Original Air Date 6/9/2021

Today we take a look at the motivations behind legislation being introduced in statehouses around the country to ban the teaching of Critical Race Theory, criminalize the right to protest and limit the right to vote. Now if only there were some theory we could look to to understand the complicated interconnectedness of these subtly racist ideas...

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Transcript

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: The War Over Teaching America's Racist History in Schools - The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - Air Date 5-5-21

Most students in America are only taught about a handful of important Black Americans in history class. Here’s a look at why schools should teach students about race and why certain parents are opposed to that shift.

Ch. 2: Critical Race Theory - Past Present - Air Date 5-25-21

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the current controversy over critical race theory.

Ch. 3: Elly Page on Anti-Protest Bills - CounterSpin - Air Date 4-23-21

If the Chauvin verdict is testament to the power of protest, so too are the vigorous efforts to squelch that power. Plus: Right-wing legislators target trans kids at the state level.

Ch. 4: Not Ready For That Conversation - On The Media - Air Date 4-23-21

Tami Abdollah [@latams], national correspondent for USA Today, on how Republican-controlled legislatures across the country have been introducing bills to criminalize protests — or as they put it, to stop the rioting.

Ch. 5: GOP States Are Pushing for Stricter Penalties for Protesters - The Takeaway - Air Date 4-27-21

The Takeaway spoke with Nora Benavidez, the director of U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America, and Elly Page, senior legal advisor at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, working with the U.S. Protest Law Tracker.

Ch. 6: Weaponizing Trump's Big Lie: Ari Berman on GOP's War on Democracy & Voting Rights - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-10-21

Extreme voting restrictions have advanced in several Republican-led states across the U.S., including in Florida. Mother Jones reporter Ari Berman says these efforts are an extension of former President Trump’s “big lie” about voter fraud.

Ch. 7: Is the GOP Insanity Being Driven By Trump or 40 Years of Madness? - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 6-4-21

This “Trump grip” narrative is nonsense and it needs to stop —the Republican Party has made it crystal clear with their voter suppression efforts that they no longer believe in democracy. They are doing this because they want to.

MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)

Ch. 8: Walk Out: Texas Democrats Block Passage of Voter Suppression Bill by Leaving Capitol Ahead of Vote - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-1-21

Trey Martinez Fischer says the legislation would have “a tremendous impact” on ballot access in the state. “Just like every bad policy, Hispanics, Latinos and Asian Americans will be disproportionately impacted," "the time for a national response is now."

Ch. 9: How Corporate Media Protects Violent Cops - Carlos Maza - Air Date 6-4-20

Police departments across America have declared war on unarmed protesters. They get away with it thanks to a corporate media ecosystem that helps shield cops from criticism and discredit the people protesting police brutality.

VOICEMAILS

Ch. 10: Lesson #3 The Value Proposition

FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 11: Final comments

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE:

Description: Iconography of a person speaking into a bullhorn with an arm up and other people icons listening to represent "protesting" with a red circle with a line through it over the image.

Credit: "No protesting" by David Pursehouse | Flickr | License | Changes: Cropped, enhanced contrast, saturation and brightness

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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Air Date 7/26/2022

Today, we take a look at recent Supreme Court rulings aside from overturning abortion rights and how all signals are that they are going full steam ahead on a conservative authoritarian deconstruction of the past 100 years of progress

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Transcript

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: A Supreme Court Term Like No Other - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 7-9-22

Dahlia L​​ithwick hosts Amicus’ annual term-ending breakfast table conversation, featuring Slate’s own Mark Joseph Stern, Professor Katherine Franke and Professor Nikolas Bowie. They dig into the biggest decisions of the term

Ch. 2: Judicial Coup: SCOTUS Gerrymandering Case May Let GOP State Legislatures Control Federal Elections - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-6-22

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Thursday it will hear oral arguments in a case experts warn could be one of the greatest threats to U.S. democracy since the deadly January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. In October, the court will hear Moore v. Harper.

Ch. 3: Just how bad is the Supreme Court's EPA decision - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 6-30-22

Kate and Leah break down the "free-wheeling, free association analysis" of the Supreme Court's opinion in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. Basically, it's bad! And not just because of the impending climate apocalypse!

Ch. 4: The Supreme Court Needs an Upgrade - What Next - Air Date 7-6-22

The Supreme Court treated its most recent term like the opening salvo in a conservative revolution, approving prayer in schools, establishing a constitutional right to conceal and carry a firearm, and eliminating the constitutional right to abortion.

Ch. 5: The Outrage Continues - In The Thick - Air Date 7-19-22

Julio is joined by Errin Haines, editor at large for The 19th, and Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation. They discuss the Supreme Court and the impact of their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)

Ch. 9: SCOTUS Religious Extremists Rapidly Eroding Separation Of Church And State In USA - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-1-22

Writer Mark Joseph Stern joins the MR crew to talk about the recent SCOTUS opinions and rulings on Carson v Makin and Kennedy v Bremerton which continue to blur the lines between church and state.

FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 12: Final comments on the political philosophy that increases suffering

Bonus clip: Because of Texas abortion law, her wanted pregnancy became a medical nightmare - NPR - Air Date 7-26-22

New, untested abortion bans have made doctors unsure about treating some pregnancy complications, which has led to life-threatening delays and trapped families in a limbo of grief and helplessness.

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):

• Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr 
• Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent
• Activism Music: This Fickle World by Theo Bard (https://theobard.bandcamp.com/track/this-fickle-world)
• Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: Global Food Prices Are at A Record High - The Takeaway - Air Date 6-22-22

We speak with Ukrainian-American Anna Nagurney, Chair in Integrative Studies at the Isenberg School of Management at The University of Massachusetts - Amherst about the latest on Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian food exports.

Ch. 2: Why War in Ukraine is Causing Apocalyptic Famine - RealLifeLore - Air Date 6-30-22

Explaining why the geopolitical destabilization of the war in Ukraine may be part of Russia's plan and what actions the world can take to reduce the famine

Ch. 3: The Famine Is Coming: War in Ukraine & Climate Crisis Contribute to Food Insecurity in Somalia - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-23-22

Joining us from Mogadishu, Somalia, Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, says poorer countries in Africa aren't able to financially compete with richer countries to afford basic staples like wheat.

Ch. 4: For Bread: On capitalism's global food crisis - Prolekult - Air Date 7-2-22

An overview of the fundamental factors driving the global food crisis. The piece looks at the way fertilizer has shaped agriculture, the composition of agricultural capital, and the environmental crisis' impact on agriculture globally.

Ch. 5: Food Shortage or Economic Crisis Experts Say Poverty & Capitalism Are Real Drivers of Global Hunger - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-23-22

We speak with food systems experts Sofía Monsalve Suárez and Rachel Bezner Kerr about how to prevent a looming global food shortage.

Ch. 6: Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli: The future of the food ecosystem -- and the power of your plate - TED Talks Daily - Air Date 5-9-22

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli lays out what it would take to build a more equitable, sustainable food system that nourishes all people and asks us to widen our perspectives before eating our next meal.

MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)

Ch. 7: Are Food Shortages Coming to the United States? - David Pakman Show - Air Date 4-20-22

Are food shortages really coming to the United States, as some are claiming?

Ch. 8: Why War in Ukraine is Causing Apocalyptic Famine Part 2 - RealLifeLore - Air Date 6-30-22

Explaining the slow-moving famine already underway before the start of the war in Ukraine

VOICEMAILS

Ch. 9: Requesting a Culture Wars episode - Phil from California

FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 10: Final comments on our coverage of the culture wars

Referenced:

#1479 Torturing Children and Families in the Name of Protecting Them (Trans Rights)

#1498 Pride and Prejudice

#1470 Distorting History and Banning Books is a Power Play of Exclusion

#1453 The Tea Party Too (School Board Backlash and the Dark Money Behind It)

#1501 Navigating Post-Roe America

#1374 Tell Stories, Not Myths - Columbus and the Centrality of Colonialism

#1431 Stealing Native Children and Their Future

#1492 The Great Replacements (Conspiracy vs Reality)

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):

• Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr 
• Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent
• Activism Music: This Fickle World by Theo Bard (https://theobard.bandcamp.com/track/this-fickle-world)
• Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent

SHOW IMAGE:

Description: Photograph of a cluster of golden wheat grains on a white surface. A small, colorful figurine of a globe rests on top of the grains.

Credit: "Globe and wheat. Global wheat shortage." by Jernej Furman, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Original Air Date 4/16/2020

Today, Amanda and I discuss a few of the aspects of life during a pandemic that's causing mental fog and affecting our work.

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: We all make mistakes but we’re making a lot more of them right now

Ch. 2: The Burnout Generation

Ch. 3: Survival Mode

Ch. 4: Hidden Mental Health Toll of Coronavirus with Alisa Kriegel - WhoWhatWhy - Air Date 3-22-20

The COVID-19 pandemic is going to have a huge toll on mental health, what can we do to mitigate the damage?

Ch. 5: Soft Launch of my secret project

Ch. 6: Showing the ShowSharer™

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):

• Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr 
• Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

Support the show via Patreon

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | +more

Check out the BotL iOS/Android App in the App Stores!

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Review the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Facebook!

Air Date 7/13/2022

Today, we take a look at how the Supreme Court stripped abortion rights for half the country, what life will look like for those seeking abortions and what we can do both personally and politically to fight back.

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Transcript

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Nominate us for the Podcast Awards by July 31st!

SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: Aimee Arrambide of Avow Texas with Abortion Resources - Burn It All Down - Air Date 6-29-22

Jessica Luther talks with Aimee Arrambide who provides information and abortion resources related to the overturning of Roe V. Wade.

Ch. 2: Looking for an abortion online? Listen to this first. - There Are No Girls on the Internet - Air Date 6-28-22

Computer scientist and social media expert Dr. Jen Golbeck has been running a popular TikTok series educating people on how to be more secure while navigating abortion online.

Ch. 3: The Day 'Roe' Died - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 6-24-22

For the first time in this country's history, an unelected majority of Supreme Court justices have taken away a fundamental constitutional right.

Ch. 4: When Pregnancy becomes Crime - This Is Hell! - Air Date 7-5-22

Writer and philosophy scholar at Cornell University, Kate Manne talks about her Substack article "Criminalizing Pregnant People: A Brief Retrospective."

Ch. 5: “A Devastating Ruling”: Law Prof. Michele Goodwin & SCOTUS Attorney Kitty Kolbert on Overturning Roe - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-4-22

We speak with two leading legal scholars. Kathryn "Kitty" Kolbert is co-founder of the Center for Reproductive Rights

Ch. 6: Just Doing The Job They Were Put On The Court To Do - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 6-25-22

Roe v Wade has been swept away and Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis.

Ch. 7: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez: Pres. Biden Should Forcefully Support Ending The Filibuster & Expanding SCOTUS - The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - Air Date 6-29-22

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lays out the case for what Democrats need to do in response to the Dobbs decision

MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)

Ch. 9: How The Supreme Court Killed Roe v. Wade - LegalEagle - Air Date 6-29-22

This is a sea change at the Supreme Court

FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 12: Final comments on the importance of state judicial elections

TAKE ACTION!

Start Paying Attention to State Judicial Elections:

Ballotpedia: ALL State Judicial Elections 2022 (scroll down for state links & maps)

Quick Links: Texas (18 appellate | 6 supreme); Florida (28 appellate | 5 supreme); Ohio (28 appellate | 3 supreme); Lousiana (22 appellate | 1 supreme); Tennesee (24 appellate | 5 supreme) ...and more.

Your State-by-State Guide to the 2022 Supreme Court Elections (via Bolts Magazine)

Share BOTL's Twitter Thread on this Subject

EDUCATE YOURSELF & SHARE

State Judge Elections Are About to Become Decisive for Abortion Rights (via Slate - July 6, 2022)

We Need to Reclaim State Courts From Big Money and Hateful Agendas (via TRUTHOUT - May 2019)

The Politics of Judicial Elections, 2019–20 (via Brennan Center - Jan. 25, 2022)

Gerrymandering or Creating New Courts (Dec 2021)

Written by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman 

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

SHOW IMAGE:

Description: A black and white photo showing a large crowd of people protesting in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building on the day Roe v. Wade was overturned, amidst ominous dark clouds in the sky.

Credit: "2022.06.24 Roe v Wade Overturned - SCOTUS, Washington, DC USA 175 143207" by Ted Eytan, Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped

Original Air Date: 6-6-22
Today, I am talking with Amanda, Deon and Erin. We discuss:
- The Dawn of Everything
- Capitalism Culture
- Hit and Run Work Ethic
- Necropolitics
- W.E.B. DuBois on Colonialism
- Sacrifices of Cultural Assumptions

References:
The Dawn of Everything (Affiliate Link!)

Capitalism Culture

Daycare late fees no deterrent, study finds

Prosecutor: Driver In Hit-And-Run Death Left For Job Interview

What Is Necropolitics? The Political Calculation of Life and Death

We Are Not This Map

When W. E. B. Du Bois Was Un-American

Leave a message at 202-999-3991

Produced by:
Jay! Tomlinson
Thanks for listening!
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
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Air Date 7/4/2022

Today, for this milestone episode, I attempted to squeeze in as many clever and interesting ideas as I could and ended up writing a starter guide to understand the United States. Plus, there are jingles!

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Transcript

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: Political Structures of Our Country

Tracking the political eras that proceeded our current situation and looking at what may come next.

Jingle 1: Strawman

Ch. 2: Progressives and Progress

Looking at a progressive perspective of the last 20 years and the process of progress itself

Jingle 2: Defer to Authority

Ch. 3: Understanding Race, Gender, Privilege and Power

Understanding why our understanding of the world is often insufficiently complicated

Jingle 3: Just Asking Questions

Ch. 4: Progressives in Politics

Tracing the fissures on the political left from Bush to Biden

Jingle 4: Manipulating Data

Ch. 5: Republican Transformation

Tracing conservatism from mid-century Republicans to 21st-century insurrectionists

Jingle 5: Appeal to Emotion

Ch. 6: Foreign/Power

Looking at various forms of power and how they play out on the international stage

Jingle 6: Passive Voice

Ch. 7: The Progress Trap

The progress traps of new technology and why we're not defending against them

Jingle 7: Clickbait

Ch. 8: Structural Thinking and the Alternative

What happens when an individualist thinker is faced with problems that only structural thinking can handle?

Jingle 8: Conspiracy Theories

FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 9: Conclusion

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

Jingles: Concept and Some Lyrics by Jay Tomlinson, Music and Most Lyrics by Jonathan Mann

• Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr 
• Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!

Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft

Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft

Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Original Air Date 6/19/2021

Today we take a look at the politics of obstruction in service to big donors' interests while sacrificing the ability to run a functioning democracy in the process.

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: West Virginia's Robyn Kincaid on the maddening Joe Manchin - The BradCast - Air Date 6-9-21

Robyn Kincaid explains the mysteries of Manchin, the history of his family's political dynasty in the state, and key factors that may be at work in Manchin's inexplicable obstruction of Biden and the Democrats' agenda.

Ch. 2: How Kyrsten Sinema Sold Out w/ Aída Chávez - Start Making Sense - Air Date 3-31-21

The political transformation of Kyrsten Sinema, the new senator from Arizona: She’s one of the two most conservative Democrats in the Senate—but Aida Chavez explains that she started out to the left of the Party.

Ch. 3: Filibuster Helps Manchin Hide In Plain Sight w/ David Sirota - The Majority Report - Air Date 6-12-21

Breaking down the conflict-averse nature of the Democratic Party.

Ch. 4: Breaking Down President Biden's $6 Trillion 2022 Budget - The Takeaway - Air Date 5-28-21

The president's budget attempts to incorporate plans on infrastructure, housing, and healthcare, and is likely to receive conservative backlash for raising the federal deficit.

Ch. 5: What Does Joe Manchin Want? John Nichols on Filibuster Reform - Start Making Sense - Air Date 6-9-21

Congressional action could block voter law changes—but that requires filibuster reform, and Joe Manchin says he won’t vote for filibuster reform. What does Joe Manchin want? John Nichols comments.

Ch. 6: Joe Manchin Gets Candid With Billionaire Donors in Leaked Audio - Deconstructed - Air Date 6-16-21

Sen. Joe Manchin reveals his thoughts on the filibuster in a leaked Zoom call with fundraisers.

Ch. 7: Does America Have a Chance At Democracy? - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 6-12-21

When a political party is more obsessed with identity than issues - America is in trouble. Can America function as a multi-racial, ethnic, religious democracy?

MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)

Ch. 8: How Kyrsten Sinema Sold Out w/ Aída Chávez Part 2 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 3-31-21

The political transformation of Kyrsten Sinema, the new senator from Arizona: She’s one of the two most conservative Democrats in the Senate—but Aida Chavez explains that she started out to the left of the Party.

Ch. 9: Filibuster Helps Manchin Hide In Plain Sight w/ David Sirota Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Date 6-12-21

Explaining Manchin's love of being the center of attention and those who love to use him as a shield against criticism

BONUS

Ch. 10: Curation Lesson #4

FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 11: Final comments on Bo Burnham's "Inside"

TAKE ACTION!

Pressure Manchin & Sinema via No Excuses PAC | TW: NoExcuses_PAC

Pressure Manchin via West Virginia Can’t Wait |TW: @WVCantWait

Curated by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman 

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):

• Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr 
• Abolish The Filibuster | Song A Day #4542 - Jonathan Mann
• Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent

SHOW IMAGE:

Description: Composite image. Photo of Sen. Kristen Sinema (D-AZ) on the left and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on the right. More than half of their images are overlaid with red, the rest with blue. A vector image of the U.S. Capitol is in the foreground, a rope is coiled around the dome being pulled at each end out of view.

Credit: Composite image designed by Amanda Hoffman

Image 1: "Kyrsten Sinema" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | License | Changes: Cropped with overlays

Image 2: "FAA REAUTHORIZATION LEGISLATION" by Senate Democrats, Flickr | License | Changes: Cropped with overlays

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson