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 te...
Dec 06, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 1596
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 [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join ou...
Dec 02, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 1519
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 sh...
Nov 29, 2023•55 min•Ep. 1595
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 devasta...
Nov 26, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 1594
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 [email protected] Trans...
Nov 22, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 1518
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 Ta...
Nov 17, 2023•18 min•Ep. 280
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 [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (...
Nov 15, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 1593
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 [email protected] 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 Nex...
Nov 11, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1592
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 [email protected] 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 Medi...
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 1591
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 [email protected] 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 crim...
Nov 01, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 1510
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 tex...
Oct 27, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 1507
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 [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Show...
Oct 24, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 1590
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 The 7 Bes...
Oct 21, 2023•17 min•Ep. 279
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 [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bo...
Oct 17, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 1589
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 [email protected] 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 1...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 1588
Original Air Date: 2/22/2023 Today, we take a look at some of the work of the chaotic wrecking crew that is the GOP of the 118th Congress including their plan to hold the world economy hostage and weaponize the government against Democrats all while infighting their way to the 2024 presidential election. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join our Discord community ! SHOW N...
Oct 10, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 1545
Air Date 10/7/2023 Spanning the gamut of terrible policy choices and their impacts on children, we look today at the perverse reality at odds with conservatives' claim to be standing up for "family values" and saving children from the abuse of Democrats. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community ! Related Episodes: #1479 Torturing Chil...
Oct 07, 2023•58 min•Ep. 1587
Air Date 10/3/2023 The Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta is the current tip of the spear of the police accountability movement but the instinct of elected officials to lean into building more and bigger policing facilities is likely to spread as part of the backlash to the backlash against police violence which calls for defunding and redistributing resources to programs that actually help people. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Tran...
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 1586
Air Date: 9-29-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Erin and Deon discuss: - The economics of witch trials - The creation of content for capital - Layers and layers of bullshit obscure reality - Post script: visit to the Salem museum REFERENCES: How Social Turmoil Has Increased Witch Hunts throughout History - Scientific American To Be a Consumer of Culture Means Living in a Hostage Situation - Slate WE’VE LOST THE PLOT - The Atlantic Dance, I Said — Dance! And Leave the Package on the Porch. - NYTimes The S...
Sep 29, 2023•19 min•Ep. 278
Air Date 9/26/2023 Rays of hope for the worker's struggle against unfettered, exploitative capitalism are coming from multiple angles as strikes from creatives in Hollywood and autoworkers in Detroit are striking to demand wages, benefits, and protections while executives make arguments for why workers should be made to feel the threat of poverty to keep them in line. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Suppo...
Sep 26, 2023•59 min•Ep. 1585
Air Date 9/24/2023 Israel's politics have been upended by the return of Netanyahu as Prime Minister, put in office with the help of extremely far-right factions who have now pushed through reforms to the Israeli Supreme Court that fundamentally undermine their democracy. All this while they were already a farce of a democracy due to the maintenance of an apartheid-like system of differing rules applying to different residents based on ethnicity. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at...
Sep 24, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1584
Original Air Date: 8/8/2020 Today we take a look at the concept of defunding the police; what it means, what it doesn't and what the goals of the movement are. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community ! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Race, Police, & The Pandemic - FRONTLINE - Air Date 6-2-20 Jelani Cobb describes how the relationship between black Americans ...
Sep 22, 2023•59 min•Ep. 1360
Air Date 9/18/2023 Exploring the captivating world of conspiracy theories! We are all wired to believe misinformation to some degree, but not all to the same degree. With help from Naomi Klein, and other experts, discover why people are drawn to conspiracies, the psychology behind belief and ideas about the best way to prevent conspiratorial thinking. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get B...
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1583
Original Air Date: 6/15/2018 The high toll Puerto Rico is paying, in both money and lives, for the triple disasters of colonialism, Hurricane Maria and disaster capitalism Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community ! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Deadlier than Katrina & 9/11 Hurricane Maria Killed 4,645 in Puerto Rico, 70 Times Official Toll - @DemocracyNow -...
Sep 16, 2023•57 min•Ep. 1190
Air Date 9/13/2023 This eye-opening episode will explore the complex web of colonialism, disaster capitalism, and climate change is ravaging Native Hawaiian communities. We explore how corporations and privatization going back to annexation have exacerbated wildfires, water scarcity and housing issues in Hawaii. We also discuss the role of tourism and its impact on local culture and resources and learn how community-led mutual aid efforts are offering a glimmer of hope for the unhoused and those...
Sep 13, 2023•56 min•Ep. 1582
Air Date: 9-8-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Erin and Deon discuss: - The need for good structures of society, not scripture - Jesus is too liberal for Christians - Amateur anthropology - Technology and humanity - Drugs and alcohol REFERENCES: Report: Record Number Of People Following Their Hearts - Babylon Bee The Misunderstood Reason Millions of Americans Stopped Going to Church - The Atlantic Evangelicals Are Now Rejecting 'Liberal' Teachings of Jesus - Newsweek Doug Rushkoff Is Ready to Renounce th...
Sep 08, 2023•17 min•Ep. 277
Air Date 9/6/2023 The first GOP presidential debate happened without the frontrunner, Donald Trump, being present for the event but rather hanging over the proceedings like a specter. Meanwhile, Trump's legal troubles continue to mount and we examine what it is that is keeping Republican voters and presidential candidates alike, with minor exceptions, firmly defending the former president. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript B...
Sep 07, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 1581
Air Date 9/3/2023 Sports gambling through smartphones has become widely available and wildly addictive but the effects are being felt beyond the individual gambler's bank account and anxiety levels. Partnerships between gambling companies and colleges, influencers, and even journalistic institutions like ESPN are changing the fundamentals of the sports themselves and how they're understood by fans - all for the worse. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@B...
Sep 03, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 1580
Original Air Date: 12/15/2017 The history and current state of rich people seeking to undermine democratic rule by the people in favor of oligarchy for the rich Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Show Notes Ch. 1: Why The Koch Brothers Despise The Constitution - Majority Report (@MajorityFM) - Air Date: 07-26-17 Ch. 2: Jane Mayer on the Rise of Conservative Orthodoxy - On The Media - Air Date 5-5-17 Ch. 3: The complicated reality of cor...
Aug 31, 2023•54 min•Ep. 1152
Original Air Date 8/10/2022 Origins of the European colonial land-grab, the need for the #Landback movement, and the benefits to society and the environment in the context of the climate crisis to return stewardship of the land to native peoples. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join our Discord community ! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Why It’s Time To Give Native America...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 1506
