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).
- 1 hour 3 minutes#1329 Our Longest War Has Been a Lie All Along (The Afghanistan Papers) (Throwback)
Re-Air Date: 4-21-2026
Original Air Date: 1–18-2020
Today we take a look at The Afghanistan Papers which reveal in stark detail much of what the anti-war movement has known or strongly suspected since the beginning. Going beyond the scope of The Pentagon Papers of the Vietnam War era, The Afghanistan Papers feature interviews and documentation from top-ranking officials admitting from the start that they had no idea what they were doing in Afghanistan.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Headlines: The Afghanistan Papers - Democracy Now - Air Date 12-10-19
Ch. 2: The "Pentagon Papers" Of Our Time with Craig Whitlock - On the Media - Air Date 12-20-19
Ch. 3: They Lied To Us All Along with Danny Sjursen - The Real News with Marc Steiner - Air Date 12-15-19
Ch. 5: The Afghan Pentagon Papers - The Michael Brooks Show - Air Date 12-14-19
Ch. 6: The Afghanistan Papers - Eyes Left with Spenser Rapone and Mike Prysner - Air Date 12-16-19
SHOW IMAGE:
"Afghanistan War Anniversary", Jayel Aheram on Flickr / License / Changes: Zoomed in and cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
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21 April 2026, 9:00 am - 23 minutes 32 secondsSOLVED! SAMPLE! #38 - Keepin' it Class-y: How Class Structure and Wealth Inequality Keep Us Stuck
Air Date: 4-8-26
Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
- Ch. 1 - The history of the war on poverty in the U.S.
- Ch. 2 - How the wealthiest 9.9% are keeping the rest of us down with their heads in the sand
- Ch. 3 - The history and revival of the workers' education movement
- SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): How your class impacts your tastes.
Leave us a message on our new system!
FOLLOW US ON:
YouTube (This episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!)
REFERENCES
How Inequality Was Redefined as "Poverty"—Letting Capitalism Off the Hook - The Nation
Talking of poverty: From the analytical to the political - Sage Journals
The 9.9 Percent is the New American Aristocracy - The Atlantic
To Build Working-Class Power, We Need a Workers' Education Movement - The Nation
BACKSTAGE
- Taste and Distinction: How Class Shapes What We Like - Thinking Sociologically
EXTRAS:
Best of the Left #1780 - Cynicism Is a Scab: Hope, Solidarity, and the Labor Fight That Never Stopped
BOOK: "We Do This Til We Free Us" by Mariame Kaba
(Buying through this link supports indie book stores and this show!)
SOLVED! #36 - Bribery Jazz: Corruption is the Water We Swim In
SOLVED! #37 - Solidarity Forever: Boycotts, Strikes, & the Labor Movement We Need
TAKE ACTION:
MayDayStrong.org - May 1st - No Work. No School. No Shopping.
REI Co-Op Members: Vote to Boycott
Greeley Meatpacking Workers (UFCW Local 7R) Strike Fund
In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach
How to Support Minneapolis Communities
Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
20 April 2026, 9:00 pm - 3 hours 32 minutes#1785 Iran and the Chain Reaction: The War Nobody Thought Through (Or, Bomb First, Think Never)
Air Date: 4/17/2026
Today we examine how the U.S. war with Iran has exposed the deep structural rot at the heart of American power, the global economic catastrophe quietly building beneath the surface, and the cuts felt at home in order to pay for it all.
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: Excerpt, "Cross of Iron" Speech, 1956 - Dwight D. Eisenhower
KP 3: Lets Talk About Fertilizer - Paul Krugman - Air Date 3-21-26
KP 5: Will There Even Be a "Ceasefire"? - Drop Site News - Air Date 4-9-26
KP 6: The TV War That Backfired - Brendan Miller - Air Date 3-20-26
KP 7: Why the US Couldnt Force a Deal with Iran - LBC - Air Date 4-12-26
(00:52:25) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Eisenhower Warned Us: Trump's $1.5T Military Budget Is Gutting America
DEEPER DIVES
(01:03:57) SECTION A: LEBANON UNDER ATTACK
(01:29:29) SECTION B: THE WORLD DEDOLLARISES
(01:49:40) SECTION C: WORLD ECONOMY IN PERIL
(02:21:45) SECTION D: THE MORAL ROT OF WAR PROFITEERING
(02:46:42) SECTION E: THE DAMAGE OUR MILITARY DOES
(03:06:15) SECTION F: MAKING CHINA GREAT AGAIN
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: A composite image showing a satellite image of the Straight of Hormuz behind a screenshot of Trump's post that says "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again…."
Credit: Internal composite design. Image: "Satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz." by Jacques Descloitres, NASA | Public Domain
18 April 2026, 7:00 am - 2 hours 39 minutes#1784 Who Gets to Be American, Who Gets to Vote, and Who Decides
Air Date: 4/14/2026
Today we examine the legal battles shaking the foundations of American citizenship and voting rights as Trump's legal team uses the courts as a weapon against democratic participation — and how advocates are fighting back. We'll hear about the three-D playbook of deceive, disrupt, and deny used by authoritarians and being deployed by Trump ahead of the midterms, and what ordinary people can do right now to protect their votes before November.
Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected]
Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
TOP TAKES
KP 1: SCOTUS Hears Birthright Citizenship Arguments - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 4-1-26
KP 2: Will SCOTUS Join the GOP War on Mail-in Ballots Part 1 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 3-30-26
KP 4: Desperate Election STUNT in California BLOCKED by Supreme Court - Legal AF - Air Date 4-9-26
(00:52:29) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Conservatives' Judicial Originalism Isn't Principle — It's a 40-Year Political Project
DEEPER DIVES
(01:07:20) SECTION A: BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP
(01:39:42) SECTION B: ELECTION INTERFERENCE
(02:03:37) SECTION C: MAIL-IN VOTING
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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14 April 2026, 7:00 am - 3 hours 13 minutes#1783 The Ideology of a Cancer Cell: AI, Surveillance, and Silicon Valley's Psychopath Problem
Air Date: 4/10/2026
Today we examine the ideology quietly driving Silicon Valley — a worldview that treats growth, extraction, and the erasure of human messiness as virtues. We'll hear how tech leaders from Sam Altman to Larry Ellison embody a kind of corporate psychopathy, why Zuckerberg never understood what Facebook actually is, and how the cult of "go for its own sake" may be the most dangerous religion of our time.
Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected]
Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!
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TOP TAKES
KP 1: This Will Be the Death of Us All! - PissedMagistus - Air Date 3-18-26
KP 2: Palantir Weirdo Gets Cornered By Journalist - The Majority Report w/Sam Seder - Air Date 1-24-26
KP 4: Sam Altman Is Dangerous To Silicon Valley - Better Offline - Air Date 6-13-24
KP 6: Why Fun Tech Jobs Went Extinct - Good Work - Air Date 3-27-26
KP 7: Zuck Never Understood the Metaverse - The Morbid Zoo - Air Date 4-4-26
(00:47:59) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
AI Isn't Taking Your Job—But Your Boss Wants You to Think It Is
DEEPER DIVES
(01:02:18) SECTION A: ARE THEY ALL PSCHOPATHS?
(01:50:08) SECTION B: THE CULT(URE) OF SILICON VALLEY
(02:34:34) SECTION C: AN END TO THE ENDLESS SCROLL
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Credit: Internal design. Component images: "Sam Altman" by TechCrunch, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | "Larry Ellison" by Greg Rubenstein, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | "Mark Zuckerberg" by Ian Kennedy, Flickr | License: CC BY SA 2.0 | Changes for all 3: Cropped and effects applied. Other image from Pixabay
10 April 2026, 8:00 pm - 23 minutes 31 secondsSOLVED! SAMPLE! #37 - Solidarity Forever: Boycotts, Strikes, & the Labor Movement We Need
Air Date: 4-1-26
Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
- Ch. 1 - How to boycott better
- Ch. 2 - Why REI workers have voted to boycott the upcoming May sale and how you can help
- Ch. 3 - Why meatpacking workers are striking in Colorado
- Ch. 4 - Comparing the US labor movement with the Canadian labor movement
- Ch. 5 - Strengthening, and expanding the vision for, today's labor movement
- SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): How politics killed the once transformational National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
Leave us a message on our new system!
REFERENCES
Your Individual Boycotts Aren't Helping - Jacobin
REI Workers Threaten Boycott Ahead Of Retailer's Most Crucial Sale Of The Year - Huffington Post
Thousands of Colorado Meatpacking Workers Are on Strike - Jacobin
From Class to Special Interest - Jacobin (from 2016)
Today's Labor Movement Needs a Bigger Vision - Labor Notes
BACKSTAGE
- Requiem for the Wagner Act - The American Prospect
EXTRAS:
Best of the Left #1780 - Cynicism Is a Scab: Hope, Solidarity, and the Labor Fight That Never Stopped
MayDayStrong.org - May 1st - No Work. No School. No Shopping.
SOLVED! #36 - Bribery Jazz: Corruption is the Water We Swim In
'No Flock, No ICE': Student protest demands removal of Flock surveillance at UW
Anti-ICE protests Friday at Berkeley schools and a Hilton hotel in the Southside neighborhood
SUPPORT REI WORKERS:
@REIUnion (Instagram)
REI Co-Op Members: Vote to Boycott
SUPPORT MEATPACKING WORKERS:
Greeley Meatpacking Workers (UFCW Local 7R) Strike Fund
UFCW Local 7R (Greeley Meatpacking Workers) Union Facebook page with updates
TAKE ACTION:
MayDayStrong.org - May 1st - No Work. No School. No Shopping.
9 April 2026, 10:00 pm - 2 hours 29 minutes#1683 Oligarchy Unmasked: President Musk, the crackup of capitalism, and the MAGA meltdown (Throwback)
Re-Air Date: 04-07-26
Original Air Date: 1-15-2025
Elon Musk is leading the way for his class of tech broligarchs anxious to take over the MAGA movement and shape it to their own ends of deregulation, tax cuts, and lucrative government contracts. The disappointment that is inevitable for the MAGA populists is coming even faster than expected.
Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected]
Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: The long con of America's ultra-wealthy elites - The ReidOut - Air Date 1-2-25
KP 5: Elon & Vivek's H1-B Crash Out - Bad Faith - Air Date 1-2-25
KP 6: Our Moment is Approaching - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 12-31-24
KP 7: Weekly Roundup Jimmy Carter vs Elon Musk - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 1-3-25
KP 8: The Oligarch Class - Left Anchor - Air Date 1-3-25
(55:36) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the rehashing of the anti-democratic argument for extreme wealth for the benefit of humanity
DEEPER DIVES
(1:07:48) SECTION A: OLIGARCHS
(1:35:31) SECTION B: THE MAGA FRACTURE
(1:51:12) SECTION C: GLOBAL INFLUENCE
(2:21:52) SECTION D: ORGANIZING
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Composite image of a close-up of a MAGA hat with a tag attached that says "Made in China". The hat has cracks and the head of Elon Musk pokes out through a tear in the fabric. Trump's eyes are visible below the hat brim.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman | Images from Pixabay | License: Pixabay
7 April 2026, 7:00 am - 3 hours 7 minutes#1782 Cuba's Crisis: Trump's Deadly Embargo, Blackouts, and Dream of Regime Change
Air Date: 4/3/2026
Today we examine how decades of U.S. policy toward Cuba set the stage for the current crisis, we explore the human cost of the U.S. oil blockade on Cuba's 11 million people, and how the U.S. justifies an illegal siege while claiming to act in Cuba's interest using time-tested propaganda tactics.
Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected]
Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
TOP TAKES
KP 1: Explainer 509 Is Cuba Next on Trumps Hit List - The Foreign Desk - Air Date 3-18-26
KP 3: Will President Trump Act on His Threat to Take Cuba Part 1 - Fresh Air - Air Date 3-24-26
KP 4: Current Affairs Is Going to Cuba Part 1 - Current Affairs - Air Date 3-21-26
(00:49:58) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
The Word "Sanctions" Is Hiding a Blockade — US Propaganda Hides Human Rights Abuses in Cuba
DEEPER DIVES
(01:00:46) SECTION A: HISTORY
(01:35:03) SECTION B: CURRENT CRISIS
(02:20:27) SECTION C: SOLIDARITY
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Composite image of the Cuban flag with the shadow of the United State of America over it.
Credit: Internal design. Component images from Pixabay
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
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3 April 2026, 8:30 pm - 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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Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)
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
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
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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.
Leave us a message on our new system!
FOLLOW US ON:
YouTube (This episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!)
Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e
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.
Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected]
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!
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
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 [email protected]
28 March 2026, 10:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App