Original Air Date: 2/8/2019 Amid the ongoing fallout of a contested presidential election, we take a look back, briefly, at the last 100 years of Venezuelan history to understand how they went from oil riches and inequality to revolution and social progress only to run afoul of American imperialism.

Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected]

Full Show Notes

Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!

In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)

Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience!

Join our Discord community!

SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: Attempted Coup in Venezuela with Abby Martin, Greg Wilpert, Paul Jay - @TheRealNews - Air Date 1-26-19

Sharmini Peries hosts a wide-ranging conversation about the US-backed attempted coup in Venezuela

Ch. 2: How Did Venezuela Go From So Rich To So Poor - The Inquiry - Air Date 5-10-17

Venezuela was split between the rich and poor. Politicians lead the way to oil reliance.

Ch. 3: Venezuela in Crisis- Defending the Bolivarian Revolution - Revolutionary Left Radio - Air Date 7-29-17

Topics Include: Hugo Chavez, the Constituent Assembly, the opposition, the Venezuelan Communes, the concept of dual power, Jacobin Magazine and the Bolivarian Revolution

Ch. 4: Is Donald Trump waging a coup in Venezuela? - Majority Report (@MajorityFM) - Air Date 1-25-19

You need to be paying attention to what's happening in Venezuela. Eva Golinger joins Michael Brooks and the Majority Report crew to discuss this.

Ch. 5: Maduro's Corruption Pushed Venezuela Further Into Economic DISASTER - @RingOfFireRadio - Air Date 2-2-19

Ivan Briscoe, Latin America and Caribbean program director for Crisis Group, joins Ring of Fire's Sam Seder, to talk about Maduro's corruption and Venezuela's economic disaster.

Ch. 6: Jorge Martin on what's next for Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution? - @ThisIsHellRadio - Air Date 5-25-18

Writer Jorge Martin examines the two futures of Venezuela and the Bolivarian revolution. Jorge wrote the article "Maduro Wins Presidential Election, Despite Imperialist Meddling – What Next?"

Ch. 7: The Yankee Plot to Overthrow Nicolás Maduro and Steal Venezuela's Oil - The Intercept - Air Date 2-2-19

This push for regime change in Venezuela did not appear in a vacuum. The CIA has been plotting with so-called rebels in Venezuela from the early days of the Trump administration.

Ch. 8: As U.S. Moves to Oust Maduro, Is Invading Venezuela Next? Allan Nairn on Trump's Attempted Coup - @DemocracyNow - Air Date 1-30-19

Investigative journalist Allan Nairn explains many aspects of the US attempts at a coup in Venezuela

Ch. 9: Many Countries at UN Oppose Trump Interference in Venezuela - @TheRealNews - Air Date 1-29-19

Larry Wilkerson joins Paul Jay discuss why countries that claim to support the UN and international law are supportive of US imperialistic escapades

Ch. 10. Bonus Edition #137 Propaganda by poem and whole lot more about Venezuela

Jay shares a ton of additional content on Venezuela and muses on the developing pattern of the Trump administration using poem-based propaganda

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: 1/3/2026

Imperialism is best thought of as a "Wealth Pump," extracting wealth from one country and depositing it in another. Venezuela has wealth and wealth is the only thing Trump cares about, his willingness to break his promise of being the peace president and go along with traditional Republican hawks is not a complicated mystery.

Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected]

Full Show Notes

Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!

In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)

Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience!

Join our Discord community!

KEY POINTS

KP 1: 'Clearly B.S.': Dem Rep. Slams Hegseth's Explanation for Boat Strikes - MS NOW Reports - Air Date 12-30-25

KP 2: Trump Admits Venezuela Attacks Are All About Their Oil - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 12-18-25

KP 3: What's Behind Trump's Christmas Strikes on Nigeria? Anti-Christian Genocide or Appeasing MAGA Base? - Democracy Now ! - Air Date 12-29-25

KP 4: Trump, Venezuela, and the New Cold War with China | Pinch Point - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 11-27-25

KP 5: "Trump Has Appointed Himself Judge, Jury, and Executioner" - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 12-12-25

KP 6: Venezuela to Trump's 'Total Blockade': You Will Never Colonize Us - The Socialist Program with Brian Becker - Air Date 12-17-25

(00:48:15) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the structure of imperialism

DEEPER DIVES

(01:02:10) SECTION A: DRUG WAR BS

A1: Bonus - Venezuela, the Drug War, and U.S. Power in the Caribbean with Aileen Teague - American Prestige - Air Date 12-28-25

A2: US Strikes Against Venezuela: Trump "Wants the Oil" as Grassroots Resist "Economic Asphyxiation" - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-31-25

A3: New Regime-Change War Dropped with Ken Klippenstein & Wajahat Ali - The Bitchuation Room - Air Date 9-5-25

A4: US Uses Drug Trafficking as Pretence to Force Regime Change in Venezuela - FRANCE 24 English - Air Date 10-16-25

A5: Collateral Damage - Airborne Imperialism: The Tragic Deaths of Veronica and Charity Bowers - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 12-26-25

(01:41:05) SECTION B: THE MONROE DOCTRINE 2.0

B1: 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for Anti-Maduro Leader María Corina Machado "Opposite of Peace": Greg Grandin - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-10-25

B2: Trump's Piracy in the Caribbean - The Real News Podcast - Air Date 12-23-25

B3: Why Do Horrible People Keep Winning Nobel Peace Prizes? - Overzealots - Air Date 11-15-25

B4: USA Is the Worst Pirate on Earth: Trump Boasts of Stealing Venezuela's Oil - Geopolitical Economy Report - Air Date 12-26-25

B5: Exposing Trump's Latin America Policy and Why It Will Fail with Richard Wolff - The Socialist Program with Brian Becker - Air Date 12-17-25

(02:20:52) SECTION C: NIGERIA BOMBING

C1: Inside Nigeria's Bombed Border Communities - Focus on Africa - Air Date 12-29-25

C2: Breaking Down US Strikes on ISIS in Nigeria and the Complicated Conflict There - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 12-26-25

(02:37:40) SECTION D: WAR WITH VENEZUELA

D1: Trump's Regime Change Operation Ramps Up with Blockade of Venezuelan Oil - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-17-25

D2: They Finally Admitted Its All Fake - Chris Norlund - Air Date 12-29-25

D3: Loose Lips Trump Blabs About Covert Venezuela Mission; Appears To Be Making It Up As He Goes - The Briefing with Jen Psaki - Air Date 12-30-25

D4: Venezuela? I Hardly Knew Ya - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 12-12-25

D5: Why a US Ground Invasion of Venezuela Would Be a Disaster | About That - CBC News - Air Date 12-19-25

SHOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Composite graphic showing Trump looking proudly at strikes on a small alleged "drug runner" boat while the corner of the image is flipped up revealing his arm grabbing barrels of Venezuelan oil.

Credit: Internal composite design, Elements from Pixabay | Pixabay License | Unclassified boat image from U.S. D.O.D. shared on social media.

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: 12-23-25

Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:

• Ch. 1 - Why everything is so ugly these days

• Ch. 2 - The story of "Millennial Gray" and how our personal spaces are impacted by beauty

• Ch. 3 - How government intervention and regulation does (and could) impact the beauty in our surroundings

• Ch. 4 - How beauty impacts sustainability as well as our very important feelings of belonging

• BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: Why people around the globe are unhappy despite increasing wealth and progress

FOLLOW US ON:

YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please subscribe and share!)

Bluesky

Instagram

Facebook

Mastadon

Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e

REFERENCES

Why Do All Fast Food Chains Look Like Boring Gray Boxes Now? - Delish

How Did The World Get So Ugly? (YouTube video) -Sheehan Quirke

Why Millenial's Have No Taste (Youtube video) - Answer in Progress

Trump executive order mandates classical architecture for federal buildings, discourages brutalism - CNN

'We're doing arch': Trump says his plan for DC's answer to the Arc de Triomphe is moving forward - The Independent

Zoning Incentives Mandate Private Developers Create Public Open Space - Sustainability

The Impact of Architectural Guidelines on Shaping Our Cities - Plusurbia

The most sustainable building is one too beautiful to tear down. - Lloyd Alter on Substack

Building, Beauty, and Belonging - The Public Discourse

BACKSTAGE:

The Psychological Reason You Can't Seem to Stay Happy - Very Well Mind

The world has gotten richer — so, why aren't we happier? - Vox

EXTRAS:

"Palaces for the People" by Eric Klinenberg

(If you make a purchase after clicking this link, we get a small commission!)

Best of the Left #1758 - "Why Dictators Are Lunatics and Their Followers are Fools"

TAKE ACTION:

No Kings Next Steps

Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY

One Million Rising Trainings

In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach

Find your Indivisible group - or start one

Join our Discord Server

Reach us via Signal:

Bestoftheleft.01

Leave a message at 202-999-3991

Produced by:

Jay! Tomlinson

Thanks for listening!

Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

Contact me directly at [email protected]

Review the show on Apple Podcasts!

Air Date 12/30/2025

The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month we start with the infrastructure of imperial violence—from Dick Cheney's legacy to the arms race to Sudan's genocide. Then we expose how power exploits ordinary people through predation and financialized desperation. But here's the thing: resistance is working and the facade is crumbling. From courtroom wins to Mamdani's victory to young Republicans fleeing and conspiracies consuming the right, we end on the insight that authoritarian control is far more fragile than it pretends.

Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected]

Full Show Notes

Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!

In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)

Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience!

Join our Discord community!

PART 1: THE WEIGHT OF EMPIRE

(00:02:43) None - #1756 War Criminal Dick Cheney's Guide to Ethical Governance and Saving Democracy

1: "The Dark Side": Dick Cheney's Legacy From Iraq Invasion to U.S. Torture Program - Democracy Now! - Air Date 11-4-25

2: Dick Cheney BLOWBACK and South Africa's Israel & Anti-COMMUNIST Connection - Jacobin - Air Date 11-21-25

3: Dick Cheney Invades Hell - Colonial Outcasts - Air Date 11-4-25

(00:26:25) None - #1752 Reigniting the Nuclear Arms Race: Fat Man, Little Boy, and Donald Trump

4: Marshall Islands: Paradise Interrupted Part 1 - At the Brink - Air Date 12-5-23

5: Are We Living Through a New Nuclear Arms Race? - The Bunker – News Without the Nonsense - Air Date 7-24-25

6: Trump's Nuclear Arms Race - 7am - Air Date 11-6-25

(00:51:53) None - #1758 Why you think the Sudanese civil war doesn't involve you

7: Will the International Community Act Preschool Massacre & Large Piles of Bodies in Sudan Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-10-25

8: Sudan Civil War the Terrifying Escape From El Fasher - Global News Podcast - Air Date 12-1-25

PART 2: EXTRACTION AND EXPLOITATION

(01:02:44) None - #1754 The Epstein Files and Donald Trump, Our Predator-in-Chief

9: 1992 Tape Of Trump And Epstein - The Day That Was - MS Now - Air Date 7-18-19

10: Epstein's Arms Deal And Intelligence Connections With Israel W Murtaza Hussain Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-18-25

11: Trump Welcomes Murderer to White House; Congress Votes to Release 'Epstein Files' - The BradCast - Air Date 11-18-25

(01:24:21) None - #1757 Life is But a Game (that you can now bet on)

12: Welcome to the Casino Economy - On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti - Air Date 11-13-25

13: Kalshi's Extremely Dark Vision For The Future - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 12-4-25

14: Big Tech Is Betting on Gambling and Scams - Voidzilla - Air Date 12-5-25

PART 3: RESISTANCE THAT'S WORKING

(01:50:41) None - #1753 What the Shutdown and Weaponized Hunger Exposed About Our Asymmetric Morality

15: Government Shutdown or General Strike How to Fight Trumps Agenda - The Socialist Program W Brian Becker - Air Date 11-12-25

16: What Its Like Suing Trump in Court Over SNAP Funding - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 11-13-25

17: Senator Sanders Slams The Surrender Dems - What A Day - Air Date 11-11-25

(02:14:38) None - #1755 Affordability: Actual Economic Populism is the Kryptonite to Fake Populism

18: Can Zohran's NYC Win Spark a New Era for Democratic Socialism? - UNFTR Media - Air Date 11-6-25

19: "Caved Too Soon": Ro Khanna on Senate Shutdown Deal, Why Schumer Should Step Down & Epstein Files - Democracy Now! - Air Date 11-12-25

20: Calls For Schumer to Step Down Grow as Democrats Cave on Healthcare to Pass Funding Bill - Democracy Now! - Air Date 11-11-25

PART 4: THE FACADE CRUMBLING

(02:36:05) None - #1760 Hot Mess: Conservative Chaos Below the Surface of Trump's Authoritarian Regime

21: The Republicans Bucking Trump Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 12-9-25

22: Candace Owens at a Turning Point Part 1 - What Next - Air Date 12-17-25

(02:54:31) None - #1759 Why Dictators Are Lunatics and Their Followers are Fools

23: Trump Centers Himself at Kennedy Center Honors - The Beat with Ari Melber - Air Date 12-8-25

24: Trumps Ballroom Is a Lie - The Drey Dossier - Air Date 12-15-25

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 12/26/2025

Authoritarian governments are always very focused on making it look like they have everything on absolute lock down. Everyone in lockstep, everything proceeding according to plan. But they do this for propaganda purposes, not because it has anything to do with reality. In fact, the opposite is always true. All of which is to say that conservatives are not in chaos because Trump is particularly chaotic, though he is. They're in chaos because that is the natural result of attempting to enforce monolithic thinking and ideological conformity.

Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected]

Full Show Notes

Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!

In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)

Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience!

Join our Discord community!

KEY POINTS

KP 1: The Republicans Bucking Trump Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 12-9-25

KP 2: House Republicans Defy Trump; Plus, When WWII Vets Came Home Part 1 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 11-19-25

KP 3: Indiana Republicans Say No to Trump and Illinois Protects Immigrants in Courthouses, Schools, and Hospitals - Good News for Lefties - Air Date 12-13-25 1

KP 4: The Mainstreaming of Nick Fuentes by the Coward Tucker Carlson Part 1 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 11-13-25

KP 5: The Republican Party's 'Civil War' Part 1 - On The Media - Air Date 11-12-25

KP 6: Candace Owens at a Turning Point Part 1 - What Next - Air Date 12-17-25

KP 7: What The Susie Wiles Article REALLY Reveals About The White House - Why, America with Leeja Miller - Air Date 12-17-25

(00:56:36) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On why chaos is endemic to authoritarian governments

DEEPER DIVES

(01:02:30) SECTION A: GOP LAWMAKERS

A1: Marjorie Taylor Greene Vs Donald Trump Part 1 - Americast - Air Date 11-21-25

A2: Marjorie Taylor Greene Talks About Leaving Congress Before Walking Out of Interview Early - 11Alive - Air Date 12-10-25

A3: Divorced From Reality Economist Dean Baker Fact-Checks Trump's Primetime Speech - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-18-25

A4: The Rise of the New Right and MAGA with Laura K. Field Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-17-25

A5: Marjorie Taylor Greene Vs Donald Trump Part 2 - Americast - Air Date 11-21-25

(01:45:12) SECTION B: STATE POLITICS

B1: House Republicans Defy Trump; Plus, When WWII Vets Came Home Part 2 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 11-19-25

B2: The Republicans Bucking Trump Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 12-9-25

(02:01:08) SECTION C: CLASHING IDEOLOGIES

C1: The Republican Party's 'Civil War' Part 2 - On The Media - Air Date 11-12-25

C2: The Mainstreaming of Nick Fuentes by the Coward Tucker Carlson Part 2 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 11-13-25

C3: The American Rights Civil War Over Israel with David Austin Walsh Part 1 - The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer - Air Date 11-9-25

C4: The Mainstreaming of Nick Fuentes by the Coward Tucker Carlson Part 3 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 11-13-25

C5: The American Rights Civil War Over Israel with David Austin Walsh Part 2 - The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer - Air Date 11-9-25

C6: The Rise of the New Right and MAGA with Laura K. Field Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-17-25

(02:57:28) SECTION D: CANDACE OWENS

D1: Candace Owens at a Turning Point Part 2 - What Next - Air Date 12-17-25

D2: Candace Owens Is Not Your Friend - Hysteria - Air Date 9-25-25

D3: This Toxic Feud Just Got WAY Worse - The Majority Report - Air Date 12-22-25

SHOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Graphic depicting the Republican Party elephant icon on concrete with a giant crack running through it.

Credit: Internal composite design, Elements from Pixabay | Pixabay License

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]

Original Air Date: 7/4/2022

Today, for this milestone episode, I attempted to squeeze in as many clever and interesting ideas as I could and ended up writing a starter guide to understand the United States. Plus, there are jingles!

Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected]

Full Show Notes

Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!

In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)

Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience!

Join our Discord community!

SHOW NOTES

(00:01:30) Ch. 1: Political Structures of Our Country

Tracking the political eras that proceeded our current situation and looking at what may come next.

Jingle 1: Strawman

(00:13:09) Ch. 2: Progressives and Progress

Looking at a progressive perspective of the last 20 years and the process of progress itself

Jingle 2: Defer to Authority

(00:24:25) Ch. 3: Understanding Race, Gender, Privilege and Power

Understanding why our understanding of the world is often insufficiently complicated

Jingle 3: Just Asking Questions

(00:37:06) Ch. 4: Progressives in Politics

Tracing the fissures on the political left from Bush to Biden

Jingle 4: Manipulating Data

(00:46:45) Ch. 5: Republican Transformation

Tracing conservatism from mid-century Republicans to 21st-century insurrectionists

Jingle 5: Appeal to Emotion

(00:59:32) Ch. 6: Foreign/Power

Looking at various forms of power and how they play out on the international stage

Jingle 6: Passive Voice

(01:08:52) Ch. 7: The Progress Trap

The progress traps of new technology and why we're not defending against them

Jingle 7: Clickbait

(01:19:07) Ch. 8: Structural Thinking and the Alternative

What happens when an individualist thinker is faced with problems that only structural thinking can handle?

Jingle 8: Conspiracy Theories

Jingles: Concept and Some Lyrics by Jay Tomlinson, Music and Most Lyrics by Jonathan Mann

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 12/22/2025

It's said that mockery is one of the most effective weapons against dictators. I guess it depends on your goal, but still, there's truth there. And the good thing in that regard is that they are so very mockable. No really nice, likable, non-clownish people make themselves dictators and so the people who do are, without exception, absolutely ridiculous lunatics who deserve all the mockery and disdain in the world.

Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, message us on Signal at the handle bestoftheleft.01, or email [email protected]

Full Show Notes

In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships! (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!)

Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube!

Join our Discord community!

KEY POINTS

KP 1: Worlds Most Peaceful Man Finally Wins Peace Prize - Weekly Weird News - Internet Today - Air Date 12-6-25

KP 2: Why Is Trump so Obsessed with the Kennedy Center? - Post Reports - Air Date 8-14-25

KP 3: The Secret Life of Dictators with Frank Dikötter | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution Part 1 - The Secrets of Statecraft - Air Date 10-31-25

KP 4: A Guide to Propaganda - Shawn Grenier | The Canvas - Air Date 1-29-23

KP 5: How Dictators Really Control the World I Anne Applebaum Part 1 - Brad Carr - Air Date 9-18-25

KP 6: On The Epstein Loop and Parallel Improvisation - Robert Arnold - Air Date 12-20-25

(00:47:46) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On Trump's narcissism

DEEPER DIVES

(00:55:26) SECTION A: MADE UP AWARDS

(01:18:24) SECTION B: MONUMENTS TO SELF

(01:40:40) SECTION C: PROPAGANDA WORKS

(02:08:56) SECTION D: DICTATORS ARE ALL THE SAME MAN

(03:04:50) SECTION E: DICTATORSHIPS ALWAYS END

HOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Cartoon image of Trump in the famous portrait of King Louis XIV, with a giant long curly wig, tights and robes.

Credit: "donald-trump-louis-xiv-létat" by heblo, Pixabay | Pixabay License

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]

Re-Air Date: 12–18-25

Unless you were a member in December of 2024, this episode of SOLVED! will be brand new to you! If you were a member back then, THANK YOU and this one is worth a re-listen. We're slowing down production for a little bit to reorganize our production processes, so enjoy this episode from our archives (and before YouTube) where Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:

• Ch. 1 - What the orcas are up to
• Ch. 2 - Confronting the truth about eating meat
• Ch. 3 - How to not let grief destroy leftist movements
• Ch. 4 - Living a better life by accepting our own mortality

FOLLOW US ON:

In honor of our 20th birthday, we're giving new Members 20% OFF FOR THE LIFETIME OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP...this includes Gift Memberships!

YouTube (This full episode premieres on YouTube on Friday - please share!)

Bluesky

Instagram

Facebook

Mastadon

REFERENCES:

Confessions of a Former Carnivore - The New Republic

For Our Movements to Win, We Must Learn How Not to Let Our Grief Destroy Us - TruthOut

You Are Going to Die - The Atlantic

EXTRAS:

00:50:04 - Best of the Left Ep. #1672 - "Keep an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out' (11-26-24)

TAKE ACTION:

No Kings Next Steps

Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation

One Million Rising Trainings

In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach

Join our Discord Server

Reach us via Signal:

Bestoftheleft.01

Leave a message at 202-999-3991

Produced by:

Jay! Tomlinson

Thanks for listening!

Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

Contact me directly at [email protected]

Review the show on Apple Podcasts!

Air Date 12/14/2025

The sad ease with which we manage to ignore some atrocities, even while paying much attention to others, has to do with how visible or invisible to us the systems are that are propping up those events. Nothing happens in a vacuum and in our world, if you're willing to dig deep enough, you'll always find how we're all connected - across both time and geography.

Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991, 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: Will the International Community Act Preschool Massacre & Large Piles of Bodies in Sudan Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-10-25

KP 2: Sudan Civil War the Terrifying Escape From El Fasher - Global News Podcast - Air Date 12-1-25

KP 3: Can Trump Help Sudan Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 11-19-25

KP 4: The War In Sudan with Khalid Medani Part 1- American Prestige - Air Date 5-10-24

KP 5: South Sudans Failed Peace Deal with Joshua Craze Part 1 - American Prestige - Air Date 5-27-25

KP 6: Decolonise Sudan - The Sages Cabin - Herbs & Liberation - Air Date 11-6-25

(00:45:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the past 20 years of politics

DEEPER DIVES

(00:50:08) SECTION A: VIOLENCE NOW

(01:12:13) SECTION B: HISTORICAL ROOTS

(01:51:58) SECTION C: OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE

(02:12:01) SECTION D: RESOLUTION AND SOLIDARITY

HOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Photo of Sudanese refugee women, one with her baby, standing in line for food aid in Chad carrying bags, and boxes.

Credit: "24 January 2025, Adre, Chad. Sudanese refugees who have fled the conflict in Sudan register for food aid in neighbouring Chad." by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (UK), Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

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: 12-10-25

Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin was out this week) discuss:

• Ch. 1 - Generational humor, and analysis of Gen Z's absurdist humor and the impact it's having

• Ch. 2 - The unexpected social side effects of NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's campaign on Gen Z volunteers

• Ch. 3 - The "App"stinence Movement helping people get off of social media

• Ch. 4 - How the peak Millennial humor mobile game "Sword and Sworcery" has evolved with the times

• SOLVED! Backstage: Behind the Algorithm: Elon Musk's "Grokapedia" reminding us of the "Conservapedia" of 2010s punchlines, and the co-opting of Gen Z meme humor by right wing extremists to normalize hate.

REFERENCES

Gen Z Humour: What's so funny about something so unfunny? - Hayden Lim Khai Eun via Medium

Inside 'Gen Z humor,' the layered and absurdist internet jokes millennials are struggling to keep up with - Business Insider

A crash course in Gen Z humor - Pion

We Laughed Into The Void—And It Laughed Back: Understanding Gen Z Humor - Berkeley Political Review

A Little-Noted Element Propelled Mamdani's Rise: Gen Z Loneliness - The New York Times

A mass exit from social media - Mashable

Should you practice Appstinence? Gen Z and Gen Alpha are embracing this Harvard student movement - Fast Company

7 Reasons to Think Social Media Has Peaked The platforms have serious problems. - New York Magazine

The Mysteries Of Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP - Waltorious Writes About Games

Social media is dead – here's what comes next - New Scientist

EXTRAS

NOT SPONSORS/AFFILIATES

Appstinence

Brick - Device to help you manage phone use

Freedom - App to help you manage device use

How to make your smartphone into a dumb phone - (Modern Dumbphone)