Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy

Air Date 11/20/2024

We're in the phase where prejudice still exists but it has become socially unacceptable to openly express it - but to deny the impact on our politics just because people don't admit to their prejudice would be to completely misunderstand the nature of the issue.

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: The Racism of MAGA Is as American as Apple Pie Nina Turner on Trump & 2024 Election - Democracy Now! - Air Date 10-31-24

KP 2: Some Americans Are Already Living in Trump’s Purge - The New Abnormal - Air Date 10-1-24

KP 3: Why You Shouldn't Buy the Election Narrative About Black Men - Reveal - Air Date 10-23-24

KP 4: Trumps Nazi Rally at MSG Perfectly Reflected Republican Values - The New Abnormal - Air Date 10-29-24

KP 5: “The Confederacy Won” Why Donald Trump’s Reelection Is a Win for White Supremacy, Xenophobia & Hate - Democracy Now! - Air Date 11-6-24

KP 6: Trump campaign was built on 'hate' which has contributed to 'racial terror' NAACP exec - MSNBC - Air Date 11-8-24

KP 7: The Hard Truth About Why Harris Was the Wrong Choice for America Part 1 - The New Abnormal - Air Date 11-6-24

(51:52) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the shifting landscape of social media

Follow BotL: Bluesky, Mastadon, Threads

Our Bluesky Starter Pack

Sky Follower Bridge: Find accounts that have migrated from Twitter to Bluesky

The OpenVibe app for cross-network access to new social sites

DEEPER DIVES

(56:28) SECTION A - A MIRROR FOR AMERICA

(1:25:17) SECTION B - WHITE SUPREMACY FOR THE WIN

(1:49:19) SECTION C - REVERBERATION

(2:09:22) SECTION D - WHAT NOW

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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Introducing 8 foods that soothe anxiety | Dr. Uma Naidoo from ZOE Science & Nutrition.

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1 in 3 people have anxiety. It’s the most common mental health disorder in the world. And many of us know what anxiety feels like: palms sweating before a job interview, losing your appetite before a looming deadline, a pit in your stomach when you get bad news. It’s not just in your head, it’s in your gut.

Today, we’ll learn how food could help us cope. Our guest explains the rising global trend toward increased anxiety: its rise through the pandemic, and explosion among young people. 

Dr. Uma Naidoo is on the forefront of nutritional psychiatry. She directs the first hospital-based Nutritional Psychiatry Service in the US, at Massachusetts General Hospital and teaches at Harvard Medical School.

Uma will help you understand the symptoms and biology of anxiety, painting a picture of the risks it poses for long-term health. And her diet tips will help you fuel your gut for a healthy mind.

🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST

🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+

*Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system

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Timecodes:

00:00 Change your diet to beat anxiety

01:23 Quickfire questions

02:52 What is anxiety?

05:58 Are humans more anxious now than in the past?

08:50 This is where anxiety occurs in the brain

11:29 The gut-brain connection

12:45 Serotonin: the happiness hormone

20:05 How gut bacteria impact the brain

21:20 What happens 2 hours after stress?

23:10 Foods that disrupt dopamine pathways

24:50 Is food addiction real?

30:35 How chronic stress affects hunger

34:00 The importance of feeding good gut microbes

41:00 Eat more of these vegetables

45:02 How to overcome diet anxiety

49:20 How to use Uma’s ‘Calm’ approach

53:13 The anti-anxiety plate

Find Uma's Cauliflower Tikka Massala recipe here

Get Uma's latest book 'Calm Your Mind With Food'

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Mentioned in today's episode

Eat to Beat Stress (2020), published in American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine

Effect of fecal microbiota transplant on symptoms of psychiatric disorders: a systematic review (2020), published in BMC Psychiatry

A review of dietary and microbial connections to depression, anxiety, and stress (2018), published in Nutritional Neuroscience 

Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.

Episode transcripts are available here.

DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

Air Date 11/15/2024

Today’s episode is a remix of multiple past episodes but was inspired by one in particular from just back in July of this year, #1645, when we were making a point of demonstrating what a sham the idea of conservative economic populism is. Well, now that Trump has been reelected - seemingly because regular folks were hoping he’d fix the economy for them - we thought we’d take this moment to highlight the difference between right wing and left wing economic populism.

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CHAPTERS

1: How progressives need to frame their economic message - @theLFshow w: @GRITlaura Flanders - Air Date 12-29-14

2: It’s time to stop relying on crisis legislation (with Lindsay Owens) - Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer - Air Date 8-4-20

3: “He’s a Fake” Robert Kuttner on How J.D. Vance Disguises His Anti-Worker Views as Economic Populism - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-16-24

4: JD Vance, Phony Populism on the Right, the Republican National Convention, and Democratic Party Messaging w Ben Burgis - Parallax Views - Air Date 7-22-24

5: Europe's Circular Economy Action Plan - euronews - Air Date 11-24-20

6: What is Economic Democracy? - The Next System Project - Air Date: 3-1-16

7: Responding to Tim Scott & J.D. Vance on Poverty - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 7-16-24

8: The Tragic Cost of American Child Poverty w: Jeff Madrick - The Majority Report w: Sam Seder - Air Date 10-7-20

9: Dispelling some myths about worker coops - Economic Update w: @profwolff - Air Date 6-12-16

10: Sean O'Brien faces criticism from Teamsters Vice President for RNC appearance - The Real News Network - Air Date 7-19-24

11: Amsterdam's "doughnut economy" puts climate ahead of GDP - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 4-24-21

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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Introducing Scaling AI With Purpose from Smart Talks with IBM.

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In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Jacob Goldstein speaks with Rebecca Finlay, CEO of Partnership on AI, about the importance of advancing AI innovation with openness and ethics at the forefront. Rebecca discusses how guardrails — such as risk management — can advance efficiency in AI development. They explore the AI Alliance’s focus on open data and technology, and the importance of collaboration. Rebecca also underscores how diverse perspectives and open-mindedness can drive AI progress responsibly.

This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.

Visit us at https://ibm.com/smarttalks

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DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

Air Date 11/12/2024

It's easy enough to look into one industry at a time to see what's going wrong, but today we're looking at what is so often lurking in the background of higher prices, lower quality goods and services, and, ultimately, many failing businesses: Private Equity.

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Full Show Notes | Transcript

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Why Does Everyone Hate Private Equity? - The Plain Bagel - Air Date 9-20-24

KP 2: How Private Equity Consumed America - Wendover Productions - Air Date 5-7-24

KP 3: How private equity conquered America - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 3-1-24

KP 4: Warren Calls for Ownership Transparency for Private Equity in Health Care - Senator Elizabeth Warren - Air Date 7-12-24

KP 5: BlackRock: The Conspiracies You Don’t Know - More Perfect Union - Air Date 9-15-24

(48:16) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On getting through this together

DEEPER DIVES

(53:11) SECTION A - HOW IT WORKS

(1:30:42) SECTION B - POWER

(2:03:28) SECTION C - SOLUTIONS

SHOW IMAGE

Description: The words “Private Equity” are typed out  on paper on a clipboard, surrounded by $20 and $100 bills and a pair of glasses.

Credit: “Private Equity” by Nick Youngson, Pix4free.org | License: CC BY-SA 3.0  | Changes: Slightly cropped

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

Introducing Making Sense of the Election and What It Means for the Court from Strict Scrutiny.

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After processing the election and thinking through what it means for the future of the Supreme Court, Kate and Leah dig into a Voting Rights Act case newly added to SCOTUS’s docket. They also tackle this week’s cases on the False Claims Act, compensation for hospitals that treat low-income people, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and federal securities law.

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DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

Air Date 11/8/2024

The Best of the Left team holds a special post-election discussion available to all listeners to present the initial takes on the election as well as our own reactions and suggestions for how to move forward.

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A few worthwhile reads that gave inspiration for some of our discussion:

Democrats Blow Their Chance to Block Trump’s Resurgence - The Intercept (Discussing the Genocide in Gaza)

Harris and the Democrats Committed to a Rightward Lurch — and Lost Big Time - Truthout (Courting moderate Republicans)

Donald Trump’s Second Term Is Joe Biden’s Real Legacy - The New Yorker

I’m a Gen Z man. Here’s why so many of my peers supported Donald Trump - Fast Company (Revenge of the Bros)

This Time We Have to Hold the Democratic Party Elite Responsible for This Catastrophe - The Nation

10 Ways We Can Prepare for Another Trump Presidency - Truthout

Introducing Making Sense of Trump's Win from Pod Save America.

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After a night of resounding losses and a nationwide lurch to the right, Jon, Lovett, Tommy, and Dan begin to sift through the pieces—what we know, and we don't, about the race Democrats ran, what voters are looking for, and how to endure the turmoil of a second Trump term.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

Air Date 11/5/2024

There's big money in politics, and then there's 2024. The role and influence of billionaires have taken on new shapes and patterns as the threat of fascism has made itself undeniably known. From the candidate and campaigners to those acquiescing to the mere threat of power, billionaires are everywhere you look at this election season.

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Full Show Notes | Transcript

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Why Elon Musk Went Full MAGA - Reveal - Air Date 10-30-24

KP 2: Elon Musks War on Workers - 5-4 - Air Date 10-29-24

KP 3: Elon Musk Is SO Bad At This - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-3-24

KP 4: The Trump White Supremacy Festival and Hootenanny - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 10-29-24

KP 5: Ballots Burn in WA, OR; Billionaire WaPo, LATimes owners 'Obey in Advance - The BradCast - Air Date 10-28-24

KP 6: The Trump White Supremacy Festival and Hootenanny Part 2 - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 10-29-24

KP 7: How Trump could steal the election - Today, Explained - Air Date 10-29-24

(00:54:26.000) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On how to feel about the road ahead

DEEPER DIVES

(00:59:57.000) SECTION A - DEMOCRACY DYING IN DAYLIGHT

A1: Ballots Burn in WA, OR; Billionaire WaPo, LATimes owners 'Obey in Advance Part 2 - The BradCast - Air Date 10-28-24

A2: TYT Explodes Over Calling Trump 'Fascist' - The Majority Report - Air Date 11-1-24

(01:17:32.000) SECTION B - ACTUAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE

(01:39:40.000) SECTION C - ELON MUSK THE BILLIONAIRE

(02:04:16.000) SECTION D - TRUMP THE FASCIST

MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

Introducing What to Look for on Election Day from Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova.

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On the day before the election, Nate gives a final model update, explains the latest polls, and talks about what he’ll be looking for on election day. Then, Maria and Nate trade their predictions and fears for how election day will play out. 

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The Leap from Maria Konnikova

Silver Bulletin from Nate Silver 

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DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].