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PODCAST

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

Best of the Left: Perspectives on Politics, Culture, and Economics

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!

news politics

All Episodes

57:15

#1599 Taming the Beast: AI Regulation Before Human...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/12/20

Air Date 12/20/2023 AI needs to be regulated by governments even though politicians don't understand computers just as the government regulates the manufacture and operation of aircraft even though your average politician doesn't know their ass from an aileron. That's why expert advisory panels are for. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript WINTER SALE! 20% Off Memberships (including Gifts) in December! Join our Discord community!

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16:48

Bonus Sample #283 Meaningless rituals are useful but...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/12/16

Air Date: 12-15-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon discuss: - why humans need rituals for mental health and community - what happens when corporations try to adopt rituals - what happens when squishy-blob humans are allowed to drive cars that somewhat drive themselves a little bit REFERENCES: Rituals are important to human life — even when they seem meaningless Can Rituals Fix Our Soulless Corporate Culture? A Ritual Designer Says Yes THE INSIDE STORY OF MICROSOFT’S PARTNERSHIP WITH OPENAI The Way

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56:59

#1598 Kiss of Death: Henry Kissinger's Bloody Legacy...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/12/13

Air Date 12/12/2023 Henry Kissinger, it turns out, was actually a pretty good representative of the United States, the foreign policy actions we took, and the reasonings we gave for them over the past century. He embodied the idea that the US is always on the side of right, the world and its inhabitants are merely a game board and pieces for us to manipulate for our own ends, and that lives, particularly foreign lives, lost in pursuit of our interests are not of much concern. Be part of the show

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31:44

Bonus Samples #281 and 282 No one likes how this is...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/12/11

WINTER SALE! 20% Off Memberships (including Gifts) in December! Original Air Dates 12-3-23 and 12-10-23 We discuss in episode #281: - the impacts of a stratified wealth disparity - the anti-social habit we're adopting that will make us more anti-social - the desperation many feel to just put life on hold for a few days REFERENCES: Infants Are Born With Syphilis in Growing Numbers, a Sign of a Wider Epidemic Behind the Gates of a Private World for Only the Wealthiest New Yorkers Hungry (but Not for

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58:07

#1597 The rise of fascism around the world driven by...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/12/08

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. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

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01:04:29

#1596 Building a positive future by first envisioning...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/12/06

Air Date 12/5/2023 It's important to focus on positive visions and not only get stuck in doom cycles of complaining about what's going wrong. So, we're looking at a variety of positive visions including rethinking human nature, reimagining our relationship with consumerism, considering how design can work with nature instead of against it, and understanding why cooperation is better than individualistic competition from an evolutionary point of view. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text

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01:13:03

#1519 International Fascist Movement on the Move...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/12/02

Original Air Date: 10/8/2022 Today, we take a look at the recent elections in Italy, Brazil and Sweden where far-right parties are either taking power or looking to maintain it as well as the parallels to our own politics including moderate conservatives helping to legitimize the far-right while delegitimizing elections. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join our

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55:07

#1595 Pushing for Medicare For All in the...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/11/29

Air Date 11/29/2023 The movement for universal health care is still underway, though it rarely gets recognized in mainstream discourse. The death of Medicare For All (M4A) activist Ady Barkan is an occasion worth using to look at the progress being made to improve our system of promoting the health of all people in the United States as well as efforts to rein in the power of big Pharma that's used to gouge the American people with exorbitant prices. So, that's what we're doing. Be part of the show

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01:12:56

#1594 Testing New Climate Solutions: Geothermal and...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/11/26

Air Date 11/26/2023 As the hottest year in 125,000 years or so begins to come to a close, we turn to two projects still in their infancy that have big plans to decarbonize our electricity generation on one hand and give us a bit more time to turn our climate futures around on the other. The first is a reinvigoration of the geothermal power industry with the hopes of scaling up globally and the second is geo-engineering which aims to reduce the solar radiation hitting the planet to reduce devastating

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01:16:59

#1518 Ronald Reagan, It Turns Out, Was Bad (Repost)

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/11/22

Original Air Date 10-5-2022 Today, we take a look at the life and legacy of President Ronald Reagan, the last transformational U.S. president who's regime we are still living in. Between his neoliberal economics, anti-government ideology and white supremacist appeal to authoritarians, he did more to shape the last 40 years of the politics of the country and conservative movement than anyone else. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

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18:27

Bonus Sample #280 Tracking people and animals in...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/11/17

Air Date: 11-17-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Erin and Deon discuss: - The internet culture of putting people on blast, - a reexamination of kids who want their parents to track their movements, - trying to learn about the human condition but getting tricked into watching poverty porn, - and using AI to talk to whales and save all life on earth REFERENCES: Teens Want Parents to Track Their Phones and Monitor Their Every Move - Wall Street Journal Whoever staves lease wins - Vulture How to Use AI to

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01:01:39

#1593 Beyond Neoliberalism: Dreaming a new economic...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/11/15

Air Date 11/14/2023 The Supreme Court turned the table on average, working people back in the 70s when they empowered wealthy individuals and corporations to have an outsized role in our politics. Now we're trapped in the reality that shift in power created and are dreaming of a better way to manage our economic and political systems for the benefit of all people. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support

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01:05:41

#1592 Israel and Palestine are less complicated than...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/11/11

Air Date 11/10/2023 Violence and oppression are destructive and corrosive to both the victim and perpetrator and this goes a long way toward explaining many of the dynamics at play in the holy land between Israelis and Palestinians. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Why Hamas Attacked Israel - And What's Next

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01:04:03

#1591 Broken News: Understanding traditional media...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/11/06

Air Date 11/6/2023 Media literacy is a basic requirement for understanding the war in Gaza, as propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation are being distributed for both ideological and financial reasons. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Breaking News Consumer's Handbook Israel-Gaza Edition - On the Media -

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01:23:36

#TBT #1510 Avoiding Accountability: How the powerful...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/11/01

Original Air Date: 8/31/2022 Today, as the news of Trump's various trials continues to drop out, we take a look back at this episode covering the long and illustrious history of powerful people avoiding prosecution in the United States. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Welcome to the golden age of white collar crime

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01:08:39

#TBT #1507 Installing Loyalists: The Multi-Pronged...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/10/27

Original Air Date: 8/16/2022 Today, we take a look at the strategies underway to systematically dismantle democracy in the United States including installing Big-Lie™ believers in elected and poll-working positions, preventing state-level Supreme Courts from holding GOP-dominated state legislators to the state constitutions, and wiping out tens of thousands of career civil servants from the federal government to be replaced by right-wing extremists. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at

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01:04:32

#1590 Red Caesar and Project 2025: A fascist fever...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/10/24

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. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows +

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16:34

Bonus Sample #279 Complainers gonna complain,...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/10/21

Air Date: 10-21-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Erin and Deon discuss: - the complainers at The Atlantic - why a mindful workforce is an oxymoron - the myriad problems with creeping on people - how Taylor Swift is going to solve anti-native racism REFERENCES: The Microwave Makes No Sense - The Atlantic Real mindfulness would transform the economy - Vox Maybe think twice before making an innocent stranger go viral? - NPR The Very Common, Very Harmful Thing Well-Meaning Parents Do - The Atlantic

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01:14:17

#1589 War in the Holy Land: Context Behind the...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/10/17

Air Date 10/17/2023 There is absolutely no understanding of the conflict in Israel and Gaza without deep context, history, and human psychology. Those who attempt to find moral clarity through simplification of the situation will only find themselves supporting atrocities by one side or the other and demonstrate themselves to be fools in the process. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus

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59:52

#1588 The Shutdown That Wasn't And The Chaos That Is:...

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on... ·

2023/10/13

Air Date 10/13/2023 Understanding the historical context of the civil war within the GOP as they have just fought their way out of being able to govern at all with an empty Speakership in the house that is grinding congress to a halt. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Shutshow - Today, Explained - Air Date

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