Sat, 28 June 2025
Air Date 6/28/2025 The militarization of Trump's deportation regime and response to protesters is the clearest example of his desire to implement a fully authoritarian government. Pure and simple. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on the infamous Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! KEY POINTS KP 3: Trump, ICE, and the US War on Migrants - Red Flag Radio - Air Date 6-15-25 KP 5: Tanks On DCs Streets And A US Senator In Handcuffs - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 6-14-25 (01:00:15) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On protesting with a theory of change DEEPER DIVES (01:07:52) SECTION A: LA PROTESTS AND CIVIL UNREST A4: ICE Raids Continue As LA Fights Back - The Insurgents - Air Date 6-13-25 A5: A Medical Perspective On Protest Safety - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 6-23-25 A7: A Medical Perspective On Protest Safety Part 2 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 6-23-25 (02:01:45) SECTION B: FASCIST PLAYBOOK B2: Protests in LA Posse Comitatus is Long Over. - UNFTR - Air Date 6-14-25 B3: The Brainless Propaganda of Stephen Miller - Current Affairs - Air Date 6-25-25 B6: Protests in LA Posse Comitatus is Long Over. Part 2 - UNFTR - Air Date 6-14-25 B7: The Brainless Propaganda of Stephen Miller Part 2 - Current Affairs - Air Date 6-25-25 (03:05:41) SECTION C: IMMIGRATION CONTEXT C2: Trump, ICE and the US War on Migrants Part 2 - Red Flag Radio - Air Date 6-15-25 C4: How White Fear Fuels The Age of Trump - The Truth Report - Air Date 6-13-25 (03:34:17) SECTION D: SURVEILLANCE D2: Trump's Plan To Surveil America - Leeja Miller - Air Date 6-3-25 D4: Trump's Plan To Surveil America Part 2 - Leeja Miller - Air Date 6-3-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of a protest sign held in the air depicting a colorful drawing of a happy brown-skinned family surrounded by flowers. The text “No more detention” is at the top and “No more deportations. Abolish I.C.E.” is at the bottom. Credit: “Abolish ICE protest” by Master Stever Rapport, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 Changes: Cropped and expanded background
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com |
Wed, 25 June 2025
Air Date: 6-25-2025 We thought we were going to have an episode about the war Israel is conducting ready for you last week but then they started another war. So, it would have felt odd to release an Israel episode without the latest major updates including Iran. I can only imagine what will happen between the time I speak these words and when you hear them that will make this episode feel out of date. What Happens When Bereaved Israelis and Palestinians Share Their Pain?Listening from the HeartBe part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on the infamous Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) KEY POINTS KP 1: Why Is The Media Coverage of Israel vs Iran So Skewed? - Zeteo - Air 6-16-25 KP 3: The REAL Reason Israel Attacked Iran - uncivilized - Air Date 6-18-25 (00:40:25.) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the Parents Circle efforts for reconcilliation DEEPER DIVES (00:49:45) SECTION A: STARVATION A2: When Hunger Is a Weapon - Front Burner - Air Date 6-3-25 A4: Mara Kronenfeld on Israel’s Aid Blockade - CounterSpin - Air Date 5-16-25 (01:42:13) SECTION B: GAZA B1: The Israeli Government’s True Goal in Gaza - On Point - Air Date 6-5-25 B3: The State of the Gaza Negotiations and Ongoing Israeli Massacres - Drop Site News - Air Date 6-3-25 (02:08:26) SECTION C: NETANYAHU C1: Israel Allies With ISIS - To STARVE Gaza to Death - Owen Jones - Air Date 6-10-25 C2: Israeli Forces Open Fire at New Gaza “Aid” Site, as Netanyahu Rejects Ceasefire Deal Part 2 - Drop Site News - Air Date 5-27 (02:30:42) SECTION D: Historical & Media Context D1: Blowback: How Israel Helped Create Hamas - The Intercept - Air Date 2-20-18 D2: How Israel, the Media, & the West Set the Stage for Gaza’s Genocide - Zeteo - Air Date 6-10-25 (02:48:16) SECTION E: WAR WITH IRAN E2: Will the US Join the War With Iran? w/ Akbar Shahid Ahmed - American Prestige - Air Date 6-18-25 E3: Israel Attacks Iran w/ Séamus Malekafzali - American Prestige - Air Date 6-13-25 (03:13:15) SECTION F: PROTESTS F1: LIVE Interview From Gaza Flotilla as Threats Escalate - Empire Files - Air Date 6-4-25 F2: Piers Morgan's DISGUSTING Attack On Greta Thunberg - Novara Media - Air Date 6-9-25 F3: The Grassroots Movements to Break the Siege on Gaza - Drop Site News - Air Date 6-10-25 F4: Why Sisi Won't Lift the Gaza Blockade - Middle East Eye - Air Date 6-11-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description:Photo of a person holding a protest sign out their car window that says “Never again to anyone” with barbed wire across the text. Credit: “2014/08/16 #BlocktheBoat for Gaza” by Daniel Arauz, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com |
Mon, 23 June 2025
Air Date: 6–23-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
FOLLOW US ON:
REFERENCES: Donald Trump and the ’80s Aesthetic - Jacobin The 1980s Are Back, and Not in a Good Way - The New York Times Trump’s Big Fail: Making America the 1980s Again - Mother Jones Trump is What Happens When You Give a Landlord Power - Current Affairs
EXTRAS: “Wrestling is Drag” - Smartypants Dropout.tv https://youtube.com/shorts/zw9bNgKogUI
TAKE ACTION: Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials about stopping the Big Stupid Cruel Bill Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 July 17th - National Day of Action - Good Trouble Lives On Find your Indivisible group - or start one
Reach us via Signal: Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Direct download: SAMPLE_from_MEMBERS_ONLY_SOLVED_12_Audio_Video.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:51pm EST |
Sat, 21 June 2025
Air Date 6/21/2025 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month, we're focusing on the way authoritarian movements operate across multiple fronts simultaneously to reshape society. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on the infamous Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! PART 1: ECONOMIC CONTROL (00:01:20) #1707 Tariffied: Exposing Trump's Artless Deal (00:26:46) #1713 Yes, GOP Policies Really Are That Bad: Trump's Corruption and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (00:49:50) #1716 The Fight for Workers: Oligarchy and its Bipartisan Enablers PART 2: INFORMATION CONTROL (01:12:17) #1711 How It Started, How It's Going: Assessing the Flooded Zone Full of Shit (01:34:36) #1714 Trump's Anti-Knowledge Agenda is Inviting the Next Authoritarian Dark Age PART 3: SOCIAL CONTROL (02:12:57) #1710 The past is never dead. It’s not even past. Race, Religion, Culture and the Stories we Tell (02:30:51) #1712 Eugenics Redux: A Gilded Age Ideology Brought Back for the Second Gilded Age (02:53:26) #1715 The Weaponization of Antisemitism and Counterproductive Violence
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com |
Wed, 18 June 2025
Air Date 6/18/2025 Critics of capitalism like us often advocate for the system to come to an end and be replaced with another that aligns better with human needs and continued existence. Well, it's possible that the system is close to having run its course and will be making way for something different. Unfortunately, the natural course of capitalism is to concentrate wealth and, by extension, power so that's what's happened and we're now getting close to basically reinventing feudalism. So, wrong direction. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads! KEY POINTS KP 1: The End of Capitalism: What comes next is worse. Part 1 - Unf*cking The Republic - Air Date 4-18-25 KP 3: Musk vs. Trump Quinn Slobodian on the Risks of Billionaire Rule - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-6-25 KP 5: Capitalism's Critics w John Cassidy - Behind the News - Air Date 6-5-25 KP 8: Shawn Fain's Radical Plan For 2028 - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-20-25 (01:00:31) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On how to snowball progressive policies DEEPER DIVES (01:10:12) SECTION A: NEO-LIBERALISM A4: The End of American Empire (w/ Richard Wolff) - Current Affairs - Air Date 6-3-25 A6: The End of American Empire (w/ Richard Wolff) Part 2 - Current Affairs - Air Date 6-3-25 (02:06:40) SECTION B: CORPORATE DEMOCRATS B1: How the Democrats Abandoned Workers - Confronting Capitalism - Air Date 5-7-25 B2: The End of Capitalism: What comes next is worse. Part 2 - Unf*cking The Republic - Air Date 4-18-25 B3: Abundance Gang Wants To Crush Unions - The Majority Report - Air Date 6-7-25 B4: How the Democrats Abandoned Workers Part 2 - Confronting Capitalism - Air Date 5-7-25 B5: Abundance Gang Wants To Crush Unions Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Date 6-7-25 (02:57:58) SECTION C: LABOR AND RESISTANCE C1: An update on the longest ongoing strike in the US - Working People - Air Date 5-28-25 C3: Arizona Dems Say NO To Billionaire-Bought Primaries - The Majority Report - Air Date 6-11-25 C4: An update on the longest ongoing strike in the US Part 2 - Working People - Air Date 5-28-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of a handmade protest sign held in the air that says “CAPITALISM IS KILLING US” Credit: “ClimateStrike-210924-4-1140371” by Mark Dixon, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped |
Fri, 13 June 2025
Original Air Date: 2-20-2024 "Luddite" should never have become the epithet that it is as the Luddites were never afraid of or opposed to technological advancement, they only opposed the exploitation of workers and the degradation to society that came with the unfair distribution of the benefits of the targeted technology. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on the infamous Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: The New Luddites - SHIFT - Air Date 2-14-24 Ch. 2: Being a Luddite Is Good, Actually ft. Jathan Sadowski - Left Reckoning - Air Date 5-29-21 Ch. 4: This is not good - jstoobs (TikTok) - Air Date 2-16-24 Ch. 5: The ACTUAL Danger of A.I. with Gary Marcus Part 1 - Factually! - Air Date 7-2-23 Ch. 6: The Left Luddites and the AI Accelerationists - torres - Air Date - 5-15-23 Ch. 8: The ACTUAL Danger of A.I. with Gary Marcus Part 2 - Factually! - Air Date 7-2-23 Ch. 9: The anti-tech movement is back. - Alice Cappelle - Air Date 6-15-22 MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions) SHOW IMAGE: Description: An 1812 block print of “The Leader of the Luddites” depicting a man in disheveled early 1800s clothing and missing one shoe leading other men up a hill while a building burns in the background. Credit: “The Leader of the Luddites”, Messrs | Working Class Movement Library catalog | Public Domain Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com |
Wed, 11 June 2025
Air Date: 6-11-2025 Following the 2023 attack and counterattack between Israel and Hamas which brought the simmering conflict into the mainstream of American politics, we're now living with the opportunistic weaponization of antisemitism being used as a pretext to crack down on anti-Israel protests and universities that just aren't teaching a Trump-aligned curriculum. Meanwhile, genuinely inexcusable antisemitism is being either condemned or excused by Israel supporters based more on political affiliation than the danger posed to Jews. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! KEY POINTS KP 1: I Am Not Your Pawn - Rabbi Sharon Brous | Purim 5785 - IKAR - Air Date 3-8-25 KP 2: U.S. Jewish Anti-Zionism - Against the Grain - Air Date 4-2-25 KP 3: Who Are ‘JINO Jews’ and Why Do Conservatives Hate Them? - Zeteo - Air Date 3-6-25 KP 5: CNN Attempts To Make 'Free Palestine' Offensive - The Rational National - Air Date 5-23-25 KP 6: The Antisemitism Panic Part 1 - matt bernstein - Air Date 5-30-25 (00:50:04) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On why violence makes for a terrible theory of change DEEPER DIVES (00:59:36) SECTION A: FREE SPEECH A3: Harvard professor hits back at Trump administration - LBC - Air Date 5-24-25 (01:28:03) SECTION B: WEAPONIZATION B3: Why the U.S. is pausing all student visa interviews - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 5-28-25 B4: The Antisemitism Panic Part 2 - matt bernstein - Air Date 5-30-25 (01:59:28) SECTION C: INDEFENSIBLE C1: Palestinian BABIES are the ENEMY - Israeli politician - Owen Jones - Air Date 5-23-25 (02:11:29) SECTION D: BACKFIRE SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: A metal placeholder with the Star of David on it resting between two pages of the Torah. Credit: “Star of David emblem” via Ri_Ya, Pixabay | Pixabay license Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1715_The_Weaponization_of_Antisemitism_and_Counterproductive_Violence.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:30am EST |
Tue, 10 June 2025
Air Date: 6-8-25 BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
FOLLOW US ON:
REFERENCES: Trump’s Attack on Harvard Marks a New Phase in the Culture War - New York Magazine There’s No Trumponomics Without the Tradwife - New York Magazine To Stop Losing the Culture Wars, Learn From Gay Marriage - Jacobin I Can’t Believe We’re Still Arguing About This - The New York Times Democrats Can Avoid Trump’s Culture-War Traps - Jacobin
SOLVED! SONG! “Rob You Blind” - Concepts: Human Intelligence. Song: Artificial Intelligence. Based on SOLVED! Ep. #11: “Culture War Distractions While the Oligarchs Rob You Blind” (June 8, 2025)
TAKE ACTION: June 14th - “No Kings” Nationwide Day of Action Find your Indivisible group - or start one Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Reach us via Signal: Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts! |
Fri, 6 June 2025
Air Date 6/6/2025 Today, Trump's administration is doing everything in its power to end the era of educational dominance the US has enjoyed for decades. The simple fact that explains the change is that democracy used to be valued across the political spectrum while todays Republican Party is authoritarian and understands that an educated public is a public that demands democracy while an uneducated public is much easier to manipulate and oppress. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) KEY POINTS KP 1: How Trump has reshaped the federal workforce - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 5-29-25 (01:00:04) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On what will fill the gap left by anti-intellectualism DEEPER DIVES (01:07:27) SECTION A: ANTI-SCIENCE (02:27:53) SECTION B: ANTI-HIGHER EDUCATION (02:56:38) SECTION C: ANTI-PUBLIC GOODS SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: An illustrated image of an arm and hand holding up a protest sign with an image of a brain on it. Credit: “brain icon mind thinking” via Mohamed_hasan, Pixabay | Pixabay license
Direct download: 1714_Trumps_Anti-Knowledge_Agenda_is_Inviting_the_Next_Authoritarian_Dark_Age.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EST |
Tue, 3 June 2025
Original Air Date: 12-8-2023 Neoliberalism has created a lot of economic suffering and insecurity in addition to weakened social ties over the past few decades. And now, in what may be the most devastating result of the ideology yet, neoliberalism may be leading much of the world toward fascism bolstered by legitimate grievances about economic precarity which are coopted by the false promises of right-wing populism. Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Far-right extremism on the rise around the globe - The ReidOut with Joy Reid - Air Day 11-28-23 Ch. 5: Media Coverage of the Trump Movement is Missing Vital Context - On the Media - Air Date 11-29-23
Direct download: 1597_The_rise_of_fascism_around_the_world_driven_by_economic_insecurity_-_6225_13.19.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:30am EST |
Mon, 2 June 2025
Air Date: 6–2-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
FOLLOW US ON:
REFERENCES: Don’t Expect Art To Save Us - Current Affairs To Be a Consumer of Culture Means Living in a Hostage Situation - Slate (from 2023) The Problem Goes Well Beyond Biden - Current Affairs The Democratic Party Is Literally Dying - The Nation Inside the Democrats’ Reboot - Time The DNC Executive Committee Meeting via Progressive Hub
SOLVED! SONG! “Push” - Concepts: Human Intelligence. Song: Artificial Intelligence. Based on SOLVED! Ep. #10: “The Old Guard is Dying” (June 2nd)
TAKE ACTION: June 14th - “No Kings” Nationwide Day of Action Find your Indivisible group - or start one Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Reach us via Signal: Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
Direct download: SAMPLE_SOLVED_10_from_FULL_AUDIO_MEMBERS_-_SOLVED_10_w__AI_Edits.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:22pm EST |
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