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

BestOfTheLeft.com
  • 4.5 (3.3K)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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!

  1. Reigniting the Nuclear Arms Race: Fat Man, Little Boy, and Donald Trump

    1D AGO

    Reigniting the Nuclear Arms Race: Fat Man, Little Boy, and Donald Trump

    Air Date 11/7/2025 The most dangerous part of nuclear weapons has always been the people in charge of them. As we potentially enter a new arms race, some of the worst people in the world are in charge of the vast majority of nuclear weapons. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, 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 to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Will Trump Spark a New Nuclear Arms Race - TLDR News Global - Air Date 11-9-25 KP 2: A History of the Doomsday Clock in 4 Minutes - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - Air Date 1-30-24 KP 3: The Lie of Nuclear Deterrence - ICAN's Melissa Parke in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, & Korea for Atomic Bomb 80th Commemorations, Hibakusha Part 1 - Nuclear Hotseat - Air Date 8-13-25 KP 4: Voices of Hiroshima - Scene On Radio - Air Date 8-6-25 KP 5: Marshall Islands: Paradise Interrupted Part 1 - At the Brink - Air Date 12-5-23 KP 6: The Lie of Nuclear Deterrence - ICAN's Melissa Parke in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, & Korea for Atomic Bomb 80th Commemorations, Hibakusha Part 2 - Nuclear Hotseat - Air Date 8-13-25 (00:44:32) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the morality of facts we don't question DEEPER DIVES (00:56:09) SECTION A: CONSTANT PERIL (01:22:44) SECTION B: THE NEW ARMS RACE, WORSE THAN THE FIRST (02:05:41) SECTION C: THE DETERRENCE MYTH (02:44:12) SECTION D: THE AFTERMATH 80 YEARS LATER SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Image of a president’s hand reaching out to press a big red button. Credit: “war-nuclear-war” by geralt, Pixabay | Pixabay license   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

    3h 24m
  2. You Might Also Like: The Most Important Question

    1D AGO · BONUS

    You Might Also Like: The Most Important Question

    Introducing When Foreign Aid Gets Zeroed Out Overnight from The Most Important Question. Follow the show: The Most Important Question Imagine waking up to discover that the United States has just pulled $35 billion out of foreign aid overnight, and that hundreds of HIV clinics, and child malnutrition programs, and poverty graduation trials will shut their doors within days and weeks. Now imagine there's a rapid response team quietly sifting through every single grant, ranking them by lives saved per dollar and building lifeboat bridge grants before the lights go out. That team exists. It's called Project Resource Optimization (PRO), and it's turning a disaster into a crash course in faster, smarter, truly lifesaving philanthropy. So what can you do to keep the most effective aid on the planet from flatlining? My guest today is Rob Rosenbaum, one of the co-leads of PRO. Stick with us to learn how emergency triage, ruthless transparency on both sides of the market and a few well-placed dollars can keep millions of people from falling off a fiscal cliff and how you can help build the lifeboats. ----------- Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Take Action at www.whatcanido.earth ----------- INI Book Club: Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club Links: Get money to lifesaving projects at https://proimpact.tools/ Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors Mentioned in this episode: Become An Important Member What Can I Do? Get Mill DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. Monthly-ish Mix: Institutions Fall, Reality Breaks, Empire Rises

    5D AGO

    Monthly-ish Mix: Institutions Fall, Reality Breaks, Empire Rises

    Air Date: 11/11/25 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we examine how power is being quietly consolidated across institutions, how propaganda and AI are reshaping our sense of reality, and how division and fear are fueling both domestic repression and global aggression. From the Supreme Court to state media manipulation, from dismantled voting rights to foreign influence campaigns, we trace the machinery of authoritarian control—and spotlight the journalists, educators, and activists still pushing back to keep truth and democracy alive. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, 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!) Join our Discord community! PART 1: INSTITUTIONAL CAPTURE & CONSOLIDATION (00:01:44) 1742 Captured Court, Captured Nation: SCOTUS Serves Trump's Authoritarianism (00:16:53) 1743 Trump and Project 2025: Blitzkrieg Against America (00:43:56) 1749 Democracy: In Theory, In Practice, and Under Threat PART 2 INFORMATION WARFARE & REALITY CONTROL (01:08:35) 1746 What an actual attack on free speech looks like (01:40:37) 1745 Fake New World: The Age of AI Slop, AI Education, and AI Fascism (01:54:27) 1744 Sell Outs, Shills, and Scandals: Saudi Arabia and Israel are buying the credibility they can't earn honestly PART 3 OTHERING & EXPANSION (02:13:08) 1747 Racism in the United States, it turns out, is a problem (02:31:27) 1741 Global Uprisings: Dissatisfaction Roiling France, the UK, and Nepal (02:56:07) 1750 "American's Backyard" - The War on Terror Meets the War on Drugs (03:20:01) 1748 Patriotism in Peril: Democracy, the Military, and the Fight Over What America Means Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

    3h 47m
  4. SOLVED! #27 - Watch what you say! How weaponized language changes our reality

    5D AGO · BONUS • MEMBERSHIP ONLY

    SOLVED! #27 - Watch what you say! How weaponized language changes our reality

    Air Date: 11-11-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: ⁃ Ch. 1 - “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” ⁃ Ch. 2 - “Politically correct” ⁃ Ch. 3 - “Ethnic cleansing” ⁃ Ch. 4 - “Meritocracy” ⁃ Ch. 5 - Our current “wealth pump” crisis and how it has been solved throughout history ⁃ BACKSTAGE! Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): The best words to articulate the current moment FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon REFERENCES Why The Phrase 'Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps' Is Nonsense - Huffington Post How Cancel Culture Became Politicized — Just Like Political Correctness - NPR Manifest Destiny and Zionism, a legacy of ethnic cleansing - Mondo Weiss What Happens to Language When Authoritarianism Takes Hold - Lucid (Substack) RSA Minimate: The Tyranny of Merit - Michael Sandel The Satirical Origins of the Meritocracy - Kottke Hundreds of societies have been in crises like ours. An expert explains how they got out. - Vox TAKE ACTION: No Kings Next Steps Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 Find your Indivisible group - or start one Write to the DNC Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991 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!

    1h 55m
  5. #1750 "America's Backyard" - The War on Terror Meets the War on Drugs

    NOV 7

    #1750 "America's Backyard" - The War on Terror Meets the War on Drugs

    Air Date 11/7/2025 The United States claiming a divine (and imperialist) right to tamper in the politics of South American countries is nothing new. As is so often the case with Trump, the biggest difference is that he’s doing proudly and in the open what used to be done only shamefully and in secret. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, 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!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: What Is Happening with Venezuela & The US EXPLAINER - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 9-8-25 KP 2: Ceasefire in Gaza, The Monroe Doctrine Under Trump, and a US Economy on the Brink of Collapse Part 1 - Red Menace - Air Date 10-14-25 KP 3: Jeffrey Stein on Trumps Boat Attacks, Katya Schwenk on AI Surveillance Pricing Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 10-24-25 KP 4: Bailing on Farmers to Bail Out Argentina: Two to Tango Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 10-6-25 KP 5: Trumps Hegemony Gambit; The Rights Warm Racist Embrace with Jeet Heer Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-1-25 (00:53:59) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the long history of messing with Latin America DEEPER DIVES (00:59:42) SECTION A: HISTORY AND NARRATIVE (01:20:49) SECTION B: MILITARY PRETEXT (01:58:37) SECTION C: US AGGRESSION (02:28:44) SECTION D: REGIONAL ECHOES SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Image of a topographical globe of the Earth, only showing North America and South America. Credit: “Globe-world-earth-planet” by quimono, Pixabay | Pixabay license   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

    3h 6m
  6. SOLVED! FROM THE ARCHIVES - “Transgressive Thoughts in a Villain Era” (Original Air Date: 1-6-25)

    NOV 6

    SOLVED! FROM THE ARCHIVES - “Transgressive Thoughts in a Villain Era” (Original Air Date: 1-6-25)

    Re-Air Date: 11–6-25 Unless you were a member in January of 2025, this episode of SOLVED! will be brand new to you! We’re slowing down production for a little bit to reorganize our production processes, so enjoy this episode from our archives (and B.Y: before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:   Ch. 1 - Why people love villains Ch. 2 - How plutocracy kills Ch. 3 - Why the path forward is through membership organizations   FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e   REFERENCES   The Year Villainy Won - Wired https://www.wired.com/story/the-year-villainy-won/   Plutocracy Kills - The American Prospect https://prospect.org/2024/12/26/2024-12-26-tkacik-best-of-2024/   Democracy Is Not a Customer Loyalty Program - Jacobin https://jacobin.com/2024/11/political-parties-schumpeter-democracy-liberalism

    1h 10m
  7. Democracy: In Theory, In Practice, and Under Threat

    NOV 4

    Democracy: In Theory, In Practice, and Under Threat

    Air Date 11/4/2025 Elections are always coming up, some sooner than others, so we thought we would take a look at the state of our democracy and what we must do to maintain it in the face of the greatest direct assault on our institutions we've seen in our 250 year history. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, 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!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Trump 2028? - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 10-29-25 KP 2: Why Im Voting YES On Prop 50 - Robert Reich - Air Date 10-28-25 KP 3: Trumps 'Crowd Control' Plan For Midterm Election Is Real - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 10-27-25 KP 4: Exposing Trumps 2026 Election Mastermind Part 1 - Democracy Docket - Air Date 10-22-25 KP 5: Trump's Predictable Bad Faith on Election Security Gives His Opponents an Advantage - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 10-28-25 KP 6: ‘They’re Spending More Than I’d Tax Them’: Mamdani Slams Mega-donors Funding Cuomo - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 10-28-25 KP 7: What If Zohran Loses? Part 1 - Zaid Tabani - Air Date 10-29-25 KP 8: My Message to Muslim New Yorkers — and Everyone Who Calls This City Home. - Zohran Mamdani for NYC - Air Date 10-24-25 (00:49:12) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the willingness to sound the alarm DEEPER DIVES (00:58:05) SECTION A: MAGA POLITICS (01:25:25) SECTION B: GENERAL POLITICS (02:01:21) SECTION C: PROGRESSIVE POLITICIANS (02:25:17) SECTION D: ZOHRAN MAMDANI SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Close up photo of a “I voted early!” sicker from the City of New York Board of Elections Credit: “I voted early!“ by Eden, Janine and Jim | CC BY 4.0 | Changes: Heavily cropped, slight increased saturation and decreased contrast   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X

    3h 2m
  8. Patriotism in Peril: Democracy, the Military, and the Fight Over What America Means

    NOV 2

    Patriotism in Peril: Democracy, the Military, and the Fight Over What America Means

    Air Date 11/02/2025 A lot of people on the left aren't feeling the love for their country right now and that's understandable but we have some thoughts on more productive ways to channel those conflicting feelings toward a country that is currently falling far short of living up to its founding ideals. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, 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!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Democracy's Morticians Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt on 'How Democracies Die' Part 1 - Lawfare Archive - Air Date 5-1-18 KP 2: How Trump Changed the World with Anne Applebaum Part 1 - PoliticsJOE Podcast - Air Date 6-14-25 KP 3: Giving Up Is Unforgivable with Joyce Vance Part 1 - Stay Tuned with Preet - Air Date 10-23-25 KP 4: How to FIGHT Mob Boss Politics in America with Senator Andy Kim Part 1 - How to Fix It with John Avlon - Air Date 10-19-25 KP 5: Unitary Executive Meets Textualism Part 1 - #SistersInLaw - Air Date 10-11-23 KP 6: How Underdogs Build Power Stephanie Luce Part 1 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 10-23-25 KP 7: Reclaiming Patriotism From Trumps America with Ted Johnson Part 1 - How to Fix It with John Avlon - Air Date 4-27-25 (00:59:59) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On how the Left embraces the contradictions of the US DEEPER DIVES (01:10:45) SECTION A: SOCIETAL DRIVERS (01:47:04) SECTION B: INSTITUTIONAL EROSION (02:18:26) SECTION C: MILITARIZED LAWFARE (02:41:12) SECTION D: PATRIOTISM AND NARRATIVE SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite image of the Declaration of Independence with three question marks on top filled with the image of the American flag. Credit: Internal composite design. Images via Pixabay. | Pixabay License   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

    3h 41m
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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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