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Air Date 7/17/2024
Recent elections in the UK, France and Mexico spanned the spectrum from confirming inevitabilities to completely upending expectations but they each have lessons for politics in the US
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: The UK Election Results Explained - TLDR News - Air Date 7-5-24
KP 2: Shocking French election results- What you need to know - Zeteo - Air Date 7-8-24
KP 4: Labour Wins Massive Majority On Low Vote Share, Gaza Costs Starmer - Novara Media - Air Date 7-5-24
KP 5: France's leftwing alliance beat the far right, but what now? - Today in Focus - Air Date 7-8-24
(1:00:32) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how to react to the current political moment and all of the many moments to come
Article: The Democratic Party's Strange Attraction to Defeatism
DEEPER DIVES
(1:10:16) SECTION A: FRANCE
(1:44:54) SECTION B: GREAT BRITAIN
(1:59:28) SECTION C: MEXICO
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Graphic of a partially transparent ballot box with the UK flag, the French flag and the Mexican flag visible in composite in the background.
Credit: Composite design by A. Hoffman. Images from Pixabay.
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Air Date: 7-14-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin couldn't join us) discuss: - How we're feeling - The philosophy of liberal patriotism - The positive policies Democrats should be running on to inspire voters - The reckoning the current Democratic Party desperately needs
REFERENCES: Liberal Patriotism Is About More Than Flag-Waving
How to Beat Trump in a World of Unreason
Democrats don't just need a new candidate. They need a reckoning.
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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 on Apple Podcasts!
Air Date 7/12/2024
From solar scams to controversial congestion pricing and the smart grid that's needed to connect it all, we look at the messy and difficult path to a low-carbon future.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: When solar power leaves you feeling burned - Today, Explained - Air Date 1-2-24
KP 3: This is what's REALLY holding back wind and solar - DW Planet A - Air Date 6-2-23
KP 4: How to fix clean energy's storage problem - VOX - Air Date 4-27-23
KP 6: The Lost Subways of North America - 99% Invisible - Air Date 5-21-24
KP 8: Comptroller on Congestion Pricing's Indefinite Pause - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 6-17-24
(54:25) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how to make the case to Biden to step aside
DEEPER DIVES
(1:01:35) SECTION A: ENERGY POLICIES
(1:20:31) SECTION B: THE INTENTIONAL SOLAR SCAM
(1:36:14) SECTION C: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Photo of a smoggy traffic jam on a highway, taken from the middle of the lane behind the cars. Cars' brake lights are visible.
Credit: "World Class Traffic Jam: Jersey Turnpike Version" by b k, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Slight crop
Original Air Date: 2/5/2019
Today we take a look at the history of FDR's "Four Freedoms" and "Economic Bill of Rights" that laid the groundwork for the fight for economic freedom for all that continues to this day.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Harvey Kaye, "The Fight for the Four Freedoms" - Book TV - Air Date 5-11-14
Harvey Kaye examines the progressivism of the Roosevelt-era and argues that a reminder of the "four freedoms" could address today's political and social issues.
Ch. 2: What Ted Cruz Doesn't Get About 'Freedom' - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 7-21-16
Thom talks about Ted Cruz's speech at the Republican Convention and compares his definition of 'freedom' with the way it was described by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Ch. 3: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 1 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18
F.D.R. recognized that the original bill of rights would not be enough to make all American's truly free and proposed an economic bill of rights. Of the eight amendments he proposed in 1944, seven are still waiting to be implemented.
Ch. 4: Fighting for the Four Freedoms - @BillMoyersHQ And Company - Air Date 4-15-14
Historian Harvey J. Kaye talks about how FDR was able to mobilize Americans to create "the strongest and most prosperous country in human history."
Explaining that libertarian thinking doesn't incorporate the existence of economic coercion
Ch. 6: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 2 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18
Ch. 7: Bernie Sanders & FDR's Second Bill of Rights - Berniementum - Air Date 8-12-15
President FDR's Second Bill of Rights speech - January 11, 1944 Sen. Bernie Sanders speech at the National Press Club - Mar. 9, 2015 Music - "There is Romance" by Imcompetech
University of Wisconsin Professor Harvey J Kaye author of Fight for the Four Freedoms: What Made FDR and the Greatest Generation Truly Great, explains Ronald Reagan and the great pushback against a progressive America
Ch. 9: An Overdue Second Bill of Rights Part 3 - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 10-7-18
Air Date: 7-7-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - Some stuff that we planned and A LOT more that we did not.
REFERENCES: The Cause That Turned Idealists Into Authoritarian Zealots
The Baffling Disaster Unfolding at the Washington Post
The Democratic Governor Whose Message Can't Be Beat
Best of the Left #1247 The Fight for the Four Freedoms (FDR vs. Libertarianism)
The Fight for the Four Freedoms
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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 on Apple Podcasts!
Air Date 7/5/2024
China is an undeniable force in the world relating to several major political issues and to address their influence without a deep understanding of the history, context, and current dynamics would be to invite 100 years of humiliation.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: Joe Biden's Radical Worldview - More Perfect Union - Air Date 6-27-24
KP 2: Why China Doesn't Identify with the West, Explained - Siming Lan - Air Date 9-23-22
KP 3: Has China's Belt and Road Initiative been a success? - Financial Times - Air Date 10-30-23
KP 4: Why China Isn't the Problem - Our Changing Climate - Air Date 5-5-23
KP 6: Why China's Economy is Finally Slowing Down - Wendover - Air Date 3-21-24
KP 7: Our New Global Economy - Johnny Harris - Air Date 12-20-23
(1:04:13) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On how Joe Biden can become a hero in the wake of his debate with Trump
DEEPER DIVES
(1:12:51) SECTION A: CHINA'S ECONOMIC FOREIGN POLICY
A2: Has Africa gained from China's infrastructure plans? - Focus on Africa - Air Date 10-20-23
(1:37:10) SECTION B: THE EV WARS
(1:59:44) SECTION C: TECH AND SPACE RACE
(2:14:44) SECTION D: ESCALATING TENSIONS
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: An illustration of a darkened, draped Chinese flag, with its 5-star pattern, close up.
Credit: "China flag" by The Digital Artist, Pixabay | Pixabay License |Changes: Added dark overlay
Air Date 7/2/2024
Border security around the world continues to take turns for the dark and dystopian as right-wing sentiment against migrants and refugees continues to escalate to the extreme.
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Air Date 7/2/2024
Border security around the world continues to take turns for the dark and dystopian as right-wing sentiment against migrants and refugees continues to escalate to the extreme.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: EU Border Enforcement, Part 1 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 6-4-24
KP 3: Migrants & Refugees, the Pope & Volkswagen - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 5-26-24
KP 6: EU Border Enforcement, Part 2 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 6-5-24
(52:45) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On our summer membership drive
DEEPER DIVES
(57:32) SECTION A: POLITICIZATION OF THE BORDER
(1:19:47) SECTION B: BRUTAL BORDER ENFORCEMENT
(1:36:40) SECTION C: BORDER INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
(1:48:14) SECTION D: MIGRANT STORIES
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Composite graphic showing a deep blue ocean with the gold stars of the EU flag. On the horizon, a faded US flag is behind concertina wire fencing. In the center, a long boat full of refugees floats on the water.
Credit: Composite Design by A. Hoffman. | Composite imagery via Pixabay | Photo: "P52 Migrants 19 July 2015 03" by Oglaigh na hEireann, Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0 Changes: Cropped and reduced opacity
Air Date: 6-30-24 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - the baffling trend of tech companies using cautionary tales from dystopian fiction as a blueprint for what to create next - how the people who build or champion tools of oppression never think those same tools will inevitably be turned on them - the use of drones as first responders, and the long term effects this has had on the residents - a different perspective on how to think about the end - humanity's seeming inability to think about longterm repercussions of technology before we put something into use
REFERENCES: What Is 'Torment Nexus?' The 'Man-Made Horrors' Trope Explained
Author of cautionary tale about Torment Nexus creates tech company to build Torment Nexus
'Snow Crash' Author Neal Stephenson Is Building a 'Free Metaverse' Called Lamina1
The Age of the Drone Police Is Here
Watch a swarm of cyborg cockroaches controlled by computers
Are We Doomed? Here's How to Think About It
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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 on Apple Podcasts!
Air Date 6/28/2024
AI, like all new technologies, won't be all good or all bad. In fact, my favorite understanding of emerging technologies is that they often bring simultaneous utopia and dystopia, though many tend to focus on the benefits while only discovering the drawbacks later.
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KEY POINTS
1: We're already using AI more than we realize - Vox - Air Date 2-28-24
2: AI is a Lie. - Linus Tech Tips - Air Date 6-13-24
3: What Is an AI Anyway? | Mustafa Suleyman - TED - Air Date 4-22-24
5: How Much AI Regulation Is The Right Amount? - FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast - Air Date 6-13-24
8: Big Tech AI Is A Lie - Tina Huang - Air Date 4-30-24
(1:07:12) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the nature of misalignment between AI and human wellbeing
Article: This article is OpenAI training data
DEEPER DIVES
(1:16:18) SECTION A: MORE CURRENT USES OF AI
(1:44:54) SECTION B: POTENTIAL USES OF AI AND THE ETHICS WE NEED TO CONSIDER
(2:08:00) SECTION C: REGULATING AI
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE
Description: Graphic showing a human hand and a digital pixilated hand reaching out toward each other with arching digital lines coming from the center of each hand.
Credit: "Digitization Particles Hand" via geralt, Pixabay | Pixabay License | Changes: Expanded
Original Air Date: 10/23/2023
The people who want to pull the country in directions that are only supported by a small minority of the population have to develop very intricate plans to have any hope of succeeding. This is the story of the latest plan to establish unchecked rule to implement unpopular policies supported only by the far right.
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SHOW NOTES
Donald Trump has ramped up his violent rhetoric in recent weeks. Meanwhile, a Fox host has urged the U.S. towards civil war and claimed that voting does not work.
Pat Buchanan was ahead of his time. He used the KKK's David Duke to breed a new nativist religious nationalism, based on fear of liberalization. On this show, political science professor Joseph Lowndes sheds light on how the Republican Party got here
Emma hosts John S. Huntington, professor of history at Houston Community College, to discuss his recent book Far-Right Vanguard: The Radical Roots of Modern Conservatism.
Ch. 4: How Often Do YOU Think About the Roman Empire? - Wisecrack - Air Date 10-16-23
The real reason TikTok is crazy for ancient Rome If you're even a little bit online, you know that the men love ancient Rome. This isn't new: The civilization has loomed large in the Western imagination ever since its catastrophic collapse.
Ch. 5: The Conservative Plan to Take Over the Country Part 1 - Leeja Miller - Air Date 9-26-23
Project 2025 is the terrifying plan set out by conservatives to take over the government. But it's radical, and it doesn't align with what most Americans want. Which is why we have to make sure this plan never happens.
A Trump supporter just displayed exactly how stochastic terrorism works.
Ch. 7: The Conservative Plan to Take Over the Country Part 2 - Leeja Miller - Air Date 9-26-23
Ch. 8: Think Tanks: How Fake Experts Shape the News - Tom Nicholas - Air Date 5-13-23
A video about how billionaire-funded right-wing "think tanks" such as the Heritage Foundation, Adam Smith Institute, Manhattan Institute, and Institute of Economic Affairs manipulate the news to spread their propaganda
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