#1790 Assassin Nation: How Political Violence Got Normalized And How To Reverse It

Air Date: 5–23-2026 Today we examine the real-world cost of dismantling America's public health infrastructure, the dangerous pseudoscience driving RFK Jr.'s health agenda, and the contradictions fracturing the MAHA movement from within.And now on to the show Full Show Notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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! TOP TAKES KP 1: Trump Looks Foolish for Choice of Kennedy and Deep Cuts at CDC as Real-world Perils Play Out - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 5-12-26 KP 2: 'The Wheels Are Coming Off': Trump Already Less Popular Than After Jan. 6 - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 4-22-26 KP 3: How RFK, Jr.'s Beliefs Echo a Troubling Ideology | Science Quickly Podcast - Scientific American - Air Date 3-13-26 KP 4: MAHA Moms Are Mad - Today, Explained - Air Date 3-3-26 KP 5: As WHO Declares Ebola Outbreak a Global Health Emergency, Did USAID Cuts Worsen the Crisis - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-18-26 KP 6: How People with Disabilities Could Bear the Burden of Medicaid Funding Cuts - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 2-3-26 KP 7: RFK Jr Goes Full Eugenics to Congress; IMMIGRANTS BRING DISEASE - Brittany Page - Air Date 4-22-26 (00:54:35) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR RFK's Public Health Descruction is Easier than the Rebuilding We'll have to do Later DEEPER DIVES (01:05:28) SECTION A: THE DAMAGE DONE A1: From COVID to Hepatitis to Measles, RFK Jr. Is Gutting Vaccine Science' Ex-CDC Expert Speaks Out - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-12-25 A2: FDA Chief Pushed Out in Latest Sign of Public Health Chaos Under RFK Jr. - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-13-26 A3: WaPo Bombshell: RFK's CDC Burying Report on Covid Vaccine Success - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 4-9-26 A4: WATCH: Warnock Criticizes RFK Jr. for CDC Cuts to Rabies Emergency Line - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 4-22-26 A5: World Health Organization Issues Hantavirus Alert - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 5-16-26 A6: Can We Trust RFK Jr. On Hantavirus? - The Bitchuation Room (with Francesca Fiorentini) - Air Date 5-13-26 (01:47:09) SECTION B: IDEOLOGY AND THE MISINFORMATION MACHINE B1: Elizabeth Jacobs on RFK Jr. and Public Health - CounterSpin - Air Date 9-5-25 B2: RFK's Antivax Push. Measles Resurges Across America - Roland S. Martin - Air Date 2-24-26 (02:06:42) SECTION C: INSIDE THE MAHA COALITION C1: MAHA's Glyphosate Meltdown [feat Mallory DeMille] Part 1 - Conspirituality - Air Date 3-5-26 C2: Why RFK Jr. Is Projecting a More 'Moderate' MAHA Stance - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 4-27-26 C3: MAHA's Glyphosate Meltdown [feat Mallory DeMille] Part 2 - Conspirituality - Air Date 3-5-26 (02:36:04) SECTION D: HOW A COUNTRY BECOMES "UNDERBABIED" D1: Underbabied? Part 1 - The Professional Left Podcast with Driftglass and Blue Gal - Air Date 5-12-26 D2: RFK Jr. Dissatisfied with Teen Sperm & Sean Duffy Gets Back to Reality - The Daily Show - Air Date 5-12-26 D3: Underbabied? Part 2 - The Professional Left Podcast with Driftglass and Blue Gal - Air Date 5-12-26   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]

Air Date: 5/20/2026 Today we examine how the Trump administration is quietly reshaping its unpopular immigration crackdown by moving enforcement out of public view. Plus, we explain how anti-immigration politics is spreading through the post-colonial world, highlighting how it's reshaping political parties and public debate in the UK, Canada, and Australia. Full Show Notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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! TOP TAKES KP 1: Trumps Brutal Immigration Crackdown Continues Part 1 - Velshi - Air Date 3-21-26 KP 2: 'Buyer's Remorse' This Trump Stronghold TURNS on Massive ICE Facility Part 1 - MS Now - Air Date 4-20-26 KP 3: Does Legal Immigration Still Exist Part 1 - What Next - Air Date 2-23-26 KP 4: What TPS Recipients Might Experience if They're Sent Back to Haiti - Brian Lehrer A Daily Podcast - Air Date 4-30-26 KP 5: How The British Made The Far Right Acceptable Daniel Trilling Part 1 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 5-11-26 KP 6: How To Beat The Anti-Immigration Playbook Zoe Gardner Part 1 - Bold Politics with Zack Polanski - Air Date 9-10-26 (00:53:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR How ICE Hands Billions to Trump's Donors DEEPER DIVES (01:05:43) SECTION A: THE RESET IS THEATER A1: Trumps Brutal Immigration Crackdown Continues Part 2 - Velshi - Air Date 3-21-26 A2: Trumps ICE Detention Scam with Katie Blankenship Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 4-28-26 A3: Kornacki Large Number of Independents Strongly Disapprove of Trumps Immigration Agenda - NBC News - Air Date 2-11-26 A4: Trump Voters REBEL Against Proposed ICE Detention Centers In Their Backyard - The Logical Leftist - Air Date 1-12-26 A5: Border Czar Promises Mass Deportations On the Way - The DSR Network - Air Date 5-7-26 A6: US President Backs ICE Rebrand Amid Scrutiny as Poll Shows Trump's Immigration Approval Falling - WION - Air Date 4-28-26 (01:42:03) SECTION B: DUE PROCESS DISMANTLED B1: Does Legal Immigration Still Exist Part 2 - What Next - Air Date 2-23-26 B2: Trump Vs. Dreamers Justice Dept. Moves to Make It Easier to Deport 500K+ DACA Recipients - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-28-26 B3: Supreme Court Appears to Lean Toward Ending TPS for Some Migrants - Trump's Terms - Air Date 4-30-26 B4: Study Finds Trump Administration Cut Legal Immigration Far More Than Illegal Crossings - PBS Newshour - Air Date 4-14-26 (02:08:29) SECTION C: THE GLOBAL FAR-RIGHT PLAYBOOK C1: Starmer Out Pressure Grows on U.K. PM to Resign as Far-Right Reform Party Surges in Local Elections - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-11-26 C2: "Reform" Of A Lifelong Forever Racist Party In The UK; Tennessee, Virginia, Louisiana Today....The Whole USA Tomorrow - The Politicrat - Air Date 5-8-26 C3: White Supremacy Is a Massive Issue in Canada What's Fuelling the Far Right Part 1 - The Truth - Air Date 2-23-26 C4: Angus Taylors Trumpian Immigration Plan Part 1 - Full Story - Air Date 4-15-26 C5: How The British Made The Far Right Acceptable Daniel Trilling Part 2 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 5-11-26 C6: White Supremacy Is a Massive Issue in Canada What's Fuelling the Far Right Part 2 - The Truth - Air Date 2-23-26 C7: Angus Taylors Trumpian Immigration Plan Part 2 - Full Story - Air Date 4-15-26 (03:06:00) SECTION D: STAKES AND RESISTANCE D1: Can Illinois Hold the Feds Accountable for Immigration Crackdown - Consider This From NPR - Air Date 4-28-26 D2: Trumps ICE Detention Scam with Katie Blankenship Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Date 4-28-26 D3: 'Buyer's Remorse' This Trump Stronghold TURNS on Massive ICE Facility Part 2 - MS Now - Air Date 4-20-26 D4: How To Beat The Anti-Immigration Playbook Zoe Gardner Part 2 - Bold Politics with Zack Polanski - Air Date 9-10-26   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]

Air Date: 5/15/2026 Today we examine what it would actually take to claw back democracy from billionaire capture — and why some people think it's more possible than it looks. We'll hear about California's proposed billionaire wealth tax, AOC's vision for change that doesn't depend on positional power, and why Peter Thiel's new "AI Tribunal of Truth" may have accidentally revealed exactly what the ruling class fears most. Full Show Notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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! TOP TAKES KP 1: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Possible 2028 White House Run - C-SPAN - Air Date 5-8-26 KP 2: One State Found a Way to Make Billionaires Pay. Your State Could Be Next. - More Perfect Union, Inequality Media Civic Action, & Robert Reich - Air Date 4-1-26 KP 3: Tech Billionaires Want Us Dead - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 1-19-26 KP 4: Jeff & Lauren Bezos Make 'Gratitude Lists' as AMAZON WORKERS DIE AT WORK - Brittany Page - Air Date 4-14-26 KP 5: Why Philanthropy [STILL] Isn't the Answer with (with Anand Giridharadas) - Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer - Air Date 5-5-26 KP 6: The Case Against Billionaires | Chuck Collins - Washington Monthly - Air Date 1-5-26 (00:47:44) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Who Owns the Upside? DEEPER DIVES (00:59:03) SECTION A: TECH POWER, SURVEILLANCE, AND THE END OF TRUTH A1: Do Tech Billionaires Want Us Dead? (with Taylor Lorenz) - Team Human with Douglas Rushkoff - Air Date 2-18-26 A2: The End of Work: Why Your Kids Won't Have Careers in 15 Years - Trevor Noah - Air Date 4-19-26 A3: This Is Actually Terrifying - Struthless - Air Date 4-16-26 (01:23:24) SECTION B: BEZOS, AMAZON, AND THE HUMAN COST B1: "Tax the Rich" Is Hate Speech!? - PissedMagistus - Air Date 5-11-26 B2: Why I Support The California Billionaire Tax - Robert Reich and Inequality Media Civic Action - Air Date 4-7-26 (01:32:00) SECTION C: HOW THE TAX CODE BUILT THE ARISTOCRACY C1: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy / Ray Madoff Part 1 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 11-13-25 C2: The Second Estate: Where Billionaires Don't Pay. You Do. (with Ray D. Madoff) - Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer - Air Date 4-14-26 C3: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy / Ray Madoff Part 2 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 11-13-25 C4: The $79 Trillion Price of Inequality (with Carter Price) - Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer - Air Date 3-24-26 (02:08:11) SECTION D: IDEOLOGY OF CAPITAL D1: Why Liberals Always Side with Fascists - Michael Burns - Air Date 4-15-26 D2: How Capitalist Propaganda Sneaks Into TV Shows - Marcus Werner - Air Date 4-17-26 D3: The Capitalist Mindset - The Market Exit - Air Date 9-9-25 (02:34:00) SECTION E: MARKETS IN THE MIND E1: Clavicular Is What Marx Warned Us About - Harper O'Connor - Air Date 5-10-26 E2: How Oligarchs Hijacked America in Just 16 Year - Benaminute - Air Date 4-30-26 (02:55:22) SECTION F: BUBBLE, BACKLASH, AND THE WAY FORWARD F1: It Will Be 17 Times Worse Than the .com Crash - Upper Echelon - Air Date 5-7-26 F2: How to Live a Life That (actually) Matters - The Market Exit and Rutger Bregman - Air Date 9-19-26   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]

Air Date: 5/12/2026 Today we examine the redistricting scramble unleashed by the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act. We'll hear how Southern states moved within days to crack majority-Black districts, how Tennessee banned public input to rush through new maps, and why every governor's race, state legislative seat, and secretary of state contest in 2026 is now a redistricting fight. Full Show Notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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! TOP TAKES KP 1: Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Redrawing Congressional Maps and Testing Trump's Power - PBS Newshour - Air Date 5-4-26 KP 2: Louisiana Is Ground Zero for Voting Rights, Abortion Pill Access Part 1 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 5-7-26 KP 3: Elie Mystal Supreme Court Gutting Voting Rights Act Is About Again Making US an Apartheid State Part 1 - The Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 5-1-26 KP 4: Did Trump's Supreme Court Rig the Midterms Part 1 - Pod Save America - Air Date 5-1-26 KP 5: What Stacey Abrams Thinks About a Recent SCOTUS Decision and the Voting Rights Amendment Part 1 - Soundside - Air Date 5-5-26 KP 6: 'Foolish' Lone Tennessee Dem Rep. Speaks Out Against GOP's Redistricting Push - Ana Cabrera Reports - Air Date 5-6-26 KP 7: Backtalker Kimberlé Crenshaw on New Memoir, Voting Rights, Critical Race Theory & Clarence Thomas - Democracy Now - Air Date 5-6-26 KP 8: What Stacey Abrams Thinks About a Recent SCOTUS Decision and the Voting Rights Amendment Part 2 - Soundside - Air Date 5-526 (00:53:57) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR How One Senate Rule Is Destroying Voting Rights DEEPER DIVES (01:05:18) SECTION A: THE RULING & THE LAW A1: SCOTUS 86s Voting Rights Part 1 - #SistersInLaw - Air Date 5-2-26 A2: The Death Of The Voting Rights Act EXPLAINED Part 1 - Why, America? with Leeja Miller - Air Date 4-30-26 A3: SCOTUS 86s Voting Rights Part 2 - #SistersInLaw - Air Date 5-2-26 (01:24:35) SECTION B: HOW WE GOT HERE B1: John Lewis and the Struggle for Voting Rights - Equal Justice Initiative - Air Date 3-9-26 B2: Tennessee GOP Just Embraced Jim Crow 2.0 to Silence Black Voters Just as Trump Demanded - The Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 5-7-26 B3: Louisiana Is Ground Zero for Voting Rights, Abortion Pill Access Part 2 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 5-7-26 B4: What Is the Supreme Court Actually Trying to Do - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 5-2-26 (02:02:53) SECTION C: THE STATES SCRAMBLE C1: 'If You Can Keep It' The Supreme Court And The Voting Rights Act Part 1 - 1A - Air Date 5-4-26 C2: Did Trump's Supreme Court Rig the Midterms Part 2 - Pod Save America - Air Date 5-1-26 C3: 'But Do You Trust Them' Hayes Questions Timing of FBI Raid in Virginia - All In W/ Chris Hayes - Air Date 5-6-26 C4: Trump Pushes to Take Over Elections, Punish His Enemies Pulitzer Prize-Winning Reporter Ned Parker - Democracy Now! - Air Date 5-8-26 C5: BREAKING Virginia Supreme Court Strikes Down Voter-approved House Map - Ana Cabrera Reports - Air Date 5-8-26 C6: 'If You Can Keep It' The Supreme Court And The Voting Rights Act Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 5-4-26 (02:43:06) SECTION D: WHAT COMES NEXT D1: Fighting for Our Voting Rights! - Practivist Pod - Air Date 4-30-26 D2: The Death Of The Voting Rights Act EXPLAINED Part 2 - Why, America? with Leeja Miller - Air Date 4-30-26 D3: Louisiana Is Ground Zero for Voting Rights, Abortion Pill Access Part 3 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 5-7-26 D4: Elie Mystal Supreme Court Gutting Voting Rights Act Is About Again Making US an Apartheid State Part 2 - The Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 5-1-26   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]

Air Date: 5–9-2026 Today we examine how political violence has always been woven into the fabric of American life and who gets to decide what counts as violence in the first place. We'll hear about presidential assassinations, the assassination of Fred Hampton, the MOVE bombing in Philadelphia, and the long history of state-sanctioned violence. And I'll discuss the only real way to bend the curve back away from endemic violence in the US.  Full show notes Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] 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! TOP TAKES KP 1: The Real 'Political Violence' in America - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 9-12-25 KP 2: The Largely Forgotten History of Philadelphias Police Bombing of Black Organization MOVE - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 5-17-25 KP 3: America's History of Assassinations and Political Violence - Front Burner - Air Date 7-16-24 KP 4: America's Addiction to Gun Violence, Racism, and White Rage Will Be Its Downfall Part 1 - The Chauncey DeVega Show -Air Date 9-19-25 KP 5: "Slow Civil War" Author Jeff Sharlet on the Growing NormalAation of Violence at Home & Abroad - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-27-26 KP 6: The World Is Broken and on Fire. Use Your Anger to Remake It for the Better - The Chauncey DeVega Show - Air Date 3-25-26 (00:50:50) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Why Billionaires Now Fear Civil War DEEPER DIVES (01:04:57) SECTION A: THE FRAMING WARS A1: The White House Correspondents Dinner Shooting: What the "Political Violence" Framing Is Hiding - Resistance History with Tad Stoermer - Air Date 4-26-26 A2: Who's to Blame for Political Violence? - WSJ Opinion: Free Expression - Air Date 9-17-25- Air Date 9-17-25 A3: We're MASSIVELY Overstating Our Political Violence Problem — and That's Dangerous! | Sean Westwood - People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast - Air Date 9-16-24 A4: Assassination Nation – Start Your Week with Ros Taylor - The Bunker – News Without the Nonsense - Air Date 4-27-26 (01:32:09) SECTION B: THE LONG AMERICAN TRADITION B1: The Pen or the Sword? How Lincoln and John Brown Disagreed on Achieving Emancipation Part 1 - History Unplugged Podcast - Air Date 2-23-21 B2: A History of US Political Violence - Americast - Air Date 11-2-22 B3: The Pen or the Sword? How Lincoln and John Brown Disagreed on Achieving Emancipation Part 2 - History Unplugged Podcast - Air Date 2-23-21 (01:52:52) SECTION C: STATE VIOLENCE AND ANTI-BLACKNESS C1: WATCH: "The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther" - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-4-14 C2: America's Addiction to Gun Violence, Racism, and White Rage Will Be Its Downfall Part 2 - The Chauncey DeVega Show -Air Date 9-19-25 (02:12:44) SECTION D: THE RIGHT-WING ENGINE D1: Political Violence In The U.S. Part 1 - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 6-16-25 D2: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism - The Lawfare Podcast - Air Date 5-25-23 D3: Political Violence In The U.S. Part 2 - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 6-16-25Political Violence In The U.S. The NPR Politics Podcast Jun 16, 2025 (02:36:23) SECTION E: THE SYSTEM AND WHAT COMES NEXT E1: Assassin Nation with Patrick Blanchfield - The Dig - Air Date 12-18-24 E2: Holding Out for a Hero Feat. Hasan Piker - Chapo Trap House - Air Date 4-27-26 E3: The Cole Hard Truth - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 4-28-26 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]

Air Date: 05-06-2026  Today we examine how the U.S. war on Iran is producing an economic crisis with echoes of the 1970s stagflation era which explains why Trump is now less popular on inflation than Jimmy Carter. We'll also be exploring various element of the structure of our economy, including how GDP became a deeply misleading measure of welfare, why consumer spending increasingly goes toward things people don't want to buy, and how gambling and junk fees are literally counted as economic growth. Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: Simply Wrong GOP Lawmakers Caught LYING About Gas Prices Part 1 - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 4-30-26 KP 2: Economic Implications of the U.S. War on Iran Part 1 - Economic Update with Richard Wolff - Air Date 4-14-26 KP 3: These Georgia Swing Voters Do Not Like the Iran War - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 4-16-26 KP 4: Monday Morning Economy Politics Inflation Soars Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 4-13-26 KP 5: Fiasco for Trump as Leaked GOP Memo Warns of Epic Midterm Bloodbath - The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent - Air Date 5-1-26 KP 6: From Safety Net to Power Base Reclaiming Economic Power for Working People (with Jamie Keene) Part 1 - Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer - Air Date 4-21-26 KP 7: Simply Wrong GOP Lawmakers Caught LYING About Gas Prices Part 2 - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 4-30-26 (00:56:48) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Trump's Iran War Is Crashing the Economy And It's Time To Get Ready DEEPER DIVES (01:05:14) SECTION A: THE PUMP AND THE WAR (01:28:41) SECTION B: LIES, SPIN, AND THE ROARING ECONOMY (02:00:33) SECTION C: THE BOOMCESSION (02:39:10) SECTION D: WHAT THIS COSTS REAL PEOPLE Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads Contact me directly at [email protected]

Air Date: 05/01/2026 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we open with Jesse Jackson's death as a reckoning with the multiracial coalition America chose not to build, trace the American playbook from the 1953 Iran coup to Cuba to the current war on Iran, examine how the same logic of control operates at home through AI monopolies, sports money, and captured courts, and close with the religious and labor traditions that have always driven change — plus Orbán's defeat in Hungary as proof that authoritarian projects don't last forever. Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! PART 1: AMERICA, CONTESTED (00:01:19) #1775 - Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition and the Remaking of American Politics (00:23:12) #1776 - Trump's Pharaoh Complex, Our Flawed Constitution, and the 250th Anniversary PART 2: THE AMERICAN WAY (00:45:27) #1777 - How Christian Nationalism, Oil, and Zionism Built The War Against Iran (01:06:48) #1782 - Cuba's Crisis: Trump's Deadly Embargo, Blackouts, and Dream of Regime Change (01:29:45) #1785 - Iran and the Chain Reaction: The War Nobody Thought Through (Or, Bomb First, Think Never) PART 3: CONTROLLING THE GAME (01:51:40) #1778 - AI, the Pentagon, Labor and Capitalism: The Fight Over Who Controls the Future (02:15:29) #1781 - Your Team Is a Hedge Fund Now: How Gambling and Billionaires Captured American Sports 02:29:38) #1783 - The Ideology of a Cancer Cell: AI, Surveillance, and Silicon Valley's Psychopath Problem (02:51:36) #1784 - Who Gets to Be American, Who Gets to Vote, and Who Decides PART 4: HISTORY'S ENGINE (03:17:49) #1779 - Community After God: Why the Left Needs What Church Provided (03:43:07) #1780 - Cynicism Is a Scab: Hope, Solidarity, and the Labor Fight That Never Stopped (04:09:26) #1786 - Defeating Viktor Orbán in Hungary and the Authoritarian Playbook Worldwide   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere! Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads

Air Date: 4–29-2026 Today we explore the extraordinary clash between Pope Leo XIV and the Trump White House — a feud involving military threats, medieval papal history, and an American-born pope who refuses to back down. We'll hear why analysts say MAGA's religiosity is pure aesthetic, and what that hollowness means for the millions of Americans still taking their faith seriously. Full Show Notes Transcript Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community TOP TAKES KP 1: "Two Versions of Christianity": Pope Leo Calls for Peace as U.S. Uses Religion to Justify Iran War - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-1-26 KP 2: What's Driving the Surge of Catholic Converts? Plus Gabriel Salguero - The Holy Post - Air Date 4-1-26 KP 3: What's Behind a Growing Rift Between Conservative U.S. Catholics and the Vatican - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 12-16-23 KP 4: Why Are US Catholics Like That !? - The Kavernacle - Air Date 4-16-26 KP 5: Pope Bob Vs. Trump World Part 1 - Conspirituality - Air Date 5-22-25 KP 6: Did Trump Officials Threaten the Vatican' The Avignon Papacy Warning Explained - SWAJ with Brad Onishi and Dan Miller - Air Date 4-11-26 KP 7: Republicans .0002 Seconds After the Pope Says Anything - Man Carrying Thing - Air Date 4-18-26 (00:47:36) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Pope Leo vs. Trump: The Catholic Opening Democrats Are Blowing DEEPER DIVES (00:56:09) SECTION A: TRUMP AND COMPANY'S LOVE/HATE PAPAL RELATIONSHIP (01:39:29) SECTION B: ANTI CATHOLIC SENTIMENT IN AMERICA (02:05:17) SECTION C: THE POPE VS THE TRUMP (02:49:26) SECTION D: SOME MISC HISTORICAL CONTEXT SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Composite image of Pope Leo XIV and Trump against the background of Trump's AI image of himself as Jesus. Credit: Internal design. Components: 1. "Pope Leo XIV 3 (3x4 crop)" by Edgar Beltran, The Pillar via Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0 | Changes: Transparent background | 2. "Donald Trump" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Transparent background | 3. Trump as Jesus, AI image, Truth Social, Public Domain

Air Date: 4/24/2026 Today we explore how Viktor Orban spent 16 years transforming Hungary into a blueprint for 21st-century autocracy, how that blueprint traveled directly to the United States and what Hungary's stunning defeat of Orban can teach Americans about fighting back against authoritarianism. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! TOP TAKES KP 1: If Hungary Can Do It Part 1 - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 4-16-26 KP 2: What Orban's Loss Means for Anti-Fascists; Iran's Endgame with Jason Stanley, Mohammad Ali Shabani Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 4-14-26 KP 3: Viktor Orbán Part 1 - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 3-30-26 KP 4: How Do Peter Magyar's Politics Differ From Orban's Right-wing Populism Part 1 - DW News - Air Date 4-13-26 KP 5: On Tyranny, Orbán, and Trump (with Timothy Snyder) Part 1 - Stay Tuned with Preet - Air Date 4-16-26 KP 6: They Actually Voted Him Out Part 1 - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 4-16-26 KP 7: Viktor Orban's Loss in Hungary Gives Us the Roadmap to Destroy MAGA! - The Dean Obeidallah Show - Air Date 4-12-26 (00:48:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Trumpism Won't End With Trump, Here's What Comes Next DEEPER DIVES (00:56:57) SECTION A: ORIGINS (01:37:50) SECTION B: TACTICS (02:03:08) SECTION C: INTERNATIONAL SHOW IMAGE CREDITS Description: Photo of Hungary's out-going president Victor Orban standing with Trump in the White House while both display a thumbs-up. A "REJECTED" stamp is on Orban and a voting checkbox with an "X" in it is above him. A voting checkbox with a question mark in it is over Trump. Credit: Internal design. Component images: Pixabay Photo Credit: "President Victor Orban and President Trump", White House Instagram, Nov. 7, 2025 | Public Domain   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Follow BotL: Bluesky | Mastodon | Threads | X

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. Be part of the show! Leave a voice message, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! 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. 4: The Truth About The War In Afghanistan with Craig Whitlock - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 12-16-19 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 Ch. 7: The Afghanistan Papers with Steven Miles - News Beat with Rashed Mian and Christopher Twarowski - Air Date 12-23-19 SHOW IMAGE: "Afghanistan War Anniversary", Jayel Aheram on Flickr / License / Changes: Zoomed in and cropped   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!