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

Air Date: 6/12/2026 Today we examine how America caused a loneliness epidemic by tearing down the places where people used to find each other, how big tech is offering AI as a lackluster substitute for connection, and how people are building the opposite of loneliness with block parties, labor unions, and community gardens. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: How Capitalism Causes Loneliness Part 1 - Second Thought - Air Date 6-2-23 KP 2: Anthropic Discovers the Axis of Evil, and AIs Loneliness Economy - The AI Fix - Air Date 2-3-26 KP 3: The Political Economy of Love Attention, Affection, & What Capitalism Can't Buy Part 1 - Rev Left Radio - Air Date 1-19-26 KP 4: What Do We Mean by Humane Tech Part 1 - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 6-4-26 KP 5: Stone Soup A Recipe for Community Organizing Marina Barnett Part 1 - TEDxWidenerUniversity - Air Date 10-24-22 KP 6: The Simple Habit for a Happier Social Life Nicholas Epley Part 1 - TEDTalks - Air Date 5-19-26 (00:49:32) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Why the Left Needs to Have More Fun to Build Real Power My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (00:59:32) SECTION A: THE LONELINESS WE LIVE IN A1: Loneliness - Capitalism's Collateral Damage - Democracy At Work - Air Date 8-29-22 A2: How Capitalism Causes Loneliness Pa

Air Date: 6/10/2026 Today we explore how Taiwan's own people are stuck between the US and China. Fewer and fewer of them want to rejoin China but their faith in America is sinking just as fast as Trump treats them as a bargaining chip. Their own leaders are split on how to respond. And the place that makes most of the world's advanced chips has almost no seat at the table where its future is being decided. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Xi, Putin & Trump - Who Really Runs the World? | To the Point - DW News - Air Date 5-21-26 KP 2: Can There Ever Really Be "one China?" - Vox - Air Date 5-28-26 KP 3: How the US Is Trying to Challenge China's Critical Mineral Dominance Part 1 - The China in Africa Podcast - Air Date 5-28-26 KP 4: Why Did Trump Take Elon Musk to China? - Paul Krugman - Air Date 5-14-26 KP 5: Why This Island Could Trigger World War 3 - Johnny Harris - Air Date 12-18-25 KP 6: China Will Never Beat Taiwan, Here's Why - Maxinomics - Air Date 3-37-26 (00:53:26) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR The Stories Nations Tell Will Destroy Us_ China, Taiwan, and Trump My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:04:39) SECTION A: THE MAKING OF TAIWAN A1: The Taiwan Conflict, Explained - Ryan Chapman - Air Date 10-13-22 A2: Inside China's Plan to T

Air Date: 6–5-2026 Today we explore sportswashing past and present, from fascist dictators who first weaponized the World Cup to FIFA's modern extractivism model of corrupt capitalism, and why workers, unions, and fans are now organizing to reclaim the game from those profiting off it. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Trump Is a 'master Marketer' Symone Reacts to President Getting FIFA Peace Prize - Chris Jansing Reports - Air Date 12-5-25 KP 2: Jules Boykoff on World Cup and Sportswashing Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 5-15-26 KP 3: The Fascist World Cup Part 1 - Power Plays - Air Date 5-21-26 KP 4: Exploring the Sportwashing, Greed and Corruption of the 2026 World Cup - The Blazing Musket Podcast - Air Date 5-6-26 KP 5: Trump LOSES IT as FIFA SUFFERS MAJOR CRISIS!! Part 1 - MeidasTouch - Air Date 5-6-26 KP 6: Jules Boykoff on World Cup and Sportswashing Part 2 - CounterSpin - Air Date 5-15-26 (00:45:01) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR FIFA, Trump, and the Patriotism Scam They're Running on America My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:01:55) SECTION A: TRUMP'S PLAYBOOK A1: Is This the Most Political World Cup of All Time Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 5-25-26 A2: As the World Cu

Air Date: 6–3-2026 Today we examine the AI industry's economic house of cards, the ideology Silicon Valley uses to sell a broken product, and the very real human costs being paid by workers, the lonely, and communities bulldozed for data centers nobody asked for. Direct Download Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: The AI Backlash Just Got VERY Public - House of El - AI - Air Date 5-24-26 KP 2: The AI Industry Is Losing - Better Offline - Air Date 5-26-26 KP 3: The Aesthetic Pipeline to Techno-Fascism - Alice Cappelle - Air Date 5-27-26 KP 4: Joe Rogan Accidentally Exposed AI in Four Words - Mo Bitar - Air Date 5-22-26 KP 5: How AI Companions Are Destroying Human Intimacy | Angela Ivy Leong | TEDxWest Vancouver - TEDx Talks - Air Date 1-14-26 KP 6: Astra Taylor on AI Data Center Resistance & Fighting "Billionaire Big Tech Agenda"- Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-13-26 (00:51:20) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR AI Is a Drug and We're All Self-Medicating My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:09:29) SECTION A: THE BUBBLE ECONOMICS A1: Will SpaceX and OpenAI Starve the Market? - UNFTR Media - Air Date 5-26-26 A2: Karen Hao: AI Creating a DESPERATE BASE OF WORKERS with No Full-time Employment - Channel 4 News - Air Date 5-22-26 A3: <a href= "https://your-undivided-attention.simplec

Air Date: 5–30-2026 Today we examine how Trump turned a sham lawsuit into a $1.8 billion reward fund for his political allies who attacked the Capitol on January 6th while implementing a counterterrorism strategy that erases right-wing extremism from the threat landscape, refocuses on left-wing violence that hardly exists and threatens to "find and kill" those they deem enemies. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche Defends New $1.8B Anti-Weaponization Fund - Trump's Terms - Air Date 5-20-26 KP 2: Congress Strikes Back as Trump Rushes $1.8 Billion Scam - Legal AF by MeidasTouch - Air Date 5-18-26 KP 3: Dictatorship in Action David Cay Johnston on $1.8B Slush Fund Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-20-26 KP 4: Some Republicans in Congress Are Standing up to Trump - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 5-22-26 KP 5: Why Jan. 6 Officers Are Suing to Stop Trump's $1.8 Billion Allies Fund - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 5-21-26 KP 6: We Will Find You and We Will Kill You Part 1 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 5-15-26 KP 7: Daily Take Republicans Found $1.8 Billion Overnight for Trumps Thugs — So Why Are Seniors Choosing Between Food and Medicine - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 5-22-26 KP 8: <a href= "https://www.democracynow.org

Air Date: 5–26-2026 Today we examine what separates successful revolutions from failed ones, ask why so many revolutions of the 2010s fell short, understand how revolutionary energy gets neutralized, and explore the strategic case for nonviolent resistance. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: What Makes a Revolution Successful? - The Inquiry - Air Date 5-16-18 KP 2: Left Behind: the Failed Revolutions of the 2010s - The Politics Show - Air Date 2-5-24 KP 3: Is The US In Its French Revolution Era? - Leeja Miller - Air Date 5-13-26 KP 4: How Progress Erases Itself - Dan Harumi - Air Date 5-18-26 KP 5: Why Nonviolence Wins - Degenerate Art by Andrea Pitzer - Air Date 5-14-26 (00:54:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Why the Left Keeps Losing to the Right DEEPER DIVES (01:13:12) SECTION A: ANATOMY OF FAILURE A1: Lessons From a Decade of Failed Revolutions - Front Burner - Air Date 1-2-24 A2: Why Revolutions Fail - Hello Future Me - Air Date 9-9-23 A3: How and Why Revolutions Occur - LegalKimchi - Air Date 12-12-22 A4: Difference Between a Coup and a Revolution? - Sean Munger - Air Date 1-12-21 (01:54:11) SECTION B: REVISITING THE RECORD B1: What Was the Iranian Revolution Really About? Wi

Air Date: 5–23-2026 Today we examine the real-world cost of dismantling America's public health infrastructure, the dangerous pseudoscience driving RFK Jr.'s health agenda, and the contradictions fracturing the MAHA movement from within.And now on to the show Full Show Notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Trump Looks Foolish for Choice of Kennedy and Deep Cuts at CDC as Real-world Perils Play Out - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 5-12-26 KP 2: 'The Wheels Are Coming Off': Trump Already Less Popular Than After Jan. 6 - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 4-22-26 KP 3: How RFK, Jr.'s Beliefs Echo a Troubling Ideology | Science Quickly Podcast - Scientific American - Air Date 3-13-26 KP 4: MAHA Moms Are Mad - Today, Explained - Air Date 3-3-26 KP 5: As WHO Declares Ebola Outbreak a Global Health Emergency, Did USAID Cuts Worsen the Crisis - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-18-26 KP 6: How People with Disabilities Could Bear the Burden of Medicaid Funding Cuts - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 2-3-26 KP 7: RFK Jr Goes Full Eugenics to Congress; IMMIGRANTS BRING DISEASE - Brittany Page - Air Date 4-22-26 (00:54:35) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR RFK's Public Health Descruction is Easier than the Rebuilding We'll have to do Later DEEPER DIVES (01:05:28) SECTION A: THE DAMAGE DONE A1: <a href= "https://www.democracynow.org/2025/12/12/r

Air Date: 5/20/2026 Today we examine how the Trump administration is quietly reshaping its unpopular immigration crackdown by moving enforcement out of public view. Plus, we explain how anti-immigration politics is spreading through the post-colonial world, highlighting how it's reshaping political parties and public debate in the UK, Canada, and Australia. Full Show Notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Trumps Brutal Immigration Crackdown Continues Part 1 - Velshi - Air Date 3-21-26 KP 2: 'Buyer's Remorse' This Trump Stronghold TURNS on Massive ICE Facility Part 1 - MS Now - Air Date 4-20-26 KP 3: Does Legal Immigration Still Exist Part 1 - What Next - Air Date 2-23-26 KP 4: What TPS Recipients Might Experience if They're Sent Back to Haiti - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 4-30-26 KP 5: How The British Made The Far Right Acceptable Daniel Trilling Part 1 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 5-11-26 KP 6: How To Beat The Anti-Immigration Playbook Zoe Gardner Part 1 - Bold Politics with Zack Polanski - Air Date 9-10-26 (00:53:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR How ICE Hands Billions to Trump's Donors DEEPER DIVES (01:05:43) SECTION A: THE RESET IS THEATER A1: Trumps Brutal Immigration Crackdown Continues Part 2 - Velshi - Air Date 3-21-26 A2: Trumps ICE Detention Scam with Katie Blankenship Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 4-28-26 A3: <a href= "https://www.y

Air Date: 5/15/2026 Today we examine what it would actually take to claw back democracy from billionaire capture — and why some people think it's more possible than it looks. We'll hear about California's proposed billionaire wealth tax, AOC's vision for change that doesn't depend on positional power, and why Peter Thiel's new "AI Tribunal of Truth" may have accidentally revealed exactly what the ruling class fears most. Full Show Notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Possible 2028 White House Run - C-SPAN - Air Date 5-8-26 KP 2: One State Found a Way to Make Billionaires Pay. Your State Could Be Next. - More Perfect Union, Inequality Media Civic Action, & Robert Reich - Air Date 4-1-26 KP 3: Tech Billionaires Want Us Dead - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 1-19-26 KP 4: Jeff & Lauren Bezos Make 'Gratitude Lists' as AMAZON WORKERS DIE AT WORK - Brittany Page - Air Date 4-14-26 KP 5: Why Philanthropy [STILL] Isn't the Answer with (with Anand Giridharadas) - Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer - Air Date 5-5-26 KP 6: The Case Against Billionaires | Chuck Collins - Washington Monthly - Air Date 1-5-26 (00:47:44) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Who Owns the Upside? DEEPER DIVES (00:59:03) SECTION A: TECH POWER, SURVEILLANCE, AND THE END OF TRUTH A1: Do Tech Billionaires Want Us Dead? (with Taylor Lorenz) - Team Human with Douglas Rushkoff - Air Date 2-18-26 A2: The End of Work: Why Your Kids Won't Have Careers in 15 Years - Trevor Noah - Air Date 4-19-26 A3: This Is Actually Terrifying - Struthless - Air Date 4-16-26

Air Date: 5/12/2026 Today we examine the redistricting scramble unleashed by the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act. We'll hear how Southern states moved within days to crack majority-Black districts, how Tennessee banned public input to rush through new maps, and why every governor's race, state legislative seat, and secretary of state contest in 2026 is now a redistricting fight. Full Show Notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Redrawing Congressional Maps and Testing Trump's Power - PBS Newshour - Air Date 5-4-26 KP 2: Louisiana Is Ground Zero for Voting Rights, Abortion Pill Access Part 1 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 5-7-26 KP 3: Elie Mystal Supreme Court Gutting Voting Rights Act Is About Again Making US an Apartheid State Part 1 - The Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 5-1-26 KP 4: Did Trump's Supreme Court Rig the Midterms Part 1 - Pod Save America - Air Date 5-1-26 KP 5: What Stacey Abrams Thinks About a Recent SCOTUS Decision and the Voting Rights Amendment Part 1 - Soundside - Air Date 5-5-26 KP 6: 'Foolish' Lone Tennessee Dem Rep. Speaks Out Against GOP's Redistricting Push - Ana Cabrera Reports - Air Date 5-6-26 KP 7: Backtalker Kimberlé Crenshaw on New Memoir, Voting Rights, Critical Race Theory & Clarence Thomas - Democracy Now - Air Date 5-6-26 KP 8: What Stacey Abrams Thinks About a Recent SCOTUS Decision and the Voting Rights Amendment Pa

Air Date: 5–9-2026 Today we examine how political violence has always been woven into the fabric of American life and who gets to decide what counts as violence in the first place. We'll hear about presidential assassinations, the assassination of Fred Hampton, the MOVE bombing in Philadelphia, and the long history of state-sanctioned violence. And I'll discuss the only real way to bend the curve back away from endemic violence in the US. Full show notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: The Real 'Political Violence' in America - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 9-12-25 KP 2: The Largely Forgotten History of Philadelphias Police Bombing of Black Organization MOVE - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 5-17-25 KP 3: America's History of Assassinations and Political Violence - Front Burner - Air Date 7-16-24 KP 4: America's Addiction to Gun Violence, Racism, and White Rage Will Be Its Downfall Part 1 - The Chauncey DeVega Show -Air Date 9-19-25 KP 5: "Slow Civil War" Author Jeff Sharlet on the Growing NormalAation of Violence at Home & Abroad - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-27-26 KP 6: The World Is Broken and on Fire. Use Your Anger to Remake It for the Better - The Chauncey DeVega Show - Air Date 3-25-26 (00:50:50) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Why Billionaires Now Fear Civil War DEEPER DIVES (01:04:57) SECTION A: THE FRAMING WARS A1: The White House Correspondents Dinner Sho

Air Date: 05-06-2026  Today we examine how the U.S. war on Iran is producing an economic crisis with echoes of the 1970s stagflation era which explains why Trump is now less popular on inflation than Jimmy Carter. We'll also be exploring various element of the structure of our economy, including how GDP became a deeply misleading measure of welfare, why consumer spending increasingly goes toward things people don't want to buy, and how gambling and junk fees are literally counted as economic growth. Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Simply Wrong GOP Lawmakers Caught LYING About Gas Prices Part 1 - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 4-30-26 KP 2: Economic Implications of the U.S. War on Iran Part 1 - Economic Update with Richard Wolff - Air Date 4-14-26 KP 3: These Georgia Swing Voters Do Not Like the Iran War - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 4-16-26 KP 4: Monday Morning Economy Politics Inflation Soars Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 4-13-26 KP 5: Fiasco for Trump as Leaked GOP Memo Warns of Epic Midterm Bloodbath - The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent - Air Date 5-1-26 KP 6: From Safety Net to Power Base Reclaiming Economic Power for Working People (with Jamie Keene) Part 1 - Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer - Air Date 4-21-26 KP 7: Simply Wrong GOP Lawmakers Caught LYING About Gas Prices Part 2 - All In with

Air Date: 05/01/2026 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we open with Jesse Jackson's death as a reckoning with the multiracial coalition America chose not to build, trace the American playbook from the 1953 Iran coup to Cuba to the current war on Iran, examine how the same logic of control operates at home through AI monopolies, sports money, and captured courts, and close with the religious and labor traditions that have always driven change — plus Orbán's defeat in Hungary as proof that authoritarian projects don't last forever. Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! PART 1: AMERICA, CONTESTED (00:01:19) #1775 - Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition and the Remaking of American Politics (00:23:12) #1776 - Trump's Pharaoh Complex, Our Flawed Constitution, and the 250th Anniversary PART 2: THE AMERICAN WAY (00:45:27) #1777 - How Christian Nationalism, Oil, and Zionism Built The War Against Iran (01:06:48) #1782 - Cuba's Crisis: Trump's Deadly Embargo, Blackouts, and Dream of Regime Change (01:29:45) #1785 - Iran and the Chain Reaction: The War Nobody Thought Through (Or, Bomb First, Think Never) PART 3: CONTROLLING THE GAME (01:51:40) #1778 - AI, the Pentagon, Labor and Capitalism: The Fight Over Who Controls the Future (02:15:29) #1781 - Your Team Is a Hedge Fund Now: How Gambling and Billionaires Captured American Sports 02:29:38) #1783 - The Ideology of a Cancer Cell: AI, Surveillance, and Silicon Valley's Psychopath Problem (02:51:36) #1784 - Who Gets to Be American, Who Gets to Vote, and Who Decides PART

Air Date: 4–29-2026 Today we explore the extraordinary clash between Pope Leo XIV and the Trump White House — a feud involving military threats, medieval papal history, and an American-born pope who refuses to back down. We'll hear why analysts say MAGA's religiosity is pure aesthetic, and what that hollowness means for the millions of Americans still taking their faith seriously. Full Show Notes Transcript Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community TOP TAKES KP 1: "Two Versions of Christianity": Pope Leo Calls for Peace as U.S. Uses Religion to Justify Iran War - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-1-26 KP 2: What's Driving the Surge of Catholic Converts? Plus Gabriel Salguero - The Holy Post - Air Date 4-1-26 KP 3: What's Behind a Growing Rift Between Conservative U.S. Catholics and the Vatican - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 12-16-23 KP 4: Why Are US Catholics Like That !? - The Kavernacle - Air Date 4-16-26 KP 5: Pope Bob Vs. Trump World Part 1 - Conspirituality - Air Date 5-22-25 KP 6: Did Trump Officials Threaten the Vatican' The Avignon Papacy Warning Explained - SWAJ with Brad Onishi and Dan Miller - Air Date 4-11-26 KP 7: Republicans .0002 Seconds After the Pope Says Anything - Man Carrying Thing - Air Date 4-18-26 (00:47:36) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Pope Leo vs. Trump: The Catholic Opening Democrats Are Blowing DEEPER DIVES (00:56:09) SECTION A: TRUMP AND COMPANY'S LOVE/HATE PAPAL RELATIONSHIP (01:39:29) SECTION B: ANTI CATHOLIC SENTIMENT IN AMERICA

Air Date: 4/24/2026 Today we explore how Viktor Orban spent 16 years transforming Hungary into a blueprint for 21st-century autocracy, how that blueprint traveled directly to the United States and what Hungary's stunning defeat of Orban can teach Americans about fighting back against authoritarianism. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: If Hungary Can Do It Part 1 - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 4-16-26 KP 2: What Orban's Loss Means for Anti-Fascists; Iran's Endgame with Jason Stanley, Mohammad Ali Shabani Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 4-14-26 KP 3: Viktor Orbán Part 1 - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 3-30-26 KP 4: How Do Peter Magyar's Politics Differ From Orban's Right-wing Populism Part 1 - DW News - Air Date 4-13-26 KP 5: On Tyranny, Orbán, and Trump (with Timothy Snyder) Part 1 - Stay Tuned with Preet - Air Date 4-16-26 KP 6: They Actually Voted Him Out Part 1 - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 4-16-26 KP 7: Viktor Orban's Loss in Hungary Gives Us the Roadmap to Destroy MAGA! - The Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 4-12-26 (00:48:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Trumpism Won't End With Trump, Here's What Comes Next DEEPER DIVES (00:56:57) SECTION A: ORIGINS (01:37:50) SECTION B: TACTICS (02:03:08) SECTION C: INTERNATIONAL SHOW IMAGE CREDI

Re-Air Date: 4-21-2026 Original Air Date: 1–18-2020 Today we take a look at The Afghanistan Papers which reveal in stark detail much of what the anti-war movement has known or strongly suspected since the beginning. Going beyond the scope of The Pentagon Papers of the Vietnam War era, The Afghanistan Papers feature interviews and documentation from top-ranking officials admitting from the start that they had no idea what they were doing in Afghanistan. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: Headlines: The Afghanistan Papers - Democracy Now - Air Date 12-10-19 Ch. 2: The "Pentagon Papers" Of Our Time with Craig Whitlock - On the Media - Air Date 12-20-19 Ch. 3: They Lied To Us All Along with Danny Sjursen - The Real News with Marc Steiner - Air Date 12-15-19 Ch. 4: The Truth About The War In Afghanistan with Craig Whitlock - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 12-16-19 Ch. 5: The Afghan Pentagon Papers - The Michael Brooks Show - Air Date 12-14-19 Ch. 6: The Afghanistan Papers - Eyes Left with Spenser Rapone and Mike Prysner - Air Date 12-16-19 Ch. 7: The Afghanistan Papers with Steven Miles - News Beat with Rashed Mian and Christopher Twarowski - Air Date 12-23-19 <p

Air Date: 4-8-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:   Ch. 1 - The history of the war on poverty in the U.S. Ch. 2 - How the wealthiest 9.9% are keeping the rest of us down with their heads in the sand Ch. 3 - The history and revival of the workers' education movement SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): How your class impacts your tastes.   Leave us a message on our new system!   FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!)   REFERENCES How Inequality Was Redefined as "Poverty"—Letting Capitalism Off the Hook - The Nation Talking of poverty: From the analytical to the political - Sage Journals The 9.9 Percent is the New American Aristocracy - The Atlantic To Build Working-Class Power, We Need a Workers' Education Movement - The Nation BACKSTAGE Taste and Distinction: How Class Shapes What We Like - Thinking Sociologically EXTRAS: Best of the Left #1780 - Cynicism Is a Scab: Hope, Solidarity, and the Labor Fight That Never Stopped BOOK: "We Do This Til We Free Us" by Mariame Kaba (Buying through this link supports indie book stores and this show!) SOLVED! #36 - Bribery Jazz: Corruption is the Water We Swim In SOLVED! #37 - Solidarity Forever: Boycotts, Strikes, & the Labor Movement We Need   TAKE ACTION: MayDayStrong.org - May 1st - No Work. No School. No Shopping. Stop Trump's Wars REI Co-Op Members: Vote to Boy

Air Date: 4/17/2026 Today we examine how the U.S. war with Iran has exposed the deep structural rot at the heart of American power, the global economic catastrophe quietly building beneath the surface, and the cuts felt at home in order to pay for it all. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Excerpt, "Cross of Iron" Speech, 1956 - Dwight D. Eisenhower KP 2: White House Accidentally Releases Video of Trump Saying the Truth About War's Priority - The Briefing with Jen Psaki - Air Date 4-2-26 KP 3: Lets Talk About Fertilizer - Paul Krugman - Air Date 3-21-26 KP 4: Why Israels Bombing of Lebanon Means All Our Futures Are at Stake - The Independent - Air Date 4-9-26 KP 5: Will There Even Be a "Ceasefire"? - Drop Site News - Air Date 4-9-26 KP 6: The TV War That Backfired - Brendan Miller - Air Date 3-20-26 KP 7: Why the US Couldnt Force a Deal with Iran - LBC - Air Date 4-12-26 KP 8: Hormuz Crisis _Only Going to Get More Horrific Before It Gets Any Better__ Prof. Laleh Khalili - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-16-26 KP 9: Dwight D Eisenhower - Farewell Speech - Address to the Nation - Military Industrial Complex Warning - War and Military Documentaries - Air Date 1-17-61 (00:52:25) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Eisenhower Warned Us: Trump's $1.5T Military Budget Is Gutti

Air Date: 4/14/2026 Today we examine the legal battles shaking the foundations of American citizenship and voting rights as Trump's legal team uses the courts as a weapon against democratic participation — and how advocates are fighting back. We'll hear about the three-D playbook of deceive, disrupt, and deny used by authoritarians and being deployed by Trump ahead of the midterms, and what ordinary people can do right now to protect their votes before November. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: SCOTUS Hears Birthright Citizenship Arguments - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 4-1-26 KP 2: Will SCOTUS Join the GOP War on Mail-in Ballots Part 1 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 3-30-26 KP 3: Arizona Secretary of State Trump Is Trying to Pick His Own Voters by Restricting Mail-in Ballots - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-3-26 KP 4: Desperate Election STUNT in California BLOCKED by Supreme Court - Legal AF - Air Date 4-9-26 KP 5: Mark Joseph Stern of Slate on SCOTUS Arguments to Block Late Arriving Mail Ballots Part 1 - The Bradcast - Air Date 3-24-26 KP 6: Voting Rights & Wrongs, According to SCOTUS with Steve Vladeck - Stay Tuned with Preet - Air Date 3-25-26 (00:52:29) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Conservatives' Judicial Originalism Isn't Principle — It's a 40-Year Political Project DEEPER DIVES (01:07:20) SECTION A: BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP (01:39:42) SECTION B: ELECTION INTERFERENCE</

Air Date: 4/10/2026 Today we examine the ideology quietly driving Silicon Valley — a worldview that treats growth, extraction, and the erasure of human messiness as virtues. We'll hear how tech leaders from Sam Altman to Larry Ellison embody a kind of corporate psychopathy, why Zuckerberg never understood what Facebook actually is, and how the cult of "go for its own sake" may be the most dangerous religion of our time. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads) Join our Discord community TOP TAKES KP 1: This Will Be the Death of Us All! - PissedMagistus - Air Date 3-18-26 KP 2: Palantir Weirdo Gets Cornered By Journalist - The Majority Report w/Sam Seder - Air Date 1-24-26 KP 3: Sam Altman Isn't Building a Company, He's Building an Empire (with Karen Hao) Part 1 - There Are No Girls on the Internet - Air Date 3-31-26 KP 4: Sam Altman Is Dangerous To Silicon Valley - Better Offline - Air Date 6-13-24 KP 5: Ash Sarkar Calls Silicon Valley Tech Bros Emotionally Maladapted Psychopaths - BBC Question Time - Air Date 10-27-25 KP 6: Why Fun Tech Jobs Went Extinct - Good Work - Air Date 3-27-26 KP 7: Zuck Never Understood the Metaverse - The Morbid Zoo - Air Date 4-4-26 (00:47:59) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR AI Isn't Taking Your Job—But Your Boss Wants You to Think It Is DEEPER DIVES (01:02:18) SECTION A: ARE THEY ALL PSCHOPAT

Air Date: 4-1-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:   Ch. 1 - How to boycott better Ch. 2 - Why REI workers have voted to boycott the upcoming May sale and how you can help Ch. 3 - Why meatpacking workers are striking in Colorado Ch. 4 - Comparing the US labor movement with the Canadian labor movement Ch. 5 - Strengthening, and expanding the vision for, today's labor movement SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): How politics killed the once transformational National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)   Leave us a message on our new system!   REFERENCES Your Individual Boycotts Aren't Helping - Jacobin REI Workers Threaten Boycott Ahead Of Retailer's Most Crucial Sale Of The Year - Huffington Post Thousands of Colorado Meatpacking Workers Are on Strike - Jacobin From Class to Special Interest - Jacobin (from 2016) Today's Labor Movement Needs a Bigger Vision - Labor Notes   BACKSTAGE Requiem for the Wagner Act - The American Prospect EXTRAS: Best of the Left #1780 - Cynicism Is a Scab: Hope, Solidarity, and the Labor Fight That Never Stopped MayDayStrong.org - May 1st - No Work. No School. No Shopping. SOLVED! #36 - Bribery Jazz: Corruption is the Water We Swim In 'No Flock, No ICE': Student protest demands removal of Flock surveillance at UW Anti-ICE protests Friday at Berkeley schools and a Hilton hotel in the Southside neighborhood   SUPPORT REI WORKERS: <a href= "https://www.instagram.

Re-Air Date: 04-07-26 Original Air Date: 1-15-2025 Elon Musk is leading the way for his class of tech broligarchs anxious to take over the MAGA movement and shape it to their own ends of deregulation, tax cuts, and lucrative government contracts. The disappointment that is inevitable for the MAGA populists is coming even faster than expected. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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: The long con of America's ultra-wealthy elites - The ReidOut - Air Date 1-2-25 KP 2: Crack-Up Capitalism- How Billionaire Elon Musk's Extremism Is Shaping Trump Admin & Global Politics - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-6-24 KP 3: GOP Already At Each Other's Throats While Musk Gloats - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 12-24-24 KP 4: MAGA civil war explodes between Elon & Trump faithful - No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen - Air Date 12-29-24 KP 5: Elon & Vivek's H1-B Crash Out - Bad Faith - Air Date 1-2-25 KP 6: Our Moment is Approaching - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 12-31-24 KP 7: Weekly Roundup Jimmy Carter vs Elon Musk - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 1-3-25 KP 8: The Oligarch Class - Left Anchor - Air Date 1-3-25 (55:36) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the rehashing of the anti-democrat

Air Date: 4/3/2026 Today we examine how decades of U.S. policy toward Cuba set the stage for the current crisis, we explore the human cost of the U.S. oil blockade on Cuba's 11 million people, and how the U.S. justifies an illegal siege while claiming to act in Cuba's interest using time-tested propaganda tactics. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Explainer 509 Is Cuba Next on Trumps Hit List - The Foreign Desk - Air Date 3-18-26 KP 2: Medea Benjamin Its a Very Dire Situation in Cuba Right Now Part 1 - The Marc Steiner Show - Air Date 3-17-26 KP 3: Will President Trump Act on His Threat to Take Cuba Part 1 - Fresh Air - Air Date 3-24-26 KP 4: Current Affairs Is Going to Cuba Part 1 - Current Affairs - Air Date 3-21-26 KP 5: Aid Convoy Goes to Cuba The Cuba Blockade with Hasan Piker Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 3-27-26 (00:49:58) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR The Word "Sanctions" Is Hiding a Blockade — US Propaganda Hides Human Rights Abuses in Cuba DEEPER DIVES (01:00:46) SECTION A: HISTORY (01:35:03) SECTION B: CURRENT CRISIS (02:20:27) SECTION C: SOLIDARITY SHOW

Air Date: 3–31-2026 Today we examine how money and power have captured American sports from every angle — gambling platforms operating as unregulated casinos, private equity turning franchises into financial assets, leagues suppressing player pay while selling access to politicians, and a sports media apparatus too compromised to report any of it. It's almost all the problems with America on display in one industry. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Trump's Record $239M Inauguration & the Sports Owners Who Funded It | Spolitics - Jemele Hill - Air Date 4-30-25 KP 2: We Investigated The Shady Business Behind The UFC - More Perfect Union and Luke Thomas - Air Date 3-6-26 KP 3: World Cup CHAOS As Trump And FIFA Abuse Iran - The Ring of Fire - Air Date 3-21-26 KP 4: ESPN & the Death of Journalism - Drew Gooden - Air Date 3-3-26 KP 5: This WNBA CBA Deal Is Bigger Than Basketball… - The Women's Hoops Show - Air Date 3-24-26 KP 6: Senator Chris Murphy CRACKS DOWN on Prediction Markets | PTFO - PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT - Air Date 3-26-26 (00:46:46) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Sports Expose Everything Wrong With America — And Fans Have More Power Than They Think DEEPER DIVES (00:58:11) SECTION A: SPORTS ARE POLITICS & CULTURE (01:58:11) SECTION B: GAMBLING ON EVERYTHING IS BAD IDEA (02:30:27) SECTION C: THE WOKE NBA, NOT THAT WOKE (03:08:12) SECTION D: THE BILLIONAIRES ARE ALWAYS THE PROBLEM SHOW IMAGE CREDITS <p class="p

Air Date: 3–26-26 Welcome to ALMOST SOLVED!, the show that's almost like SOLVED! but one or more things are missing, namely the guarantee of a solution at the end and possibly also one of our cohosts.   Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon discuss:   Ch. 1 - Deon's research for his recent Best of the Left episode #1779: "Community After God: Why the Left Needs What Church Provided" Ch. 2 - Listener voicemail & comments on past episodes Ch. 3 - How to heal from the harm of this mess with the article "Culture of Healing" from The Reframe BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): Some chit chat about expectations and healing.   Leave us a message on our new system!   FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e   REFERENCES Best of the Left #1779: Community After God: Why the Left Needs What Church Provided Culture of Healing by A.R. Moxon (The Reframe)   EXTRAS: SOLVED! #5: Keep Your Birch Rod Handy: Puritan influence, dictator bosses, & FDR zingers (4-15-25) SOLVED! #34 The Dual State: Life Under Authoritarianism & Your Role in Fighting It (2-20-26) SOLVED! #32* How Progressives Are Always Right Too Soon (With Receipts) (1-30-26) *mentions the Cassandras Books by Mariame Kaba: (FYI: Buying books via the Bookshop affiliate links below supports indie bookstores and this show!) "We Do This 'Til We Free Us" by Mariame Kaba "Let This Radicalize You" by Kelly Hayes & Mariame Kaba   TAKE ACTION:

Air Date: 3/27/2026 Today we examine the relationship between labor education, moral ambition, and the possibility of a better world. We'll hear about IWW members building a "Philosophy 101" for organizers, a historian's argument that humanity is fundamentally cooperative rather than selfish, and why getting labor history into public schools may be one of the most important organizing projects of our time. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: A Case for Human Decency (by Rutger Bregman) Part 1 - Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso - Air Date 10-25-20 KP 2: 73 Ben Fletcher, Part 1 - Working Class History - Air Date 6-5-23 KP 3: Striking At Kings Part 1 - Labor Heritage Power Hour - Air Date 2-12-26 KP 4: The Unsung Women of the Labor Movement with Jenny Kaplan Part 1 - The Bright Side - Air Date 9-2-24 KP 5: Climate Justice Through Collective Liberation Mikaela Loach Part 1 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 8-6-25 KP 6: Are We Trapped In Meaningless Jobs (With Rutger Bregman) Part 1 - Lever Time - Air Date 12-18-25 (00:49:56) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Solidarity Isn't a Feeling — It's a Structure (And Bosses Know It) Requiem for the Wagner Act DEEPER DIVES (01:01:40) SECTION A: HISTORY A1: <a href= "https://theh

Air Date: 3/24/2026 Today we explore what happens when people reject religious dogma but still hunger for ritual, meaning, and the concrete benefits of community. We'll hear from secular assemblies building "church without creed," atheist Quakers finding silence sacred, and a Caribbean thinker designing a naturalistic pagan practice built around science and seasonal ritual — all asking what religion can be when you strip away the supernatural. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: GOD IS NO-THING - Pete Holmes - Air Date 3-3-26 KP 2: Non-religious Americans Seek Community - All Things Considered - Air Date 1-28-24 KP 3: Why Atheists CAN Be Quakers. - Quake It Up - Air Date 8-30-25 KP 4: Why Are Black People Still Christian? - Garrison Hayes - Air Date 4-7-24 KP 5: What Is Liberation Theology & Can It Help The Left? (TMBS 145) - The Michael Brooks Show - Air Date 6-25-20 KP 6: Its Time To Rethink Religion Part 1 - Andrewism - Air Date 3-11-26 (00:49:04) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the Left's Community Crisis and What We Can Learn from Megachurches DEEPER DIVES (01:00:06) SECTION A: LIBERATION THEOLOGY A1: Cornel West: Can Socialists Reclaim Christianity? - Jacobin - Air Date 3-4-26 A2: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation - The Magnificast - Air D

Air Date: 3–18-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - The dark history of money in politics, aka: corruption Ch. 2 - What the left must do to actually win Ch. 3 - What the rest of the world can teach America SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): The reports of Christian fundamentalist "talk" in the military as the US attacked Iran Leave us a message on our new system! FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES David Sirota Explains How Money Rewrote American Democracy - Current Affairs The Left Is Losing Because We're Not Confrontational Enough - (From 2022) Current Affairs Searching the Globe for Answers to America's Thorniest Problems - Current Affairs BACKSTAGE U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for "Armageddon," Return of Jesus - Jonathan Larsen (Substack) https://open.substack.com/pub/jonathanlarsen/p/us-troops-were-told-iran-war-is-for US troops were told war on Iran was 'all part of God's divine plan', watchdog alleges - The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/03/us-israel-iran-war-christian-rhetoric EXTRAS: (Buying these books, or another book, after clicking the links below helps support indie bookstores and this show!) BOOK: "Master Plan: the Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America" by David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher PODCAST: "Master Plan" by The Lever ARTICLE: JD Vance and SCOTUS Case - Rolling Stone BOOK: "<a href= "https://bo

Air Date: 3/19/2026 Today we explore the long history of technological disruption — from the Industrial Revolution to the rise of software engineering — and ask whether AI is genuinely different this time, all while autonomous weapons dissolve accountability for the militaries using them and capitalism prevents AI companies from maintaining their ethical aspirations. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: How Long Until AI Takes Your Job - Consider This - Air Date 2-23-26 KP 2: Is AI Coming for Our Jobs - Confronting Capitalism - Air Date 2-18-26 KP 3: AI Goes to War Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 3-4-26 KP 4: The AI-Powered War Machines Are Here Part 1 - On The Media - Air Date 3-6-26 KP 5: The Race to Build God AI's Existential Gamble — Yoshua Bengio & Tristan Harris at Davos Part 1 - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 2-19-26 KP 6: Don't Download Claude, Either. - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 3-4-26 (00:51:47) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On Why AI Won't Ruin Your Life — Unless We Let It DEEPER DIVES (01:04:45) SECTION A: LABOR FUTURE A1: Is AI Coming for Our Jobs Part 2 - Confronting Capitalism - Air Date 2-18-26 A2: <a

Air Date: 3/15/2026 Today we examine how a century of foreign intervention created incompatible national memories between the US and Iran and how Netanyahu exploited that history to maneuver Trump into a war he didn't understand, promising a quick decapitation strike while knowing full well it would become a months-long regional conflict, at minimum. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Understanding America's Complicated Relationship with Iran - Velshi - Air Date 3-1-26 KP 2: Can Israel & the U.S. Sustain Iran's Military Power? (with Alastair Crooke) - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 3-6-26 KP 3: Who Gets to Have Nuclear Weapons and Why? | Start Here - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 7-30-25 KP 4: Why the F#!@ Are We at War with Iran? with Reza Aslan - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 3-6-26 KP 5: 100-Year History of US Meddling, Coups and Wars in the Middle East | Roy Casagranda - UNAPOLOGETIC with Ashfaaq Carim - Air Date 11-25-24 (00:46:57) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Bombs Don't Liberate: How War Destroys Iran's Real Democracy Movement DEEPER DIVES (00:56:48) SECTION A: BOMBS AWAY (AGAIN) A1: Mehdi Slams Trump's Illegal Iran War - Zeteo - Air Date 3-5-26 A2: 'Iranians Want to Be Bombed'? Inside the Propaganda Campaign for War - BreakThrough News - Air Date 3-7-26 A3: John Mearsheimer: No Winning in Iran for the U.S. - Daniel Davis

Air Date: 3/11/2026 Today is episode 1776, in the year of our nation's 250th birthday, and we thought the occasion called for something big. So, we're tracing the full arc — from the constitutional compromises that made this country possible to the authoritarian vanity project that those compromises eventually also made possible. We're talking about the history, the structures, and the insecure current-but-temporary president who thinks a $400 million ballroom and a coin with his face on both sides will make him a pharaoh. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: The Fight for a True Democracy Part 1 - 1619 - Air Date 8-23-19 KP 2: THE BROKEN CONSTITUTION with Noah Feldman Part 1 - Political Philosophy Podcast - Air Date 11-30-21 KP 3: Black History Month Is Different This Year Part 1 - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 2-19-26 KP 4: Will Trump Turn Americas 250th Birthday Into a MAGA-fest Part 1 - The Bunker - Air Date 3-3-26 KP 5: Trumps Gilded White House Makeover Is All About Power Part 1 - Reveal - Air Date 12-10-26 KP 6: The U.S. Is Now Trumpistan Prof. Stanley on Trumps Cult of Personality Part 1 - Velshi - Air Date 2-15-26 KP 7: Cass Sunstein on Interpreting the US Constitution Part 1 - Democracy Paradox - Air Date 8-15-

Re-Air Date: 01–26-25 Unless you were a member in January of 2025, this episode of SOLVED! will be brand new to you! If you were a member back then, THANK YOU and this one is worth a re-listen. We're working on slowly increasing our production again, but, for now, enjoy this episode from our archives (and before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: 00:00:00 - Ch. 1 - The mindset of collaborators 00:07:55 - Ch. 2 - Why many people turn inward and drop out - at their own risk - under authoritarianism 00:32:14 - Ch. 3 - The nature of true dissidents and what we can learn from them Leave us a message on our new system! FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon REFERENCES: "People, Power, Change" by Marshall Ganz History Will Judge the Complicit - The Atlantic The Desire to Turn Inward Is a Delusion /// Don't Let Donald Trump Drive You Into Internal Exile - The New York Times How to Keep Your Moral Compass /// A Mindset for the Trump Era - The Atlantic TAKE ACTION: How to Support Minneapolis Communities In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach No Kings - March 28th Free D

Air Date: 3/7/2026 Welcome to this episode of the Award-Winning Best of the Left Podcast. Today we examine the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson civil rights icon, two-time presidential candidate and one of the most consequential political figures of the 20th century. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Remembering Jesse Jackson - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 2-17-26 KP 2: I Am Somebody - Jesse Jackson -Sesame Street - Air Date 2-17-26 KP 3: Why Jesse Jackson Mattered - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie -Air Date 2-23-26 KP 4: Slap in the Face. Speaker Mike Johnson Declines to Honor Rev. Jesse Jackson - Roland S. Martin - Air Date 2-21-26 KP 5: Ryan Grim: "We've Got People: From Jesse Jackson to AOC..." - The Zero Hour with RJ Eskow - Air Date 4-29-19 KP 6: Was The Rev. Jesse Jackson A Man Before His Time? Part 1 - In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons - Air Date 10-20-25 KP 7: From the Archives: Jesse Jackson's Speech at the 1984 Democratic National Convention - CBS News - Air Date 2-17-26 KP 8: The Historic Presidential Campaigns Of Rev. Jesse Jackson - Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast - Air Date 2-29-24 KP 9: <a href= "https://www.democracynow.org/2026/2/18/jesse_jackson_wi

Air Date: 3/3/2026 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we examine the multi-front struggle for control: military force and economic coercion seizing resources abroad, institutions weaponized to constrain bodies at home, platforms and propaganda capturing minds, and the democratic resistance proving that organized people can still win. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! PART 1: TAKING WHAT THEY WANT (00:02:31) #1762 - Trump's Imperialistic Shakedown of Venezuela 1: Trump Admits Venezuela Attacks Are All About Their Oil - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 12-18-25 2: USA Is the Worst Pirate on Earth: Trump Boasts of Stealing Venezuela's Oil - Geopolitical Economy Report - Air Date 12-26-25 3: Trump's Piracy in the Caribbean - The Real News Podcast - Air Date 12-23-25 (00:29:28) #1768 - The End of an Era: The International Rules-Based Order Gives Way to Trump's Might-Makes-Right Plutocracy 4: Gaza, Venezuela, and Greenland Mark End of World Legal Order Set up in 1945 - Redeye - Air Date 1-19-26 5: "Empire in Decline": Historian Alfred McCoy on U.S. Aggression in Venezuela, Iran & Beyond - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-13-26 6: Mark Carney and the New World Order - Front Burner

Original Air Date: 3-1-2024 We don't have to think too hard to understand the fears of a world in which work, and the ability of millions to support themselves, are lost to automation and artificial intelligence. But that is only a capitalist future in which the benefits of technological advancement are hoarded by the already-wealthy. Today we imagine a different path. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Introduction to Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work by Srnicek & Williams - Dank Audio Stash - Air Date 4-8-21 Introduction to Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work by Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams Ch. 2: The People's Republic of Walmart Interview with Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski - Novara Media - Air Date 6-13-19 Since the demise of the USSR, the mantle of the largest planned economies in the world has been taken up by the likes of Walmart, Amazon and other multinational corporations. Ch. 3: The Two Futures Of Automation Capitalism VS Socialism - Second Thought - Air Date 12-15-21 With jobs being automated and handed off to machines at an ever-increasing pace, it's only natural to consider what our future will look like. Ch. 4: Planet of the Robots: Four Futures of AI (Documentary) - 1Dime - Air Date 10-15-21 In this video we will be discussing automation, which is often confused with being the 'technological revolution' in it of itself as it is what the mainstream focuses on, and for good reason, as how we handle automation will determine the trajectory or co Ch. 5: <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/w

Original Air Date: 1/31/2023 Today, we take a look at just some of the nearly infinite ways in which our society, culture and economy are infused from top to bottom with Scam Culture™ that is bleeding us dry both financially and mentally. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: The Grift Economy: Everything is a scam, always. - Thought Slime - Air Date 11-5-21 For those that need to read this: you aren't a capitalist. You're capital. Ch. 2: Power and Corruption: The Devos Family - iilluminaughtii - Air Date 1-20-23 Betsy DeVos and her family have been important figures in the business world for decades. They're involved in a massive MLM, invest in shady businesses, and have put their money toward politics for as long as anyone can remember. Ch. 3: Bill Black: The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One - theAnalysis.news - Air Date 5-31-21 How does a corrupt mortgage scam by brokers in California become a massive national fraud that puts the whole economy into a deep crisis? Bill Black on theAnalysis.news with Paul Jay. Ch. 4: Why FTX's Crypto Scam Is A Tale As Old As Time - The Problem With Jon Stewart Podcast - Air Date 12-7-22 "Whatever fun name you wanna put on it, it's the same damn thing we've seen over and over again." David Dayen, Executive Editor of The American Prospect, joins us to talk through the spectacular rise and fall of crypto exchange FTX Ch. 5: The Gig Economy Was Always A Scam - Wisecrack - Air Date 8-8-22 The gig economy has revolutionized how we think about work, but not necessarily

Air Date: 2-17-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - The "dual state" concept coined by German Jewish political scientist and labor lawyer Ernst Fraenkel in his 1941 book "The Dual State: A Contribution to the Theory of Dictatorship" Ch. 2 - Navigating the psychological toll of living under authoritarianism Ch. 3 - "Woke 2.0" as a movement, and dismantling conservative critiques of virtue Ch. 4 - What is actually required to build an effective, broad anti-authoritarian coalition movement SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): Deprograming Nazis and the "run the ball" football strategy for our times Leave a message on our new system! FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES Your friends are still acting like everything is normal in America. What do you do? - Vox They Were Ordinary Germans. We Are Ordinary Americans. - The New York Times How to Survive the Information War - The Atlantic Galaxy Brain podcast: How to Be A Citizen in the Information War (And Stay Sane) - Galaxy Brain (The Atlantic) Can Woke 2 Go IRL? Even Thomas Chatterton Williams Thinks It's Possible - Vanity Fair Why Hannah Arendt and the Banality of Evil Still Matter Today - Philosopedia <a href= "https://inthesetimes.com/article/broad-fronts-against-the-far-right-lessons-from-the-am

Air Date: 2/23/2026 Today we examine how the platforms that monetize your attention are merging with state power. We'll hear how TikTok's new owners include Trump ally Larry Ellison, how DHS sent hundreds of subpoenas to unmask anonymous ICE critics, how Ring's Super Bowl ad cheerfully introduced AI-powered neighborhood surveillance, and how the social media addiction trials that are being likened to the Big Tobacco settlement of the 90s, are finally exposing what these companies knew about the harmful nature of their products all along. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Chris Hayes in Conversation with Jonathan Haidt About The Sirens Call Part 1 - All In W Chris Hayes - Air Date 2-10-26 KP 2: Trouble at TikTok Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 2-4-26 KP 3: Is Social Media Having Its Big Tobacco Moment Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 2-16-26 KP 4: The Social Media Addiction Trials Begin Part 1 - On The Media - Air Date 2-13-26 KP 5: Ring's Lost Pet Ad Fetching a Surveillance State - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 2-10-26 KP 6: DMs! My Kingdom For DMs! - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 2-17-26 (00:53:14) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Big Tech is the New Big Tobacco - Here's what that means for our future DEEPER DIVES (01:01:11) SECTION A: LAWS

Air Date: 2/19/2026 Today we trace the pipeline from masculine grievance to fascism. We'll hear how ICE agents' own family members describe them as low-IQ bullies chasing signing bonuses, why a former white nationalist explains that the alternative to unpacking discomfort is becoming overtly racist, how incel culture evolved from lonely forums into a MAGA recruitment tool, and what researchers found about why men socialized to equate violence with manhood end up joining state-sanctioned death squads. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: White Men, We Have A Problem - Swolesome - Air Date 1-7-26 KP 2: Do You Get It Now, Ben? - SOME MORE NEWS - Air Date 2-11-26 KP 3: ICE Agents' Own Family Members Expose How They're "Low IQ" and "Racist" Losers - The Humanist Report - Air Date 2-5-26 KP 4: The Terrifying Rise of "Vice Signalling" - JimmyTheGiant - Air Date 1-28-26 KP 5: Who's We? - PissedMagistus - Air Date 1-17-26 KP 6: The Incel to ICE Pipeline (with F.D Signifier and Caroline Kwan) Part 1 - Matt Bernstein - Air Date 2-6-26 (00:49:13) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR The Manosphere Correctly Diagnoses Some Problems but Their Solutions are a Con DEEPER DIVES (01:04:19) SECTION A: FRAGILE MASCULINITY A1: The Patriarchy Is Fracturing… - Dr. Deneen Speaks - Air Date 1-17-26 A2: Are Women Responsible For Fixing Broken Men? - The Speech Prof - Air Date

Air Date 2/15/2026 Today we explore the gap between free speech rhetoric and the reality of arrested reporters. We'll hear how a decade of cancel culture panic over college students gave way to actual government suppression of journalists, why the DOJ is perverting a law designed to fight the Ku Klux Klan to prosecute Black journalists, how the administration that promised to "bring back free speech" is maintaining lists of forbidden words, and what history teaches about humor as a weapon against authoritarianism. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: AG Bondi Confirms FBI Executed Search Warrant at WaPo Reporter's Home - MS Now - Air Date 1-13-26 KP 2: Why Trump Arresting Journalists Is a Sign of Weakness - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-30-26 KP 3: The Justice Department Tries to Prosecute Black Journalists Part 1 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 2-3-26 KP 4: Stars and Stripes in Peril Part 1 - On The Media - Air Date 1-28-26 KP 5: Humor Can Topple Dictators Part 1 - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 10-18-25 KP 6: The Effectiveness of Nonviolent Activism - Inside International Affairs - Air Date 2-28-24 (00:52:02) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On why authoritarians are so afraid of the media DEEPER DIVES (01:02:13) SECTION A: STATE REPRESSION A1: One Authoritarian's Playbook

Air Date: 2-3-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - Trump's Pillars of Support, and plugging into community building & local support networks Ch. 2 - Case studies in success: Avelo Airlines & Spotify and why they matter Ch. 3 - Pressure campaigns at home and abroad and why they are important Ch. 4 - The new cracks in MAGA, and building up the political opposition party we need SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): The second amendment folks' weird moment after ICE murdered Alex Pretti FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES DISCUSSED Why Nonviolent Resistance Doesn't Require Your Opponent to Have a Conscience - Tim Hjersted, Films for Action Think There's Nothing You Can Do to Stop ICE? Think Again. - The Nation Here's How We Pressured an Airline to End Its Contract With ICE - TruthOut Want to Stop ICE? Go After Its Corporate Collaborators. - The Nation CEOs of major Minnesota businesses finally speak out, sign meek call for 'deescalation' - Bring Me The News 'Tariff for Oligarchs': Top Economist Urges Europe to Fight Trump by Punishing US Billionaires - Common Dreams <a href= "http

Air Date 2/10/2026 Today we explore what effective resistance actually looks like. We'll hear why Jamelle Bouie says the panic of those in power signals that opposition is working, what abolitionists teach us about fighting without knowing the ending, and how Minneapolis proved that democratic force can overwhelm physical force. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: What I've Learned From Reading History - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-28-26 KP 2: Five Ways to Fight Trumps Fascism - Robert Reich - Air Date 8-19-25 KP 3: Abolish ICE! No Brainer. Then What? Also, How? - Matthew Cooke - Air Date 1-27-26 KP 4: "They Have Agency In This Moment. They Can Walk Away" - Maria J. Stephan's Message To ICE Officers - The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - Air Date 1-23-26 KP 5: Democrats Need To Change How We Talk About ICE | Kat Abughazaleh For Illinois - Kat Abughazaleh - Air Date 1-26-26 KP 6: Gadgets For People Who Don't Trust The Government - Benn Jordan - Air Date 1-4-26 KP 7: What Does Minnesota Today Tell Us About What Resistance Requires? - Tad Stoermer - Air Date 1-24-26 KP 8: What Is a General Strike (and Why Did the U.S. Outlaw Them) - More Perfect Union - Air Date 5-1-25 KP 9: Elites Shit Themselves as Serious Momentum Builds for a Nationwide General Strike - The Humanist Report - Air Date 1-28-26 KP 10: <a href="https://www.yo

Original Air Date: 8-25-2017 Today we look at the constant struggle between the freedom to speak and the necessary limits placed on that freedom due to the rights of others to not be substantially harmed by that speech Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! Show Notes Ch. 1: WSJ Reports: ACLU Rethinks Defending Hate Groups Protesting with Guns - Wochit News - Air Date 8-17-17 Ch. 2: ACLU Will No Longer Defend Hate Groups Protesting With Firearms - MSNBC Ch. 3: Understanding the line between free speech and hate speech - BackStory - Air Date 8-23-17 Ch. 4: I was a prominent neo-Nazi. Ignoring white extremists is a mistake. - Vox - Air Date 4-14-17 Ch. 5: Nazis Don't Get Free Speech! - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 08-22-17 Ch. 6: Understanding who joins Antifa - Trumpcast from @Slate - Air Date 8-18-17 Ch. 7: How Do We Define Hate Speech? - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 8-21-17 Ch. 8: Antifa: A Look at the Antifascist Movement Confronting White Supremacists in the Streets - @DemocracyNow - Air Date: 08-16-17 Ch. 9: How

Air Date: 01-28-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch 1 - Why it's not actually "fun" to be right too early (despite being called 'insufferable') Ch 2 - The political elites and neoliberals who are frantically changing their tune now that a left-wing populist movement is here Ch 3 - The Cassandras of the Left who knew and tried to warn that Trump would be a fascist Ch 4 - The Anti-Alarmists who stifled the Cassandras warnings Ch 5 - What if we actually listened to the Left next time? SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): That one time progressives were very wrong FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES The Left is Always Right Too Early - Current Affairs Well, It's Time for Populism, They Guess - Slate The Trump Backers Who Have Buyer's Remorse - The Atlantic The Vibe Shifts Against the Right - NY Times The Americans Who Saw All This Coming—but Were Ignored and Maligned - The New Republic The Resistance Libs Were Right - NY Times BACKSTAGE Eugenics: the skeleton that rattles loudest in the left's closet - The Guardian EXTRAS: Hot Dog Car Sketch - I Think You Should Leave CLIP

Air Date 2/1/2026 Today we examine what's actually working against the Trump regime and the role of this year's elections. Unsurprisingly, his own voter fraud investigation just proved him a liar, Democrats are overperforming expectations in House special elections, and Zohran Mamdani's campaign based on having fun in community needs to be a model for every movement against authoritarianism. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Trump Admin's Endless Waste, Fraud, Abuse in Elections Part 1 - The BradCast - Air Date 1-20-26 KP 2: Donald Trump Wants to Cancel the Midterm Elections Part 1 - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-16-26 KP 3: Get Out the Vote with Tom Lopach Part 1 - The Practivist Pod - Air Date 12-4-25 KP 4: Mobilizing the Mamdani Volunteer Army Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 1-12-26 KP 5: Daily Take Is the Post Office About to Decide the 2026 Midterms - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 1-2-26 KP 6: THAT Is A Mandate (feat. Kat Abughazaleh) Part 1 - The Daily Beans - Air Date 11-5-25 KP 7: The Next Socialist In Congress with Claire Valdez Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 1-22-26 (00:55:41) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the role of community and friendship in fighting fascism DEEPER DIVES (01:03:26) SECTION A: IMMIGRATION POLICING A1: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOTYFbPz

Air Date 1/29/2026 Today we examine the collapse of the American-led, rules-based world order (such as it was) in real time. Canada's Prime Minister pointed out that the emperor has no clothes and declared US hegemony over while Europe called Trump's bluff on Greenland... all the more reason why he would prefer a fake "Board of Peace" that he can rule over as a worldwide plutocracy. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: TACO Returns: Trump 'isolated and Humiliated' by Greenland Saga Says Hayes - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 1-21-26 KP 2: Why Trump Just Threatened Canada in Davos | About That - CBC News - Air Date 1-21-26 KP 3: Trump's War on Iran / Davos / Canada-China Relations with Prof. Jiang Xueqin of Predictive History - Reason2Resist with Dimitri Lascaris - Air Date 1-22-26 KP 4: MAGA Empire with Aslı Bâli and Greg Grandin Part 1 - The Dig - Air Date 1-16-26 KP 5: Iran's Protest Movement with Yassamine Mather and Kevan Harris - Jacobin Radio - Air Date 1-20-26 KP 6: Mehdi Reacts to the Intense Debate Over Iran's Protests - Zeteo - Air Date 1-17-26 (00:44:46) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On why an might-makes-right is evil DEEPER DIVES (00:56:10) SECTION A: GREENLAND (OR IS IT ICELAND?) A1: Chris Hayes' Map-based Theory Behind Trumps Greenland Obsession - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 1-14

Re-Air Date: 01–26-26 Original Air Date: 06-09-24 Unless you were a member in June of 2024, this episode of SOLVED! will be brand new to you! If you were a member back then, THANK YOU and this one is worth a re-listen. We're slowing down production for a little bit to reorganize our production processes, so enjoy this episode from our archives (and before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:   - How the media focus on the "politics" of an event trivializes the impact that event has on real people - The detrimental effects combining the daily news grind and the prioritization of profits forces has on news coverage - How keeping news coverage light and ignoring the effects of neoliberalism leaves desperate people vulnerable to fascism - The way history is repeating itself when it comes to news media not treating a demagogue's rhetoric as the emergency it is - The difference between symbolic beliefs vs factual beliefs   FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon   REFERENCES: Why Americans Hate the Media - The Atlantic (1996) The Media Still Doesn't Grasp the Danger of Trump - The Intercept Don't Believe What They're Telling You About Misinformation - The New Yorker   TAKE ACTION: How to Support Minneapolis Communities In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach No Kings Next Steps Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation One Million Rising Trainings Use the <a href="https://5c

Air Date: 1/25/2026 Today we examine education as the battleground for democracy itself. We'll hear how authoritarians erase history to maintain power, why liberal arts colleges don't exist in authoritarian societies, how the administration is punishing universities for their political views, and what the detention of student protesters reveals about the cost of dissent in Trump's America. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Rewriting Reality How the Battle for History Shapes the Future - WhoWhatWhy's Podcasts - Air Date 9-26-24 KP 2: Fighting Fascism with Education - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 9-26-25 KP 3: 'Abandoning' Kids' Futures AFT Pres. Slams Trump Dept. of Education Changes - MS NOW - Air Date 11-19-25 KP 4: 50 Years After the Birth of Special Education, Some Fear for Its Future Under Trump - All Things Considered - Air Date 12-3-25 KP 5: How Trumps Agenda Hurts College Students - Right Now With Perry Bacon - Air Date 11-19-25 KP 6: Trump Set to Garnish Wages for Student Loan Defaults - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-30-25 (00:46:40) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the American and Chinese Cassandras of authoritarianism DEEPER DIVES (00:54:44) SECTION A: EDUCATION AND DEMOCRACY A1: Rewriting Reality How the Battle for History Shapes the Future Part 2 - WhoWhatWhy's Podcasts - Air Date 9-26-24 A

Air Date: 1/21/2026 Today we look at ICE's reign of terror as a paramilitary occupation force and the communities pushing back. We'll hear about Renee Goode, an unarmed woman shot dead by federal agents, and Keith Porter, killed by an off-duty agent on New Year's Eve, in addition to historical parallels from Civil-Rights Era Selma, Alabama and the Boston Massacre. The signs of hope here are that the oppressed won those fights and the oppressors were forced to retreat - there's every reason to believe that the same pattern can repeat today. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: 'We Want This Terror to Stop': Ilhan Omar Calls for ICE to Leave Minnesota - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 1-13-26 KP 2: Peaceful Vs. Violent Resistance — What's the Answer? - The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel - Air Date 1-9-26 KP 3: ICE Is a Way to Deal With Surplus Males - Therese - Air Date 1-9-25 KP 4: How Do You Share a Country With People Who Reject Reality? - Cy Canterel - Air Date 1-12-26 KP 5: Abolish ICE - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-7-26 (00:46:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR From the Boston Massacre to Renee Good: How the State Demonizes Its Victims DEEPER DIVES (00:46:37) SECTION A: IT'S ALWAYS BEEN RACISM A1: Trump Wants To 'Ethnically CLEANSE' America: Rep. Frost to Mehdi - Zeteo - Air Date 12-19-26 A2: Making Sense of This Moment | Explainer - Heather Cox Richardson - Air Date 1-8-26 A3: <a href= "https://www.democracynow.or

Air Date: 01-12-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - Why it's actually NOT a "Male Loneliness Epidemic (TM)" and even the non-crazy male influencers aren't helping Ch. 2 - Why loneliness is better understood by age, and how society has not emotionally equipped men for struggle Ch. 3 - Why American-style capitalism is the root cause of loneliness epidemic and is stranding women and mothers Ch. 4 - Why the solutions for societal loneliness don't align with fascist governments, and calling out those who would rather you stay lonely and buy stuff SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): "Looks Maxing" & our initial thoughts on the invasion of Venezuela" FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES Does Anyone Care That Young Women Are Just as Lonely as Men Are? - Cosmopolitan What Did Men Do to Deserve This? - The New Yorker The male loneliness epidemic is a myth - The Quinnapiac Chronicle Don't blame women for men's loneliness. Blame capitalism - Salon America glorifies what makes it lonely, and women silently pay the price | Opinion - USA Today Unlocking Economic Mobility Through Social Connectedness - Purpose Building Communities America has a loneliness epidemic. Here are 6 steps to address i