#1788 Monthly-ish Mix: The America That Almost Was—Empire Abroad, Control at Home, and the Long Arc of Resistance

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!

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. Stop Trump's Wars REI Co-Op Members: Vote to Boycott Greeley Meatpacking Workers (UFCW Local 7R) Strike Fund No Kings - What's Next? One Million Rising Trainings In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach How to Support Minneapolis Communities Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY 5calls.org    

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. 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: Excerpt, "Cross of Iron" Speech, 1956 - Dwight D. Eisenhower KP 2: White House Accidentally Releases Video of Trump Saying the Truth About War's Priority - The Briefing with Jen Psaki - Air Date 4-2-26 KP 3: Lets Talk About Fertilizer - Paul Krugman - Air Date 3-21-26 KP 4: Why Israels Bombing of Lebanon Means All Our Futures Are at Stake - The Independent - Air Date 4-9-26 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 KP 8: Hormuz Crisis _Only Going to Get More Horrific Before It Gets Any Better__ Prof. Laleh Khalili - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-16-26 KP 9: Dwight D Eisenhower - Farewell Speech - Address to the Nation - Military Industrial Complex Warning - War and Military Documentaries - Air Date 1-17-61 (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

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] 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: 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 3: Arizona Secretary of State Trump Is Trying to Pick His Own Voters by Restricting Mail-in Ballots - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-3-26 KP 4: Desperate Election STUNT in California BLOCKED by Supreme Court - Legal AF - Air Date 4-9-26 KP 5: Mark Joseph Stern of Slate on SCOTUS Arguments to Block Late Arriving Mail Ballots Part 1 - The Bradcast - Air Date 3-24-26 KP 6: Voting Rights & Wrongs, According to SCOTUS with Steve Vladeck - Stay Tuned with Preet - Air Date 3-25-26 (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 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: 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] 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: 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 3: Sam Altman Isn't Building a Company, He's Building an Empire (with Karen Hao) Part 1 - There Are No Girls on the Internet - Air Date 3-31-26 KP 4: Sam Altman Is Dangerous To Silicon Valley - Better Offline - Air Date 6-13-24 KP 5: Ash Sarkar Calls Silicon Valley Tech Bros Emotionally Maladapted Psychopaths - BBC Question Time - Air Date 10-27-25 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

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. Stop Trump's Wars No Kings - What's Next?  

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] Full Show Notes Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: The long con of America's ultra-wealthy elites - The ReidOut - Air Date 1-2-25 KP 2: Crack-Up Capitalism- How Billionaire Elon Musk's Extremism Is Shaping Trump Admin & Global Politics - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-6-24 KP 3: GOP Already At Each Other's Throats While Musk Gloats - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 12-24-24 KP 4: MAGA civil war explodes between Elon & Trump faithful - No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen - Air Date 12-29-24 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