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Air Date 1/26/2024 In an election year where, more than ever before, democracy itself is on the ballot, there is less democracy happening in the lead-up to the election than at any time in recent memory. And with two profoundly disliked candidates running, the supporters of democratic ideals have a hard uphill push ahead of them. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
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SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Democratic Strategists Have Their Heads In The Sand - The Majority Report - Air Date 1-24-24 Semaphor's Dave Weigel talks to Sam about what happened during the 2024 Iowa Caucus. Ch. 2: Bidenomics Continue To Worsen For Young Adults - The Ring of Fire - Air Date 1-21-24 The Biden administration keeps telling us that the economy is humming along, but for young Americans, things are getting worse. Ch. 3: Is Biden Trying to Lose - The Humanist Report - Air Date 1-18-24 Ch. 4: Maddow on Trump-Biden rematch 'Not very much democracy in an election about saving democracy' - MSNBC - Air Date 1-24-24 Rachel Maddow discusses the looming 2024 general election clash with President Biden possibly taking on Donald Trump again. Maddow points out that there has been little democracy so far in the race for the White House. Ch. 5: 2024 Election Is About The Fight For Democracy - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 1-25-24 President Biden used his first campaign event of 2024 to call out his likely opponent, former President Donald Trump, for the threat he poses to American democracy, calling the issue a 'sacred cause' for the race ahead. Ch. 6: Iowa, New Hampshire, and No Fair Remembering 2012 - The Professional Left Podcast - Air Date 1-24-24
.... SHOW IMAGE: Description: A photograph with bokeh edges of glossy, red-white-and-blue-striped "VOTE" buttons on a table. Credit: "2012 U.S. Presidential Election Gala" by U.S. Embassy Dakah, Flickr | License: Public Domain Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Air Date 1/23/2024
The recent discovery of hundreds of bodies buried behind a jail in unmarked graves sparks a renewed discussion about the futility and counter-productiveness of our system of incarceration and the context of our history that has brought us to this point.
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Related Episodes:
#1313 Why Prison Abolition is not Nearly as Scary as it Sounds
SHOW NOTES
The discovery of 215 bodies buried in unmarked graves behind a jail outside of Jackson, Mississippi, has left a community in disbelief. The families are angry they were never notified of the deaths and how their loved ones are buried
Ch. 2: The Most Infamous Jail in America - Olurinatti - Air Date 3-29-23
Bail reform is essential in the fight to close horrible pre-trial detention centers like Rikers Island.
....
EDUCATE YOURSELF & SHARE
8 Ways You Can Advocate for Justice Reform in 2024 (Vera)
Prison and Jail Reform (Brennan Center for Justice)
Criminal Justice Reform (Equal Justice Initiative)
Cutting Jail and Prison Populations (Brennan Center for Justice)
Curated by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Photograph of the outside of Coyote Ridge Corrections Center. Barbed wire lines the fences of the entrance in front of the dark gray cement building with tinted windows.
Credit: "A sagebrush sea change from behind barbed wire" by U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Original Air Date 12/3/2022
Today, we take a look at the mega-companies that touch all of our lives and the monopolistic practices that have been developed to keep power and wealth concentrated with the few while the rest of us get screwed.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Tech Monopolies - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 6-13-22
John Oliver discusses tech monopolies, and how to address the hidden harm they can do.
Ch. 2: How Ticketmaster Is Destroying Live Music - More Perfect Union - Air Date 10-19-22
Ticketmaster is destroying live music. Their scam fees now cost as much as 78% of a ticket. They control the events, the venues, and even the artists. There's a movement pushing the Justice Department to take on its monopoly. Cory Doctorow breaks it down.
Not since the Great Depression have corporate profits soared so high. But it is not enough to satisfy them. More than 54% of the inflation America is experiencing is caused by record-setting corporate profits.
Safeway, Ralphs, Smiths, Harris Teeters, Shaws, Kings, Randalls, and about 25 other brands, will all be owned by a single company if the Kroger-Albertsons merger goes through. And that's really bad news for the prices you pay.
Novelist Cory Doctorow and intellectual property expert Rebecca Giblin discuss their new book, Chokepoint Capitalism, which documents the increasing tensions between extractive corporations and creative laborers.
Ch. 6: Making The Case For Abolishing Billionaires - MSNBC - Air Date 11-21-22
"One after another, four of our best-known billionaires laid waste to the image of benevolent saviors carefully cultivated by their class," Anand Giridharadas writes in a recent New York Times column.
Ch. 7: Elon Musk Is An Idiot (and so are Zuck and SBF) - Adam Conover - Air Date 11-23-22
Tech CEOs aren't geniuses, and here's the proof.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 9: Final comments on how regulation helps stop financial scams
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
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Air Date 1/17/2024
It is evident that the immigration debate is more about acquiring raw power than about immigration as demands from the Republican Party change along with whatever strategies they feel are most likely to get Republicans elected and in the age of Trump, that means the most draconian, harmful and, ultimately, pointless demands to date.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: The Beginning Monroe and Migration Part 1 - Under the Shadow - Air Date 1-9-24
In the second half of the episode, we meet migrants walking North toward the United States on the edge of Central America. A very real manifestation, right now, of the never-ending impact of US intervention in Latin America.
As negotiations on the emergency funding request continue, we speak with Democratic Congressmember Greg Casar of Texas about how he and other lawmakers oppose "some of the worst changes to our immigration system in decades."
Ch. 3: The Migrant Crisis On The Border And The Hill - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 1-11-24
The stream of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border hit record numbers at the end of 2023. Guests: political correspondent Ashley Lopez, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and immigration correspondent Jasmine Garsd.
Ch. 4: GOP Bets It All on the Border - What Next - Air Date 11-8-23
A partial government shutdown is just 10 days away.
Ch. 5: The Beginning Monroe and Migration Part 2 - Under the Shadow - Air Date 1-9-24
Ch. 6: Trump Plans to Declare War on Who? - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 1-9-24
If re-elected, will Trump dredge up an archaic 18th-century law as a de-facto anti-immigration policy? Just how far will he go…?
It's very clear that we are under attack. … We have targets on our backs," says Marisa Limón Garza, executive director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, which is challenging the new Texas law along with other rights groups.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 8: Fox Host Admits GOP Doesn't Give A Sh— About Immigration - The Majority Report - Air Date 1-12-24
Laura Ingham gives the conservative game away
Ch. 9: AOC Dismantles GOP Immigration Lies - The Majority Report - Air Date 9-25-23
When interviewed, AOC "...sanctions that were originally authored by Marco Rubio took a large part in the driving of populations to our southern border, shortly after those sanctions were enacted, we started seeing dramatic increases."
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments on the naked power grab behind the immigration debate and Trump's long-held fascination with Hitler
Bonus:
Articles:
House Republican Admits He'll Kill Border Deal If It Helps Biden
Donald Trump's ex-wife once said Trump kept a book of Hitler's speeches by his bed
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A photograph taken during a "Reform Immigration March" in D.C. A man holds a homemade sign that says "Militarized Border = A Failed Policy." Other protestors in background hold American flags.
Credit: "Reform Immigration March on Washington" by Elvert Barnes, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, increase in contrast and brightness.
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date: 1-15-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - why one of the last isolated tribes in the world desperately wants to stay that way - why we know that women also hunted, counter to what all the male archeologists would have us believe
REFERENCES: Why Uncontacted Tribes Want to Stay Uncontacted
They choose to live in isolation—but the world won't leave them alone
The Theory That Men Evolved to Hunt and Women Evolved to Gather Is Wrong
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Air Date 1/13/2024
The Supreme Court began to lose its legitimacy in the eyes of many when President Obama wasn't allowed to fill the open seat left by the death of Antonin Scalia but, in truth, the scandal and manipulation of the nation's highest court go back much, much farther than that. However, in a bygone age, scandal was handled much differently than today, putting our current state of disfunction and hyper-partisanship into sharp focus.
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SHOW NOTES
I think they are reaching a point—the six-justice majority— of getting a huge backlash… I don't call for the impeachment of Justices very easily. In case after case these Justices come down on the side of artificial entities called corporations
Ch. 2: Astonishing Corruption at The Supreme Court? - LegalEagle - Air Date 5-6-23
Ethics? Never heard of it
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) used a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Supreme Court ethics on Tuesday to discuss the financial ties between Justice Clarence Thomas and conservative billionaire Harlan Crow.
Ch. 4: EXPOSED: Supreme Court Corruption CAUGHT Red Handed - The Kyle Kulinski Show - Air Date 4-27-23
Looking at Neil Gorsuch's questionable property sale and Clarence Thomas' refusal to answer to congress
Ch. 5: Clarence Thomas Grifting - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 12-19-23
They shift to another bombshell report about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's taking advantage of his position to enrich his lifestyle.
The nine Supreme Court justices handed down a surprise unanimous decision binding themselves to a new code of ethics. It comes after criticism over undisclosed perks for some of the justices.
Ch. 7: How to Fix a Broken Supreme Court - Robert Reich - Air Date 7-18-23
Justice Roberts refused to testify in a hearing on SCOTUS ethics. Thomas and Alito accepted luxury vacations from GOP megadonors. Gorsuch sold property to the CEO of a law firm that argues cases before the Court.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
New York Times investigative reporter Jodi Kantor joins Chris Hayes to discuss her behind-the-scenes look into the dismantling of Roe
Ch. 9: Supreme Court Scandals: A Story of Justice - Now & Then - Air Date 4-26-23
Samuel Chase's impeachment over his pronounced Federalist leanings, Stephen J. Field's 1880s relationships with railroad magnates, and Abe Fortas' 1969 resignation following the revelation of his acceptance of consulting fees from a felonious financier
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 10: Final comments on John Roberts' year-end report and the slide away from the possibility of accountability
Article: Chief Justice John Roberts' AI Report Reads Like an Old Robot Wrote It
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A close-up photograph of the entrance of the U.S. Supreme Court building. White stone columns partly lit by sun slightly obscure the dark wooden entryway door at the center in shadow.
Credit: "Supreme Court of the United States Facade" by Leandro Paes Leme, Pexels | License | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Original Air Date 1/7/2023
Today, we take a look at the criminal charges against Donald Trump that the January 6th Committee has referred to the DOJ but examine them through the lens of past presidential crimes that have gone unpunished from Nixon to George W. Bush
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SHOW NOTES
We speak with Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a scholar of fascism and authoritarianism, and Robert Weissman, president of the advocacy group Public Citizen.
Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and Jill Wine-Banks, MSNBC legal analyst and former Watergate special prosecutor look to lessons from Watergate for what needs to happen with the Jan. 6th committee report.
Ch. 3: Lisa Gilbert on the January 6 Report - CounterSpin - Air Date 12-23-22
We spoke with Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen and co-founder of the forged-for-purpose Not Above the Law Coalition, about what the hearings found and why it can't end there.
Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter David Cay Johnston, who has covered Trump for decades, says the new documents show "absolutely brazen" tax fraud. "Donald Trump has been a criminal his whole life," says Johnston.
Ch. 6: Obama on Investigating Bush Crimes: "Need to Look Forward" - This Week - Air Date 1-11-09
Barack Obama on This Week, January 11, 2009
Ch. 7: Obama Admin: Torture Not Illegal, Just A "Disagreement" - The Young Turks - Aired 3-27-10
Speaking of hangovers... Look forward, not backward. We don't do truth and reconciliation in this country.
We're joined by John Nichols, The Nation's national affairs correspondent, to discuss the full report.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 9: Ginni Thomas not mentioned in Jan. 6 Committee report - The Mehdi Hasan Show - Air Date 1-3-23
Slate's Mark Joseph Stern and political strategist Rina Shah join Mehdi to discuss.
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
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Air Date: 1-7-23 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss: - the little bit of Paganism that's in all of us - the Christian priests who want to reform the church through psychedelic mushrooms
REFERENCES: The Return of the Pagans
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Air Date 1/5/2024
As the war in Gaza drags on, accusations of genocide by Israel have been filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice and we are reminded that the tactics and technology that Israel develops and tests against Palestinians are sold around the world.
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Related Episodes:
#1592 Israel and Palestine are less complicated than you think
SHOW NOTES
Introduction: In Gaza and Israel, side with the child over the gun
Ch. 1: Israels Push to Expel Residents of Gaza - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-3-24
Dutch Palestinian policy analyst Mouin Rabbani says Israel is using the Hamas attack of October 7 as a pretext to carry out its "long-standing ambition" to push Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.
"I believe South Africa will win an order against Israel to cease and desist from committing all acts of genocide against the Palestinians," says Francis Boyle, an international human rights lawyer
Intercept co-founder Jeremy Scahill and journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous discuss the U.S. role in Israel's scorched-earth campaign to annihilate Gaza.
Ch. 4: Disease In Gaza - Up First - Air Date 12-28-23
The World Health Organization warns that disease could kill more people in Gaza than the bombings.
Ch. 5: Gaza, Solidarity, and the Movement for Palestinian Liberation - Making Contact - Air Date 11-29-23
We uncover the military corporations profiting from the war.
Antony Loewenstein, journalist and author of The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World, joins The Chris Hedges Report for a deep dive.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 9: Christian Zionism - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 12-30-23
Ralph welcomes Rev. Dr. Donald Wagner, National Program Director of Friends of Sabeel—North America, to discuss the ongoing violence in Palestine, the influence that Christian Zionists have on America's Israel policy, and more.
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments on the impacts of the antisemitism that is felt by the Jewish diaspora in the wake of the Hamas attack and war in Gaza
Articles referenced:
California lawmakers 'pull the fire alarm' on antisemitism
Anti-Defamation League staff decry 'dishonest' campaign against Israel critics
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Black and white photo of a woman at a protest in the city. She stares straight into the camera while holding a cardboard sign that reads "Bombing refugee camps, hospitals, ambulances, children is not self defence."
Credit: "Bombing Refugee camps, Hospitals, Ambulances, Children - is not self defence" by Alisdare Hickson, Flickr | License: CC BY SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, increased contrast
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 1/2/2024
Trump's greatest impact has been to bring the fringes of the conservative movement into the center and, by strongly courting the Evangelical Christian vote, helped accelerate the Christian Nationalist movement to merge religion with patriotism
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: A Threat to Church and State - Confronting Christian Nationalism - Air Date 9-9-23
In this episode, we'll hear from experts, authors, and theologians who will help articulate what Christian Nationalism is, what it's not, and why it's a a threat to both the church and democracy.
Ch. 2: How Trump Is Dividing The Evangelical Church - Fresh Air - Air Date 11-29-23
Journalist Tim Alberta grew up in a conservative, republican, evangelical church, where his father was the pastor. He wanted to know why so many evangelical Christians had become extremists, and ardent supporters of Trump.
Ch. 3: How Trump Has Transformed Evangelicals - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 12-14-23
How did evangelical Christians shift from being reluctant supporters of Trump to among his most passionate defenders? How did some evangelicals, historically suspicious of politicians, develop a "fanatical cult-like attachment" to Donald Trump?
Ch. 4: Will MAGA Mike Inflict a Religious Crusade on America? - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 11-2-23
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is closely tied to Christian groups that want to make America a theocracy. So why does he support policies that are so contrary to Christ's teachings? Plus - Handmaiden Tale Alert!
In an interview with Kristen Welker on Meet the Press, author and writer Tim Alberta discusses the role of white evangelical Christians in building support for Donald Trump's presidency and the "uneasy alliance" the community established with him.
Jeff Sharlet has spent two decades covering the intersection of extreme Christian nationalism and the far-right. In his new book, Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, he gives snapshots of a country rapidly devolving into a Christian fascist state.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
As the 2024 presidential election campaign heats up, Republican front-runner Donald Trump is escalating his racist rhetoric, repeatedly saying in recent days that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country," drawing comparisons to Hitler.
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 9: Final comments on the idolatry at the heart of Christian Nationalism
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: The image of a cross leans into the frame over a representation of the American flag.
Credit: "Cross banner USA flag cross sign" by Kalhh, Pixabay | License: Creative Commons (CC0)
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