Best of the Left - The best of progressive and liberal talk
BestOfTheLeft.com
This podcast is a beautifully executed compilation combining the absolute best in progressive and liberal political news, commentary and occasional comedy with great music to pull it all together. Each edition focuses on a political theme and delivers a variety of stories and perspectives from an array of sources on that theme. By the way, this is an ENHANCED PODCAST with cool features built in which is fun but that means that it's not compatible with everyone's audio player. For the STANDARD MP3 feed visit BestOfTheLeft.com to subscribe (even if you still want to use iTunes to manage your subscription).
- 3 hours 49 minutes#1781 Your Team Is a Hedge Fund Now: How Gambling and Billionaires Captured American Sports
Air Date: 3–31-2026
Today we examine how money and power have captured American sports from every angle — gambling platforms operating as unregulated casinos, private equity turning franchises into financial assets, leagues suppressing player pay while selling access to politicians, and a sports media apparatus too compromised to report any of it. It's almost all the problems with America on display in one industry.
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TOP TAKES
KP 3: World Cup CHAOS As Trump And FIFA Abuse Iran - The Ring of Fire - Air Date 3-21-26
KP 4: ESPN & the Death of Journalism - Drew Gooden - Air Date 3-3-26
KP 5: This WNBA CBA Deal Is Bigger Than Basketball… - The Women's Hoops Show - Air Date 3-24-26
(00:46:46) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Sports Expose Everything Wrong With America — And Fans Have More Power Than They Think
DEEPER DIVES
(00:58:11) SECTION A: SPORTS ARE POLITICS & CULTURE
(01:58:11) SECTION B: GAMBLING ON EVERYTHING IS BAD IDEA
(02:30:27) SECTION C: THE WOKE NBA, NOT THAT WOKE
(03:08:12) SECTION D: THE BILLIONAIRES ARE ALWAYS THE PROBLEM
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Composite image of the silhouette of a business man in a suit holding up an upside-down golden umbrella full of sports balls in a celebratory way as money rains down behind him.
Credit: Internal design. Component images from Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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1 April 2026, 3:00 am - 22 minutes 30 secondsALMOST SOLVED! SAMPLE! #1 - Liberation Theology & What Redemption Really Looks Like
Air Date: 3–26-26
Welcome to ALMOST SOLVED!, the show that's almost like SOLVED! but one or more things are missing, namely the guarantee of a solution at the end and possibly also one of our cohosts.
Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon discuss:
- Ch. 1 - Deon's research for his recent Best of the Left episode #1779: "Community After God: Why the Left Needs What Church Provided"
- Ch. 2 - Listener voicemail & comments on past episodes
- Ch. 3 - How to heal from the harm of this mess with the article "Culture of Healing" from The Reframe
- BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): Some chit chat about expectations and healing.
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REFERENCES
Best of the Left #1779: Community After God: Why the Left Needs What Church Provided
Culture of Healing by A.R. Moxon (The Reframe)
EXTRAS:
SOLVED! #5: Keep Your Birch Rod Handy: Puritan influence, dictator bosses, & FDR zingers (4-15-25)
SOLVED! #34 The Dual State: Life Under Authoritarianism & Your Role in Fighting It (2-20-26)
SOLVED! #32* How Progressives Are Always Right Too Soon (With Receipts) (1-30-26)
*mentions the Cassandras
Books by Mariame Kaba:
(FYI: Buying books via the Bookshop affiliate links below supports indie bookstores and this show!)
"We Do This 'Til We Free Us" by Mariame Kaba
"Let This Radicalize You" by Kelly Hayes & Mariame Kaba
TAKE ACTION:
In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach
No Kings - March 28th
How to Support Minneapolis Communities
Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Find your Indivisible group - or start one
31 March 2026, 3:26 am - 3 hours 30 minutes#1780 Cynicism Is a Scab: Hope, Solidarity, and the Labor Fight That Never Stopped
Air Date: 3/27/2026
Today we examine the relationship between labor education, moral ambition, and the possibility of a better world. We'll hear about IWW members building a "Philosophy 101" for organizers, a historian's argument that humanity is fundamentally cooperative rather than selfish, and why getting labor history into public schools may be one of the most important organizing projects of our time.
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: A Case for Human Decency (by Rutger Bregman) Part 1 - Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso - Air Date 10-25-20
KP 2: 73 Ben Fletcher, Part 1 - Working Class History - Air Date 6-5-23
KP 3: Striking At Kings Part 1 - Labor Heritage Power Hour - Air Date 2-12-26
KP 4: The Unsung Women of the Labor Movement with Jenny Kaplan Part 1 - The Bright Side - Air Date 9-2-24
KP 5: Climate Justice Through Collective Liberation Mikaela Loach Part 1 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 8-6-25
KP 6: Are We Trapped In Meaningless Jobs (With Rutger Bregman) Part 1 - Lever Time - Air Date 12-18-25
(00:49:56) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Solidarity Isn't a Feeling — It's a Structure (And Bosses Know It)
DEEPER DIVES
(01:01:40) SECTION A: HISTORY
A1: Restoration, Revolution and English Enlightenment - The History of England - Air Date 11-9-25
A2: 73 Ben Fletcher, Part 1 Part 2 - Working Class History - Air Date 6-5-23
A4: The Unsung Women of the Labor Movement with Jenny Kaplan Part 2 - The Bright Side - Air Date 9-2-24
(01:40:45) SECTION B: ORGANIZING
B1: Eugene Debs' Winning a World Speech, 1904 - Bucckeyye Historin - Air Date 9-28-24
B2: What Does It Mean To Be Member Run Part 1 - One Big Podcast - Air Date 6-6-21
B4: What Does It Mean To Be Member Run Part 2 - One Big Podcast - Air Date 6-6-21
B5: Are We Trapped In Meaningless Jobs (With Rutger Bregman) Part 2 - Lever Time - Air Date 12-18-25
(02:24:47) SECTION C: EDUCATION
C1: IWW Education and Organizing in Higher Ed Part 1 - One Big Podcast - Air Date 1-17-26
C2: Striking At Kings Part 2 - Labor Heritage Power Hour - Air Date 2-12-26
C4: IWW Education and Organizing in Higher Ed Part 2 - One Big Podcast - Air Date 1-17-26
(02:55:10) SECTION D: VISION
D1: A Case for Human Decency (by Rutger Bregman) Part 2 - Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso - Air Date 10-25-20
D3: The Importance Of Revolutionary Optimism - Second Thought - Air Date 10-8-21
D4: Climate Justice Through Collective Liberation Mikaela Loach Part 2 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 8-6-25
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Photo of a worker at a Fight for $15 rally calling into a megaphone while the crowd behind her holds protest signs.
Credit: "Fast food workers on strike for higher minimum wage and better benefits" by Fibonacci Blue, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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28 March 2026, 10:00 am - 4 hours 1 minute#1779 Community After God: Why the Left Needs What Church Provided
Air Date: 3/24/2026
Today we explore what happens when people reject religious dogma but still hunger for ritual, meaning, and the concrete benefits of community. We'll hear from secular assemblies building "church without creed," atheist Quakers finding silence sacred, and a Caribbean thinker designing a naturalistic pagan practice built around science and seasonal ritual — all asking what religion can be when you strip away the supernatural.
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: GOD IS NO-THING - Pete Holmes - Air Date 3-3-26
KP 2: Non-religious Americans Seek Community - All Things Considered - Air Date 1-28-24
KP 3: Why Atheists CAN Be Quakers. - Quake It Up - Air Date 8-30-25
KP 4: Why Are Black People Still Christian? - Garrison Hayes - Air Date 4-7-24
KP 6: Its Time To Rethink Religion Part 1 - Andrewism - Air Date 3-11-26
(00:49:04) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the Left's Community Crisis and What We Can Learn from Megachurches
DEEPER DIVES
(01:00:06) SECTION A: LIBERATION THEOLOGY
A1: Cornel West: Can Socialists Reclaim Christianity? - Jacobin - Air Date 3-4-26
A2: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation - The Magnificast - Air Date 10-30-23
A3: Brief: US V. Liberation Theology (Part 1) - Conspirituality - Air Date 11-1-25
A4: Visions of Freedom — Liberation Theology and Advent - Soul Search - Air Date 11-27-24
(01:44:22) SECTION B: WHY IS AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY SO CONSERVATIVE_
B1: How Conservatives Co-Opted Christianity - Second Thought - Air Date 9-24-21
B2: America's Christian Death Cult - Michael Burns - Air Date 12-15-25
B3: American Jihad - Conspirituality - Air Date 3-12-26
B5: Holy Sh*t We're Doing a Holy War - Side Burns - Air Date 3-5-26
(02:24:24) SECTION C: RELIGIOUS FORMS
C5: Its Time To Rethink Religion Part 2 - Andrewism - Air Date 3-11-26
(03:11:01) SECTION D: BELIEF, WITH AND WITHOUT RELIGION
D3: The World Is Always Ending - The Magnificast - Air Date 1-13-26
D5: Red Star Ministry: Marxism, Theology, & The Human Condition - Rev Left Radio - Air Date 8-12-25
D6: Liberation Theology The Cold War - The Cold War - Air Date 9-6-25
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Image of a robot walking across the street holding two leather briefcases. A thought bubble shows it is thinking about, or launching as it walks, missiles.
Credit: Internal composite design. Images/License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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24 March 2026, 10:00 am - 21 minutes 40 secondsSOLVED! SAMPLE! #36 - Bribery Jazz - Corruption is the Water We Swim In
Air Date: 3–18-26
Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
- Ch. 1 - The dark history of money in politics, aka: corruption
- Ch. 2 - What the left must do to actually win
- Ch. 3 - What the rest of the world can teach America
- SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): The reports of Christian fundamentalist "talk" in the military as the US attacked Iran
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REFERENCES
David Sirota Explains How Money Rewrote American Democracy - Current Affairs
The Left Is Losing Because We're Not Confrontational Enough - (From 2022) Current Affairs
Searching the Globe for Answers to America's Thorniest Problems - Current Affairs
BACKSTAGE
U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for "Armageddon," Return of Jesus - Jonathan Larsen (Substack)
US troops were told war on Iran was 'all part of God's divine plan', watchdog alleges - The Guardian
EXTRAS:
(Buying these books, or another book, after clicking the links below helps support indie bookstores and this show!)
BOOK: "Master Plan: the Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America" by David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher
PODCAST: "Master Plan" by The Lever
ARTICLE: JD Vance and SCOTUS Case - Rolling Stone
BOOK: "Hostile Takeover" by David Sirota
BOOK: "Another World is Possible" by Natasha Hakimi Zapata
ARTICLE: How Candidates Are Using Winks and Posts to Seek Crypto and A.I. Cash - The New York Times
ARTICLE: "The Huge Billionaire Election Influence In Numbers—Nearly One-Fifth Of All Donations" - Forbes
TAKE ACTION:
In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach
No Kings - March 28th
How to Support Minneapolis Communities
Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Find your Indivisible group - or start one
Reach us via Signal:
Produced by:
Jay! Tomlinson
Thanks for listening!
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Contact me directly at [email protected]
Review the show on Apple Podcasts!
23 March 2026, 2:22 pm - 3 hours 36 minutes#1778 AI, the Pentagon, Labor and Capitalism: The Fight Over Who Controls the Future
Air Date: 3/19/2026
Today we explore the long history of technological disruption — from the Industrial Revolution to the rise of software engineering — and ask whether AI is genuinely different this time, all while autonomous weapons dissolve accountability for the militaries using them and capitalism prevents AI companies from maintaining their ethical aspirations.
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: How Long Until AI Takes Your Job - Consider This - Air Date 2-23-26
KP 2: Is AI Coming for Our Jobs - Confronting Capitalism - Air Date 2-18-26
KP 3: AI Goes to War Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 3-4-26
KP 4: The AI-Powered War Machines Are Here Part 1 - On The Media - Air Date 3-6-26
KP 6: Don't Download Claude, Either. - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 3-4-26
(00:51:47) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On Why AI Won't Ruin Your Life — Unless We Let It
DEEPER DIVES
(01:04:45) SECTION A: LABOR FUTURE
A1: Is AI Coming for Our Jobs Part 2 - Confronting Capitalism - Air Date 2-18-26
A3: How Work Got So Bad Part 1 - Confronting Capitalism - Air Date 3-4-26
A5: How Work Got So Bad Part 2 - Confronting Capitalism - Air Date 3-4-26
(01:47:01) SECTION B: WARFARE
B3: Anthropics AI Ethics Vs. the Pentagon Part 1 - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 3-5-26
B4: The AI-Powered War Machines Are Here Part 2 - On The Media - Air Date 3-6-26
B5: AI Goes to War Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 3-4-26
(02:27:37) SECTION C: SURVEILLANCE
C4: Anthropics AI Ethics Vs. the Pentagon Part 2 - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 3-5-26
(02:57:16) SECTION D: CORPORATE POWER
D1: The Left Doesn't Hate Technology with Gita Jackson Part 1 - Tech Won't Save Us - Air Date 3-12-26
D2: Don't Download Claude, Either. Part 2 - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 3-4-26
D3: The Left Doesn't Hate Technology with Gita Jackson Part 2 - Tech Won't Save Us - Air Date 3-12-26
D4: We Need a Moratorium on AI Data Centers NOW. Heres Why. - Senator Bernie Sanders - Air Date 3-11-26
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Image of a robot walking across the street holding two leather briefcases. A thought bubble shows it is thinking about, or launching as it walks, missiles.
Credit: Internal composite design. Images/License: Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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19 March 2026, 7:31 pm - 3 hours 44 minutes#1777 How Christian Nationalism, Oil, and Zionism Built The War Against Iran
Air Date: 3/15/2026
Today we examine how a century of foreign intervention created incompatible national memories between the US and Iran and how Netanyahu exploited that history to maneuver Trump into a war he didn't understand, promising a quick decapitation strike while knowing full well it would become a months-long regional conflict, at minimum.
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: Understanding America's Complicated Relationship with Iran - Velshi - Air Date 3-1-26
KP 3: Who Gets to Have Nuclear Weapons and Why? | Start Here - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 7-30-25
(00:46:57) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Bombs Don't Liberate: How War Destroys Iran's Real Democracy Movement
DEEPER DIVES
(00:56:48) SECTION A: BOMBS AWAY (AGAIN)
A1: Mehdi Slams Trump's Illegal Iran War - Zeteo - Air Date 3-5-26
A3: John Mearsheimer: No Winning in Iran for the U.S. - Daniel Davis / Deep Dive - Air Date 3-8-26
(01:21:15) SECTION B: JESUS WANTS A FIGHTER JET
B3: The Myth of "Judeo-Christian Values" EXPOSED - The Kayse Melone Show - Air Date 1-25-26
(01:51:35) SECTION C: HOW WE GOT HERE
C1: The Iranian Revolution (1979) - The Conflict - Air Date 10-30-24
C2: The Iran-Iraq War, Mapped - Johnny Harris - Air Date 5-31-24
C3: How Iran and the US Went From Friends to Bitter Foes - BBC Africa - Air Date 2-28-26
C5: How Israel Was Created - AJ+ - Air Date 5-15-23
C6: Zionism: From an Idea to Genocide - TRT World - Air Date 10-8-25
(02:45:45) SECTION D: THE THREE-WAY COLD WAR
D2: The Middle Easts Cold War Explained - Vox - Air Date 7-17-17
(03:11:57) SECTION E: ISRAEL'S BORDERS? WHAT BORDERS?
E1: The Origins of 'Greater Israel' - Middle East Eye - Air Date 2-24-26
E2: Huckabee Endorses GREATER ISRAEL Triggering Diplomatic Crisis - Breaking Points - Air Date 2-23-26
E3: Why "Greater Israel" Is No Longer A Fantasy - AJ+ - Air Date 10-30-25
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Composite graphic image depicting an American flag blended with the Israel flag and cross-stamped bombs where the stars should be, with some falling downwards. The outline of Iran filled with its flag is in the center with a drop of black oil dripping down its side.
Credit: Internal composite design. | Elements from Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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16 March 2026, 12:00 am - 3 hours 39 minutes#1776 Trump's Pharaoh Complex, Our Flawed Constitution, and the 250th Anniversary
Air Date: 3/11/2026
Today is episode 1776, in the year of our nation's 250th birthday, and we thought the occasion called for something big. So, we're tracing the full arc — from the constitutional compromises that made this country possible to the authoritarian vanity project that those compromises eventually also made possible. We're talking about the history, the structures, and the insecure current-but-temporary president who thinks a $400 million ballroom and a coin with his face on both sides will make him a pharaoh.
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: The Fight for a True Democracy Part 1 - 1619 - Air Date 8-23-19
KP 2: THE BROKEN CONSTITUTION with Noah Feldman Part 1 - Political Philosophy Podcast - Air Date 11-30-21
KP 3: Black History Month Is Different This Year Part 1 - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 2-19-26
KP 4: Will Trump Turn Americas 250th Birthday Into a MAGA-fest Part 1 - The Bunker - Air Date 3-3-26
KP 5: Trumps Gilded White House Makeover Is All About Power Part 1 - Reveal - Air Date 12-10-26
KP 7: Cass Sunstein on Interpreting the US Constitution Part 1 - Democracy Paradox - Air Date 8-15-23
(00:55:00) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On Why America's Coat Doesn't Fit and Why They're Erasing History to Hide It
DEEPER DIVES
(01:07:08) SECTION A: CONSTITUTION
A1: Slavery in the Constitution Part 1 - Teaching Hard History - Air Date 11-4-25
A2: #699 - No Kings - Dogma Debate - Air Date 7-4-24
A3: Slavery in the Constitution Part 2 - Teaching Hard History - Air Date 11-4-25
A4: THE BROKEN CONSTITUTION with Noah Feldman Part 2 - Political Philosophy Podcast - Air Date 11-30-21
A5: The Fight for a True Democracy Part 2 - 1619 - Air Date 8-23-19
A6: Cass Sunstein on Interpreting the US Constitution Part 2 - Democracy Paradox - Air Date 8-15-23
(02:05:58) SECTION B: TRUMPLAND
B2: Trump Reportedly Pushing for His Name on 2 More Landmarks - ABC News - Air Date 2-6-26
B4: Will Trump Turn Americas 250th Birthday Into a MAGA-fest Part 2 - The Bunker - Air Date 3-3-26
B5: Trump Builds Personality Cult as Democracy Crumbles - Mary Trump Media - Air Date 12-29-25
B6: Trumps Gilded White House Makeover Is All About Power Part 2 - Reveal - Air Date 12-10-26
(02:51:18) SECTION C: AUTHORITARIAN NOSTALGIA
C2: Black History Month Is Different This Year Part 2 - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 2-19-26
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: A chaotic composite image against a decomposing American flag background. The Arc de Triomphe (standing in for the proposed "arch d'Trump"), a gilded White House facade, and a rendering of Trump's proposed gilded ballroom all stand behind an image of Trump giving two thumbs up. He is smiling and wearing a tall Uncle Sam-style hat, unaware a bald eagle is about to attack. A gold ribbon with 250th in awkward gold letters floats above it all.
Credit: Internal composite design. | Elements from Pixabay and Canva (paid Pro Content License)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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12 March 2026, 6:27 pm - 1 hour 4 minutesSOLVED! FROM THE ARCHIVES - "Collaborators, Internal Exiles, and Dissidents" (Original Air Date: 01-26-25)
Re-Air Date: 01–26-25
Unless you were a member in January of 2025, 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 working on slowly increasing our production again, but, for now, enjoy this episode from our archives (and before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
00:00:00 - Ch. 1 - The mindset of collaborators
00:07:55 - Ch. 2 - Why many people turn inward and drop out - at their own risk - under authoritarianism
00:32:14 - Ch. 3 - The nature of true dissidents and what we can learn from them
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REFERENCES:
"People, Power, Change" by Marshall Ganz
History Will Judge the Complicit - The Atlantic
The Desire to Turn Inward Is a Delusion /// Don't Let Donald Trump Drive You Into Internal Exile - The New York Times
How to Keep Your Moral Compass /// A Mindset for the Trump Era - The Atlantic
TAKE ACTION:
How to Support Minneapolis Communities
In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach
No Kings - March 28th
Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation
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
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Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by:
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9 March 2026, 9:00 pm - 3 hours 21 minutes#1775 Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition and the Remaking of American Politics
Air Date: 3/7/2026
Welcome to this episode of the Award-Winning Best of the Left Podcast. Today we examine the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson civil rights icon, two-time presidential candidate and one of the most consequential political figures of the 20th century.
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: Remembering Jesse Jackson - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 2-17-26
KP 2: I Am Somebody - Jesse Jackson -Sesame Street - Air Date 2-17-26
KP 3: Why Jesse Jackson Mattered - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie -Air Date 2-23-26
(00:47:43) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Don't hate the game, change the rules
DEEPER DIVES
(00:58:53) SECTION A: PRESIDENTIAL RUNS
A3: Making Jesse Jackson - Making - Air Date 10-26-22
(01:36:11) SECTION B: RAINBOW COALITION
B1: The Original Rainbow Coalition - Code Switch - Air Date 1-24-23
B2: Is a New Rainbow Coalition of Voters Possible? - Some of My Best Friends Are - Air Date 2-15-23
B3: The Life and Times of a 'revolutionary Hillbilly' - The Real News Podcast - Air Date 9-1-21
B4: We Can't Erase the Radicalism of the Rainbow Coalition - The Real News Podcast - Air Date 3-19-21
(02:14:46) SECTION C: THE MAN
C1: Rev. Jesse Jackson's 1975 Message to America - THIRTEEN PBS - Air Date 2-18-26
(02:49:46) SECTION D: HIS LEGACY
D3: Jesse Jackson: Crash Course Black American History #44 - CrashCourse - Air Date 8-9-22
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Black and white photo of Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1983
Credit:"Jesse Jackson, half-length portrait of Jackson seated at table, July 1, 1983" via Wikimedia Commons | U.S. News & World Report collection at the Library of Congress. No known copyright restrictions.
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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7 March 2026, 7:00 pm - 4 hours 29 minutes#1774 Monthly-ish Mix: Who's in Charge?—The Scramble for Control of Nations, Bodies, and Minds
Air Date: 3/3/2026
The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we examine the multi-front struggle for control: military force and economic coercion seizing resources abroad, institutions weaponized to constrain bodies at home, platforms and propaganda capturing minds, and the democratic resistance proving that organized people can still win.
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PART 1: TAKING WHAT THEY WANT(00:02:31) #1762 - Trump's Imperialistic Shakedown of Venezuela
3: Trump's Piracy in the Caribbean - The Real News Podcast - Air Date 12-23-25
6: Mark Carney and the New World Order - Front Burner - Air Date 1-20-26
(00:53:33) #1764 - Wealth Inequality is Bad for Society and There's No Good Counterargument
7: The Capitalist Mindset - The Market Exit - Air Date 12-9-25
8: Where Are Americas Leaders? - Robert Reich and Inequality Media Civic Action - Air Date 1-6-26
PART 2: CONTROLLING BODIES9: Abolish ICE - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-7-26
10: ICE Is a Way to Deal With Surplus Males - Therese - Air Date 1-9-25
11: ICE Can Hack Your Phone Without You Knowing - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 9-5-25
(01:30:58) #1763 - It's Not a Health Care System, it's a Wealth Extraction System
13: Agonizing Choices on ACA Deadline Day Part 1 - Brian Lehrer_ A Daily Podcast - Air Date 12-15-25
14: Medicare For All Non-Negotiable #3 Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 2-8-25
(01:57:14) #1767 - Wars Are Won By Teachers and Trump is Attacking Them Like a Foreign Adversary
16: How Trumps Agenda Hurts College Students - Right Now With Perry Bacon - Air Date 11-19-25
17: Trump Set to Garnish Wages for Student Loan Defaults - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-30-25
PART 3: CONTROLLING MINDS(02:20:20) #1773 - How Big Tech Captured Attention, Kids, and Democracy
18: Trouble at TikTok Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 2-4-26
19: Is Social Media Having Its Big Tobacco Moment Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 2-16-26
20: DMs! My Kingdom For DMs! - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 2-17-26
(02:46:22) #1765 - AI Capitalism Will Not Deliver an AI Utopia
21: The AI Bubble Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 10-28-25
22: Desperate OpenAI Turns To Erotica - Novara Media - Air Date 10-16-25
(03:09:13) #1772 - From Fragile to Fascist: How Broken Masculinity Feeds Authoritarianism
24: The Terrifying Rise of "Vice Signalling" - JimmyTheGiant - Air Date 1-28-26
26: The Rise of the Authoritarian-Curious - Then & Now - Air Date 2-9-26
(03:35:07) #1769 - Politics Beyond the Ballot Box: Elections and the Movements that Power Them
28: The Next Socialist In Congress with Claire Valdez Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 1-22-26
PART 4: THE PEOPLE PUSH BACK(03:48:36) #1770 - Getting in the Fight Against ICE and Authoritarianism
29: What I've Learned From Reading History - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-28-26
(04:04:47) #1771 - They Need You in the Dark: Information, Journalism, and the Fight Against Fascism
32: AG Bondi Confirms FBI Executed Search Warrant at WaPo Reporter's Home - MS Now - Air Date 1-13-26
33: Why Trump Arresting Journalists Is a Sign of Weakness - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 1-30-26
34: Humor Can Topple Dictators Part 1 - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 10-18-25
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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