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

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

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  1. 4d ago

    Election Sabotage, Voting System Vulnerabilities, and the Defense of the 2026 Midterms

    Air Date: 9/9/2026 Today we look at the strategies being deployed by the Trump administration and their enablers to undermine the midterm elections and what it actually takes to fight back. The lawyers fighting in court against the efforts to destroy our democracy are clear-eyed that you cannot litigate your way to a free election. The most durable defense is a turnout margin too large to plausibly contest, and organizers are building toward it now. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on 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! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: President Trump Is Trying to Change How Elections Are Run. Where Do Things Stand - Consider This - Air Date 8-28-26 KP 2: Trump's Strategy to Rig the Midterms + Jake Lang's Christian Nationalist Spectacle Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-25-26 KP 3: Protecting the Midterms—at the Grassroots and in the Courts Part 1 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-19-26 KP 4: Is SCOTUS Letting Trump Meddle in the Midterms Part 1 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 8-31-26 KP 5: Will Dems Risk Being Called 'Election Deniers' If They Need to Challenge Midterms - The BradCast - Air Date 8-27-26 KP 6: Will Data Centers Cost Republicans the Midterms - Runaway Country with Alex Wagner - Air Date 8-27-26 KP 7: Protecting the Midterms—at the Grassroots and in the Courts Part 2 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-19-26 (00:54:01) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On Burnout and ADHD My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:00:47) SECTION A: THREAT AND BACKFIRE A1: What Happens if Trump Tries to Mess with the Midterms - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 8-28-26 A2: Trump's Strategy to Rig the Midterms + Jake Lang's Christian Nationalist Spectacle Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-25-26 A3: Trump Accidentally Wrecks GOP Midterm Message in Dumbest Self-Own Ever - THE DAILY BLAST - Air Date 8-28-26 (01:32:06) SECTION B: CRACKS AND CONSTRAINTS B1: Trump Election Scheme Suddenly Blocked in Late Night Order Part 1 - Legal AF - Air Date 8-29-26 B2: Is SCOTUS Letting Trump Meddle in the Midterms Part 2 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 8-31-26 B3: Alarming Voting System Vulnerabilities Persist, with Guest Susan Greenhalgh, Election Security Expert Part 1 - The BradCast - Air Date 8-10-26 B4: Trump Election Scheme Suddenly Blocked in Late Night Order Part 2 - Legal AF - Air Date 8-29-26 B5: Alarming Voting System Vulnerabilities Persist, with Guest Susan Greenhalgh, Election Security Expert Part 2 - The BradCast - Air Date 8-10-26 (02:14:39) SECTION C: RESISTANCE AND RESPONSE C1: Distraction Drugs For America; A Crucial Voting Strategy For Before November Part 1 - The Politicrat - Air Date 9-2-26 C2: Powerful, Brave, and Free with Tamika Middleton Part 1 - The Anti-Authoritarian Podcast - Air Date 9-2-26 C3: Distraction Drugs For America; A Crucial Voting Strategy For Before November Part 2 - The Politicrat - Air Date 9-2-26 C4: Powerful, Brave, and Free with Tamika Middleton Part 2 - The Anti-Authoritarian Podcast - Air Date 9-2-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

    Election Sabotage, Voting System Vulnerabilities, and the Defense of the 2026 Midterms

  2. 5d ago • Membership Only

    Election Sabotage, Voting System Vulnerabilities, and the Defense of the 2026 Midterms

    Air Date: 9/9/2026 Today we look at the strategies being deployed by the Trump administration and their enablers to undermine the midterm elections and what it actually takes to fight back. The lawyers fighting in court against the efforts to destroy our democracy are clear-eyed that you cannot litigate your way to a free election. The most durable defense is a turnout margin too large to plausibly contest, and organizers are building toward it now. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: President Trump Is Trying to Change How Elections Are Run. Where Do Things Stand - Consider This - Air Date 8-28-26 KP 2: Trump's Strategy to Rig the Midterms + Jake Lang's Christian Nationalist Spectacle Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-25-26 KP 3: Protecting the Midterms—at the Grassroots and in the Courts Part 1 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-19-26 KP 4: Is SCOTUS Letting Trump Meddle in the Midterms Part 1 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 8-31-26 KP 5: Will Dems Risk Being Called 'Election Deniers' If They Need to Challenge Midterms - The BradCast - Air Date 8-27-26 KP 6: Will Data Centers Cost Republicans the Midterms - Runaway Country with Alex Wagner - Air Date 8-27-26 KP 7: Protecting the Midterms—at the Grassroots and in the Courts Part 2 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-19-26 (00:54:01) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On Burnout and ADHD My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:00:47) SECTION A: THREAT AND BACKFIRE A1: What Happens if Trump Tries to Mess with the Midterms - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 8-28-26 A2: Trump's Strategy to Rig the Midterms + Jake Lang's Christian Nationalist Spectacle Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-25-26 A3: Trump Accidentally Wrecks GOP Midterm Message in Dumbest Self-Own Ever - THE DAILY BLAST - Air Date 8-28-26 (01:32:06) SECTION B: CRACKS AND CONSTRAINTS B1: Trump Election Scheme Suddenly Blocked in Late Night Order Part 1 - Legal AF - Air Date 8-29-26 B2: Is SCOTUS Letting Trump Meddle in the Midterms Part 2 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 8-31-26 B3: Alarming Voting System Vulnerabilities Persist, with Guest Susan Greenhalgh, Election Security Expert Part 1 - The BradCast - Air Date 8-10-26 B4: Trump Election Scheme Suddenly Blocked in Late Night Order Part 2 - Legal AF - Air Date 8-29-26 B5: Alarming Voting System Vulnerabilities Persist, with Guest Susan Greenhalgh, Election Security Expert Part 2 - The BradCast - Air Date 8-10-26 (02:14:39) SECTION C: RESISTANCE AND RESPONSE C1: Distraction Drugs For America; A Crucial Voting Strategy For Before November Part 1 - The Politicrat - Air Date 9-2-26 C2: Powerful, Brave, and Free with Tamika Middleton Part 1 - The Anti-Authoritarian Podcast - Air Date 9-2-26 C3: Distraction Drugs For America; A Crucial Voting Strategy For Before November Part 2 - The Politicrat - Air Date 9-2-26 C4: Powerful, Brave, and Free with Tamika Middleton Part 2 - The Anti-Authoritarian Podcast - Air Date 9-2-26 Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

    Election Sabotage, Voting System Vulnerabilities, and the Defense of the 2026 Midterms

  3. Sep 6 ·  Bonus

    SOLVED! #39 - Why You Should Care About Prisons in the Fight for a Better World (Throwback)

    Re-Air Date: 8/5/26 Original Air Date: 4/24/26 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - Why victims of crime are underserved and actually prefer rehabilitative, root-case approaches to justice Ch. 2 - How cashless bail reform has shrunk jail populations and fueled momentum to block new jail construction Ch. 3 - The local fight over a proposed mega-prison in Arkansas making some conservatives question mass incarceration itself Ch. 4 - A think tank report that proves the glaringly obvious facts about what reduces recidivism, and an article on the community "solutionaries" already preventing and disrupting violence without police SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): Aramark's inhumane "service" in the prison system Leave us a message on our new system! FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES The People Most Ignored by the Criminal-Justice System - The Atlantic Jails Are Closing Across America. Why? - The Nation Judge Orders Colorado to Stop Throwing Prisoners in Solitary for Refusing to Work - BOLTS Magazine The Prison Next Door - The Nation A better path forward for criminal justice: Changing prisons to help people change - A Report by the Brookings AEI Working Group on Criminal Justice Reform Making Communities Safe, Without the Police - Boston Review BACKSTAGE Prison Dining Giant Aramark Serves Inedible Food to Drive Commissary Sales, Lawsuit Alleges - The Appeal EXTRAS: BOOK: "We Do This Til We Free Us" by Mariame Kaba (Buying through this link supports indie book stores and this show!) BOOK: "The New Jim Crow" by Michele Alexander (Buying through this link supports indie book stores and this show!) DOCUMENTARY: "13th" by Ava DuVernay (Netflix) DOCUMENTARY: "The Alabama Solution" (HBO) TAKE ACTION: Stop the prison industrial complex with Critical Resistance and the Abolitionist Law Center Push for the passage of bills like the End of For-Profit Prisons Act of 2025 MayDayStrong.org - May 1st - No Work. No School. No Shopping. Stop Trump's Wars REI Co-Op Members: Vote to Boycott Greeley Meatpacking Workers (UFCW Local 7R) Strike Fund No Kings - What's Next? One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach How to Support Minneapolis Communities Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY 5calls.org Find your Indivisible group - or start one Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message 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!

    SOLVED! #39 - Why You Should Care About Prisons in the Fight for a Better World (Throwback)

  4. Sep 3

    Science and Public Health Under Attack by Our Own Government

    Air Date: 9/2/2026 Today we look at how public health is being gutted by a system that took ordinary parental worry and organized, radicalized and monetized it into an anti-science "wellness" movement large enough to seize real political power. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on 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! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: We Need to Accept That We Elected an Actual Madman to Be President - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 8-11-26 KP 2: The 'Anti-Science Disinformation Ecosystem': Experts Decode Trump's War on Health and C Limate - Zeteo - Air Date 10-22-25 KP 3: Welcome to the Vaccine Free-for-All - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 9-4-25 KP 4: Fauci Takes the 5th Amendment While MAGA Cracks His Diary Open & Calls Him Hitler - The Daily Show - Air Date 7-30-26 KP 5: The Infodemic — and the Scientists Fighting Against It | Jessica Malaty Rivera Part 1 - TED Talks Daily - Air Date 8-7-26 KP 6: The Anti-Vaccine Movement Part 1 - Throughline - Air Date 9-25-25 KP 7: Skepticism of Science in Health Care: Who Doesn't Trust Whom and Why? | Robert Field - Fondation Brocher - Air Date 12-16-24 (00:59:02) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR In 1955 Newspapers Announced the Polio Vaccine Like a War Victory My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:09:24) SECTION A: THE CURRENT DAMAGE A1: Fauci, RFK Jr., and the Latest in American Health Part 1 - Reveal - Air Date 8-11-26 A2: Sick Boy – How RFK's Crank Health Agenda Is Making America Ill Again - The Bunker – News Without the Nonsense - Air Date 4-13-26 A3: Fauci, RFK Jr., and the Latest in American Health Part 2 - Reveal - Air Date 8-11-26 (01:35:53) SECTION B: HOW WE GOT HERE B1: The Anti-Vaccine Movement Part 2 - Throughline - Air Date 9-25-25 B2: Peter Hotez: Mapping the Anti-Science Machine - Yale Insights - Air Date 11-27-25 B3: To Be a Trump Republican You Have to Dare to Be Stupid - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 8-27-26 (01:59:55) SECTION C: WHY IT WORKS C1: Fall Of The House Of Misinformation: Science At Work Part 1 - Unbiased Science - Air Date 4-17-24 C2: Social Influence: Crash Course Psychology #38 - CrashCourse - Air Date 11-11-14 C3: Fall Of The House Of Misinformation: Science At Work Part 2 - Unbiased Science - Air Date 4-17-24 (02:23:55) SECTION D: RESPONDING TO THE MOMENT D1: One Crisis After Another | Jessica Malaty Rivera Part 1 - Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Lab - Air Date 5-13-26 D2: Why Doctors Are Mad at Me for My Debate - Doctor Mike - Air Date 12-17-25 D3: One Crisis After Another | Jessica Malaty Rivera Part 2 - Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Lab - Air Date 5-13-26 D4: The Infodemic — and the Scientists Fighting Against It | Jessica Malaty Rivera Part 2 - TED Talks Daily - Air Date 8-7-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

    Science and Public Health Under Attack by Our Own Government

  5. Aug 31

    Coerced Sterilization, Abortion Bans, and the New Pronatalism: Who Controls American Reproduction (Transcript)

    Air Date: 8/29/2026 Today we examine what happens when the state wants to decide whether a person reproduces. A century ago, American courts sanctioned the forced sterilization of women deemed unfit to reproduce. 60 years ago, a communist dictator ran a pronatalist experiment with disastrous results. Now, abortion access is collapsing and a new pronatalist movement is rising to wreak havoc. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on 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! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Buck V. Bell Part 1 - 5-4 - Air Date 5-26-20 KP 2: Fannie Lou Hamer - Who Did What Now - Air Date 3-5-26 KP 3: Erika Cohn - Belly of the Beast Part 1 - Bitch Talk Podcast - Air Date 1-27-21 KP 4: Explaining This Moment of Pronatalism Part 1 - rePROS Fight Back - Air Date 6-16-26 KP 5: If Roe Was Never Enough, Why Was It Everything (And a Word to My Boom! Lawyered Fam) Part 1 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 6-11-26 KP 6: Explaining This Moment of Pronatalism Part 2 - rePROS Fight Back - Air Date 6-16-26 (00:50:53) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Update on Recovery From Work Burnout My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (00:55:30) SECTION A: EUGENIC LEGAL FOUNDATION A1: Buck V. Bell Part 1 - Stuff You Missed in History Class - Air Date 8-20-25 A2: Buck V. Bell Part 2 - 5-4 - Air Date 5-26-20 A3: Buck V. Bell Part 2 - Stuff You Missed in History Class - Air Date 8-20-25 (01:19:19) SECTION B: COERCED STERILIZATION TODAY B1: The Dark History of Forced Sterilization - Breakthrough News - Air Date 10-21-20 B2: We're Still Here with Simon and Julie - The John Fugelsang Podcast - Air Date 6-21-25 B3: Erika Cohn - Belly of the Beast Part 2 - Bitch Talk Podcast - Air Date 1-27-21 (01:40:32) SECTION C: POST-DOBBS LEGAL BATTLEFIELD C1: The Voters Have Spoken Protecting Reproductive Freedom Through Ballot Initiatives Part 1 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 3-31-26 C2: Return of the Abortion Pill Wars - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 5-16-26 C3: Uncertainty Is a Given Litigation Post-Roe Part 1 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 7-28-26 C4: The Voters Have Spoken Protecting Reproductive Freedom Through Ballot Initiatives Part 2 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 3-31-26 C5: If Roe Was Never Enough, Why Was It Everything (And a Word to My Boom! Lawyered Fam) Part 2 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 6-11-26 C6: Uncertainty Is a Given Litigation Post-Roe Part 2 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 7-28-26 (02:33:29) SECTION D: PRONATALISM, STATE-DIRECTED REPRODUCTION IN REVERSE D1: Pronatalism Make America Procreate Again Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 3-27-25 D2: Why Do Musk and Vance Want More US Babies - BBC News - Air Date 10-8-25 D3: The Lost Children of Romania's Ceaușescu Dictatorship Part 1 - FRANCE 24 English - Air Date 2-14-25 D4: Findings From the Bucharest Early Intervention Project Early Life Deprivation Charles A. Nelson - UCTV - Air Date 12-14-19 D5: Pronatalism Make America Procreate Again Part 2 - The Global Story - Air Date 3-27-25   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

    Coerced Sterilization, Abortion Bans, and the New Pronatalism: Who Controls American Reproduction (Transcript)

  6. Aug 26

    Flock Cameras, ICE, and the Surveillance State Targeting Everyone

    Air Date: 8/25/2026 Today we explore the resistance to Flock cameras and mass surveillance as a whole. Communities across the country are voting to cancel their tracking-camera contracts, others are filing records requests to drag secret police deals into daylight, and some people stopped waiting and went out at night with wire cutters. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on 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! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Flock Cameras: ACLU Raises Alarm About Nationwide Surveillance Database - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-21-26 KP 2: Ohio Professor Specialized in Policing Nails Why Flock Cameras Are a Threat to Everyone - More Perfect Union - Air Date 8-16-26 KP 3: We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in Under 30 Seconds. 🫥 Part 1 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 11-16-25 KP 4: The Politics of Spider-Man: Brand New Day - Shawn Grenier | The Canvas - Air Date 8-11-26 KP 5: Copaganda / Alec Karakatsanis - This Is Hell! - Air Date 4-15-25 KP 6: Former ICE Lawyer Says the Point of Trump's ICE Is to "engender Fear" - The Current - Air Date 7-14-26 KP 7: Pushing Back On Flock Cameras with Kate Bertash - The Final Straw Radio - Air Date 4-13-25 (00:58:52) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR A Texas Deputy Typed "had an Abortion, Search for Female" My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:10:50) SECTION A: WHAT FLOCK ACTUALLY IS & THE BUSINESS OF SURVEILLANCE A1: Flock Cameras Are Tracking You and Getting It Wrong (The Roman Report) - Regular Car Reviews - Air Date 7-31-26 A2: Breaking The Creepy AI in Police Cameras - Benn Jordan - Air Date 8-26-25 A3: Flock Is Tracking People, Not Just Cars - 404 Media - Air Date 6-22-26 A4: Police Surveillance Technology - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 8-3-26 A5: We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in Under 30 Seconds. 🫥 Part 2 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 11-16-25 (01:56:22) SECTION B: BEYOND FLOCK - THE FULL SURVEILLANCE MACHINE B1: The Panopticon Effect - 99% Invisible - Air Date 3-28-23 B2: It's Time to Take Down Your Smart Cameras 😬 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 4-2-26 B3: Police Are Buying $1M Spy SUVs - Silicon Cowboy - Air Date 8-18-26 B4: Meta Glasses Are Spying On You - imuRgency - Air Date 7-9-26 B5: Meta's New Product Is So Bad It Got Banned Immediately - House of El: AI - Air Date 7-17-26 (02:36:56) SECTION C: COPAGANDA & THE ICE ENFORCEMENT ARM C1: Why Does ICE Want to Use Electronic Shock Gloves? - Here & Now Anytime -Air Date 8-13-26 C2: DHS Makes INSANE Purchase As Terrifying New ICE Weapon Unveiled - The Damage Report - Air Date 8-16-26 C3: School Kids Being ZAPPED with ICE Shock Gloves - Status Coup News and MeidasTouch - Air Date 8-18-26 C4: Minnesota AG Sues Texas Governor Over ICE Agent Extradition - WCCO - CBS Minnesota - Air Date 8-18-26 C5: A Note For ICE - UNFTR Media - Air Date 8-20-26 (03:02:12) SECTION D: FIGHTING BACK D1: Inside the Vigilante Movement Destroying Flock Cameras - Stateside with Kai and Carter - Air Date 8-5-26 D2: How to Surveil the Police - 404 Media - Air Date 8-10-26 D3: ICE Just Cost Me (part of) My Job. But I'm Not Even Mad About It. News - Brenna Perez - Air Date 8-18-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

    Flock Cameras, ICE, and the Surveillance State Targeting Everyone

  7. Aug 22

    Worse on Purpose: Trump is Killing Our Response to the Climate Emergency

    Air Date: 8/22/2026 Today we look at how the Republican Party made climate denial its policy more than twenty years ago and is now removing the government's ability to see the problem at all. The Environmental Protection Agency under Bush refused to regulate carbon in 2003, and now the Trump administration is dismantling the science that would help us both avoid worsening the climate emergency and mitigate the inevitable destruction to lives and property now baked into the system. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on 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! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: When It Comes to Climate Change, Is There a Point When Adaptation Isn't Enough - Consider This - Air Date 7-31-26 KP 2: Fire Climate Hot, Dry, Windy Days Are Becoming Common, Making Wildfires Harder to Control - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-6-24 KP 3: Five Lies Republicans Tell About the Climate Crisis - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 8-9-26 KP 4: Is This How We Invade Greenland - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 8-11-26 KP 5: Europes Summer of Fire The New Normal Part 1 - Outrage + Optimism The Climate Podcast - Air Date 7-30-26 KP 6: Climate Wayfinding A Compass for the Climate Crisis Part 1 - Sea Change - Air Date 5-22-26 (00:52:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR An Update on the Show My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:00:01) SECTION A: ON THE GROUND A1: Executive Disorder Spokane Wildfires, Abdul Wins Michigan Primary, Munition Shortage Part 1 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 8-7-26 A2: Wildfires Rage Across the Okanagan Part 1 - The Current - Air Date 8-10-26 A3: Farmers Struggle with Crops as Climate Change Makes Weather Less Predictable - PBS Newshour - Air Date 6-23-26 A4: Wildfires Rage Across the Okanagan Part 2 - The Current - Air Date 8-10-26 (01:29:50) SECTION B: EUROPE ON FIRE B1: Wildfires Are Burning Through Europe Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-4-26 B2: Europes Summer of Fire The New Normal Part 2 - Outrage + Optimism The Climate Podcast - Air Date 7-30-26 B3: Wildfires Are Burning Through Europe Part 2 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-4-26 (01:58:01) SECTION C: THE DELAY MACHINE C1: What Happens When the Bedrock of US Climate Policy Is Wiped Away Part 1 - Climate Court Voices - Air Date 5-15-26 C2: Slow Moving Disasters Climate Change, Artificial Intelligence and The Democratic Party. - UNFTR - Air Date 8-4-26 C3: What Happens When the Bedrock of US Climate Policy Is Wiped Away Part 2 - Climate Court Voices - Air Date 5-15-26 C4: Trump Administration Ends Funding for Arctic Climate Report - PBS Newshour - Air Date 8-13-26 C5: Ex Oil-Engineer Turned Climate Whistleblower_ We Face Collapse. with Kevin Anderson Part 1 - Downstream - Air Date 8-10-26 C6: Executive Disorder Spokane Wildfires, Abdul Wins Michigan Primary, Munition Shortage Part 2 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 8-7-26 C7: Ex Oil-Engineer Turned Climate Whistleblower: We Face Collapse. with Kevin Anderson Part 2 - Downstream - Air Date 8-10-26 (02:59:45) SECTION D: WHAT COMES NEXT D1: A Biden Climate Retrospective Part 1 - Left Anchor - Air Date 8-14-26 D2: Climate Wayfinding A Compass for the Climate Crisis Part 2 - Sea Change - Air Date 5-22-26 D3: A Biden Climate Retrospective Part 2 - Left Anchor - Air Date 8-14-26   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

    Worse on Purpose: Trump is Killing Our Response to the Climate Emergency

  8. Aug 20

    IP'd to Death: How Intellectual Property Law Went from a Protection to a Weapon

    Air Date: 8/19/2026 Today we trace the corporate capture of ideas themselves. What began as a brief legal incentive granting fourteen years of exclusive rights to a creation has become a system that kept a pandemic vaccine from reaching poorer countries and where entertainment conglomerates and technology giants fence off and sell our own culture back to us. Full Show Notes Transcript Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on 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! Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Why We Should Get Rid Of Intellectual Property - Second Thought - Air Date 11-18-22 KP 2: How Patent Abuse Blocks Patient Access to Generic Drugs - PIRGvideos - Air Date 4-18-23 KP 3: YouTube's Copyright System Isn't Broken. The World's Is. Part 1 - Tom Scott - Air Date 5-23-20 KP 4: How Disney Will Control Mickey Forever - LegalEagle - Air Date 1-10-26 KP 5: We Are Being IP-ed to Death / Vicky Osterweil Part 1 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 5-27-26 KP 6: Is AI Burning The Library Of Alexandria? - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 8-5-26 KP 7: Should We Abolish Copyright? Part 1 - Tom Nicholas - Air Date 10-2-19 (00:56:46) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Disney Lobbied for Walls in 1998. OpenAI Asked for Holes in 2025. My commentaries on YouTube - Share them! DEEPER DIVES (01:07:51) SECTION A: HOW WE GOT HERE A1: The 5 Phases of Corporate IP Ownership - David Stewart - Air Date 7-8-18 A2: Amanda Kleintop on Abolishing Property Rights in Slaves During and After the US Civil War - The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition - Air Date 1-24-22 A3: Maggie Blackhawk and K-Sue Park - Digging a Hole: The Legal Theory Podcast - Air Date 3-23-21 A4: Claire Priest - Digging a Hole: The Legal Theory Podcast - Air Date 2-16-21 A5: YouTube's Copyright System Isn't Broken. The World's Is. Part 2 - Tom Scott - Air Date 5-23-20 (01:50:20) SECTION B: WHO PROFITS, WHO PAYS B1: A Deepfake Stole My Face and Voice | Rich Roll (Ep. 20) - Life with Machines - Air Date 5-13-25 B2: Can Artists Protect Their Work From AI? – BBC News - Air Date 6-18-23 B3: Brian Eno Explains Why AI Art Sucks - Life With Machines - Air Date 10-31-25 B4: YouTube's Fair Use Paradox - Vertex Effects - Air Date 7-18-25 B5: We Are Being IP-ed to Death / Vicky Osterweil Part 2 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 5-27-26 (02:27:53) SECTION C: THE DISNEY PLAYBOOK C1: A Disney Monopoly Is A Problem (According To Disney's Recess) - Just Write - Air Date 11-30-19 C2: Vicky Osterweil on Disney, Intellectual Property and Storytelling Part 1 - The Final Straw Radio - Air Date 5-3-26 C3: Everyone's Wrong About John Oliver's Trademark War - LegalEagle - Air Date 8-8-26 C4: Vicky Osterweil on Disney, Intellectual Property and Storytelling Part 2 - The Final Straw Radio - Air Date 5-3-26 C5: We Are Being IP-ed to Death / Vicky Osterweil Part 3 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 5-27-26 (03:14:03) SECTION D: WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT D1: Should We Abolish Copyright? Part 2 - Tom Nicholas - Air Date 10-2-19 D2: The Ethical Case Against Intellectual Property (by David Koepsell) - V for Voluntary Library - Air Date 5-17-10   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

    IP'd to Death: How Intellectual Property Law Went from a Protection to a Weapon
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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!

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