Stay ConnectedExpertly-curated progressive politics, news, and culture produced by leftist humans, not algorithms or AI. This is an award-winning podcast that dives deeply into a wide range of national and international issues facing society and governments. We draw from hundreds of sources of progressive news and commentary. Est. 2006.
Save time by listening to a range of perspectives on a focused topic in each episode and be introduced to new sources you will not have come across on your own!
Air Date 10/25/2025
Trump's attacks on free speech, particularly with the use of the Federal Communications Commission, goes far beyond the Jimmy Kimmel story. We're in the middle of an all-out assault on freedom of speech, a free and unbiased press, and freedom of association.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: FCC's Anna Gomez & Axios' Sara Fischer - Axios - Air Date 9-19-25
KP 2: Bari Weiss, CBS News, And The Conservative Media Takeover - Lever Time - Air Date 10-9-25
KP 5: Is ANTIFAscism Really a Violent Extremist Movement? - Matthew Cooke - Air Date 10-14-25
(00:48:56) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On 'Working the Refs'
DEEPER DIVES
(00:53:51) SECTION A: ANTIFA
(01:15:09) SECTION B: POLITICAL ENEMIES
(01:53:02) SECTION C: FREE SPEECH
(02:29:52) SECTION D: MEDIA TAKEOVER
(02:52:28) SECTION E: MOCKING THE FACISTS
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Black and white version of the official portrait of FCC Chair Brendan Carr with the list of words banned by the Trump administration in red over his face.
Credit: Internal composite design. | Carr official portrait via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Original Air Date: 10/13/2020
Today we take a look at the myths of Columbus and American Exceptionalism™ that we cling to and turn our gaze to some of the less-understood but more accurate and important aspects of our collective history
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 2: Why the US celebrates Columbus Day - Vox - Air Date 10-8-20
Ch. 3: Columbus In His Own Words - Let's Talk Native TV - Air Date 10-12-19
Ch. 4: In Search of a Better American Myth - Progressive Faith Sermons, Dr. Roger Ray - Air Date 10-11-20
Ch. 6: City Upon A Hill: A History Of American Exceptionalism - BackStory - Air Date 1-22-16
Ch. 7: The American Exceptionalism Mythology - Loud & Clear - Air Date 7-5-19
Ch. 8: Columbus redux! - Let's Talk Native - Air Date 7-17-19
Ch. 9: Why The Right Is So Dishonest About American History - Cracked (Some More News) - Air Date 11-21-17
SHOW IMAGE
"Christopher Columbus Statue Torn Down at Minnesota State Capitol" by Tony Webster, Flickr | License | Modifications: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Air Date: 10–14-25
Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
Ch. 1 - The cartoonish conservative and libertarian responses to Trump's state capitalism
Ch. 2 - Trump's interest in sovereign wealth funds, and the lie the right sells its supporters about getting money back
Ch. 3 - The left spectrum of reactions to Trump's state capitalism
Ch. 4 - Why Trump is definitely, 100%, not in any way a socialist
SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: Ayn Rand's nearly psychotic opposition to altruism
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REFERENCES:
The Danger of Trump Seizing Private Companies - Time magazine
Trump's "State Capitalism … a Hybrid Between Socialism and Capitalism" Won't Make America Great Again - Cato Institute
Trump Is Embracing 'Daddy State' Economics - Reason
Trump's brand of US capitalism faces 'socialist' backlash from conservatives - BBC
Trump, national-capitalism at bay - Heterodox
Don't Let Trump Define What State Capitalism Can Be - The New Republic
What State Capitalism Can Do—and What It Can't - The American Prospect
Unfortunately, Donald Trump is Not a Socialist - Current Affairs
EXTRAS
Were the Nazis Socialists? - Britannica
r/AskHistorians: "Is Nazism right wing or left wing?"
Interview with Hitler - Interviews (Anthology 1859-1993)
BACKSTAGE
I've spent my entire career studying stress—the No. 1 cure for it might 'surprise' you - CNBC
Leonard Peikoff - Wikipedia
Air Date 10/19/2025
Robber Barons™ of The Gilded Age™ told themselves stories about how they were ushering in progress for all which is why, they argued, they shouldn't be constrained by things like safety regulations or worker unions - impoverishing millions while injuring and killing thousands in the process. It took a stock market crash, the Great Depression, WWII, and The New Deal to finally wrench the power away and redistribute it for the sake of building a middle class that could work in relative safety in the US. Today's Robber Barrons™ ushering in techno-feudalism under the banner of AI-For-All are no different but with even higher stakes in the balance.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: We're in Our AI Slop Era Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 8-7-25
KP 2: What AI Means for Your Money, Music and Love Life Part 1 - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 9-26-25
KP 3: AI Slop Part 1 - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 6-23-25
KP 4: Family Accuses ChatGPT of Helping Their Son Commit Suicide - The Briefing - AIr Date 8-30-25
KP 5: The REAL Reason Trump and Big Tech Want AI in Our Schools - More Perfect Union - Air Date 10-2-25
KP 6: AI and the Demise of College Writing Part 1 - Adam Walker - Close Reading Poetry - Air Date 7-15-25
(00:56:20) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the pattern of capitalism's social costs
DEEPER DIVES
(01:05:22) SECTION A: AL SLOP
(02:05:43) SECTION B: SOCIAL ASPECTS
(02:47:46) SECTION C: LABOR AND EDUCATION
(03:46:34) SECTION D: DATA CENTERS
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: AI-generated image of robot hands holding up a small globe against a desolate dessert background.
Credit: "ai-generated-robot-earth" via geralt, Pixabay | Pixabay License
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date: 10–5-25
Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
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REFERENCES:
You Think the Bari Weiss–CBS News Story Is Bad? No—It's Much Worse. - The New Republic
The Billionaire Trump Supporter Who Will Soon Own the News - The New York Times
We Have Seen the 'Woke Right' Before, and It Wasn't Pretty Then, Either - The New York Times
Trump Administration Wields Its Full Toolbox to Bring Media to Heel - The New York Times
We Can No Longer Tell Ourselves This Isn't Really Happening - The New York Times
Is Trump's Attack on the Media Following Putin's Playbook? - The New Yorker
Trump is going to lose the war on free speech - New York Magazine
EXTRAS
Carsie Blanton " God Bless the Grass" (by Malvina Reynolds)
**Carsie Blanton and ~450 other unarmed humanitarians from more than 40 countries have been abducted by Israeli forces from the Global Sumud Flotilla. Call your members of Congress: https://globalsumudflotilla.org/contact-officials/
BACKSTAGE
Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines - The Ezra Klein Show (The New York Times)
TAKE ACTION:
No Kings National Day of Action - Oct. 18th
Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation
Air Date 10/10/2025
The strategy that Trump and the masterminds behind Project 2025 are following is to move as fast as possible to implement their agenda because they know perfectly well how unpopular it is and will be as time goes on. It's hard to argue that anything good will come of this but I'm going to try during my comments anyway.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Checking In On The Federal Workforce As The Government Shuts Down - 1A - Air Date 10-1-25
KP 3: The Vought Doctrine Make It Hurt - Velshi - Air Date 10-5-25
KP 4: SCOTUS Rulings BACKFIRE on THEMSELVES Part 1 - Legal AF - Air Date 8-2-25
KP 5: Trumps Battle With The Federal Reserve Part 1 - 1A - Air Date 9-10-2025
KP 6: The Trump Administration's SCOTUS Winning Streak Part 1 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 9-29-25
(01:04:39) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On what Trump's lightning attack on America could mean for the future
DEEPER DIVES
(01:48:40) SECTION B: SHUTDOWN & PROJECT 2025
(02:30:24) SECTION C: AUTHORITARIAN'S HAMMER
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Illustrated image in pop art style of Donald Trump smirking in front of a red banner and sunburst imagery with "Project 2025" on the banner on either side of his head.
Base Image Credit: "Donald-trump-divided-country-usa" by tweetyspics, Pixabay | Pixabay License | Changes: Text overlay added
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 10/7/2025
The Trump administration has been doing what we knew it would: breaking laws and losing about 95% of their court battles. And the conservatively stacked Supreme Court has been doing what we knew it would: overwhelmingly ruling for Trump to cover his tracks because that's what they were put there to do.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Hiding in the Shadow Docket - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 8-24-25
KP 2: Does It Matter? Trump Keeps Losing on Immigration in the Courts - Democracy Now! - Air Date 9-3-25
(00:51:05) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On authoritarianism in practice
DEEPER DIVES
(01:00:16) SECTION A: PAVING THE PATH
A4: Lawfare Daily: The Trials of the Trump Administration - The Lawfare Podcast - Air Date 9-5-25
(01:41:19) SECTION B: LEGAL GRAY AREA
B1: Trump Brings the War Home - 5-4 - Air Date 8-8-25
B2: Bedrock Con Law 101 - Divided Argument - Air Date 8-29-25
B4: Justice Thomas Cautions Against Following Precedent - Bloomberg Law - Air Date 9-30-25
(02:19:05) SECTION C: CORRUPTION
C1: How Trump Is Using the DOJ as His Personal Law Firm - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 8-25-25
(02:31:03) SECTION D: HOPE?
D3: The Lower Courts Punch Up - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 9-8-25
D5: Trump Hijacked the Courts: Here's How to Fix It- Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 8-28-25
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Composite image depicting a photo of the exterior of the U.S. Supreme Court with giant chains crossed over the building with an orange seal with the silhouette of Donald Trump where the chains cross.
Photo Credit: "US Supreme Court" by David (dbking), Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, and added chain vector image
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 10/3/2025
People around the world are angry, often for different reasons and even more frequently based on falseities - though not always. For instance, the Right in the UK and France are upset about immigration though most of those who are angry are wrong about the facts. But there's also widespread dissatisfaction with national governments and pessimism about their ability to make life better over the short term which is leading to much less predictable politics.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Block Everything W/ Sebastian Budgen Part 1 - Jacobin Radio - Air Date 9-16-25
KP 2: Why France Might Soon Have a Far-right Government Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 9-15-25
KP 5: Why Trumpworld Is Obsessed with Free Speech in Britain Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 9-18-25
KP 7: Inside Europe 11 September 2025 Part 1 - Inside Europe - Air Date 9-11-25
KP 8: Social Media Ban Sparks Deadly Protests in Nepal - The World - Air Date 9-8-25
(01:01:29) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On free speech and framing
DEEPER DIVES
(01:15:16) SECTION A: BLOQUONS TOUT
(01:48:32) SECTION B: UK FAR-RIGHT
(02:19:45) SECTION C: AMERICA AND THE EU
(02:46:06) SECTION D: NEPAL
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Photo of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President of France Emmanuel Macron walking down a street.
Credit: "Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Ukraine" by Number 10, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Air Date: 09/30/25
The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we track the dangerous convergence of domestic collapse and international chaos by looking at political violence and martyrdom accelerating division, institutional capture from the courts to the media, the dismantling of voting rights and public health infrastructure, military deployments at home and wars abroad, plus the resistance movements fighting back through town halls, labor organizing, and revolutionary art despite overwhelming odds.
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PART 1: THE HOME FRONT CRUMBLES
(00:01:50) #1739 The Charlie Kirk Assassination and the Plans to Weaponize It1: Chris Hedges: The Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 9-12-25
2: The "Both Sides" Scam: How False Balance Fuels Extremism - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 9-12-25
3: No, Charlie Kirk Was Not Practicing Politics the Right Way - Mother Jones - Air Date 9-12-25
(00:22:18) #1736 Not the Opposition Party the Country Needs Right Now5: Journalist Exposes Dark Money on the Left - UNFTR Media - Air Date 8-30-25
(00:40:43) #1728 The Lawfare Presidency: The Case of Trump v. Journalism7: Trumps War on the Media - Courier - Air Date 7-29-25.mp3 08-01-26-762
(01:02:37) #1731 Raw Power, the Presidency, the Courts, and Democracy in the Balance9: When Unaccountable People Come for Your Vote - Amicus with Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 7-26-25
PART 2: INSTITUTIONAL DECAY AND CONTROL
(01:17:27) #1732 It's Never Just About the Kids (Online Censorship, Age Verification, and the Project 2025 Agenda)11: Age Verification Will Kill Free Speech Online - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 6-6-25
12: Can the UK Child-proof the Internet? - Front Burner - Air Date 7-31-25
(01:43:50) #1733 The Impossible Promise of Make American Healthy Again: MAHA vs MAGA15: The Nutrition Lies We All Fell For Part 1 - Rich Roll - Air Date 8-11-25
16: Dr. Mikes Fight to Save Medicine From RFK Jr. Part 1 - Bulwark Takes - Air Date 8-4-24
(02:04:58) #1730 The Axis of the Dark Personality Triad: Unfit Leaders and the Suffering They Cause17: The World War II Lessons Trump, Putin, & Netanyahu Actually Learned - Tad Stoermer - Air Date 8-8-25
19: Trump Pushes Forward with Revenge Presidency - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 8-8-25
PART 3: THE WORLD BURNS
(02:26:54) #1735 Trump's Making Friends of Enemies and Enemies of Neighbors (Foreign and Domestic Wars)22: Why Are US Warships Going to Venezuela Part 1 - The Take - Air Date 8-28-25
(02:51:27) #1738 Escalations: Russia, Israel, And What We Are Allowed to Say About ItPART 4: RESISTANCE DESPITE FRAGMENTATION
(03:15:52) #1737 State of the Resistance: Labor, Anger, and Knowing That We've Been Here Before (03:39:51) #1734 Where is the Revolutionary, Anti-Fascist Art?Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date: 9–24-25
Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
Ch. 1 - Intro, and quick follow up on bad satire
Ch. 2 - The new culture of 'buy now pay later' and how these companies are manipulating the public to normalize the culture of overconsumption
Ch. 3 - How companies pass the environmental toll of their products on the public, and the rise of "cute" debt
Ch. 4 - The way heavy 'buy now pay later' marketing has dramatically changed people's impression of how they spend their money
Ch. 5 - Why poor voters are America's swing voters and why that's extremely important right now
SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: How we should address young boy's anger
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REFERENCES:
Buy now, pay later usage for groceries nearly doubles as consumers struggle with food costs - Fox Business
Consumers Are Financing Their Groceries. What Does It Say About the Economy? - The New York Times
Inside the Manipulative "conspiracy" of consumption - Fast Company
The Rise of 'Cute Debt' - The Atlantic
The 'Buy Now, Pay Later' Bubble Is About to Burst - The Atlantic
Poor People Are America's Swing Voters - Time
MEMBERS
Child Soldiers - Slate
TAKE ACTION:
No Kings National Day of Action - Oct. 18th
Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation
In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach
Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials
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