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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

02:39:55

#1784 Who Gets to Be American, Who Gets to Vote, and...

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

2026/04/14

Air Date: 4/14/2026 Today we examine the legal battles shaking the foundations of American citizenship and voting rights as Trump's legal team uses the courts as a weapon against democratic participation — and how advocates are fighting back. We'll hear about the three-D playbook of deceive, disrupt, and deny used by authoritarians and being deployed by Trump ahead of the midterms, and what ordinary people can do right now to protect their votes before November. Be part of the show! Leave a voice

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03:13:00

#1783 The Ideology of a Cancer Cell: AI,...

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

2026/04/10

Air Date: 4/10/2026 Today we examine the ideology quietly driving Silicon Valley — a worldview that treats growth, extraction, and the erasure of human messiness as virtues. We'll hear how tech leaders from Sam Altman to Larry Ellison embody a kind of corporate psychopathy, why Zuckerberg never understood what Facebook actually is, and how the cult of "go for its own sake" may be the most dangerous religion of our time. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle

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23:31

SOLVED! SAMPLE! #37 - Solidarity Forever: Boycotts,...

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

2026/04/09

Air Date: 4-1-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - How to boycott better Ch. 2 - Why REI workers have voted to boycott the upcoming May sale and how you can help Ch. 3 - Why meatpacking workers are striking in Colorado Ch. 4 - Comparing the US labor movement with the Canadian labor movement Ch. 5 - Strengthening, and expanding the vision for, today's labor movement SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): How politics killed the once transformational National

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02:29:14

#1683 Oligarchy Unmasked: President Musk, the crackup...

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

2026/04/07

Re-Air Date: 04-07-26 Original Air Date: 1-15-2025 Elon Musk is leading the way for his class of tech broligarchs anxious to take over the MAGA movement and shape it to their own ends of deregulation, tax cuts, and lucrative government contracts. The disappointment that is inevitable for the MAGA populists is coming even faster than expected. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our

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03:07:26

#1782 Cuba's Crisis: Trump's Deadly Embargo,...

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

2026/04/03

Air Date: 4/3/2026 Today we examine how decades of U.S. policy toward Cuba set the stage for the current crisis, we explore the human cost of the U.S. oil blockade on Cuba's 11 million people, and how the U.S. justifies an illegal siege while claiming to act in Cuba's interest using time-tested propaganda tactics. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube

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03:49:54

#1781 Your Team Is a Hedge Fund Now: How Gambling and...

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

2026/04/01

Air Date: 3–31-2026 Today we examine how money and power have captured American sports from every angle — gambling platforms operating as unregulated casinos, private equity turning franchises into financial assets, leagues suppressing player pay while selling access to politicians, and a sports media apparatus too compromised to report any of it. It's almost all the problems with America on display in one industry. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle

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22:30

ALMOST SOLVED! SAMPLE! #1 - Liberation Theology &...

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

2026/03/31

Air Date: 3–26-26 Welcome to ALMOST SOLVED!, the show that's almost like SOLVED! but one or more things are missing, namely the guarantee of a solution at the end and possibly also one of our cohosts. Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon discuss: Ch. 1 - Deon's research for his recent Best of the Left episode #1779: "Community After God: Why the Left Needs What Church Provided" Ch. 2 - Listener voicemail & comments on past episodes Ch. 3 - How to heal from the harm of this mess with the article

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03:30:17

#1780 Cynicism Is a Scab: Hope, Solidarity, and the...

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

2026/03/28

Air Date: 3/27/2026 Today we examine the relationship between labor education, moral ambition, and the possibility of a better world. We'll hear about IWW members building a "Philosophy 101" for organizers, a historian's argument that humanity is fundamentally cooperative rather than selfish, and why getting labor history into public schools may be one of the most important organizing projects of our time. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle

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04:01:57

#1779 Community After God: Why the Left Needs What...

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

2026/03/24

Air Date: 3/24/2026 Today we explore what happens when people reject religious dogma but still hunger for ritual, meaning, and the concrete benefits of community. We'll hear from secular assemblies building "church without creed," atheist Quakers finding silence sacred, and a Caribbean thinker designing a naturalistic pagan practice built around science and seasonal ritual — all asking what religion can be when you strip away the supernatural. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us

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21:40

SOLVED! SAMPLE! #36 - Bribery Jazz - Corruption is...

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

2026/03/23

Air Date: 3–18-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - The dark history of money in politics, aka: corruption Ch. 2 - What the left must do to actually win Ch. 3 - What the rest of the world can teach America SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): The reports of Christian fundamentalist "talk" in the military as the US attacked Iran Leave us a message on our new system! FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and

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03:36:56

#1778 AI, the Pentagon, Labor and Capitalism: The...

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

2026/03/19

Air Date: 3/19/2026 Today we explore the long history of technological disruption — from the Industrial Revolution to the rise of software engineering — and ask whether AI is genuinely different this time, all while autonomous weapons dissolve accountability for the militaries using them and capitalism prevents AI companies from maintaining their ethical aspirations. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full

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03:44:14

#1777 How Christian Nationalism, Oil, and Zionism...

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

2026/03/16

Air Date: 3/15/2026 Today we examine how a century of foreign intervention created incompatible national memories between the US and Iran and how Netanyahu exploited that history to maneuver Trump into a war he didn't understand, promising a quick decapitation strike while knowing full well it would become a months-long regional conflict, at minimum. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check

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03:39:09

#1776 Trump's Pharaoh Complex, Our Flawed...

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

2026/03/12

Air Date: 3/11/2026 Today is episode 1776, in the year of our nation's 250th birthday, and we thought the occasion called for something big. So, we're tracing the full arc — from the constitutional compromises that made this country possible to the authoritarian vanity project that those compromises eventually also made possible. We're talking about the history, the structures, and the insecure current-but-temporary president who thinks a $400 million ballroom and a coin with his face on both sides

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01:04:24

SOLVED! FROM THE ARCHIVES - "Collaborators, Internal...

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

2026/03/09

Re-Air Date: 01–26-25 Unless you were a member in January of 2025, this episode of SOLVED! will be brand new to you! If you were a member back then, THANK YOU and this one is worth a re-listen. We're working on slowly increasing our production again, but, for now, enjoy this episode from our archives (and before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: 00:00:00 - Ch. 1 - The mindset of collaborators 00:07:55 - Ch. 2 - Why many people turn inward and drop out - at their own risk - under

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03:21:55

#1775 Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition and the...

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

2026/03/07

Air Date: 3/7/2026 Welcome to this episode of the Award-Winning Best of the Left Podcast. Today we examine the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson civil rights icon, two-time presidential candidate and one of the most consequential political figures of the 20th century. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members

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04:29:44

#1774 Monthly-ish Mix: Who's in Charge?—The Scramble...

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

2026/03/03

Air Date: 3/3/2026 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we examine the multi-front struggle for control: military force and economic coercion seizing resources abroad, institutions weaponized to constrain bodies at home, platforms and propaganda capturing minds, and the democratic resistance proving that organized people can still win. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01,

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01:01:59

#1615 Envisioning a Leftist Economic Future of...

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

2026/02/28

Original Air Date: 3-1-2024 We don't have to think too hard to understand the fears of a world in which work, and the ability of millions to support themselves, are lost to automation and artificial intelligence. But that is only a capitalist future in which the benefits of technological advancement are hoarded by the already-wealthy. Today we imagine a different path. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

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01:10:21

#1540 The Grift of Life (Scam Culture™ and the...

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

2026/02/26

Original Air Date: 1/31/2023 Today, we take a look at just some of the nearly infinite ways in which our society, culture and economy are infused from top to bottom with Scam Culture™ that is bleeding us dry both financially and mentally. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links

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22:40

SOLVED! SAMPLE! #34 - Understanding The Dual State:...

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

2026/02/25

Air Date: 2-17-26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - The "dual state" concept coined by German Jewish political scientist and labor lawyer Ernst Fraenkel in his 1941 book "The Dual State: A Contribution to the Theory of Dictatorship" Ch. 2 - Navigating the psychological toll of living under authoritarianism Ch. 3 - "Woke 2.0" as a movement, and dismantling conservative critiques of virtue Ch. 4 - What is actually required to build an effective, broad anti-authoritarian coalition

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03:26:08

#1773 How Big Tech Captured Attention, Kids, and...

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

2026/02/24

Air Date: 2/23/2026 Today we examine how the platforms that monetize your attention are merging with state power. We'll hear how TikTok's new owners include Trump ally Larry Ellison, how DHS sent hundreds of subpoenas to unmask anonymous ICE critics, how Ring's Super Bowl ad cheerfully introduced AI-powered neighborhood surveillance, and how the social media addiction trials that are being likened to the Big Tobacco settlement of the 90s, are finally exposing what these companies knew about the

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