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

Episódios

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  #1813 Suffering is the Strategy: ICE, Mass Deportation, and Demographic Engineering 09.08.2026 3h 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
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  #1434 Confronting Climate Chaos Through Time (Throwback) 05.08.2026 1h 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
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  #1812 Democracy or This Supreme Court, But Not Both 02.08.2026 2h 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
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  #1811 Country for Old Men: Gerontocracy By Design and the Democracy Problem 29.07.2026 3h 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
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  Monthly-ish Mix #11 The Loneliest Superpower: What America Gets for Pushing Everyone Away 26.07.2026 4h 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
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  #1810 Post-American Europe: How to Lose Friends and Influence People to Protect Themselves Against You 23.07.2026 3h 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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
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  #1809 Democrats Seek a Blue Wave, Progressives Push Democratic Socialism, GOP Revive the Red Scare 19.07.2026 3h 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
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  #1634 Abortion as the Tip of the Iceberg (Throwback) 15.07.2026 2h 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
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  #1808 Billionaires vs. Democracy: They're Not Coming For Your Job, They're Coming For Your Government (And The Entire Economy) 11.07.2026 4h 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
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  #1807 What the World Cup Exposes: Identity, Colonialism, and Racism in 2026 07.07.2026 3h 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
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  #1806 America at 250: The Declaration, the Constitution, and our Crisis of Democracy 04.07.2026 3h 55min

  Air Date: 7/4/2026 Today we examine what America has celebrated for 250 years and what it keeps refusing to look at. The Declaration promised government by the consent of the governed, but the Constitution protected slavery, concentrated power in elites, and left the definition of "the people" deliberately vague. Every generation inherits that same unresolved contradiction and has to address it for themselves. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 Constitution's Preamble, Plain and Powerful - Civics In A Year - Air Date 10-9-25 KP 2: Trump 250 Gala Grows More Humiliating as Fox Grapples with Low Turnout - THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent - Air Date 6-26-26 KP 3: Thom Hartmann -The Myth of Corporate Personhood - Brave New Foundation - Air Date 3-3-10 KP 4: The Constitution (Melissa's Version) - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 5-11-26 KP 5: The Declaration of Independence and Democracy Renovation Part 1 - Democracy Works - Air Date 4-6-26 KP 6: America's 250th Birthday Must Reckon with Racism, Historian Says - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 6-19-26 (00:52:07) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR America's Birthday Lie: The Constitution Didn't Promise Democracy My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:10:03) SECTION A: FOUNDING IDEAS A1: Promote The General Welfare - Siena and Toast The Podcast - Air Date 11-18-2020 A2: The Ideas at the Heart of the Declaration and the Constitution Part 1 - We the People - Air Date 6-25-26 A3: Bill of Rights Institute's Tony Williams & David Bobb on America 250 Part 1 - The Takeout with Major Garrett - Air Date 6-16-26 A4: Ep.289 Divided Over the Declaration How an Enduring Debate Sustains the Vision of America with Author Tony Williams 480 - Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America - Air Date 2-13-26 A5: Bill of Rights Institute's Tony Williams & David Bobb on America 250 Part 2 - The Takeout with Major Garrett - Air Date 6-16-26 (01:47:48) SECTION B: RACE & RECKONING B1: The Fantasy of America at 250 Part 1 - On the Media - Air Date 6-26-26 B2: The Ideas at the Heart of the Declaration and the Constitution Part 2 - We the People - Air Date 6-25-26 B3: The Fantasy of America at 250 Part 2 - On the Media - Air Date 6-26-26 (02:21:00) SECTION C: PRESENT CRISIS C1: Trump V. The Constitution - What A Day - Air Date 5-5-26 C2: 250 Years On, Can Democracy Hold (with Joanne Freeman) Part 1 - Stay Tuned with Preet - Air Date 6-25-26 C3: Tom Nichols Trump's Speech Was Pure TRASH - Bulwark Podcast - Air Date 6-25-26 C4: 250 Years On, Can Democracy Hold (with Joanne Freeman) Part 2 - Stay Tuned with Preet - Air Date 6-25-26 (03:01:39) SECTION D: CAPTURE & RENOVATION D1: Buckley V. Valeo Part 1 - 5-4 - Air Date 7-7-20 D2: The Declaration of Independence and Conditions for Democratic Flourishing - Stanford Legal - Air Date 6-23-26 D3: Buckley V. Valeo Part 2 - 5-4 - Air Date 7-7-20 D4: The Declaration of Independence and Democracy Renovation Part 2 - Democracy Works - Air Date 4-6-26 D5: The Declaration of Independence and Conditions for Democratic Flourishing Part 2 - Stanford Legal - Air Date 6-23-26   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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
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  #1805 Trump Giving Iran $300 Billion to End His Own War 02.07.2026 3h 14min

  Air Date: 7/1/2026 Today we examine how four months of American bombardment accomplished what decades of diplomacy never could, making Iran, still run by oppressive theocrats, a regional superpower. An Iranian woman told a reporter she endured the bombing hoping it would topple the regime. Instead, it entrenched it. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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: J.D. Vance Iran Deal Fall Guy Part 1 - On the Media - Air Date 6-19-26 KP 2: The Cards Held by Iran in a Badly Written Memorandum - Explainer - Air Date 6-18-26 KP 3: Trumpworld Quietly Shivs JD Vance as Damning Leaks Discredit Iran Deal - THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent - Air Date 6-17-26 KP 4: Trump Weakened U.S. Allies While Strengthening Iran Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 6-19-26 KP 5: What the End of War Could Mean for Iranians - The Current - Air Date 6-17-26 KP 6: The Iran Deal, Boy, I Don't Know - Takes by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 6-18-26 (00:54:18) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Trump's Iran War Gave the Regime Everything It Wanted Steve Bannon Has Called His "Army" to Do Battle—No Matter Who Wins in November My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:07:37) SECTION A: THE DEAL ITSELF A1: Executive Disorder Iran Deal, UFC at the White House, Dialog Hack - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 6-19-26 A2: For His Own Birthday, Trump Gifts Iran $300 Billion - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 6-16-26 A3: Iran Conflict Brief The US-Iran Deal and a New Phase of Accommodation - Columbia Energy Exchange - Air Date 6-16-26 A4: The Cards Held by Iran in a Badly Written Memorandum Part 2 - Explainer - Air Date 6-18-26 (01:43:52) SECTION B: THE STRATEGIC LOSS B1: Iran Deal Winners, Losers, and Regional Impact Part 1 - Sources & Methods - Air Date 6-19-26 B2: Trump Weakened U.S. Allies While Strengthening Iran Part 2 - UNFTR - Air Date 6-19-26 (01:58:52) SECTION C: VOICES FROM THE REGION C1: How Does the Middle East See the U.S.-Iran Deal - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 6-16-26 C2: J.D. Vance Iran Deal Fall Guy Part 2 - On the Media - Air Date 6-19-26 C3: Iran Deal Winners, Losers, and Regional Impact Part 2 - Sources & Methods - Air Date 6-19-26 C4: Can the U.S. Find the Strategic Patience Needed to End War with Iran - Consider This - Air Date 6-21-26 (02:28:09) SECTION D: WHEN THE STRONGMAN FAILS D1: Weekly Roundup Trump's Iran Disaster, JD Vance's Problem, and the Collapse of the Strongman Myth Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - 6-19-25 D2: Can Trump Convince Republicans Hes Won the War on Iran - Americast - Air Date 6-24-26 D3: Angry Trump Snaps at Media Over Iran as Fox Hits Him with Brutal Poll Part 1 - THE DAILY BLAST - Air Date 6-24-26 D4: Weekly Roundup Trump's Iran Disaster, JD Vance's Problem, and the Collapse of the Strongman Myth Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - 6-19-25 D5: Senator Bill Cassidy Folds to Trump- Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 6-25-26 D6: Angry Trump Snaps at Media Over Iran as Fox Hits Him with Brutal Poll Part 2 - THE DAILY BLAST - Air Date 6-24-26   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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
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  #1804 Elon Musk, the First Trillionaire, and the Broken System That Made Him 28.06.2026 3h 49min

  Air Date: 6/27/2026 Today we trace how one man went from receiving a $278 million government grant to becoming the world's first trillionaire who spent .025% of his wealth to get Trump elected, then used his position to slash programs that help people while stoking race riots overseas. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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: 'Billionaire CRISIS': How the Country's Wealthiest Are 'bankrolling' U.S. Politics - MS NOW - Air Date 5-27-26 KP 2: We Uncovered a Hidden Wealth Transfer in the SpaceX IPO. You're Holding the Bag. - More Perfect Union - Air Date 5-27-26 KP 3: Trump DOGE Cuts Caused 600,000 Deaths This Year, Fmr. USAID Official Says - The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell - Air Date 11-24-25 KP 4: Everything Is Falling Apart and Americans Aren't Happy About It - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 6-16-26 KP 5: Elon Musk Celebrates Trillionaire Status by Stoking Racist Terrorism in Belfast! - I Doubt It Podcast - Air Date 6-14-26 KP 6: Why The Economist Hates Wealth Taxes - Garys Economics - Air Date 6-14-26 (00:57:37) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR The System That Made Musk a Trillionaire Is the Real Villain My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:15:26) SECTION A: THE TRILLIONAIRE AND WHAT HE REVEALS A1: 'Massive Loser': World Roasts First Trillionaire Elon Musk - The Rational National - Air Date 6-14-26 A2: A Trillion Dollars - Jonathan Pie - Air Date 6-14-26 A3: Trillionaire Welfare Queen - The John Fugelsang Podcast - Air Date 6-15-26 A4: "Land Grab": Trillionaire Elon Musk Sued in South Texas to Block SpaceX Takeover of Wildlife Refuge - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-16-26 (01:49:20) SECTION B: THE HUMAN COST OF CONCENTRATED POWER B1: 9.4M Lives at Risk: The Human Cost of Elon Musk's DOGE Cuts - Holy Post Media - Air Date 6-15-26 B2: Justin Wolfers on Musk, Inequality, and the Price of American Democracy - Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers - Air Date 6-13-26 B3: 'If You Can Keep It': What The Wealth Gap Means For Democracy Part 1 - 1A - Air Date 4-27-26 (02:12:31) SECTION C: THE SPACEX IPO HEIST C1: SpaceX IPO: What They're Not Telling Retail Investors - UNFTR Media - Air Date 6-9-26 C2: The First Trillionaire! - PissedMagistus - Air Date 6-14-26 (02:28:50) SECTION D: BELFAST HOW MUSK FUELS RACIAL VIOLENCE ABROAD D1: Belfast Riots: Why UK Mobs See Racial Violence as 'national Defence' | Amina Shareef | MEE Opinion - Middle East Eye - Air Date 6-18-26 D2: The Truth About the Belfast Riots | Claire Hanna Interview - PoliticsJOE Podcast - Air Date 6-10-26 D3: Major Antiracist Rally Held in Belfast to Condemn Anti-Immigrant Riots - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-15-26 D4: Elon Musk Moves Against German Broadcaster ZDF After Riot Report - DW News - Air Date 6-16-26 (03:00:30) SECTION E: THE RECKONING BILLIONAIRE RHETORIC AND THE CASE FOR TAXING WEALTH E1: Why Jeff Bezos Wants to Cut Your Taxes - Garys Economics - Air Date 5-31-26 E2: Elon Musk & America's Tech Oligarchy - The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart - Air Date 6-10-26 E3: 'If You Can Keep It': What The Wealth Gap Means For Democracy Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 4-27-26 E4: We Need a Wealth Tax on Billionaires. Here's Why | Aaron Bastani Meets Gabriel Zucman - Novara Media - Air Date 5-24-26 E5: The Hidden Danger of America's Wealth Gap - Robert Reich and Inequality Media - Air Date 6-9-26   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
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  #1803 Monthly-ish Mix: Manufactured Legitimacy and the Fight to Reclaim It 25.06.2026 4h 38min

  Air Date: 6/24/2026 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! If you've been pulling back from the news for your own sanity, this one's built for you — a quick recap and reference guide to the past month or two, organized around a single idea: when power can't earn legitimacy, it manufactures it. The performance. Spectacle, religion, and health branding standing in for real consent: Trump collecting a FIFA "peace prize," Christian nationalism worn as a costume the actual church refuses to bless, and RFK Jr. dressing up a gutted vaccine agenda as "moderate," scapegoating immigrants as he goes, while the USAID cuts run up a body count. The machinery. The infrastructure that keeps the performance going while real consent drains away underneath: a legal system bent toward self-dealing and a $1.8 billion slush fund, billionaire money rewriting the rules since Citizens United, an AI gold rush sold as inevitable before anyone voted on it, and an economy booming on paper while the ground shifts under everyone's feet. The vacuum and the reclaiming. What rushes in when legitimacy collapses, from normalized political violence to a manifesto born of that collapse — and then the democratic answer: why the rupture hasn't come, why revolutions tend to devour themselves, and why the slower work wins. Nonviolent movements draw eleven times the participation, and the ballot box the Supreme Court is fighting hardest to narrow is the same one that just turned out 78% of Hungary to remove Orbán. Full Show Notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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: THE PERFORMANCE OF LEGITIMACY (00:01:31) #1798 - FIFA Sportswashing Fascism: The World Cup from Mussolini to Trump 1: Trump Is a 'master Marketer' Symone Reacts to President Getting FIFA Peace Prize - Chris Jansing Reports - Air Date 12-5-25 2: Jules Boykoff on World Cup and Sportswashing Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 5-15-26 3: Trump LOSES IT as FIFA SUFFERS MAJOR CRISIS!! Part 1 - MeidasTouch - Air Date 5-6-26 (00:23:20) #1787 - The American President vs The American Pope: Leo XIV, Trump, and the MAGA-Catholic Rift 4: Someone Tell Pete Hegseth That "Pulp Fiction" Isn't in the Bible - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 4-18-26 5: "Two Versions of Christianity": Pope Leo Calls for Peace as U.S. Uses Religion to Justify Iran War - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-1-26 6: Why America and the Vatican Have Fallen Out - TLDR News Global - Air Date 4-11-26 (00:46:03) #1794 - From MAHA to Measles: RFK's Public Health Purge Will Make America Sick Again 7: Why RFK Jr. Is Projecting a More 'Moderate' MAHA Stance - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 4-27-26 8: RFK Jr Goes Full Eugenics to Congress; IMMIGRANTS BRING DISEASE - Brittany Page - Air Date 4-22-26 9: As WHO Declares Ebola Outbreak a Global Health Emergency, Did USAID Cuts Worsen the Crisis - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-18-26 SECTION 2: THE MACHINERY & THE LEAK (01:13:10) #1796 - 1.8 Billion for the Mob and a Kill List for Dissent: Trump's payout fund and counterterrorism strategy, decoded 10: We Will Find You and We Will Kill You Part 1 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 5-15-26 11: Congress Strikes Back as Trump Rushes $1.8 Billion Scam - Legal AF by MeidasTouch - Air Date 5-18-26 12: Dictatorship in Action David Cay Johnston on $1.8B Slush Fund Part 2 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-20-26 (01:34:00) #1792 - Capitalist Class Warfare: AI, Billionaire Capture, and the How to Fight Back 13: The Case Against Billionaires | Chuck Collins - Washington Monthly - Air Date 1-5-26 14: How Oligarchs Hijacked America in Just 16 Year - Benaminute - Air Date 4-30-26 15: It Will Be 17 Times Worse Than the .com Crash - Upper Echelon - Air Date 5-7-26 (02:04:29) #1797 - AI Spent $540 Billion to Make You Lonelier: Betting Against Jobs, Art, and Community 16: Will SpaceX and OpenAI Starve the Market? - UNFTR Media - Air Date 5-26-26 17: Astra Taylor on AI Data Center Resistance & Fighting "Billionaire Big Tech Agenda"- Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-13-26 18: The AI Backlash Just Got VERY Public - House of El - AI - Air Date 5-24-26 (02:33:22) #1789 - Boomcession: Why the Economy Looks Great on Paper and Hurts in Real Life 19: Monday Morning Economy Politics Inflation Soars Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 4-13-26 20: Economic Implications of the U.S. War on Iran Part 1 - Economic Update with Richard Wolff - Air Date 4-14-26 21: These Georgia Swing Voters Do Not Like the Iran War - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 4-16-26 (02:58:12) #1793 - Anti-Immigrant Brutality Costs Countries More Than Their Morals: ICE, Mass Deportation, and the Global Far-Right 22: Trumps Brutal Immigration Crackdown Continues Part 1 - Velshi - Air Date 3-21-26 23: 'Buyer's Remorse' This Trump Stronghold TURNS on Massive ICE Facility Part 1 - MS Now - Air Date 4-20-26 SECTION 3: THE VACUUM & THE RECLAIMING (03:15:42) #1790 - Assassin Nation: How Political Violence Got Normalized And How To Reverse It 24: "Slow Civil War" Author Jeff Sharlet on the Growing NormalAation of Violence at Home & Abroad - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-27-26 25: The Cole Hard Truth - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 4-28-26 26: The White House Correspondents Dinner Shooting: What the "Political Violence" Framing Is Hiding - Resistance History with Tad Stoermer - Air Date 4-26-26 (03:42:14) #1795 - You Say You Want A Revolution: Successful Revolutions are the Boring Ones 27: Why the Epstein Files Didn't Start a Revolution - Uncivilized - Air Date 4-21-26 28: Is The US In Its French Revolution Era? - Leeja Miller - Air Date 5-13-26 29: Why Nonviolence Wins - Degenerate Art by Andrea Pitzer - Air Date 5-14-26 (04:14:56) #1791 - Jim Crow 2.0 — SCOTUS Kills the Voting Rights Act and Unleashes the Gerrymandering War 30: Louisiana Is Ground Zero for Voting Rights, Abortion Pill Access Part 1 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 5-7-26 31: Elie Mystal Supreme Court Gutting Voting Rights Act Is About Again Making US an Apartheid State Part 1 - The Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 5-1-26 32: What Stacey Abrams Thinks About a Recent SCOTUS Decision and the Voting Rights Amendment Part 2 - Soundside - Air Date 5-526   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
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  #1802 Department of Injustice: Revenge Prosecutions, Judges Threatened, and Incompetence All the Way Down 20.06.2026 3h 2min

  Air Date: 6–20-2026 Today we explore how political revenge became official government policy. The Department of Justice has dropped fraud cases while opening vindictive investigations into Trump's critics. Judges who rule against him face death threats at home with no federal protection and thousands of DOJ lawyers have walked out the door, leaving the agency hollowed out by loyalty tests and bent toward retribution. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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: Trump Eyes Personal Lawyer to Run DOJ Part 1 - The Beat W Ari Melber - Air Date 6-4-26 KP 2: This Federal Judge Ruled Against Trump. Then the Death Threats Rolled in Part 1 - 60 Minutes - Air Date 3-1-26 KP 3: Judges Call Out Rising Acts of Violence Against the Judiciary, Slam Trump's 'irresponsible Rhetoric' - NBC News - Air Date 6-3-26 KP 4: How Low Can the DOJ Go - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 4-27-26 KP 5: Fraud on the Court Even as DOJ Drops $1.8B Settlement Fund, Judge Reopens Case Over Collusion Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-3-26 KP 6: 'The Audacity' DOJ Turns to X to Recruit as Prosecutors Flee Trump's Politicization of Department - MS Now - Air Date 2-1-26 KP 7: DOJ in Crisis - Stay Tuned with Preet - Air Date 2-10-26 (00:53:44) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Trump Built a One-Way Ratchet to Tyranny. Here's How We Break It. My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:06:27) SECTION A: A DEPARTMENT OF REVENGE A1: 'The Department of Revenge' Explores Trump's Use of DOJ to Settle Political Scores - PBS Newshour - Air Date 6-11-26 A2: This Federal Judge Ruled Against Trump. Then the Death Threats Rolled in Part 2 - 60 Minutes - Air Date 3-1-26 A3: Trump Eyes Personal Lawyer to Run DOJ Part 2 - The Beat W Ari Melber - Air Date 6-4-26 (01:25:33) SECTION B: MALICIOUS PROSECUTIONS B1: Small DoJ Energy - Opening Arguments - Air Date 2-20-26 B2: The Vindictive DOJ Part 1 - Law and Chaos - Air Date 6-4-26 B3: The Malicious Incompetence of Trump's DOJ - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 6-15-25 B4: The Vindictive DOJ Part 2 - Law and Chaos - Air Date 6-4-26 (02:00:59) SECTION C: WEAPONIZED DEPARTMENT C1: Zero Intelligence Part 1 - UnJustified - Air Date 6-7-26 C2: Fraud on the Court Even as DOJ Drops $1.8B Settlement Fund, Judge Reopens Case Over Collusion Part 2 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-3-26 C3: 35 Judges Say Trump's DOJ Committed Fraud on the Court - Opening Arguments - Air Date 6-5-26 C4: Trump Rewards Criminals with Latest Pardons - The Mary Trump Podcast - Air Date 11-11-25 C5: ICYMI Trump Pardons Top Jan. 6 Conspirators - 1A - Air Date 11-11-25 C6: Zero Intelligence Part 2 - UnJustified - Air Date 6-7-26 (02:44:07) SECTION D: HOLLOWED OUT D1: More Frustrated Prosecutors at the U.S Attorney's Office in Minnesota Call It Quits - All Things Considered - Air Date 2-5-26 D2: 2900 DOJ Lawyers SUDDENLY QUIT on Trump IN MASS EXODUS - MeidasTouch - Air Date 12-25-25   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
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  #1801 Counterfeit Populism: Trump, the 2026 Primaries, and the Era That's Ending (Transcript) 18.06.2026 3h 48min

  Air Date: 6/17/2026 Today we trace a pattern that repeated across half a dozen states this primary season: working-class candidates running on the cost of living beat the opponents party leadership hand-picked and funded. It looks like ordinary election news, but it's more pieces of a larger shift already underway; away from a politics of left against right and toward a new era of the elite vs working people. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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: Hayes: Trump Is Chasing Good Press with Bombs - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 6-11-26 KP 2: Bernie Sanders Just Won Them All - The Rational National - Air Date 6-10-26 KP 3: We Sat AOC Down With Republican Voters. Can She Win Them Over? - More Perfect Union and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - Air Date 6-9-26 KP 4: "Fetterman Vibes?" DSA Dem WON'T DEFEND Graham Platner - Breaking Points - Air Date 6-9-26 KP 5: 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 (00:49:39) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Counterfeit Populism Is Dying My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:05:26) SECTION A: READING THE PRIMARY MAP A1: Voters Reject the Establishment in This Week's Primaries - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 6-4-26 A2: Josh Turek, Democratic Senate Nominee, on Why Iowa Will Flip Blue - Brian Tyler Cohen News - Air Date 6-3-26 A3: The Graham Platner Debate Part 1 - Majority 54 - Air Date 6-4-26 A4: Kentucky Senate Seat Is 'most Flippable' Race, Says Democrat Charles Booker - Meet The Press NOW _ NBC News NOW - Air Date 5-19-26 A5: The Democratic Establishment Can Be Defeated - Current Affairs - Air Date 5-15-26 (01:45:20) SECTION B: THE PLATNER RECKONING B1: How Maine Democrats View Platner's Scandals and Chances to Oust Sen. Collins - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 6-9-26 B2: Graham Platner's Billionaire-Bashing Message Resonates in Maine Senate Race, Despite Controversies - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-8-26 B3: Why I Left the (White) Left - Signified B Sides - Air Date 6-2-26 B4: We Need to Talk About The Graham Platner Left (ft@noahsamsen_) - The Kavernacle and Noah Samsen - Air Date 5-27-26 B5: The Graham Platner Debate Part 2 - Majority 54 - Air Date 6-4-26 (02:30:13) SECTION C: THE TEXAS SENATE FIGHT C1: Talarico Derangement Syndrome & Calling Stephen Miller Ugly Part 1 - Head in the Office - Air Date 5-29-26 C2: Can We Win Texas? - Majority 54 - Air Date 5-28-26 C3: Talarico Derangement Syndrome & Calling Stephen Miller Ugly Part 2 - Head in the Office - Air Date 5-29-26 (02:56:11) SECTION D: DEFENDING THE VOTE & THE LONG VIEW D1: MAGA's California Fraud Lie Falls Apart Instantly - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 6-9-26 D2: Their Votes Should Count. Yours Shouldn't. That's the Whole Argument. - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 6-9-26 D3: The Election Interference Evidence No One Is Talking About - The Real News Podcast - Air Date 6-8-26 D4: The Washington Roundtable Live: The Backlash Midterms - The Political Scene | The New Yorker - Air Date 6-5-26   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
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  #1800 How Capitalism Created Loneliness and How To Joyfully Organize Our Way to Community 12.06.2026 3h 56min

  Air Date: 6/12/2026 Today we examine how America caused a loneliness epidemic by tearing down the places where people used to find each other, how big tech is offering AI as a lackluster substitute for connection, and how people are building the opposite of loneliness with block parties, labor unions, and community gardens. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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: How Capitalism Causes Loneliness Part 1 - Second Thought - Air Date 6-2-23 KP 2: Anthropic Discovers the Axis of Evil, and AIs Loneliness Economy - The AI Fix - Air Date 2-3-26 KP 3: The Political Economy of Love Attention, Affection, & What Capitalism Can't Buy Part 1 - Rev Left Radio - Air Date 1-19-26 KP 4: What Do We Mean by Humane Tech Part 1 - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 6-4-26 KP 5: Stone Soup A Recipe for Community Organizing Marina Barnett Part 1 - TEDxWidenerUniversity - Air Date 10-24-22 KP 6: The Simple Habit for a Happier Social Life Nicholas Epley Part 1 - TEDTalks - Air Date 5-19-26 (00:49:32) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Why the Left Needs to Have More Fun to Build Real Power My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (00:59:32) SECTION A: THE LONELINESS WE LIVE IN A1: Loneliness - Capitalism's Collateral Damage - Democracy At Work - Air Date 8-29-22 A2: How Capitalism Causes Loneliness Part 2 - Second Thought - Air Date 6-2-23 A3: Loneliness - Capitalism's Collateral Damage Part 2 - Democracy At Work - Air Date 8-29-22 A4: The Political Economy of Love Attention, Affection, & What Capitalism Can't Buy Part 2 - Rev Left Radio - Air Date 1-19-26 (01:29:54) SECTION B: AI COMPANION MACHINE B1: Can AI Companionship Cure Loneliness – or Deepen It Part 1 - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 2-27-26 B2: People Are Lonelier Than Ever. Enter AI. - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 5-30-25 B3: The Dark Side of AI Companions, and the 1930s LLM - The AI Fix - Air Date 5-5-26 B4: What Do We Mean by Humane Tech Part 2 - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 6-4-26 B5: Can AI Companionship Cure Loneliness – or Deepen It Part 2 - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 2-27-26 (02:18:26) SECTION C: REFRACTIONS AND REACH-OUTS C1: Gladiators, Real Housewives and the Pull of Reality TV Part 1 - Throughline - Air Date 4-30-26 C2: If Hope Is a Muscle, Then How Do I Build It Part 1 - How to Survive the End of the World - Air Date 4-10-26 C3: Gladiators, Real Housewives and the Pull of Reality TV Part 2 - Throughline - Air Date 4-30-26 C4: If Hope Is a Muscle, Then How Do I Build It Part 2 - How to Survive the End of the World - Air Date 4-10-26 C5: The Simple Habit for a Happier Social Life Nicholas Epley Part 2 - TEDTalks - Air Date 5-19-26 (02:58:25) SECTION D: BUILDING IT BACK D1: Stone Soup A Recipe for Community Organizing Marina Barnett Part 2 - TEDxWidenerUniversity - Air Date 10-24-22 D2: How People Are Combatting Loneliness with Community Connections - The Newsfeed - Air Date 5-22-26 D3: Solo How Do We Make the Left Fun Again - The Bardo Podcast - Air Date 3-10-26 D4: Being Human with Marshall Ganz Part 1 - Practical Wisdom for Leaders - Air Date 5-20-26 D5: Biko Koenig, Worker Centered Allyship & Action in the Contemporary Labor Movement (Oxford UP, 2024) Part 1 - In Conversation An OUP Podcast - Air Date 3-11-26 D6: Being Human with Marshall Ganz Part 2 - Practical Wisdom for Leaders - Air Date 5-20-26 D7: Biko Koenig, Worker Centered Allyship & Action in the Contemporary Labor Movement (Oxford UP, 2024) Part 2 - In Conversation An OUP Podcast - Air Date 3-11-26   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    
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  #1799 The US and China Are Fighting Over Taiwan, Semiconductors, and Africa's Minerals 10.06.2026 3h 2min

  Air Date: 6/10/2026 Today we explore how Taiwan's own people are stuck between the US and China. Fewer and fewer of them want to rejoin China but their faith in America is sinking just as fast as Trump treats them as a bargaining chip. Their own leaders are split on how to respond. And the place that makes most of the world's advanced chips has almost no seat at the table where its future is being decided. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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: Xi, Putin & Trump - Who Really Runs the World? | To the Point - DW News - Air Date 5-21-26 KP 2: Can There Ever Really Be "one China?" - Vox - Air Date 5-28-26 KP 3: How the US Is Trying to Challenge China's Critical Mineral Dominance Part 1 - The China in Africa Podcast - Air Date 5-28-26 KP 4: Why Did Trump Take Elon Musk to China? - Paul Krugman - Air Date 5-14-26 KP 5: Why This Island Could Trigger World War 3 - Johnny Harris - Air Date 12-18-25 KP 6: China Will Never Beat Taiwan, Here's Why - Maxinomics - Air Date 3-37-26 (00:53:26) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR The Stories Nations Tell Will Destroy Us_ China, Taiwan, and Trump My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:04:39) SECTION A: THE MAKING OF TAIWAN A1: The Taiwan Conflict, Explained - Ryan Chapman - Air Date 10-13-22 A2: Inside China's Plan to Take Over Taiwan "peacefully" | If You're Listening - ABC NEWS In-depth - Air Date 11-28-25 (01:24:47) SECTION B: THE MULTIPOLAR WORLDVIEW B1: China Rising Part 1: How the Unipolar World Is Ending - Beyond the Ballot Box - Air Date 2-10-26 B2: US Unipolarity Vs China's Multipolarity: Whose Vision Will Shape the New Global Order? B3: China Rising Part 2: Taiwan, Xinjiang, Sovereignty and Human Rights - Beyond the Ballot Box (01:52:00) SECTION C: TAIWAN IN THE CROSSHAIRS C1: What's Behind the Record-breaking $11 Billion US-Taiwan Arms Deal? - DW News - Air Date 12-19-25 C2: Is Taiwan Moving Away From the US? - TLDR News Global - Air Date 4-20-26 (02:09:55) SECTION D: THE SUMMIT AND ITS FALLOUT D1: Xi Warns Trump of Potential "Conflict" Over Taiwan in Beijing Summit on Iran, Trade, Tech & More - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-14-26 D2: Trump's FAILED Meeting With China's Xi Jinping Was Humiliating - Pod Save the World - Air Date 5-21-26 D3: Strait to the Abyss - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 6-2-26 D4: Xi Hosts Putin in Beijing, Cementing China-Russia Alliance After Trump's Visit - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 5-20-26 (02:39:44) SECTION E: THE RESOURCE WAR AND AFRICA E1: How the US Is Trying to Challenge China's Critical Mineral Dominance Part 2 - The China in Africa Podcast - Air Date 5-28-26 E2: Why 3 African States Said No to Taiwan - The China in Africa Podcast - Air Date 4-23-26   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
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  #1798 FIFA Sportswashing Fascism: The World Cup from Mussolini to Trump 06.06.2026 2h 53min

  Air Date: 6–5-2026 Today we explore sportswashing past and present, from fascist dictators who first weaponized the World Cup to FIFA's modern extractivism model of corrupt capitalism, and why workers, unions, and fans are now organizing to reclaim the game from those profiting off it. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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: Trump Is a 'master Marketer' Symone Reacts to President Getting FIFA Peace Prize - Chris Jansing Reports - Air Date 12-5-25 KP 2: Jules Boykoff on World Cup and Sportswashing Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 5-15-26 KP 3: The Fascist World Cup Part 1 - Power Plays - Air Date 5-21-26 KP 4: Exploring the Sportwashing, Greed and Corruption of the 2026 World Cup - The Blazing Musket Podcast - Air Date 5-6-26 KP 5: Trump LOSES IT as FIFA SUFFERS MAJOR CRISIS!! Part 1 - MeidasTouch - Air Date 5-6-26 KP 6: Jules Boykoff on World Cup and Sportswashing Part 2 - CounterSpin - Air Date 5-15-26 (00:45:01) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR FIFA, Trump, and the Patriotism Scam They're Running on America My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:01:55) SECTION A: TRUMP'S PLAYBOOK A1: Is This the Most Political World Cup of All Time Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 5-25-26 A2: As the World Cup Arrives in Seattle, so Do the Contradictions Part 1 - Soundside - Air Date 5-18-26 (01:14:02) SECTION B: FASCIST ORIGINS B1: Sportswashing Explained Part 1 - Rights & Wrongs - Air Date 5-25-26 B2: Soccers Shadow And Sunlight the Fascist History of the World Cup and 20 Years of Soccer Without Borders Part 1 - Edge of Sports - Air Date 5-28-26 B3: The Fascist World Cup Part 2 - Power Plays - Air Date 5-21-26 B4: Soccers Shadow And Sunlight the Fascist History of the World Cup and 20 Years of Soccer Without Borders Part 2 - Edge of Sports - Air Date 5-28-26 (01:55:31) SECTION C: GREED MACHINE C1: Trump LOSES IT as FIFA SUFFERS MAJOR CRISIS!! Part 2 - MeidasTouch - Air Date 5-6-26 C2: As the World Cup Arrives in Seattle, so Do the Contradictions Part 2 - Soundside - Air Date 5-18-26 C3: Exploring the Sportwashing, Greed and Corruption of the 2026 World Cup Part 2 - The Blazing Musket Podcast - Air Date 5-6-26 (02:19:47) SECTION D: PUSHBACK D1: Cuba Latest, Louisiana Primary, World Cup Travel - Up First From NPR - Air Date 5-16-26 D2: Trump Gets HIS KARMA as FIFA WORLD CUP COLLAPSES!!!! - MeidasTouch - Air Date 4-16-26 D3: Sportswashing Explained Part 2 - Rights & Wrongs - Air Date 5-25-26 D4: Is This the Most Political World Cup of All Time Part 2 - The Global Story - Air Date   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  
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  #1797 AI Spent $540 Billion to Make You Lonelier: Betting Against Jobs, Art, and Community 03.06.2026 3h 22min

  Air Date: 6–3-2026 Today we examine the AI industry's economic house of cards, the ideology Silicon Valley uses to sell a broken product, and the very real human costs being paid by workers, the lonely, and communities bulldozed for data centers nobody asked for. Direct Download Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 AI Backlash Just Got VERY Public - House of El - AI - Air Date 5-24-26 KP 2: The AI Industry Is Losing - Better Offline - Air Date 5-26-26 KP 3: The Aesthetic Pipeline to Techno-Fascism - Alice Cappelle - Air Date 5-27-26 KP 4: Joe Rogan Accidentally Exposed AI in Four Words - Mo Bitar - Air Date 5-22-26 KP 5: How AI Companions Are Destroying Human Intimacy | Angela Ivy Leong | TEDxWest Vancouver - TEDx Talks - Air Date 1-14-26 KP 6: Astra Taylor on AI Data Center Resistance & Fighting "Billionaire Big Tech Agenda"- Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-13-26 (00:51:20) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR AI Is a Drug and We're All Self-Medicating My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:09:29) SECTION A: THE BUBBLE ECONOMICS A1: Will SpaceX and OpenAI Starve the Market? - UNFTR Media - Air Date 5-26-26 A2: Karen Hao: AI Creating a DESPERATE BASE OF WORKERS with No Full-time Employment - Channel 4 News - Air Date 5-22-26 A3: AI and Cancer: Why Superintelligence Won't Get Us to a Cure - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 4-30-26 (01:37:24) SECTION B: IDEOLOGY OF THE TECH ELITE B1: The Left Doesn't Hate Technology with Gita Jackson - Tech Won't Save Us - Air Date 3-12-26 B2: Why We Should Care About the Pope's AI Crusade - The Tech Report - Air Date 5-26-26 B3: The UK Government's AI Obsession Is a Big Risk with Will Dunn - Tech Won't Save Us - Air Date 5-14-26 B4: Maybe It's a Bad Idea To Put Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sam Altman In Charge of AI - Some More News - Air Date 5-23-26 B5: Have We Trained AI to Lie to Itself — And to Us? - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 4-16-26 (02:21:29) SECTION C: THE HUMAN COST C1: Why AI Friends Will Never Work - The Upgrade with Makai Allbert - Air Date 5-25-26 C2: Richard Dawkins Fell for a Chatbot - Steve Shives - Air Date 5-4-26 C3: She Spent 12 Years Fighting Amazon. Now She Wants to Cut the Power to AI. - For Humanity: An AI Risk Podcast - Air Date 5-2-26 C4: There Is No Such Thing as AI Art ♥️ - Matt Bernstein - Air Date 5-22-26 (02:50:10) SECTION D: RESISTANCE & HOW TO FIGHT BACK D1: How to Talk About AI Risk Without Scaring People Away (With Philip Trippenbach) | For Humanity 82 - For Humanity: An AI Risk Podcast - Air Date 3-28-26 D2: Why AI Doom Content Is Everywhere- Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 5-27-26 D3: How to Talk About AI Risk Without Scaring People Away (With Philip Trippenbach) | For Humanity 82 - For Humanity: An AI Risk Podcast - Air Date 3-28-26 D4: Those Graduation Speakers Getting Booed Right Now - Man Carrying Thing - Air Date 5-23-26   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