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

Air Date 11/7/2025 The United States claiming a divine (and imperialist) right to tamper in the politics of South American countries is nothing new. As is so often the case with Trump, the biggest difference is that he’s doing proudly and in the open what used to be done only shamefully and in secret. 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: What Is Happening with Venezuela & The US EXPLAINER - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 9-8-25 KP 2: Ceasefire in Gaza, The Monroe Doctrine Under Trump, and a US Economy on the Brink of Collapse Part 1 - Red Menace - Air Date 10-14-25 KP 3: Jeffrey Stein on Trumps Boat Attacks, Katya Schwenk on AI Surveillance Pricing Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 10-24-25 KP 4: Bailing on Farmers to Bail Out Argentina: Two to Tango Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 10-6-25 KP 5: Trumps Hegemony Gambit; The Rights Warm Racist Embrace with Jeet Heer Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-1-25 (00:53:59) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the long history of messing with Latin America DEEPER DIVES (00:59:42) SECTION A: HISTORY AND NARRATIVE (01:20:49) SECTION B: MILITARY PRETEXT (01:58:37) SECTION C: US AGGRESSION (02:28:44) SECTION D: REGIONAL ECHOES SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Image of a topographical globe of the Earth, only showing North America and South America. Credit: “Globe-world-earth-planet” by quimono, 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

Re-Air Date: 11–6-25 Unless you were a member in January of 2025, this episode of SOLVED! will be brand new to you! We’re slowing down production for a little bit to reorganize our production processes, so enjoy this episode from our archives (and B.Y: before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES The Year Villainy Won - Wired https://www.wired.com/story/the-year-villainy-won/ Plutocracy Kills - The American Prospect https://prospect.org/2024/12/26/2024-12-26-tkacik-best-of-2024/ Democracy Is Not a Customer Loyalty Program - Jacobin https://jacobin.com/2024/11/political-parties-schumpeter-democracy-liberalism

Air Date 11/4/2025 Elections are always coming up, some sooner than others, so we thought we would take a look at the state of our democracy and what we must do to maintain it in the face of the greatest direct assault on our institutions we've seen in our 250 year 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! KEY POINTS KP 1: Trump 2028? - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 10-29-25 KP 2: Why Im Voting YES On Prop 50 - Robert Reich - Air Date 10-28-25 KP 3: Trumps 'Crowd Control' Plan For Midterm Election Is Real - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 10-27-25 KP 4: Exposing Trumps 2026 Election Mastermind Part 1 - Democracy Docket - Air Date 10-22-25 KP 5: Trump's Predictable Bad Faith on Election Security Gives His Opponents an Advantage - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 10-28-25 KP 6: ‘They’re Spending More Than I’d Tax Them’: Mamdani Slams Mega-donors Funding Cuomo - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 10-28-25 KP 7: What If Zohran Loses? Part 1 - Zaid Tabani - Air Date 10-29-25 KP 8: My Message to Muslim New Yorkers — and Everyone Who Calls This City Home. - Zohran Mamdani for NYC - Air Date 10-24-25 (00:49:12) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the willingness to sound the alarm DEEPER DIVES (00:58:05) SECTION A: MAGA POLITICS (01:25:25) SECTION B: GENERAL POLITICS (02:01:21) SECTION C: PROGRESSIVE POLITICIANS (02:25:17) SECTION D: ZOHRAN MAMDANI SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Close up photo of a “I voted early!” sicker from the City of New York Board of Elections Credit: “I voted early!“ by Eden, Janine and Jim | CC BY 4.0 | Changes: Heavily cropped, slight increased saturation and decreased contrast Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X

Air Date 10/28/2025 As we were looking for episode topics, I came across an article making the case that racism is a real problem in the country and that there were lots of recent examples that proved the point. And I was like, "Racism? In the US?! In Trump's Republican Party?? That doesn't sound like the country I've heard of." (sarcasm) But then we looked into it and it turns out racism is everywhere and also quite bad. (true) 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: Will Supreme Court Gut Voting Rights Act Weaken Electoral Power of Black Americans? - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-16-25 KP 2: 'Kids Telling Edgy Jokes’? Hayes SHREDS Vance’s Defense of Racist GOP Group Chat - All In W/ Chris Hayes - Air Date 10-15-25 KP 3: Capitol Police INVESTIGATING SWASTIKA FLAG Found in REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMANS DC Office! - Jesse Dollemore - Air Date 10-16-25 KP 4: Racism Is the Policy: Here's 10 Months of Receipts - The Keith Boykin Channel - Air Date 10-15-25 KP 5: TheGrio Daily, Michael Harriot - Systemic Racism Explained - Air Date 4-22-24 KP 6: The Racist Origins of US Law - PBS Origins - Air Date 8-6-20 KP 7: ‘A Very Dangerous Theory:’ MAGA’s Mask-off Racist Vision of America - Velshi - Air Date 9-7-25 (00:50:25) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On how you CANNOT purchase your happiness with the misery of others DEEPER DIVES (00:56:12) SECTION A: HISTORICAL CONTEXT (01:36:52) SECTION B: WHITE LASH (02:04:02) SECTION C: SYSTEMIC RACISM (02:50:39) SECTION D: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: 1970s poster that says “Racism Chains Both” with an image of a black person’s hand and a white person’s hand both in connected shackles. Credit: “Racism chains both Hugo Gellert artist” via Library of Congress Public Domain Archive Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!

Air Date 10/25/2025 Trump's attacks on free speech, particularly with the use of the Federal Communications Commission, goes far beyond the Jimmy Kimmel story. We're in the middle of an all-out assault on freedom of speech, a free and unbiased press, and freedom of association. 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: FCC's Anna Gomez & Axios' Sara Fischer - Axios - Air Date 9-19-25 KP 2: Bari Weiss, CBS News, And The Conservative Media Takeover - Lever Time - Air Date 10-9-25 KP 3: Trumps Horrifying Plan to Destroy Free Speech W/ Ken Klippenstein - Current Affairs - Air Date 10-10-25 KP 4: ‘They’ll Be Others’: Trump THREATENS More Indictments of Foes After Comey - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 9-26-25 KP 5: Is ANTIFAscism Really a Violent Extremist Movement? - Matthew Cooke - Air Date 10-14-25 (00:48:56) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On 'Working the Refs' DEEPER DIVES (00:53:51) SECTION A: ANTIFA (01:15:09) SECTION B: POLITICAL ENEMIES (01:53:02) SECTION C: FREE SPEECH (02:29:52) SECTION D: MEDIA TAKEOVER (02:52:28) SECTION E: MOCKING THE FACISTS SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Black and white version of the official portrait of FCC Chair Brendan Carr with the list of words banned by the Trump administration in red over his face. Credit: Internal composite design. | Carr official portrait via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. 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

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 10/19/2025 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: 10–15-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon 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 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! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!

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: 10–5-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: 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...

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!) Join our Discord community! PART 1: THE HOME FRONT CRUMBLES (00:01:50) #1739 The Charlie Kirk Assassination and the Plans to Weaponize It (00:22:18) #1736 Not the Opposition Party the Country Needs Right Now (00:40:43) #1728 The Lawfare Presidency: The Case of Trump v. Journalism (01:02:37) #1731 Raw Power, the Presidency, the Courts, and Democracy in the Balance 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) (01:43:50) #1733 The Impossible Promise of Make American Healthy Again: MAHA vs MAGA (02:04:58) #1730 The Axis of the Dark Personality Triad: Unfit Leaders and the Suffering They Cause PART 3: THE WORLD BURNS (02:26:54) #1735 Trump's Making Friends of Enemies and Enemies of Neighbors (Foreign and Domestic Wars) (02:51:27) #1738 Escalations: Russia, Israel, And What We Are Allowed to Say About It PART 4: RESISTANCE DESPITE FRAGMENTATION (03:15:52) #1737 State of the Resistance: Labor, Anger, and Knowing That We've Been Here Before (03:39:51) #1734 Where is the Revolutionary, Anti-Fascist Art? 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: 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 |...