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

Join scientist and AI researcher Gary Marcus and technology expert Jathan Sadowski as they explore the contemporary relevance of Luddism. They discuss how the original Luddites opposed workers' exploitation rather than technology itself. The conversation dives into the implications of AI on job displacement and the necessity for better regulations. They also touch on the socioeconomic inequalities exacerbated by tech advancements and advocate for a reevaluation of how we distribute the benefits of innovation.

Air Date: 6-11-2025 Following the 2023 attack and counterattack between Israel and Hamas which brought the simmering conflict into the mainstream of American politics, we're now living with the opportunistic weaponization of antisemitism being used as a pretext to crack down on anti-Israel protests and universities that just aren't teaching a Trump-aligned curriculum. Meanwhile, genuinely inexcusable antisemitism is being either condemned or excused by Israel supporters based more on political affiliation than the danger posed to Jews. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 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: I Am Not Your Pawn - Rabbi Sharon Brous | Purim 5785 - IKAR - Air Date 3-8-25 KP 2: U.S. Jewish Anti-Zionism - Against the Grain - Air Date 4-2-25 KP 3: Who Are 'JINO Jews' and Why Do Conservatives Hate Them? - Zeteo - Air Date 3-6-25 KP 4: "Nothing Can Justify It": Journalist Gideon Levy Reacts to Killing of Israeli Embassy Staffers in D.C. - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-22-25 KP 5: CNN Attempts To Make 'Free Palestine' Offensive - The Rational National - Air Date 5-23-25 KP 6: The Antisemitism Panic Part 1 - matt bernstein - Air Date 5-30-25 (00:50:04) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On why violence makes for a terrible theory of change DEEPER DIVES (00:59:36) SECTION A: FREE SPEECH A1: He Helped Define Antisemitism; Now He Says the Term Is Being Weaponized - Amanpour and Company - Air Date 5-1-24 A2: Noem Makes WILD Claims About "Hamas Agents" At Harvard - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 5-23-25 A3: Harvard professor hits back at Trump administration - LBC - Air Date 5-24-25 (01:28:03) SECTION B: WEAPONIZATION B1: How the weaponization of antisemitism is becoming a grave threat to freedom of speech in America - AYMAN - Air Date 4-26-25 B2: Ex-Education Dept. Official: Trump Is Dismantling Agency as He Weaponizes It Against Gaza Protesters - Democracy Now! - Air Date 3-13-25 B3: Why the U.S. is pausing all student visa interviews - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 5-28-25 B4: The Antisemitism Panic Part 2 - matt bernstein - Air Date 5-30-25 (01:59:28) SECTION C: INDEFENSIBLE C1: Palestinian BABIES are the ENEMY - Israeli politician - Owen Jones - Air Date 5-23-25 C2: Investigators say man used makeshift flamethrower in attack on pro-Israel group in Boulder - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 6-3-25 (02:11:29) SECTION D: BACKFIRE D1: The 'Bullsh*t' of Bill Maher — Gianmarco Soresi on Israel, Antisemitism, and 'Anti-Woke' Comedy Part 1- Zeteo - Air Date 5-5-25 D2: The Redefining of Antisemitism | Gianmarco Soresi | Stand Up Comedy - Gianmarco Soresi - Air Date 10-20-24 D3: The 'Bullsh*t' of Bill Maher — Gianmarco Soresi on Israel, Antisemitism, and 'Anti-Woke' Comedy Part 2 - Zeteo - Air Date 5-5-25 SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: A metal placeholder with the Star of David on it resting between two pages of the Torah. Credit: "Star of David emblem" via Ri_Ya, 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: 6-8-25 BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: The right's attack on free speech and academic freedom Trumponomics, men, and tradwives The lessons to learn about culture wars from the fight for gay marriage How the internet and Trump force us to live in and re-litigate the past How the left can avoid Trump's culture war traps FOLLOW US ON: Bluesky Mastadon Instagram Facebook YouTube REFERENCES: Trump's Attack on Harvard Marks a New Phase in the Culture War - New York Magazine There's No Trumponomics Without the Tradwife - New York Magazine To Stop Losing the Culture Wars, Learn From Gay Marriage - Jacobin I Can't Believe We're Still Arguing About This - The New York Times Democrats Can Avoid Trump's Culture-War Traps - Jacobin SOLVED! SONG! "Rob You Blind" - Concepts: Human Intelligence. Song: Artificial Intelligence. Based on SOLVED! Ep. #11: "Culture War Distractions While the Oligarchs Rob You Blind" (June 8, 2025) TAKE ACTION: Write to the DNC June 14th - "No Kings" Nationwide Day of Action Find your Indivisible group - or start one Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 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 6/6/2025 Today, Trump's administration is doing everything in its power to end the era of educational dominance the US has enjoyed for decades. The simple fact that explains the change is that democracy used to be valued across the political spectrum while todays Republican Party is authoritarian and understands that an educated public is a public that demands democracy while an uneducated public is much easier to manipulate and oppress. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 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!) KEY POINTS KP 1: How Trump has reshaped the federal workforce - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 5-29-25 KP 2: As Trump cuts funding, researchers look for opportunities outside the U.S. - Soundside - Air Date 4-21-25 KP 3: Anti-Science Mugging on the Right and the Ascent of American Anti-Intellectualism - Citations Needed - Air Date 5-28-25 KP 4: Trump's Dark Age Admin is 'attacking the foundations of empirical knowledge', journalist says - MSNBC Reports - Air Date 5-28-25 KP 5: Trumps Rants about Harvard Get Darker as He Loses a Big One in Court - The Daily Blast - Air Date 5-29-25 KP 6: Prof Jason Stanley Trump is targeting the three pillars of democracy as he follows fascist playbook - The Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 6-1-25 KP 7: Worse Than McCarthyism Historian Ellen Schrecker on Trumps War Against Universities & Students - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-30-25 KP 8: Tanya Clay House on Freedom to Learn, Danaka Katovich on Attacks on Activists - CounterSpin - Air Date 5-2-25 (01:00:04) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On what will fill the gap left by anti-intellectualism DEEPER DIVES (01:07:27) SECTION A: ANTI-SCIENCE (02:27:53) SECTION B: ANTI-HIGHER EDUCATION (02:56:38) SECTION C: ANTI-PUBLIC GOODS SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: An illustrated image of an arm and hand holding up a protest sign with an image of a brain on it. Credit: "brain icon mind thinking" via Mohamed_hasan, Pixabay | Pixabay license

Original Air Date: 12-8-2023 Neoliberalism has created a lot of economic suffering and insecurity in addition to weakened social ties over the past few decades. And now, in what may be the most devastating result of the ideology yet, neoliberalism may be leading much of the world toward fascism bolstered by legitimate grievances about economic precarity which are coopted by the false promises of right-wing populism. Direct Download Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Far-right extremism on the rise around the globe - The ReidOut with Joy Reid - Air Day 11-28-23 Ch. 2: How Can Democracy Survive in an Age of Discontent Rachel Navarre and Matthew Rhodes-Purdy on Populism and Political Extremism - Democracy Paradox - Air Date 11-28-23 Ch. 3: Argentina's Trump? Far-Right Javier Milei Wins Presidency with Echoes of Past Dictatorship - Democracy Now! - Air Date 11-21-23 Ch. 4: How Can Democracy Survive in an Age of Discontent Rachel Navarre and Matthew Rhodes-Purdy on Populism and Political Extremism Part 2 - Democracy Paradox - Air Date 11-28-23 Ch. 5: Media Coverage of the Trump Movement is Missing Vital Context - On the Media - Air Date 11-29-23 Ch. 6: 'Democracy on a Knife's Edge' Far-right electoral victories in Argentina, Holland; Trump threatens Insurrection Act - The Bradcast - Air Date 11-28-23 Ch. 7: How Can Democracy Survive in an Age of Discontent Rachel Navarre and Matthew Rhodes-Purdy on Populism and Political Extremism Part 3 - Democracy Paradox - Air Date 11-28-23 Ch. 8: Media Coverage of the Trump Movement is Missing Vital Context Part 2 - On the Media - Air Date 11-29-23 Ch. 9: How Can Democracy Survive in an Age of Discontent Rachel Navarre and Matthew Rhodes-Purdy on Populism and Political Extremism Part 4 - Democracy Paradox - Air Date 11-28-23

Air Date: 6–2-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: The role of art in political movements and moments under capitalism The problems with the Democratic Party that go far beyond Biden The Democrats' gerontocracy that is literally dying and allowing Trump legislation to pass Our response to the latest DNC Executive Committee Meeting (held May 29th in Little Rock, AR) FOLLOW US ON: Bluesky Mastadon Instagram Facebook YouTube REFERENCES: Don't Expect Art To Save Us - Current Affairs To Be a Consumer of Culture Means Living in a Hostage Situation - Slate (from 2023) The Problem Goes Well Beyond Biden - Current Affairs The Democratic Party Is Literally Dying - The Nation Inside the Democrats' Reboot - Time The DNC Executive Committee Meeting via Progressive Hub SOLVED! SONG! "Push" - Concepts: Human Intelligence. Song: Artificial Intelligence. Based on SOLVED! Ep. #10: "The Old Guard is Dying" (June 2nd) TAKE ACTION: Write to the DNC June 14th - "No Kings" Nationwide Day of Action Find your Indivisible group - or start one Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 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 5/30/2025 Given the overwhelming weirdness of Trump and his malfeasant style of governance, it would be perfectly understandable for casual observers to believe that his signature piece of legislation, weirdly named in reality the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," was itself also likely to be pretty weird; a potential departure from usual Republican Party policy priorities. In reality, what's weird is how deeply normal it is: take from the poor and give to the rich while letting corporations get away with murder. 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: All the president's side hustles - Today, Explained - Air Date 5-15-25 KP 2: 'Met Gala of pay-for-play' Trump crypto dinner is brazenly corrupt, says Hayes - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 5-22-25 KP 3: Historian Julian Zelizer Trump's corruption is the worst ever seen in the White House! - The Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 5-13-25 KP 4: Analyst Trump's Middle East Trip Isn't For Peace. It's a Turn Towards Fighting China - BreakThrough News - Air Date 5-16-25 KP 5: Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is Baloney - The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich - Air Date 5-17-25 KP 6: Trump-GOP Tax Bill Cuts Medicaid, SNAP To Give Handouts To Billionaires Part 1- The Majority Report - Air Date 5-20-25 KP 7: Trump Castrated the Courts! Big Beautiful Bill ENDS Constitutional Protection Against Dictatorship - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 5-20-25 (00:55:49) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On why seeing is not believing and how that helps Republicans DEEPER DIVES (01:02:25) SECTION A: CORRUPTION (01:45:05) SECTION B: BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL (02:19:13) SECTION C: IMPACT SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite image depicting Trump giving a speech at a podium with his hands out and an image of House Speaker Mike Johnson's face in a circle over his shoulder. Text over the image reads "THE BIG CRUEL STUPID BILL" Credits: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Photo credit: "President of the United States Donald J. Trump at CPAC 2017 February 24th 2017" by Michael Vadon, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Darkened overlay and text and image overlays | "Mike Johnson" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped into circle with darker overlay

Air Date 5/27/2025 Slippery slope arguments persist because good ideas taken to extremes become bad ones. Eugenics exemplifies this—often starting with good intentions. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: The movement that inspired the Holocaust - Alexandra Minna Stern and Natalie Lira - TED-Ed - Air Date 3-10-22 KP 2: MAHA's Soft Eugenics - Conspirituality - Air Date 3-8-25 KP 3: It Must Be Eugenics - I Must Be BUG'N - Air Date 4-24-25 KP 4: Hayek's bastards w/ Quinn Slobodian - Politics Theory Other - Air Date 3-30-25 KP 5: Even More News: Grok's Meltdown, Donald Trump's Rampant Corruption, and Ms. Rachel w/ Mehdi Hasan - Some More News - Air Date 5-16-25 KP 6: Undercover inside a 'scientific racism' network - Today in Focus - Air Date 10-25-24 (00:49:40) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the likely future of gene editing ethics DEEPER DIVES (01:02:09) SECTION A: HISTORICAL CONTEXT (01:44:19) SECTION B: RFK JR. ON AUTISM (01:59:39) SECTION C: TECH BROS (02:46:44) SECTION D: PRONATALISM (03:05:05) SECTION E: MAGA SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite image depicting HHS Secretary RFK Jr. at a microphone in the center of an overlay of repeating, identical "people" icons. A handful of icons are different, bright neon colors and have a red X in a box over them. Credits: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Elements from Pixabay. Photo credit: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr." by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, background color change, and added overlay Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Air Date: 5-26-25 *CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE "SINNERS"* You thought you were going to listen to SOLVED! today, and you're not alone. We also thought we were going to make an episode of SOLVED!, but this turned into something a little bit different. So, we're calling it a "special" in which Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss storytelling and mythology in general, and the extremely relevant and fascinating themes of the new Ryan Coogler film "Sinners," in particular. Because storytelling is the process by which humans attempt to understand ourselves, it is, by its nature, never ending. FOLLOW US ON: Bluesky Mastadon Instagram Facebook YouTube REFERENCES: Humans are not the only animals that create their own culture - Earth.com Ancient Myths in Modern Times: Illuminating Bygone Legends Through Technology - Connolly Cove The Vampire in Mythology: Analyzing the Symbolic Meanings and Archetypes of Vampire Figures - Mythology Worldwide "Sinners" - A film by Ryan Coogler starring Michael B. Jordan TAKE ACTION: June 14th - "No Kings" Nationwide Day of Action Find your Indivisible group - or start one Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 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!

Original Air Date: 6/29/2020 From 2020: Today we take a look deeper at the concept of "I can't breathe," going beyond the literal utterances by victims of police brutality and COVID-19 sufferers to the metaphorical epidemic of exhaustion, burnout, depression and disaffection in the US and around the world. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes 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! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Black Lives Matter Protests, "Outside Agitators," and the Coronavirus - DOOMED with Matt Binder - Air Date 5-30-20 Ch. 2: Structural robbery, mass resistance with William C. Anderson Part 2 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 6-4-20 Ch. 3: George Floyd, you, me… us - Jim Hightower - Air Date 6-9-20 Ch. 4: The End of Policing with Alex Vitale Part 1 - Tysky Sour, Novara Media - Air Date 6-3-20 Ch. 5: America, Racism & Patterns of Change (with Heather Cox Richardson)- Stay Tuned with Preet - Air Date - 6-11-20 Ch. 6: The End of Policing with Alex Vitale Part 2 - Tysky, Novara Media - Air Date 6-3-20 Ch. 7: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor on how racism & racial terrorism fueled nationwide anger - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-1-20 Ch. 8: The End of Policing with Alex Vitale Part 3 - Tysky, Novara Media - Air Date 6-3-20 Ch. 9: The Uprising and Its Leadership: What Does it Look Like in This Moment? - The Takeaway - Air Date 6-10-20 Ch. 10: Cornel West: Nationwide uprisings herald "America's moment of reckoning" - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-1-20 Produced by Jay! Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X