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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 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Transcript Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Republicans Caught Planning MASSIVE Voter Fraud - David Pakman Show - Air Date 6-2-22 Republicans are caught planning massive voter fraud in a mindblowing new report from Politico Ch. 2: Republican plans to use political operatives as poll workers alarm voting rights activists - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 6-1-22 Now, reporting by POLITICO details GOP ef

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 + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: ‘The endgame of election denial is that we shouldn't have elections’: Authoritarianism expert - The ReidOut - Air Date 10-6-23 Donald Trump has ramped up his violent rhetoric in recent weeks. Meanwhile, a Fox host has urged the U.S. towards civil war and claimed that voting does not work. Ch. 2: Violent Authoritarianism: How Did This Become the GOP? - Keeping Democracy Alive with Burt Cohen - Air Date 11-23-21 Pat Buchanan was ahead of his time. He used the

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 Best Conspiracies About Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce - Wired  Native Americans hope Taylor Swift can help get tomahawk chop banned from Chiefs games - USA Today    Join our Discord Server    Leave a message at 202-999-3991   Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft  Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com  Review the show on Apple Podcasts!

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 Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Israel and Palestine A Difficult Discussion Part 1 - Gaslit Nation - Air Date 10-10-23 Andrea is joined by Terrell Starr, host of the Black Diplomats podcast, who recently visited the West Bank. Ch. 2: Israeli Human Rights Leader Orly Noy on Israel’s War on Palestinians After Hamas Attack - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-9-23 Israel has declared war on Hamas after Hamas fighters launched a surprise coordinated attack over the militarized bord

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 10-2-23 The US government is open for business at the cost of Ukraine aid. Semafor’s Jordan Weissmann explains how we got here. And White House communications director Ben LaBolt explains how the Biden administration is justifying the compromise. Ch. 2: Far-Right Republicans Look to Oust Speaker McCarthy After He Averts Government Shutdown - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-2-23 “It’s a crisis entirely of Kevin McCarthy’s own making,” says our guest Sasha Abramsky, the West Coast correspondent for The Nation. Ch. 3: AOC Ex

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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: What House Speaker McCarthy’s concessions to get elected mean for the nation - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 1-7-23 His dramatic victory came after a series of concessions that will give hardline conservatives greater influence in the House. Sarah Binder, a political scientist at George Washington University, joins John Yang to discuss. Ch. 2: GOP is playing with U.S. prosperity in fight over debt ceiling - MSNBC - Air Date 1-14-23 McCarthy and the House GOP are threatening to not raise the debt ceiling. That wo

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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! Related Episodes: #1479 Torturing Children and Families in the Name of Protecting Them (Trans Rights) #1563 Putting Our Kids to Work for Corporate Profits SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: What "Parents' Rights" REALLY Means - Zoe Bee - Air Date 9-26-23 "Parents' Rights" has been a rallying cry for several political and social groups in the past few years. But what does it really mean? Let's find out. Ch. 2: Child poverty increases sharply following expiration of expanded tax credit - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 9-12-23 In 2021, as the economy reeled from the pandemic, a on

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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Cop City, RICO, and corporate fascism w/ Taya Graham & Stephen Janis - Rattling the Bars - Air Date 9-18-23 Ch. 2: The Struggle to Stop Cop City - On the Nose - Air Date 6-22-23 Joining to discuss Stop Cop City, Micah Herskind, a community organizer and writer; Keyanna Jones, a reverend and organizer; and Josie Duffy Rice, a writer who covers criminal justice. Ch. 3: Is America becoming Cop

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 Salem Witch Trials: Restoring Justice - Peabody Essex Museum; Salem, Mass    Join our Discord Server    Leave a message at 202-999-3991   Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft  Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com  Review the show on Apple Podcasts!

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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! Related Episodes: #1463 People Are Waking Back Up To The Need For Labor Unions #1557 Tactics and Counter-Tactics of the Struggle for Labor Rights SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: GM CEO Flails In Response To CNN Question Over Her Pay vs. Workers - The Rational National - Air Date 9-15-23 On day 1 of the UAW strike, CNN questioned CEO of General Motors Mary Barra over why she has seen a 34% increase in her pay while GM workers haven't. I break down how ridi

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 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! Related Episodes: #1447 Settler Colonialist Structures Around the World #1542 Despair and violence in Israel's illiberal and exclusionary "democracy" SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: The U.S. should not reward Israel’s bad behavior - Velshi - Air Date 9-3-23 Israel’s internal politics has been upended, with indicted Prime Minister Netanyahu returning to office and, in a situati

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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 and the police has become a “barometer” for race relations in the country and that explosive tensions are “overwhelmingly” in response to an issue of police use of force. Ch. 2: Panel Discussion on Radical Police Reform - The Daily Show - Air Date 6-10-20 Trevor hosts a panel on movements to radically reimagine policing in the U.S. with Patrisse Cullors, Josie Duffy Rice, Sam Sinyangwe, Mychal Denzel Smith and Alex S. Vitale. Ch. 3: The Racial Justice Uprising in the U.S. is Taking Hold Overseas - The Takeaway - A

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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Why we are all attracted to conspiracy theories - The Guardian - Air Date 3-10-21 Belief in conspiracy theories is far more widespread than the stereotypes that dominate pop culture. Ch. 2: How did conspiracy theories become mainstream? | Naomi Klein | Big Questions - Penguin Books UK - Air Date 9-12-23 When Naomi Klein discovered that a woman who shared her first name, but had radically different, harmful views, was getting chronically mis

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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 - Air Date 05-30-18 Ch. 2: Colonialism during hurricane season - On the Media - 6-6-18 Ch. 3: Elizabeth Yeampierre on Puerto Rican colonialism and disaster capitalism - Infinite Earth Radio - Air Date 2-22-18 Ch. 4: The Battle for Paradise: Naomi Klein on Disaster Capitalism & the Fight for Puerto Rico’s Future - @DemocracyNow - Air Date 03-21-18 Ch. 5: Naomi Klein on Puerto Rico and Disaster Capitalism - Touré Show - Air Date 4-25-18 Ch. 9: Final comments on the lessons of Mister Rogers that we could use right

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 struggling to reclaim their ancestral lands. 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! Related Episodes: #1401 That is a Texas-Sized Climate Disaster You Got There #1546 Exist, Resist, Indigenize, Decolonize: A story of colonialism, cultural renaissance and modernity SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Plantation Disaster Capitalism: Native Hawaiians Organize to Stop Land

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 the Digital Revolution - Wired A kind of magic - CEO Mag A philosopher's psychedelic encounter with reality - The Gray Area with Sean Illing Join our Discord Server Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft  Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com  Review the show on Apple Podcasts!

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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: The Party of Authoritarianism - In The Thick - Air Date 8-23-23 As the GOP presidential debates make their premiere in Milwaukee, Jeanne Whalen reports on Donald Trump’s failure to make good on a promise of bringing a manufacturing boom to Wisconsin Ch. 2: Trickle Down Trumpism - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-26-23 The GOP debate, where Trump was somehow both absent and present. Ch. 3: An

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@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: How the Sports Betting Industry Quietly Consumed America - Wendover Productions - Air Date 12-13-22 How the Sports Betting Industry Quietly Consumed America Ch. 2: The Explosion of Online Sports Betting with Eric Lipton - Why Is This Happening? - Air Date 5-9-23 You’ve probably encountered an advertisement for sports betting in one form or another. In the past few years, th

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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 corruption rules. @BackStory - Air Date: 11-24-17 Ch. 4: Millionaire Donor Threatens Democrats - @theyoungturks - Air Date: 11-14-17 Ch. 5: Why our democracy in is danger - Belabored (@DissentMag) - Air Date 5-13-16 Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon & check out our Winter Fundraiser! Check out the BotL iOS/Android App in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOf

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 Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 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 Americans Their Land Back - AJ+ - Air Date 10-9-20 For some reason, Oct. 12th is still Columbus Day in a lot of the United States. Fortunately, more and more cities and states are adopting that day as Indigenous Peoples Day Ch. 2: Canada, it's time for Land Back - The Breach - Air Date 6-2-21 Since its inception, Canada has been stealing Indigenous lands — by the barrel of a gun, by starvation tactics & by tearing children from their families. Ch. 3: Mark Charles: An Indigenous Liberation Theology - A People's Theology