Best Reality Intercepted Podcasts (2025)

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SOLVED! #8 - PART 1: Drowning Men Will Clutch at Straws: Masculinity in a MAGA world 23:43

6h ago23:43

23:43

Air Date: 4-28-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Why the “manly” manufacturing jobs Trump and MAGA want are never coming back - Why incels love Trump’s tariffs - The sad flails of the “Make America Manly Again” movement - The “Sigma grindset” guys’ obsession with - and complete misunderstanding of - disturbing fictional movie charact…

1
#1706 Trump's Kafkaesque Deportation Nightmare is the Shame of the Nation 3:38:23

1d ago3:38:23

3:38:23

Air Date 4/26/2025 For those of us who knew that Trump was lawless and deeply racist in his desire for mass deportations of brown people, we're getting exactly what we expected. For others, at least the lawlessness is coming as a bit of a surprise, and yet, here we are. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@Be…

1
#1705 Threatened Social Safety Nets Are Foundational to Healthy Societies 3:06:26

6d ago3:06:26

3:06:26

Air Date 4/22/2025 George W. Bush proposed privatizing Social Security and didn't succeed. But, as with appointing Justices that would eventually overturn Roe V. Wade, groundwork was being laid as part of a multi-decade effort that would, they hoped, pay off in the future. So don't be surprised when they come for your earned benefits programs just …

1
#1704 Weaponization and Capitulation: Trump vs Immigrants, Universities, and Media 3:57:14

10d ago3:57:14

3:57:14

Air Date 4/18/2025 Before the election, I heard interviews and statistics about Trump supporters responding to his stated desire to weaponize the government against his political enemies. Their response was that 1) they didn't want him to do that and 2) didn't think he would. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email …

1
#1703 The Broligarchy and the Rise of Techno-Feudalism 2:54:05

14d ago2:54:05

2:54:05

Air Date 4/14/2025 Everything, it turns out, is a double-edged sword. Democracy and freedom are great but it also contains the keys to its own destruction. Love is pretty good but it turns out that only love can break your heart. And technology, which has freed people from countless hours of menial labor also has the power to subsume our economy, o…

1
#1254 Israeli right-wing politics has lead to some strange, fascist bedfellows (Throwback) 1:02:45

20d ago1:02:45

1:02:45

Original Air Date: 3/5/2019 From 2019: Today we take a look at how the illiberalism of the Israeli government has alienated the vast majority of democratic nations and individuals who support human rights, leaving the country with some of the most far-right, fascist, white-supremacist, anti-Semitic people in the world as their only remaining allies…

1
#1702 Destroying Education, Boosting Christian Nationalism: Rewriting the Past and Hamstringing the Future 3:06:00

23d ago3:06:00

3:06:00

Air Date 4/5/2025 Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past. And with Trump in place, the Christian Nationalists are looking to rewrite history to their liking in order to create the dystopian future they desire. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected]…

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#1701 Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way: Installing the Backbone Democrats Need 3:14:05

26d ago3:14:05

3:14:05

Air Date 4/2/2025 Love them or loathe them, the Democratic Party is the political institution available to the left to structurally take on Trumpism but we need a whole lot of new energy and new commitments to the fight to turn them into an opposition worthy of the moment we face. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or e…

1
#1700 Dehumanizing Trans People is Always the First Step for Fascists 4:10:13

30d ago4:10:13

4:10:13

Air Date 3/28/2025 You might not be trans yourself but that's just like how coal miners aren't canaries because when they saw that the canaries were under threat, they knew the danger was all around them. Fascists always start with those who are the easiest to dehumanize but they never stop there. ANNOUNCEMENT: Watch, like, subscribe & comment on o…

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#1479 Torturing Children and Families in the Name of Protecting Them (Trans Rights Throwback) 1:08:36

1M ago1:08:36

1:08:36

Original Air Date: 3/29/2022 Today we take a look at the current iteration of the cynical culture wars being waged by conservative Republicans against LGBTQ kids for political gain. The current wave of anti-trans and anti-gay legislation sprouting across the country is not about protecting kids and is absolutely nothing new. Be part of the show! Le…

1
SOLVED! #3 - Common Sense Is Not So Common 22:18

1M ago22:18

22:18

Air Date: 3–24-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Our new game Satire Showdown - The authoritarian takeover of the term common sense - How Americans actually feel about DEI initiatives - The right’s turn on Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett - A deep dive on the theory of a multiracial Right and how Democrats should respond FOLLO…

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#1699 A Government Of the People, By the People, and Weaponized Against the People 3:04:48

1M ago3:04:48

3:04:48

Air Date 3/21/2025 If you've been paying attention, the weaponization of the government against Trump's political and ideological enemies is exactly what you would have seen coming and now it's here. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Full Show Notes | Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support …

1
Bonus Edition #341 - SOLVED! Like a Flame in the Night 25:33

1M ago25:33

25:33

Air Date: 3–19-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - A special little ditty Jay put together - The legitimate problems that helped birth the damaging MAHA movement - Sherrod Brown’s OpEd on how the Democrats lost their way - What Jay learned from India’s railway engineers - An interview with Ro Khanna that sparked some hope FOLLOW US ON:…

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#1698 Resistance is Not Futile: Support the collective revolt against Trumpism (Special Podcasthon!) 3:04:54

1M ago3:04:54

3:04:54

Air Date 3/18/2025 In this special Podcasthon episode, we're joining thousands of podcasts around the world in taking the opportunity this week to support a cause or organization that we believe in. In this time of fighting fascism, Best of the Left has chosen to support Indivisible, the grassroots organizing team that's working to resist Trumpism …

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#1697 The Trump World Order: Are we the Baddies? 3:33:24

1M ago3:33:24

3:33:24

Air Date 3/15/2025 It always bears repeating that the progressive perspective on the state of the world is not that everything was going just fine before Trump showed up but there's a world of difference between the leftist desire to improve things and Trump's bull-in-a-china-shop foreign and economic policies. Allow us to list the ways. Be part of…

1
#1696 Monthly Mix: Ethnic Cleansing Gaza, Mass Deportations, Deconstructing the State, Trump's Corruption 3:27:43

2M ago3:27:43

3:27:43

Air Date 3/12/2025 The (Approximately) Monthly Mix is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we look at the future for Gaza, Trump's plans for mass deportations, the decline of the US on the international stage, the wrecking crew dismantling the federal government, RFK Jr. and the threat to public health, an…

1
Bonus Edition #340 - SOLVED! Prophetic Voices from the Past and Hope for the Future 32:51

2M ago32:51

32:51

Air Date: 3–9-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The Founding Fathers’ prophetic concerns that we don’t ever talk about - FDR VP Harry Wallace’s op-ed on American fascism from 1944 - Philosopher Richard Rorty’s chilling predictions from 1998 - A few reasons - with caveats - why U.S. Democracy might make it through Trump 2.0 - Some hop…

1
#1695 Trump's Corruption As A Matter Of Course and a Strategy to Hold Power 3:25:50

2M ago3:25:50

3:25:50

Air Date 3/7/2025 Corruption, for those who indulge, isn't just a perk of power, it can also be a method of maintaining it. Trump is not bothering to hide the corruption he's working to facilitate or how it's geared toward supporting his desire for unchecked power. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfT…

1
#1694 Unhealthy Discourse: RFK Jr. and the Anti-Science Movement Endangering Global Health 2:23:48

2M ago2:23:48

2:23:48

Air Date 3/4/2025 An old proverb says that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and we're all about to see how dangerous as know-nothings and science skeptics take over the government agencies staffed by doctors and scientists with the goal of keeping the population healthy. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or emai…

1
Bonus Edition #339 - SOLVED! The Power of Entrepreneurial Spirit Compels You! 19:19

2M ago19:19

19:19

Air Date: 3-2-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - How “entrepreneurialism” has gained unearned adoration and disempowered labor organizing - The 100-year-old “New Thought” era and how it shaped our current culture of work - The social critic Theodore Roszak’s accurate predictions about the dark turn of tech and work - What Democrats sh…

1
#1496 Home Is Where The Hardship Is (Housing Crisis Throwback) 1:07:48

2M ago1:07:48

1:07:48

Original Air Date: 615/2022 The many reasons why we are experiencing a housing crisis in the US and beyond but it mostly comes down to treating housing as a commodity to be profited from rather than a basic human need or, if you're feeling radical, a basic human right. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@Bes…

1
#1693 Empowering Ethnostates: Ethnically cleansing Gaza and Trump's South Africa fixation 3:00:42

2M ago3:00:42

3:00:42

Air Date 2/25/2025 Racism is at the core of most of what Trump believes so it should be no surprise when he aligns himself and the country with explicitly supremacist projects like the perceived Jewish superiority over Palestinians and the assumed "reverse racism" against White South Africans Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-9…

1
Bonus Edition #338 - SOLVED! Friends, Enemies, and Blood Chutes 21:29

2M ago21:29

21:29

Air Date: 2-23-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - The heavy influence of a Nazi political theorist (propagandist) on the MAGA movement - How our disagreements on baseline reality lead us to devastatingly different conclusions - What many Trump supporters hoped for vs. what they got - How so-called Timeline apps may help us extricate o…

1
#1692 Ethnically Cleansing America: Trump's racist whirlwind of deportation and criminalization of immigration 3:10:36

2M ago3:10:36

3:10:36

Air Date 2/21/2025 There is nothing other than racism at the heart of Trump's immigration policy. He wants to deport as many brown people as possible, stop as many immigrants and refugees as possible unless they're White people from South Africa or the nearly 40 million Canadians he's inviting to enjoy immediate US citizenship. This is not complica…

1
#1691 Democracy Emergency, Constitutional Crisis, Democratic Backsliding, Failing Guardrails 2:46:06

2M ago2:46:06

2:46:06

Air Date 2/18/2025 Democracies slide into dictatorship in two ways, first slowly and then all of a sudden. We have been sliding in this direction for at least as long as I have been paying attention to politics and we're finally at the moment where that slow slide shifts into full speed. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-39…

1
Bonus Edition #337 - SOLVED! Bullying the Biggest Losers 20:32

2M ago20:32

20:32

Air Date: 2-16-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Why we may be forced to bring back bullying - The impact of algorithms and what we can do about it - Democrats and the meaning of 'the medium is the message' - The unbelievable stupidity of techbro dweebs and their followers - The sociopathic reasons why Musk is doing this Not a member…

1
#943 No human being is illegal (Throwback) 47:37

2M ago47:37

47:37

Original Air Date: 8/4/2015 The dysfunctional state of the US immigration system and the political fight brewing over what to do about it Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Full Show Notes BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and …

1
#1690 Oligarchy Unmasked: Why Billionaires Hate Democracy and How They're Dismantling It 3:00:39

3M ago3:00:39

3:00:39

Air Date 2/11/2025 The very rich, as has been noted before, are not on the side of regular people. And even if you think that the federal government needs a major reboot, no one but the ultra-wealthy are going to be happy with what they build in the aftermath of the administrative coup currently underway. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or …

1
Bonus Edition #336 - SOLVED! Demystifying Our Reality 14:16

3M ago14:16

14:16

Air Date: 2-10-25 Today, Jay! and Amanda (Deon and Erin were sick) discuss: - Why you should be using an RSS reader - The danger of Mystification as humans try to cope - Musk and Trump's flagrant law breaking - What Dems and you can do, with some tips from our own experience FOLLOW US ON: Bluesky Mastadon Instagram Facebook YouTube Nostr public key…

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#1689 The Media and the Moguls: Corporate Media is not equipped for Trump 2:08:21

3M ago2:08:21

2:08:21

Air Date 2/7/2025 Trump came in with a plan to subdue the media and large swaths of the media came in with a plan to acquiesce. But it's important to understand why because it's not a conspiracy or people wanting to do harm, it's structural to the system. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected]…

1
#1688 International Decline: The Old Is Dying and the New Cannot Be Born 3:32:13

3M ago3:32:13

3:32:13

Air Date 2/4/2025 The era of unquestioned US hegemony is undoubtedly on the decline but the future is much more complicated and uncertain than the straightforward idea of China rising to take our place that we've been told. Though Trump is not the cause of US decline, he may send us out in a tragic blaze of glory. Be part of the show! Leave us a me…

1
Bonus Edition #335 - SOLVED! Good Advice in Bad Times 27:14

3M ago27:14

27:14

Air Date: 2-2-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: - How the resistance is transforming, not over - What actually worked when resisting Trump's first term - A curation of good advice on being effective and staying sane this time around FOLLOW US ON: Bluesky Mastadon Instagram Facebook YouTube Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf…

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#1687 Respite: Ceasefire in Gaza and the Legacy of Imperial Folly in the Middle East 2:52:25

3M ago2:52:25

2:52:25

Air Date 1/31/2025 The genocide and subsequent ceasefire in Gaza is only the latest horrifying consequence of botched military misadventures in the Middle East and if the history of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay prisons can teach us anything it's that atrocities have long shadows. Be part of the show! Leave us a me…

1
#1686 Temperatures Rising, Tempers Flaring: LA Fires, Climate Emergencies, Conspiracies, and Water Wars 3:20:45

3M ago3:20:45

3:20:45

Air Date 1/28/2025 The existence of out-of-control wildfires in Los Angeles amid the rising climate crisis is not confusing or strange. How to deal with such an emergency during our ongoing political and information crisis is a completely different story. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected]…

1
Bonus Edition #334 - SOLVED! Collaborators, Internal Exiles, and Dissidents 22:19

3M ago22:19

22:19

Air Date: 1-26-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: - The mindset of collaborators - Why many people turn inward and drop out - at their own risk - under authoritarianism - The nature of true dissidents and what we can learn from them FOLLOW US ON: Bluesky Mastadon Instagram Facebook YouTube Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf0…

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#1085 A case against the myth of individualism (Throwback) 56:35

3M ago56:35

56:35

Original Air Date: 3/7/2017 Today we look at the dangerous myths of individualism and the American Dream™, some of their origins and some of their consequences Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Full Show Notes Show Notes Ch. 1: Opening Theme: A Fond Farewell - From a Basement On the Hill…

1
#1685 Faux Populism and Neoliberalism: Working People Are Stuck Between Oligarchy and Disregard 2:37:47

3M ago2:37:47

2:37:47

Air Date 1/21/2025 Decades ago, the conscious decision was made to exacerbate inequality for the sake of economic growth that would supposedly lift all boats. What probably wasn't understood at the time is that the logical conclusion of that choice would be to break democracy and usher in oligarchy. Now working people are left with only bad choices…

1
Bonus Edition #333 - This is What Democracy (Actually) Looks Like 21:57

3M ago21:57

21:57

Air Date: 1-20-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: - Our new show name! - Getting over hurdles to find and form local community as a form of resistance and preparation - The study groups teachers are forming to teach and learn real history - How Citizen Assemblies could transform American politics for the better FOLLOW US ON: Bluesky Ma…

1
#1684 The Last Honest President: The imperfect life and legacy of Jimmy Carter 2:48:59

3M ago2:48:59

2:48:59

Air Date 1/18/2025 We are looking back on Jimmy Carter's life and legacy as a lens through which to more clearly see and understand the current state of our politics, our incoming president, the Middle East, the climate, and more. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Full Show Notes | Transc…

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#1683 Oligarchy Unmasked: President Musk, the crackup of capitalism, and the MAGA meltdown 2:30:00

3M ago2:30:00

2:30:00

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 us a messa…

1
#1682 Looking Back to Trump 1.0 (Remix) 1:08:41

4M ago1:08:41

1:08:41

Air Date: 1/11/2025 Today, we look back to the warnings we gave ourselves at the beginning of the first Trump administration. In 2017 there was concern about corruption and his business dealings, ethics around his nominees, and the inability of the media to cover him properly. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email…

1
#1681 Trump's American Imperialism: Threatening Friends and Annoying Neighbors 2:08:03

4M ago2:08:03

2:08:03

Air Date 1/8/2025 Trump's first term was marked by all of the friendships he built with some of the world's worst, most oppressive leaders. His second term is getting an early start as he has begun making threats toward traditional allies and friends including Canada, Mexico, Greenland, and Panama. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at…

1
Bonus Edition #332 Transgressive Thoughts in a Villain Era 20:38

4M ago20:38

20:38

Air Date: 1-6-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: - Why people love villains - How plutocracy kills - Why the path forward is through membership organizations FOLLOW US ON: Bluesky Mastadon Instagram Facebook YouTube Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e REFERENCES: The Year Villainy Won Pluto…

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#1680 The US puts the Hell in Health Care: For-profit insurance, Pharma, and the hatred and conspiracies they breed 1:49:07

4M ago1:49:07

1:49:07

Air Date 1/4/2025 The murder of a health insurance CEO being met with widespread approval and the risk of going backward on life-saving vaccines pretty much sums up the current state of our approach to health care in this country. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Full Show Notes | Transc…

1
#1554 Destroying Education and Democracy for Fun and Profit (Throwback) 1:05:22

4M ago1:05:22

1:05:22

Original Air Date: 4/19/2023 Today, we take a look at the history and present of the interconnected movements to privatize education and dismantle democracy. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Full Show Notes BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Membership 20% off for the Holiday! Get Bonus Shows + …

1
#1679 The Middle East War Process: Syria's Transition, Israel's Expansion, and Beyond 2:42:17

4M ago2:42:17

2:42:17

Air Date 12/28/2024 Decades of dictatorial rule in Syria have come to an end, leading to something else to be determined. Israel sprang into action taking control of Syrian land on their border. And no one seems to care what the US thinks of all this, which is telling. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@Bes…

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#1566 Wrestling with Ethical Consumption Under Capitalism (Throwback) 1:09:34

4M ago1:09:34

1:09:34

Original Air Date: 6/13/2023 Today, we take a look at the struggle to act ethically, at least by our own measure if there's not a universally-agreed standard to compare with, relating to the purchase of both the necessities of life we all need as well as the more luxury items that get added on top. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at…

1
Bonus Edition #331 - The Realignment Will Make You Seasick 21:37

4M ago21:37

21:37

LOOKING FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS? bestoftheleft.com/holiday Air Date: 12-23-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin was again missed) discuss: - The Realignment of the right-wing toward economic populism and government programs - The need for a different kind of government efficiency than DOGE is offering - The future of the left working to fix government …

1
#1678 Trump's Total Dominance Over the Republican Party and the Resistance Efforts Already Underway 2:04:28

4M ago2:04:28

2:04:28

Air Date 12/20/2024 There's no denying that things are about to get bad, Trump and company have had years to prepare for their next turn in office, but those preparing to resist also have the benefit of past experience resulting in a response to Trumpism that looks very different this time around. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at …

1
#1677 Dems Can't Have Their Billionaires and Beat Them Too: The politics of anti-elitism 2:26:27

4M ago2:26:27

2:26:27

Air Date 12/17/2024 Changing the direction of a political party doesn't happen overnight and it usually takes a major disrupting event to shake it out of its well-wore groove. The loss of the Harris campaign to Trump and the evident desperation people have for a new economics that works for people might finally be enough to put Democrats on track t…

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