Best Of The Left - The Best Of Progressive And Liberal Talk

BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Air Date: 9-29-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Why Cards Against Humanity is fighting Elon Musk - How car-related deaths have soared in the US - How partial automation tech in cars is making driving more dangerous - Why truck bloat(or C.O.U.S.s, if you prefer)is deadly - Surveillance CARpitalism that will blow your mind - The electric school bus fleets sweeping the nation - The fratzonic sound of the electric Dodge Charger REFERENCES: "Cards Against Humanity Sues Elon Musk’s SpaceX “With Great Vengeance and Furious Anger” For Trespassing" "Cards Against Humanity Sues Elon Musk for 15 million dollars"  The Stubborn Problem of Cars Killing People Tesla and Volvo drivers using partial automation tech were studied. Here are the results The US finally takes aim at truck bloat It’s Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy Electric school buses are the future we deserve Her

Air Date 9/27/2024 Let's just say that it's not a coincidence that right-wing authoritarians are on the rise at the same time as people around the world are having a harder time than ever figuring out what's true. That said, society is beginning to fight back. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-project-2025-will-lay-groundwork-for-second-term KP 2: NBC's Jacob Ward: How Technology Shapes Our Thinking and Decisions Part 1 - Commonwealth Club World Affairs (CCWA) - Air Date 1-31-22 KP 3: Streaming is Changing Politics...Is That A Good Thing? - Wisecrack - Air Date 9-20-24 KP 4: YouTube and the Death of Media Literacy - Zoe Bee - Air Date 9-2-24 KP 5: A Citizen's Guide to Disinformation - TechTank - Air Date 9-3-24 KP 6: Enshittification Part 3: Saving The Internet - On the Me

Air Date 9/24/2024 The positive dad vibes of Tim Walz came onto the national scene in the middle of an ongoing crisis of masculinity that stretches from the youngest generations to the oldest. Both positive and negative aspects of masculinity tie in with the general election, basically divided right down the partisan line, and the next generation of voters (not to mention humans) are often feeling stuck between the two with insufficient guidance from the men in their lives. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Tim Walz is The Perfect Model of Masculinity Which Contrasts Weird, Blowhard JD Vance - Hysteria - Air Date 8-15-24 KP 2: Are Men Okay – SOME MORE NEWS - Air Date 5-22-24 KP 3: Dating Amid Gender Differences in Politics - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 7-30-24 KP 4: “BoyMom” Author Looks at Raising Sons in an

BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Air Date: 9-23-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Musk's latest - J.D. Vance's war on truth and brown people - The super villains who spread lies - Sane Washing Trump - Correcting the Left - Right-wing lies as a matter of course REFERENCES: Musk Claims ‘Joke’ About Assassinating Harris Was Funnier in Person J.D. Vance’s War on American Life Starts in Springfield JD Vance Thinks He Can Sell His Nationalism With Cat Memes J.D. Vance’s Admission Shouldn’t Shock You—They’ve Done This for Years How the Media Sanitizes Trump’s Insanity Trump Has Not Been ‘Sane-Washed’ The Sound of One MAGA Attacking (Retracted) “He’s one of us”: Trump defends political violence against the press, while the press remains silent Man arrested at Trump rally in Pa. wanted to hang a protest banner, police say How Right-Wingers Manufacture Scandal   Join our Discord Server Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson

Original Air Date: 3/21/2023 Today, we take a look at how GOP-controlled states are subverting democracy with a form of "competitive autocracy" and some of the horrifying legislation these states then pass after they are no longer subject to the opinions of the general public. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: The Autocratic Nightmare of State Republicans (David Pepper Interview) - The David Pakman Show - Air Date 2-5-22 Ch. 2: Republicans Are Staging A Legislative Coup - More Perfect Union - Air Date 1-5-22 Ch. 3: Laboratories of Autocracy – David Pepper – It’s the States, Stupid! - The Al Franken Podcast - Air Date 10-29-22  Ch. 4: The Fight for Fair Maps - The Takeaway - Air Date 7-18-22 Ch. 5: Failing (Red)States - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 3-4-23 Ch. 6: Ending my sm sabbatical since Houston is once again under attack by the

Air Date: 9-19-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - the fallout from the debate, Trump's lies, and how his incoherence is being sanitized - The inadequacy of workplace protections, even in unionized shops - how worker stress and consumer misery are actually features, not bugs - the hope of Philosopher Obama and Trump's Power of Positivity®  - people's need to feel like they're getting their money's worth at the expense of all else REFERENCES: UPS Drivers Won “Historic Heat Protections.” They Say the Company Hasn’t Lived Up to That Promise In Fast Food, Worker Stress Is the Business Model Why Airlines Want to Make You Suffer Barack Obama Is the Last American Transcendentalist The True Source of Trump’s Delusions: The Gospel of Positive Thinking   Join our Discord Server Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft  Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Air Date 9/17/2024 It's not just the threat of the electoral college handing the presidency to the loser of the popular vote, nor the specter of a repeat of a January 6th-like event hanging over the election - there's also copious lies and disinformation including a new and improved nazi-to-Republican-talking-point-pipeline, and fresh new intimidation and voter suppression tactic experiments underway in the laboratories of democracy. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Ignore your lying eyes: Republicans attempt to overwrite living memory to rewrite history - Alex Wagner Tonight - Air Date 8-14-24 KP 2: Trump Admits He Lost 2020 Election?!? - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 9-5-24 KP 3: How Pro-Trump Election Officials Could Refuse To Certify The 2024 Election - Democracy Docket - Air Date 8-15-24 KP 4: What Does “E

Air Date 9/13/2024 We've been living through the modern equivalent of the oil boom, back when poking a hole in the ground would make one of the world's most valuable substances, upon which entire economies would be built. But in our case, it's not oil, it's data. Now we are at a pivotal moment as the old unchallenged master of data, Google, has been found guilty of illegal anti-competitive behavior at the same time as generative AI companies are in a new desperate rush to stake claims on every last piece of data they can find. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: The New Colonialism of Big Tech - Andrewism - Air Date 9-3-24 KP 2: Tech's Big Money Campaign is Getting Pushback with Margaret O'Mara and Brody Mullins - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 8-26-24 KP 3: Nathan Calvin on California AI bill SB 1047 and it's p

Air Date 9/10/2024 It's said that we live in a melting pot here in the United States. Perhaps it's more of a salad bar, who knows? In any case, there are a lot of people coming from a lot of different backgrounds, cultures, histories, and geographies all about to vote in a few weeks. Today, we try to understand, at least roughly, how people’s backgrounds influence their vote. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: A conversation about how demographic changes could impact the 2024 election - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 9-3-24 KP 2: The Gender Gap Is Widening In The 2024 Election - What A Day - Air Date 9-4-24 KP 3: Why So Many Young Men Are Leaving Democrats for Republicans in 2024 - WSJ State of the Stat - Air Date 8-19-24 KP 4: What Will Black Male Voters Do In 2024? - AJ+ - Air Date 7-7-24 KP 5: Ian Haney Lópe

BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Hear the Full Show, Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)   Air Date: 9-8-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - labor unions fighting for time off when it's too hot - cooling tech - electric trains - and the corporations running our national parks into the ground  REFERENCES: Greek Unions Want Paid Time Off When It’s Too Hot to Work To keep workers going in the heat, companies try fledgling cooling tech Please Do Not Make Fun of My Neck Fan Is the US finally getting all-aboard with electric trains? Yosemite National Park Is a Mess Aramark Stock Hits All-Time High Amid Triple-Digit Profit Growth OpenAI won’t watermark ChatGPT text because its users could get caught The Case for Public Rail Ownership   Join our Discord Server Leave a message at 202-999-3991 Produced by: Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft  Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com  Review the show o

Air Date 9/6/2024 We're living in the world that dark money in politics and Citizen's United built. But since that Supreme Court ruling in 2010, we've invented cryptocurrency that promises to be a brand new source of opacity and financial power built on smoke and mirrors. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Steve Macek on Dark Money - CounterSpin - Air Date 8-23-24 KP 2: Why Big Money Supports Trump - Robert Reich - Air Date 8-27-24 KP 3: Trump shifts stance on cryptocurrency to win over new bloc of voters and mega-donors - PBS Newshour - Air Date 7-29-24 KP 4: Silicon Valley's Impact on the 2024 Elections - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 7-31-24 KP 5: Dem Donors Want Harris To Bail On Biden's Best Decision - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-29-24 KP 6: Andy Levin, Pushed Out of Congress by AIPAC, Calls for Change

Original Air Date: 10/16/2018 Today we take a look at the distant and recent history of conservatism in America and beyond and follow the steps that have led to their rejection of science at a moment in history when it has never been more critical to heed the warnings of scientists Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Corey Robin on the right from Burke to Trump - Jacobin Radio (@jacobinmag) - Air Date 12-3-17 Corey Robin on the Right from Burke to Trump. While most people on the Left fear and demonize the Right, they aren't interested in its ideas. Robin, however, takes them very seriously and analyzes their ideas for us. Ch. 2: Jonah Goldberg on Trump, Republicans and the conservative movement - Diane Rehm: On My Mind - Air Date 3-2-18 The state of the conservative movement and where it goes from here. Ch. 3: Kurt Andersen: How religion turned

Air Date: 9-1-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The ever-stranger headlines about RFK Jr. ...and dead animals - The political philosophies and missteps behind unipolar, bipolar or multipolar world views  - The dogmatic history of the American Communist Party - The deeper reasons having kids is on the decline - The impacts of our bizarre online world on kids and teens  REFERENCES: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Admits He Falls for Online Misinformation “All the Time” RFK Jr. Whale-Beheading Story Gives RFK Jr. Bear-Murder Story a Run for Its Money Environmental Group Wants Answers About RFK Jr. Chainsawing a Whale’s Head Off RFK Jr. in Hot Water With Environmental Group Over That Wild Whale Story As Eurasia Awakes Our World Will Shake The “Multipolar World”: A Euphemism to Support Multiple Imperialisms Red Weather Vanes The Real Reason People Aren’t Having Kids The Big Problem Faced by Teens Isn’t Caused by Phones. It’s Deeper. What Tweens Get from Sephora and What They Get from Us   Join our D

Air Date 8/30/2024 Israel's assault on Gaza is fueled by pain, rage, trauma... a desire for safety, a desire for revenge, the hope for the safe return of hostages. It's a complicated mix of all of the above and more and it will be different for each person. However, there's also a deep well of denial and delusion about the decades-old status quo between Israel and Palestine that made the current conflict all but inevitable and the pursuit of genocide by some decision-makers in the Israeli government - as well as the support of the US government - possible. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Kamala Harris Mentioned Palestinian Suffering — in the Passive Voice - The Intercept - Air Date 8-26-24 KP 2: Substance vs Vibes in VP Kamala Harris' Gaza PR Reboot - Citations Needed - Air Date 8-2-24 KP 3: Former Israeli Spy C

Air Date 8/27/2024 People feel lots of ways about immigration. Sometimes it's fear of the other, other times it's not about the people but just dismay over a broken system. The validity of these concerns and others certainly exist on a spectrum, some are utter bullshit and others aren't. Left-wing political parties tend to do a terrible job creating immigration policy - in that they just don't do it at all - while the right wing is all too happy to create and implement terrible policy. And given a choice between action and inaction, regardless of how misguided the proposed action is, people with concerns will choose action. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: The UK's Far Right Riots - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-8-24 KP 2: Riots in the UK - Today, Explained - Air Date 8-7-24 KP 3: Introducing 'Battle of 187'

Air Date 8/23/2024 The vibes of this election are nothing anyone could have predicted a month ago. And yet, some of the details have played out as though by a script. Democrats drink hope like ambrosia from the gods; Trump, when confronted with reality initiates a full blown meltdown; and everyone is doing their best to ignore the genocide in Gaza being carried out with our weapons. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Unlearning Zionism with Simone Zimmerman & Eliza Skinner - The Bitchuation Room (with Francesca Fiorentini) - Air Date 8-13-24 KP 2: Dems Walz All Over GOP Attacks; Harris's Israel Tightrope w/ Krystal Ball - The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder - Air Date 8-9-24 KP 3: The Rise of Kamala Harris with Heather McGhee Part 1 - Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast - Air Date 8-13-24 KP 4: Jon Stewa

Original 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 be genuinely healthier for everyone, not just women. But, with so much of the focus on the type of masculinity men and boys shouldn't embrace, we may have fallen short on giving positive direction to boys about what they should be and do. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Andrew Tate & Re-examining Masculinity - Long Story Short The Daily Show - Air Date 4-21-23 Jordan Klepper looks at Andrew Tate and breaks down how a void of role models has harmful consequences for young boys. Ch. 2: The new crisis of masculinity - The Gray Area - Air Date 8-7-23 What does masculinity mean these days? Sean Illing speaks with Christine Emba, a colum

Air Date: 8-19-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - How we likely all have COVID and can't believe we did a Bonus Show - The bizarre ways AI is already part of our political systems - Strong feelings on AI-generated art in a hyper-capitalist world - The ups, downs and side effects of so-called AI friends - AI in our love lives (P.S. Audiophiles Beware: We had some technical difficulties, so this show may sound a little strange in spots.) REFERENCES: RFK Jr. Doubles Down on Dead Bear Cub With Bonkers Brag The A.I. Influencer Ads Are Coming Zoom founder Eric Yuan wants ‘digital twins’ to attend meetings for you so you can ‘go to the beach’ instead There’s an AI Candidate Running for Parliament in the UK An AI Bot Is (Sort of) Running for Mayor in Wyoming OpenAI Imprisons AI That Was Running for Mayor in Wyoming Harvard Scholars Suggest Pollsters Ask Questions to AI Simulations of Voters Because Real People Won't Answer The Phone Political Candidate Accused of Being AI Insists He Is a Living Hum

Air Date 8/17/2024 James Baldwin's 100th birthday passed by recently and we're using the occasion to draw on his moral clarity and eloquence while we assess the state of race in America Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday - 1A - Air Date 7-30-24 KP 2: James Baldwin's Fire - Throughline - Air Date 9-17-20 KP 3: “Justice for My Brother”: Sister of Samuel Sharpe Speaks Out After Police Killing During RNC - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-19-24 KP 4: Why JD Vance and the MAGA GOP Do Not Represent the True Idea of America & Our Core Values - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 8-2-24 KP 5: Truth, Privilege, and James Baldwin - Woke AF Daily - Air Date 10-3-23 KP 6: Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 7-30-24 KP 7: US' Unconditional Support For Israel Ma

Air Date 8/13/2024 Spirits among Kamala Harris supporters, Democrats, and anyone opposing Trumpism are at an all-time high right now. That's both fortuitous and crucial to the upcoming election. By the very nature of Trumpism, this election will be the most flagrantly contested in history with far more Trump loyalists in place ready to throw wrenches in the works wherever they can. Nothing short of overwhelming victory for the Harris/Waltz ticket is necessary to stave off constitutional crisis. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Maddow points out frightening truth about Trump's lack of concern about votes - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 7-29-24 KP 2: How Trump (Allegedly) Tried to Steal the Election - LegalEagle - Air Date 8-12-23 KP 3: As Tension over Venezuelan Election Escalates, the Left Debates Who Won the