent's Ex-Wife Tells Us Everything We Need To Know - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-17-26 B2: Uncovering Abuse Inside America's Largest ICE Detention Center Part 2 - Fresh Air - Air Date 7-14-26 B3: Lauren Bonds on ICE Murders Part 2 - CounterSpin - Air Date 7-17-26 B4: Trumps National Killer Police Force Part 2 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 7-24-26 (02:51:33) SECTION C: THE WORLD WATCHES & THE PEOPLE FIGHT BACK C1: Claudia Sheinbaum Takes on the ICE Killing Machine Part 1 - Soberanía - Air Date 7-15-26 C2: Meet Beto Coral, Activist Targeted by ICE for Criticism of Trump-Backed Colombian President-Elect - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-28-26 C3: Claudia Sheinbaum Takes on the ICE Killing Machine Part 2 - Soberanía - Air Date 7-15-26 C4: Citizens Bank Cuts Ties to ICE Prison Companies GEO Group & CoreCivic After Grassroots Campaign - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-30-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1434 Confronting Climate Chaos Through Time (Throwback) 05.08.2026 1t 6min

  Publish Date: 8-5-2026 Original Air Date: 8–13-2021 Today we dig through the archives to give context to the news of the 2021 IPCC report ringing the alarm bells for the climate crisis. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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 IPCC's new report - @greennewsreport - Air Date 4-3-14 Ch. 2: Green News Report w/ Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen - Air Date 8-10-21 Ch. 3: Global Water Shortages Pose Threat of Terror & War - @davidpakmanshow - Air Date 02-16-14 Ch. 4: The World's On Fire and There's Money in the Flames - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 8-10-21 Ch. 5: Why humans are so bad at thinking about climate change - Vox - Air Date 4-19-17 Ch. 6: Report confirms the effect of climate change happening today, spurs action - @greennewsreport - Air Date 5-6-14 Ch. 7: When Republicans believed in climate change - @allinwithchris Hayes - Air Date 04-22-14 Ch. 8: Geoff Mann: Transforming and Democratizing Institutions to Address Climate Change - Economics & Beyond with Rob Johnson - Air Date 8-9-21 Ch. 9: Climate crisis and jobs with Naomi Klein - What Comes After What Comes Next - Air Date 6-11-20 Ch. 10: Extreme Heat in the News, Naming Heat Waves, Thermal Equity and more with Dr. Ladd Keith - America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast - Air Date 7-5-21 Ch. 11: Putting the Freeze on Global Warming - @BillMoyersHQ And Company - Air Date 4-25-14 Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1812 Democracy or This Supreme Court, But Not Both 02.08.2026 2t 58min

  Air Date: 8/1/2026 Today we investigate how the argument moved from what the Supreme Court decides to whether the Court should be rebuilt. Only about one in five Americans has strong confidence in the Court, and the proposals on the table would end lifetime seats, set fixed terms, and add judges across the federal bench. We're arguing that these reforms are necessary for a functioning democracy. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: 'Unhinged and Racist': Hayes EVISCERATES Trump's Birthright Argument - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 6-30-26 KP 2: "We Continue to Fight": Chase Strangio on the Supreme Court's Ban on Trans Girls & Women in Sports - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-1-26 KP 3: Supreme Court Guts Voting Rights Act in "Devastating Blow" to Democracy & Civil Rights: Maya Wiley - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-30-26 KP 4: The Term the Court Stopped Pretending Part 1 - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, Justice, and the Courts - Air Date 7-7-26 KP 5: "The Most Destructive Chief Justice in My Lifetime": Dissecting John Roberts with Lisa Graves Part 1 - 5-4 - Air Date 6-23-26 KP 6: Did the Birthright Citizenship Ruling Prove It's Time for SCOTUS Reform? Part 1 - Stateside with Kai and Carter - Air Date 7-1-26 (00:48:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Court Reform Has to Start With Filibuster Reform My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:02:17) SECTION A: THE RULINGS A1: Supreme Court RUSHES Through SHOCK RULINGS - Legal AF and Lawyers for Good Government - Air Date 7-24-26 A2: In "Devastating" Immigration Ruling, Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin to "Turn Back" Asylum Seekers - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-26-26 A3: What Haitians and Syrians With TPS Need to Know Now - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 6-30-26 (01:26:07) SECTION B: THE CHARACTER OF THE COURT B1: The Term the Court Stopped Pretending Part 2 - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, Justice, and the Courts - Air Date 7-7-26 B2: SCOTUS Doubles Down on Bigotry in Final Decisions of the Term - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 6-30-26 B3: The Supreme Court Is Corrupt. This Is What We Can Do About It. - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 5-1-26 B4: BREAKING: SCOTUS Just Snuck Radical Law Past the Headlines - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 6-23-26 B5: Strict Scrutiny X WITHpod SCOTUS Review Crossover - Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast - Air Date 7-7-26 (02:13:52) SECTION C: ORIGINS, HOW WE GOT THIS COURT C1: 250 Years of Bad Decisions: SCOTUS, the Civil War, and the End of Reconstruction - 5-4 - Air Date 6-30-26 C2: "The Most Destructive Chief Justice in My Lifetime": Dissecting John Roberts with Lisa Graves Part 2 - 5-4 - Air Date 6-23-26 (02:33:08) SECTION D: REFORM, WHAT DO WE DO? D1: How to Fix the Supreme Court (with Miriam Rosenbaum and Olatunde Johnson) - Brennan Center for Justice - Air Date 5-6-26 D2: Did the Birthright Citizenship Ruling Prove It's Time for SCOTUS Reform? Part 2 - Stateside with Kai and Carter - Air Date 7-1-26 D3: Broke: Pack the Supreme Court. Woke: Pack ALL of the Courts - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 7-23-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1811 Country for Old Men: Gerontocracy By Design and the Democracy Problem 29.07.2026 3t 4min

  Air Date: 7/25/2026 Today we look at the idea that America has become a gerontocracy, a country run by the old, and then interrogate the premise a bit. The wealth, the politicians, and the voting electorate really do concentrate at the top of the age ladder, and benefits for the old tend to stay protected while younger people wait their turn. But several of our sources argue age is the wrong name for the problem, that it is really a story about money and who the whole system was built to serve. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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 Is There to Say About Lindsey Graham - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 7-12-26 KP 2: Where Is Mitch McConnell? - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 7-10-26 KP 3: The Mitch McConnell Mystery Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-14-26 KP 4: Why Is Congress Like This Part 1 - Civics 101 - Air Date 6-30-26 KP 5: Mitch, Lindsey and the Gerontocracy Part 1 - What Next - Air Date 7-13-26 KP 6: Gerontocracy with Samuel Moyn Part 1 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 7-1-26 (00:52:22) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR How Congress Got Crippled, A True Crime Story My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:07:37) SECTION A: THE MCCONNELL & GRAHAM MOMENT A1: A Grave Situation In The Senate Part 1 - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 7-14-26 A2: The Mitch McConnell Mystery Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-14-26 A3: A Grave Situation In The Senate Part 2 - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 7-14-26 A4: The Attractive Anti-Politics of 'Gerontocracy' Discourse Part 1 - Citations Needed - Air Date 9-21-22 (01:49:14) SECTION B: THE GERONTOCRACY CASE B1: Mitch McConnell and Our Very Old Congress Part 1 - What A Day - Air Date 7-9-26 B2: Mitch, Lindsey and the Gerontocracy Part 2 - What Next - Air Date 7-13-26 B3: Mitch McConnell and Our Very Old Congress Part 2 - What A Day - Air Date 7-9-26 B4: The Gerontocracy Problem Samuel Moyn - Future Hindsight - Air Date 6-11-26 B5: Gerontocracy with Samuel Moyn Part 2 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 7-1-26 B6: The Attractive Anti-Politics of 'Gerontocracy' Discourse Part 2 - Citations Needed - Air Date 9-21-22 (02:34:15) SECTION C: HOW CONGRESS ACTUALLY WORKS C1: Melinda N. Ritchie, Backdoor Lawmaking Evading Obstacles in the US Congress (Oxford UP, 2023) Part 1 - New Books in Political Science - Air Date 12-12-23 C2: Why Is Congress Like This Part 2 - Civics 101 - Air Date 6-30-26 C3: Melinda N. Ritchie, Backdoor Lawmaking Evading Obstacles in the US Congress (Oxford UP, 2023) Part 2 - New Books in Political Science - Air Date 12-12-23   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  Monthly-ish Mix #11 The Loneliest Superpower: What America Gets for Pushing Everyone Away 26.07.2026 4t 58min

  Air Date: 7/25/2026 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on the news from June and July without being overwhelming! Organized around a single idea: the same politics that left America friendless abroad is keeping Americans apart at home. The war with Iran ends and America's word counts for less around the world, so Europe starts building its own software instead of buying ours, NATO war-games its own doubts, and China quietly steadies the world's oil markets, while Taiwan shows that real security comes from connection, not threats. At home, the administration revives the red scare, hands the Justice Department to the president's personal lawyer while judges face death threats, and turns the country's 250th birthday into a fight over who counts as American, and billionaires cash out while everyone argues. And the way back starts small: a psychologist's simple habit for a happier social life, organizers who treat loneliness as a political problem with a political cure, and a Michigan Senate campaign built on talking to people instead of donors. Covering: June–July 2026 Full Show Notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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! SECTION 1: A SUPERPOWER WITHOUT FRIENDS (00:01:30) #1805 - Trump Giving Iran $300 Billion to End His Own War 1: The Iran Deal, Boy, I Don't Know - Takes by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 6-18-26 2: J.D. Vance Iran Deal Fall Guy Part 1 - On the Media - Air Date 6-19-26 3: Trump Weakened U.S. Allies While Strengthening Iran Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 6-19-26 (00:26:23) #1810 - Post-American Europe: How to Lose Friends and Influence People to Protect Themselves Against You 4: TODAY: Europe Replaces ENTIRE American Software Stack - Google OUT, Microsoft OUT June 9 - House of El - Air Date 6-4-26 5: Would NATO Hold if Russia Tested Article 5? Lessons From a War Game | Berlin Briefing Podcast Part 1 - DW News - Air Date 7-17-26 6: China Quietly Saved the World Last Month Part 1 - Max Fisher - Air Date 7-17-26 (00:54:17) #1799 - The US and China Are Fighting Over Taiwan, Semiconductors, and Africa's Minerals 7: Can There Ever Really Be "one China?" - Vox - Air Date 5-28-26 8: Trump's FAILED Meeting With China's Xi Jinping Was Humiliating - Pod Save the World - Air Date 5-21-26 9: China Will Never Beat Taiwan, Here's Why - Maxinomics - Air Date 3-37-26 SECTION 2: DIVIDED ON PURPOSE (01:23:27) #1809 - Democrats Seek a Blue Wave, Progressives Push Democratic Socialism, GOP Revive the Red Scare 10: The Red Scare Returns Trump Is Calling Us Communists - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 7-8-26 11: Why Dems Like Him Are Crashing Out Right Now with Jeet Heer Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Dat 7-3-26 12: Unsticking Congress with Maya Kornberg Part 1 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 5-7-26 (01:45:55) #1802 - Department of Injustice: Revenge Prosecutions, Judges Threatened, and Incompetence All the Way Down 13: Trump Eyes Personal Lawyer to Run DOJ Part 1 - The Beat w Ari Melber - Air Date 6-4-26 14: This Federal Judge Ruled Against Trump. Then the Death Threats Rolled in Part 1 - 60 Minutes - Air Date 3-1-26 15: DOJ in Crisis - Stay Tuned with Preet - Air Date 2-10-26 SECTION 3: STRANGERS IN OUR OWN COUNTRY (02:12:09) #1806 - America at 250: The Declaration, the Constitution, and our Crisis of Democracy 16: America's 250th Birthday Must Reckon with Racism, Historian Says - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 6-19-26 17: Trump 250 Gala Grows More Humiliating as Fox Grapples with Low Turnout - THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent - Air Date 6-26-26 18: The Constitution (Melissa's Version) - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 5-11-26 (02:37:01) #1807 - What the World Cup Exposes: Identity, Colonialism, and Racism in 2026 19: Pete Hegseth is Trying to Resegregate the Military - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 6-20-26 20: US Soccer Star Shows MAGA's Racism With Zero Effort - Rick Strom - Air Date 6-23-26 21: Colonial Wars Played On The Pitch - AJ+ - Air Date 6-21-26 (03:07:56) #1804 - Elon Musk, the First Trillionaire, and the Broken System That Made Him 22: Belfast Riots: Why UK Mobs See Racial Violence as 'national Defence' | Amina Shareef | MEE Opinion - Middle East Eye - Air Date 6-18-26 23: 'Billionaire CRISIS': How the Country's Wealthiest Are 'bankrolling' U.S. Politics - MS NOW - Air Date 5-27-26 24: SpaceX IPO: What They're Not Telling Retail Investors - UNFTR Media - Air Date 6-9-26 (03:34:28) #1808 - Billionaires vs. Democracy: They're Not Coming For Your Job, They're Coming For Your Government (And The Entire Economy) 25: The Richest Country Is Pretty Mid Now Part 1 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 6-28-26 26: The End Of Capitalism Is Here. - Second Thought - Air Date 6-5-26 27: America is Entering a New Socialist Era — and It Might Stick - The Recount - Air Date 6-30-26 SECTION 4: THE WAY BACK TO EACH OTHER (04:03:58) #1800 - How Capitalism Created Loneliness and How To Joyfully Organize Our Way to Community 28: Anthropic Discovers the Axis of Evil, and AIs Loneliness Economy - The AI Fix - Air Date 2-3-26 29: The Political Economy of Love Attention, Affection, & What Capitalism Can't Buy Part 1 - Rev Left Radio - Air Date 1-19-26 30: The Simple Habit for a Happier Social Life Nicholas Epley Part 1 - TEDTalks - Air Date 5-19-26 (04:30:56) #1801 - Counterfeit Populism: Trump, the 2026 Primaries, and the Era That's Ending 31: Why I Left the (White) Left - Signified B Sides - Air Date 6-2-26 32: Hayes: Trump is Chasing Good Press with Bombs - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 6-11-26 33: Abdul El-Sayed Thinks the Michigan Senate Race Will Come Down to This One Factor - Slate and Abdul El-Sayed - Air Date 4-30-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1810 Post-American Europe: How to Lose Friends and Influence People to Protect Themselves Against You 23.07.2026 3t 31min

  Air Date: 7/22/2026 Today we look at how three things Europe thought were features turned out to be leverage that could be held against them: American military protection, Silicon Valley software, and cheap Chinese goods. From a French government office running Linux to a secret European defense coalition that bypasses Washington, Europe is quietly swapping out the old architecture rather than dismantling it, one operating system migration and one secret war game at a time. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: TODAY: Europe Replaces ENTIRE American Software Stack - Google OUT, Microsoft OUT June 9 - House of El - Air Date 6-4-26
• 
  #1809 Democrats Seek a Blue Wave, Progressives Push Democratic Socialism, GOP Revive the Red Scare 19.07.2026 3t 56min

  Air Date: 7/18/2026 Today we examine recent primary elections and how the political smear of crying 'socialism' has been dusted off and aimed at a new generation of candidates. What's changed is that the people being smeared are actually winning elections, and the more the establishment called them dangerous, the stronger their numbers got. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: The Red Scare Returns Trump Is Calling Us Communists - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 7-8-26 KP 2: Brooks and Capehart on What's Next for Democrats in the Maine Senate Race - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 7-10-26 KP 3: Why Dems Like Him Are Crashing Out Right Now with Jeet Heer Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Dat 7-3-26 KP 4: A Progressive Compact for America Part 1 - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 6-20-26 KP 5: Democratic Socialist Electoral Victories and the Implications for American Politics Part 1 - Rev Left Radio - Air Date 7-12-26 KP 6: Unsticking Congress with Maya Kornberg Part 1 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 5-7-26 (00:48:08) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR The Democrats Are Losing Because They Chose Wall St. Over Workers My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (00:59:58) SECTION A: WHO THEY ARE A1: Can a Democratic Socialist Win in a Swing State This Progressive in Wisconsin Thinks so - MS Now Reports - Air Date 7-8-26 A2: Stop Trump's Project 2025 Scheme to Kill Science; Guest Dr. Colette Delawalla of Stand Up for Science Part 1 - The BradCast - Air Date 6-24-26 A3: How Colorado Spooked the Establishment with David Sirota - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-4-26 A4: Primary Fights - The Practivist Pod - Air Date 6-4-26 A5: How Colorado Spooked the Establishment with David Sirota Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-4-26 A6: Stop Trump's Project 2025 Scheme to Kill Science; Guest Dr. Colette Delawalla of Stand Up for Science Part 2 - The BradCast - Air Date 6-24-26 A7: Why Dems Like Him Are Crashing Out Right Now with Jeet Heer Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Dat 7-3-26 (02:00:45) SECTION B: WHAT THEY BELIEVE B1: The Socialists Are Coming! Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-2-26 B2: DSA & Justice Democrats on Changing the Democratic Party, Mamdani, Gaza & More - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-10-26 B3: The Socialists Are Coming! Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-2-26 B4: Trump's America250 Spectacle, the SSPX Schism, and the Rise of Democratic Socialists - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 7-3-24 (02:27:27) SECTION C: MONEY, POWER, AND THE RECKONING C1: A Progressive Compact for America Part 2 - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 6-20-26 C2: Seth Stern on Criminalizing Dissent - CounterSpin - Air Date 6-26-26 C3: Unsticking Congress with Maya Kornberg Part 2 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 5-7-26 (02:57:37) SECTION D: CRITIQUES AND THE PATH FORWARD D1: Why I Left the (White) Left Part 1 - Signified B Sides - Air Date 6-2-26 D2: Democratic Socialist Electoral Victories and the Implications for American Politics Part 2 - Rev Left Radio - Air Date 7-12-26 D3: A Joy Reid Rant Democrats Want Obedience; We Need Justice Part 1 - The Joy Reid Show - Air Date 7-12-26 D4: Why I Left the (White) Left Part 2 - Signified B Sides - Air Date 6-2-26 D5: Why the Center Left Is Losing, the Squad Vs. the Median Voter, and How Patriotism Wins Elections Part 1 - The Good Fight - Air Date 6-27-26 D6: A Joy Reid Rant Democrats Want Obedience; We Need Justice Part 2 - The Joy Reid Show - Air Date 7-12-26 D7: Why the Center Left Is Losing, the Squad Vs. the Median Voter, and How Patriotism Wins Elections Part 2 - The Good Fight - Air Date 6-27-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1634 Abortion as the Tip of the Iceberg (Throwback) 15.07.2026 2t 21min

  Re-Air Date: 7-14-2026 Original Air Date: 6-7-2024 Banning abortion is wildly unpopular and also one of the primary motivators for the group most strongly supporting the Republican Party and Donald Trump, the Christian Right, which has transformed both the party and politicians into extremists made in their own image, threatening the lives and health of millions and sacrificing democracy in the process. Direct Download Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: Abortion and Reproductive Rights - Lectures in History - Air Date 3-16-24 KP 2: Abortion and the erosion of privacy - The Weeds - Air Date 4-10-24 KP 3: Digital surveillance and reproductive rights - Technically Optimistic - Air Date 5-15-24 KP 4: Anti-abortion hardliners want restrictions to go farther. It could cost Republicans - Consider This - Air Date 5-23-24 KP 5: Abortion and Reproductive Rights Part 2 - Lectures in History - Air Date 3-16-24 KP 6: Rakeen Mabud on Greedflation, Rachel K. Jones on Mifepristone - CounterSpin - Air Date 4-5-24 KP 7: Abortion and the erosion of privacy Part 2 - The Weeds - Air Date 4-10-24 KP 8: Digital surveillance and reproductive rights Part 2 - Technically Optimistic - Air Date 5-15-24 (56:09) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the abuse produced by abortion restrictions DEEPER DIVES (01:01:35) SECTION A: CRIMINALIZING ABORTION A1: Abortion and Reproductive Rights Part 3 - Lectures in History - Air Date 3-16-24 A2: Digital surveillance and reproductive rights Part 3 - Technically Optimistic - Air Date 5-15-24 A3: Abortion and the erosion of privacy Part 3 - The Weeds - Air Date 4-10-24 (01:20:04) SECTION B: ABORTION EXTREMISM OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY B1: Texas Republicans Want To Execute Women Who Defy Them - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 5-30-24 B2: Why Trumps Abortion Video Needs Some Follow-Up Questions - Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast - Air Date 4-9-24 (01:35:45) SECTION C: ABORTION IN THE LEGAL SYSTEM C1: Abortion and Reproductive Rights Part 4 - Lectures in History - Air Date 3-16-24 C2: Abortion and the erosion of privacy Part 4 - The Weeds - Air Date 4-10-24 C3: Why Trumps Abortion Video Needs Some Follow-Up Questions Part 2 - Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast - Air Date 4-9-24 (01:52:57) SECTION D: WHAT IS THERE TO DO? D1: Digital surveillance and reproductive rights Part 4 - Technically Optimistic - Air Date 5-15-24 D2: NJ Rep. Mikie Sherrill On Abortion Nationwide, And Campus Protests In Her District - Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast - Air Date 5-1-24 D3: Rakeen Mabud on Greedflation, Rachel K. Jones on Mifepristone Part 2 - CounterSpin - Air Date 4-5-24 D4: Digital surveillance and reproductive rights Part 5 - Technically Optimistic - Air Date 5-15-24 MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions) SHOW IMAGE:  Description: A person dressed in a red cape and white conical bonnet with a red sash over their nose and mouth (referencing the Handmaid's Tale) stands outside the U.S. Supreme Court at dusk holding a cardboard sign with the words "This is NOT fiction." Credit: Photo by Tyler Merbler, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1808 Billionaires vs. Democracy: They're Not Coming For Your Job, They're Coming For Your Government (And The Entire Economy) 11.07.2026 4t 19min

  Air Date: 7/10/2026 Today we look at what it means to live in an economy that has quietly split in two with a soaring stock market driven by AI on one side, a collapsing job market on the other, and the subtle shift in the right to own things, from your music and movies to your car's software, which all underlie the slide toward technofeudalism. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: America Is Entering a New Socialist Era — and It Might Stick - The Recount - Air Date 6-30-26 KP 2: America's Job Market Is Collapsing - Max Fisher - Air Date 4-10-26 KP 3: The Richest Country Is Pretty Mid Now Part 1 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 6-28-26 KP 4: We Uncovered The Master Plan That Peter Thiel Doesn't Want You To See - More Perfect Union - Air Date 6-29-26 KP 5: The End Of Capitalism Is Here. - Second Thought - Air Date 6-5-26 (01:06:28) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Humanity Is About to Be Optimized Out of Existence for the Sake of Profit My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:06:46) SECTION A: THE RISING LEFT A1: Trump's Speech At America 250 BACKFIRES, Sony Ends PHYSICAL MEDIA | Zaid Talks Part 1 - Zaid Tabani - Air Date 7-5-26 A2: Do Democrats F*ck Now? How Democratic Socialists Are Taking Over The Party - Some Some More News Clips and Some More News - Air Date 7-5-26 A3: How the Democratic Party Captures and Subverts Revolutionary Energy (with Kshama Sawant) - The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel - Air Date 6-29-26 A4: AI Is Losing and the Left Is Winning, with Brennan Lee Mulligan and Ed Zitron - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 6-26-26 A5: Democrats Don't Know What "Affordability" Actually Means, with Dino Guastella - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 6-24-26 (01:49:40) SECTION B: EVERYDAY EXTRACTION B1: The American Economy Is Broken—Here's Why - Established Context Part 1 - Air Date 4-13-26 B2: Why Owning Nothing Is So Expensive - Business Insider and Insider - Air Date 1-24-26 B3: NEW WARNING: Your Vehicle Can't Be FIXED After 2026 - Motor Feed - Air Date 6-28-26 B4: Trump's Speech At America 250 BACKFIRES, Sony Ends PHYSICAL MEDIA | Zaid Talks Part 2 - Zaid Tabani - Air Date 7-5-26 B5: Content Dot Mp4 - Thought Slime - Air Date 6-29-26 B6: Why American Airlines Stopped Making Money - Wendover Productions - Air Date 10-28-25 (02:51:16) SECTION C: THE RIGGED MACHINE C1: If the World Is F*cked... Why Are Stocks At Record Highs? - Lock Stock Finance - Air Date 6-18-26 C2: The Anti-Life or How Capitalism Will Die (with Math) - Literate Machine - Air Date 5-26-26 C3: The Richest Country Is Pretty Mid Now Part 2 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 6-28-26 C4: The American Economy Is Broken—Here's Why - Established Context Part 2 - Air Date 4-13-26 C5: Huge Polymarket Scandal - Voidzilla - Air Date 6-24-26 (03:36:27) SECTION D: THE RULING CLASS WORLDVIEW D1: The Real A.I. Problem No One Is Talking About (Who Buys Your Stuff, Robots_) - Josh Allan Dykstra - Air Date 1-13-26 D2: AI Is a Mass Psychotic Delusion - Science Fiction with Damien Walter - Air Date 6-20-26 D3: The Ruling Class Think Everything Is Disposable (Including the Planet) - Our Changing Climate - Air Date 7-3-26 D4: Stop Blaming Human Nature for Capitalism - Revolutionaryth0t - Air Date 1-28-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]
• 
  #1807 What the World Cup Exposes: Identity, Colonialism, and Racism in 2026 07.07.2026 3t 37min

  Air Date: 7/7/2026 Today we use the 2026 World Cup to pull everything that runs under the game up into the light. Nearly a quarter of the players are representing a country other than the one they were born in, praised as national heroes when they score but scorned as foreigners when they lose. The history of colonialism built the machinery that turns immigrants into targets, and the results are playing out live around this year's tournament, in the towns that throw their arms open and the borders that slam shut, in who a country will claim and who it leaves outside. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: Always Root for the Underdog - Pop Culture Detective - Air Date 7-1-26 KP 2: Colonial Wars Played On The Pitch - AJ+ - Air Date 6-21-26 KP 3: How the U.S. and France Ruined Haiti - Bianca Graulau - Air Date 8-14-25 KP 4: Who Gets To Enjoy The World Cup? - AJ+ - Air Date 6-19-26 KP 5: US Soccer Star Shows MAGA's Racism With Zero Effort - Rick Strom - Air Date 6-23-26 KP 6: How Colonialism Created Mbappe and Zidane, Explained - Uncivilized - Air Date 7-12-24 KP 7: Iran's World Cup Team Divides the Diaspora in the US | DW Reporter - DW News - Air Date 6-26-26 KP 8: Keep My Culture Out Your Mouth! - PissedMagistus - Air Date 6-27-26 (00:59:27) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR The World Cup Exposes How Racism Is a Tool, Not a Belief My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:11:20) SECTION A: COLONIALISM'S LONG GAME A1: Colonialism Never Ended – It Just Became Debt - AJ+ - Air Date 9-6-25 A2: They BANNED Haiti World Cup Jersey to HIDE Black History - THE MERC - Air Date 6-21-26 A3: Belgium Hands Over Remains of Patrice Lumumba to DR Congo - DW News - Air Date 6-20-22 A4: DR Congo's Lumumba Super Fan Arrives at FIFA World Cup After Delays | Firstpost Africa | N18G - Firstpost - Air Date 6-23-26 A5: How a Football Team Fueled Algeria's Fight for Independence - Uncivilized - Air Date 8-1-24 (01:44:54) SECTION B: DIASPORA AND DUAL IDENTITY B1: Tim Weah on World Cup Dreams, the African Diaspora and USMNT's Fair-Weather Knicks Fandom | PTFO - PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT - Air Date 6-19-26 B2: The Media Has Made You Hate Jude Bellingham For No Reason. - Small Talk with Ore Olukoga - Air Date 6-17-26 B3: Why Soccer Wonderkids Are Rejecting France and Spain - What Now? with Trevor Noah - Air Date 6-18-26 (02:08:22) SECTION C: THE CUP ON THE GROUND C1: Alexi Lalas Is Ruining the World Cup in More Ways Than You Think - Rick Strom - Air Date 6-16-26 C2: World Cup Kicks Off in Mexico Amid Protests Against Austerity and Forced Disappearances - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-11-26 C3: Luke Thomas: World Cup Border CHAOS Humiliates America - Luke Thomas Gets Political (LTGP) - Air Date 6-15-26 C4: How a Small US City Fell in Love With Algeria Before FIFA World Cup | First Sports With Rupha Ramani - Firstpost- Air Date 6-12-26 C5: Okay, The 2026 Squad of Cape Verde Is Not Normal - Soccer Stories - Oh My Goal and PedTalksSports - Air Date 6-26-26 C6: Inside Algeria's Takeover of Kansas - RocaSports and RocaNews - Air Date 6-25-26 C7: 'It's a Disaster World Cup,' Iran's Football Captain Mehdi Taremi Says - Al Mayadeen English - Air Date 6-27-26 C8: Iran's World Cup Story Just Took A HUGE Turn - The Ring of Fire - Air Date 6-26-26 (03:00:05) SECTION D: RACE, MYTHOLOGY, AND IDEOLOGY D1: AskHistorians Podcast Episode 197 - White Mythic Spaces in Historical Representation with Stefan Aguirre Quiroga Part 1 - The AskHistorians Podcast - Air Date 4-6-22 D2: Football Brings Out Argentina's Unspoken Racism Issue - Football Smash - Air Date 2-18-26 D3: AskHistorians Podcast Episode 197 - White Mythic Spaces in Historical Representation with Stefan Aguirre Quiroga Part 2 - The AskHistorians Podcast - Air Date 4-6-22 D4: Pete Hegseth Is Trying to Resegregate the Military - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 6-20-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at [email protected]