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

Original Air Date: 10/13/2020 Today we take a look at the myths of Columbus and American Exceptionalism™ that we cling to and turn our gaze to some of the less-understood but more accurate and important aspects of our collective history Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Can You Handle The Truth? - Native Opinion Podcast an American Indian Perspective - Air Date 10-20-19 Ch. 2: Why the US celebrates Columbus Day - Vox - Air Date 10-8-20 Ch. 3: Columbus In His Own Words - Let's Talk Native TV - Air Date 10-12-19 Ch. 4: In Search of a Better American Myth - Progressive Faith Sermons, Dr. Roger Ray - Air Date 10-11-20 Ch. 5: Jon Schwarz on social silence, hidden history, and why Trump is our most honest president - The Katie Halper Show - Air Date 11-22-18 Ch. 6: City Upon A Hill: A History Of American Exceptionalism - BackStory - Air Date 1-22-16 Ch. 7: The American Exceptionalism Mythology - Loud & Clear - Air Date 7-5-19 Ch. 8: Columbus redux! - Let's Talk Native - Air Date 7-17-19 Ch. 9: Why The Right Is So Dishonest About American History - Cracked (Some More News) - Air Date 11-21-17 SHOW IMAGE "Christopher Columbus Statue Torn Down at Minnesota State Capitol" by Tony Webster, Flickr | License | Modifications: Cropped   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

Air Date: 10–14-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - The cartoonish conservative and libertarian responses to Trump’s state capitalism Ch. 2 - Trump’s interest in sovereign wealth funds, and the lie the right sells its supporters about getting money back Ch. 3 - The left spectrum of reactions to Trump’s state capitalism Ch. 4 - Why Trump is definitely, 100%, not in any way a socialist SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: Ayn Rand’s nearly psychotic opposition to altruism FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES: The Danger of Trump Seizing Private Companies - Time magazine Trump’s “State Capitalism … a Hybrid Between Socialism and Capitalism” Won’t Make America Great Again - Cato Institute Trump Is Embracing 'Daddy State' Economics - Reason Trump's brand of US capitalism faces 'socialist' backlash from conservatives - BBC Trump, national-capitalism at bay - Heterodox Don’t Let Trump Define What State Capitalism Can Be - The New Republic What State Capitalism Can Do—and What It Can’t - The American Prospect Unfortunately, Donald Trump is Not a Socialist - Current Affairs EXTRAS Were the Nazis Socialists? - Britannica r/AskHistorians: “Is Nazism right wing or left wing?” Interview with Hitler - Interviews (Anthology 1859-1993) BACKSTAGE I’ve spent my entire career studying stress—the No. 1 cure for it might ‘surprise’ you - CNBC Leonard Peikoff - Wikipedia

Air Date 10/15/2025 It's said that money can't buy a variety of things like peace, happiness, loyalty, and, relevant for today; integrity and trust. But in a world in which impressions (a very multilayered word, in this case) can be bought and sold on the open market and an audience's loyalty to influencers, entertainers, and athletes can be leveraged in an attempt to transfer the credibility from the talented to the tyrannical... you better believe places like Saudi Arabia and Israel are going to try. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: How We Stopped Caring About "Selling Out" - Current Affairs - Air Date 8-18-25 KP 2: Comedians Hold NOTHING Back While RIPPING Fellow Comics to Shreds - TYT Sports - Air Date 10-1-25 KP 3: A New Form of Capitalism: The Influencer Culture | Al Jazeera Untangles - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 8-21-25 KP 4: Why I Became a Crypto Shill - Adam Conover - Air Date 5-23-25 KP 5: The Secret Role Of Influencers In Global Propaganda - Taylor Lorenz's Power User - Air Date 9-24-25 KP 6: US and Saudi Arabia Sign 'biggest Arms Deal in History' - DW News - Air Date 5-13-25 (00:48:45) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Explaining that influencers are just infomercial hosts DEEPER DIVES (00:55:11) SECTION A: SELL OUTS & SHILLS (01:35:50) SECTION B: INFLUENCERS (01:58:52) SECTION C: SAUDI ARABIA BUYING SOFT & HARD POWER SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite image of a microphone in a spotlight against a red curtain with burlap sacks overflowing with money at the base with the Israeli and Saudi Arabian flags on them. Credit: Internal composite design. Multiple images from Pixabay | Pixabay License   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Air Date 10/19/2025 Robber Barons™ of The Gilded Age™ told themselves stories about how they were ushering in progress for all which is why, they argued, they shouldn't be constrained by things like safety regulations or worker unions - impoverishing millions while injuring and killing thousands in the process. It took a stock market crash, the Great Depression, WWII, and The New Deal to finally wrench the power away and redistribute it for the sake of building a middle class that could work in relative safety in the US. Today's Robber Barrons™ ushering in techno-feudalism under the banner of AI-For-All are no different but with even higher stakes in the balance. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: We're in Our AI Slop Era Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 8-7-25 KP 2: What AI Means for Your Money, Music and Love Life Part 1 - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 9-26-25 KP 3: AI Slop Part 1 - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 6-23-25 KP 4: Family Accuses ChatGPT of Helping Their Son Commit Suicide - The Briefing - AIr Date 8-30-25 KP 5: The REAL Reason Trump and Big Tech Want AI in Our Schools - More Perfect Union - Air Date 10-2-25 KP 6: AI and the Demise of College Writing Part 1 - Adam Walker - Close Reading Poetry - Air Date 7-15-25 KP 7: AI, Energy, and Climate Data Center Water Use Alexis Abramson, Julio Friedmann and Angela Yuan Part 1 - The DSR Network - Air Date 10-7-25 (00:56:20) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the pattern of capitalism's social costs DEEPER DIVES (01:05:22) SECTION A: AL SLOP (02:05:43) SECTION B: SOCIAL ASPECTS (02:47:46) SECTION C: LABOR AND EDUCATION (03:46:34) SECTION D: DATA CENTERS SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: AI-generated image of robot hands holding up a small globe against a desolate dessert background. Credit: “ai-generated-robot-earth” via geralt, Pixabay | Pixabay License   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft

Air Date: 10–5-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:   Ch. 1 - The state of American media consolidation Ch. 2 - The debate over free speech and the how the history of the right proves they have never been in favor of it. Ch. 3 -  The Trump administrations latest aggressive anti-free speech moves, and the Jimmy Kimmel suspension Ch. 4 - A look at how independent media was absorbed in the early days of Putin’s regime, and the dire importance of not complying in advance Ch. 5 - A perspective on why the Trump administration will lose the war on free speech, and some other hopeful notes SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: Ezra Klein’s bizarre interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates   FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e   REFERENCES: You Think the Bari Weiss–CBS News Story Is Bad? No—It’s Much Worse. - The New Republic The Billionaire Trump Supporter Who Will Soon Own the News - The New York Times We Have Seen the ‘Woke Right’ Before, and It Wasn’t Pretty Then, Either - The New York Times Trump Administration Wields Its Full Toolbox to Bring Media to Heel - The New York Times We Can No Longer Tell Ourselves This Isn’t Really Happening - The New York Times Is Trump’s Attack on the Media Following Putin’s Playbook? - The New Yorker Trump is going to lose the war on free speech - New York Magazine   EXTRAS Carsie Blanton “ God Bless the Grass” (by Malvina Reynolds) **Carsie Blanton and ~450 other unarmed humanitarians from more than 40 countries have been abducted by Israeli forces from the Global Sumud Flotilla. Call your members of Congress: https://globalsumudflotilla.org/contact-officials/   BACKSTAGE Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines - The Ezra Klein Show (The New York Times)   TAKE ACTION: No Kings National Day of Action - Oct. 18th Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation One Million Rising Trainings

Air Date 10/10/2025 The strategy that Trump and the masterminds behind Project 2025 are following is to move as fast as possible to implement their agenda because they know perfectly well how unpopular it is and will be as time goes on. It's hard to argue that anything good will come of this but I'm going to try during my comments anyway. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Checking In On The Federal Workforce As The Government Shuts Down - 1A - Air Date 10-1-25 KP 2: How Trump Is Using The Shutdown To Punish Blue States - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 10-3-25 KP 3: The Vought Doctrine Make It Hurt - Velshi - Air Date 10-5-25 KP 4: SCOTUS Rulings BACKFIRE on THEMSELVES Part 1 - Legal AF - Air Date 8-2-25 KP 5: Trumps Battle With The Federal Reserve Part 1 - 1A - Air Date 9-10-2025 KP 6: The Trump Administration's SCOTUS Winning Streak Part 1 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 9-29-25 KP 7: Hegseth Declares War On the Military + Trump Declares War On You Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 10-3-25 (01:04:39) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On what Trump's lightning attack on America could mean for the future DEEPER DIVES (01:48:40) SECTION B: SHUTDOWN & PROJECT 2025 (02:30:24) SECTION C: AUTHORITARIAN'S HAMMER SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Illustrated image in pop art style of Donald Trump smirking in front of a red banner and sunburst imagery with “Project 2025” on the banner on either side of his head. Base Image Credit: “Donald-trump-divided-country-usa” by tweetyspics, Pixabay | Pixabay License | Changes: Text overlay added   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X

Air Date 10/7/2025 The Trump administration has been doing what we knew it would: breaking laws and losing about 95% of their court battles. And the conservatively stacked Supreme Court has been doing what we knew it would: overwhelmingly ruling for Trump to cover his tracks because that's what they were put there to do. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Hiding in the Shadow Docket - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 8-24-25 KP 2: Does It Matter? Trump Keeps Losing on Immigration in the Courts - Democracy Now! - Air Date 9-3-25 KP 3: US Supreme Court Allows Trumps Controversial Immigration Raids to Continue in LA - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 9-9-25 KP 4: The Supreme Court’s Power Grab Under Trump - Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast - Air Date 7-15-25 KP 5: Is the Supreme Court Corrupted? with Alex Aronson | Freethought Matters - Freedom From Religion Foundation - Air Date 1-9-25 KP 6: 'Unconscionably Irreconcilable': Justice Sotomayor RIPS Colleagues in Fiery Dissent - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 9-9-25 (00:51:05) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On authoritarianism in practice DEEPER DIVES (01:00:16) SECTION A: PAVING THE PATH A1: How To Build A Police State (With The Supreme Court’s Blessing) - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, Justice, and the Courts - Air Date 7-19-25 A2: Dear Justice Kavanaugh, “I’m American, Bro” - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, Justice, and the Courts - Air Date 9-13-25 A3: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett Defends Court's Work on Emergency Rulings - NPR Morning Edition - Air Date 9-9-25 A4: Lawfare Daily: The Trials of the Trump Administration - The Lawfare Podcast - Air Date 9-5-25 A5: How the Supreme Court Allowed Trump to Reshape America in One Year | Explainer - Heather Cox Richardson - Air Date 7-2-25 (01:41:19) SECTION B: LEGAL GRAY AREA B1: Trump Brings the War Home - 5-4 - Air Date 8-8-25 B2: Bedrock Con Law 101 - Divided Argument - Air Date 8-29-25 B3: Uh-oh: Trump in Trouble as Polls Drop and Protests ERUPT Nationwide - The Beat with Ari - Air Date 9-8-25 B4: Justice Thomas Cautions Against Following Precedent - Bloomberg Law - Air Date 9-30-25 B5: The Legality of Trumps D.C. Takeover as Statistics Show Decline in Crime - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 8-11-25 (02:19:05) SECTION C: CORRUPTION C1: How Trump Is Using the DOJ as His Personal Law Firm - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 8-25-25 C2: Captured Court: Hayes on Leonard Leos Two-fold Plan to Form This Supreme Court - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 5-11-23 (02:31:03) SECTION D: HOPE? D1: Trump's Tariffs Struck Down: Attorney Neal Katyal Oregon AG Dan Rayfield Respond - Democracy Now! - Air Date 9-2-25 D2: When Trump Hits New Jersey, This Lawyer Hits Back - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, Justice, and the Courts- Air Date 8-16-25 D3: The Lower Courts Punch Up - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 9-8-25 D4: Losing! MAGA "Embarrassed" as Courts Reject Trump Powers on Immigration, Tariffs, Troops - The Beat with Ari - Air Date 9-8-25 D5: Trump Hijacked the Courts: Here’s How to Fix It- Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 8-28-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite image depicting a photo of the exterior of the U.S. Supreme Court with giant chains crossed over the building with an orange seal with the silhouette of Donald Trump where the chains cross. Photo Credit: “US Supreme Court” by David (dbking), Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, and added chain vector image   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Air Date 10/3/2025 People around the world are angry, often for different reasons and even more frequently based on falseities - though not always. For instance, the Right in the UK and France are upset about immigration though most of those who are angry are wrong about the facts. But there's also widespread dissatisfaction with national governments and pessimism about their ability to make life better over the short term which is leading to much less predictable politics. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Block Everything W/ Sebastian Budgen Part 1 - Jacobin Radio - Air Date 9-16-25 KP 2: Why France Might Soon Have a Far-right Government Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 9-15-25 KP 3: What's Behind the Anti-immigration Protests in the UK Part 1 - The Inside Story Podcast - Air Date 9-15-25 KP 4: Is the Government Inflaming Protests on the Left and Right Part 1 - Pod Save the UK - Air Date 8-13-25 KP 5: Why Trumpworld Is Obsessed with Free Speech in Britain Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 9-18-25 KP 6: Anger, Rage, and Love - Trump's Visit to the UK and Tommy Robinson's Far-right Rally Part 1 - Pod Save the UK - Air Date 9-17-25 KP 7: Inside Europe 11 September 2025 Part 1 - Inside Europe - Air Date 9-11-25 KP 8: Social Media Ban Sparks Deadly Protests in Nepal - The World - Air Date 9-8-25 (01:01:29) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On free speech and framing DEEPER DIVES (01:15:16) SECTION A: BLOQUONS TOUT (01:48:32) SECTION B: UK FAR-RIGHT (02:19:45) SECTION C: AMERICA AND THE EU (02:46:06) SECTION D: NEPAL SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President of France Emmanuel Macron walking down a street. Credit: “Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Ukraine” by Number 10, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

Air Date: 09/30/25 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we track the dangerous convergence of domestic collapse and international chaos by looking at political violence and martyrdom accelerating division, institutional capture from the courts to the media, the dismantling of voting rights and public health infrastructure, military deployments at home and wars abroad, plus the resistance movements fighting back through town halls, labor organizing, and revolutionary art despite overwhelming odds. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! PART 1: THE HOME FRONT CRUMBLES (00:01:50) #1739 The Charlie Kirk Assassination and the Plans to Weaponize It 1: Chris Hedges: The Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 9-12-25 2: The "Both Sides" Scam: How False Balance Fuels Extremism - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 9-12-25 3: No, Charlie Kirk Was Not Practicing Politics the Right Way - Mother Jones - Air Date 9-12-25 (00:22:18) #1736 Not the Opposition Party the Country Needs Right Now 4: Why Democrats Should Cut Off Weapons Sales to Israel and Reject AIPAC Money - Pod Save America - Air Date 8-29-25 5: Journalist Exposes Dark Money on the Left - UNFTR Media - Air Date 8-30-25 (00:40:43) #1728 The Lawfare Presidency: The Case of Trump v. Journalism 6: Corporate Media's Surrender to Trump a Wake-up Call for Urgent Reforms Needed to Save Journalism, Democracy - Between The Lines Radio Newsmagazine Podcast - Air Date 7-16-25 7: Trumps War on the Media - Courier - Air Date 7-29-25.mp3 08-01-26-762 8: Trump's Presidential Library Grift. Plus, the Hacker Behind the NYT_s Mamdani Story. - On the Media - Air Date 7-25-25 (01:02:37) #1731 Raw Power, the Presidency, the Courts, and Democracy in the Balance 9: When Unaccountable People Come for Your Vote - Amicus with Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 7-26-25 10: Executive Lawlessness W/ Leah Litman on the Supreme Court Enabling Presidential Overreach Part 1 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 7-18-25 PART 2: INSTITUTIONAL DECAY AND CONTROL (01:17:27) #1732 It's Never Just About the Kids (Online Censorship, Age Verification, and the Project 2025 Agenda) 11: Age Verification Will Kill Free Speech Online - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 6-6-25 12: Can the UK Child-proof the Internet? - Front Burner - Air Date 7-31-25 13: Meet the Creepy Pro-Trump Billionaire Profiting Off of Internet Censorship - The Humanist Report - Air Date 8-7-25 (01:43:50) #1733 The Impossible Promise of Make American Healthy Again: MAHA vs MAGA 14: Despite 'MAHA' Fuss, Truth of Trump Admin's Health Priorities Seen in Drastic Cuts - The Briefing - Air Date 5-23-25 15: The Nutrition Lies We All Fell For Part 1 - Rich Roll - Air Date 8-11-25 16: Dr. Mikes Fight to Save Medicine From RFK Jr. Part 1 - Bulwark Takes - Air Date 8-4-24 (02:04:58) #1730 The Axis of the Dark Personality Triad: Unfit Leaders and the Suffering They Cause 17: The World War II Lessons Trump, Putin, & Netanyahu Actually Learned - Tad Stoermer - Air Date 8-8-25 18: 'Not About Crime': Maddow CRACKS OPEN Trump's Real Motives in Deploying the National Guard to D.C. - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 8-11-25 19: Trump Pushes Forward with Revenge Presidency - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 8-8-25 PART 3: THE WORLD BURNS (02:26:54) #1735 Trump's Making Friends of Enemies and Enemies of Neighbors (Foreign and Domestic Wars) 20: NATO Lost in Ukraine and the West Is In Denial, W Vijay Prashad Part 1 - BreakThrough News - Air Date 8-20-25 21: Trumps National Guard Strategy—Plus, the Secret Behind Huck Finn - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-27-25 22: Why Are US Warships Going to Venezuela Part 1 - The Take - Air Date 8-28-25 (02:51:27) #1738 Escalations: Russia, Israel, And What We Are Allowed to Say About It 23: Israel Bombs Qatar, Nepal Protests, Russian Drones Enter Polish Airspace - American Prestige - Air Date 9-12-25 24: UK Bans Palestine Action as 'Terror Group' - Mehdi & Owen on Censorship, Silencing of Pro-Palestinian Voices - Two Outspoken - Air Date 7-3-25 25: 'Putin Is Mocking' Trump, Polish Foreign Minister Says After Russian Drone Incursion - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 9-10-25 PART 4: RESISTANCE DESPITE FRAGMENTATION (03:15:52) #1737 State of the Resistance: Labor, Anger, and Knowing That We've Been Here Before 26: While We Were Out An Eye-opening Roundup of Everything We Missed or Wished We Had Over the Past Week - The Bradcast - Air Date 9-2-25 27: What A Raucous Nebraska Town Hall Says About The Country's Mood - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-6-25 28: This Is An Invasion - Pritzker, Trump, and the Union Coming Apart + Venezuelan Boat Attack - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 9-5-25 (03:39:51) #1734 Where is the Revolutionary, Anti-Fascist Art? 29: Is Revolutionary Art Possible In The Age Of Trump? - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 8-17-25 30: On Kennedy Center Stage, Folk Musicians Nora Brown & Stephanie Coleman Protest Trump_s Takeover - Democracy Now! - Air Date 3-18-25 Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X

Air Date: 9–24-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - Intro, and quick follow up on bad satire Ch. 2 - The new culture of ‘buy now pay later’ and how these companies are manipulating the public to normalize the culture of overconsumption Ch. 3 - How companies pass the environmental toll of their products on the public, and the rise of “cute” debt Ch. 4 - The way heavy ‘buy now pay later’ marketing has dramatically changed people’s impression of how they spend their money Ch. 5 - Why poor voters are America’s swing voters and why that’s extremely important right now SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: How we should address young boy’s anger FOLLOW US ON: Bluesky Mastadon Instagram Facebook YouTube (This episode drops on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES: Buy now, pay later usage for groceries nearly doubles as consumers struggle with food costs - Fox Business Consumers Are Financing Their Groceries. What Does It Say About the Economy? - The New York Times Inside the Manipulative “conspiracy” of consumption - Fast Company The Rise of ‘Cute Debt’ - The Atlantic The ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Bubble Is About to Burst - The Atlantic Poor People Are America’s Swing Voters - Time MEMBERS Child Soldiers - Slate TAKE ACTION: No Kings National Day of Action - Oct. 18th Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

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. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: 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. 3: Storm of White Right Wing Violence Isn't Coming... It's Here Featuring Luke Mogelson Part 1 - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 9-15-22 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 - Part 1 - The Gray Area with Sean Illing - Air Date 11-7-22 Ch. 6: Storm of White Right Wing Violence Isn't Coming... It's Here Featuring Luke Mogelson Part 2 - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 9-15-22 Ch. 7: Pelosi Attack Leads to Conspiracies, Obama Crushes GOP - The David Pakman Show - Air Date 10-31-22 Ch. 8: A history of US political violence Part 2 - Americast - Air Date 11-2-22 Ch. 9: Political Violence - In the Thick - Air Date 11-4-22 Ch 10. Today's Republicans were made in the 1990s - Part 2 - The Gray Area with Sean Illing - Air Date 11-7-22

Air Date 9/23/2025 All that is happening in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination was quite predictable because we've actually seen this game plan play out before. The only thing we didn't know was what would be the catalyst to really put the autocracy into high gear. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: No, Charlie Kirk Was Not Practicing Politics the Right Way - Mother Jones - Air Date 9-12-25 KP 2: Who Is THEY? - We Gon Be Alright - Air Date 9-15-25 KP 3: Blackpill Aesthetics: A Crash Course in Meme Extremism - Cy Canterel - Air Date 9-15-25 KP 4: The 1933 Nazi Playbook That Explains Why ABC Cancelled Kimmel - Tad Stoermer - Air Date 9-18-25 KP 5: How You Die Does Not Redeem How You Lived Charlie Kirk - The Benjamin Dixon Show - Air Date 9-15-25 KP 6: Charlie Kirk = Horst Wessel - CounterVortex Podcast - Air Date 9-14-25 KP 7: Chris Hedges: The Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 9-12-25 (00:48:55) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the new cancel culture and bloodlust DEEPER DIVES (00:57:52) SECTION A: KIRK (01:37:38) SECTION B: NAZI PLAYBOOK (02:31:41) SECTION C: HISTORICAL CONTEXT (03:03:36) SECTION D: IT'S NOT BOTH SIDES SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of Donald Trump hugging Charlie Kirk on stage at a Turning Point USA event.  Credit: “Charlie Kirk & Donald Trump” by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Air Date: 9–20-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - The right-wing’s continued attempts at satire Ch. 2 - Manufactured outrage about male cheerleaders and sorority dances Ch. 3 - How political outsiders always adopt new tech, and how that ties to pushing back against misinformation Ch. 4 - Final thoughts on how when bad actors make gains, there is always a reaction SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: The doctor exposing insurance companies’ worst behavior FOLLOW US ON: Bluesky Mastadon Instagram Facebook YouTube (This episode drops on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES: America has turned dancing into a culture war - Vox Why America Isn’t Rome (And Why That Matters) - The David Frum Show, The Atlantic A public health expert keeps going viral on Instagram for delivering this very simple message - Vox MEMBERS She Exposed the Insurance Industry’s Worst Behavior. Now They’re Coming After Her. - The Current Affairs EXTRAS Some great public health campaigns  Also, Dumb Ways to Die campaign for Melbourne, Australia Metro Trains, which went viral worldwide.   TAKE ACTION: No Kings National Day of Action - Oct. 18th Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 Find your Indivisible group - or start one Write to the DNC Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991   Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening!

Air Date 9/20/2025 The escalations are happening so fast now that even though this episode is about Russia increasing tensions by violating NATO airspace in Poland with drones and Israel intensifying their belligerence by bombing inside Qatar, those aren't even the most recent incidents now that Russian jets have entered NATO airspace in Estonia and Israel has launched a new attack on Gaza City while Netanyahu says he wants Israel to become like the doomed city-state of Sparta, which was weird. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Israel Bombs Qatar, Nepal Protests, Russian Drones Enter Polish Airspace - American Prestige - Air Date 9-12-25 KP 2: Qatar Today, Turkey Tomorrow - HasanAbi - Air Date 9-11-25 KP 3: Israels West Bank Annex Underway Jasper Nathaniel - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 9-14-25 KP 4: UK Bans Palestine Action as 'Terror Group' - Mehdi & Owen on Censorship, Silencing of Pro-Palestinian Voices - Two Outspoken - Air Date 7-3-25 KP 5: Recognizing Palestine as a State Meaningful Farce Feat. Dana El Kurd - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 9-11-25 KP 6: Israel Bombs Hamas Leaders in Qatar - Pod Save the World - Air Date 9-9-25 KP 7: 'Putin Is Mocking' Trump, Polish Foreign Minister Says After Russian Drone Incursion - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 9-10-25 (00:58:31) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On Israel as the new Sparta DEEPER DIVES (01:03:11) SECTION A: RUSSIA A1: Aftermath of Russian Drones Being Shot Down Over Poland - DW News - Air Date 9-10-25 A2: Putin Cozies Up To Modi And Xi - What A Day - Air Date 9-3-25 A3: AI and Drone Warfare in Ukraine, 'Trump Riviera' Gaza Plan, US Bombs Venezuelan Boat - American Prestige - Air Date 9-5-25 (01:27:06) SECTION B: QATAR BOMBING B1: Israel Bombs Hamas Leaders in Qatar Part 2 - Pod Save the World - Air Date 9-9-25 B2: Qatar Today, Turkey Tomorrow Part 2 - HasanAbi - Air Date 9-11-25 B3: Israels Qatar Strike We Have to Be Careful When We Attack People - MSNBC Reports - Air Date 9-15-25 B4: Israel Bombs Hamas Leaders in Qatar Part 3 - Pod Save the World - Air Date 9-9-25 B5: After Bombing Qatar, Why Did Israel Strike Yemen - The Take - Air Date 9-15-25 (02:06:29) SECTION C: OTHER GAZA UPDATES C1: Global Sumud Flotilla Vows to Keep Sailing to Gaza Israeli Drones Accused of Striking Two Boats - Democracy Now! - Air Date 9-11-25 C2: Israels Genocide Is Pure Cowardice w/ Jon Elmer - BreakThrough News - Air Date 9-15-25 C3: Recognizing Palestine as a State Meaningful Farce Feat. Dana El Kurd Part 2 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 9-11-25 C4: AI and Drone Warfare in Ukraine, 'Trump Riviera' Gaza Plan, US Bombs Venezuelan Boat Part 2 - American Prestige - Air Date 9-5-25 C5: Israels Genocide Is Pure Cowardice W Jon Elmer Part 2 - BreakThrough News - Air Date 9-15-25 C6: Israels West Bank Annex Underway Jasper Nathaniel Part 2 - The Majority Report W Sam Seder - Air Date 9-14-25 (02:53:26) SECTION D: UK CRACKDOWN D1: Is Direct Action for Palestine 'terrorism' The UK Says It Is - The Take - Air Date 7-10-25 D2: UK Bans Palestine Action as 'Terror Group' - Mehdi & Owen on Censorship, Silencing of Pro-Palestinian Voices Part 2 - Two Outspoken - Air Date 7-3-25 D3: Is Direct Action for Palestine 'terrorism' The UK Says It Is Part 2 - The Take - Air Date 7-10-25 D4: Protesters Defy Palestine Action Ban Theres No Way They Get Through Everyone - The Guardian - Air Date 9-7-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of protestors holding signs that say “Ceasefire Now” and “Stop the Genocide” Credit: “Free Palestine” by Can Pac Swire, Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Air Date 9/16/2025 Between recent Labor Day rallies and Republican Town Hall meetings, we're seeing that resistance to Trump's deeply unpopular policies is alive and well. Plus we're going to look at some historical legacies of resistance movements that can both inform and inspire us today. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) KEY POINTS KP 1: While We Were Out An Eye-opening Roundup of Everything We Missed or Wished We Had Over the Past Week - The Bradcast - Air Date 9-2-25 KP 2: How Labor Unions Shape Society Margaret Levi (re-release) - TED Talks Daily - Air Date 9-1-25 KP 3: This Is An Invasion - Pritzker, Trump, and the Union Coming Apart + Venezuelan Boat Attack - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 9-5-25 KP 4: What A Raucous Nebraska Town Hall Says About The Country's Mood - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-6-25 KP 5: Microsoft Is an Active Partner in the Genocide! Inside the Tech Worker Revolt for Palestine - Working People - Air Date 9-4-25 KP 6: Rules for Surviving Authoritarian Times - How to Fix It - Air Date 6-22-25 KP 7: We Are All D.C. Massive Protests Rock US Capital in Defiance of Trump - The Real News Network - Air Date 9-7-25 (00:53:35) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On what our history can tell us about our present political conflict A Senator Just Unapologetically Declared the U.S. a White Homeland DEEPER DIVES (01:03:18) SECTION A: LABOR DAY A1: How Chicago Labor History Teaches Us To Fight Fascism Today - Kat Abughazaleh - Air Date 9-1-25 A2: AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Other Union Leaders Speak in Los Angeles at Labor Day Event - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 9-1-25 A3: How Chicago Labor History Teaches Us To Fight Fascism Today Part 2 - Kat Abughazaleh - Air Date 9-1-25 A4: How Labor Unions Shape Society Margaret Levi (re-release) Part 2 - TED Talks Daily - Air Date 9-1-25 (01:36:45) SECTION B: PROTESTS B1: Rules for Surviving Authoritarian Times Part 2 - How to Fix It - Air Date 6-22-25 B2: 50 Jewish Activists Arrested Protesting Schumer & Gillibrand for Arming Israel - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-1-25 B3: The Resistance Vs. Trump 2.0 - Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast - Air Date 7-31-25 B4: Microsoft Is an Active Partner in the Genocide! Inside the Tech Worker Revolt for Palestine Part 2 - Working People - Air Date 9-4-25 (02:08:57) SECTION C: STATE-LEVEL PUSHBACK C1: 'Digital Resistance' Volunteers Push Back Against Deportations Without Due Process - Morning Joe - Air Date 7-31-25 C2: Red-State Farmer Rips Republican At Town Hall - The Majority Report W Sam Seder - Air Date 8-26-25 C3: What A Raucous Nebraska Town Hall Says About The Country's Mood Part 2 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-6-25 C4: Republican Rep Gets Crushed During Town Hall - The Majority Report W Sam Seder - Air Date 9-7-25 C5: Our Top Priority with Rep. Brendan Boyle - The Practivist Pod - Air Date 9-4-25 (02:39:21) SECTION D: LEGACIES OF RESISTANCE D1: Is America Becoming an Autocracy - On the Media - Air Date 8-29-25 D2: Heather Cox Richardson on Donald Trump, MAGA and How We Fight Back - Pod Save America - Air Date 9-7-25 D3: The Resistance Vs. Trump 2.0 Part 2 - Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast - Air Date 7-31-25 D4: Social Problems Require Social Movement Solutions - Economic Update with Richard Wolff - Air Date 9-2-25 D5: Jane Fonda Is Not Backing Down - Fresh Air - Air Date 9-2-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo from the Labor Day rally in Boston depicting Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren holding a “Workers” banner with other participants. Tall, vertical rally flags are held behind them that say “Justice”, “Solidarity,” “Fairness,” “Security,” and “Freedom” Credit: Internal photo. “Boston Labor Day Rally” | Copyright 2025, Best of the Left, All rights reserved. Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Air Date 9/11/2025 I've always learned the high-level understanding that the Nazis were partly able to come to power because the opposition at the time was too caught up with infighting to create a coherent resistance. With hindsight, it's easy to lament how badly they miscalculated the circumstances but living through the modern day and watching the Democratic Party struggle gives even more clarity to how that kind of inability to get organized in the face of existential threats to democracy can happen. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Where Is the Party?: Time for Democratic Leaders to ‘Fight with Both Hands’ or ‘Step Aside’ - Velshi - Air Date 8-30-25 KP 2: This Guy, This Line - The Rational National - Air Date 9-2-25 KP 3: How Elites Destroyed the Democratic Party in the US and Fuelled Populism | The Bottom Line - Al Jazeera English -Air Date 8-31-25 KP 4: Desperate Kyle Begs and Pleads With Democrats - The Kyle Kulinski Show - Air Date 8-28-25 KP 5: Ritchie Torres Talks Zionism, LGBT, The Bronx - The Adam Friedland Show - Air Date 8-27-25 KP 6: Journalist Exposes Dark Money on the Left - UNFTR Media - Air Date 8-30-25 (00:50:07) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the murder of Charlie Kirk DEEPER DIVES (01:04:12) SECTION A: DARK MONEY AND THE INFLUENCER WAR (02:01:36) SECTION B: AIPAC, ISRAEL, AND COMPLICITY (02:46:14) SECTION C: MOSTLY WEAK BUT SIGNS OF LIFE SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: A graphic illustration depicting a donkey colored in red and blue, with stars, looking in shock at its shadow on the ground. Credit: “Democratic Donkey Vector and Icon” by Vectorportal.com | CC BY 4.0   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Air Date 9/7/2025 Trump has been setting a new tone both at home and abroad which is shaking up everything from the war in Ukraine to threats of force against Mexico, Venezuela, and our own American cities with the militarization of domestic policing. And we made all of this before Trump posted an Apocalypse Now meme about using the Department of War against Chicago. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes KEY POINTS KP 1: NATO Lost in Ukraine and the West Is In Denial, W Vijay Prashad Part 1 - BreakThrough News - Air Date 8-20-25 KP 2: What Ukraine Is Fighting For Denys Pilash - The Majority Report W Sam Seder - Air Date 8-24-25 KP 3: Putins Puppet Show Trump Tangled in the Strings Part 1 - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 8-19-25 KP 4: Why Are US Warships Going to Venezuela Part 1 - The Take - Air Date 8-28-25 KP 5: The Dramatic Overhaul Of The Justice Dept. Part 1 - Fresh Air - Air Date 8-20-25 KP 6: Wall Streets Big Admission on Ukraine, Trump's DC Takeover, and How a General Strike Could Happen Part 1 - The Socialist Program W Brian Becker - Air Date 8-28-25 KP 7: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Tells Trump to Stay Out; Decries Authoritarianism, War on Poor People Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-15-25 KP 8: Trumps National Guard Strategy—Plus, the Secret Behind Huck Finn - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-27-25 (00:56:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On encroaching fascism and the Boston Massacre DEEPER DIVES (01:07:01) SECTION A: UKRAINE A1: Normalizing Militarization Part 1 - Main Justice - Air Date 8-27-25 A2: Putin's Puppet Show Trump Tangled in the Strings Part 2 - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 8-19-25 A3: Russia Expert Katrina Vanden Heuvel on Trump Summits with Putin, Zelensky Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-18-25 A4: Wall Streets Big Admission on Ukraine, Trump's DC Takeover, and How a General Strike Could Happen Part 2 - The Socialist Program W Brian Becker - Air Date 8-28-25 A5: NATO Lost in Ukraine and the West Is In Denial, W Vijay Prashad Part 2 - BreakThrough News - Air Date 8-20-25 A6: Russia Expert Katrina Vanden Heuvel on Trump Summits with Putin, Zelensky Part 2 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-18-25 (01:47:03) SECTION B: MEXICO & VENEZUELA B1: Trump Admin Prepares to Attack Mexico - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 8-22-25 B2: Is Trump Fading - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 8-22-25 B3: Mexico Rejects Trumps Call for US Military Intervention to Fight Drug Cartels - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 8-26-25 B4: Why Are US Warships Going to Venezuela Part 2 - The Take - Air Date 8-28-25 (02:11:53) SECTION C: THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT C1: The Dramatic Overhaul Of The Justice Dept. Part 2 - Fresh Air - Air Date 8-20-25 C2: Capehart and Ponnuru on the FBI's Raid on Trump Critic John Bolton - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 8-22-25 C3: Weekly Roundup God and the Military in DC + Nazi-Loving Economist Takes Over Jobs Data Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-15-25 (02:37:10) SECTION D: DC AND US CITIES D1: National Guard Troops In Washington Begin Carrying Weapons Part 1 - HasanAbi - Air Date 8-25-25 D2: Normalizing Militarization Part 2 - Main Justice - Air Date 8-27-25 D3: Weekly Roundup God and the Military in DC + Nazi-Loving Economist Takes Over Jobs Data Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-15-25 D4: Bonus Episode Trump Is Dying. Military Occupation Is Happening. What's Next? Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-28-25 D5: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Tells Trump to Stay Out; Decries Authoritarianism, War on Poor People Part 2 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-15-25 D6: National Guard Troops In Washington Begin Carrying Weapons Part 2 - HasanAbi - Air Date 8-25-25 D7: Bonus Episode Trump Is Dying. Military Occupation Is Happening. What's Next? Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-28-25 D8: Joy Reid Trump Is Trying to Turn the US Into Apartheid South Africa - The Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 8-15-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: A sticker depicting a drawing of a police person in full riot gear, gas mask and visor, holding a baton in their hands with a banner underneath that says “Do you feel safe?” Credit: “06a.PeoplesPowerAssembly.BaltimoreMD.8March2017” by Elvert Barnes | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Air Date: 9–3-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - The surprising origins of Gerrymandering Ch. 2 - The options we have to improve congressional representation for everyone in the country Ch. 3 - Democratic states response to Republican gerrymandering threats Ch. 4 - The argument for DC statehood and the people to blame for why it hasn’t happened yet Ch. 5 - How to end homelessness and what you can do to help those being targeted in DC SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: The only correct opinion about the Cracker Barrel rebrand YouTube (This episode drops on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES: Elbridge Gerry and the Original Gerrymander - The Gilder Lehrman Institute Drawing the Line (“Ratf**cked”: The Innfluence of Redistricting) - The New Yorker (2016) History of Single Member Districts for Congress: Seeking Fair Representation Before PR - FairVote Gavin Newsom’s Retaliatory Redistricting Plan Is Good, Actually - The New Republic How Democrats Should Actually Respond to Republicans’ Attempts to Rig Voting Maps - Slate How Moderate Senate Democrats Enabled Trump’s D.C. Takeover - The American Prospect Trump’s Homelessness Crackdown Has Been Tried Before. It Didn’t Work. - Mother Jones MEMBERS The New Cracker Barrel Logo Sucks And So Does The Mess Around It - Kotaku EXTRAS Congress literally doesn’t care what you think (aka: Corruption is Legal in America) (Represent.US, 2016) Is illegal immigration really a democratic plot to sway congressional apportionment? Americans worry democracy in danger amid gerrymandering fights, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Air Date: 6–20-2023 Today, we take a look at the story of how neoliberalism was born, how corporations were organized to help push it into the mainstream, and how the courts were reshaped to permanently tilt the rules in favor of corporate power. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Chile, Neoliberalism and the CIA - AJ+ - Air Date 11-29-19 Ch. 2: The Powell Memo. Corporate America's Call to Arms. - Unf*cking The Republic - Air Date 2-9-23 Ch. 3: How the Corporate Takeover of American Politics Began - Robert Reich - Air Date 12-13-22 Ch. 4: Greed Is Rotting America From The Inside Out - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 7-29-22 Ch. 5: Economic False Prophets Part 1 - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 6-10-23 Ch. 6: What has Greed Cost America - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 10-28-14 Ch. 7: Economic False Prophets Part 2 - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 6-10-23 Ch. 8: Wall Street's ESG Scam EXPLAINED - Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar - Air Date 6-16-22 Ch. 9: Anti-Capitalist Investing Is... Absurd — Jen Pan - Jacobin - Air Date 6-11-22 Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X  

Air Date 9/1/2025 The way people consume almost every variety of media, entertainment, and art is different now than it was only 10-15 years ago. That means that the way protest music, revolutionary art, and even mass market productions and performances are going to be different, feel different, and likely find you in different ways than in the past. But the drive to create never dies and art will always be part of the resistance to oppression. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS (00:49:08) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the strength of diversity that comes through in art DEEPER DIVES (00:56:08) SECTION A: CULTURE (01:29:28) SECTION B: ART (02:20:20) SECTION C: MUSIC (02:46:54) SECTION D: ANDOR SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of street art depicting a stenciled version of Putin and Trump kissing a la the art on the Berlin Wall satirically depicting the “fraternal kiss” between the leaders of the Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic. Credit: “Hamburg 2020” by Ittmust | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped