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Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Expertly-curated progressive politics, news, and culture produced by leftist humans, not algorithms or AI. This is an award-winning podcast that dives deeply into a wide range of national and international issues facing society and governments. We draw from hundreds of sources of progressive news and commentary. Est. 2006. Save time by listening to a range of perspectives on a focused topic in each episode and be introduced to new sources you will not have come across on your own!
- 4309 - #1825 We Are Still the 99%: Occupy Wall Street's Unfinished Business, 15 Years Later
Air Date: 9/30/2026
Today we look at the legacy of Occupy Wall Street, which was in full swing 15 years ago and changed how the country talks about inequality and the 1%. In the meantime, the cumulative wealth of the 1% in the US has roughly tripled and Trump has the wealthiest cabinet in history running the country, so the concerns expressed at Occupy have only come into sharper relief.
This miniseries helped inspire today's episode, check it out!
Occupy! An Unfinished Uprising
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: Episode 1 The Invitation Part 1 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 7-7-26
KP 6: Episode 6 You Can't Evict an Idea Part 1 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 8-13-26
(00:59:24) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
I Made My AI Chatbot Talk Like My 14-Year-Old Self
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DEEPER DIVES
(01:07:45) SECTION A: INSIDE THE OCCUPATION
A1: Episode 1 The Invitation Part 2 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 7-7-26
A2: Episode 3 A Fork in the Road Part 1 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 7-23-26
A3: Episode 4 They Walk Among Us Part 1 - Future Hindsight Part 1 - Air Date 7-30-26
A4: Episode 3 A Fork in the Road Part 2 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 7-23-26
A5: Episode 4 They Walk Among Us Part 2 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 7-30-26
(01:55:33) SECTION B: INEQUALITY'S LONG HISTORY
B2: The US Tradition of Inequality with Kim Phillips-Fein Part 1 - Behind The News - Air Date 7-16-26
B4: The US Tradition of Inequality with Kim Phillips-Fein Part 2 - Behind The News - Air Date 7-16-26
(02:34:40) SECTION C: BILLIONAIRES AND THE BACKLASH
C1: How Close Is the US to Crony Capitalism Part 1 - The Indicator From Planet Money - Air Date 10-2-25
C5: Why Is Newsom Fighting Californias Billionaire Tax Part 1 - Lever Time - Air Date 6-18-26
C7: Why Is Newsom Fighting Californias Billionaire Tax Part 2 - Lever Time - Air Date 6-18-26
(03:32:56) SECTION D: FIFTEEN YEARS LATER
D6: Episode 6 You Can't Evict an Idea Part 2 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 8-13-26
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Tue, 29 Sep 2026 - 4h 27min - 4308 - #1824 The Next Gilded Age: AI Doomsday and the Insatiable Business Model https://www.bestoftheleft.com/1824
Air Date: 9/26/2026
Today we explore the layers of chaos surrounding the AI industry, including the idealistic nerds-turned-nazis, the grift, bubble, and doom-marketing business model, and what people are doing to fight back.
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: Do Silicon Valley Billionaires Want to End Democracy? - Political Breakdown - Air Date 8-14-26
KP 3: OpenAI's Math Battle - Elena OnOffline - Air Date 9-9-26
KP 4: Muskism Is the New Fordism with Ben Tarnoff & Quinn Slobodian - Tech Won't Save Us - Air Date 5-7-26
KP 5: Monologue: Jacob Coxon and the AI Safety Grift - Better Offline - Air Date 9-10-26
KP 6: The Real AI Jobs Apocalypse - Blood in the Machine - Air Date 9-4-26
KP 7: AI Has Ruined the Internet - Adam Conover - Air Date 8-31-26
KP 8: You Don't Hate AI Enough. - Nash Keune - Air Date 9-20-26
(01:00:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
AI Turned "Just a Little Bit More" Into a Business Model
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DEEPER DIVES
(01:12:47) SECTION A: THE NERD REICH - WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY BELIEVE
A2: Valerie Veatch: Ghost in the Machine — AI as Eugenics - Pivot to AI - Air Date 9-11-26
A3: The 'End Times Fascists' of AI - Blood in the Machine - Air Date 9-13-26
A4: Silicon Valley's Dark Future Is Almost Here - Michael Burns - Air Date 9-2-26
(01:58:16) SECTION B: WHAT AI IS ACTUALLY DOING TO US
B1: The Al Question No One Wants to Ask Part 1 - Struthless - Air Date 6-9-26
B3: The Al Question No One Wants to Ask Part 2 - Struthless - Air Date 6-9-26
B4: Never Learn Again! AI Will Do It For You - Harland Spinks - Air Date 8-31-26
B5: Cybersecurity Has An AI Doomer Problem. - Marcus Hutchins - Air Date 9-15-26
B6: AI Expert: A 10% Extinction Risk Is "Way Too Low" - W/ Nate Soares - Owen Jones - Air Date 9-10-26
(02:44:18) SECTION C: THE GRIFT, THE BUBBLE, THE DOOM MARKETING
C1: Is AI The Terminator Or The Big Short? - The Lever - Air Date 9-15-26
C3: Slow Down Your AI Expectations! - PissedMagistus - Air Date 9-20-26
C4: Why Tech Can't Determine Our Future - Side Burns - Air Date 9-10-26
(03:06:54) SECTION D: FIGHTING BACK - WORKERS, COMMUNITIES, ALTERNATIVES
D1: Tech Workers of the World, Unite (ft. JS Tan, Clarissa Redwine) - This Machine Kills - Air Date 9-3-26
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Sat, 26 Sep 2026 - 3h 51min - 4307 - Monthly-ish Mix #12 The Great American Heist
Air Date: 9/22/2026
The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on the news from July and August without being overwhelming! Organized around a single idea: ask who the system is for, and every story this summer gives the same answer. The administration rewrites the national story while libraries lose their funding. Corporations fence off ideas as private property. Latin America gets treated like a portfolio and Greenland like a drilling site. Police cameras put every driver under permanent investigation. The seats it all runs from are held until death, and the fixes on the table aim at prying some of them open.
Covering: July–August 2026
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SECTION 1: OWNING THE STORY
(00:01:52) #1815 - Sanctioned Ignorance: The Assault on Museums, Libraries, and American Memory
1: Trying to Rewrite History - Letters From an American - Air Date 7-28-26
2: Why Libraries Matter in a Fascist Moment Part 1 - Movement Memos - Air Date 3-19-26
(00:21:31) #1816 - IP'd to Death: How Intellectual Property Law Went from a Protection to a Weapon
3: We Are Being IP-ed to Death / Vicky Osterweil Part 1 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 5-27-26
4: Is AI Burning The Library Of Alexandria? - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 8-5-26
5: Everyone's Wrong About John Oliver's Trademark War - LegalEagle - Air Date 8-8-26
SECTION 2: THE WORLD AS INVENTORY
(00:45:39) #1814 - Open Imperialism in Latin America: Trump Says the Whole Hemisphere Is His to Run
(01:02:20) #1817 - Worse on Purpose: Trump is Killing Our Response to the Climate Emergency
9: Is This How We Invade Greenland - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 8-11-26
SECTION 3: EVERYONE ELSE
(01:22:58) #1818 - Flock Cameras, ICE, and the Surveillance State Targeting Everyone
11: Police Surveillance Technology - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 8-3-26
(01:42:24) #1813 - Suffering is the Strategy: ICE, Mass Deportation, and Demographic Engineering
13: Trumps National Killer Police Force Part 1 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 7-24-26
14: ICE Deports Family To Their Deaths In Guatemala - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-29-26
15: Lauren Bonds on ICE Murders Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 7-17-26
16: Buck V. Bell Part 1 - 5-4 - Air Date 5-26-20
17: Explaining This Moment of Pronatalism Part 1 - rePROS Fight Back - Air Date 6-16-26
SECTION 4: HELD FOR LIFE... UNTIL NOW
(02:35:29) #1811 - Country for Old Men: Gerontocracy By Design and the Democracy Problem
19: Mitch, Lindsey and the Gerontocracy Part 1 - What Next - Air Date 7-13-26
20: What Is There to Say About Lindsey Graham - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 7-12-26
21: Where Is Mitch McConnell? - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 7-10-26
(02:58:47) #1812 - Democracy or This Supreme Court, But Not Both
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Wed, 23 Sep 2026 - 3h 22min - 4306 - #1823 Deep Cuts: Occupy Wall Street in Real Time, 15 Years Later
Air Date: 9/18/2026
Today we're doing something new and different but also very old. Occupy Wall Street just hit its 15th anniversary this month and we thought we'd do something that only we can, which is dip into our archives and pull out the best of the Occupy coverage we played in real time as it was happening as well as some other retrospective coverage that aired 10 years later.
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: Keith Olbermann Reads First Collective Statement of Occupy Wall Street - Countdown - Air Date 10-6-11
KP 3: News Coverage Numbers of the Occupy Protests Vs Tea Party Protests - On the Media - Air Date 10-7-11
KP 4: What the Occupy Wall St Movement Wants Part 1 - Planet Money - Air Date 10-7-11
KP 5: The General Strike in Oakland - Rachel Maddow - Air Date 11-2-11
KP 6: Keith's Special Comment Why OWS Needs Michael Bloomberg - Countdown - Air Date 11-16-11
KP 8: Occupy at 10 with Astra Taylor Part 1 - The Dig - Air Date 9-25-21
(01:01:34) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Democratic Primary Voters Keep Guessing What Everyone Else Will Do
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DEEPER DIVES
(01:12:59) SECTION A: THE STATE STRIKES BACK
A1: Comparing the Occupation to the Bonus Army Encampment - Rachel Maddow - Air Date 10-26-11
A2: Erroneous Reporting on the Occupation - Counterspin - Air Date 10-27-11
A3: Protesting at Berkley, Past and Present - Rachel Maddow - Air Date 11-15-11
A4: If Cops Use Force Then Your Speech Wasn't Free (to Say the Least) - Matthew Filipowicz - Air Date 12-9-11
A5: Iraq Vet Scott Olsen on What He Hopes the Movement Will Achieve - Countdown - Air Date 12-2-11
(01:49:52) SECTION B: RIGGED SYSTEM, RIGGED COVERAGE
B1: The Top 1% Vs YOU - The Young Turks - Air Date 10-31-11
B2: Panic of the Plutocrats - Green News Report - Air Date 10-11-11
B4: World Economy Going to Hell - Dan Carlin - Air Date 9-28-11
B5: Leaked Republicans Scared of Occupy Wall Street - The Young Turks - Air Date 12-2-11
B6: Erin Burnett's Horrible Occupy Wall St Report - The Majority Report - Air Date 10-7-11
B7: The Screaming Majority Song on Occupy Wall St - The Majority Report - Air Date 10-7-11
(02:43:16) SECTION C: WHAT THE MOVEMENT WAS DOING
C1: What the Occupy Wall St Movement Wants Part 2 - Planet Money
C2: Prophetic Article Calling for the Occupation - The Majority Report - Air Date 10-25-11
C3: Occupying Our Homes - Rachel Maddow - Air Date 12-2-11
(03:13:08) SECTION D: THE LEGACY, 10 YEARS ON
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Sat, 19 Sep 2026 - 3h 30min - 4305 - #1822 The State Media Playbook: The FCC and Billionaires Are Waging a War on the Free Press
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.
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..TOP TAKES
KP 1: How to Build a State Media - Blonde Politics | The Silly Serious - Air Date 12-13-25
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 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
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DEEPER DIVES
(01:06:24) SECTION A: THE FCC WEAPONIZED
A2: Trump's Scheme to Control the Media - Robert Reich and Inequality Media - Air Date 5-7-26
(01:23:10) SECTION B: JOURNALISTS IN THE CROSSHAIRS
B5: Katy Tur Sounds More Like 1930s German Propaganda Than Journalism - Paul Lance - Air Date 9-3-26
(02:06:18) SECTION C: WHO'S BUYING, WHO'S CASHING IN
C3: The Meta Settlement Isn't The Victory You Think It Is - Leeja Miller - Air Date 8-28-26
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
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Tue, 15 Sep 2026 - 3h 07min - 4304 - #1821 Election Sabotage, Voting System Vulnerabilities, and the Defense of the 2026 Midterms
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.
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TOP TAKES
KP 4: Is SCOTUS Letting Trump Meddle in the Midterms Part 1 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 8-31-26
(00:54:01) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On Burnout and ADHD
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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
(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
B4: Trump Election Scheme Suddenly Blocked in Late Night Order Part 2 - Legal AF - Air Date 8-29-26
(02:14:39) SECTION C: RESISTANCE AND RESPONSE
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Thu, 10 Sep 2026 - 2h 50min - 4303 - SOLVED! #39 - Why You Should Care About Prisons in the Fight for a Better World (Throwback)
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
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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
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.
REI Co-Op Members: Vote to Boycott
Greeley Meatpacking Workers (UFCW Local 7R) Strike Fund
In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach
How to Support Minneapolis Communities
Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Find your Indivisible group - or start one
Reach us via Signal:
Produced by:
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Sun, 06 Sep 2026 - 1h 29min - 4302 - #1820 Science and Public Health Under Attack by Our Own Government
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.
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TOP TAKES
KP 3: Welcome to the Vaccine Free-for-All - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 9-4-25
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
(00:59:02) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
In 1955 Newspapers Announced the Polio Vaccine Like a War Victory
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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
D2: Why Doctors Are Mad at Me for My Debate - Doctor Mike - Air Date 12-17-25
D4: The Infodemic — and the Scientists Fighting Against It | Jessica Malaty Rivera Part 2 - TED Talks Daily - Air Date 8-7-26
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Thu, 03 Sep 2026 - 3h 01min - 4301 - #1819 Coerced Sterilization, Abortion Bans, and the New Pronatalism: Who Controls American Reproduction (Transcript)
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.
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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 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
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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
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
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
D5: Pronatalism Make America Procreate Again Part 2 - The Global Story - Air Date 3-27-25
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Mon, 31 Aug 2026 - 3h 25min - 4300 - #1818 Flock Cameras, ICE, and the Surveillance State Targeting Everyone
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.
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TOP TAKES
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 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"
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DEEPER DIVES
(01:10:50) SECTION A: WHAT FLOCK ACTUALLY IS & THE BUSINESS OF SURVEILLANCE
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
C3: School Kids Being ZAPPED with ICE Shock Gloves - Status Coup News and MeidasTouch - Air Date 8-18-26
C5: A Note For ICE - UNFTR Media - Air Date 8-20-26
(03:02:12) SECTION D: FIGHTING BACK
D2: How to Surveil the Police - 404 Media - Air Date 8-10-26
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Wed, 26 Aug 2026 - 3h 26min - 4299 - #1817 Worse on Purpose: Trump is Killing Our Response to the Climate Emergency
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.
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TOP TAKES
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 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
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DEEPER DIVES
(01:00:01) SECTION A: ON THE GROUND
A2: Wildfires Rage Across the Okanagan Part 1 - The Current - Air Date 8-10-26
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
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
C4: Trump Administration Ends Funding for Arctic Climate Report - PBS Newshour - Air Date 8-13-26
(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
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Sat, 22 Aug 2026 - 3h 31min - 4298 - #1816 IP'd to Death: How Intellectual Property Law Went from a Protection to a Weapon
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.
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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.
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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
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
C3: Everyone's Wrong About John Oliver's Trademark War - LegalEagle - Air Date 8-8-26
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
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Thu, 20 Aug 2026 - 3h 31min - 4297 - #1815 Sanctioned Ignorance: The Assault on Museums, Libraries, and American Memory
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.
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TOP TAKES
KP 2: Trying to Rewrite History - Letters From an American - Air Date 7-28-26
KP 4: Rebecca Nagle on the Boomerang of Empire Part 1 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 7-11-26
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
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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
A4: 'If You Can Keep It' The Smithsonian Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 8-18-25
(01:47:35) SECTION B: HISTORIANS PUSH BACK
(02:13:02) SECTION C: LIBRARIES UNDER SIEGE
C2: Why Libraries Matter in a Fascist Moment Part 2 - Movement Memos - Air Date 3-19-26
(02:44:58) SECTION D: THE LONGER ARC - EMPIRE, IDEOLOGY, AND THE WORLD'S VIEW
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
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Sun, 16 Aug 2026 - 3h 14min - 4296 - #1814 Open Imperialism in Latin America: Trump Says the Whole Hemisphere Is His to Run
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.
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TOP TAKES
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
(00:49:42) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
The Brag Defense: Announcing a Crime Makes It Look Innocent
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DEEPER DIVES
(01:02:49) SECTION A: VENEZUELA: THE MONEY, THE OIL, THE RUINS
A2: What They Don't Tell You About Venezuela - Bianca Graulau - Air Date 5-7-26
A4: Where Did Venezuela's $13 Billion Go? Part 2 - Patrick Boyle - Air Date 7-25-26
(01:45:10) SECTION B: CUBA IN THE CROSSHAIRS
(02:09:15) SECTION C: REGIONAL RIPPLES AND HUMAN FALLOUT
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
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Thu, 13 Aug 2026 - 3h 11min - 4295 - #1813 Suffering is the Strategy: ICE, Mass Deportation, and Demographic Engineering
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.
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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
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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
(02:15:18) SECTION B: DESIGNED TO BE UNBEARABLE
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
C3: Claudia Sheinbaum Takes on the ICE Killing Machine Part 2 - Soberanía - Air Date 7-15-26
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Sun, 09 Aug 2026 - 3h 32min - 4294 - #1434 Confronting Climate Chaos Through Time (Throwback)
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.
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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. 5: Why humans are so bad at thinking about climate change - Vox - Air Date 4-19-17
Ch. 7: When Republicans believed in climate change - @allinwithchris Hayes - Air Date 04-22-14
Ch. 9: Climate crisis and jobs with Naomi Klein - What Comes After What Comes Next - Air Date 6-11-20
Ch. 11: Putting the Freeze on Global Warming - @BillMoyersHQ And Company - Air Date 4-25-14
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Wed, 05 Aug 2026 - 1h 06min - 4293 - #1812 Democracy or This Supreme Court, But Not Both
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.
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TOP TAKES
(00:48:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Court Reform Has to Start With Filibuster Reform
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DEEPER DIVES
(01:02:17) SECTION A: THE RULINGS
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
B2: SCOTUS Doubles Down on Bigotry in Final Decisions of the Term - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 6-30-26
B4: BREAKING: SCOTUS Just Snuck Radical Law Past the Headlines - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 6-23-26
(02:13:52) SECTION C: ORIGINS, HOW WE GOT THIS COURT
(02:33:08) SECTION D: REFORM, WHAT DO WE DO?
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Sun, 02 Aug 2026 - 2h 58min - 4292 - #1811 Country for Old Men: Gerontocracy By Design and the Democracy Problem
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.
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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
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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
(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
(02:34:15) SECTION C: HOW CONGRESS ACTUALLY WORKS
C2: Why Is Congress Like This Part 2 - Civics 101 - Air Date 6-30-26
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Wed, 29 Jul 2026 - 3h 04min - 4291 - Monthly-ish Mix #11 The Loneliest Superpower: What America Gets for Pushing Everyone Away
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
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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
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
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
12: Unsticking Congress with Maya Kornberg Part 1 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 5-7-26
13: Trump Eyes Personal Lawyer to Run DOJ Part 1 - The Beat w Ari Melber - Air Date 6-4-26
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
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
24: SpaceX IPO: What They're Not Telling Retail Investors - UNFTR Media - Air Date 6-9-26
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
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
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Sun, 26 Jul 2026 - 4h 58min - 4290 - #1810 Post-American Europe: How to Lose Friends and Influence People to Protect Themselves Against You
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.
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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
KP 2: Inside the Second China Shock Sweeping Across Europe - Bloomberg Television - Air Date 2-8-26
KP 3: NATO's Secret Plans to Defend Europe Without the US - Times Originals - Air Date 7-17-26
KP 4: China Quietly Saved the World Last Month Part 1 - Max Fisher - Air Date 7-17-26
KP 5: How I View the US After 13 Years Living in Europe - Evan Edinger - Air Date 10-5-25
KP 6: Europes Quiet Breakup with U.S. Big Tech - Brit in Germany - Air Date 3-15-26
(00:54:13) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Why Europe Quitting US Big Tech Proves the Left Was Right
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DEEPER DIVES
(01:04:56) SECTION A: CAN EUROPE STAND ALONE
A3: Can Nato Survive Without the US? | The Security Brief - BBC News - Air Date 6-11-26
(01:51:44) SECTION B: THE CHINA FACTOR
B1: Why the EU Is Starting a Trade War with China - TLDR News EU - Air Date 5-29-26
B2: Why the EU Has More Leverage Over China Than You Think - TLDR News EU - Air Date 6-24-26
B3: China Quietly Saved the World Last Month Part 2 - Max Fisher - Air Date 7-17-26
(02:13:12) SECTION C: THE TECH SOVEREIGNTY PLAYBOOK
C1: Can the EU Decouple From Trump's America? - POLITICO Europe - Air Date 2-5-26
C3: Can Europe Quit American Big Tech?- POLITICO Europe - Air Date 6-4-26
(02:58:38) SECTION D: BUILDING EUROPEAN ALTERNATIVES
D1: Why Europe's Tech Sector Is Quietly Booming - TLDR News EU - Air Date 6-3-26
D2: Inside Europe's Biggest Startup Campus (Station F Paris) - Johannes Gemmingen - Air Date 6-25-26
D3: The European Alternatives To YouTube, WhatsApp & Instagram - EU Made Simple - Air Date 5-6-26
D4: Britain's New Plan That Could Kill YouTube - TLDR News - Air Date 7-10-26
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Thu, 23 Jul 2026 - 3h 31min - 4289 - #1809 Democrats Seek a Blue Wave, Progressives Push Democratic Socialism, GOP Revive the Red Scare
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.
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: The Red Scare Returns Trump Is Calling Us Communists - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 7-8-26
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
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DEEPER DIVES
(00:59:58) SECTION A: WHO THEY ARE
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
(02:00:45) SECTION B: WHAT THEY BELIEVE
B1: The Socialists Are Coming! Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-2-26
B3: The Socialists Are Coming! Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-2-26
(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
D4: Why I Left the (White) Left Part 2 - Signified B Sides - Air Date 6-2-26
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Sun, 19 Jul 2026 - 3h 56min - 4288 - #1634 Abortion as the Tip of the Iceberg (Throwback)
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.
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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 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
(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
(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
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
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Wed, 15 Jul 2026 - 2h 21min - 4287 - #1808 Billionaires vs. Democracy: They're Not Coming For Your Job, They're Coming For Your Government (And The Entire Economy)
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.
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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 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
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DEEPER DIVES
(01:06:46) SECTION A: THE RISING LEFT
(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
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
D2: AI Is a Mass Psychotic Delusion - Science Fiction with Damien Walter - Air Date 6-20-26
D4: Stop Blaming Human Nature for Capitalism - Revolutionaryth0t - Air Date 1-28-26
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Sat, 11 Jul 2026 - 4h 19min - 4286 - #1807 What the World Cup Exposes: Identity, Colonialism, and Racism in 2026
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.
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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
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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
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
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
C6: Inside Algeria's Takeover of Kansas - RocaSports and RocaNews - Air Date 6-25-26
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
D2: Football Brings Out Argentina's Unspoken Racism Issue - Football Smash - Air Date 2-18-26
D4: Pete Hegseth Is Trying to Resegregate the Military - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 6-20-26
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Tue, 07 Jul 2026 - 3h 37min - 4285 - #1554 Destroying Education and Democracy for Fun and Profit (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 4/19/2023
Today, we take a look at the history and present of the interconnected movements to privatize education and dismantle democracy.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Segrenomics: The Long History of Cashing In On Unequal Education - Have You Heard - Air Date 1-3-18
Ch. 2: Democracy and Public Education: A Future in Peril - Have You Heard - Air Date 8-12-21
Ch. 3: The Hidden Agenda of Privatization with Jessica Piper (pt.1) - Teach Me, Teacher - Air Date 10-31-21
Ch. 4: Betsy DeVos Is Still Making Moves to Destroy Public Schools - The New Abnormal - Air Date 4-1-23
Ch. 5: The Surprising History Behind Charter Schools - WBUR - Air Date 11-4-16
Ch. 8: Diane Ravitch on Pandemic School Privatization - CounterSpin - Air Date 5-22-20
Ch. 9: Racism-High-Stakes Disaster Education | Dr. Ricardo Rosa - TEDxCCSU - Air Date 11-24-15
Ch. 10: The Secret Power of Homeschoolers - VICE NEWS - Air Date 10-12-22
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 31 Dec 2024 - 1h 05min - 4284 - #1679 The Middle East War Process: Syria's Transition, Israel's Expansion, and Beyond
Air Date 12/28/2024
Decades of dictatorial rule in Syria have come to an end, leading to something else to be determined. Israel sprang into action taking control of Syrian land on their border. And no one seems to care what the US thinks of all this, which is telling.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Assad Ousted From Syria - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 12-10-24
KP 2: Assad downfall: Is the Arab Spring back from the dead? - Middle East Eye - Air Date 12-14-24
KP 4: Why is Israel bombing Syria? - The Take - Air Date 12-17-24
(53:44) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On closing out the year
DEEPER DIVES
(56:35) SECTION A - THE SYRIAN PEOPLE
(1:38:56) SECTION B - ISRAEL
(2:03:38) SECTION C - HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND THE PROXY WAR
SHOW IMAGE
Description: The sun shining through a Syrian flag flying in the breeze against a clear sky.
Credit: "Close up of Syrian flag" by Ahmed akasha, Pexels | License: Pexels
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Sat, 28 Dec 2024 - 2h 42min - 4283 - #1566 Wrestling with Ethical Consumption Under Capitalism (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 6/13/2023
Today, we take a look at the struggle to act ethically, at least by our own measure if there's not a universally-agreed standard to compare with, relating to the purchase of both the necessities of life we all need as well as the more luxury items that get added on top.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: No ethical consumption under capitalism: short deep dive - @professor_neil - Air Date 4-13-23
Ch. 3: "Separating Art vs. the Artist" doesn't work for Harry Potter - Kuncan Dastner - Air Date 4-14-22
Ch. 5: Ethical Consumption - Pullback - Air Date 3-7-23
Ch. 7: Ethical Capitalism: Is It Possible? - Wise Crack - Air Date 7-19-21
Ch. 9: Conscious Consumerism: Does it make a difference - Roundtable - Air Date 7-10-19
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Wed, 25 Dec 2024 - 1h 09min - 4282 - Bonus Edition #331 - The Realignment Will Make You Seasick
LOOKING FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS? bestoftheleft.com/holiday
Air Date: 12-23-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin was again missed) discuss: - The Realignment of the right-wing toward economic populism and government programs
- The need for a different kind of government efficiency than DOGE is offering
- The future of the left working to fix government
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REFERENCES: The New Pro-Life Playbook - The New Yorker
The American People Deserve DOGE - The Atlantic
In This House, We're Angry When Government Fails - The New York Times
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Mon, 23 Dec 2024 - 21min - 4281 - #1678 Trump's Total Dominance Over the Republican Party and the Resistance Efforts Already Underway
Air Date 12/20/2024
There's no denying that things are about to get bad, Trump and company have had years to prepare for their next turn in office, but those preparing to resist also have the benefit of past experience resulting in a response to Trumpism that looks very different this time around.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Can Trump Really End Birthright Citizenship? - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 12-12-24
KP 4: Can Trump Really End Birthright Citizenship? Part 2 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 12-12-24
KP 5: Centrists Signal Capitulation After Trump's Victory - The Majority Report - Air Date 12-16-24
(53:43) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the importance of scheduled maintenance for democracy
Reference article:
Reviving the American Tradition of Fusion Voting
DEEPER DIVES
(1:00:59) SECTION A - IMMIGRATION INTIMIDATION
(1:19:46) SECTION B - BENDING THE KNEE
(1:40:16) SECTION C - RESISTANCE
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Composite image of Trump with his arm out admiring a lit match in his hand in front of a burning U.S. Constitution.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman using multiple images from Pixabay | License: Pixabay
Fri, 20 Dec 2024 - 2h 04min - 4280 - #1677 Dems Can't Have Their Billionaires and Beat Them Too: The politics of anti-elitism
Air Date 12/17/2024
Changing the direction of a political party doesn't happen overnight and it usually takes a major disrupting event to shake it out of its well-wore groove. The loss of the Harris campaign to Trump and the evident desperation people have for a new economics that works for people might finally be enough to put Democrats on track to a more full-throated support of economic populism.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Jon Stewart On What Went Wrong For Democrats - The Daily Show - Air Date 11-11-24
KP 2: The Democratic Party Is A Rudderless Ship - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 11-21-24
KP 3: 'BERNIE WAS RIGHT!': Corporate Democrat ADMITS DEFEAT - The Kyle Kulinski Show - Air Date 11-18-24
KP 4: Assad Ousted From Syria - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 12-10-24
KP 5: Can Ben Wikler Fix The Democratic Party? - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 12-4-24
KP 6: "Get These Incels to Work" (feat. Hasan Piker) Part 1 - Pod Save America - Air Date 11-27-24
(49:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the Democrats perception gap and Ben Wikler for the DNC
DEEPER DIVES
(1:00:11) SECTION A - WHY DEMOCRATS LOST
(1:32:40) SECTION B - TIME TO FIGHT
(1:56:05) SECTION C - MOVING FORWARD
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Photo of billionaire Mark Cuban speaking into a microphone at a Harris Walz campaign event.
Credit: "Mark Cuban" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 17 Dec 2024 - 2h 26min - 4279 - Bonus Edition #330 - Rebuilding the Village
Give the gift of membership! (Standard or Patreon)
Air Date: 12-15-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin was missed) discuss: - Why many people want a village, but most don't act like they do - Some proposed solutions to loneliness and building community - How politicians on both sides lack vision on how to improve peoples lives
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REFERENCES: I'm Starting to Think You Guys Don't Really Want a "Village"
Stephanie Harrison - The New Happy: How to stop being lonely
Americans Are Hoarding Their Friends
On Family Policy, Neither Party Has a Vision of the Good Life
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Sun, 15 Dec 2024 - 23min - 4278 - #1676 The Incompetence of Authoritarians: Trump's cabinet picks are all loyalty, no ability
Air Date 12/13/2024
The most important thing to understand about authoritarian and dictatorial governance is that it is neither efficient nor competent, contrary to the myth. The problem lies with the need to hire people based on their unquestioning loyalty rather than any kind of demonstrated ability to do the jobs they're tasked with. The results are, unsurprisingly, chaos.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: MAGA 2.0 w Quinn Slobodian & Wendy Brown - The Dig - Air Date 11-29-24
KP 3: A Slew Of A$$hole Nominations...- The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 11-15-24
KP 5: Trump goes off the deep end with Cabinet pick - No Lie w Brian Tyler Cohen - Air Date 12-1-24
KP 6: The Trump Trials... Cases Closed - Americast - Air Date 11-29-24
KP 7: MAGA 2.0 w Quinn Slobodian & Wendy Brown - The Dig - Air Date 11-29-24
(54:37) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On why it's important to stay engaged
Don't Let Donald Trump Drive You Into Internal Exile - NYTimes
DEEPER DIVES
(58:44) SECTION A: THE LINEUP
(1:27:56) SECTION B: THE PLAYBOOK
(1:52:28) SECTION C: GLOBAL REFERENCE
(2:12:50) SECTION D: CRACKS IN AUTHORITY
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Composite graphic of Trump giving the double thumbs up over black silhouettes of people in suits with the clown face emoji on their heads and "MAGA" on their chests.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Various images via Pixabay.
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Fri, 13 Dec 2024 - 2h 31min - 4277 - Bonus Edition #329 - This Is Really Happening
Air Date: 12-12-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - What the orcas are up to - Confronting the truth about eating meat - How to not let grief destroy leftist movements - Living a better life by accepting our own mortality
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REFERENCES:
Confessions of a Former Carnivore
For Our Movements to Win, We Must Learn How Not to Let Our Grief Destroy Us
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Thu, 12 Dec 2024 - 19min - 4276 - #1675 Fighting Nihilism to Organize For Freedom Against Fascism
Air Date 12/10/2024
In a moment of darkness, it's important to not only look for light but also understand how to create your own. Today we're exploring the philosophy of Tragic Optimism, the differing frameworks of freedom-from and freedom-to, and the slow progress of democracy but also the organizing strategies that are themselves the best coping mechanisms and path to progress.
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KEY POINTS
KP 3: How To Fight Fascism In America - Why, America? with Leeja Miller - Air Date 11-20-24
KP 4: Timothy Snyder: Is Freedom Misunderstood? - The Agenda - Air Date 10-9-24
KP 5: Neoliberalism Borrowed From Lenin, Why Can't We? - Unf*cking The Republic - Air Date 11-22-24
(49:55) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On holiday memberships
DEEPER DIVES
(52:31) SECTION A - ORGANZING
A1: Organizing in Rural America (w/ Luke Mayville) - Know Your Enemy - Air Date 11-27-24
(1:11:16) SECTION B - COPING
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
uxnpfz6i
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Tue, 10 Dec 2024 - 1h 37min - 4275 - #1595 Pushing for Medicare For All in the Laboratories of Democracy (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 11/29/2023
The movement for universal health care is still underway, though it rarely gets recognized in mainstream discourse. The murder of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson is an occasion worth using to look at the progress being made to improve our system of promoting the health of all people in the United States as well as efforts to rein in the power of big Pharma that's used to gouge the American people with exorbitant prices. So, that's what we're doing.
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SHOW NOTES
Healthcare activist Ady Barkan has died at the age of 39 of the neurodegenerative disease ALS. His story is told in the documentary Not Going Quietly. In 2021, Democracy Now! spoke with Ady Barkan just ahead of the film's premiere.
Ch. 2: Why your health insurance is tied to work - The Weeds - Air Date 10-18-23
The wartime policy that changed health insurance forever
Ch. 3: Rethinking the path to winning single payer - Code WACK! - Air Date 4-10-23
Winning Medicare for All in the U.S. may be at a standstill at the federal level, but it's a different story In the states. In 2021 alone, 18 single-payer bills were introduced in states such as Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, and Oregon.
If Medicare Advantage, the profit-driven entity that is decidedly NOT part of REAL Medicare, could be summed up in three words, they might be: deny, deny, deny.
Peter Maybarduk joins us to discuss how the new negotiation process aims to break up drug monopolies and disband the pharmaceutical industry's profit incentive.
Ch. 8: The Challenge of Caring for Our Elders - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 11-15-23
Sun, 08 Dec 2024 - 1h 03min - 4274 - Bonus Edition #328 The Truth Shall Set Us Free
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Air Date: 12-6-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The political origins of SimCity and how capitalism warps our choices - A new video game offering a very different vision of societal management - Naomi Klein's insights on the Left's missteps responding to the Mirror World - Applying cynicism and skepticism in moderation
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REFERENCES: SimCity Isn't a Model of Reality. It's a Libertarian Toy Land
Naomi Klein on her doppelganger (and yours)
Be Like Claud Cockburn: Tell Truths to the Masses
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Fri, 06 Dec 2024 - 22min - 4273 - #1674 #MenToo: The Make America Male Again Election and the Media Driving the Message
Air Date 12/3/2024
At a time when there are very legitimate concerns about men's place in society, the Manosphere has stepped in to fill the gap in the cultural discussion to give an answer, not a good answer but an answer, to young men about modern masculinity which included a strong push to vote Trump.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: The Role of the Press in This Moment with Matt Pearce - Why Is This Happening - Air Date 11-19-24
KP 5: Make America Male Again Fifteen years of aggrieved men - It's Been a Minute - Air Date 11-19-24
KP 6: Misinformation, Disinformation, Malinformation ( Feat Esosa Osa)- Gettin' Grown - Air Date 11-12-24
KP 7: How the Fediverse can make social fun again - WordPress - Air Date 8-12-24
(56:23) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the slow process of fixing our broken internet
DEEPER DIVES
(1:02:00) SECTION A - MEDIA LANDSCAPE
(1:22:06) SECTION B - MEN ARE NOT OKAY
(1:52:03) SECTION C - WHAT WE CAN DO
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Photo of the back of a young man standing on a subway platform putting headphones on as a silver train whizzes past.
Credit: "People guy man sound music" by StockSnap, Pixabay | License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 03 Dec 2024 - 2h 08min - 4272 - #1673 Beyond Thanksgiving: Telling Native Stories (Remix)
Air Date 11/29/2024
Today's episode is a remix of a 5-part series of episodes we did several years ago about telling native stories beyond what the US tends to share about its history. The series stretched all the way from Columbus to modern day and today we're sharing the highlights reel of what stuck out to us looking back.
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Ch 2: American expansion and violence against Native Americans - @BackStory - Air Date: 01-19-2018
Ch 4: Doctrine of Christian Discovery Part 1 - Let's Talk Native - Air Date 3-18-19
Ch 5: Beyond Tragedy: The Living History of Native America - Ideas from CBC Radio - Air Date 2-20-19
Ch 9: Sexual Violence and Native American Genocide - @Making_Contact - Air Date 11-26-13
Ch 10: 'Reel' Indians and the invention of Hollywood Indian English - Backstory - Air Date 11-22-14
Ch 13: What we inherit: Explaining intergenerational trauma - Code Switch - Air Date 6-6-18
MORE CLIPS IN FULL SHOW NOTES
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Fri, 29 Nov 2024 - 2h 40min - 4271 - #1672 Keep an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out
Air Date 11/26/2024
In a world of infinite information but a finite amount of time to check your facts, we're living the logical conclusion of an online environment that favors false information over truth and the most popular online media reflects that reality perfectly.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Why is everyone suddenly an expert? (Even when they're not) - The Bunker - Air Date 5-20-24
KP 3: How Right-Wing Media Took Over America Part 1 - Why America? with Leeja Miller - Air Date 11-18-24
KP 5: We DON'T need a LEFTIST Joe Rogan - The Kavernacle - Air Date 11-14-24
KP 6: Stop Having an "Open Mind" - Breaking In The Habit - Air Date 5-31-24
KP 7: Birds Aren't Real? How a Conspiracy Takes Flight | Peter McIndoe - TED - Air Date 9-13-23
(49:25) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the nature of skepticism and open-mindedness
DEEPER DIVES
(55:48) SECTION A - THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE AND THE MEDIA
(1:27:00) SECTION B - TRUST AND BELIEF
(1:53:40) SECTION C - CENTRISM
(2:23:47) SECTION D - ROOTS
SHOW IMAGE
Description: A graphic depicting a silhouette of the Thinking Man statue with a chaotic swarm of letters coming from the top of his head. The word "Heterodoxy" is written along the curve of his back.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman | "thinker words thoughts mind white" image by Convegni_Ancisa via Pixabay (Pixabay license)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 26 Nov 2024 - 2h 55min - 4270 - Bonus Sample #327 You Say You Want a Revolution
Air Date: 11-24-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Erin discuss: - A few sort of fun-ish news things because it's very necessary right now - A clear-eyed but concise take on why people voted the way they did - Why the hard right political philosophy and their lies are catching on, and what the left can do to stop the appeal
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REFERENCES: Here's Why I Decided To Buy 'InfoWars'
Alex Jones Is Trying to Halt the Sale of Infowars. Elon Musk's X Just Got Involved in the Case.
Yes, Trump's Defense Secretary Pick Pete Hegseth Once Said 'Germs Are Not a Real Thing'
Americans Didn't Vote for What Donald Trump is About to Give Them
A Modest Proposal: Let Trump Be Trump
Steve Bannon Has Called His "Army" to Do Battle—No Matter Who Wins in November
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Sun, 24 Nov 2024 - 17min - 4269 - #1671 The Non-Exclusive Impact of White Supremacy and Misogyny on the Election
Air Date 11/20/2024
We're in the phase where prejudice still exists but it has become socially unacceptable to openly express it - but to deny the impact on our politics just because people don't admit to their prejudice would be to completely misunderstand the nature of the issue.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Some Americans Are Already Living in Trump's Purge - The New Abnormal - Air Date 10-1-24
KP 3: Why You Shouldn't Buy the Election Narrative About Black Men - Reveal - Air Date 10-23-24
(51:52) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the shifting landscape of social media
Follow BotL: Bluesky, Mastadon, Threads
Sky Follower Bridge: Find accounts that have migrated from Twitter to Bluesky
The OpenVibe app for cross-network access to new social sites
DEEPER DIVES
(56:28) SECTION A - A MIRROR FOR AMERICA
(1:25:17) SECTION B - WHITE SUPREMACY FOR THE WIN
(1:49:19) SECTION C - REVERBERATION
(2:09:22) SECTION D - WHAT NOW
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Wed, 20 Nov 2024 - 2h 22min - 4268 - #1670 A Refresher on the Sham of Conservative Economic Populism and the Left Alternatives (Remix)
Air Date 11/15/2024
Today's episode is a remix of multiple past episodes but was inspired by one in particular from just back in July of this year, #1645, when we were making a point of demonstrating what a sham the idea of conservative economic populism is. Well, now that Trump has been reelected - seemingly because regular folks were hoping he'd fix the economy for them - we thought we'd take this moment to highlight the difference between right wing and left wing economic populism.
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CHAPTERS
5: Europe's Circular Economy Action Plan - euronews - Air Date 11-24-20
6: What is Economic Democracy? - The Next System Project - Air Date: 3-1-16
7: Responding to Tim Scott & J.D. Vance on Poverty - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 7-16-24
9: Dispelling some myths about worker coops - Economic Update w: @profwolff - Air Date 6-12-16
11: Amsterdam's "doughnut economy" puts climate ahead of GDP - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 4-24-21
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 15 Nov 2024 - 1h 19min - 4267 - #1669 Private Equity: The worst of capitalism, amplified
Air Date 11/12/2024
It's easy enough to look into one industry at a time to see what's going wrong, but today we're looking at what is so often lurking in the background of higher prices, lower quality goods and services, and, ultimately, many failing businesses: Private Equity.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Why Does Everyone Hate Private Equity? - The Plain Bagel - Air Date 9-20-24
KP 2: How Private Equity Consumed America - Wendover Productions - Air Date 5-7-24
KP 3: How private equity conquered America - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 3-1-24
KP 5: BlackRock: The Conspiracies You Don't Know - More Perfect Union - Air Date 9-15-24
(48:16) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On getting through this together
DEEPER DIVES
(53:11) SECTION A - HOW IT WORKS
(1:30:42) SECTION B - POWER
(2:03:28) SECTION C - SOLUTIONS
SHOW IMAGE
Description: The words "Private Equity" are typed out on paper on a clipboard, surrounded by $20 and $100 bills and a pair of glasses.
Credit: "Private Equity" by Nick Youngson, Pix4free.org | License: CC BY-SA 3.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 12 Nov 2024 - 2h 32min - 4266 - #1668 We Are Going Back: Team post-election analysis
Air Date 11/8/2024
The Best of the Left team holds a special post-election discussion available to all listeners to present the initial takes on the election as well as our own reactions and suggestions for how to move forward.
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To hear all of our team discussion episodes, become a member!
A few worthwhile reads that gave inspiration for some of our discussion:
Democrats Blow Their Chance to Block Trump's Resurgence - The Intercept (Discussing the Genocide in Gaza)
Harris and the Democrats Committed to a Rightward Lurch — and Lost Big Time - Truthout (Courting moderate Republicans)
Donald Trump's Second Term Is Joe Biden's Real Legacy - The New Yorker
I'm a Gen Z man. Here's why so many of my peers supported Donald Trump - Fast Company (Revenge of the Bros)
This Time We Have to Hold the Democratic Party Elite Responsible for This Catastrophe - The Nation
10 Ways We Can Prepare for Another Trump Presidency - Truthout
Fri, 08 Nov 2024 - 1h 25min - 4265 - #1667 Billionaires and Ballots: The Best Democracy Money Can Buy
Air Date 11/5/2024
There's big money in politics, and then there's 2024. The role and influence of billionaires have taken on new shapes and patterns as the threat of fascism has made itself undeniably known. From the candidate and campaigners to those acquiescing to the mere threat of power, billionaires are everywhere you look at this election season.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Why Elon Musk Went Full MAGA - Reveal - Air Date 10-30-24
KP 2: Elon Musks War on Workers - 5-4 - Air Date 10-29-24
KP 3: Elon Musk Is SO Bad At This - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-3-24
KP 7: How Trump could steal the election - Today, Explained - Air Date 10-29-24
(00:54:26.000) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how to feel about the road ahead
DEEPER DIVES
(00:59:57.000) SECTION A - DEMOCRACY DYING IN DAYLIGHT
A2: TYT Explodes Over Calling Trump 'Fascist' - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-1-24
(01:17:32.000) SECTION B - ACTUAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE
(01:39:40.000) SECTION C - ELON MUSK THE BILLIONAIRE
(02:04:16.000) SECTION D - TRUMP THE FASCIST
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 05 Nov 2024 - 2h 38min - 4264 - #1666 The Holy War Against America: The New Apostolic Reformation, Opus Dei, Evangelicals, Christian Nationalists, and the Worship of Donald Trump
Air Date 11/2/2024
The cult of Trump isn't just about Trump, it's religion and patriarchy reacting to a moment of global economic and climactic instability. But those organizing the religious right aren't just reacting to their environment, they've also been planning for a very long time.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation - Ideas - Air Date 10-18-24
KP 3: MAGA's 'Young Male Voter' Plan Hits Bottom Of The Barrel - The Majority Report - Air Date 10-22-24
KP 7: Unfcking Flashback The American Propaganda Machine. - UNFTR - Air Date 10-12-24
(54:31) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On susceptibility to manipulation
DEEPER DIVES
(59:43) SECTION A - THE MOVEMENT
(1:18:09) SECTION B - TRUMP AND ELECTION
(1:36:04) SECTION C - PATRIARCHY AND RACE
(1:55:36) SECTION D - AMERICAN CHRISTIAN
SHOW IMAGE
Description: A woman with blonde hair wears a Trump campaign flag as a cape while praying on her knees with both arms in the air.
Credit: "Fascism Worship", 2016, by Johnny Silvercloud, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Increased brightness and contrast
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Sat, 02 Nov 2024 - 2h 14min - 4263 - Bonus Edition #326 Marketing: The Dirty Public Restroom of the Internet
Air Date: 10-31-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - How neoliberalism is fucking up renewable energy transitions - Marketing and why the viral Stanley Cup never should have gone viral - How big tech is heavily surveilling school kids without any oversight - How the fossil fuel industry has infiltrated higher education
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REFERENCES: Germany's Green Transition Is Faltering
This $23 Stanley Cup Accessory Fixes Your Biggest Complaint About the Tumbler
How the ex-marketing whiz behind Crocs helped turn Stanley into the "it" cup
How the Stanley Cup Went Viral
School Surveillance Earns Tech Companies Billions. Students Pay the Price.
Here's How the Fossil Fuel Industry Infiltrates and Influences Higher Education
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Thu, 31 Oct 2024 - 20min - 4262 - #1665 The GOP Is A Grift And Was Long Before Trump
Air Date 10/29/2024
Trump has only come close to perfecting the grift of the American conservative, he certainly didn't invent the strategy. Today we look at some current and past grifts and explore why they work.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: The "Dirtbag of the Internet" and Trump's Crypto Project - Bloomberg Technology - Air Date 9-13-24
KP 4: Down the Rabbit Hole w/ Naomi Klein - The Dig - Air Date 10-8-24
KP 5: Media Literacy Can't Save Us Part 1 - Dummy - Air Date 10-7-24
KP 6: How did grifters like Trump take over the GOP? - The Bunker - Air Date 9-25-24
(48:03) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the scam of political fundraising
DEEPER DIVES
(56:06) SECTION A - GRIFT
A1: Russell Brand Has A New Grift - Novara Media - Air Date 10-16-24
A2: GRIFTER-CON Morons Did Not Disappoint - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 10-1-24
A3: Russell Brand And The Conspiracy Grift - Media Matters - Air Date 1-2-24
A4: Some Grifters Who Finally Faced Consequences – SOME MORE NEWS -Air Date 9-25-24
(1:28:27) SECTION B - SCAMS
(1:50:18) SECTION C - CONSPIRACY
(2:19:48) SECTION D - MISINFORMATION
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Graphic showing a large pile of triangular warning signs with the word "SCAM" inside.
Credit: "traffic-signs-attention-notice" by Gerald, Pixabay | License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 29 Oct 2024 - 2h 58min - 4261 - #1543 Capitalism doesn't live up to the hype (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 2/14/20223
Today, we take a look at some origins, alternatives and misunderstandings of capitalism from the Dutch East India Company, to Adam Smith and up through the planned obsolescence and marketing that have tricked us all into working far harder than necessary while failing to make us happy.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Indigenous Economics with Tyson Yunkaporta (In Conversation) - Upstream - Air Date 11-10-21
Ch. 3: We don't understand Capitalism. Part One - UNFTR - Air Date 1-27-23
Ch. 4: Your Work Is Not Your Worth - OFF-KILTER with Rebecca Vallas - Air Date 10-21-22
Ch. 5: We don't understand Capitalism. Part Two. - UNFTR - Air Date 1-27-23
Ch. 6: Economics for a New Year - Economic Update with Richard Wolff - Air Date 1-19-23
Ch. 7: Indigenous Economics with Tyson Yunkaporta (In Conversation) Part 2 - Upstream - Air Date 11-10-21
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 25 Oct 2024 - 59min - 4260 - #1664 All That Gets Wrongly Blamed on Immigrants: Lies about the economy, crime, election integrity, Social Security, and more!
Air Date 10/22/2024
This is your one-stop reference guide to every issue that is being wrongly blamed on immigrants as the Trump campaign rhetoric turns evermore fascist and xenophobic.
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KEY POINTS
KP 3: The Real Reason Trump Is Demonizing Immigrants - The Lever - Air Date 10-11-24
KP 4: 'Villains nor victims' Why immigration is good for our economy - Velshi - Air Date 6-2-24
KP 6: Prof Richard Wolff A FUTURE WITHOUT FEAR OF IMMIGRANTS - The Zero Hour - Air Date 10-12-24
(38:04) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Giving a quick list of immigration lies
DEEPER DIVES
(42:07) SECTION A - MIS/DISINFORMATION
A1: How is Trump winning the US immigration debate - Anywhere but Washington - Air Date 10-10-24
(50:26) SECTION B - REALITY CHECK
(1:08:30) SECTION C - OTHERING
(1:26:35) SECTION D - SOLUTIONS
SHOW IMAGE CREDIT
Description: Trump, with a serious expression, stands at a lectern and points out into the crowd.
Credit: "Donald Trump" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 22 Oct 2024 - 1h 40min - 4259 - Bonus Edition #325 A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing
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Air Date: 10-20-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Yet another GOP animal abuse horror - Why weather machine conspiracy theories took off so easily - The questionable UAE organization trying to control rain with cloud seeding - Why more extreme weather isn't swaying certain voters on climate change - Talking about climate change through a patriotic lens - Bonus Segment: The surprising origins of Don't Mess with Texas
REFERENCES: New NRA Chief Once Tortured a Cat to Death
MTG Implies Dems Created Hurricane Helene: 'They Can Control the Weather'
The New Gods of Weather Can Make Rain on Demand—or So They Want You to Believe
Extreme Weather Has Had a Surprising Impact on Voters' Attitudes About Climate Change
Kamala Harris Framed Climate Action as a Patriotic Duty. New Research Shows Why That's Effective.
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 20 Oct 2024 - 21min - 4258 - #1491 Mismanaging Capitalism Can Lead to Fascism (Inflation and the Working Class)(Throwback)
Original Air Date: 5/27/2022
Today we take a look at the disruptions to society that can unfold in times of economic distress such as high inflation, price gouging, wage stagnation and income inequality as well as some policy ideas for turning things around.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 2: You Are Being Lied to About Inflation - Robert Reich - Air Date 2-28-22
Ch. 9: Elon Musk's Billionaire Games - The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - Air Date 5-7-22
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 18 Oct 2024 - 1h 13min - 4257 - #1663 Recovering from Disaster(ous) Policy Amid Disinformation: Hurricanes and Wild Fires at the forefront of our climate emergency
Air Date 10/15/2024
Just as COVID tended to expose the preexisting fractures and inequalities in our society causing undue harm, supercharged by disinformation, so do natural disasters. And the impact of disinformation and conspiracy has only grown in recent years.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Election Denials, Asheville, Israel & Inequality. - Unf*cking The Republic - Air Date 10-25-24
KP 2: Meteorologist Guy Walton on Hurricane Milton's threat to Florida - The Bradcast - Air Date 10-8-24
(54:00) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how to work with distrust in government
DEEPER DIVES
(58:58) SECTION A - NATURAL DISASTERS
(1:09:28) SECTION B - INTERSECTIONAL ISSUES
(1:31:26) SECTION C - POLITICS
(1:45:45) SECTION D: TRUMP AND DISINFORMATION
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Watercolor-style illustration of people of all abilities on a Main St. with houses and trees, and smaller groups of people sitting together.
Credit: "ai generated inclusion community" by Franz26, Pixabay | License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 15 Oct 2024 - 2h 21min - 4256 - Bonus Edition #324 The Mess Joe Made
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Air Date: 10-14-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - A member voicemail about autopilot cars - Some call backs, including JD Vance being unsurprisingly weird with his dog - The frustrating shift in the Kamala Harris campaign - Biden's continuous blundering of Israel's war on Gaza - The historical precedent for Harris to depart from Biden on Israel war policy ASAP
REFERENCES: Finally, The New York Times Is Getting Real About Trump's Mental...Status
An Entirely Necessary Investigation Into JD Vance's Relationship With His Dog, Atlas
Professional Dog Walkers Aren't Sure JD Vance Has Ever Walked—or Even Met—His Dog Before
Kamala Harris Is Taking a Big Risk by Playing It Safe
Joe Biden Chose This Catastrophic Path Every Step of the Way
Netanyahu Doesn't Care About His Friendship With Biden
Biden Gives Shocking Answer on Potential Israeli Election Interference
Biden May Be the President Who Kills the Two-State Solution
Biden's Gaza policy is a liability for Kamala Harris. She must break with Biden now
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Mon, 14 Oct 2024 - 19min - 4255 - #1662 Renewing the Nuclear Age: Weapons, Energy, Climate Mitigation, and Risk
Air Date 10/11/2024
Humans insatiable need for increasing amounts of energy and our tendency to want to at least have the option to wipe entire populations off the map has led to a renewed age of risks related to nuclear power, nuclear weapons, nuclear waste, and nuclear fallout.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Can clean energy handle the AI boom? - Vox - Air Date 10-1-24
KP 2: Why Nuclear Energy Is On The Verge Of A Renaissance - CNBC - Air Date 6-7-22
KP 3: Is Nuclear Energy the solution? - Our Changing Climate - Air Date 5-10-19
KP 6: Are we facing a new nuclear arms race? - This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler - Air Date 9-17-24
(47:23) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the nature of humans and energy use
DEEPER DIVES
(54:59) SECTION A - ENERGY
(1:31:22) SECTION B - CLIMATE
(1:56:40) SECTION C - RISK
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: A photo of two, active nuclear power plant towers on the bank of a river at sunset.
Credit: "nuclear power plant, Rhine, flow" by distelAPPArath, Pixabay | License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Sat, 12 Oct 2024 - 2h 32min - 4254 - To See Each Other: A Beloved Nursing Home
Presenting an episode of 'To See Each Other,' a show that complicates the narrative about small town Americans in our most misunderstood, and often abandoned, communities. This season, host George Goehl travels to Lincoln County, Wisconsin to follow a small town battle for the last remaining public nursing home in the community. It's a heart-pounding roller coaster of a fight - in a swing state that could determine the election. Over the course of the show, a universal truth emerges: That in every complicated set of politics, when we refuse to give up on each other, we can build a better future.
You can listen to more episodes of To See Each Other at https://link.chtbl.com/toseeeachother?sid=bestoftheleft
Thu, 10 Oct 2024 - 31min - 4253 - #1661 Immigration is Actively Good for the Country Unless You're Racist
Air Date 10/8/2024
Immigration dominates our politics in the worst way because one side benefits from lying about it and the other can't get their messaging together to create an effective rebuttal. Opposing immigration and stoking blatantly racist arguments doesn't just make the right bad or unsavory, it also makes them wrong on literally all of the facts.
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KEY POINTS
KP 4: Did Donald TRUMP Make Germany RACIST Again - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 9-27-24
KP 6: Trump's rhetoric on immigrants gets even darker - The ReidOut - Air Date 9-27-24
(55:21) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On what Democrats need to do on immigration messaging
Articles:
The Democrats' Shameful, Foolish Surrender on Immigration
Kamala Harris Needs to Meet the Moment and Reframe Our Poisonous Immigration Debate
DEEPER DIVES
(1:01:12) SECTION A - DISINFORMATION
(1:14:11) SECTION B - WHITE SUPREMACY
(1:37:38) SECTION C - LATINO ANTI-IMMIGRATION VIEWS
SHOW IMAGE CREDIT
Description: A stenciled image on a metal trailer structure shows the words "I stand with immigrants" in the shape of a rectangle.
Credit: "Stand with immigrants" by Quinn Dombrowski, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Added lower metal space and increased contrast.
Tue, 08 Oct 2024 - 2h 00min - 4252 - Bonus Sample #323 Solving Antisemitism
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 10-7-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The Today Show's take on viral phenom Moo Deng - The GOP's obsession with killing animals - How the media made a mess of Rashida Tlaib's comments and missed the key point - How some Nazi language is infiltrating left wing spaces & what to do about it - How to solve antisemitism
REFERENCES: Meet Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippo taking the internet by storm
How the GOP Became the Party of Pet Slaughter
Anatomy of a Smear Campaign Against Rashida Tlaib
Fact-check: Tlaib did not say Nessel charged pro-Palestinian protesters because she's Jewish
Normalizing Nazi Rhetoric Won't Further the Goal of Palestinian Liberation
A Leftist Analysis of Antisemitism
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Mon, 07 Oct 2024 - 21min - 4251 - #1660 Criminalizing Pregnancy: The high cost in health, freedom, and even lives of the campaign to keep people pregnant.
Air Date 10/4/2024
When women's value is seen only in relation to their ability to bear and raise children, you get policies that strip them of the right to choose whether that is something they actually want for themselves - the lived consequences are devastating.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Where Did MAGA's 'Post-Birth' Abortion Claim Come From? - NowThis Impact - Air Date 9-12-24
KP 3: Woman Shares 'Trauma' of Abortion Bans During Senate Hearing - NowThis Impact - Air Date 9-24-24
KP 6: Texas Republicans ARE KILLING WOMEN!!! - Brittany Page - Air Date 9-26-24
KP 7: Everyone Loves Someone Who's Had an Abortion - The Defenders - Air Date 12-30-23
(48:52) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the further demands for reproductive justice
Articles:
We Need Better Than a Return to the Roe Status Quo
National Abortion Rights Groups Have the Wrong Priorities for Our Movement
Abortion Access Right Now Fund
DEEPER DIVES
(56:49) SECTION A: THE CASUALTIES
(1:32:58) SECTION B: RELIGION
(2:00:00) SECTION C: THE PUNISHMENT IS THE POINT
(2:26:03) SECTION D: BLACK WOMEN
(2:42:41) SECTION E: THE PUSHBACK
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: A protestor holds a hand-painted sign that says "Justices Lie. Women Die!" with a drawing of a coat hanger.
Credit: "220503_RoeVWade_Rally_Pittsburgh-100103" by Mark Dixon, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0
Fri, 04 Oct 2024 - 3h 20min - 4250 - #1659 Conflagration Through Escalation: Israel expands the war to Lebanon to defend their ongoing genocide in Gaza
Air Date 10/1/2024
There's still no end in sight to Israel's war on its neighbors and the US continues its toothless efforts to de-escalate while maintaining seemingly unconditional support in spite of standing laws that should prevent our sale of weapons to any country committing war crimes - which Israel certainly it.
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KEY POINTS
(55:08) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the ease of misunderstanding when discussing Israel
Article: A Leftist Analysis of Antisemitism - Jacobin
DEEPER DIVES
(1:01:15) SECTION A: STATE TERRORISM
(1:27:44) SECTION B: GLOBAL COMPLICITY
(2:00:10) SECTION C: PROTESTS AND INDOCTRINATION
(2:14:13) SECTION D: RESISTANCE
SHOW IMAGE CREDIT
Description: A black and white photo of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu making a speech with the flags of Israel and the United States behind him.
Credit: "Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III participates in a joint press briefing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, April 12, 2021" by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jack Sanders / U.S. Secretary of Defense, Wikimedia Commons | License: Public Domain
Tue, 01 Oct 2024 - 2h 34min - 4249 - Bonus Sample #322 Things That Go Vroom
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 9-29-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Why Cards Against Humanity is fighting Elon Musk - How car-related deaths have soared in the US - How partial automation tech in cars is making driving more dangerous - Why truck bloat(or C.O.U.S.s, if you prefer)is deadly - Surveillance CARpitalism that will blow your mind - The electric school bus fleets sweeping the nation - The fratzonic sound of the electric Dodge Charger
REFERENCES: "Cards Against Humanity Sues Elon Musk's SpaceX "With Great Vengeance and Furious Anger" For Trespassing"
"Cards Against Humanity Sues Elon Musk for 15 million dollars"
The Stubborn Problem of Cars Killing People
Tesla and Volvo drivers using partial automation tech were studied. Here are the results
The US finally takes aim at truck bloat
It's Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy
Electric school buses are the future we deserve
Here's what the new Dodge Charger Daytona's fake engine sounds like
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 29 Sep 2024 - 18min - 4248 - #1658 Pileup on the Information Superhighway: Information Dispensation in the Age of Deep Doubt
Air Date 9/27/2024
Let's just say that it's not a coincidence that right-wing authoritarians are on the rise at the same time as people around the world are having a harder time than ever figuring out what's true. That said, society is beginning to fight back.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-project-2025-will-lay-groundwork-for-second-term
KP 3: Streaming is Changing Politics...Is That A Good Thing? - Wisecrack - Air Date 9-20-24
KP 4: YouTube and the Death of Media Literacy - Zoe Bee - Air Date 9-2-24
KP 5: A Citizen's Guide to Disinformation - TechTank - Air Date 9-3-24
KP 6: Enshittification Part 3: Saving The Internet - On the Media - Air Date 5-19-23
(45:53) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On bad media diets and brain worms
Article: Welcome to the Era of 'Deep Doubt'
DEEPER DIVES
(54:23) SECTION A: SOCIAL MISINFORMATION
(1:23:18) SECTION B: LIVE BY THE ALGORITHM
(1:55:54) SECTION C: SOLUTIONS
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Graphic of two profiles back to back, one red, one blue. A white question mark is in the middle.
Credit: "face-question mark-disoriented" by geralt| License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 27 Sep 2024 - 2h 30min - 4247 - #1657 Modeling Positive Masculinity: Between Tim Walz and the Manosphere, boys are looking for guidance
Air Date 9/24/2024
The positive dad vibes of Tim Walz came onto the national scene in the middle of an ongoing crisis of masculinity that stretches from the youngest generations to the oldest. Both positive and negative aspects of masculinity tie in with the general election, basically divided right down the partisan line, and the next generation of voters (not to mention humans) are often feeling stuck between the two with insufficient guidance from the men in their lives.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Are Men Okay – SOME MORE NEWS - Air Date 5-22-24
KP 3: Dating Amid Gender Differences in Politics - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 7-30-24
KP 5: We Love Some BDE Part 2 - Big Dad Energy - Dear Old Dads - Air Date 8-23-24
KP 7: That's My Gus Walz - Dear Old Dads - Air Date 8-30-24
(54:39) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the 3 top takeaways on and for boys and men
Article: CONSIDER THE BOOR
DEEPER DIVES
(1:00:56) SECTION A: TIM WALZ
(1:17:49) SECTION B: JD VANCE BRANDED MASCULINITY
(1:41:18) SECTION C: THE FALL OUT OF STOICISM
(1:46:43) SECTION D: DATING LIFE
(2:07:48) SECTION E: SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
SHOW IMAGE CREDIT
Description: Image of a man in a flannel shirt in free fall against a gray cloud background.
Credit: "man-fall" by Pexels | License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 24 Sep 2024 - 2h 19min - 4246 - Bonus Sample #321 Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 9-23-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Musk's latest - J.D. Vance's war on truth and brown people - The super villains who spread lies - Sane Washing Trump - Correcting the Left - Right-wing lies as a matter of course
REFERENCES: Musk Claims 'Joke' About Assassinating Harris Was Funnier in Person
J.D. Vance's War on American Life Starts in Springfield
JD Vance Thinks He Can Sell His Nationalism With Cat Memes
J.D. Vance's Admission Shouldn't Shock You—They've Done This for Years
How the Media Sanitizes Trump's Insanity
Trump Has Not Been 'Sane-Washed'
The Sound of One MAGA Attacking (Retracted)
"He's one of us": Trump defends political violence against the press, while the press remains silent
Man arrested at Trump rally in Pa. wanted to hang a protest banner, police say
How Right-Wingers Manufacture Scandal
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Mon, 23 Sep 2024 - 20min - 4245 - #1550 Red States, Where Democracy Goes to Die and Terrible Legislation is Born (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 3/21/2023
Today, we take a look at how GOP-controlled states are subverting democracy with a form of "competitive autocracy" and some of the horrifying legislation these states then pass after they are no longer subject to the opinions of the general public.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 2: Republicans Are Staging A Legislative Coup - More Perfect Union - Air Date 1-5-22
Ch. 4: The Fight for Fair Maps - The Takeaway - Air Date 7-18-22
Ch. 5: Failing (Red)States - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 3-4-23
Ch. 10: How Moore v. Harper Could Reshape Democracy - The Takeaway - Air Date 12-8-22
Ch. 13: Tennessee legislator shocks with lynching suggestion - Alex Wagner Tonight - Air Date 3-3-23
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 15: Final comments on how to fix the states
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Sat, 21 Sep 2024 - 1h 04min - 4244 - Bonus Sample #320 Calculated Misery
Air Date: 9-19-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - the fallout from the debate, Trump's lies, and how his incoherence is being sanitized - The inadequacy of workplace protections, even in unionized shops - how worker stress and consumer misery are actually features, not bugs - the hope of Philosopher Obama and Trump's Power of Positivity® - people's need to feel like they're getting their money's worth at the expense of all else
REFERENCES: UPS Drivers Won "Historic Heat Protections." They Say the Company Hasn't Lived Up to That Promise
In Fast Food, Worker Stress Is the Business Model
Why Airlines Want to Make You Suffer
Barack Obama Is the Last American Transcendentalist
The True Source of Trump's Delusions: The Gospel of Positive Thinking
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Wed, 18 Sep 2024 - 14min - 4243 - #1656 How Far He Will Go: Election lies, intimidation, interference, insurrection
Air Date 9/17/2024
It's not just the threat of the electoral college handing the presidency to the loser of the popular vote, nor the specter of a repeat of a January 6th-like event hanging over the election - there's also copious lies and disinformation including a new and improved nazi-to-Republican-talking-point-pipeline, and fresh new intimidation and voter suppression tactic experiments underway in the laboratories of democracy.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Trump Admits He Lost 2020 Election?!? - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 9-5-24
KP 4: What Does "Election Interference" Even Mean Anymore? - The Political Scene Podcast - Air Date 9-4-24
KP 7: Republicans caught in BOMBSHELL lie - Brian Tyler Cohen - Air Date 9-9-24
(49:26) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On what puts democracies at risk
DEEPER DIVES
(1:01:09) SECTION A: INTIMIDATION
(1:15:27) SECTION B: INTERFERENCE
(1:54:14) SECTION C: LIES
(2:08:49) SECTION D: ELECTION INTEGRITY
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Photo of a woman holding a sign above her head that says "Voting Rights are Human Rights". She is wearing a bucket hat that says "Good Trouble."
Credit: "210828 - voting rights-6" by Johnny Silvercloud | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 17 Sep 2024 - 2h 33min - 4242 - #1655 A Pivotal Moment for Big Tech, Both Old and New: Google Search, the A.I. Boom, Antitrust, and Regulation
Air Date 9/13/2024
We've been living through the modern equivalent of the oil boom, back when poking a hole in the ground would make one of the world's most valuable substances, upon which entire economies would be built. But in our case, it's not oil, it's data. Now we are at a pivotal moment as the old unchallenged master of data, Google, has been found guilty of illegal anti-competitive behavior at the same time as generative AI companies are in a new desperate rush to stake claims on every last piece of data they can find.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: The New Colonialism of Big Tech - Andrewism - Air Date 9-3-24
KP 4: This Moment in AI How We Got Here and Where Were Going - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 8-12-24
KP 5: Newsoms AI dilemma To sign or not to sign - POLITICO Tech - Air Date 9-6-24
KP 6: At Last Big Tech's Free Ride May Be Over - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 9-4-24
(1:00:18) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On a possible future for humanity
DEEPER DIVES
(1:07:35) SECTION A: THE THREAT
(1:20:31) SECTION B: BIG TECH LOBBYING
(1:39:26) SECTION C: REGULATION
(1:56:17) SECTION D: THINKING THROUGH SOLUTIONS
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Photo of a giant wall-sized screen displaying data numbers and a hand touching a finger to it.
Credit: "ai analyzing data" via mimpori01, Pixabay | Pixabay License
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 13 Sep 2024 - 2h 06min - 4241 - #1654 Demographics of Democracy: Decoding cohorts of voters that will decide the election (Updated)
Air Date 9/10/2024
It's said that we live in a melting pot here in the United States. Perhaps it's more of a salad bar, who knows? In any case, there are a lot of people coming from a lot of different backgrounds, cultures, histories, and geographies all about to vote in a few weeks. Today, we try to understand, at least roughly, how people's backgrounds influence their vote.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: The Gender Gap Is Widening In The 2024 Election - What A Day - Air Date 9-4-24
KP 4: What Will Black Male Voters Do In 2024? - AJ+ - Air Date 7-7-24
KP 6: How Michigan explains American politics - Vox - Air Date 1-11-24
(50:47) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the nature of demographic cohorts and the movement of the Democratic Party
DEEPER DIVES
(57:01) SECTION A: THE MIXED BAG
(1:28:15) SECTION B: LATINO AND BLACK VOTERS
(2:03:35) SECTION C: WHITE AND RURAL VOTERS
SHOW IMAGE
Description: A composite image showing red and blue silhouettes of men and women yelling at each other, two with megaphones. A faded diptych of V.P. Harris and D. Trump are in the background.
Credit: Composite Design: A. Hoffman.
Photo 1: "Kamala Harris" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, faded
Photo 2: "Donald Trump" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, faded
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Thu, 12 Sep 2024 - 2h 29min - 4240 - Bonus Sample #319 If you can't stand the heat, someone will profit from your misery
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 9-8-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - labor unions fighting for time off when it's too hot - cooling tech - electric trains - and the corporations running our national parks into the ground
REFERENCES: Greek Unions Want Paid Time Off When It's Too Hot to Work
To keep workers going in the heat, companies try fledgling cooling tech
Please Do Not Make Fun of My Neck Fan
Is the US finally getting all-aboard with electric trains?
Yosemite National Park Is a Mess
Aramark Stock Hits All-Time High Amid Triple-Digit Profit Growth
OpenAI won't watermark ChatGPT text because its users could get caught
The Case for Public Rail Ownership
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 08 Sep 2024 - 19min - 4239 - #1653 Money-N-Politics: SuperPACS, Crypto, Billionaires, and Public Funding of Elections
Air Date 9/6/2024
We're living in the world that dark money in politics and Citizen's United built. But since that Supreme Court ruling in 2010, we've invented cryptocurrency that promises to be a brand new source of opacity and financial power built on smoke and mirrors.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Steve Macek on Dark Money - CounterSpin - Air Date 8-23-24
KP 2: Why Big Money Supports Trump - Robert Reich - Air Date 8-27-24
KP 4: Silicon Valley's Impact on the 2024 Elections - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 7-31-24
KP 5: Dem Donors Want Harris To Bail On Biden's Best Decision - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-29-24
KP 8: We need to move to the public funding of elections - Bernie Sanders - Air Date 8-29-24
(49:16) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the changing sense of urgency to address money in politics
DEEPER DIVES
(52:47) SECTION A: THE SYSTEM
A1: Trump and the Billionaires Part 2 - The Socialist Program with Brian Becker - Air Date 7-16-24
A2: Steve Macek on Dark Money Part 2 - CounterSpin - Air Date 8-23-24
(1:10:02) SECTION B: FUNDING REPUBLICANS
(1:26:54) SECTION C: FUNDING DEMOCRATS
(1:34:05) SECTION D: SOLUTIONS
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: A composite image showing a Bitcoin in front of a pile of US cash, and a dark American flag in the background.
Credit: Composite Design: A. Hoffman. Photo 1: "Cash on table" via Pexels | License | Photo 2: American flag via Pixabay | License
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 06 Sep 2024 - 1h 41min - 4238 - #1219 How the GOP became the most destructive force in the world (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 10/16/2018
Today we take a look at the distant and recent history of conservatism in America and beyond and follow the steps that have led to their rejection of science at a moment in history when it has never been more critical to heed the warnings of scientists
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Corey Robin on the right from Burke to Trump - Jacobin Radio (@jacobinmag) - Air Date 12-3-17
Corey Robin on the Right from Burke to Trump. While most people on the Left fear and demonize the Right, they aren't interested in its ideas. Robin, however, takes them very seriously and analyzes their ideas for us.
The state of the conservative movement and where it goes from here.
Ch. 3: Kurt Andersen: How religion turned American politics against science - Big Think - Air Date 1-18-28
In the last 30 years, religion has radicalized American politics and seriously harmed the perception of science, says journalist and author Kurt Andersen. This can be directly tied to the rise of the Christian Right in the 20th century.
Ch. 4: The fall of family values - Past/Present - Air Date 6-25-18
Explaining how we came to the end of "family values" conservatism
Take action! Click the title and/or scroll down for quick links and resources from this segment.
Yascha Mounk discusses how to cover the Trump presidency; the complicity of the Republican party; and the future of the right with proud conservative and staunch Never Trumper Jennifer Rubin.
Amy Goodman began by asking Noam Chomsky about the catastrophically destructive tendencies of the Republican Party.
Ch. 8: America: The Farewell Tour (with Guest Chris Hedges) - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 10-2-18
Chris Hedges on the erosion of democratic infrastructure, imperialist leanings, and the widening gap between the morbidly rich and the working class, a sign of America's farewell?
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 03 Sep 2024 - 57min - 4237 - Bonus Sample #318 Staring Unblinkingly Into the Future
Air Date: 9-1-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The ever-stranger headlines about RFK Jr. ...and dead animals - The political philosophies and missteps behind unipolar, bipolar or multipolar world views - The dogmatic history of the American Communist Party - The deeper reasons having kids is on the decline - The impacts of our bizarre online world on kids and teens
REFERENCES: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Admits He Falls for Online Misinformation "All the Time"
RFK Jr. Whale-Beheading Story Gives RFK Jr. Bear-Murder Story a Run for Its Money
Environmental Group Wants Answers About RFK Jr. Chainsawing a Whale's Head Off
RFK Jr. in Hot Water With Environmental Group Over That Wild Whale Story
As Eurasia Awakes Our World Will Shake
The "Multipolar World": A Euphemism to Support Multiple Imperialisms
The Real Reason People Aren't Having Kids
The Big Problem Faced by Teens Isn't Caused by Phones. It's Deeper.
What Tweens Get from Sephora and What They Get from Us
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 01 Sep 2024 - 16min - 4236 - #1652 Denial, Delusion, and Devastation: Israeli genocide made possible by a nurtured ignorance and deft dehumanization
Air Date 8/30/2024
Israel's assault on Gaza is fueled by pain, rage, trauma... a desire for safety, a desire for revenge, the hope for the safe return of hostages. It's a complicated mix of all of the above and more and it will be different for each person. However, there's also a deep well of denial and delusion about the decades-old status quo between Israel and Palestine that made the current conflict all but inevitable and the pursuit of genocide by some decision-makers in the Israeli government - as well as the support of the US government - possible.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Substance vs Vibes in VP Kamala Harris' Gaza PR Reboot - Citations Needed - Air Date 8-2-24
KP 4: Torture Is Systemic in Israel's Prisons / Shai Parnes - This Is Hell! - Air Date 8-21-22
KP 5: EXPOSED- Netanyahu's Plan to Set World on Fire - Double Down News - Air Date 8-23-24
(50:37) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the deep denial at the heart of Zionism
My Father and the Withering of Liberal Zionism - New York Mag
DEEPER DIVES
(1:02:24) SECTION A - UNCOMMITTED
(1:28:38) SECTION B - TORTURE
(1:56:35) SECTION C - ARMS EMBARGO
(2:26:17) SECTION D - JOURNALISM
SHOW IMAGE
Description: A young woman in the middle of a protest in Washington, DC holds up a sign in front of her that says "End the Siege On Gaza Now"
Credit: "March on Washington for Gaza" https://www.flickr.com/photos/perspective/53463705757/ by Elvert Barnes, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode.en | Changes: Cropped
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 - 2h 46min - 4235 - #1651 The Politics of Migration in the Age of Insecurity: From the UK riots to GOP fear-mongering
Air Date 8/27/2024
People feel lots of ways about immigration. Sometimes it's fear of the other, other times it's not about the people but just dismay over a broken system. The validity of these concerns and others certainly exist on a spectrum, some are utter bullshit and others aren't. Left-wing political parties tend to do a terrible job creating immigration policy - in that they just don't do it at all - while the right wing is all too happy to create and implement terrible policy. And given a choice between action and inaction, regardless of how misguided the proposed action is, people with concerns will choose action.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: The UK's Far Right Riots - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-8-24
KP 2: Riots in the UK - Today, Explained - Air Date 8-7-24
KP 3: Introducing 'Battle of 187' week! - The Times Essential news from the L.A. Times - Air Date 7-19-21
KP 5: RNC & "Migrant Crime"- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 7-25-24
(50:32) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the electoral politics of immigration policy
DEEPER DIVES
(58:41) SECTION A - THE UK RIOTS
(1:13:16) SECTION B - CA PROPOSITION 187
(1:26:59) SECTION C - TRUMP VS HARRIS
(1:49:23) SECTION D - MIGRANTS
SHOW IMAGE: Description: Two young women stand amidst a protest in London showing their signs to the camera that say "No human is illegal."
Credit: "No Human is Illegal" by Alisdare Hickson, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Tue, 27 Aug 2024 - 2h 13min - 4234 - #1650 The Vibes Election Explained: Harris is up, Trump is down and Gaza will not be forgotten
Air Date 8/23/2024
The vibes of this election are nothing anyone could have predicted a month ago. And yet, some of the details have played out as though by a script. Democrats drink hope like ambrosia from the gods; Trump, when confronted with reality initiates a full blown meltdown; and everyone is doing their best to ignore the genocide in Gaza being carried out with our weapons.
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KEY POINTS
KP 4: Jon Stewart on Why Trump Wants Biden Back So Badly He's Reusing His Old Attacks - The Daily Show - Air Date 8-12-24
KP 6: Democrats, Republicans, and the Meaning of Life - Steve Shives - Air Date 8-19-24
(48:45) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
on the vibes and archetypes of the election
Kamala Harris Is Providing a Very Specific Kind of Psychological Relief to America - Slate
Tim Walz is the dad that we lost - TikTok
DEEPER DIVES
(1:03:02) SECTION A - HARRIS'S POSITIVE VIBES
(1:33:14) SECTION B - GAZA WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN
(1:54:55) SECTION C - REALITY OVER VIBES
(2:25:41) SECTION D - TRUMP MELTDOWN
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Composite triptych graphic showing Kamala Harris smiling with her hands in the air at a podium, the flag of Palestine in vertical, and Trump in profile stepping off the stage with his head down.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Image 1: "Kamala Harris" by Marc Nozell, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped ; Image 3: "Donald Trump" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Fri, 23 Aug 2024 - 2h 43min - 4233 - #1579 Positive masculinity is a process that is underway (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 8/23/2023
For decades, we have rightly been focused on dialing back endemic misogyny and poking holes in the patriarchy in the hopes of a new normal of gender relations emerging that would be genuinely healthier for everyone, not just women. But, with so much of the focus on the type of masculinity men and boys shouldn't embrace, we may have fallen short on giving positive direction to boys about what they should be and do.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Andrew Tate & Re-examining Masculinity - Long Story Short The Daily Show - Air Date 4-21-23
Jordan Klepper looks at Andrew Tate and breaks down how a void of role models has harmful consequences for young boys.
Ch. 2: The new crisis of masculinity - The Gray Area - Air Date 8-7-23
What does masculinity mean these days? Sean Illing speaks with Christine Emba, a columnist at The Washington Post who wrote the piece "Men are lost. Here's a map out of the wilderness."
Ch. 3: The New Masculinity - ON BOYS podcast - Air Date 4-27-23
Boys and men, Manley says, are caught between traditional definitions and understandings of masculinity, and a future definition that hasn't been fully defined.
Host Roy Wood Jr. sits down with the co-founder of "A Call to Men," Ted Bunch, and developmental psychology professor at NYU, Niobe Way, to chat about boys' friendships and how therapy could be transformative for a lot of men.
Ch. 5: What Does Positive Masculinity Look Like? - Paging Dr. NerdLove - Air Date 4-12-18
Toxic masculinity doesn't mean that being a man is toxic, bad, or even undesirable. At the same time, non-toxic or positive masculinity doesn't mean apologizing for being a man or trying to be as gender-neutral as possible.
Ch. 6: What is Positive Masculinity: How Patriarchy Oppresses Men - Swolesome - Air Date 12-2-22
Looking at what patriarchy teaches boys to do
Ch. 8: The New Masculinity Part 2 - ON BOYS podcast - Air Date 4-27-23
Ch. 9: Why Allan Energy Is The New "Big D_CK Energy" - Barbie Movie - Fashionistas - Air date 8-4-23
Examining positive masculinity through Allen from The Barbie Movie
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 10: Final comments on why emotionally stunted men are a social, not individual, problem
Wed, 21 Aug 2024 - 1h 19min - 4232 - Bonus Sample #317 Don't Forget the Philosophers (AI in our politics, art, and humanity)
Air Date: 8-19-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - How we likely all have COVID and can't believe we did a Bonus Show - The bizarre ways AI is already part of our political systems - Strong feelings on AI-generated art in a hyper-capitalist world - The ups, downs and side effects of so-called AI friends - AI in our love lives (P.S. Audiophiles Beware: We had some technical difficulties, so this show may sound a little strange in spots.)
REFERENCES:
RFK Jr. Doubles Down on Dead Bear Cub With Bonkers Brag
The A.I. Influencer Ads Are Coming
There's an AI Candidate Running for Parliament in the UK
An AI Bot Is (Sort of) Running for Mayor in Wyoming
OpenAI Imprisons AI That Was Running for Mayor in Wyoming
'We have to adapt or die': Daniel Bedingfield says AI is music's future
Wear This AI Friend Around Your Neck
Can an AI friend make you less lonely?
What If Your AI Girlfriend Hated You?
Computer says yes: how AI is changing our romantic lives
In the Age of A.I., What Makes People Unique?
The Big AI Risk Not Enough People Are Seeing
Bonus: Opinion: The problem with calling Trump and Vance weird
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Mon, 19 Aug 2024 - 17min - 4231 - #1649 Race in America and the Moral Clarity of James Baldwin
Air Date 8/17/2024
James Baldwin's 100th birthday passed by recently and we're using the occasion to draw on his moral clarity and eloquence while we assess the state of race in America
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday - 1A - Air Date 7-30-24
KP 2: James Baldwin's Fire - Throughline - Air Date 9-17-20
KP 5: Truth, Privilege, and James Baldwin - Woke AF Daily - Air Date 10-3-23
KP 6: Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 7-30-24
(49:08) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the need for national self-reflection
DEEPER DIVES
(56:50) SECTION A - BALDWIN THE WRITER
A2: Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday Part 3 - 1A - Air Date 7-30-24
(1:08:50) SECTION B - RACE IN AMERICA
(1:35:59) SECTION C - THE WHITE LIE
(2:00:40) SECTION D - GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Portrait of author and civil rights activist James Baldwin, an African American man, leaning against a tree with arms folded in a park and smiling, looking away from the camera.
Credit: "James Baldwin taken in Hyde Park London" by Allan Warren, Wikimedia Commons | License: CC BY-SA 3.0 | Changes: Cropped
Sat, 17 Aug 2024 - 2h 23min - 4230 - #1648 Power Grabs, Elections Optional: The threat of minority rule through election denialism
Air Date 8/13/2024
Spirits among Kamala Harris supporters, Democrats, and anyone opposing Trumpism are at an all-time high right now. That's both fortuitous and crucial to the upcoming election. By the very nature of Trumpism, this election will be the most flagrantly contested in history with far more Trump loyalists in place ready to throw wrenches in the works wherever they can. Nothing short of overwhelming victory for the Harris/Waltz ticket is necessary to stave off constitutional crisis.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: How Trump (Allegedly) Tried to Steal the Election - LegalEagle - Air Date 8-12-23
KP 4: Why Millions Won't Be Able To Vote In 2024? - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 8-8-24
KP 5: In The Hands Of The Voters with Marc Elias - Justice by Design - Air Date 8-2-24
KP 6: Resisting Minority Rule - Brennan Center for Justice - Air Date 5-30-24
(52:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the importance of happy warriors
DEEPER DIVES
(54:53) SECTION A - THE MECHANICS OF MINORITY RULE
(1:22:28) SECTION B - THE PROPONENTS OF MINORITY RULE
(1:44:21) SECTION C - THE HISTORY OF MINORITY RULE
(2:01:34) SECTION D - A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
(2:38:53) SECTION E - ACTIVISM
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A cardboard sign taped to a street poll shows an American flag image and a short arrow pointing toward it. Underneath is the word "VOTE".
Credit: "Vote!" by Kristin Ausk, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Tue, 13 Aug 2024 - 3h 05min - 4229 - Bonus Sample #316 How are you gonna fix that garden?!
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 8-11-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: - Understanding the New Right - JD Vance's mangled metaphor - The best headline about RFK Jr. - Where the anti-trans movement has taken us - What Star War controversies through the years can teach us
REFERENCES: Watch: J.D. Vance Makes an Unfortunate Couch Joke at Nevada Rally
This Is Why J.D. Vance Hates "Childless Cat Ladies"
How JD Vance Thinks About Power
JD Vance Just Blurbed a Book Arguing That Progressives Are Subhuman
Read J.D. Vance's Violent Foreword to Project 2025 Leader's New Book
RFK Jr is an always sunny in Philadelphia character
The Insidious Scrutiny of Female Athletes' Bodies
The misleading controversy over an Olympic women's boxing match, briefly explained
The Right-Wing Campaign to Purge Women From Women's Sports
This Olympics Moment Shows Where Anti-Trans Calls to "Protect Women" Have Brought Us
Every Star Wars Backlash I've Ever Seen Has Really Been About The Same Thing
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 11 Aug 2024 - 18min - 4228 - #1248 There you go again. Venezuela and America's addiction to imperialism (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 2/8/2019
Amid the ongoing fallout of a contested presidential election, we take a look back, briefly, at the last 100 years of Venezuelan history to understand how they went from oil riches and inequality to revolution and social progress only to run afoul of American imperialism
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 2: How Did Venezuela Go From So Rich To So Poor - The Inquiry - Air Date 5-10-17
Ch. 4: Is Donald Trump waging a coup in Venezuela? - Majority Report (@MajorityFM) - Air Date 1-25-19
Ch. 9: Many Countries at UN Oppose Trump Interference in Venezuela - @TheRealNews - Air Date 1-29-19
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Thanks for listening!
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Fri, 09 Aug 2024 - 1h 03min - 4227 - #1647 How to Eliminate Homelessness While Maintaining Our Humanity
Air Date 8/6/2024
After the recent Supreme Court ruling that allowed governments to constitutionally purge unhoused people from public spaces, we are getting an immediate lesson in the difference between addressing systemic problems with solutions and using the police to clean up after governments that failed to act.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Criminalizing homelessness - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-2-24
KP 2: Sotomayor TORCHES Oregon Town Trying To Ban Homeless People - The Majority Report - Air Date 4-23-24
KP 5: Myths about Homeless People with Dr. Margot Kushel - Factually! - Air Date 5-8-24
KP 6: White House takes new action to lower housing costs - Morning Joe - Air Date 7-16-24
(45:37) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the layers of problems and solutions for addressing homelessness
Article:
With Sacramento's robust water infrastructure, why are homeless residents still dying of thirst?
DEEPER DIVES
(51:59) SECTION A - THE SUPREME COURT
(1:02:06) SECTION B - DEMONIZATION
(1:19:15) SECTION C - DIGITALIZATION OF RENTING
(1:33:27) SECTION D - SOLUTIONS
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A photograph of a group of multicolored camping tents on a plaza outside City Hall in Los Angeles.
Credit: "Unhoused in Los Angeles" by Ron Reiring, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Tue, 06 Aug 2024 - 1h 49min - 4226 - Bonus Sample #315 You Do You, You Weirdos
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 8-4-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The use of strategic ambiguity as a way to ensure everyone hears what they want to hear - How weird Republicans are now - How the joke about JD Vance having sex with a couch is viewed as plausible because his inability to deal with generational trauma has made him a bizarre person - How the right's bigotry runs so deep, they can't escape it even when they try their hardest - Seriously, the Trump era of the Republican Party is really weird!
REFERENCES: Those magic half-hours at Lozano Car Wash, where my dad was all mine
The Real Origin of Trump's Hannibal Lecter Obsession The deeper you go, the less sense it makes.
J.D. Vance didn't have sex with a couch. But he's still extremely weird.
Critics Question JD Vance's 'Weird' Defense Of Wife Usha After White Supremacist Attacks
JD Vance's Response to White Supremacist Attacks on His Wife Seen as Lacking Strength and Conviction
J. D. Vance's Sad, Strange Politics of Family
Trump: People who like family will support JD Vance
Trump faces backlash for 'in four years, you don't have to vote again' remark
Trump asked to clarify his remarks about how Christians won't need to vote again
Dems Go All-In on Blasting Trump and MAGA as 'Sick Freaks Who Everyone Hates'
How Trump and Vance went from a 'threat to democracy' to 'weird'
Inside the "Big Weirdo" Political Strategy That Democrats Are Using to Taunt Republicans
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 04 Aug 2024 - 16min - 4225 - #1646 The Kamalanomenon and the Inevitable Misogynoir Backlash of Racism and Sexism
Air Date 8/2/2024
The Kamala Harris presidential campaign has been on a wild ride since it unexpectedly began less than two weeks ago. Record fund raising, organic enthusiasm not seen since Obama, and the ugly pushback to match.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Political Plot Twists - Bad Queers - Air Date 7-29-24
KP 3: Israel Furious With Harris Over This Speech - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 7-28-24
KP 4: Share & Rizz & Tell with Mina Kimes and Dan Le Batard - PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT - Air Date 7-26-24
KP 5: Black Women Lead - Woke AF Daily - Air Date 7-24-24
(48:51) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the power of excitement
DEEPER DIVES
(56:51) SECTION A: MISOGYNOIR DEFINED
A1: Misogynoir by Dr. Moya Bailey #Jubilee21 - Black Feminist Future - Air Date 12-11-21
A2: Digital Misogynoir - The Anti-Dystopians - Air Date 9-8-23
(1:10:32) SECTION B: MISOGYNOIR IN ACTION
(1:41:14) SECTION C: TALK OF THE TOWN
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Vice President Kamala Harris stands on stage holding a microphone with one hand on her hip in front of the stars of the U.S. flag.
Credit: "Kamala Harris" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Slight crop
Fri, 02 Aug 2024 - 2h 07min - 4224 - #1645 J.D. Vance, Faux Republican Economic Populism And The Real Pro-Worker Policies We Need
Air Date 7/30/2024
The Republican Party is making it sound like they're trying to transform themselves into the party of working people. There's a mountain of evidence suggesting that you shouldn't believe them but there's also plenty of reason to sit up and take notice of the situation.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Trump, Vance, and the New Right at the RNC - Deconstructed - Air Date 7-19-24
KP 5: Why Hiking Tariffs Actually Protects Americans - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 5-14-24
(43:44) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the shifting political epoch toward pro-worker policies we're witnessing
Clip: Let's adopt the GOP's national platform - Jim Hightower - Air Date- 3-6-13
Article: Biden's labor report card: Historian gives 'Union Joe' a higher grade than any president since FDR
DEEPER DIVES
(54:05) SECTION A: TEAMSTER SPEECH AND FALSE POPULISM
(1:17:09) SECTION B: PRO-WORKER LEGISLATION
(1:28:24) SECTION C: JD VANCE AND THE "CENTER" RIGHT
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: J.D. Vance scowls with his face in partial shadow while standing at a podium.
Credit: "J.D. Vance" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Tue, 30 Jul 2024 - 1h 44min - 4223 - Bonus Sample #314 The Lesson of The Grinch
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 7-29-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - All of our hope-y, fearful feelings about this political moment - The sexist, racist insults already being hurled at Harris - The perceived threat of a woman's laugh - Men's deep-seeded struggle with masculinity
REFERENCES: Trump campaign finally reveals why ex president continues to profess love for Hannibal Lecter in speeches
What people mean when they call Kamala Harris a 'DEI candidate'
Kamala Harris and the Threat of a Woman's Laugh
'It is a train that is never late': Trump, GOP escalate racist and predictable attacks on VP Harris
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Mon, 29 Jul 2024 - 18min - 4222 - #1644 State of Play: The RNC Cultish Clown Show, Continued Calls for Violence, and Biden Bows Out
Air Date 7/26/2024
It's clear where the vast majority of violent rhetoric is coming from in the country and it's clear which party is a cult of personality and which puts country before personal power. This is the state of play in our politics.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Who Really is Stoking Violence in America? - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 7-15-24
KP 3: The Long Simmer of Political Violence in America - The Atlantic - Air Date 7-15-24
KP 5: Jon Stewart on Biden 2024: It Is What It Is? - The Weekly Show With Jon Stewart - Air Date 7-11-24
KP 6: You did it, Joe - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-22-24
(51:48) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On why it's OK to have a bit of hope even if it's uncomfortable
DEEPER DIVES
(57:02) SECTION A: BIDEN STEPS DOWN
A2: Fox News MELTS DOWN Over Kamala Harris - The Rational National - Air Date 7-22-24
(1:12:23) SECTION B: VIOLENCE AND VIOLENT RHETORIC
(1:21:33) SECTION C: THE RNC
(1:57:29) SECTION D: CONSPIRACY
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Composite image: In background, a photo from the RNC with image of Trump making a fist after the assassination attempt on every screen. In the foreground, Biden's letter telling America he is not running for reelection. Beside it, a photo of a smiling Vice President Kamala Harris.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Photo: "Kamala Harris" by Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped around subject
Fri, 26 Jul 2024 - 2h 28min - 4221 - #1526 A History of Political Violence in the US (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 11/15/2022
Today, we take a look at our extremely steady history of political violence from the Revolution, through the Civil War, Reconstruction and Jim Crow, into the Civil Rights era, the Militia Movement and domestic terrorism, and now to our current once-again-radicalized, right-wing movement willing to use and tacitly condone violence as a political tactic.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Capitol Attack Wasn't the 1st Violent Incident in Congress - Inside Edition - Air Date 1-20-22
Ch. 2: A history of US political violence Part 1 - Americast - Air Date 11-2-22
Ch. 4: Political Violence Is No Anomaly in American History - System Check - Air Date 1-8-21
Ch. 5: Today's Republicans were made in the 1990s - The Gray Area with Sean Illing - Air Date 11-7-22
Ch. 8: Paul Pelosi attacked with hammer in his home - ABC News - Air Date 10-29-22
Ch. 9: A history of US political violence Part 2 - Americast - Air Date 11-2-22
Ch. 10: Political Violence - In the Thick - Air Date 11-4-22
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Show Image:
Description: A newspaper cartoon/drawing of Senator Sumner being beaten on the floor of the Senate with a cane by Sen. Preston Brooks in 1856.
Credit: "Southern Chivalry - Argument vs. Clubs" by J.L. Magee, 1856 | Public Domain
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 - 1h 13min - 4220 - Bonus Sample #313 Consistency When it Matters
Air Date: 7-21-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin couldn't join us) discuss: - Deon's hatred of old people - How the media industry's failing state led to ineffective coverage of the Biden age story - Amanda's excellent sports analogy - The factors that have lead to America's worsening gerontocracy
REFERENCES: Did the media botch the Biden age story?
Jon Stewart Examines Biden's Future Amidst Calls For Him to Drop Out | The Daily Show
Inside the Complicated Reality of Being America's Oldest President
Biden, turning 80, faces renewed age questions as he weighs reelection
Our U.S. Gerontocracy Needs to Go (and Biden Isn't Even the Worst)
Why American politicians are so old
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 21 Jul 2024 - 16min - 4219 - #1643 Extremism Comes in Many Forms: SCOTUS goes hard-right, Project 2025 in the spotlight, and Christian Nationalism unmasked in Assassination Nation
Air Date 7/20/2024
Extremism comes in many forms and we live in an era in which way too many of them are on display simultaneously, but it's not coincidence. The far right has been working toward an extremist Supreme Court for decades. Christian Nationalists have similarly been trying to impose their rigid view of far-right Christianity on the rest of us for a very long time. The far-right Heritage Foundation now deems this to be the time to attempt to radicalize the federal bureaucracy, and far-right calls for political violence and lax gun laws resulted in an environment where no one was really all that surprised about the assassination attempt against Donald Trump.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Opinionpalooza The Supreme Court End-of-Term Breakfast Table - Amicus - Air Date 7-6-24
KP 3: Just Decide the EMTALA Case Already, You Cowards - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 6-27-24
KP 4: What is Project 2025 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-11-24
KP 6: Republicans issue vile reaction to Trump shooting - No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen - Air Date 7-15-24
(57:30) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On what should come next for the Democrats
DEEPER DIVES
(1:05:02) SECTION A: SUPREME COURT
(1:51:47) SECTION B: PROJECT 2025
(2:07:10) SECTION C: POLITICAL VIOLENCE
(2:16:21) SECTION D: CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Composite. Photo of Trump giving a speech at a podium with the overlaid words "The Plot Against America" next to him against the black background.
Credit: Composite by A. Hoffman. Photo: "Donald Trump" by Matt Johnson, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, overlaid text added
Sat, 20 Jul 2024 - 2h 30min - 4218 - #1642 Tumultuous Year of Democracy: Left-Wing victories in the UK, France and Mexico with lessons for the US
Air Date 7/17/2024
Recent elections in the UK, France and Mexico spanned the spectrum from confirming inevitabilities to completely upending expectations but they each have lessons for politics in the US
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: The UK Election Results Explained - TLDR News - Air Date 7-5-24
KP 2: Shocking French election results- What you need to know - Zeteo - Air Date 7-8-24
KP 4: Labour Wins Massive Majority On Low Vote Share, Gaza Costs Starmer - Novara Media - Air Date 7-5-24
KP 5: France's leftwing alliance beat the far right, but what now? - Today in Focus - Air Date 7-8-24
(1:00:32) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how to react to the current political moment and all of the many moments to come
Article: The Democratic Party's Strange Attraction to Defeatism
DEEPER DIVES
(1:10:16) SECTION A: FRANCE
(1:44:54) SECTION B: GREAT BRITAIN
(1:59:28) SECTION C: MEXICO
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Graphic of a partially transparent ballot box with the UK flag, the French flag and the Mexican flag visible in composite in the background.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Images from Pixabay.
Wed, 17 Jul 2024 - 2h 09min - 4217 - Bonus Sample #312 In a Dinghy of Hope
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Air Date: 7-14-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin couldn't join us) discuss: - How we're feeling - The philosophy of liberal patriotism - The positive policies Democrats should be running on to inspire voters - The reckoning the current Democratic Party desperately needs
REFERENCES: Liberal Patriotism Is About More Than Flag-Waving
How to Beat Trump in a World of Unreason
Democrats don't just need a new candidate. They need a reckoning.
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 14 Jul 2024 - 21min - 4216 - #1641 Green Energy and Public Transport: Feeling blue and seeing red about the inevitable messiness of transitioning to a low-carbon economy
Air Date 7/12/2024
From solar scams to controversial congestion pricing and the smart grid that's needed to connect it all, we look at the messy and difficult path to a low-carbon future.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: When solar power leaves you feeling burned - Today, Explained - Air Date 1-2-24
KP 3: This is what's REALLY holding back wind and solar - DW Planet A - Air Date 6-2-23
KP 4: How to fix clean energy's storage problem - VOX - Air Date 4-27-23
KP 6: The Lost Subways of North America - 99% Invisible - Air Date 5-21-24
KP 8: Comptroller on Congestion Pricing's Indefinite Pause - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 6-17-24
(54:25) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how to make the case to Biden to step aside
DEEPER DIVES
(1:01:35) SECTION A: ENERGY POLICIES
(1:20:31) SECTION B: THE INTENTIONAL SOLAR SCAM
(1:36:14) SECTION C: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Photo of a smoggy traffic jam on a highway, taken from the middle of the lane behind the cars. Cars' brake lights are visible.
Credit: "World Class Traffic Jam: Jersey Turnpike Version" by b k, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Slight crop
Fri, 12 Jul 2024 - 1h 52min - 4215 - #1247 The Fight for the Four Freedoms (FDR vs. Libertarianism) (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 2/5/2019
Today we take a look at the history of FDR's "Four Freedoms" and "Economic Bill of Rights" that laid the groundwork for the fight for economic freedom for all that continues to this day.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Harvey Kaye, "The Fight for the Four Freedoms" - Book TV - Air Date 5-11-14
Harvey Kaye examines the progressivism of the Roosevelt-era and argues that a reminder of the "four freedoms" could address today's political and social issues.
Ch. 2: What Ted Cruz Doesn't Get About 'Freedom' - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 7-21-16
Thom talks about Ted Cruz's speech at the Republican Convention and compares his definition of 'freedom' with the way it was described by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Ch. 3: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 1 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18
F.D.R. recognized that the original bill of rights would not be enough to make all American's truly free and proposed an economic bill of rights. Of the eight amendments he proposed in 1944, seven are still waiting to be implemented.
Ch. 4: Fighting for the Four Freedoms - @BillMoyersHQ And Company - Air Date 4-15-14
Historian Harvey J. Kaye talks about how FDR was able to mobilize Americans to create "the strongest and most prosperous country in human history."
Explaining that libertarian thinking doesn't incorporate the existence of economic coercion
Ch. 6: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 2 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18
Ch. 7: Bernie Sanders & FDR's Second Bill of Rights - Berniementum - Air Date 8-12-15
President FDR's Second Bill of Rights speech - January 11, 1944 Sen. Bernie Sanders speech at the National Press Club - Mar. 9, 2015 Music - "There is Romance" by Imcompetech
University of Wisconsin Professor Harvey J Kaye author of Fight for the Four Freedoms: What Made FDR and the Greatest Generation Truly Great, explains Ronald Reagan and the great pushback against a progressive America
Ch. 9: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 3 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18
Tue, 09 Jul 2024 - 1h 01min - 4214 - Bonus Sample #311 Primal Scream of Catharsis
Air Date: 7-7-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Some stuff that we planned and A LOT more that we did not.
REFERENCES: The Cause That Turned Idealists Into Authoritarian Zealots
The Baffling Disaster Unfolding at the Washington Post
The Democratic Governor Whose Message Can't Be Beat
Best of the Left #1247 The Fight for the Four Freedoms (FDR vs. Libertarianism)
The Fight for the Four Freedoms
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 07 Jul 2024 - 18min - 4213 - #1640 China Explained: From Cars to Computer Chips, Communism to Carbon Emissions, the South China Sea to Space, and Clinton to Biden
Air Date 7/5/2024
China is an undeniable force in the world relating to several major political issues and to address their influence without a deep understanding of the history, context, and current dynamics would be to invite 100 years of humiliation.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Joe Biden's Radical Worldview - More Perfect Union - Air Date 6-27-24
KP 2: Why China Doesn't Identify with the West, Explained - Siming Lan - Air Date 9-23-22
KP 3: Has China's Belt and Road Initiative been a success? - Financial Times - Air Date 10-30-23
KP 4: Why China Isn't the Problem - Our Changing Climate - Air Date 5-5-23
KP 6: Why China's Economy is Finally Slowing Down - Wendover - Air Date 3-21-24
KP 7: Our New Global Economy - Johnny Harris - Air Date 12-20-23
(1:04:13) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how Joe Biden can become a hero in the wake of his debate with Trump
DEEPER DIVES
(1:12:51) SECTION A: CHINA'S ECONOMIC FOREIGN POLICY
A2: Has Africa gained from China's infrastructure plans? - Focus on Africa - Air Date 10-20-23
(1:37:10) SECTION B: THE EV WARS
(1:59:44) SECTION C: TECH AND SPACE RACE
(2:14:44) SECTION D: ESCALATING TENSIONS
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: An illustration of a darkened, draped Chinese flag, with its 5-star pattern, close up.
Credit: "China flag" by The Digital Artist, Pixabay | Pixabay License |Changes: Added dark overlay
Fri, 05 Jul 2024 - 2h 54min - 4212 - #1639 Migrants and Refugees on Fortress Earth: Our politicized, fortified, industrialized borders in the US and Europe
Air Date 7/2/2024
Border security around the world continues to take turns for the dark and dystopian as right-wing sentiment against migrants and refugees continues to escalate to the extreme.
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Air Date 7/2/2024
Border security around the world continues to take turns for the dark and dystopian as right-wing sentiment against migrants and refugees continues to escalate to the extreme.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: EU Border Enforcement, Part 1 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 6-4-24
KP 3: Migrants & Refugees, the Pope & Volkswagen - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 5-26-24
KP 6: EU Border Enforcement, Part 2 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 6-5-24
(52:45) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On our summer membership drive
DEEPER DIVES
(57:32) SECTION A: POLITICIZATION OF THE BORDER
(1:19:47) SECTION B: BRUTAL BORDER ENFORCEMENT
(1:36:40) SECTION C: BORDER INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
(1:48:14) SECTION D: MIGRANT STORIES
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Composite graphic showing a deep blue ocean with the gold stars of the EU flag. On the horizon, a faded US flag is behind concertina wire fencing. In the center, a long boat full of refugees floats on the water.
Credit: Composite Design by A. Hoffman. | Composite imagery via Pixabay | Photo: "P52 Migrants 19 July 2015 03" by Oglaigh na hEireann, Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0 Changes: Cropped and reduced opacity
Tue, 02 Jul 2024 - 2h 06min - 4211 - Bonus Sample #310 - The Torment Nexus
Air Date: 6-30-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - the baffling trend of tech companies using cautionary tales from dystopian fiction as a blueprint for what to create next - how the people who build or champion tools of oppression never think those same tools will inevitably be turned on them - the use of drones as first responders, and the long term effects this has had on the residents - a different perspective on how to think about the end - humanity's seeming inability to think about longterm repercussions of technology before we put something into use
REFERENCES: What Is 'Torment Nexus?' The 'Man-Made Horrors' Trope Explained
Author of cautionary tale about Torment Nexus creates tech company to build Torment Nexus
'Snow Crash' Author Neal Stephenson Is Building a 'Free Metaverse' Called Lamina1
The Age of the Drone Police Is Here
Watch a swarm of cyborg cockroaches controlled by computers
Are We Doomed? Here's How to Think About It
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 30 Jun 2024 - 14min - 4210 - #1638 AI: From Killer Apps to Killer Robots, the Present and Future of Artificial Intelligence Spans the Spectrum
Air Date 6/28/2024
AI, like all new technologies, won't be all good or all bad. In fact, my favorite understanding of emerging technologies is that they often bring simultaneous utopia and dystopia, though many tend to focus on the benefits while only discovering the drawbacks later.
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KEY POINTS
1: We're already using AI more than we realize - Vox - Air Date 2-28-24
2: AI is a Lie. - Linus Tech Tips - Air Date 6-13-24
3: What Is an AI Anyway? | Mustafa Suleyman - TED - Air Date 4-22-24
5: How Much AI Regulation Is The Right Amount? - FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast - Air Date 6-13-24
8: Big Tech AI Is A Lie - Tina Huang - Air Date 4-30-24
(1:07:12) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the nature of misalignment between AI and human wellbeing
Article: This article is OpenAI training data
DEEPER DIVES
(1:16:18) SECTION A: MORE CURRENT USES OF AI
(1:44:54) SECTION B: POTENTIAL USES OF AI AND THE ETHICS WE NEED TO CONSIDER
(2:08:00) SECTION C: REGULATING AI
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Graphic showing a human hand and a digital pixilated hand reaching out toward each other with arching digital lines coming from the center of each hand.
Credit: "Digitization Particles Hand" via geralt, Pixabay | Pixabay License | Changes: Expanded
Fri, 28 Jun 2024 - 2h 21min
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