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Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Expertly-curated progressive politics, news, and culture produced by leftist humans, not algorithms or AI. This is an award-winning podcast that dives deeply into a wide range of national and international issues facing society and governments. We draw from hundreds of sources of progressive news and commentary. Est. 2006. Save time by listening to a range of perspectives on a focused topic in each episode and be introduced to new sources you will not have come across on your own!
- 3503 - #1669 Private Equity: The worst of capitalism, amplified
Air Date 11/12/2024
It's easy enough to look into one industry at a time to see what's going wrong, but today we're looking at what is so often lurking in the background of higher prices, lower quality goods and services, and, ultimately, many failing businesses: Private Equity.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Why Does Everyone Hate Private Equity? - The Plain Bagel - Air Date 9-20-24
KP 2: How Private Equity Consumed America - Wendover Productions - Air Date 5-7-24
KP 3: How private equity conquered America - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 3-1-24
KP 5: BlackRock: The Conspiracies You Don’t Know - More Perfect Union - Air Date 9-15-24
(48:16) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On getting through this together
DEEPER DIVES
(53:11) SECTION A - HOW IT WORKS
(1:30:42) SECTION B - POWER
(2:03:28) SECTION C - SOLUTIONS
SHOW IMAGE
Description: The words “Private Equity” are typed out on paper on a clipboard, surrounded by $20 and $100 bills and a pair of glasses.
Credit: “Private Equity” by Nick Youngson, Pix4free.org | License: CC BY-SA 3.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 12 Nov 2024 - 2h 32min - 3502 - You Might Also Like: Smart Talks with IBMTue, 12 Nov 2024
- 3501 - #1668 We Are Going Back: Team post-election analysis
Air Date 11/8/2024
The Best of the Left team holds a special post-election discussion available to all listeners to present the initial takes on the election as well as our own reactions and suggestions for how to move forward.
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To hear all of our team discussion episodes, become a member!
A few worthwhile reads that gave inspiration for some of our discussion:
Democrats Blow Their Chance to Block Trump’s Resurgence - The Intercept (Discussing the Genocide in Gaza)
Harris and the Democrats Committed to a Rightward Lurch — and Lost Big Time - Truthout (Courting moderate Republicans)
Donald Trump’s Second Term Is Joe Biden’s Real Legacy - The New Yorker
I’m a Gen Z man. Here’s why so many of my peers supported Donald Trump - Fast Company (Revenge of the Bros)
This Time We Have to Hold the Democratic Party Elite Responsible for This Catastrophe - The Nation
10 Ways We Can Prepare for Another Trump Presidency - Truthout
Fri, 08 Nov 2024 - 1h 25min - 3499 - #1667 Billionaires and Ballots: The Best Democracy Money Can Buy
Air Date 11/5/2024
There's big money in politics, and then there's 2024. The role and influence of billionaires have taken on new shapes and patterns as the threat of fascism has made itself undeniably known. From the candidate and campaigners to those acquiescing to the mere threat of power, billionaires are everywhere you look at this election season.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Why Elon Musk Went Full MAGA - Reveal - Air Date 10-30-24
KP 2: Elon Musks War on Workers - 5-4 - Air Date 10-29-24
KP 3: Elon Musk Is SO Bad At This - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-3-24
KP 7: How Trump could steal the election - Today, Explained - Air Date 10-29-24
(00:54:26.000) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how to feel about the road ahead
DEEPER DIVES
(00:59:57.000) SECTION A - DEMOCRACY DYING IN DAYLIGHT
A2: TYT Explodes Over Calling Trump 'Fascist' - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-1-24
(01:17:32.000) SECTION B - ACTUAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE
(01:39:40.000) SECTION C - ELON MUSK THE BILLIONAIRE
(02:04:16.000) SECTION D - TRUMP THE FASCIST
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 05 Nov 2024 - 2h 38min - 3498 - #1666 The Holy War Against America: The New Apostolic Reformation, Opus Dei, Evangelicals, Christian Nationalists, and the Worship of Donald Trump
Air Date 11/2/2024
The cult of Trump isn't just about Trump, it's religion and patriarchy reacting to a moment of global economic and climactic instability. But those organizing the religious right aren't just reacting to their environment, they've also been planning for a very long time.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation - Ideas - Air Date 10-18-24
KP 3: MAGA's 'Young Male Voter' Plan Hits Bottom Of The Barrel - The Majority Report - Air Date 10-22-24
KP 7: Unfcking Flashback The American Propaganda Machine. - UNFTR - Air Date 10-12-24
(54:31) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On susceptibility to manipulation
DEEPER DIVES
(59:43) SECTION A - THE MOVEMENT
(1:18:09) SECTION B - TRUMP AND ELECTION
(1:36:04) SECTION C - PATRIARCHY AND RACE
(1:55:36) SECTION D - AMERICAN CHRISTIAN
SHOW IMAGE
Description: A woman with blonde hair wears a Trump campaign flag as a cape while praying on her knees with both arms in the air.
Credit: “Fascism Worship”, 2016, by Johnny Silvercloud, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Increased brightness and contrast
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Sat, 02 Nov 2024 - 2h 14min - 3496 - Bonus Edition #326 Marketing: The Dirty Public Restroom of the Internet
Air Date: 10-31-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - How neoliberalism is fucking up renewable energy transitions - Marketing and why the viral Stanley Cup never should have gone viral - How big tech is heavily surveilling school kids without any oversight - How the fossil fuel industry has infiltrated higher education
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REFERENCES: Germany’s Green Transition Is Faltering
This $23 Stanley Cup Accessory Fixes Your Biggest Complaint About the Tumbler
How the ex-marketing whiz behind Crocs helped turn Stanley into the "it" cup
How the Stanley Cup Went Viral
School Surveillance Earns Tech Companies Billions. Students Pay the Price.
Here’s How the Fossil Fuel Industry Infiltrates and Influences Higher Education
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Thu, 31 Oct 2024 - 20min - 3494 - #1665 The GOP Is A Grift And Was Long Before Trump
Air Date 10/29/2024
Trump has only come close to perfecting the grift of the American conservative, he certainly didn't invent the strategy. Today we look at some current and past grifts and explore why they work.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: The "Dirtbag of the Internet" and Trump's Crypto Project - Bloomberg Technology - Air Date 9-13-24
KP 4: Down the Rabbit Hole w/ Naomi Klein - The Dig - Air Date 10-8-24
KP 5: Media Literacy Can't Save Us Part 1 - Dummy - Air Date 10-7-24
KP 6: How did grifters like Trump take over the GOP? - The Bunker - Air Date 9-25-24
(48:03) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the scam of political fundraising
DEEPER DIVES
(56:06) SECTION A - GRIFT
A1: Russell Brand Has A New Grift - Novara Media - Air Date 10-16-24
A2: GRIFTER-CON Morons Did Not Disappoint - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 10-1-24
A3: Russell Brand And The Conspiracy Grift - Media Matters - Air Date 1-2-24
A4: Some Grifters Who Finally Faced Consequences – SOME MORE NEWS -Air Date 9-25-24
(1:28:27) SECTION B - SCAMS
(1:50:18) SECTION C - CONSPIRACY
(2:19:48) SECTION D - MISINFORMATION
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Graphic showing a large pile of triangular warning signs with the word “SCAM” inside.
Credit: “traffic-signs-attention-notice” by Gerald, Pixabay | License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 29 Oct 2024 - 2h 58min - 3492 - #1543 Capitalism doesn't live up to the hype (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 2/14/20223
Today, we take a look at some origins, alternatives and misunderstandings of capitalism from the Dutch East India Company, to Adam Smith and up through the planned obsolescence and marketing that have tricked us all into working far harder than necessary while failing to make us happy.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Indigenous Economics with Tyson Yunkaporta (In Conversation) - Upstream - Air Date 11-10-21
Ch. 3: We don't understand Capitalism. Part One - UNFTR - Air Date 1-27-23
Ch. 4: Your Work Is Not Your Worth - OFF-KILTER with Rebecca Vallas - Air Date 10-21-22
Ch. 5: We don't understand Capitalism. Part Two. - UNFTR - Air Date 1-27-23
Ch. 6: Economics for a New Year - Economic Update with Richard Wolff - Air Date 1-19-23
Ch. 7: Indigenous Economics with Tyson Yunkaporta (In Conversation) Part 2 - Upstream - Air Date 11-10-21
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 25 Oct 2024 - 59min - 3490 - #1664 All That Gets Wrongly Blamed on Immigrants: Lies about the economy, crime, election integrity, Social Security, and more!
Air Date 10/22/2024
This is your one-stop reference guide to every issue that is being wrongly blamed on immigrants as the Trump campaign rhetoric turns evermore fascist and xenophobic.
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KEY POINTS
KP 3: The Real Reason Trump Is Demonizing Immigrants - The Lever - Air Date 10-11-24
KP 4: 'Villains nor victims' Why immigration is good for our economy - Velshi - Air Date 6-2-24
KP 6: Prof Richard Wolff A FUTURE WITHOUT FEAR OF IMMIGRANTS - The Zero Hour - Air Date 10-12-24
(38:04) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Giving a quick list of immigration lies
DEEPER DIVES
(42:07) SECTION A - MIS/DISINFORMATION
A1: How is Trump winning the US immigration debate - Anywhere but Washington - Air Date 10-10-24
(50:26) SECTION B - REALITY CHECK
(1:08:30) SECTION C - OTHERING
(1:26:35) SECTION D - SOLUTIONS
SHOW IMAGE CREDIT
Description: Trump, with a serious expression, stands at a lectern and points out into the crowd.
Credit: “Donald Trump” by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 22 Oct 2024 - 1h 40min - 3488 - Bonus Edition #325 A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing
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Air Date: 10-20-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Yet another GOP animal abuse horror - Why weather machine conspiracy theories took off so easily - The questionable UAE organization trying to control rain with cloud seeding - Why more extreme weather isn't swaying certain voters on climate change - Talking about climate change through a patriotic lens - Bonus Segment: The surprising origins of Don't Mess with Texas
REFERENCES: New NRA Chief Once Tortured a Cat to Death
MTG Implies Dems Created Hurricane Helene: ‘They Can Control the Weather’
The New Gods of Weather Can Make Rain on Demand—or So They Want You to Believe
Extreme Weather Has Had a Surprising Impact on Voters’ Attitudes About Climate Change
Kamala Harris Framed Climate Action as a Patriotic Duty. New Research Shows Why That’s Effective.
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 20 Oct 2024 - 21min - 3486 - #1491 Mismanaging Capitalism Can Lead to Fascism (Inflation and the Working Class)(Throwback)
Original Air Date: 5/27/2022
Today we take a look at the disruptions to society that can unfold in times of economic distress such as high inflation, price gouging, wage stagnation and income inequality as well as some policy ideas for turning things around.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 2: You Are Being Lied to About Inflation - Robert Reich - Air Date 2-28-22
Ch. 9: Elon Musk’s Billionaire Games - The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - Air Date 5-7-22
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 18 Oct 2024 - 1h 13min - 3484 - #1663 Recovering from Disaster(ous) Policy Amid Disinformation: Hurricanes and Wild Fires at the forefront of our climate emergency
Air Date 10/15/2024
Just as COVID tended to expose the preexisting fractures and inequalities in our society causing undue harm, supercharged by disinformation, so do natural disasters. And the impact of disinformation and conspiracy has only grown in recent years.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Election Denials, Asheville, Israel & Inequality. - Unf*cking The Republic - Air Date 10-25-24
KP 2: Meteorologist Guy Walton on Hurricane Milton's threat to Florida - The Bradcast - Air Date 10-8-24
(54:00) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how to work with distrust in government
DEEPER DIVES
(58:58) SECTION A - NATURAL DISASTERS
(1:09:28) SECTION B - INTERSECTIONAL ISSUES
(1:31:26) SECTION C - POLITICS
(1:45:45) SECTION D: TRUMP AND DISINFORMATION
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Watercolor-style illustration of people of all abilities on a Main St. with houses and trees, and smaller groups of people sitting together.
Credit: “ai generated inclusion community” by Franz26, Pixabay | License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 15 Oct 2024 - 2h 21min - 3482 - Bonus Edition #324 The Mess Joe Made
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Air Date: 10-14-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - A member voicemail about autopilot cars - Some call backs, including JD Vance being unsurprisingly weird with his dog - The frustrating shift in the Kamala Harris campaign - Biden's continuous blundering of Israel's war on Gaza - The historical precedent for Harris to depart from Biden on Israel war policy ASAP
REFERENCES: Finally, The New York Times Is Getting Real About Trump's Mental...Status
An Entirely Necessary Investigation Into JD Vance's Relationship With His Dog, Atlas
Professional Dog Walkers Aren’t Sure JD Vance Has Ever Walked—or Even Met—His Dog Before
Kamala Harris Is Taking a Big Risk by Playing It Safe
Joe Biden Chose This Catastrophic Path Every Step of the Way
Netanyahu Doesn't Care About His Friendship With Biden
Biden Gives Shocking Answer on Potential Israeli Election Interference
Biden May Be the President Who Kills the Two-State Solution
Biden’s Gaza policy is a liability for Kamala Harris. She must break with Biden now
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Mon, 14 Oct 2024 - 19min - 3480 - #1662 Renewing the Nuclear Age: Weapons, Energy, Climate Mitigation, and Risk
Air Date 10/11/2024
Humans insatiable need for increasing amounts of energy and our tendency to want to at least have the option to wipe entire populations off the map has led to a renewed age of risks related to nuclear power, nuclear weapons, nuclear waste, and nuclear fallout.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Can clean energy handle the AI boom? - Vox - Air Date 10-1-24
KP 2: Why Nuclear Energy Is On The Verge Of A Renaissance - CNBC - Air Date 6-7-22
KP 3: Is Nuclear Energy the solution? - Our Changing Climate - Air Date 5-10-19
KP 6: Are we facing a new nuclear arms race? - This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler - Air Date 9-17-24
(47:23) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the nature of humans and energy use
DEEPER DIVES
(54:59) SECTION A - ENERGY
(1:31:22) SECTION B - CLIMATE
(1:56:40) SECTION C - RISK
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: A photo of two, active nuclear power plant towers on the bank of a river at sunset.
Credit: “nuclear power plant, Rhine, flow” by distelAPPArath, Pixabay | License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Sat, 12 Oct 2024 - 2h 32min - 3478 - To See Each Other: A Beloved Nursing Home
Presenting an episode of 'To See Each Other,' a show that complicates the narrative about small town Americans in our most misunderstood, and often abandoned, communities. This season, host George Goehl travels to Lincoln County, Wisconsin to follow a small town battle for the last remaining public nursing home in the community. It’s a heart-pounding roller coaster of a fight - in a swing state that could determine the election. Over the course of the show, a universal truth emerges: That in every complicated set of politics, when we refuse to give up on each other, we can build a better future.
You can listen to more episodes of To See Each Other at https://link.chtbl.com/toseeeachother?sid=bestoftheleft
Thu, 10 Oct 2024 - 31min - 3476 - #1661 Immigration is Actively Good for the Country Unless You're Racist
Air Date 10/8/2024
Immigration dominates our politics in the worst way because one side benefits from lying about it and the other can't get their messaging together to create an effective rebuttal. Opposing immigration and stoking blatantly racist arguments doesn't just make the right bad or unsavory, it also makes them wrong on literally all of the facts.
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KEY POINTS
KP 4: Did Donald TRUMP Make Germany RACIST Again - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 9-27-24
KP 6: Trump's rhetoric on immigrants gets even darker - The ReidOut - Air Date 9-27-24
(55:21) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On what Democrats need to do on immigration messaging
Articles:
The Democrats’ Shameful, Foolish Surrender on Immigration
Kamala Harris Needs to Meet the Moment and Reframe Our Poisonous Immigration Debate
DEEPER DIVES
(1:01:12) SECTION A - DISINFORMATION
(1:14:11) SECTION B - WHITE SUPREMACY
(1:37:38) SECTION C - LATINO ANTI-IMMIGRATION VIEWS
SHOW IMAGE CREDIT
Description: A stenciled image on a metal trailer structure shows the words “I stand with immigrants” in the shape of a rectangle.
Credit: “Stand with immigrants” by Quinn Dombrowski, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Added lower metal space and increased contrast.
Tue, 08 Oct 2024 - 2h 00min - 3474 - Bonus Sample #323 Solving Antisemitism
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 10-7-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The Today Show's take on viral phenom Moo Deng - The GOP's obsession with killing animals - How the media made a mess of Rashida Tlaib's comments and missed the key point - How some Nazi language is infiltrating left wing spaces & what to do about it - How to solve antisemitism
REFERENCES: Meet Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippo taking the internet by storm
How the GOP Became the Party of Pet Slaughter
Anatomy of a Smear Campaign Against Rashida Tlaib
Fact-check: Tlaib did not say Nessel charged pro-Palestinian protesters because she’s Jewish
Normalizing Nazi Rhetoric Won’t Further the Goal of Palestinian Liberation
A Leftist Analysis of Antisemitism
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Mon, 07 Oct 2024 - 21min - 3473 - #1660 Criminalizing Pregnancy: The high cost in health, freedom, and even lives of the campaign to keep people pregnant.
Air Date 10/4/2024
When women's value is seen only in relation to their ability to bear and raise children, you get policies that strip them of the right to choose whether that is something they actually want for themselves - the lived consequences are devastating.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Where Did MAGA's 'Post-Birth' Abortion Claim Come From? - NowThis Impact - Air Date 9-12-24
KP 3: Woman Shares 'Trauma' of Abortion Bans During Senate Hearing - NowThis Impact - Air Date 9-24-24
KP 6: Texas Republicans ARE KILLING WOMEN!!! - Brittany Page - Air Date 9-26-24
KP 7: Everyone Loves Someone Who's Had an Abortion - The Defenders - Air Date 12-30-23
(48:52) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the further demands for reproductive justice
Articles:
We Need Better Than a Return to the Roe Status Quo
National Abortion Rights Groups Have the Wrong Priorities for Our Movement
Abortion Access Right Now Fund
DEEPER DIVES
(56:49) SECTION A: THE CASUALTIES
(1:32:58) SECTION B: RELIGION
(2:00:00) SECTION C: THE PUNISHMENT IS THE POINT
(2:26:03) SECTION D: BLACK WOMEN
(2:42:41) SECTION E: THE PUSHBACK
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: A protestor holds a hand-painted sign that says “Justices Lie. Women Die!” with a drawing of a coat hanger.
Credit: “220503_RoeVWade_Rally_Pittsburgh-100103” by Mark Dixon, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0
Fri, 04 Oct 2024 - 3h 20min - 3471 - #1659 Conflagration Through Escalation: Israel expands the war to Lebanon to defend their ongoing genocide in Gaza
Air Date 10/1/2024
There's still no end in sight to Israel's war on its neighbors and the US continues its toothless efforts to de-escalate while maintaining seemingly unconditional support in spite of standing laws that should prevent our sale of weapons to any country committing war crimes - which Israel certainly it.
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KEY POINTS
(55:08) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the ease of misunderstanding when discussing Israel
Article: A Leftist Analysis of Antisemitism - Jacobin
DEEPER DIVES
(1:01:15) SECTION A: STATE TERRORISM
(1:27:44) SECTION B: GLOBAL COMPLICITY
(2:00:10) SECTION C: PROTESTS AND INDOCTRINATION
(2:14:13) SECTION D: RESISTANCE
SHOW IMAGE CREDIT
Description: A black and white photo of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu making a speech with the flags of Israel and the United States behind him.
Credit: “Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III participates in a joint press briefing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, April 12, 2021” by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jack Sanders / U.S. Secretary of Defense, Wikimedia Commons | License: Public Domain
Tue, 01 Oct 2024 - 2h 34min - 3469 - Bonus Sample #322 Things That Go Vroom
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 9-29-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Why Cards Against Humanity is fighting Elon Musk - How car-related deaths have soared in the US - How partial automation tech in cars is making driving more dangerous - Why truck bloat(or C.O.U.S.s, if you prefer)is deadly - Surveillance CARpitalism that will blow your mind - The electric school bus fleets sweeping the nation - The fratzonic sound of the electric Dodge Charger
REFERENCES: "Cards Against Humanity Sues Elon Musk’s SpaceX “With Great Vengeance and Furious Anger” For Trespassing"
"Cards Against Humanity Sues Elon Musk for 15 million dollars"
The Stubborn Problem of Cars Killing People
Tesla and Volvo drivers using partial automation tech were studied. Here are the results
The US finally takes aim at truck bloat
It’s Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy
Electric school buses are the future we deserve
Here’s what the new Dodge Charger Daytona’s fake engine sounds like
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 29 Sep 2024 - 18min - 3467 - #1658 Pileup on the Information Superhighway: Information Dispensation in the Age of Deep Doubt
Air Date 9/27/2024
Let's just say that it's not a coincidence that right-wing authoritarians are on the rise at the same time as people around the world are having a harder time than ever figuring out what's true. That said, society is beginning to fight back.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-project-2025-will-lay-groundwork-for-second-term
KP 3: Streaming is Changing Politics...Is That A Good Thing? - Wisecrack - Air Date 9-20-24
KP 4: YouTube and the Death of Media Literacy - Zoe Bee - Air Date 9-2-24
KP 5: A Citizen's Guide to Disinformation - TechTank - Air Date 9-3-24
KP 6: Enshittification Part 3: Saving The Internet - On the Media - Air Date 5-19-23
(45:53) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On bad media diets and brain worms
Article: Welcome to the Era of ‘Deep Doubt’
DEEPER DIVES
(54:23) SECTION A: SOCIAL MISINFORMATION
(1:23:18) SECTION B: LIVE BY THE ALGORITHM
(1:55:54) SECTION C: SOLUTIONS
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Graphic of two profiles back to back, one red, one blue. A white question mark is in the middle.
Credit: “face-question mark-disoriented” by geralt| License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Fri, 27 Sep 2024 - 2h 30min - 3465 - #1657 Modeling Positive Masculinity: Between Tim Walz and the Manosphere, boys are looking for guidance
Air Date 9/24/2024
The positive dad vibes of Tim Walz came onto the national scene in the middle of an ongoing crisis of masculinity that stretches from the youngest generations to the oldest. Both positive and negative aspects of masculinity tie in with the general election, basically divided right down the partisan line, and the next generation of voters (not to mention humans) are often feeling stuck between the two with insufficient guidance from the men in their lives.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Are Men Okay – SOME MORE NEWS - Air Date 5-22-24
KP 3: Dating Amid Gender Differences in Politics - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 7-30-24
KP 5: We Love Some BDE Part 2 - Big Dad Energy - Dear Old Dads - Air Date 8-23-24
KP 7: That's My Gus Walz - Dear Old Dads - Air Date 8-30-24
(54:39) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the 3 top takeaways on and for boys and men
Article: CONSIDER THE BOOR
DEEPER DIVES
(1:00:56) SECTION A: TIM WALZ
(1:17:49) SECTION B: JD VANCE BRANDED MASCULINITY
(1:41:18) SECTION C: THE FALL OUT OF STOICISM
(1:46:43) SECTION D: DATING LIFE
(2:07:48) SECTION E: SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
SHOW IMAGE CREDIT
Description: Image of a man in a flannel shirt in free fall against a gray cloud background.
Credit: “man-fall” by Pexels | License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Tue, 24 Sep 2024 - 2h 19min - 3463 - Bonus Sample #321 Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 9-23-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Musk's latest - J.D. Vance's war on truth and brown people - The super villains who spread lies - Sane Washing Trump - Correcting the Left - Right-wing lies as a matter of course
REFERENCES: Musk Claims ‘Joke’ About Assassinating Harris Was Funnier in Person
J.D. Vance’s War on American Life Starts in Springfield
JD Vance Thinks He Can Sell His Nationalism With Cat Memes
J.D. Vance’s Admission Shouldn’t Shock You—They’ve Done This for Years
How the Media Sanitizes Trump’s Insanity
Trump Has Not Been ‘Sane-Washed’
The Sound of One MAGA Attacking (Retracted)
“He’s one of us”: Trump defends political violence against the press, while the press remains silent
Man arrested at Trump rally in Pa. wanted to hang a protest banner, police say
How Right-Wingers Manufacture Scandal
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Mon, 23 Sep 2024 - 20min - 3461 - #1550 Red States, Where Democracy Goes to Die and Terrible Legislation is Born (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 3/21/2023
Today, we take a look at how GOP-controlled states are subverting democracy with a form of "competitive autocracy" and some of the horrifying legislation these states then pass after they are no longer subject to the opinions of the general public.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 2: Republicans Are Staging A Legislative Coup - More Perfect Union - Air Date 1-5-22
Ch. 4: The Fight for Fair Maps - The Takeaway - Air Date 7-18-22
Ch. 5: Failing (Red)States - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 3-4-23
Ch. 10: How Moore v. Harper Could Reshape Democracy - The Takeaway - Air Date 12-8-22
Ch. 13: Tennessee legislator shocks with lynching suggestion - Alex Wagner Tonight - Air Date 3-3-23
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 15: Final comments on how to fix the states
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Sat, 21 Sep 2024 - 1h 04min - 3459 - Bonus Sample #320 Calculated Misery
Air Date: 9-19-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - the fallout from the debate, Trump's lies, and how his incoherence is being sanitized - The inadequacy of workplace protections, even in unionized shops - how worker stress and consumer misery are actually features, not bugs - the hope of Philosopher Obama and Trump's Power of Positivity® - people's need to feel like they're getting their money's worth at the expense of all else
REFERENCES: UPS Drivers Won “Historic Heat Protections.” They Say the Company Hasn’t Lived Up to That Promise
In Fast Food, Worker Stress Is the Business Model
Why Airlines Want to Make You Suffer
Barack Obama Is the Last American Transcendentalist
The True Source of Trump’s Delusions: The Gospel of Positive Thinking
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Wed, 18 Sep 2024 - 14min - 3457 - #1656 How Far He Will Go: Election lies, intimidation, interference, insurrection
Air Date 9/17/2024
It's not just the threat of the electoral college handing the presidency to the loser of the popular vote, nor the specter of a repeat of a January 6th-like event hanging over the election - there's also copious lies and disinformation including a new and improved nazi-to-Republican-talking-point-pipeline, and fresh new intimidation and voter suppression tactic experiments underway in the laboratories of democracy.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Trump Admits He Lost 2020 Election?!? - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 9-5-24
KP 4: What Does “Election Interference” Even Mean Anymore? - The Political Scene Podcast - Air Date 9-4-24
KP 7: Republicans caught in BOMBSHELL lie - Brian Tyler Cohen - Air Date 9-9-24
(49:26) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On what puts democracies at risk
DEEPER DIVES
(1:01:09) SECTION A: INTIMIDATION
(1:15:27) SECTION B: INTERFERENCE
(1:54:14) SECTION C: LIES
(2:08:49) SECTION D: ELECTION INTEGRITY
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Photo of a woman holding a sign above her head that says “Voting Rights are Human Rights”. She is wearing a bucket hat that says “Good Trouble.”
Credit: “210828 - voting rights-6” by Johnny Silvercloud | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Tue, 17 Sep 2024 - 2h 33min - 3455 - #1655 A Pivotal Moment for Big Tech, Both Old and New: Google Search, the A.I. Boom, Antitrust, and Regulation
Air Date 9/13/2024
We've been living through the modern equivalent of the oil boom, back when poking a hole in the ground would make one of the world's most valuable substances, upon which entire economies would be built. But in our case, it's not oil, it's data. Now we are at a pivotal moment as the old unchallenged master of data, Google, has been found guilty of illegal anti-competitive behavior at the same time as generative AI companies are in a new desperate rush to stake claims on every last piece of data they can find.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: The New Colonialism of Big Tech - Andrewism - Air Date 9-3-24
KP 4: This Moment in AI How We Got Here and Where Were Going - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 8-12-24
KP 5: Newsoms AI dilemma To sign or not to sign - POLITICO Tech - Air Date 9-6-24
KP 6: At Last Big Tech's Free Ride May Be Over - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 9-4-24
(1:00:18) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On a possible future for humanity
DEEPER DIVES
(1:07:35) SECTION A: THE THREAT
(1:20:31) SECTION B: BIG TECH LOBBYING
(1:39:26) SECTION C: REGULATION
(1:56:17) SECTION D: THINKING THROUGH SOLUTIONS
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Photo of a giant wall-sized screen displaying data numbers and a hand touching a finger to it.
Credit: “ai analyzing data” via mimpori01, Pixabay | Pixabay License
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 13 Sep 2024 - 2h 06min - 3453 - #1654 Demographics of Democracy: Decoding cohorts of voters that will decide the election (Updated)
Air Date 9/10/2024
It's said that we live in a melting pot here in the United States. Perhaps it's more of a salad bar, who knows? In any case, there are a lot of people coming from a lot of different backgrounds, cultures, histories, and geographies all about to vote in a few weeks. Today, we try to understand, at least roughly, how people’s backgrounds influence their vote.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: The Gender Gap Is Widening In The 2024 Election - What A Day - Air Date 9-4-24
KP 4: What Will Black Male Voters Do In 2024? - AJ+ - Air Date 7-7-24
KP 6: How Michigan explains American politics - Vox - Air Date 1-11-24
(50:47) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the nature of demographic cohorts and the movement of the Democratic Party
DEEPER DIVES
(57:01) SECTION A: THE MIXED BAG
(1:28:15) SECTION B: LATINO AND BLACK VOTERS
(2:03:35) SECTION C: WHITE AND RURAL VOTERS
SHOW IMAGE
Description: A composite image showing red and blue silhouettes of men and women yelling at each other, two with megaphones. A faded diptych of V.P. Harris and D. Trump are in the background.
Credit: Composite Design: A. Hoffman.
Photo 1: “Kamala Harris” by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, faded
Photo 2: “Donald Trump” by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, faded
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Thu, 12 Sep 2024 - 2h 29min - 3449 - Bonus Sample #319 If you can't stand the heat, someone will profit from your misery
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 9-8-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - labor unions fighting for time off when it's too hot - cooling tech - electric trains - and the corporations running our national parks into the ground
REFERENCES: Greek Unions Want Paid Time Off When It’s Too Hot to Work
To keep workers going in the heat, companies try fledgling cooling tech
Please Do Not Make Fun of My Neck Fan
Is the US finally getting all-aboard with electric trains?
Yosemite National Park Is a Mess
Aramark Stock Hits All-Time High Amid Triple-Digit Profit Growth
OpenAI won’t watermark ChatGPT text because its users could get caught
The Case for Public Rail Ownership
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 08 Sep 2024 - 19min - 3447 - #1653 Money-N-Politics: SuperPACS, Crypto, Billionaires, and Public Funding of Elections
Air Date 9/6/2024
We're living in the world that dark money in politics and Citizen's United built. But since that Supreme Court ruling in 2010, we've invented cryptocurrency that promises to be a brand new source of opacity and financial power built on smoke and mirrors.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Steve Macek on Dark Money - CounterSpin - Air Date 8-23-24
KP 2: Why Big Money Supports Trump - Robert Reich - Air Date 8-27-24
KP 4: Silicon Valley's Impact on the 2024 Elections - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 7-31-24
KP 5: Dem Donors Want Harris To Bail On Biden's Best Decision - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-29-24
KP 8: We need to move to the public funding of elections - Bernie Sanders - Air Date 8-29-24
(49:16) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the changing sense of urgency to address money in politics
DEEPER DIVES
(52:47) SECTION A: THE SYSTEM
A1: Trump and the Billionaires Part 2 - The Socialist Program with Brian Becker - Air Date 7-16-24
A2: Steve Macek on Dark Money Part 2 - CounterSpin - Air Date 8-23-24
(1:10:02) SECTION B: FUNDING REPUBLICANS
(1:26:54) SECTION C: FUNDING DEMOCRATS
(1:34:05) SECTION D: SOLUTIONS
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: A composite image showing a Bitcoin in front of a pile of US cash, and a dark American flag in the background.
Credit: Composite Design: A. Hoffman. Photo 1: “Cash on table” via Pexels | License | Photo 2: American flag via Pixabay | License
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 06 Sep 2024 - 1h 41min - 3445 - #1219 How the GOP became the most destructive force in the world (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 10/16/2018
Today we take a look at the distant and recent history of conservatism in America and beyond and follow the steps that have led to their rejection of science at a moment in history when it has never been more critical to heed the warnings of scientists
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Corey Robin on the right from Burke to Trump - Jacobin Radio (@jacobinmag) - Air Date 12-3-17
Corey Robin on the Right from Burke to Trump. While most people on the Left fear and demonize the Right, they aren't interested in its ideas. Robin, however, takes them very seriously and analyzes their ideas for us.
The state of the conservative movement and where it goes from here.
Ch. 3: Kurt Andersen: How religion turned American politics against science - Big Think - Air Date 1-18-28
In the last 30 years, religion has radicalized American politics and seriously harmed the perception of science, says journalist and author Kurt Andersen. This can be directly tied to the rise of the Christian Right in the 20th century.
Ch. 4: The fall of family values - Past/Present - Air Date 6-25-18
Explaining how we came to the end of “family values” conservatism
Take action! Click the title and/or scroll down for quick links and resources from this segment.
Yascha Mounk discusses how to cover the Trump presidency; the complicity of the Republican party; and the future of the right with proud conservative and staunch Never Trumper Jennifer Rubin.
Amy Goodman began by asking Noam Chomsky about the catastrophically destructive tendencies of the Republican Party.
Ch. 8: America: The Farewell Tour (with Guest Chris Hedges) - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 10-2-18
Chris Hedges on the erosion of democratic infrastructure, imperialist leanings, and the widening gap between the morbidly rich and the working class, a sign of America's farewell?
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 03 Sep 2024 - 57min - 3443 - Bonus Sample #318 Staring Unblinkingly Into the Future
Air Date: 9-1-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The ever-stranger headlines about RFK Jr. ...and dead animals - The political philosophies and missteps behind unipolar, bipolar or multipolar world views - The dogmatic history of the American Communist Party - The deeper reasons having kids is on the decline - The impacts of our bizarre online world on kids and teens
REFERENCES: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Admits He Falls for Online Misinformation “All the Time”
RFK Jr. Whale-Beheading Story Gives RFK Jr. Bear-Murder Story a Run for Its Money
Environmental Group Wants Answers About RFK Jr. Chainsawing a Whale’s Head Off
RFK Jr. in Hot Water With Environmental Group Over That Wild Whale Story
As Eurasia Awakes Our World Will Shake
The “Multipolar World”: A Euphemism to Support Multiple Imperialisms
The Real Reason People Aren’t Having Kids
The Big Problem Faced by Teens Isn’t Caused by Phones. It’s Deeper.
What Tweens Get from Sephora and What They Get from Us
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 01 Sep 2024 - 16min - 3442 - #1652 Denial, Delusion, and Devastation: Israeli genocide made possible by a nurtured ignorance and deft dehumanization
Air Date 8/30/2024
Israel's assault on Gaza is fueled by pain, rage, trauma... a desire for safety, a desire for revenge, the hope for the safe return of hostages. It's a complicated mix of all of the above and more and it will be different for each person. However, there's also a deep well of denial and delusion about the decades-old status quo between Israel and Palestine that made the current conflict all but inevitable and the pursuit of genocide by some decision-makers in the Israeli government - as well as the support of the US government - possible.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Substance vs Vibes in VP Kamala Harris' Gaza PR Reboot - Citations Needed - Air Date 8-2-24
KP 4: Torture Is Systemic in Israel's Prisons / Shai Parnes - This Is Hell! - Air Date 8-21-22
KP 5: EXPOSED- Netanyahu's Plan to Set World on Fire - Double Down News - Air Date 8-23-24
(50:37) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the deep denial at the heart of Zionism
My Father and the Withering of Liberal Zionism - New York Mag
DEEPER DIVES
(1:02:24) SECTION A - UNCOMMITTED
(1:28:38) SECTION B - TORTURE
(1:56:35) SECTION C - ARMS EMBARGO
(2:26:17) SECTION D - JOURNALISM
SHOW IMAGE
Description: A young woman in the middle of a protest in Washington, DC holds up a sign in front of her that says “End the Siege On Gaza Now”
Credit: “March on Washington for Gaza” https://www.flickr.com/photos/perspective/53463705757/ by Elvert Barnes, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode.en | Changes: Cropped
Fri, 30 Aug 2024 - 2h 46min - 3441 - #1651 The Politics of Migration in the Age of Insecurity: From the UK riots to GOP fear-mongering
Air Date 8/27/2024
People feel lots of ways about immigration. Sometimes it's fear of the other, other times it's not about the people but just dismay over a broken system. The validity of these concerns and others certainly exist on a spectrum, some are utter bullshit and others aren't. Left-wing political parties tend to do a terrible job creating immigration policy - in that they just don't do it at all - while the right wing is all too happy to create and implement terrible policy. And given a choice between action and inaction, regardless of how misguided the proposed action is, people with concerns will choose action.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: The UK's Far Right Riots - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-8-24
KP 2: Riots in the UK - Today, Explained - Air Date 8-7-24
KP 3: Introducing 'Battle of 187' week! - The Times Essential news from the L.A. Times - Air Date 7-19-21
KP 5: RNC & ”Migrant Crime”- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 7-25-24
(50:32) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the electoral politics of immigration policy
DEEPER DIVES
(58:41) SECTION A - THE UK RIOTS
(1:13:16) SECTION B - CA PROPOSITION 187
(1:26:59) SECTION C - TRUMP VS HARRIS
(1:49:23) SECTION D - MIGRANTS
SHOW IMAGE: Description: Two young women stand amidst a protest in London showing their signs to the camera that say "No human is illegal."
Credit: "No Human is Illegal" by Alisdare Hickson, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Tue, 27 Aug 2024 - 2h 13min - 3440 - #1650 The Vibes Election Explained: Harris is up, Trump is down and Gaza will not be forgotten
Air Date 8/23/2024
The vibes of this election are nothing anyone could have predicted a month ago. And yet, some of the details have played out as though by a script. Democrats drink hope like ambrosia from the gods; Trump, when confronted with reality initiates a full blown meltdown; and everyone is doing their best to ignore the genocide in Gaza being carried out with our weapons.
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KEY POINTS
KP 6: Democrats, Republicans, and the Meaning of Life - Steve Shives - Air Date 8-19-24
(48:45) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
on the vibes and archetypes of the election
Kamala Harris Is Providing a Very Specific Kind of Psychological Relief to America - Slate
Tim Walz is the dad that we lost - TikTok
DEEPER DIVES
(1:03:02) SECTION A - HARRIS'S POSITIVE VIBES
(1:33:14) SECTION B - GAZA WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN
(1:54:55) SECTION C - REALITY OVER VIBES
(2:25:41) SECTION D - TRUMP MELTDOWN
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Composite triptych graphic showing Kamala Harris smiling with her hands in the air at a podium, the flag of Palestine in vertical, and Trump in profile stepping off the stage with his head down.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Image 1: “Kamala Harris” by Marc Nozell, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped ; Image 3: “Donald Trump” by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Fri, 23 Aug 2024 - 2h 43min - 3439 - #1579 Positive masculinity is a process that is underway (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 8/23/2023
For decades, we have rightly been focused on dialing back endemic misogyny and poking holes in the patriarchy in the hopes of a new normal of gender relations emerging that would be genuinely healthier for everyone, not just women. But, with so much of the focus on the type of masculinity men and boys shouldn't embrace, we may have fallen short on giving positive direction to boys about what they should be and do.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Andrew Tate & Re-examining Masculinity - Long Story Short The Daily Show - Air Date 4-21-23
Jordan Klepper looks at Andrew Tate and breaks down how a void of role models has harmful consequences for young boys.
Ch. 2: The new crisis of masculinity - The Gray Area - Air Date 8-7-23
What does masculinity mean these days? Sean Illing speaks with Christine Emba, a columnist at The Washington Post who wrote the piece “Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness.”
Ch. 3: The New Masculinity - ON BOYS podcast - Air Date 4-27-23
Boys and men, Manley says, are caught between traditional definitions and understandings of masculinity, and a future definition that hasn’t been fully defined.
Host Roy Wood Jr. sits down with the co-founder of “A Call to Men,” Ted Bunch, and developmental psychology professor at NYU, Niobe Way, to chat about boys' friendships and how therapy could be transformative for a lot of men.
Ch. 5: What Does Positive Masculinity Look Like? - Paging Dr. NerdLove - Air Date 4-12-18
Toxic masculinity doesn’t mean that being a man is toxic, bad, or even undesirable. At the same time, non-toxic or positive masculinity doesn’t mean apologizing for being a man or trying to be as gender-neutral as possible.
Ch. 6: What is Positive Masculinity: How Patriarchy Oppresses Men - Swolesome - Air Date 12-2-22
Looking at what patriarchy teaches boys to do
Ch. 8: The New Masculinity Part 2 - ON BOYS podcast - Air Date 4-27-23
Ch. 9: Why Allan Energy Is The New “Big D_CK Energy” - Barbie Movie - Fashionistas - Air date 8-4-23
Examining positive masculinity through Allen from The Barbie Movie
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 10: Final comments on why emotionally stunted men are a social, not individual, problem
Wed, 21 Aug 2024 - 1h 19min - 3438 - Bonus Sample #317 Don't Forget the Philosophers (AI in our politics, art, and humanity)
Air Date: 8-19-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - How we likely all have COVID and can't believe we did a Bonus Show - The bizarre ways AI is already part of our political systems - Strong feelings on AI-generated art in a hyper-capitalist world - The ups, downs and side effects of so-called AI friends - AI in our love lives (P.S. Audiophiles Beware: We had some technical difficulties, so this show may sound a little strange in spots.)
REFERENCES:
RFK Jr. Doubles Down on Dead Bear Cub With Bonkers Brag
The A.I. Influencer Ads Are Coming
There’s an AI Candidate Running for Parliament in the UK
An AI Bot Is (Sort of) Running for Mayor in Wyoming
OpenAI Imprisons AI That Was Running for Mayor in Wyoming
‘We have to adapt or die’: Daniel Bedingfield says AI is music’s future
Wear This AI Friend Around Your Neck
Can an AI friend make you less lonely?
What If Your AI Girlfriend Hated You?
Computer says yes: how AI is changing our romantic lives
In the Age of A.I., What Makes People Unique?
The Big AI Risk Not Enough People Are Seeing
Bonus: Opinion: The problem with calling Trump and Vance weird
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Mon, 19 Aug 2024 - 17min - 3437 - #1649 Race in America and the Moral Clarity of James Baldwin
Air Date 8/17/2024
James Baldwin's 100th birthday passed by recently and we're using the occasion to draw on his moral clarity and eloquence while we assess the state of race in America
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday - 1A - Air Date 7-30-24
KP 2: James Baldwin's Fire - Throughline - Air Date 9-17-20
KP 5: Truth, Privilege, and James Baldwin - Woke AF Daily - Air Date 10-3-23
KP 6: Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 7-30-24
(49:08) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the need for national self-reflection
DEEPER DIVES
(56:50) SECTION A - BALDWIN THE WRITER
A2: Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday Part 3 - 1A - Air Date 7-30-24
(1:08:50) SECTION B - RACE IN AMERICA
(1:35:59) SECTION C - THE WHITE LIE
(2:00:40) SECTION D - GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Portrait of author and civil rights activist James Baldwin, an African American man, leaning against a tree with arms folded in a park and smiling, looking away from the camera.
Credit: “James Baldwin taken in Hyde Park London” by Allan Warren, Wikimedia Commons | License: CC BY-SA 3.0 | Changes: Cropped
Sat, 17 Aug 2024 - 2h 23min - 3436 - #1648 Power Grabs, Elections Optional: The threat of minority rule through election denialism
Air Date 8/13/2024
Spirits among Kamala Harris supporters, Democrats, and anyone opposing Trumpism are at an all-time high right now. That's both fortuitous and crucial to the upcoming election. By the very nature of Trumpism, this election will be the most flagrantly contested in history with far more Trump loyalists in place ready to throw wrenches in the works wherever they can. Nothing short of overwhelming victory for the Harris/Waltz ticket is necessary to stave off constitutional crisis.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: How Trump (Allegedly) Tried to Steal the Election - LegalEagle - Air Date 8-12-23
KP 4: Why Millions Won't Be Able To Vote In 2024? - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 8-8-24
KP 5: In The Hands Of The Voters with Marc Elias - Justice by Design - Air Date 8-2-24
KP 6: Resisting Minority Rule - Brennan Center for Justice - Air Date 5-30-24
(52:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the importance of happy warriors
DEEPER DIVES
(54:53) SECTION A - THE MECHANICS OF MINORITY RULE
(1:22:28) SECTION B - THE PROPONENTS OF MINORITY RULE
(1:44:21) SECTION C - THE HISTORY OF MINORITY RULE
(2:01:34) SECTION D - A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
(2:38:53) SECTION E - ACTIVISM
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A cardboard sign taped to a street poll shows an American flag image and a short arrow pointing toward it. Underneath is the word "VOTE".
Credit: "Vote!" by Kristin Ausk, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 13 Aug 2024 - 3h 05min - 3435 - Bonus Sample #316 How are you gonna fix that garden?!
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 8-11-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: - Understanding the New Right - JD Vance's mangled metaphor - The best headline about RFK Jr. - Where the anti-trans movement has taken us - What Star War controversies through the years can teach us
REFERENCES: Watch: J.D. Vance Makes an Unfortunate Couch Joke at Nevada Rally
This Is Why J.D. Vance Hates “Childless Cat Ladies”
How JD Vance Thinks About Power
JD Vance Just Blurbed a Book Arguing That Progressives Are Subhuman
Read J.D. Vance’s Violent Foreword to Project 2025 Leader’s New Book
RFK Jr is an always sunny in Philadelphia character
The Insidious Scrutiny of Female Athletes’ Bodies
The misleading controversy over an Olympic women’s boxing match, briefly explained
The Right-Wing Campaign to Purge Women From Women’s Sports
This Olympics Moment Shows Where Anti-Trans Calls to “Protect Women” Have Brought Us
Every Star Wars Backlash I've Ever Seen Has Really Been About The Same Thing
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Sun, 11 Aug 2024 - 18min - 3434 - #1248 There you go again. Venezuela and America's addiction to imperialism (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 2/8/2019
Amid the ongoing fallout of a contested presidential election, we take a look back, briefly, at the last 100 years of Venezuelan history to understand how they went from oil riches and inequality to revolution and social progress only to run afoul of American imperialism
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 2: How Did Venezuela Go From So Rich To So Poor - The Inquiry - Air Date 5-10-17
Ch. 4: Is Donald Trump waging a coup in Venezuela? - Majority Report (@MajorityFM) - Air Date 1-25-19
Ch. 9: Many Countries at UN Oppose Trump Interference in Venezuela - @TheRealNews - Air Date 1-29-19
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Thanks for listening!
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Fri, 09 Aug 2024 - 1h 03min - 3433 - #1647 How to Eliminate Homelessness While Maintaining Our Humanity
Air Date 8/6/2024
After the recent Supreme Court ruling that allowed governments to constitutionally purge unhoused people from public spaces, we are getting an immediate lesson in the difference between addressing systemic problems with solutions and using the police to clean up after governments that failed to act.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Criminalizing homelessness - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-2-24
KP 2: Sotomayor TORCHES Oregon Town Trying To Ban Homeless People - The Majority Report - Air Date 4-23-24
KP 5: Myths about Homeless People with Dr. Margot Kushel - Factually! - Air Date 5-8-24
KP 6: White House takes new action to lower housing costs - Morning Joe - Air Date 7-16-24
(45:37) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the layers of problems and solutions for addressing homelessness
Article:
With Sacramento’s robust water infrastructure, why are homeless residents still dying of thirst?
DEEPER DIVES
(51:59) SECTION A - THE SUPREME COURT
(1:02:06) SECTION B - DEMONIZATION
(1:19:15) SECTION C - DIGITALIZATION OF RENTING
(1:33:27) SECTION D - SOLUTIONS
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A photograph of a group of multicolored camping tents on a plaza outside City Hall in Los Angeles.
Credit: "Unhoused in Los Angeles" by Ron Reiring, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Tue, 06 Aug 2024 - 1h 49min - 3432 - Bonus Sample #315 You Do You, You Weirdos
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 8-4-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The use of strategic ambiguity as a way to ensure everyone hears what they want to hear - How weird Republicans are now - How the joke about JD Vance having sex with a couch is viewed as plausible because his inability to deal with generational trauma has made him a bizarre person - How the right's bigotry runs so deep, they can't escape it even when they try their hardest - Seriously, the Trump era of the Republican Party is really weird!
REFERENCES: Those magic half-hours at Lozano Car Wash, where my dad was all mine
The Real Origin of Trump’s Hannibal Lecter Obsession The deeper you go, the less sense it makes.
J.D. Vance didn’t have sex with a couch. But he’s still extremely weird.
Critics Question JD Vance's 'Weird' Defense Of Wife Usha After White Supremacist Attacks
JD Vance's Response to White Supremacist Attacks on His Wife Seen as Lacking Strength and Conviction
J. D. Vance’s Sad, Strange Politics of Family
Trump: People who like family will support JD Vance
Trump faces backlash for ‘in four years, you don’t have to vote again’ remark
Trump asked to clarify his remarks about how Christians won't need to vote again
Dems Go All-In on Blasting Trump and MAGA as ‘Sick Freaks Who Everyone Hates’
How Trump and Vance went from a ‘threat to democracy’ to ‘weird’
Inside the “Big Weirdo” Political Strategy That Democrats Are Using to Taunt Republicans
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Sun, 04 Aug 2024 - 16min - 3431 - #1646 The Kamalanomenon and the Inevitable Misogynoir Backlash of Racism and Sexism
Air Date 8/2/2024
The Kamala Harris presidential campaign has been on a wild ride since it unexpectedly began less than two weeks ago. Record fund raising, organic enthusiasm not seen since Obama, and the ugly pushback to match.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Political Plot Twists - Bad Queers - Air Date 7-29-24
KP 3: Israel Furious With Harris Over This Speech - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 7-28-24
KP 4: Share & Rizz & Tell with Mina Kimes and Dan Le Batard - PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT - Air Date 7-26-24
KP 5: Black Women Lead - Woke AF Daily - Air Date 7-24-24
(48:51) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the power of excitement
DEEPER DIVES
(56:51) SECTION A: MISOGYNOIR DEFINED
A1: Misogynoir by Dr. Moya Bailey #Jubilee21 - Black Feminist Future - Air Date 12-11-21
A2: Digital Misogynoir - The Anti-Dystopians - Air Date 9-8-23
(1:10:32) SECTION B: MISOGYNOIR IN ACTION
(1:41:14) SECTION C: TALK OF THE TOWN
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Vice President Kamala Harris stands on stage holding a microphone with one hand on her hip in front of the stars of the U.S. flag.
Credit: “Kamala Harris” by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Slight crop
Fri, 02 Aug 2024 - 2h 07min - 3430 - #1645 J.D. Vance, Faux Republican Economic Populism And The Real Pro-Worker Policies We Need
Air Date 7/30/2024
The Republican Party is making it sound like they're trying to transform themselves into the party of working people. There's a mountain of evidence suggesting that you shouldn't believe them but there's also plenty of reason to sit up and take notice of the situation.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Trump, Vance, and the New Right at the RNC - Deconstructed - Air Date 7-19-24
KP 5: Why Hiking Tariffs Actually Protects Americans - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 5-14-24
(43:44) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the shifting political epoch toward pro-worker policies we're witnessing
Clip: Let's adopt the GOP's national platform - Jim Hightower - Air Date- 3-6-13
Article: Biden’s labor report card: Historian gives ‘Union Joe’ a higher grade than any president since FDR
DEEPER DIVES
(54:05) SECTION A: TEAMSTER SPEECH AND FALSE POPULISM
(1:17:09) SECTION B: PRO-WORKER LEGISLATION
(1:28:24) SECTION C: JD VANCE AND THE "CENTER" RIGHT
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: J.D. Vance scowls with his face in partial shadow while standing at a podium.
Credit: "J.D. Vance" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Tue, 30 Jul 2024 - 1h 44min - 3429 - Bonus Sample #314 The Lesson of The Grinch
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
Air Date: 7-29-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - All of our hope-y, fearful feelings about this political moment - The sexist, racist insults already being hurled at Harris - The perceived threat of a woman's laugh - Men's deep-seeded struggle with masculinity
REFERENCES: Trump campaign finally reveals why ex president continues to profess love for Hannibal Lecter in speeches
What people mean when they call Kamala Harris a ‘DEI candidate’
Kamala Harris and the Threat of a Woman’s Laugh
‘It is a train that is never late’: Trump, GOP escalate racist and predictable attacks on VP Harris
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Mon, 29 Jul 2024 - 18min - 3428 - #1644 State of Play: The RNC Cultish Clown Show, Continued Calls for Violence, and Biden Bows Out
Air Date 7/26/2024
It's clear where the vast majority of violent rhetoric is coming from in the country and it's clear which party is a cult of personality and which puts country before personal power. This is the state of play in our politics.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Who Really is Stoking Violence in America? - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 7-15-24
KP 3: The Long Simmer of Political Violence in America - The Atlantic - Air Date 7-15-24
KP 5: Jon Stewart on Biden 2024: It Is What It Is? - The Weekly Show With Jon Stewart - Air Date 7-11-24
KP 6: You did it, Joe - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-22-24
(51:48) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On why it's OK to have a bit of hope even if it's uncomfortable
DEEPER DIVES
(57:02) SECTION A: BIDEN STEPS DOWN
A2: Fox News MELTS DOWN Over Kamala Harris - The Rational National - Air Date 7-22-24
(1:12:23) SECTION B: VIOLENCE AND VIOLENT RHETORIC
(1:21:33) SECTION C: THE RNC
(1:57:29) SECTION D: CONSPIRACY
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Composite image: In background, a photo from the RNC with image of Trump making a fist after the assassination attempt on every screen. In the foreground, Biden's letter telling America he is not running for reelection. Beside it, a photo of a smiling Vice President Kamala Harris.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Photo: "Kamala Harris" by Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped around subject
Fri, 26 Jul 2024 - 2h 28min - 3427 - #1526 A History of Political Violence in the US (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 11/15/2022
Today, we take a look at our extremely steady history of political violence from the Revolution, through the Civil War, Reconstruction and Jim Crow, into the Civil Rights era, the Militia Movement and domestic terrorism, and now to our current once-again-radicalized, right-wing movement willing to use and tacitly condone violence as a political tactic.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Capitol Attack Wasn't the 1st Violent Incident in Congress - Inside Edition - Air Date 1-20-22
Ch. 2: A history of US political violence Part 1 - Americast - Air Date 11-2-22
Ch. 4: Political Violence Is No Anomaly in American History - System Check - Air Date 1-8-21
Ch. 5: Today's Republicans were made in the 1990s - The Gray Area with Sean Illing - Air Date 11-7-22
Ch. 8: Paul Pelosi attacked with hammer in his home - ABC News - Air Date 10-29-22
Ch. 9: A history of US political violence Part 2 - Americast - Air Date 11-2-22
Ch. 10: Political Violence - In the Thick - Air Date 11-4-22
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Show Image:
Description: A newspaper cartoon/drawing of Senator Sumner being beaten on the floor of the Senate with a cane by Sen. Preston Brooks in 1856.
Credit: “Southern Chivalry - Argument vs. Clubs” by J.L. Magee, 1856 | Public Domain
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 - 1h 13min - 3426 - Bonus Sample #313 Consistency When it Matters
Air Date: 7-21-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin couldn't join us) discuss: - Deon's hatred of old people - How the media industry's failing state led to ineffective coverage of the Biden age story - Amanda's excellent sports analogy - The factors that have lead to America's worsening gerontocracy
REFERENCES: Did the media botch the Biden age story?
Jon Stewart Examines Biden’s Future Amidst Calls For Him to Drop Out | The Daily Show
Inside the Complicated Reality of Being America’s Oldest President
Biden, turning 80, faces renewed age questions as he weighs reelection
Our U.S. Gerontocracy Needs to Go (and Biden Isn’t Even the Worst)
Why American politicians are so old
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 21 Jul 2024 - 16min - 3425 - #1643 Extremism Comes in Many Forms: SCOTUS goes hard-right, Project 2025 in the spotlight, and Christian Nationalism unmasked in Assassination Nation
Air Date 7/20/2024
Extremism comes in many forms and we live in an era in which way too many of them are on display simultaneously, but it's not coincidence. The far right has been working toward an extremist Supreme Court for decades. Christian Nationalists have similarly been trying to impose their rigid view of far-right Christianity on the rest of us for a very long time. The far-right Heritage Foundation now deems this to be the time to attempt to radicalize the federal bureaucracy, and far-right calls for political violence and lax gun laws resulted in an environment where no one was really all that surprised about the assassination attempt against Donald Trump.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Opinionpalooza The Supreme Court End-of-Term Breakfast Table - Amicus - Air Date 7-6-24
KP 3: Just Decide the EMTALA Case Already, You Cowards - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 6-27-24
KP 4: What is Project 2025 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-11-24
KP 6: Republicans issue vile reaction to Trump shooting - No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen - Air Date 7-15-24
(57:30) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On what should come next for the Democrats
DEEPER DIVES
(1:05:02) SECTION A: SUPREME COURT
(1:51:47) SECTION B: PROJECT 2025
(2:07:10) SECTION C: POLITICAL VIOLENCE
(2:16:21) SECTION D: CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Composite. Photo of Trump giving a speech at a podium with the overlaid words "The Plot Against America" next to him against the black background.
Credit: Composite by A. Hoffman. Photo: "Donald Trump" by Matt Johnson, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, overlaid text added
Sat, 20 Jul 2024 - 2h 30min - 3424 - #1642 Tumultuous Year of Democracy: Left-Wing victories in the UK, France and Mexico with lessons for the US
Air Date 7/17/2024
Recent elections in the UK, France and Mexico spanned the spectrum from confirming inevitabilities to completely upending expectations but they each have lessons for politics in the US
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: The UK Election Results Explained - TLDR News - Air Date 7-5-24
KP 2: Shocking French election results- What you need to know - Zeteo - Air Date 7-8-24
KP 4: Labour Wins Massive Majority On Low Vote Share, Gaza Costs Starmer - Novara Media - Air Date 7-5-24
KP 5: France’s leftwing alliance beat the far right, but what now? - Today in Focus - Air Date 7-8-24
(1:00:32) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how to react to the current political moment and all of the many moments to come
Article: The Democratic Party’s Strange Attraction to Defeatism
DEEPER DIVES
(1:10:16) SECTION A: FRANCE
(1:44:54) SECTION B: GREAT BRITAIN
(1:59:28) SECTION C: MEXICO
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Graphic of a partially transparent ballot box with the UK flag, the French flag and the Mexican flag visible in composite in the background.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Images from Pixabay.
Wed, 17 Jul 2024 - 2h 09min - 3423 - Bonus Sample #312 In a Dinghy of Hope
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Air Date: 7-14-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin couldn't join us) discuss: - How we're feeling - The philosophy of liberal patriotism - The positive policies Democrats should be running on to inspire voters - The reckoning the current Democratic Party desperately needs
REFERENCES: Liberal Patriotism Is About More Than Flag-Waving
How to Beat Trump in a World of Unreason
Democrats don’t just need a new candidate. They need a reckoning.
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 14 Jul 2024 - 21min - 3422 - #1641 Green Energy and Public Transport: Feeling blue and seeing red about the inevitable messiness of transitioning to a low-carbon economy
Air Date 7/12/2024
From solar scams to controversial congestion pricing and the smart grid that's needed to connect it all, we look at the messy and difficult path to a low-carbon future.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: When solar power leaves you feeling burned - Today, Explained - Air Date 1-2-24
KP 3: This is what's REALLY holding back wind and solar - DW Planet A - Air Date 6-2-23
KP 4: How to fix clean energy’s storage problem - VOX - Air Date 4-27-23
KP 6: The Lost Subways of North America - 99% Invisible - Air Date 5-21-24
KP 8: Comptroller on Congestion Pricing's Indefinite Pause - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 6-17-24
(54:25) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how to make the case to Biden to step aside
DEEPER DIVES
(1:01:35) SECTION A: ENERGY POLICIES
(1:20:31) SECTION B: THE INTENTIONAL SOLAR SCAM
(1:36:14) SECTION C: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Photo of a smoggy traffic jam on a highway, taken from the middle of the lane behind the cars. Cars' brake lights are visible.
Credit: “World Class Traffic Jam: Jersey Turnpike Version” by b k, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Slight crop
Fri, 12 Jul 2024 - 1h 52min - 3421 - #1247 The Fight for the Four Freedoms (FDR vs. Libertarianism) (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 2/5/2019
Today we take a look at the history of FDR's "Four Freedoms" and "Economic Bill of Rights" that laid the groundwork for the fight for economic freedom for all that continues to this day.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Harvey Kaye, "The Fight for the Four Freedoms" - Book TV - Air Date 5-11-14
Harvey Kaye examines the progressivism of the Roosevelt-era and argues that a reminder of the "four freedoms" could address today's political and social issues.
Ch. 2: What Ted Cruz Doesn't Get About 'Freedom' - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 7-21-16
Thom talks about Ted Cruz's speech at the Republican Convention and compares his definition of 'freedom' with the way it was described by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Ch. 3: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 1 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18
F.D.R. recognized that the original bill of rights would not be enough to make all American’s truly free and proposed an economic bill of rights. Of the eight amendments he proposed in 1944, seven are still waiting to be implemented.
Ch. 4: Fighting for the Four Freedoms - @BillMoyersHQ And Company - Air Date 4-15-14
Historian Harvey J. Kaye talks about how FDR was able to mobilize Americans to create "the strongest and most prosperous country in human history."
Explaining that libertarian thinking doesn't incorporate the existence of economic coercion
Ch. 6: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 2 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18
Ch. 7: Bernie Sanders & FDR's Second Bill of Rights - Berniementum - Air Date 8-12-15
President FDR's Second Bill of Rights speech - January 11, 1944 Sen. Bernie Sanders speech at the National Press Club - Mar. 9, 2015 Music - "There is Romance" by Imcompetech
University of Wisconsin Professor Harvey J Kaye author of Fight for the Four Freedoms: What Made FDR and the Greatest Generation Truly Great, explains Ronald Reagan and the great pushback against a progressive America
Ch. 9: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 3 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18
Tue, 09 Jul 2024 - 1h 01min - 3420 - Bonus Sample #311 Primal Scream of Catharsis
Air Date: 7-7-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Some stuff that we planned and A LOT more that we did not.
REFERENCES: The Cause That Turned Idealists Into Authoritarian Zealots
The Baffling Disaster Unfolding at the Washington Post
The Democratic Governor Whose Message Can’t Be Beat
Best of the Left #1247 The Fight for the Four Freedoms (FDR vs. Libertarianism)
The Fight for the Four Freedoms
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Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Sun, 07 Jul 2024 - 18min - 3419 - #1640 China Explained: From Cars to Computer Chips, Communism to Carbon Emissions, the South China Sea to Space, and Clinton to Biden
Air Date 7/5/2024
China is an undeniable force in the world relating to several major political issues and to address their influence without a deep understanding of the history, context, and current dynamics would be to invite 100 years of humiliation.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Joe Biden's Radical Worldview - More Perfect Union - Air Date 6-27-24
KP 2: Why China Doesn't Identify with the West, Explained - Siming Lan - Air Date 9-23-22
KP 3: Has China's Belt and Road Initiative been a success? - Financial Times - Air Date 10-30-23
KP 4: Why China Isn't the Problem - Our Changing Climate - Air Date 5-5-23
KP 6: Why China's Economy is Finally Slowing Down - Wendover - Air Date 3-21-24
KP 7: Our New Global Economy - Johnny Harris - Air Date 12-20-23
(1:04:13) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how Joe Biden can become a hero in the wake of his debate with Trump
DEEPER DIVES
(1:12:51) SECTION A: CHINA'S ECONOMIC FOREIGN POLICY
A2: Has Africa gained from China's infrastructure plans? - Focus on Africa - Air Date 10-20-23
(1:37:10) SECTION B: THE EV WARS
(1:59:44) SECTION C: TECH AND SPACE RACE
(2:14:44) SECTION D: ESCALATING TENSIONS
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: An illustration of a darkened, draped Chinese flag, with its 5-star pattern, close up.
Credit: "China flag" by The Digital Artist, Pixabay | Pixabay License |Changes: Added dark overlay
Fri, 05 Jul 2024 - 2h 54min - 3418 - #1639 Migrants and Refugees on Fortress Earth: Our politicized, fortified, industrialized borders in the US and Europe
Air Date 7/2/2024
Border security around the world continues to take turns for the dark and dystopian as right-wing sentiment against migrants and refugees continues to escalate to the extreme.
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Air Date 7/2/2024
Border security around the world continues to take turns for the dark and dystopian as right-wing sentiment against migrants and refugees continues to escalate to the extreme.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: EU Border Enforcement, Part 1 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 6-4-24
KP 3: Migrants & Refugees, the Pope & Volkswagen - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 5-26-24
KP 6: EU Border Enforcement, Part 2 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 6-5-24
(52:45) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On our summer membership drive
DEEPER DIVES
(57:32) SECTION A: POLITICIZATION OF THE BORDER
(1:19:47) SECTION B: BRUTAL BORDER ENFORCEMENT
(1:36:40) SECTION C: BORDER INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
(1:48:14) SECTION D: MIGRANT STORIES
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Composite graphic showing a deep blue ocean with the gold stars of the EU flag. On the horizon, a faded US flag is behind concertina wire fencing. In the center, a long boat full of refugees floats on the water.
Credit: Composite Design by A. Hoffman. | Composite imagery via Pixabay | Photo: “P52 Migrants 19 July 2015 03” by Oglaigh na hEireann, Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0 Changes: Cropped and reduced opacity
Tue, 02 Jul 2024 - 2h 06min - 3417 - Bonus Sample #310 - The Torment Nexus
Air Date: 6-30-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - the baffling trend of tech companies using cautionary tales from dystopian fiction as a blueprint for what to create next - how the people who build or champion tools of oppression never think those same tools will inevitably be turned on them - the use of drones as first responders, and the long term effects this has had on the residents - a different perspective on how to think about the end - humanity's seeming inability to think about longterm repercussions of technology before we put something into use
REFERENCES: What Is 'Torment Nexus?' The 'Man-Made Horrors' Trope Explained
Author of cautionary tale about Torment Nexus creates tech company to build Torment Nexus
‘Snow Crash’ Author Neal Stephenson Is Building a ‘Free Metaverse’ Called Lamina1
The Age of the Drone Police Is Here
Watch a swarm of cyborg cockroaches controlled by computers
Are We Doomed? Here’s How to Think About It
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Sun, 30 Jun 2024 - 14min - 3416 - #1638 AI: From Killer Apps to Killer Robots, the Present and Future of Artificial Intelligence Spans the Spectrum
Air Date 6/28/2024
AI, like all new technologies, won't be all good or all bad. In fact, my favorite understanding of emerging technologies is that they often bring simultaneous utopia and dystopia, though many tend to focus on the benefits while only discovering the drawbacks later.
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KEY POINTS
1: We’re already using AI more than we realize - Vox - Air Date 2-28-24
2: AI is a Lie. - Linus Tech Tips - Air Date 6-13-24
3: What Is an AI Anyway? | Mustafa Suleyman - TED - Air Date 4-22-24
5: How Much AI Regulation Is The Right Amount? - FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast - Air Date 6-13-24
8: Big Tech AI Is A Lie - Tina Huang - Air Date 4-30-24
(1:07:12) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the nature of misalignment between AI and human wellbeing
Article: This article is OpenAI training data
DEEPER DIVES
(1:16:18) SECTION A: MORE CURRENT USES OF AI
(1:44:54) SECTION B: POTENTIAL USES OF AI AND THE ETHICS WE NEED TO CONSIDER
(2:08:00) SECTION C: REGULATING AI
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Graphic showing a human hand and a digital pixilated hand reaching out toward each other with arching digital lines coming from the center of each hand.
Credit: “Digitization Particles Hand” via geralt, Pixabay | Pixabay License | Changes: Expanded
Fri, 28 Jun 2024 - 2h 21min - 3415 - #1590 Red Caesar and Project 2025: A fascist fever dream by the Claremont Institute and the Heritage Foundation (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 10/23/2023
The people who want to pull the country in directions that are only supported by a small minority of the population have to develop very intricate plans to have any hope of succeeding. This is the story of the latest plan to establish unchecked rule to implement unpopular policies supported only by the far right.
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SHOW NOTES
Donald Trump has ramped up his violent rhetoric in recent weeks. Meanwhile, a Fox host has urged the U.S. towards civil war and claimed that voting does not work.
Pat Buchanan was ahead of his time. He used the KKK’s David Duke to breed a new nativist religious nationalism, based on fear of liberalization. On this show, political science professor Joseph Lowndes sheds light on how the Republican Party got here
Emma hosts John S. Huntington, professor of history at Houston Community College, to discuss his recent book Far-Right Vanguard: The Radical Roots of Modern Conservatism.
Ch. 4: How Often Do YOU Think About the Roman Empire? - Wisecrack - Air Date 10-16-23
The real reason TikTok is crazy for ancient Rome If you’re even a little bit online, you know that the men love ancient Rome. This isn’t new: The civilization has loomed large in the Western imagination ever since its catastrophic collapse.
Ch. 5: The Conservative Plan to Take Over the Country Part 1 - Leeja Miller - Air Date 9-26-23
Project 2025 is the terrifying plan set out by conservatives to take over the government. But it's radical, and it doesn't align with what most Americans want. Which is why we have to make sure this plan never happens.
A Trump supporter just displayed exactly how stochastic terrorism works.
Ch. 7: The Conservative Plan to Take Over the Country Part 2 - Leeja Miller - Air Date 9-26-23
Ch. 8: Think Tanks: How Fake Experts Shape the News - Tom Nicholas - Air Date 5-13-23
A video about how billionaire-funded right-wing “think tanks” such as the Heritage Foundation, Adam Smith Institute, Manhattan Institute, and Institute of Economic Affairs manipulate the news to spread their propaganda
Tue, 25 Jun 2024 - 1h 01min - 3414 - Bonus Sample #309 Of Kidults and Puppets
Air Date: 6-23-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The Kidult trend in depth (since we had to cut it short last time) - A right-wing attempt at a puppet-based kids show to draw in young viewers early - How Nanalan' - a kids puppet show from the 90s - is helping some Millennials with reparenting
REFERENCES: Adults Are Spending Big on Toys and Stuffed Animals—for Themselves
Kidults - do you have one in your life?
'Gus Plus Us' Offers a Glimpse of Texas Filmmaking’s Conservative Future
'She Is the Icon of All That Is Joyful in the World
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Sun, 23 Jun 2024 - 23min - 3413 - #1637 Shifting Populations, Shifting Politics: The European elections show a shift toward the hard right over fears of immigration and scarcity
Air Date 6/21/2024
The European elections could have been worse but they weren't great. Shifting politics among mainstream parties is legitimizing far-right policies at the same time as people's concerns over immigration is being reflected in a willingness to vote for far-right parties.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Europe Slides to the Right Unpacking the EU Parliamentary elections. - UNFTR - Air Date 6-15-24
KP 3: How the EU Parliament Voted This Year - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 6-12-24
KP 4: Does the economy matter to the far right? - Business Beyond - Air Date 5-31-24
KP 6: What is behind the rise of the far-right in Europe - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 6-11-24
KP 7: Far Right Surges in European Elections - Pod Save The World - Air Date 6-12-24
(49:23) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the snowball effect of factors leading to a rightward shift in politics
DEEPER DIVES
(56:56) SECTION A: THE EU STRUCTURE AND ELECTION RESULTS
(1:05:58) SECTION B: IMMIGRATION AND THE CULTURE WAR
(1:24:12) SECTION C: THE PLAYBOOK AND MESSAGING OF THE FAR RIGHT
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Photo of European Parliament off-center, shifted right.
Credit: “European Parliament Strasbourg Hemicycle” by Diliff, Wikimedia | License: CC BY-SA 3.0 | Cropped
Fri, 21 Jun 2024 - 1h 48min - 3412 - #1460 The Growing Threat of Minority Rule (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 12/11/2021
Today we take a look at the many structures of American government that tilt to favor minority rule and conservatism which, in our case, is one and the same. Some structures like the Senate and the filibuster were intentionally designed to give extra weight to the minority while others like gerrymandering and the influence of large-dollar political donors were, well, I suppose they were designed for about the same reason but just in a different way.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 2: Why Wyoming Has More Power Than California in the Senate - AJ+ - Air Date 10-14-20
Ch. 5: Andrew Perez on the Filibuster - CounterSpin - Air Date 6-18-21
Ch. 6: A To-Do List for Senate Democrats - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 7-17-21
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 8: Final comments on public policy, human nature and Cold War talking points
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 18 Jun 2024 - 1h 07min - 3411 - Bonus Sample #308 Let the Kids (and Adults) Play
Air Date: 6-16-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The importance of unsupervised playtime for children and why it's disappearing - The roots and consequences of over-scheduling kids and why it's so hard to cut back - The rise of the "Kidult"
REFERENCES: Parents: Keep Out! - Hidden Brain
The Fine Art of Underscheduling
Adults Are Spending Big on Toys and Stuffed Animals— For Themselves
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Sun, 16 Jun 2024 - 17min - 3410 - #1636 The Supreme Court Is In Bad Shape. Like, Really Bad. And SCOTUS Is Going To Take Us All Down With Them
Air Date 6/14/2024
We're in the middle of Supreme Court opinion season, which is not going well for non-extreme conservatives in the country, at the same time as scandal, corruption, and justices Thomas and Alito's refusal to recuse in the face of clear bias is reaching a modern peak.
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KEY POINTS
1: Opinionpalooza A Bad June Rising At SCOTUS Part 1 - Amicus
2: How The Mifepristone Case Reached SCOTUS - Amicus
3: Way Too Close Insane SCOTUS Case Could've Sunk The Country w Mark Joseph Stern - The Majority Report
4: Fact-Checking the Supreme Court - 99% Invisible
5: The IVF Decision We Should Have Seen Coming - Amicus
6: SCOTUS Flag Neighbor Exposes Alito’s BS Story- The Majority Report
7: Delegitimize The Court - Contempt of Court
(1:03:35) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On some of Alito's finer absurdity
Articles:
Alito says the Supreme Court’s fake ethics code allows him to be unethical
The Republican Party's man inside the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court's new voting rights decision is a love letter to gerrymandering
DEEPER DIVES
(1:14:19) SECTION A: DO FACTS MATTER?
(1:45:47) SECTION B: POLICING MEDICAL CARE
(2:15:48) SECTION C: THE REPUBLICAN COURT WE’VE ALL WAITED FOR
(2:42:24) SECTION D: SCOTUS IS A FLAWED SYSTEM
Description: Photo of the U.S. Supreme Court building with an ominous red filter. An image of golden, uneven scales of justice sits on top.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. / Photo: “The Supreme Court” by Glenn Beltz, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Overlaid with red and imagery as part of composite. / Illustration: “Uneven scales of justice” via TheDigitalArtist, Pixabay.
Fri, 14 Jun 2024 - 3h 06min - 3409 - #1635 Democracy on the Decline: The US is not alone in facing threats to democracy, others countries are showing how democracies fail
Air Date 6/11/2024
Democracies don't break all of a sudden in a moment of crisis, they fail slowly over time and only by knowing the warning signs and responding effectively to the threat before it's too late can the worst be averted.
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KEY POINTS
1: Why and Where is Democracy in Decline? - TLDR News
2: Is Democracy Under Threat? - Tufts University
3: The decline of American democracy won't be televised - Vox
4: How Republicans are fueling Russia and China_s global effort to undermine democracy - Velshi
5: How Republican Attorneys General are Undermining Voting Rights - Democracy Docket
6: Democracy vs. Autocracy: An Unproductive Dichotomy - Marxist Project
8: Protecting Voting Rights with Eric Holder - Why Is This Happening?
10: "The President of Forgetting" - Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good
(1:03:29) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Those who defend authoritarians against criticism during D-Day commemoration
Conservatives Angry at Biden’s Anti-Nazi D-Day Speech
DEEPER DIVES
(1:09:52) SECTION A: DISSECTION OF DEMOCRACY
(1:31:56) SECTION B: INTERNATIONAL DEMOCRACY
(2:09:54) SECTION C: THE CULT OF TRUMP
(2:36:47) SECTION D: DEMOCRACY IN ACTION
IMAGE:
Description: Black and white photo of a person holding a homemade sign that says “Fighting for Democracy”
Credit: “For Democracy” by Alisdare Hickson, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Change: Cropped
Tue, 11 Jun 2024 - 3h 09min - 3408 - Bonus Sample #307 Uncertain and Powerless
Air Date: 06-09-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - how focusing 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
REFERENCES: Why Americans Hate the Media
The Media Still Doesn’t Grasp the Danger of Trump
Don’t Believe What They’re Telling You About Misinformation
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Sun, 09 Jun 2024 - 13min - 3407 - #1634 Abortion as the Tip of the Iceberg: the fight for privacy, bodily autonomy, and functional democracy after Dobbs overturning Roe v Wade
Air Date 6/7/2024
Banning abortion is wildly unpopular and also one of the primary motivators for the group most strongly supporting the Republican Party and Donald Trump, the Christian Right, which has transformed both the party and politicians into extremists made in their own image, threatening the lives and health of millions and sacrificing democracy in the process.
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KEY POINTS
1: Abortion and Reproductive Rights - Lectures in History
2: Abortion and the erosion of privacy - The Weeds
3: Digital surveillance and reproductive rights - Technically Optimistic
4: Anti-abortion hardliners want restrictions to go farther. It could cost Republicans - Consider This
5: Abortion and Reproductive Rights Part 2 - Lectures in History
6: Rakeen Mabud on Greedflation, Rachel K. Jones on Mifepristone - CounterSpin
7: Abortion and the erosion of privacy Part 2 - The Weeds
8: Digital surveillance and reproductive rights Part 2 - Technically Optimistic
(57:00) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the abuse produced by abortion restrictions
DEEPER DIVES
(1:02:40) SECTION A: CRIMINALIZING ABORTION
(1:21:07) SECTION B: ABORTION EXTREMISM OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
(1:36:40) SECTION C: ABORTION IN THE LEGAL SYSTEM
(1:53:45) SECTION D: WHAT IS THERE TO DO?
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A person dressed in a red cape and white conical bonnet with a red sash over their nose and mouth (referencing the Handmaid's Tale) stands outside the U.S. Supreme Court at dusk holding a cardboard sign with the words "This is NOT fiction."
Credit: Photo by Tyler Merbler, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Fri, 07 Jun 2024 - 2h 23min - 3406 - #1633 Fights for Fair Pay, Journalism vs Sensationalism, Billionaire Bailouts, and Addiction Capitalism: Sports are a Microcosm of the Ills of Society
Air Date 6/4/2024
The problems that arise within the systems of sports are the same problems we all face everywhere which makes them a good lens through which to understand the mechanisms of broader society. Fair pay, both journalism and addictive games functioning under capitalism, and benefits for billionaires all resonate far beyond the bounds of the players, owners and fans of sports clubs.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Pay for Play Part 1 - University of Iowa
KP 3: Pay for Play Part 2 - University of Iowa
KP 4: Sports Media has changed forever. - Brett Kollmann
KP 6: Report Finds That Sports Owners Use Their Teams To Avoid Millions In Taxes - MSNBC Reports
KP 7: The Sports Stadium Scam - Robert Reich
KP 8: The gambling problem in sports - The Current
(1:01:43) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the value of sports to building community
DEEPER DIVES
(1:06:18) SECTION A: PAY FOR PLAY
A1: Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger: What NCAA Suit Settlement Means for Paying Players - The Rich Eisen Show
A2: "Amateurism Is Dead" - The Rich Eisen Show
A3: Pay for Play Part 3 - University of Iowa
(1:23:57) SECTION B: STADIUMS, OUR GREAT FOLLY
(1:40:18) SECTION C: SPORTS JOURNALISM
(1:59:15) SECTION D: SPORTS GAMBLING
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A grocery store display of Coca-Cola soft drinks stacked in the shape of a basketball and “NCAA!”.
Credit: “Coca Cola NCAA Cases Display” by Mike Mozart, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Tue, 04 Jun 2024 - 2h 22min - 3405 - Bonus Edition #305 Solved It! Conspiracy Theorists, Comment Sections, and Trump
Air Date: 6-2-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - How one MIT study used AI to reduce belief in conspiracy theories - How a new AI tool is attempting to make comments sections less awful - Some advice from Korea's litigious political environment on how to deal with Trump
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REFERENCES: America’s Worst Time Zone
Chatbots can persuade conspiracy theorists their view might be wrong
The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
South Korea Has a Warning About Donald Trump’s Trial
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Sun, 02 Jun 2024 - 17min - 3404 - #1134 Unnatural Disasters (Hurricanes and Humans) (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 9/19/2017
Today we look not so much at hurricanes and the climate science behind them (though we touch on that as well) but focus more on what we can see more clearly when it’s illuminated by so-called “natural” disasters, the structural inequality and legacies of decision-making that make these disasters worse than they need to be
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Show NotesAct 3: Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: U.S. Storm Edition - On The Media - Air Date 9-1-17
Act 5: Preventing future floods with data and regulation - @DecodeDC - Air Date: 09-14-2017
Act 6: The Human Causes of Natural Disasters - Popaganda from @BitchMedia - Air Date 12-8-16
(Music from Blue Dot Sessions)
EDUCATE YOURSELF:
We will not be silenced. Stand up for a strong NEPA! (Earth Justice)
Trump CEQ rolls out plans for swift NEPA reviews (Governors' Wind & Solar Energy Coalition)
US people of color still more likely to be exposed to pollution than white people (The Guardian)
Christine Todd Whitman: How Not to Run the E.P.A. (New York Times)
Boston Communities Unite to Democratize Their Economy (Next City)
Written by BOTL Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman
Fri, 31 May 2024 - 54min - 3403 - #1632 SiliCON Valley: The False Promises, Enshittification Economics, and Misguided Adventures of the Twits of Tech
Air Date 5/28/2024
Today we look at the most disappointing yet most idolized false heroes of our day, the titans of tech and the zany hijinks they've been getting up to recently.
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KEY POINTS
1: When a tech company like OpenAI doesn't get the dark message at the heart of science fiction
2: How Peter Thiel Got Rich | The Class Room ft. Second Thought
3: Google's Sundar Pichai on AI-powered search and the future of the web
4: Elon's Reputation is Hurting Tesla
5: Crypto’s crown prince in court
6: The Entire OpenAI Chaos Explained
7: Scarlett Johansson's Open AI voice fight shows the need for consent in tech
8: Fascism and the Failure of Imagination
1:03:38 NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the misplaced excitement in private corporations pushing big technological advancements
1:09:33 DEEPER DIVE A: THAT WORD YOU KEEP USING…
1:36:58 B: SiliCON VALLEY, emphasis on the CON
1:53:05 C: MICROSOFT THE DESTROYER
2:10:35 D: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Composite image where the faces of Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, Sam Bankman-Fried, and Elon Musk are seen through an overlay of stock prices and a growth chart arrow.
Credits: Composite by A. Hoffman. Photos: 1) "Open AI co-founder & CEO Sam Altman" by TechCrunch, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 ; 2) "Peter Thiel" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 ; 3) "Sam Bankman-Fried" by Cointelegraph, Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0 ; 4) "Elon Musk Presenting Tesla's Fully Autonomous Future" by Steve Jurvetson, Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0
Tue, 28 May 2024 - 2h 21min - 3402 - Bonus Sample #304 Not everything that counts can be counted
Air Date: 5-26-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - the con of supply and demand economics being about distributing goods with the greatest efficiency, and is instead nothing more than predatory greed - what we value as humans goes far beyond the price of commodities - even more examples of the enshitification of life via hostile experiences from things we've already paid for - how companies restrict functionality to create artificial price points as a way to extract even more from us
REFERENCES: WELCOME TO PRICING HELL
The Gap Between the Price You See and What You Pay Is Getting Worse
Welcome to the Golden Age of User Hostility
Bought a Model Y? Tesla may charge you to use the battery’s full range
Corporate America Knows We’re Miserable. Is a Toilet Bomb the Answer?
Billy Bragg - Not Everything That Counts Can Be Counted
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Sun, 26 May 2024 - 16min - 3401 - #1631 Body Neutrality in the World of Ozempic: Reassessing Weight, Body Positivity, Physical and Mental Health, and even the Economics of Body Size
Air Date 5/24/2024
Assessing the impacts of new diet drugs on physical and mental health in the context of our unhealthy food system and societal fat phobia
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: The world after Ozempic - The Gray Area - Air Date 5-13-24
KP 2: The Ozempic economy - Today, Explained - Air Date 2-23-24
KP 5: Body Neutrality - What The Actual Fork Podcast - Air Date 8-11-23
KP 7: What Ozempic can't fix - Today, Explained - Air Date 2-26-34
(56:10) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the metaphor of the new show format
(1:01:22) DEEPER DIVE A: BUSINESS OF DESIRE
A1: Examining America's Unhealthy Obsession... Part 2
A2: The Ozempic economy Part 2
(1:20:48) DEEPER DIVE B: BIAS AND RISK
B1: What Ozempic can't fix Part 2
B3: What Ozempic can't fix Part 3
(1:31:00) DEEPER DIVE C: BODY NEUTRALITY
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Overhead photo of a bunch of Ozempic pens in a plastic pharmacy basket.
Credit: "Bundle of Ozempic Pens" by Chemist4U, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Fri, 24 May 2024 - 2h 00min - 3400 - #1630 Unrivaled Global Arms Dealer: Officially and Illegally Exporting the US Gun Culture Around the World
Air Date 5/21/2024
Whether by the US government playing matchmaker for the domestic weapons industry or through the illegal trade of the 'iron river,' the US is the leading seller of weapons around the world, fueling violence and conflict, oppression and rights abuses.
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FRONTPAGE
FP 1: US Leads Global Arms Sales - American Prestige - Air Date 3-15-24
FP 2: How Washington Plays Matchmaker For The US Gun Industry Part 1 - Big Take - Air Date 10-30-23
FP 3: Can a lawsuit stop Mexico’s ‘iron river’ of guns? - The Take - Air Date 8-13-21
(1:02:19) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the problems with looking for good or bad intentions
(1:08:24) SECTION A:
A1: Inside Biden's Secret Arms Deal - Deconstructed - Air Date 9-22-23
(1:30:10) SECTION B:
B1: Can Mexico win... Part 2 - The Inquiry - Air Date 3-7-24
(1:42:43) SECTION C:
C1: Why America's police look like soldiers - Vox - Air Date 6-25-20
C2: Why US gun laws get looser after mass shootings - Vox - Air Date 7-28-22
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A square version of the American flag with silhouettes of guns and bombs in place of white stars. Three bombs are falling from the pattern across the red and white stripes.
Credit: Pixabay image modified by A.Hoffman
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Tue, 21 May 2024 - 1h 59min - 3399 - #929 Looking to avert further tragedy (War on Drugs™) (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 5/9/2015
Today we take a look at the continuing failure that is the War on Drugs™ as well as some of the signs of hope that we may be making progress toward shutting it down
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Is Marijuana Harmful to Health? - Healthcare Triage (@HCTriage) - Air Date: 04-19-14
Ch. 2: Man Gets 13 Years in Prison for 2 Joints Worth of Pot - @davidpakmanshow - Air Date: 03-13-15
Ch. 3: Legalized Marijuana = Millions For Public Schools In Colorado - @theyoungturks - Air Date: 03-16-15
Ch. 6: Rand Paul & Others Introduce National Medical Marijuana Bill - @davidpakmanshow - Air Date: 03-11-15
Ch. 7: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders Talk Drugs - Majority Report (@majorityfm) - Air Date: 06-01-15
Ch. 8: Marijuana Shows Medical Value, Feds Don't Give A Sh*t - @theyoungturks - Air Date: 04-12-15
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!
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Sun, 19 May 2024 - 46min - 3398 - Bonus Sample #303 At the Carwash: Living in a World Not Built for Humans
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Air Date: 5-16-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - How mega drive-throughs are ruining American towns and cities - Why giant car washes are popping up across the country and what we could have instead - How Tokyo's beautiful public toilets are an inspiration - The impact boring and ugly buildings are having on our mental health
REFERENCES: RFK Jr. revealed he had a parasitic brain worm. Here’s what to know.
Social Media is Not What Killed the Web
Mega drive-throughs explain everything wrong with American cities
Car Washes are proliferating across the U.S. Here’s why
Why are they building so many car washes? And storage facilities?
Tokyo’s Public Toilets Will Leave New Yorkers Sobbing
The Global Danger of Boring Buildings
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Fri, 17 May 2024 - 18min - 3397 - #1629 Hitting Where it Hurts in Our Era of Negative Partisanship: Messaging left-wing politics amid cultish politics
Air Date 5/15/2024
In an age of cultish in-group/out-group politics and media, we seek to find messaging for progressive partisans to achieve electoral success
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FRONTPAGE
FP 1: Everything's a cult now - The Gray Area
FP 2: Examining how U.S. politics became intertwined with personal identity - PBS NewsHour
FP 3: Jason Stanley on the Politics of Language - Amanpour and Company
FP 4: A Conversation About How Dems Can Win in November with Rachel Bitecofer - Deep State Radio
FP 5: Employ Negative Partisanship w. Rachel Bitecofer - Future Hindsight
FP 6: Everything's ... Part 2
FP 7: Hit 'Em Where It Hurts ... Part 2
FP 8: Employ Negative ... Part 2
(59:24) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the importance of finding common-but-adaptable messaging
(1:02:14) SECTION A: IDENTITY
A2: Examining how U.S. ... Part 2
(1:10:14) SECTION B: POLITICAL RHETORIC
B1: 'Hit 'Em Where It Hurts' urges Dems to go on attack - Morning Joe
B2: 'Our message resonated with voters' - Morning Joe
B3: Watch VP Harris slams Trump over abortion access - MSNBC
(1:26:17) SECTION C: MESSAGING
C2: Republican Policies VERY Unpopular With Voters - The Majority Report
C4: Employ Negative ... Part 3
(1:50:33) SECTION D: INDEPENDENTS
D2: Why Voters Are Down On The Economy - 538 Politics
Wed, 15 May 2024 - 2h 06min - 3396 - #1628 New Era of Antitrust for a New Era of Capitalism, Mega-Corporations and Big Tech
Air Date 5/11/2024
The effort to turn theory into practice that will open up new ways of thinking about antitrust lawsuits attempting to rein in big tech and other mega-corporations, which are operating in a new phase of capitalism.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: FTC Chair Lina Khan on Antitrust in the age of Amazon - Planet Money - Air Date 11-3-23
On today's show, a conversation with FTC Chair Lina Khan on what it's like to try to turn audacious theory into bureaucratic practice, the FTC's new lawsuit against Amazon, and what it all means for business as usual.
Ch. 2: Apple's Antitrust Problem - Professor Talha Syed - The BTLJ Podcast - Air Date 3-10-24
Professor Syed reveals his thoughts and assessment of the new Brandeis movement, headed by Lina Khan and Jonathan Kanter of the FTC and DOJ.
Ch. 3: FTC Chair Lina Khan on Antitrust in the age of Amazon Part 2 - Planet Money - Air Date 11-3-23
Ch. 4: How to Fight Monopoly Power with FTC Chair Lina Khan - Factually! - Air Date 11-8-23
Lina Khan, appointed chair of the Federal Trade Commission by President Biden, has become the foremost voice of this movement and has engaged in high-profile battles to reshape how America deals with monopolies.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 8: Real Estate Fees Crushed By Anti-Trust w David Dayen - The Majority Report - Air Date 3-26-24
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments on the new show format tried out in the campus protesters episode as well as a retraction
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A court document with “Antitrust” at the top sits on a desk with a gavel and block on top.
Credit: “Antitrust” by Nick Youngson via Pix4free | License: CC BY-SA 3.0 | Changes: Added solid background
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Sun, 12 May 2024 - 53min - 3395 - #1627 Campus Protests and the Crackdown: Civil resistance against Israeli genocide in Gaza, responses from university presidents to Biden
Air Date 5/7/2024
Civil resistance on campuses across the country against Israeli genocide in Gaza calling for cease fire and divestment, university administrations up to the Biden administration respond, often with overwhelming violence and claims of antisemitism.
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FRONTPAGE
FP 1: The US college protests... - Today in Focus - Air Date 4-25-24
FP 2: Behind Columbia... - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 4-24-24
(47:13) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
(50:54) SECTION A: POLICE RESPONSES
A1: Atlanta Police Violently Arrest Emory... - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-26-24
A2: Juan González, Veteran of '68 Columbia Strike... - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-1-24
(1:06:59) SECTION B: INSIDE THE PROTESTS
B1: Pro-Israel THUGS Attack... - Owen Jones - Air Date 5-1-24
B2: Live from the Encampments - CODEPINK Radio - Air Date 5-1-24
(1:34:52) SECTION C: BIDEN'S POLITICS AND ACCUSATIONS OF ANTISEMITISM
C1: Nicholas Kristof ... Part 2 - Brian Lehrer - Air Date 4-26-24
C2: Manufactured Panic Over Peaceful... - The Majority Report - Air Date 4-23-24
(1:57:05) SECTION D: UNIVERSITY ADMINS AND ENDOWMENTS
D1: Why Colleges Have No Idea... - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 4-23-24
D2: Columbia University President ... - The Bitchuation Room - Air Date 4-27-24
(2:37:42) SECTION E: MEDIA CRITICISM
IMAGE
Description: A photo of a lawn in front of a university building at Vassar College showing students standing near tents, a sign that reads "Liberation," and a Palestinian flag along a walkway.
Credit: "Liberation Lawn at Vassar College (cropped)" by Found5dollar, Wikimedia | License: CC BY-SA 4.0 | Changes: Cropped
Tue, 07 May 2024 - 2h 55min - 3394 - Bonus Sample #302 Satire requires a clarity of purpose and target lest it be mistaken for and contribute to that which it intends to criticize.
Air Date: 5-5-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Jerry Seinfeld blaming the "extreme left" and "PC culture" for the death of sitcoms - how Poe's Law (and the Amanda Principle) makes creating and identifying satire difficult - how TV shows trying to satirize the left for the left struggle to land the jokes
Jerry Seinfeld Is a Lazy Hack Out of Touch with the Real World—And Who Can Blame Him?
‘In the Know’ Showrunners Unpack Its Loving Evisceration of Public Radio, Progressive Politics
Zach Woods, NPR Fan, Reads NPR Fans for Filth
Exclusive: In the Know's Zach Woods and Brandon Gardner on Satirizing Liberals with Mike Judge
The Cleaner - S2 E5 The Statue (Acorn)
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Sun, 05 May 2024 - 17min - 3393 - #1626 Remix - Protest Crackdown: Power Concedes Nothing Without a Demand and the Response is Predictable
Air Date 5/3/2024
A look back at previous coverage of criminalizing protests, weaponizing civility, and violent responses to peaceful dissent.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: The Problem with Civility - On the Media - Air Date 6-30-18
Ch. 2: Criminalizing Protest - @USNewsBeat - Air Date 6-14-18
Ch. 3: Civility as a cudgel - Trumpcast - Air Date 6-30-18
Ch. 4: Protests Sweep Across America and Beyond Part 2 - The Daily Show - Air Date 6-9-20
Ch. 6: Anti-Protest Bills Popping Up Everywhere - David Pakman Show - Air Date 8-19-20
Ch. 7: Elly Page on Anti-Protest Bills - CounterSpin - Air Date 4-23-21
Ch. 8: Not Ready For That Conversation - On The Media - Air Date 4-23-21
Ch. 9: GOP States Are Pushing for Stricter Penalties for Protesters - The Takeaway - Air Date 4-27-21
Ch. 10: How Corporate Media Protects Violent Cops - Carlos Maza - Air Date 6-4-20
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 03 May 2024 - 1h 14min - 3392 - #1625 Society of Extreme Wealth and its Discontents: Tax avoidance, wealth inequality and the detrimental effects felt by us all
Air Date 5/1/2024
The past, present, and future of tackling the uselessness of extreme wealth by exposing and closing tax avoidance loopholes and pushing for a culture change to embrace the need for a more equal society.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: What Happens When You Tax Billionaires at 90 Percent? - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 6-3-23
We did it before, and the result was the creation of the world’s first and largest middle class and a level of peace and prosperity that held its own until Ronald Reagan took a meat-axe to it…
If you think school teachers shouldn't pay a higher tax rate than billionaires, join us to learn how you can join in on the fight to #TaxBillionaires!
Ch. 3: Wealth Tax Part 1 - Pullback - Air Date 4-11-23
Should we be taxing Scrooge-McDuck wealth? Can we? We talk with friend of the pod Fariya Mohiuddin, a Senior Program Officer with the International Budget Partnership's Tax Equity Program, and our favourite tax justice researcher and activist.
If you're serious about alleviating poverty, as most liberals claim to be, should there be a cap on how wealthy one person can be?
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments on anger and irrationality in war and politics
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A protester holds a sign that says “Tax the Rich”
Credit: “We have a right to the city. Tax the rich.” by dignidadrebelde, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Wed, 01 May 2024 - 58min - 3391 - Bonus Sample #301 War Is the Continuation of Policy with Other Means
Air Date: 4-29-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - how the film 'Civil War' intentionally avoids any specifics about the "why", and in doing so becomes a perfect encapsulation of the Amanda Principle™
- how "the view from nowhere" journalism is supposed to be straight down the middle and fact-based, but is actually rife with bias and ends up representing the dominant culture - that America and its culture has been steeped in war and violence since it's inception - the similarities between modern America and Germany in 1933
REFERENCES: Americans Have Enjoyed Imagining Civil War for a Long, Long Time
How to Both-Sides a “Civil War”
Alex Garland's Civil War Plays Both Sides
Opinion: Is the US on the brink of another civil war?
‘Civil War’ and the Dangerous Myth of ‘Unbiased’ Journalism
America Isn’t Nazi Germany, but It Looks a Little Like 1933
Modern Mathematics Confronts Its White, Patriarchal Past
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Mon, 29 Apr 2024 - 14min - 3390 - #1513 The Morality of Debt and Forgiveness (Throwback)
Original Air Date 9/14/2022
Today, we take a look at the history and hysteria behind debt and debt forgiveness while Biden is canceling student debt and opponents of the idea are reacting in the most predictable way possible because they misunderstand the relationship between debt and morality.
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SHOW NOTES
We speak to Astra Taylor, writer, filmmaker, and co-director of the Debt Collective, a union for debtors and one of the original advocates for a debt jubilee that would cancel all student debt.
Ch. 2: Freedom Dreams: Black Women and the Student Debt Crisis - The Intercept - Air Date 8-22-22
The Intercept’s new documentary, “Freedom Dreams: Black Women and the Student Debt Crisis,” profiles Black women educators and activists struggling under the weight of tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, in student loan debt.
Ch. 3: Hidden History of Student Debt - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 8-25-22
Many woke up to find news that $10k of their student debt would be forgiven, Thom Hartmann and Jefferson Smith break down what this means and what happens next.
Max breaks down the politics, the details, and biggest misses of the Biden student debt relief plan and why it’s in danger of being PITOTWIU
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 11: Final comments on morality and money
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A dark gray, 3D image of the word "DEBT" sits in a white void, a connected chain and open shackle with an open padlock lie in front of it.
Credit: "3D Shackled Debt" by Chris Potter, Flickr | License: CC by 2.0 | Changes: Enlarged with more white background
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 26 Apr 2024 - 1h 13min - 3389 - #1624 Island Fervor: Cuba and Haiti Struggle for Economic and Political Self-Determination in the Face of Respective Histories of Exploitation and Embargo
Air Date 4/24/2024
Only by understanding the past can we understand the present and the histories of Cuba and Haiti have very stark lessons to impart about the cruelty of the Cuba embargo, the repercussions of imperial exploitation, and the dangers that arise amid dysfunctional democracy.
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SHOW NOTES
Musa Springer, Erica Caines, & Onyesonwu Chatoyer from Hood Communist discuss their participation in The Second International Meeting of Theoretical Publications of Left Parties and Movements and discuss history and present events playing out in Haiti.
Ryan Grim delves into the complexities of Cuba’s current economic crisis with Andrés Pertierra, a historian of Latin America and the Caribbean.
"The root of this crisis is not last week, it's not this week, it's not even Ariel Henry. But we have to go back to 2004 with the coup-d'état," says Pierre.
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 11: Final comments on the dangers of unrepresentative, unresponsive government
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Photo of a protester in 2007 holding a large cloth sign that says “Solidarity…Haiti YES! Occupation NO. Canada-US-U.N. OUT of Haiti”
Credit: “Solidarity - Haiti Yes - Occupation No” by Robert Thivierge, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Wed, 24 Apr 2024 - 59min - 3388 - Bonus Sample #300 My People are Humans
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Air Date: 4-22-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - How Israeli citizens and government officials use of the US's settler-colonialist past, westward expansion, and religious fundamentalism to justify their own settler expansion - How the members of the extreme right are put in positions of power within the Israeli government, which is then used to validate the settler's actions - The role racist propaganda and intergenerational trauma play in convincing Israelis of the righteousness of their settler-colonialist actions - The societal dangers of living in an ethnostate combined with feeling of specialness that comes from generations of victimhood
REFERENCES: The Israeli Settlers Attacking Their Palestinian Neighbors
The grandmother who wants to lead Israelis back to a Gaza without Palestinians
A debate over Israel-Palestine curriculum flares at Berkeley schools
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Tue, 23 Apr 2024 - 14min - 3387 - #1623 Burning American Credibility on Support for Israel's Genocidal War in Gaza - Biden, Netanyahu, and the double standards of the rules-based order
Air Date 4/20/2024
Old habits die hard and the American establishment's unquestioning support for Israel is a very old habit indeed. Israel's government drifts farther and farther to the right, culminating in a genocidal push into Gaza. Meanwhile, President Biden, standard-bearer of the old establishment, seems destined to be the very last Democrat to see the need for a change.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Jon Stewart Interrogates America's Support of Israel - The Daily Show - Air Date 4-8-24
Jon Stewart checks in on the war in Gaza and interrogates how America's purported values stack up against its support of Israel. Plus, Ronny Chieng and Grace Kuhlenschmidt report from the eclipse's path of totality with startling different reports.
Roth tells host Steve Clemons that US President Joe Biden is engaging in “cynical” election politics by refusing to enforce the UN resolution calling for a ceasefire, or the World Court ruling ordering Israel to allow more food into Gaza
In this video, we’ll look at comments from both Youssef and Stewart, examples of “performative” outrage from politicians, and demands from voters that the Democratic Party and Joe Biden are refusing to meet.
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 9: Final comments on the words we've heard and the actions we've seen from Israel's government
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Photo of a protest outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC in honor of Airman Aaron Bushnell’s self-sacrifice. Protestors kneel behind a banner that says “Stop U.S. Support of Genocide.”
Credit: “50.Gather.AaronBushnellVigil.WDC.26February2024” by Elvert Barnes, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Sat, 20 Apr 2024 - 57min - 3386 - Bonus Sample #299 Selling Bliss
Air Date: 4-18-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - how a tech start-up is trying to sell a shortcut to bliss - the world of drug-free psychedelic experiences - the capitalists trying to solve the loneliness epidemic
REFERENCES: The Meditation Start-Up That’s Selling Bliss on Demand
What’s it like to take a $249 drug-free psychedelic trip? We found out
Can You Solve Loneliness? These Startups Are Betting On It.
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Thu, 18 Apr 2024 - 18min - 3385 - #1249 Understanding the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israeli mistreatment of Palestinians (Throwback)
Original Air Date 2/12/2019
Today we take a look at both the BDS movement and the backlash response to it resulting in firings and legislation in many states (and pending federally) to restrict employment and business opportunities from those who fail to pledge in writing to not support of the boycott of Israel
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Explaining BDS - The Katie Halper Show - Air Date 10-11-17
We speak to art critic and writer Kareem Estefan, co-editor of “Assuming Boycott: Resistance, Agency, and Cultural Production,” about Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS)
Legendary activist and scholar Angela Davis speaks out after the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute rescinded a human rights award for her, reportedly due to her activism for Palestinian rights.
Ali Abunimah discusses a leaked report from Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), a front for Israel government-backed lobby group StandWithUs, which admits the cultural boycott is "constantly growing" and "innovative."
Ch. 4: Josh Ruebner on BDS Bans - CounterSpin (@FAIRmediawatch) - Air Date 1-31-19
We’ll hear about so-called “anti-BDS” laws, and their context, from Josh Ruebner, policy director at the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights.
Ch. 5: Senators Sneak Amendment to Make Israel Boycott Illegal - @TheRealNews - Air Date 12-19-18
While Senators Cardin and Portman are trying to sneak a last-minute amendment into the budget bill to make BDS illegal - violating free speech - 26 states are also moving to make boycotts of Israel illegal. We speak to IPS’s Phyllis Bennis.
Tim discusses CNN’s firing of contributor Marc Lamont Hill (a former guest on the show), for comments he made in favor of full equality and justice for the Palestinian people.
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
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Tue, 16 Apr 2024 - 1h 03min - 3384 - #1622 Capitalism Culture Catastrophes On Land, Sea, And In The Sky - Baltimore Bridge Collapse, Boeing Blowout, and the Continuing Threat to Railway Workers
Air Date 4/12/2024
The forces of capitalism and deregulation loom large as industrial transport disasters continue to pile up with new focus brought to the issue by the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and the series of dangerous and deadly failures from Boeing.
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SHOW NOTES
Two full days after the disastrous collapse of a bridge in Baltimore, little is known about six construction workers who went missing—and are now presumed dead.
The Real News convened a panel of journalists working all sides of this story to get a sense of what we know about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, what key questions still need to be answered, and what happens next.
Ch. 3: Cars, Bridges, Ships and Planes - The Zero Hour - Air Date 04-06-24
Discussing the Baltimore disaster in the context of infrastructure investment more broadly
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments on the threat to society of runaway corporate executive pay
References:
The failure of Bill Clinton's CEO pay reform - Politico
The Executive Pay Cap That Backfired - ProPublica
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Photo taken from inside the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 Boeing plane that lost its door mid-flight. A rectangular hole in the side of the plane reveals a wall of white clouds. The nearby seats are empty and oxygen masks hang from the ceiling.
Credit: Photo taken by unidentified passenger and provided to the public by the National Transportation Safety Board(NTSB) as part of their investigation. | License: Public Domain
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Fri, 12 Apr 2024 - 1h 07min - 3383 - #1621 How Democrats Lost Their Way On Economics And Are Starting To Find It Again
Air Date 4/9/2024
The neoliberal legacy of the New Democrats continues to loom large but it really does seem like the progressive wing of the party and the broader demand for populist economic policies has had an impact. Now people just need to know that it's happening.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: American Socialism - Prospect: Generations - Air Date 4-6-23
In this episode of the Prospect’s Generations podcast, editor at large Harold Meyerson, who joined the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee in 1975, and writing fellow Luke Goldstein, who was attracted to socialism by Bernie Sanders
Ch. 2: The Legacy of the New Democrats - KPFA - Against the Grain - Air Date 8-17-22
Historian Lily Geismer looks at how the the Democratic Leadership Council and Clinton-era Democratic Party increased inequality, through development zones, charter schools, welfare “reform”, and microfinance.
Ch. 3: Clinton’s ‘Fabulous Failure’ Part 1 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 10-4-23
Our politics today is haunted by the failures of Bill Clinton—the “centrist” who “triangulated” with Republicans, lost on healthcare, and proclaimed that “the era of big government is over.” Nelson Lichtenstein explains Clinton’s turn to the right
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Ch. 7: Price Controls: An Inflation Solution That Doesn't Screw Workers - Deconstructed - Air Date 7-7-23
CENTRIST AND RIGHT-WING economists continue to advocate for laying off workers and engineering a recession to address inflation. But why not set price controls instead?
Ch. 8: Clinton’s ‘Fabulous Failure’ Part 2 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 10-4-23
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments on the way we think about political criticism
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Photo of President Joe Biden shaking hands with a hard-hat-and-safety-vest clad union worker during a campaign event in Pennsylvania.
Credit: “President Biden greeting union workers” by Governor Tom Wolf Flickr account | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
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Tue, 09 Apr 2024 - 1h 01min - 3382 - Bonus Sample #292 Someone is Wrong on the Internet
Air Date: 4-7-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Many facets of our society are clearly broken by capitalism, and bizarrely for some, chaos is the only thing that beings agency to their life - The delusion of RFK Jr. voters, the understandable desire to vote third party, and the age-old cry of the 'uniparty' - The trend of conservative voters among communities of color and where they find themselves in Trump's Republican Party - And that one of the Democrats main stumbling blocks is they're only interested in keeping things exactly as they are
REFERENCES: The Americans Who Need Chaos
Andrew Tate on why he doesn’t read books
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Targets a Generation of Politically Disaffected, Extremely Online Men
Forget Kennedy Democrats. Here Comes the 2024 Kennedy Voter.
The Strange History of the ‘Uniparty’
The unexpected dynamic that could decide the Trump-Biden rematch
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Sun, 07 Apr 2024 - 14min - 3381 - #1379 Tell Stories, Not Myths: Democracy in America (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 11/10/2020
Today we take a look at the long and shifting history of the myth of democracy in America. We've never had it since the beginning but the reasons have shifted, ebbed and flowed over time. Now, in the midst of an attempted slow-motion coup, we look back at this most central American myth.
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SHOW NOTES
Two of the last three presidents — George W. Bush and Donald Trump — came to office after losing the popular vote. "The Framers who met at the Constitutional Convention really had no idea what they were doing when they established how to pick a president"
Ch. 2: The Second Revolution - Scene On Radio - Air Date 2-19-20
After the Civil War, a surprising coalition tried to remake the United States into a real multiracial democracy for the first time. Reconstruction, as the effort was called, brought dramatic change to America. For a while.
Ch. 3: Democracy: Past, Present... and Future? - The Laura Flanders Show - Air Date 6-26-19
Don't remember the past? Does that mean you're condemned to repeat it? What does our country's past tell us about our present— and how can it help us imagine a better future? This week, two leading thinkers on the tricky challenges of democracy.
Ch. 4: More Democracy - Scene on Radio - Air Date 6-10-20
What will it take to make the United States a more fully functioning democracy, and how can we, as citizens, bring about that change? By host and producer John Biewen, with series collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika.
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Written by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
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Fri, 05 Apr 2024 - 1h 08min - 3380 - #1620 Threatening the 2024 Election to Subvert Democracy, from Legal Maneuvers in Congress and Unconstitutional Congressional Maps to Violent Threats Against Election Workers
Air Date 4/3/2024
As the country gears up for the election in November, we look at a variety of ways the GOP and their election-denialist supporters are preparing to subvert the democratic process to get the result they want.
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SHOW NOTES
A question remains among most American, and specifically Arizonan, voters: how can we make elections better? David Becker is a co-founder of the Center for Election Innovation and Research to improve elections through technology and reliance on data.
A federal jury in Washington ordered Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s former campaign attorney, to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers for distress caused by lies he spread following the 2020 election.
Ch. 3: Charlie Kirk Lackey Gets Humiliated By Election Official - The Majority Report - Air Date 3-3-24
Ch. 4: Far Right Plan Chaos Ahead of 2024 Election - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 3-22-24
Donald Trump and the far right want the 2024 election to be so chaotic they can make the case that Trump won, even if he goes down in flames losing by spectacular numbers.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 10: Exposing Secret Fascist Plan To ‘Win’ 2024 Election - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 2-26-24
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments on the backfire effect of lies about mail-in voting
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A photo of a protestor, wearing a mask, and holding a sign up that says “When we count, democracy wins.”
Credit: “40a.BLM.Plaza.WDC.7November2020” by Elvert Barnes, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Wed, 03 Apr 2024 - 56min - 3379 - Bonus Sample #297 No Laughing Matter
Air Date: 4-1-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - how Trump uses humor to normalize his behavior and engage his supporters - how humor is not always a great weapon against fascism and autocracy
REFERENCES: Can Parents Prevent Their Sons From Sliding to the Right?
In on the Joke: The Comedic Trick Trump Uses to Normalize His Behavior
Laughing All the Way to Autocracy
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Mon, 01 Apr 2024 - 16min - 3378 - #1619 A Guide to Protests Against Injustice from the Peaceful to the Deadly
Air Date 3/30/2024
We are living through an age of protest from the opposition to the Iraq war, the Arab Spring uprisings, Occupy Wall Street, through to marches against Trump, and now the war in Gaza. So, we thought we should take a look at the art and science of protest itself.
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SHOW NOTES
The 2010s saw a new era of mass protest, from Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Syria, to Occupy Wall Street, EuroMaidan and Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement. Many of these movements shared a “horizontalist” or leaderless approach
Ch. 2: The Uncommitted Movement feat. Layla Elabed & Waleed Shahid - Chapo Trap House - Air Date 3-8-24
Organizers Layla Elabed and Waleed Shahid join us to discuss their recent successes with the movement to vote uncommitted against Joe Biden in the ongoing democratic primaries. They lay out their goals
Ch. 3: Why Peaceful Protest Won't Solve Anything - Second Thought - Air Date 8-12-22
Ch. 4: Gaza Protesters SHUT DOWN Schiff's Victory Speech - The Majority Report - Air Date 3-6-24
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments on the importance of building momentum over time with protest
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A photo of a handmade protest sign taped to a chainlink fence that says "This is a movement not a moment." Taped to the bottom of the sign is a smaller sign that says "Jacob Blake" with hearts around it.
Credit: "18a.StreetArtFence.BLM.Plaza.WDC.27August2020" by Elvert Barnes, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, slightly increased brightness, contrast and saturation.
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Sat, 30 Mar 2024 - 54min - 3377 - Bonus Sample #296 Coping: Magic Mushrooms, Bath Time, Perpetual Therapy, and Pain Killers
Air Date: 3-28-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - how the wealthy use psilocybin to deal with stress and break the rules of time - the working class get bath time and training on how to self-care their stress away - the
REFERENCES: It’s Time to Give Up on Email
The Working Woman’s Newest Life Hack: Magic Mushrooms
How America Became Addicted to Therapy
Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Thu, 28 Mar 2024 - 14min - 3376 - #1463 People Are Waking Back Up To The Need For Labor Unions (Throwback)
Original Air Date: 12/23/2021
Today we take a look at some of the history of labor struggles in America and the current wave of strikes that is giving renewed energy to the labor union movement and the struggle for better working conditions for all.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Lessons from the Luddites - On the Media - Air Date 12-10-21
Gavin Mueller [@gavinmuellerphd], assistant professor of New Media and Digital Culture at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, on what modern lessons can be learned from the Luddite workers of 19th century England.
Ch. 2: Victory at Starbucks, Struggle at Kellogg's Part 1 - Jacobin Radio - Air Date 12-13-21
Suzi talks with John Logan about the unionization victory at Starbucks in Buffalo, and the continuing Kellogg Co. strike.
Ch. 3: Strike Wave Workers Flex Their Muscle in Tight Labor Market Part 1 - Intercepted - Air Date 11-10-21
We hear from Kaiser Permanente workers, and then Labor Notes’ Jonah Furman joins The Intercept’s Washington Editor Nausicaa Renner to discuss this year’s strike wave.
The episode includes a blow-by-blow analysis of a recent interview with the CEO of Kellogg's to translate Wall Street speak for “how to fuck workers and influence inflation.”
Ch. 5: Victory at Starbucks, Struggle at Kellogg's Part 2 - Jacobin Radio - Air Date 12-13-21
Suzi talks with John Logan about the unionization victory at Starbucks in Buffalo, and the continuing Kellogg Co. strike.
Ch. 6: Class Struggles in the US Today - Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff - Air Date 12-2-21
The "labor shortage" isn't, "Build Back Better" does not begin to approach what Europe already has.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 9: Lessons from the Luddites Part 2 - On the Media - Air Date 12-10-21
Gavin Mueller [@gavinmuellerphd], assistant professor of New Media and Digital Culture at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, on what modern lessons can be learned from the Luddite workers of 19th century England.
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Tue, 26 Mar 2024 - 1h 09min - 3375 - #1618 Forget Equality, Embrace the Feminism of Freedom - Breaking entirely free from the structures of White supremacy and heteropatriarchy
Air Date 3/23/2024
Equality has been at the heart of civil rights movements for decades but what we have failed to see is that in striving for equality we cannot help but reinforce the unquestioned preexisting structures of society which, themselves, may be at fundamental odds with true freedom for all.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Marcie Bianco — Breaking Free - with Charlotte Clymer - Politics and Prose - Air Date 9-23-23
Watch author Marcie Bianco's book talk and reading at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C.
Ch. 2: Angela Saini The Patriarchs 'How Men Came to Rule' - The Overpopulation Podcast - Air Date 2-6-24
By detailing the diversity of human arrangements, including the prevalence of egalitarian and matrilineal societies around the world – past and present – Angela reveals that male-supremacy is neither natural nor immutable.
Ch. 3: The Fraud Of 'White Feminism' w/ Kyla Schuller - The Majority Report - Air Date 1-20-22
Emma hosts Kyla Schuller, Assistant Professor of Women's and Gender Studies at Rutgers University, to discuss her recent book The Trouble With White Women: A Counterhistory of Feminism.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 8: The Fraud Of 'White Feminism' w Kyla Schuller Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Date 1-20-22
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 10: Final comments on what the path beyond equality and toward freedom looks like
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A photo of a protest in a city street. A person holds up a neon pink sign that says “Smash Patriarchy. Smash Capitalism.” Part of a Starbucks logo can be seen behind the sign.
Credit: “Smash patriarchy smash capitalism” by Peter, Flickr | License: CC By 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, slight increase in brightness, contrast and saturation.
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Sat, 23 Mar 2024 - 55min
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