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

In this discussion, Chris Hayes, a prominent cable-news host known for his probing political insights, tackles the troubling prevalence of racism in the US. He exposes a scandalous leaked chat revealing the racist and violent attitudes of Young Republican leaders, critiquing their responses. The conversation also touches on alarming incidents like a swastika found in a congressional office and the broader implications of systemic racism across American policies and culture. Hayes's sharp commentary provides a wake-up call to urgent societal issues.

In this insightful discussion, guests tackle the pressing issue of free speech under attack. Anna Gomez, an FCC commissioner, shares concerns about regulatory limits on content and the pressure on broadcasters. Investigative reporter Ken Klippenstein dives into NSPM-7, revealing its implications for civil liberties. Historian Mark Bray sheds light on the anti-fascist movement, addressing the misconceptions surrounding it and the threats he's faced. Together, they explore the chilling effects of government actions on dissent and the media landscape.

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

In this discussion, Today Explained's host delves into the concept of 'AI slop,' exploring how endless scroll apps influence content consumption. Dr. Marissa Cohen, a marriage and family therapist, highlights the risks of AI companions on human relationships. Alexis Abramson, a data center expert, warns about the environmental impacts of AI, including water use and cooling practices. Together, they paint a picture of a rapidly evolving tech landscape, urging careful consideration of AI's societal implications.

Air Date: 10–5-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:   Ch. 1 - The state of American media consolidation Ch. 2 - The debate over free speech and the how the history of the right proves they have never been in favor of it. Ch. 3 -  The Trump administrations latest aggressive anti-free speech moves, and the Jimmy Kimmel suspension Ch. 4 - A look at how independent media was absorbed in the early days of Putin’s regime, and the dire importance of not complying in advance Ch. 5 - A perspective on why the Trump administration will lose the war on free speech, and some other hopeful notes SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: Ezra Klein’s bizarre interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates   FOLLOW US ON: YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!) Bluesky Instagram Facebook Mastadon Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e   REFERENCES: You Think the Bari Weiss–CBS News Story Is Bad? No—It’s Much Worse. - The New Republic The Billionaire Trump Supporter Who Will Soon Own the News - The New York Times We Have Seen the ‘Woke Right’ Before, and It Wasn’t Pretty Then, Either - The New York Times Trump Administration Wields Its Full Toolbox to Bring Media to Heel - The New York Times We Can No Longer Tell Ourselves This Isn’t Really Happening - The New York Times Is Trump’s Attack on the Media Following Putin’s Playbook? - The New Yorker Trump is going to lose the war on free speech - New York Magazine   EXTRAS Carsie Blanton “ God Bless the Grass” (by Malvina Reynolds) **Carsie Blanton and ~450 other unarmed humanitarians from more than 40 countries have been abducted by Israeli forces from the Global Sumud Flotilla. Call your members of Congress: https://globalsumudflotilla.org/contact-officials/   BACKSTAGE Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines - The Ezra Klein Show (The New York Times)   TAKE ACTION: No Kings National Day of Action - Oct. 18th Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation One Million Rising Trainings

Air Date 10/10/2025 The strategy that Trump and the masterminds behind Project 2025 are following is to move as fast as possible to implement their agenda because they know perfectly well how unpopular it is and will be as time goes on. It's hard to argue that anything good will come of this but I'm going to try during my comments anyway. 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: Checking In On The Federal Workforce As The Government Shuts Down - 1A - Air Date 10-1-25 KP 2: How Trump Is Using The Shutdown To Punish Blue States - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 10-3-25 KP 3: The Vought Doctrine Make It Hurt - Velshi - Air Date 10-5-25 KP 4: SCOTUS Rulings BACKFIRE on THEMSELVES Part 1 - Legal AF - Air Date 8-2-25 KP 5: Trumps Battle With The Federal Reserve Part 1 - 1A - Air Date 9-10-2025 KP 6: The Trump Administration's SCOTUS Winning Streak Part 1 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 9-29-25 KP 7: Hegseth Declares War On the Military + Trump Declares War On You Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 10-3-25 (01:04:39) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On what Trump's lightning attack on America could mean for the future DEEPER DIVES (01:48:40) SECTION B: SHUTDOWN & PROJECT 2025 (02:30:24) SECTION C: AUTHORITARIAN'S HAMMER SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Illustrated image in pop art style of Donald Trump smirking in front of a red banner and sunburst imagery with “Project 2025” on the banner on either side of his head. Base Image Credit: “Donald-trump-divided-country-usa” by tweetyspics, Pixabay | Pixabay License | Changes: Text overlay added   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X

Air Date 10/7/2025 The Trump administration has been doing what we knew it would: breaking laws and losing about 95% of their court battles. And the conservatively stacked Supreme Court has been doing what we knew it would: overwhelmingly ruling for Trump to cover his tracks because that's what they were put there to do. 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: Hiding in the Shadow Docket - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 8-24-25 KP 2: Does It Matter? Trump Keeps Losing on Immigration in the Courts - Democracy Now! - Air Date 9-3-25 KP 3: US Supreme Court Allows Trumps Controversial Immigration Raids to Continue in LA - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 9-9-25 KP 4: The Supreme Court’s Power Grab Under Trump - Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast - Air Date 7-15-25 KP 5: Is the Supreme Court Corrupted? with Alex Aronson | Freethought Matters - Freedom From Religion Foundation - Air Date 1-9-25 KP 6: 'Unconscionably Irreconcilable': Justice Sotomayor RIPS Colleagues in Fiery Dissent - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 9-9-25 (00:51:05) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On authoritarianism in practice DEEPER DIVES (01:00:16) SECTION A: PAVING THE PATH A1: How To Build A Police State (With The Supreme Court’s Blessing) - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, Justice, and the Courts - Air Date 7-19-25 A2: Dear Justice Kavanaugh, “I’m American, Bro” - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, Justice, and the Courts - Air Date 9-13-25 A3: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett Defends Court's Work on Emergency Rulings - NPR Morning Edition - Air Date 9-9-25 A4: Lawfare Daily: The Trials of the Trump Administration - The Lawfare Podcast - Air Date 9-5-25 A5: How the Supreme Court Allowed Trump to Reshape America in One Year | Explainer - Heather Cox Richardson - Air Date 7-2-25 (01:41:19) SECTION B: LEGAL GRAY AREA B1: Trump Brings the War Home - 5-4 - Air Date 8-8-25 B2: Bedrock Con Law 101 - Divided Argument - Air Date 8-29-25 B3: Uh-oh: Trump in Trouble as Polls Drop and Protests ERUPT Nationwide - The Beat with Ari - Air Date 9-8-25 B4: Justice Thomas Cautions Against Following Precedent - Bloomberg Law - Air Date 9-30-25 B5: The Legality of Trumps D.C. Takeover as Statistics Show Decline in Crime - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 8-11-25 (02:19:05) SECTION C: CORRUPTION C1: How Trump Is Using the DOJ as His Personal Law Firm - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 8-25-25 C2: Captured Court: Hayes on Leonard Leos Two-fold Plan to Form This Supreme Court - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 5-11-23 (02:31:03) SECTION D: HOPE? D1: Trump's Tariffs Struck Down: Attorney Neal Katyal Oregon AG Dan Rayfield Respond - Democracy Now! - Air Date 9-2-25 D2: When Trump Hits New Jersey, This Lawyer Hits Back - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, Justice, and the Courts- Air Date 8-16-25 D3: The Lower Courts Punch Up - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 9-8-25 D4: Losing! MAGA "Embarrassed" as Courts Reject Trump Powers on Immigration, Tariffs, Troops - The Beat with Ari - Air Date 9-8-25 D5: Trump Hijacked the Courts: Here’s How to Fix It- Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 8-28-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite image depicting a photo of the exterior of the U.S. Supreme Court with giant chains crossed over the building with an orange seal with the silhouette of Donald Trump where the chains cross. Photo Credit: “US Supreme Court” by David (dbking), Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, and added chain vector image   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 10/3/2025 People around the world are angry, often for different reasons and even more frequently based on falseities - though not always. For instance, the Right in the UK and France are upset about immigration though most of those who are angry are wrong about the facts. But there's also widespread dissatisfaction with national governments and pessimism about their ability to make life better over the short term which is leading to much less predictable politics. 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: Block Everything W/ Sebastian Budgen Part 1 - Jacobin Radio - Air Date 9-16-25 KP 2: Why France Might Soon Have a Far-right Government Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 9-15-25 KP 3: What's Behind the Anti-immigration Protests in the UK Part 1 - The Inside Story Podcast - Air Date 9-15-25 KP 4: Is the Government Inflaming Protests on the Left and Right Part 1 - Pod Save the UK - Air Date 8-13-25 KP 5: Why Trumpworld Is Obsessed with Free Speech in Britain Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 9-18-25 KP 6: Anger, Rage, and Love - Trump's Visit to the UK and Tommy Robinson's Far-right Rally Part 1 - Pod Save the UK - Air Date 9-17-25 KP 7: Inside Europe 11 September 2025 Part 1 - Inside Europe - Air Date 9-11-25 KP 8: Social Media Ban Sparks Deadly Protests in Nepal - The World - Air Date 9-8-25 (01:01:29) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On free speech and framing DEEPER DIVES (01:15:16) SECTION A: BLOQUONS TOUT (01:48:32) SECTION B: UK FAR-RIGHT (02:19:45) SECTION C: AMERICA AND THE EU (02:46:06) SECTION D: NEPAL SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President of France Emmanuel Macron walking down a street. Credit: “Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Ukraine” by Number 10, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

Air Date: 09/30/25 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we track the dangerous convergence of domestic collapse and international chaos by looking at political violence and martyrdom accelerating division, institutional capture from the courts to the media, the dismantling of voting rights and public health infrastructure, military deployments at home and wars abroad, plus the resistance movements fighting back through town halls, labor organizing, and revolutionary art despite overwhelming odds. 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! PART 1: THE HOME FRONT CRUMBLES (00:01:50) #1739 The Charlie Kirk Assassination and the Plans to Weaponize It 1: Chris Hedges: The Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 9-12-25 2: The "Both Sides" Scam: How False Balance Fuels Extremism - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 9-12-25 3: No, Charlie Kirk Was Not Practicing Politics the Right Way - Mother Jones - Air Date 9-12-25 (00:22:18) #1736 Not the Opposition Party the Country Needs Right Now 4: Why Democrats Should Cut Off Weapons Sales to Israel and Reject AIPAC Money - Pod Save America - Air Date 8-29-25 5: Journalist Exposes Dark Money on the Left - UNFTR Media - Air Date 8-30-25 (00:40:43) #1728 The Lawfare Presidency: The Case of Trump v. Journalism 6: Corporate Media's Surrender to Trump a Wake-up Call for Urgent Reforms Needed to Save Journalism, Democracy - Between The Lines Radio Newsmagazine Podcast - Air Date 7-16-25 7: Trumps War on the Media - Courier - Air Date 7-29-25.mp3 08-01-26-762 8: Trump's Presidential Library Grift. Plus, the Hacker Behind the NYT_s Mamdani Story. - On the Media - Air Date 7-25-25 (01:02:37) #1731 Raw Power, the Presidency, the Courts, and Democracy in the Balance 9: When Unaccountable People Come for Your Vote - Amicus with Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 7-26-25 10: Executive Lawlessness W/ Leah Litman on the Supreme Court Enabling Presidential Overreach Part 1 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 7-18-25 PART 2: INSTITUTIONAL DECAY AND CONTROL (01:17:27) #1732 It's Never Just About the Kids (Online Censorship, Age Verification, and the Project 2025 Agenda) 11: Age Verification Will Kill Free Speech Online - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 6-6-25 12: Can the UK Child-proof the Internet? - Front Burner - Air Date 7-31-25 13: Meet the Creepy Pro-Trump Billionaire Profiting Off of Internet Censorship - The Humanist Report - Air Date 8-7-25 (01:43:50) #1733 The Impossible Promise of Make American Healthy Again: MAHA vs MAGA 14: Despite 'MAHA' Fuss, Truth of Trump Admin's Health Priorities Seen in Drastic Cuts - The Briefing - Air Date 5-23-25 15: The Nutrition Lies We All Fell For Part 1 - Rich Roll - Air Date 8-11-25 16: Dr. Mikes Fight to Save Medicine From RFK Jr. Part 1 - Bulwark Takes - Air Date 8-4-24 (02:04:58) #1730 The Axis of the Dark Personality Triad: Unfit Leaders and the Suffering They Cause 17: The World War II Lessons Trump, Putin, & Netanyahu Actually Learned - Tad Stoermer - Air Date 8-8-25 18: 'Not About Crime': Maddow CRACKS OPEN Trump's Real Motives in Deploying the National Guard to D.C. - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 8-11-25 19: Trump Pushes Forward with Revenge Presidency - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 8-8-25 PART 3: THE WORLD BURNS (02:26:54) #1735 Trump's Making Friends of Enemies and Enemies of Neighbors (Foreign and Domestic Wars) 20: NATO Lost in Ukraine and the West Is In Denial, W Vijay Prashad Part 1 - BreakThrough News - Air Date 8-20-25 21: Trumps National Guard Strategy—Plus, the Secret Behind Huck Finn - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-27-25 22: Why Are US Warships Going to Venezuela Part 1 - The Take - Air Date 8-28-25 (02:51:27) #1738 Escalations: Russia, Israel, And What We Are Allowed to Say About It 23: Israel Bombs Qatar, Nepal Protests, Russian Drones Enter Polish Airspace - American Prestige - Air Date 9-12-25 24: UK Bans Palestine Action as 'Terror Group' - Mehdi & Owen on Censorship, Silencing of Pro-Palestinian Voices - Two Outspoken - Air Date 7-3-25 25: 'Putin Is Mocking' Trump, Polish Foreign Minister Says After Russian Drone Incursion - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 9-10-25 PART 4: RESISTANCE DESPITE FRAGMENTATION (03:15:52) #1737 State of the Resistance: Labor, Anger, and Knowing That We've Been Here Before 26: While We Were Out An Eye-opening Roundup of Everything We Missed or Wished We Had Over the Past Week - The Bradcast - Air Date 9-2-25 27: What A Raucous Nebraska Town Hall Says About The Country's Mood - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-6-25 28: This Is An Invasion - Pritzker, Trump, and the Union Coming Apart + Venezuelan Boat Attack - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 9-5-25 (03:39:51) #1734 Where is the Revolutionary, Anti-Fascist Art? 29: Is Revolutionary Art Possible In The Age Of Trump? - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 8-17-25 30: On Kennedy Center Stage, Folk Musicians Nora Brown & Stephanie Coleman Protest Trump_s Takeover - Democracy Now! - Air Date 3-18-25 Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X