Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Expertly-curated progressive politics, news, and culture produced by leftist humans, not algorithms or AI. This is an award-winning podcast that dives deeply into a wide range of national and international issues facing society and governments. We draw from hundreds of sources of progressive news and commentary. Est. 2006.
Save time by listening to a range of perspectives on a focused topic in each episode and be introduced to new sources you will not have come across on your own!
- Update frequency
- every 2 days
- Average duration
- 76 minutes
- Episodes
- 582
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
Bonus Sample: The human condition since the Christianization of Europe
Air Date: 9-8-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Erin and Deon discuss: - The need for good structures of society, not scripture - Jesus is too liberal for Christians - Amateur anthropology - Technology and hum…
#1581 Indicted Authoritarianism Up For Debate: GOP presidential candidates debate the future of the party just in case Donald Trump is found guilty of any of his many crimes and somehow manages to lose the GOP primary or is barred from office.
Air Date 9/6/2023
The first GOP presidential debate happened without the frontrunner, Donald Trump, being present for the event but rather hanging over the proceedings like a specter. Meanwhile, Trum…
#1580 Bet Your Life: Sports betting is opening new and expensive ways to waste your time and destroy your mental health. The impacts of gambling are straining the legitimacy of sports and how they're reported by ESPN and beyond.
Air Date 9/3/2023
Sports gambling through smartphones has become widely available and wildly addictive but the effects are being felt beyond the individual gambler's bank account and anxiety levels. …
#TBT #1152 Rise of the Oligarchs Like the Ones Taking Clarence Thomas on Trips: From the Libertarians of the Chicago School and the Push for Market Fundamentalism to the Megadonors Pulling the Strings of Politicians Today (Money in Politics) (Throwback
Original Air Date: 12/15/2017
The history and current state of rich people seeking to undermine democratic rule by the people in favor of oligarchy for the rich
Be part of the show! Leave us a messa…
#1506 Native Landback for a Healthier Society and Environment (Repost)
Original Air Date 8/10/2022
Origins of the European colonial land-grab, the need for the #Landback movement, and the benefits to society and the environment in the context of the climate crisis to r…
#1504 Neurodiversity is Strength: Autism, ADHD and Beyond (Repost)
Original Air Date 8/2/2022
Explaining neurodiversity and why it should be seen as a strength and benefit to society when accommodated properly rather than a problem to be solved or, worse, ignored. A…
#TBT #1209 How to Debate Your Values: Being part of the solution in an age of hyper-polarization as we enter a new election cycle (Throwback)
Original Air Date 9-11-2018
Strategies to, and reasons why we need to, have better political conversations. As the first GOP debate signals the beginning of a new election cycle with the country divi…
#1579 Positive masculinity is a process. Many boys hear more about what they shouldn't say, how they shouldn't act, but without a strong alternative example which opens the door for the purveyors of toxic masculinity like Andrew Tate to fill the gap.
Air Date 8/23/2023
For decades, we have rightly been focused on dialing back endemic misogyny and poking holes in the patriarchy in the hopes of a new normal of gender relations emerging that would b…
#1578 A.I. is a big tech airplane with a 10% chance of crashing, should society fly it? ChatGPT was only the starter pistol but it has shown the sloppiness of these companies and the need for regulate artificial intelligence for the public good.
Air Date 8/20/2023
Big tech is currently scrambling to bring untested A.I. products to market, over-promising, under-delivering, and working hard obscure and ignore any possible downsides for society…
#TBT #1323 Maui Fire and Power to the People: The Future of Public Ownership and Local Control (Throwback)
Original Air Date 12-7-2019
In the context of the devastating fire on Maui, we are replaying this throwback episode to look at the reaction to decades of the fetishization of privatization in the for…
Bonus Sample #276 There Are No Mild-Mannered People on the Internet
Air Date: 8-15-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Erin and Deon discuss: - The Internet, it turns out, is bad - Musk and Zuckerberg cage fight - The "Dopamine Detox" movement
REFERENCES: The Ugly Honesty of …
#1577 Trump's historic third indictment containing three counts of conspiracy and one of obstruction regarding the 2020 election and Jan 6th, 2021
Air Date 8/12/2023
Today, we take a look at the most consequential case against Trump which summarizes his direct involvement in using allegedly illegal means to contest the 2020 election while makin…
#TBT #1054 What Drives Trump Conservatives - "Strangers in Their Own Land" (Throwback)
Original Air Date 11-1-2016
Today we dive deeply into the world of conservatives as described in the new book “Strangers in their own Land” by Arlie Russel Hochschild in an attempt to understand how …
#1499 January 6th Insurrection Hearings (Everyone Knew The Lie Was A Lie) (Repost)
Original Air Date 6/25/2022
Today we take a look at some of the takeaways from the hearings investigating the January 6th insurrection. Most notably: they knew, they knew, they knew, they knew from t…
#1576 How Florida's education reform works to maintain unjust power imbalances
Air Date 8/6/2023
Today, we take a look at the education curriculum reforms currently being pushed through in Florida through the lens of the long pattern of choosing to see our history in a way that…
Bonus Sample #275 Alternate Universes
Air Date: 8-4-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Erin and Deon discuss: - Barbie, Black Mirror and corporations in on the joke - The Extended Mattel Cinematic Universe - The alternate conservative commerce univ…
#1575 Cluster Headache, Matching War Crimes with War Crimes Against Russia in Ukraine
Air Date 8/2/2023
Today, we take a look at the status of the war in Ukraine and the decision made recently for the US to provide cluster bombs to Ukraine, a munition that Biden's Press Sec. referred …
#1497 A Healthier Humanity Through a Wellness Economy (Repost)
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Original Air Date 6/17/2022
Today we take a look at many intertwining realizations that are beginning to permeate society which include but…
#TBT #1250 Teachers at the forefront of a resurgent progressive labor movement (Throwback)
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Original Air Date: 2/15/2019
Today we take a look at recent teachers union strike in the Los Angeles school district and see it as another …
#1574 Creative vs Control: Hollywood strikes for livable wages and the future of human creativity
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Air Date 7/25/2023
Today, we take a look at the impact of the rise of streaming video services and the potential for AI-written scripts on …