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

Air Date 11/25/2025 We live in a world awash with baseless conspiracy theories but that doesn't mean there are no true conspiracies, as exemplified by Jeffrey Epstein. But it bears repeating, that we didn't need the exposure of a massive conspiracy to know that Donald Trump was a sexual predator because he said as much on tape before he was elected the first time in 2016. 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 Welcomes Murderer to White House; Congress Votes to Release 'Epstein Files' - The BradCast - Air Date 11-18-25 KP 2: How Epstein Email Politics Shifted Over The Weekend Part 1 - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 11-17-25 KP 3: 1992 Tape Of Trump And Epstein - The Day That Was - MS Now - Air Date 7-18-19 KP 4: Epstein Emails: The Inbox Of The Rich & Heinous Part 1 - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 11-18-25 KP 5: 16 Women and Donald Trump • Trump's History of Sexual Assault - Brave New Films - Air Date 11-15-17 KP 6: Epstein's Arms Deal And Intelligence Connections With Israel W Murtaza Hussain Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-18-25 KP 7: Jeffrey Epstein and the American Empire with Van Jackson Part 1 - The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer - Air Date 11-16-25 (00:50:50) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the conspiracy of wealth and power DEEPER DIVES (00:57:28) SECTION A: INBOX FALLOUT (01:45:02) SECTION B: EPSTEIN WORLDWIDE (02:18:32) SECTION C: PREDATOR-IN-CHIEF SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Screen shot of a recently released email from Jeffery Epstein to Ghislaine Maxwell with a line highlighted that says "I want you to realize that the dog that hasn't barked is trump…[VICTIM] spent ours at my house with him,, he has never once been mentioned." Credit: Internal composite design. Screen shot of email from files released by U.S. House Oversight Committee.   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X

Re-Air Date: 11–18-25 Unless you were a member in December of 2024, 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 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 - The political origins of SimCity and how capitalism warps our choices Ch. 2 - A new video game offering a very different vision of societal management Ch. 3 - Naomi Klein's insights on the Left's missteps responding to the Mirror World Ch. 4 - Applying cynicism and skepticism in moderation   FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e   REFERENCES: SimCity Isn't a Model of Reality. It's a Libertarian Toy Land - Wired Build-a-Brrr - The Baffler Naomi Klein on her doppelganger (and yours) - Vox Be Like Claud Cockburn: Tell Truths to the Masses - Counter Punch   TAKE ACTION: No Kings Next Steps Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation 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!

Air Date 11/21/2025 In an ethical political system, being willing to break the law in order to starve people amid a political dispute wouldn't be a source of greater leverage and power but it is in ours and the shutdown put the wildly different senses of ethics between the parties on full display. 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: Government Shutdown or General Strike How to Fight Trumps Agenda - The Socialist Program w Brian Becker - Air Date 11-12-25 KP 2: What Its Like Suing Trump in Court Over SNAP Funding - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 11-13-25 KP 3: The History of SNAP How Food Stamps Feed America - The Politics of New America - Air Date 11-4-25 KP 4: MAGA Republican ERUPTS Over Major SNAP Consequences As Gross Tantrum Backfires - The Damage Report - Air Date 10-31-25 KP 5: Addressing Food Insecurity With Dignity - The Giving Garden - Air Date 9-3-25 KP 6: Senator Sanders Slams The Surrender Dems - What A Day - Air Date 11-11-25 KP 7: Pope Condemns Trump Hispanics Quit GOP More Illegal Airstrikes How SNAP Boosts The Economy - The David Feldman Show - Air Date 11-10-25 (00:55:53) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On how to preserve democracy DEEPER DIVES (01:10:38) SECTION A: SHUTDOWN 02:01:39) SECTION B: FOOD INSECURITY (03:19:42) SECTION C: GOP AWFULNESS SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite image of the SNAP program logo (food stamps) and a symbol of a stethoscope (healthcare) in a closed cage with a GOP elephant symbol standing on top against a faded American flag background. Credit: Internal composite design. Elements from Pixabay | Pixabay license | and UDSA   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

Air Date: 11-10-25 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: Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach Find your Indivisible group - or start one Join our Discord Server Reach us via Signal: Bestoftheleft.01 Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Air Date 10/28/2025 As we were looking for episode topics, I came across an article making the case that racism is a real problem in the country and that there were lots of recent examples that proved the point. And I was like, "Racism? In the US?! In Trump's Republican Party?? That doesn't sound like the country I've heard of." (sarcasm) But then we looked into it and it turns out racism is everywhere and also quite bad. (true) 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: Will Supreme Court Gut Voting Rights Act Weaken Electoral Power of Black Americans? - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-16-25 KP 2: 'Kids Telling Edgy Jokes'? Hayes SHREDS Vance's Defense of Racist GOP Group Chat - All In W/ Chris Hayes - Air Date 10-15-25 KP 3: Capitol Police INVESTIGATING SWASTIKA FLAG Found in REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMANS DC Office! - Jesse Dollemore - Air Date 10-16-25 KP 4: Racism Is the Policy: Here's 10 Months of Receipts - The Keith Boykin Channel - Air Date 10-15-25 KP 5: TheGrio Daily, Michael Harriot - Systemic Racism Explained - Air Date 4-22-24 KP 6: The Racist Origins of US Law - PBS Origins - Air Date 8-6-20 KP 7: 'A Very Dangerous Theory:' MAGA's Mask-off Racist Vision of America - Velshi - Air Date 9-7-25 (00:50:25) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On how you CANNOT purchase your happiness with the misery of others DEEPER DIVES (00:56:12) SECTION A: HISTORICAL CONTEXT (01:36:52) SECTION B: WHITE LASH (02:04:02) SECTION C: SYSTEMIC RACISM (02:50:39) SECTION D: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: 1970s poster that says "Racism Chains Both" with an image of a black person's hand and a white person's hand both in connected shackles. Credit: "Racism chains both Hugo Gellert artist" via Library of Congress Public Domain Archive   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!  

Air Date 10/25/2025 Trump's attacks on free speech, particularly with the use of the Federal Communications Commission, goes far beyond the Jimmy Kimmel story. We're in the middle of an all-out assault on  freedom of speech, a free and unbiased press, and freedom of association. 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: FCC's Anna Gomez & Axios' Sara Fischer - Axios - Air Date 9-19-25 KP 2: Bari Weiss, CBS News, And The Conservative Media Takeover - Lever Time - Air Date 10-9-25 KP 3: Trumps Horrifying Plan to Destroy Free Speech W/ Ken Klippenstein - Current Affairs - Air Date 10-10-25 KP 4: 'They'll Be Others': Trump THREATENS More Indictments of Foes After Comey - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 9-26-25 KP 5: Is ANTIFAscism Really a Violent Extremist Movement? - Matthew Cooke - Air Date 10-14-25 (00:48:56) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On 'Working the Refs' DEEPER DIVES (00:53:51) SECTION A: ANTIFA (01:15:09) SECTION B: POLITICAL ENEMIES (01:53:02) SECTION C: FREE SPEECH (02:29:52) SECTION D: MEDIA TAKEOVER (02:52:28) SECTION E: MOCKING THE FACISTS SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Black and white version of the official portrait of FCC Chair Brendan Carr with the list of words banned by the Trump administration in red over his face. Credit: Internal composite design. |  Carr official portrait via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.   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

Original Air Date: 10/13/2020 Today we take a look at the myths of Columbus and American Exceptionalism™ that we cling to and turn our gaze to some of the less-understood but more accurate and important aspects of our collective 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! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Can You Handle The Truth? - Native Opinion Podcast an American Indian Perspective - Air Date 10-20-19 Ch. 2: Why the US celebrates Columbus Day - Vox - Air Date 10-8-20 Ch. 3: Columbus In His Own Words - Let's Talk Native TV - Air Date 10-12-19 Ch. 4: In Search of a Better American Myth - Progressive Faith Sermons, Dr. Roger Ray - Air Date 10-11-20 Ch. 5: Jon Schwarz on social silence, hidden history, and why Trump is our most honest president - The Katie Halper Show - Air Date 11-22-18 Ch. 6: City Upon A Hill: A History Of American Exceptionalism - BackStory - Air Date 1-22-16 Ch. 7: The American Exceptionalism Mythology - Loud & Clear - Air Date 7-5-19 Ch. 8: Columbus redux! - Let's Talk Native - Air Date 7-17-19 Ch. 9: Why The Right Is So Dishonest About American History - Cracked (Some More News) - Air Date 11-21-17 SHOW IMAGE "Christopher Columbus Statue Torn Down at Minnesota State Capitol" by Tony Webster, Flickr | License | Modifications: Cropped   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

Air Date: 10–14-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch. 1 - The cartoonish conservative and libertarian responses to Trump's state capitalism Ch. 2 - Trump's interest in sovereign wealth funds, and the lie the right sells its supporters about getting money back Ch. 3 - The left spectrum of reactions to Trump's state capitalism Ch. 4 - Why Trump is definitely, 100%, not in any way a socialist SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: Ayn Rand's nearly psychotic opposition to altruism FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES: The Danger of Trump Seizing Private Companies - Time magazine Trump's "State Capitalism … a Hybrid Between Socialism and Capitalism" Won't Make America Great Again - Cato Institute Trump Is Embracing 'Daddy State' Economics - Reason Trump's brand of US capitalism faces 'socialist' backlash from conservatives - BBC Trump, national-capitalism at bay - Heterodox Don't Let Trump Define What State Capitalism Can Be - The New Republic What State Capitalism Can Do—and What It Can't - The American Prospect Unfortunately, Donald Trump is Not a Socialist - Current Affairs EXTRAS Were the Nazis Socialists? - Britannica r/AskHistorians: "Is Nazism right wing or left wing?" Interview with Hitler - Interviews (Anthology 1859-1993) BACKSTAGE I've spent my entire career studying stress—the No. 1 cure for it might 'surprise' you - CNBC Leonard Peikoff - Wikipedia

Air Date 10/19/2025 Robber Barons™ of The Gilded Age™ told themselves stories about how they were ushering in progress for all which is why, they argued, they shouldn't be constrained by things like safety regulations or worker unions - impoverishing millions while injuring and killing thousands in the process. It took a stock market crash, the Great Depression, WWII, and The New Deal to finally wrench the power away and redistribute it for the sake of building a middle class that could work in relative safety in the US. Today's Robber Barrons™ ushering in techno-feudalism under the banner of AI-For-All are no different but with even higher stakes in the balance. 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! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: We're in Our AI Slop Era Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 8-7-25 KP 2: What AI Means for Your Money, Music and Love Life Part 1 - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 9-26-25 KP 3: AI Slop Part 1 - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 6-23-25 KP 4: Family Accuses ChatGPT of Helping Their Son Commit Suicide - The Briefing - AIr Date 8-30-25 KP 5: The REAL Reason Trump and Big Tech Want AI in Our Schools - More Perfect Union - Air Date 10-2-25 KP 6: AI and the Demise of College Writing Part 1 - Adam Walker - Close Reading Poetry - Air Date 7-15-25 KP 7: AI, Energy, and Climate Data Center Water Use Alexis Abramson, Julio Friedmann and Angela Yuan Part 1 - The DSR Network - Air Date 10-7-25 (00:56:20) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the pattern of capitalism's social costs DEEPER DIVES (01:05:22) SECTION A: AL SLOP (02:05:43) SECTION B: SOCIAL ASPECTS (02:47:46) SECTION C: LABOR AND EDUCATION (03:46:34) SECTION D: DATA CENTERS SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: AI-generated image of robot hands holding up a small globe against a desolate dessert background. Credit: "ai-generated-robot-earth" via 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