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

Air Date: 9/18/2026

Today we're doing something new and different but also very old. Occupy Wall Street just hit its 15th anniversary this month and we thought we'd do something that only we can, which is dip into our archives and pull out the best of the Occupy coverage we played in real time as it was happening as well as some other retrospective coverage that aired 10 years later.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Keith Olbermann Reads First Collective Statement of Occupy Wall Street - Countdown - Air Date 10-6-11

KP 2: 99% V 1% the Data Behind the Occupy Movement Animation - Library Of Electronic Press - Air Date 11-16-11

KP 3: News Coverage Numbers of the Occupy Protests Vs Tea Party Protests - On the Media - Air Date 10-7-11

KP 4: What the Occupy Wall St Movement Wants Part 1 - Planet Money - Air Date 10-7-11

KP 5: The General Strike in Oakland - Rachel Maddow - Air Date 11-2-11

KP 6: Keith's Special Comment Why OWS Needs Michael Bloomberg - Countdown - Air Date 11-16-11

KP 7: UC Davis Police Pepper Spray Sitting Protesters at Point Blank Range - David Pakman - Air Date 11-21-11

KP 8: Occupy at 10 with Astra Taylor Part 1 - The Dig - Air Date 9-25-21

(01:01:34) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Democratic Primary Voters Keep Guessing What Everyone Else Will Do

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:12:59) SECTION A: THE STATE STRIKES BACK

A1: Comparing the Occupation to the Bonus Army Encampment - Rachel Maddow - Air Date 10-26-11

A2: Erroneous Reporting on the Occupation - Counterspin - Air Date 10-27-11

A3: Protesting at Berkley, Past and Present - Rachel Maddow - Air Date 11-15-11

A4: If Cops Use Force Then Your Speech Wasn't Free (to Say the Least) - Matthew Filipowicz - Air Date 12-9-11

A5: Iraq Vet Scott Olsen on What He Hopes the Movement Will Achieve - Countdown - Air Date 12-2-11

(01:49:52) SECTION B: RIGGED SYSTEM, RIGGED COVERAGE

B1: The Top 1% Vs YOU - The Young Turks - Air Date 10-31-11

B2: Panic of the Plutocrats - Green News Report - Air Date 10-11-11

B3: Three Quarters of Americans Believe Rich, Corporations Have Too Much Power - The Young Turks - Air Date 12-17-11

B4: World Economy Going to Hell - Dan Carlin - Air Date 9-28-11

B5: Leaked Republicans Scared of Occupy Wall Street - The Young Turks - Air Date 12-2-11

B6: Erin Burnett's Horrible Occupy Wall St Report - The Majority Report - Air Date 10-7-11

B7: The Screaming Majority Song on Occupy Wall St - The Majority Report - Air Date 10-7-11

(02:43:16) SECTION C: WHAT THE MOVEMENT WAS DOING

C1:

Air Date: 9/13/2026

Today we trace the two-front war on the American press. On one side, government regulators and members of Congress are going after news outlets for the stories they choose to run. On the other, politically friendly buyers are taking ownership of major networks to turn them into free-market versions of state media.

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..TOP TAKES

KP 1: How to Build a State Media - Blonde Politics | The Silly Serious - Air Date 12-13-25

KP 2: Breaking: ABC SUES Trump Over Free Speech After Kimmel's WIN - The Beat with Ari Melber - Air Date 8-18-26

KP 3: How Thiel, Musk, and Other Tech Billionaires Bought the Liberal Media / Eoin Higgins - This Is Hell! - Air Date 2-4-25

KP 4: Congress Just Subpoenaed Our Newsroom for Doing Journalism - BreakThroughNews - Air Date 7-23-26

KP 5: Public Media - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - Air Date 11-17-25

KP 6: "A Victory for Journalism": Washington Post Ordered to Rehire Fired Opinion Columnist Karen Attiah - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-26-26

KP 7: Coyote Vs. Acme Proves the CEOs Don't Know S***. - Adam Conover - Air Date 9-4-26

(00:56:23) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Corporate Media Cannot Be Trusted to Serve the Public Interest

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:06:24) SECTION A: THE FCC WEAPONIZED

A1: ABC Says FCC Waging a Retaliatory Campaign Violating Free Speech Rights - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 8-18-26

A2: Trump's Scheme to Control the Media - Robert Reich and Inequality Media - Air Date 5-7-26

A3: Trump's "Authoritarian Takeover" of the Media, ABC Suing FCC & the Meta Trial: Free Press's Jessica González - Air Date 8-19-26

(01:23:10) SECTION B: JOURNALISTS IN THE CROSSHAIRS

B1: FBI Raids Home of Washington Post Reporter as Attacks on Press Freedom Intensify Under Trump - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-15-26

B2: Media Under Scrutiny Following Tragic Death Of Jason Arday | Novara Live - Novara Media - Air Date 8-17-26

B3: A New McCarthyism? House GOP Subpoenas BreakThrough News in Escalating War on Progressive Groups - Democracy Now! Air Date 7-28-26

B4: US Media's Hasan Piker Derangement Syndrome Is Ridiculous - The Majority Report W/ Sam Seder - Air Date 8-11-26

B5: Katy Tur Sounds More Like 1930s German Propaganda Than Journalism - Paul Lance - Air Date 9-3-26

B6: Joy Reid & Dean Obeidallah: Fascism Tests Journalistic Integrity In …

Air Date: 9/9/2026

Today we look at the strategies being deployed by the Trump administration and their enablers to undermine the midterm elections and what it actually takes to fight back. The lawyers fighting in court against the efforts to destroy our democracy are clear-eyed that you cannot litigate your way to a free election. The most durable defense is a turnout margin too large to plausibly contest, and organizers are building toward it now.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: President Trump Is Trying to Change How Elections Are Run. Where Do Things Stand - Consider This - Air Date 8-28-26

KP 2: Trump's Strategy to Rig the Midterms + Jake Lang's Christian Nationalist Spectacle Part 1 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-25-26

KP 3: Protecting the Midterms—at the Grassroots and in the Courts Part 1 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-19-26

KP 4: Is SCOTUS Letting Trump Meddle in the Midterms Part 1 - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 8-31-26

KP 5: Will Dems Risk Being Called 'Election Deniers' If They Need to Challenge Midterms - The BradCast - Air Date 8-27-26

KP 6: Will Data Centers Cost Republicans the Midterms - Runaway Country with Alex Wagner - Air Date 8-27-26

KP 7: Protecting the Midterms—at the Grassroots and in the Courts Part 2 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-19-26

(00:54:01) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On Burnout and ADHD

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:00:47) SECTION A: THREAT AND BACKFIRE

A1: What Happens if Trump Tries to Mess with the Midterms - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 8-28-26

A2: Trump's Strategy to Rig the Midterms + Jake Lang's Christian Nationalist Spectacle Part 2 - Straight White American Jesus - Air Date 8-25-26

A3: Trump Accidentally Wrecks GOP Midterm Message in Dumbest Self-Own Ever - THE DAILY BLAST - Air Date 8-28-26

(01:32:06) SECTION B: CRACKS AND CONSTRAINTS

B1: Trump Election Scheme Suddenly Blocked in Late Night Order Part 1 - Legal AF - Air Date 8-29-26

B2:

Re-Air Date: 8/5/26

Original Air Date: 4/24/26

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

• Ch. 1 - Why victims of crime are underserved and actually prefer rehabilitative, root-case approaches to justice

• Ch. 2 - How cashless bail reform has shrunk jail populations and fueled momentum to block new jail construction

• Ch. 3 - The local fight over a proposed mega-prison in Arkansas making some conservatives question mass incarceration itself

• Ch. 4 - A think tank report that proves the glaringly obvious facts about what reduces recidivism, and an article on the community "solutionaries" already preventing and disrupting violence without police

• SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only!): Aramark's inhumane "service" in the prison system

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REFERENCES

The People Most Ignored by the Criminal-Justice System - The Atlantic

Jails Are Closing Across America. Why? - The Nation

Judge Orders Colorado to Stop Throwing Prisoners in Solitary for Refusing to Work - BOLTS Magazine

The Prison Next Door - The Nation

A better path forward for criminal justice: Changing prisons to help people change - A Report by the Brookings AEI Working Group on Criminal Justice Reform

Making Communities Safe, Without the Police - Boston Review

BACKSTAGE

• Prison Dining Giant Aramark Serves Inedible Food to Drive Commissary Sales, Lawsuit Alleges - The Appeal

EXTRAS:

BOOK: "We Do This Til We Free Us" by Mariame Kaba

(Buying through this link supports indie book stores and this show!)

BOOK: "The New Jim Crow" by Michele Alexander

(Buying through this link supports indie book stores and this show!)

DOCUMENTARY: "13th" by Ava DuVernay (Netflix)

DOCUMENTARY: "The Alabama Solution" (HBO)

TAKE ACTION:

Stop the prison industrial complex with Critical Resistance and the Abolitionist Law Center

Push for the passage of bills like the End of For-Profit Prisons Act of 2025

MayDayStrong.org - May 1st - No Work. No School. No Shopping.

Stop Trump's Wars

REI Co-Op Members: Vote to …

Air Date: 9/2/2026

Today we look at how public health is being gutted by a system that took ordinary parental worry and organized, radicalized and monetized it into an anti-science "wellness" movement large enough to seize real political power.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: We Need to Accept That We Elected an Actual Madman to Be President - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 8-11-26

KP 2: The 'Anti-Science Disinformation Ecosystem': Experts Decode Trump's War on Health and C Limate - Zeteo - Air Date 10-22-25

KP 3: Welcome to the Vaccine Free-for-All - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 9-4-25

KP 4: Fauci Takes the 5th Amendment While MAGA Cracks His Diary Open & Calls Him Hitler - The Daily Show - Air Date 7-30-26

KP 5: The Infodemic — and the Scientists Fighting Against It | Jessica Malaty Rivera Part 1 - TED Talks Daily - Air Date 8-7-26

KP 6: The Anti-Vaccine Movement Part 1 - Throughline - Air Date 9-25-25

KP 7: Skepticism of Science in Health Care: Who Doesn't Trust Whom and Why? | Robert Field - Fondation Brocher - Air Date 12-16-24

(00:59:02) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

In 1955 Newspapers Announced the Polio Vaccine Like a War Victory

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:09:24) SECTION A: THE CURRENT DAMAGE

A1: Fauci, RFK Jr., and the Latest in American Health Part 1 - Reveal - Air Date 8-11-26

A2: Sick Boy – How RFK's Crank Health Agenda Is Making America Ill Again - The Bunker – News Without the Nonsense - Air Date 4-13-26

A3: Fauci, RFK Jr., and the Latest in American Health Part 2 - Reveal - Air Date 8-11-26

(01:35:53) SECTION B: HOW WE GOT HERE

B1: The Anti-Vaccine Movement Part 2 - Throughline - Air Date 9-25-25

B2: Peter Hotez: Mapping the Anti-Science Machine - Yale Insights - Air Date 11-27-25

B3: To Be a Trump Republican You Have to Dare to Be Stupid - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 8-27-26

(01:59:55) SECTION C: WHY IT WORKS

C1: Fall Of The House Of Misinformation: Scie…

Air Date: 8/29/2026

Today we examine what happens when the state wants to decide whether a person reproduces. A century ago, American courts sanctioned the forced sterilization of women deemed unfit to reproduce. 60 years ago, a communist dictator ran a pronatalist experiment with disastrous results. Now, abortion access is collapsing and a new pronatalist movement is rising to wreak havoc.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Buck V. Bell Part 1 - 5-4 - Air Date 5-26-20

KP 2: Fannie Lou Hamer - Who Did What Now - Air Date 3-5-26

KP 3: Erika Cohn - Belly of the Beast Part 1 - Bitch Talk Podcast - Air Date 1-27-21

KP 4: Explaining This Moment of Pronatalism Part 1 - rePROS Fight Back - Air Date 6-16-26

KP 5: If Roe Was Never Enough, Why Was It Everything (And a Word to My Boom! Lawyered Fam) Part 1 - Boom! Lawyered - Air Date 6-11-26

KP 6: Explaining This Moment of Pronatalism Part 2 - rePROS Fight Back - Air Date 6-16-26

(00:50:53) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Update on Recovery From Work Burnout

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DEEPER DIVES

(00:55:30) SECTION A: EUGENIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

A1: Buck V. Bell Part 1 - Stuff You Missed in History Class - Air Date 8-20-25

A2: Buck V. Bell Part 2 - 5-4 - Air Date 5-26-20

A3: Buck V. Bell Part 2 - Stuff You Missed in History Class - Air Date 8-20-25

(01:19:19) SECTION B: COERCED STERILIZATION TODAY

B1: The Dark History of Forced Sterilization - Breakthrough News - Air Date 10-21-20

B2: We're Still Here with Simon and Julie - The John Fugelsang Podcast - Air Date 6-21-25

B3: Erika Cohn - Belly of the Beast Part 2 - Bitch Talk Podcast - Air Date 1-27-21

(01:40:32) SECTION C: POST-DOBBS LEGAL BATTLEFIELD

C1: The Voters Have Spoken Protecting Reproductive Freedom Through Ballot Initiatives Part 1 - rePROs Fight Back - Air Date 3-31-26

C2:

Air Date: 8/25/2026

Today we explore the resistance to Flock cameras and mass surveillance as a whole. Communities across the country are voting to cancel their tracking-camera contracts, others are filing records requests to drag secret police deals into daylight, and some people stopped waiting and went out at night with wire cutters.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Flock Cameras: ACLU Raises Alarm About Nationwide Surveillance Database - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-21-26

KP 2: Ohio Professor Specialized in Policing Nails Why Flock Cameras Are a Threat to Everyone - More Perfect Union - Air Date 8-16-26

KP 3: We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in Under 30 Seconds. 🫥 Part 1 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 11-16-25

KP 4: The Politics of Spider-Man: Brand New Day - Shawn Grenier | The Canvas - Air Date 8-11-26

KP 5: Copaganda / Alec Karakatsanis - This Is Hell! - Air Date 4-15-25

KP 6: Former ICE Lawyer Says the Point of Trump's ICE Is to "engender Fear" - The Current - Air Date 7-14-26

KP 7: Pushing Back On Flock Cameras with Kate Bertash - The Final Straw Radio - Air Date 4-13-25

(00:58:52) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

A Texas Deputy Typed "had an Abortion, Search for Female"

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:10:50) SECTION A: WHAT FLOCK ACTUALLY IS & THE BUSINESS OF SURVEILLANCE

A1: Flock Cameras Are Tracking You and Getting It Wrong (The Roman Report) - Regular Car Reviews - Air Date 7-31-26

A2: Breaking The Creepy AI in Police Cameras - Benn Jordan - Air Date 8-26-25

A3: Flock Is Tracking People, Not Just Cars - 404 Media - Air Date 6-22-26

A4: Police Surveillance Technology - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 8-3-26

A5: We Hacked Flock Safety Cameras in Under 30 Seconds. 🫥 Part 2 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 11-16-25

(01:56:22) SECTION B: BEYOND FLOCK - THE FULL SURVEILLANCE MACHINE

B1: The Panopticon Effect - 99% Invisible - Air Date 3-28-23

B2: It's Time to Take Down Your Smart Cameras 😬 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 4-2-26

B3:

Air Date: 8/22/2026

Today we look at how the Republican Party made climate denial its policy more than twenty years ago and is now removing the government's ability to see the problem at all. The Environmental Protection Agency under Bush refused to regulate carbon in 2003, and now the Trump administration is dismantling the science that would help us both avoid worsening the climate emergency and mitigate the inevitable destruction to lives and property now baked into the system.

Full Show Notes

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: When It Comes to Climate Change, Is There a Point When Adaptation Isn't Enough - Consider This - Air Date 7-31-26

KP 2: Fire Climate Hot, Dry, Windy Days Are Becoming Common, Making Wildfires Harder to Control - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-6-24

KP 3: Five Lies Republicans Tell About the Climate Crisis - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 8-9-26

KP 4: Is This How We Invade Greenland - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 8-11-26

KP 5: Europes Summer of Fire The New Normal Part 1 - Outrage + Optimism The Climate Podcast - Air Date 7-30-26

KP 6: Climate Wayfinding A Compass for the Climate Crisis Part 1 - Sea Change - Air Date 5-22-26

(00:52:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

An Update on the Show

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:00:01) SECTION A: ON THE GROUND

A1: Executive Disorder Spokane Wildfires, Abdul Wins Michigan Primary, Munition Shortage Part 1 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 8-7-26

A2: Wildfires Rage Across the Okanagan Part 1 - The Current - Air Date 8-10-26

A3: Farmers Struggle with Crops as Climate Change Makes Weather Less Predictable - PBS Newshour - Air Date 6-23-26

A4: Wildfires Rage Across the Okanagan Part 2 - The Current - Air Date 8-10-26

(01:29:50) SECTION B: EUROPE ON FIRE

B1: Wildfires Are Burning Through Europe Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-4-26

B2: Europes Summer of Fire The New Normal…

Air Date: 8/19/2026

Today we trace the corporate capture of ideas themselves. What began as a brief legal incentive granting fourteen years of exclusive rights to a creation has become a system that kept a pandemic vaccine from reaching poorer countries and where entertainment conglomerates and technology giants fence off and sell our own culture back to us.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Why We Should Get Rid Of Intellectual Property - Second Thought - Air Date 11-18-22

KP 2: How Patent Abuse Blocks Patient Access to Generic Drugs - PIRGvideos - Air Date 4-18-23

KP 3: YouTube's Copyright System Isn't Broken. The World's Is. Part 1 - Tom Scott - Air Date 5-23-20

KP 4: How Disney Will Control Mickey Forever - LegalEagle - Air Date 1-10-26

KP 5: We Are Being IP-ed to Death / Vicky Osterweil Part 1 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 5-27-26

KP 6: Is AI Burning The Library Of Alexandria? - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 8-5-26

KP 7: Should We Abolish Copyright? Part 1 - Tom Nicholas - Air Date 10-2-19

(00:56:46) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Disney Lobbied for Walls in 1998. OpenAI Asked for Holes in 2025.

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:07:51) SECTION A: HOW WE GOT HERE

A1: The 5 Phases of Corporate IP Ownership - David Stewart - Air Date 7-8-18

A2: Amanda Kleintop on Abolishing Property Rights in Slaves During and After the US Civil War - The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition - Air Date 1-24-22

A3: Maggie Blackhawk and K-Sue Park - Digging a Hole: The Legal Theory Podcast - Air Date 3-23-21

A4: Claire Priest - Digging a Hole: The Legal Theory Podcast - Air Date 2-16-21

A5: YouTube's Copyright System Isn't Broken. The World's Is. Part 2 - Tom Scott - Air Date 5-23-20

(01:50:20) SECTION B: WHO PROFITS, WHO PAYS

B1: A Deepfake Stole My Face and Voice | Rich Roll (Ep. 20) - Life with Machines - Air Date 5-13-25

B2: Can Artists Protect Their Work From AI? – BBC News - Air Date 6-18-23

B3: Brian Eno Explai…

Air Date: 8/16/2026

Today we look at what Toni Morrison called "sanctioned ignorance," the deliberate manufacture of a version of the past that keeps citizens from connecting the dots between what their government did then and what it's doing now. They're doing it by attacking museums, libraries, and everyone dedicated to ensuring that people have access to accurate information because that's what it takes to implement authoritarian control over a society. It's also the reason that countries under authoritarian rule suffer from the lack of benefits that comes with the free exchange of ideas.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: David Blight Makes Opening Statement in Hearing on How Smithsonian Presents History - PBS Newshour - Air Date 7-21-26

KP 2: Trying to Rewrite History - Letters From an American - Air Date 7-28-26

KP 3: Trump Orders Signs at Smithsonian Museum Warning of 'Inaccurate' History - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 7-30-26

KP 4: Rebecca Nagle on the Boomerang of Empire Part 1 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 7-11-26

KP 5: Right-Wing Attacks on Small-Town Libraries; Plus The Snow Leopard Part 1 - Start Making Sense - Air Date 8-17-23

KP 6: Free Speech for Me, but Not for Thee. Plus, Librarians Under Siege. - On the Media - Air Date 9-19-25

KP 7: Why Libraries Matter in a Fascist Moment Part 1 - Movement Memos - Air Date 3-19-26

(00:57:23) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Why Authoritarians Always Create a Brain Drain That Leaves Their Country Intellectually Impoverished

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:08:29) SECTION A: THE CRACKDOWN

A1: What Is the Smithsonian - Civics 101 - Air Date 6-25-24

A2: 'If You Can Keep It' The Smithsonian Part 1 - 1A - Air Date 8-18-25

A3: Trumps Assault on Museums and Libraries, the Art Markets 12% Fall, Evie Hone and Mainie Jellett Part 1 - The Week in Art - Air Date 4-10-25

A4: 'If You Can Keep It' The Smithsonian Part 2 - 1A - Air Date 8-18-25

A5: Trumps Assault on Museums …

Air Date: 8/12/2026

Today we follow the latest in Western Hemisphere imperialism. American presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump have invoked the Monroe Doctrine and its claim on the whole hemisphere to justify coups, sanctions, and now an outright military abduction in Latin America. Trump, as always, is bragging loudly about the parts most before him knew to keep quiet.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: "Imperial Laboratory": Alexander Aviña on the "Donroe" Doctrine & U.S. Intervention in Latin America - Democracy Now! - Air Date 1-6-26

KP 2: Trump Took Billions From Venezuela, Congress Is Demanding Answers - The Ring of Fire - Air Date 7-24-26

KP 3: Where Did Venezuela's $13 Billion Go? Part 1 - Patrick Boyle - Air Date 7-25-26

KP 4: Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega Dismantles Elections - The World - Air Date 7-21-26

KP 5: "Criminal Approach to Politics": Trump Ally Abelardo De La Espriella Wins Colombian Presidency - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-22-26

KP 6: Cuba's Deepening Crisis as Residents Ask How Much Longer They Can Endure - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 7-18-26

(00:49:42) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

The Brag Defense: Announcing a Crime Makes It Look Innocent

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:02:49) SECTION A: VENEZUELA: THE MONEY, THE OIL, THE RUINS

A1: Venezuela Earthquakes: U.S. Sanctions Impede Rescue Efforts as Death Toll Soars - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-26-26

A2: What They Don't Tell You About Venezuela - Bianca Graulau - Air Date 5-7-26

A3: 'Pre-existing Vulnerabilities: Venezuela Already Experiencing Economic Turmoil, Displacement Crisis' - FRANCE 24 English - Air Date 6-29-26

A4: Where Did Venezuela's $13 Billion Go? Part 2 - Patrick Boyle - Air Date 7-25-26

A5: Venezuelan Government and Opposition Faction Are to Hold Talks | Inside Story - Al Jazeera English - Air Date 8-2-26

(01:45:10) SECTION B: CUBA IN THE CROSSHAIRS

B1: Is Cuba Waging a Secret Campaign Against the US? | The Global Story Part 1 - BBC News - Air Date 6-27-26

B2: 'Cuba Is Not Venezuel…

Air Date: 8/8/2026

Today we examine the mass deportation machine that's been intentionally designed to inflict suffering, from the conditions inside immigration jails to the reckless actions of ICE agents, and the systematic dismantling of accountability. All of this in service of a blatant demographic engineering program to forcibly Whiten the country.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Lauren Bonds on ICE Murders Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 7-17-26

KP 2: Trumps National Killer Police Force Part 1 - The Intercept Briefing - Air Date 7-24-26

KP 3: Uncovering Abuse Inside America's Largest ICE Detention Center Part 1 - Fresh Air - Air Date 7-14-26

KP 4: ICE Took Mom and Dad. Now the Kids Are on Their Own. Part 1 - Reveal - Air Date 7-25-26

KP 5: ICE Deports Family To Their Deaths In Guatemala - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-29-26

KP 6: ICE Took Mom and Dad. Now the Kids Are on Their Own. Part 2 - Reveal - Air Date 7-25-26

(00:58:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Mass Deportation and the Birth Rate Panic Are One Project

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:18:16) SECTION A: INEVITABLE BRUTALITY

A1: What We Know About the Recent ICE Killings Part 1 - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 7-20-26

A2: ICE Kills Again Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-13-26

A3: What We Know About the Recent ICE Killings Part 2 - Radio Atlantic - Air Date 7-20-26

A4: ICE Kills Again Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-13-26

A5: Trump Endorses Non Citizen FBI Stops Investigating ICE Shootings Maine Dems Pick Platner's Sub - David Feldman Show - Air Date 7-19-26

A6: ICE Murders and the Maine Senate Scramble with David Dayen and David Weigel - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 7-17-26

(02:15:18) SECTION B: DESIGNED TO BE UNBEARABLE

B1: Killer ICE Agent's Ex-Wife Tells Us Everything We Need To Know - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-17-26

B2: Unco…

Publish Date: 8-5-2026
Original Air Date: 8–13-2021

Today we dig through the archives to give context to the news of the 2021 IPCC report ringing the alarm bells for the climate crisis.

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SHOW NOTES

Ch. 1: The IPCC's new report - @greennewsreport - Air Date 4-3-14

Ch. 2: Green News Report w/ Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen - Air Date 8-10-21

Ch. 3: Global Water Shortages Pose Threat of Terror & War - @davidpakmanshow - Air Date 02-16-14

Ch. 4: The World's On Fire and There's Money in the Flames - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 8-10-21

Ch. 5: Why humans are so bad at thinking about climate change - Vox - Air Date 4-19-17

Ch. 6: Report confirms the effect of climate change happening today, spurs action - @greennewsreport - Air Date 5-6-14

Ch. 7: When Republicans believed in climate change - @allinwithchris Hayes - Air Date 04-22-14

Ch. 8: Geoff Mann: Transforming and Democratizing Institutions to Address Climate Change - Economics & Beyond with Rob Johnson - Air Date 8-9-21

Ch. 9: Climate crisis and jobs with Naomi Klein - What Comes After What Comes Next - Air Date 6-11-20

Ch. 10: Extreme Heat in the News, Naming Heat Waves, Thermal Equity and more with Dr. Ladd Keith - America Adapts the Climate Change Podcast - Air Date 7-5-21

Ch. 11: Putting the Freeze on Global Warming - @BillMoyersHQ And Company - Air Date 4-25-14

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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Air Date: 8/1/2026

Today we investigate how the argument moved from what the Supreme Court decides to whether the Court should be rebuilt. Only about one in five Americans has strong confidence in the Court, and the proposals on the table would end lifetime seats, set fixed terms, and add judges across the federal bench. We're arguing that these reforms are necessary for a functioning democracy.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: 'Unhinged and Racist': Hayes EVISCERATES Trump's Birthright Argument - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 6-30-26

KP 2: "We Continue to Fight": Chase Strangio on the Supreme Court's Ban on Trans Girls & Women in Sports - Democracy Now! - Air Date 7-1-26

KP 3: Supreme Court Guts Voting Rights Act in "Devastating Blow" to Democracy & Civil Rights: Maya Wiley - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-30-26

KP 4: The Term the Court Stopped Pretending Part 1 - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, Justice, and the Courts - Air Date 7-7-26

KP 5: "The Most Destructive Chief Justice in My Lifetime": Dissecting John Roberts with Lisa Graves Part 1 - 5-4 - Air Date 6-23-26

KP 6: Did the Birthright Citizenship Ruling Prove It's Time for SCOTUS Reform? Part 1 - Stateside with Kai and Carter - Air Date 7-1-26

(00:48:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Court Reform Has to Start With Filibuster Reform

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:02:17) SECTION A: THE RULINGS

A1: Supreme Court RUSHES Through SHOCK RULINGS - Legal AF and Lawyers for Good Government - Air Date 7-24-26

A2: In "Devastating" Immigration Ruling, Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin to "Turn Back" Asylum Seekers - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-26-26

A3: What Haitians and Syrians With TPS Need to Know Now - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 6-30-26

(01:26:07) SECTION B: THE CHARACTER OF THE COURT

B1: The Term the Court Stopped Pretending Part 2 - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, Justice, and the Courts - Air Date 7-7-26

B2: SCOTUS Doubles Down on Bigotry in Final Decisions of the Term - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 6-30-26

B3:

Air Date: 7/25/2026

Today we look at the idea that America has become a gerontocracy, a country run by the old, and then interrogate the premise a bit. The wealth, the politicians, and the voting electorate really do concentrate at the top of the age ladder, and benefits for the old tend to stay protected while younger people wait their turn. But several of our sources argue age is the wrong name for the problem, that it is really a story about money and who the whole system was built to serve.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: What Is There to Say About Lindsey Graham - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 7-12-26

KP 2: Where Is Mitch McConnell? - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 7-10-26

KP 3: The Mitch McConnell Mystery Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-14-26

KP 4: Why Is Congress Like This Part 1 - Civics 101 - Air Date 6-30-26

KP 5: Mitch, Lindsey and the Gerontocracy Part 1 - What Next - Air Date 7-13-26

KP 6: Gerontocracy with Samuel Moyn Part 1 - This Is Hell! - Air Date 7-1-26

(00:52:22) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

How Congress Got Crippled, A True Crime Story

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:07:37) SECTION A: THE MCCONNELL & GRAHAM MOMENT

A1: A Grave Situation In The Senate Part 1 - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 7-14-26

A2: The Mitch McConnell Mystery Part 2 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-14-26

A3: A Grave Situation In The Senate Part 2 - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 7-14-26

A4: The Attractive Anti-Politics of 'Gerontocracy' Discourse Part 1 - Citations Needed - Air Date 9-21-22

(01:49:14) SECTION B: THE GERONTOCRACY CASE

B1: Mitch McConnell and Our Very Old Congress Part 1 - What A Day - Air Date 7-9-26

B2: Mitch, Lindsey and the Gerontocracy Part 2 - What Next - Air Date 7-13-26

B3: Mitch McConnell and Our Very Old Congress Part 2 - What A Day - Air Date 7-9-26

B4:

Air Date: 7/25/2026

The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on the news from June and July without being overwhelming! Organized around a single idea: the same politics that left America friendless abroad is keeping Americans apart at home. The war with Iran ends and America's word counts for less around the world, so Europe starts building its own software instead of buying ours, NATO war-games its own doubts, and China quietly steadies the world's oil markets, while Taiwan shows that real security comes from connection, not threats. At home, the administration revives the red scare, hands the Justice Department to the president's personal lawyer while judges face death threats, and turns the country's 250th birthday into a fight over who counts as American, and billionaires cash out while everyone argues. And the way back starts small: a psychologist's simple habit for a happier social life, organizers who treat loneliness as a political problem with a political cure, and a Michigan Senate campaign built on talking to people instead of donors.

Covering: June–July 2026

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SECTION 1: A SUPERPOWER WITHOUT FRIENDS

(00:01:30) #1805 - Trump Giving Iran $300 Billion to End His Own War

1: The Iran Deal, Boy, I Don't Know - Takes by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 6-18-26

2: J.D. Vance Iran Deal Fall Guy Part 1 - On the Media - Air Date 6-19-26

3: Trump Weakened U.S. Allies While Strengthening Iran Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 6-19-26

(00:26:23) #1810 - Post-American Europe: How to Lose Friends and Influence People to Protect Themselves Against You

4: TODAY: Europe Replaces ENTIRE American Software Stack - Google OUT, Microsoft OUT June 9 - House of El - Air Date 6-4-26

5: Would NATO Hold if Russia Tested Article 5? Lessons From a War Game | Berlin Briefing Podcast Part 1 - DW News - Air Date 7-17-26

6: China Quietly Saved the World Last Month Part 1 - Max Fisher - Air Date 7-17-26

(00:54:17) #1799 - The US and China Are Fighting Over Taiwan, Semiconductors, and Africa's Minerals

7: Can There Ever Really Be "one China?" - Vox - Air Date 5-28-26

8: Trump's FAILED Meeting With China's Xi Jinping Was Humiliating - Pod Save the World - Air Date 5-21-26

9: China Will Never Beat Taiwan, Here's Why - Maxinomics - Air Date 3-37-26

SECTION 2: DIVIDED ON PURPOSE

(01:23:27) #1809 - Democrats Seek a Blue Wave, Progressives Push Democratic Socialism, GOP Revive the Red Scare

10: The Red Scare Returns Trump Is Calling Us Communists -…

Air Date: 7/22/2026

Today we look at how three things Europe thought were features turned out to be leverage that could be held against them: American military protection, Silicon Valley software, and cheap Chinese goods. From a French government office running Linux to a secret European defense coalition that bypasses Washington, Europe is quietly swapping out the old architecture rather than dismantling it, one operating system migration and one secret war game at a time.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: TODAY: Europe Replaces ENTIRE American Software Stack - Google OUT, Microsoft OUT June 9 - House of El - Air Date 6-4-26

KP 2: Inside the Second China Shock Sweeping Across Europe - Bloomberg Television - Air Date 2-8-26

KP 3: NATO's Secret Plans to Defend Europe Without the US - Times Originals - Air Date 7-17-26

KP 4: China Quietly Saved the World Last Month Part 1 - Max Fisher - Air Date 7-17-26

KP 5: How I View the US After 13 Years Living in Europe - Evan Edinger - Air Date 10-5-25

KP 6: Europes Quiet Breakup with U.S. Big Tech - Brit in Germany - Air Date 3-15-26

(00:54:13) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Why Europe Quitting US Big Tech Proves the Left Was Right

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:04:56) SECTION A: CAN EUROPE STAND ALONE

A1: Would NATO Hold if Russia Tested Article 5? Lessons From a War Game | Berlin Briefing Podcast Part 1 - DW News - Air Date 7-17-26

A2: 250 Years of USA: Is Germany Ready for a Post-American Europe? | Berlin Briefing Podcast Part 1 - DW News - Air Date 7-3-26

A3: Can Nato Survive Without the US? | The Security Brief - BBC News - Air Date 6-11-26

A4: 250 Years of USA: Is Germany Ready for a Post-American Europe? | Berlin Briefing Podcast Part 2 - DW News - Air Date 7-3-26

A5: Would NATO Hold if Russia Tested Article 5? Lessons From a War Game | Berlin Briefing Podcast Part 2 - DW News - Air Date 7-17-26

(01:51:44) SECTION B: THE CHINA FACTOR

B1: Why the EU Is Starting a Trade War with China - TLDR News EU - Air Date 5-29-26

B2: Why the EU Has More Leverage Over China Than You Think - TLDR News EU - Air Date 6-24-26

B3: China Quietly Saved the World Last Month Part 2 - Max Fisher - Air Date 7-17-26

(02:13:12) SECTION C: THE TECH SOVEREIGNTY PLAYBOOK

C1:

Air Date: 7/18/2026

Today we examine recent primary elections and how the political smear of crying 'socialism' has been dusted off and aimed at a new generation of candidates. What's changed is that the people being smeared are actually winning elections, and the more the establishment called them dangerous, the stronger their numbers got.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: The Red Scare Returns Trump Is Calling Us Communists - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 7-8-26

KP 2: Brooks and Capehart on What's Next for Democrats in the Maine Senate Race - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 7-10-26

KP 3: Why Dems Like Him Are Crashing Out Right Now with Jeet Heer Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Dat 7-3-26

KP 4: A Progressive Compact for America Part 1 - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 6-20-26

KP 5: Democratic Socialist Electoral Victories and the Implications for American Politics Part 1 - Rev Left Radio - Air Date 7-12-26

KP 6: Unsticking Congress with Maya Kornberg Part 1 - Future Hindsight - Air Date 5-7-26

(00:48:08) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

The Democrats Are Losing Because They Chose Wall St. Over Workers

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DEEPER DIVES

(00:59:58) SECTION A: WHO THEY ARE

A1: Can a Democratic Socialist Win in a Swing State This Progressive in Wisconsin Thinks so - MS Now Reports - Air Date 7-8-26

A2: Stop Trump's Project 2025 Scheme to Kill Science; Guest Dr. Colette Delawalla of Stand Up for Science Part 1 - The BradCast - Air Date 6-24-26

A3: How Colorado Spooked the Establishment with David Sirota - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-4-26

A4: Primary Fights - The Practivist Pod - Air Date 6-4-26

A5: How Colorado Spooked the Establishment with David Sirota Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-4-26

A6: Stop Trump's Project 2025 Scheme to Kill Science; Guest Dr. Colette Delawalla of Stand Up for Science Part 2 - The BradCast - Air Date 6-24-26

A7: Why Dems Like Him Are Crashing Out Right Now with Jeet Heer Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Dat 7-3-26

(02:00:45) SECTION B: WHAT THEY BELIEVE

B1: The Socialists Are Coming! Part 1 - Today, Explained - Air Date 7-2-26

B2: DSA & Justice Democrats on Changing the Democratic Party, Mamdani, Gaza & More - Democracy Now! - …

Re-Air Date: 7-14-2026

Original Air Date: 6-7-2024

Banning abortion is wildly unpopular and also one of the primary motivators for the group most strongly supporting the Republican Party and Donald Trump, the Christian Right, which has transformed both the party and politicians into extremists made in their own image, threatening the lives and health of millions and sacrificing democracy in the process.

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Abortion and Reproductive Rights - Lectures in History - Air Date 3-16-24

KP 2: Abortion and the erosion of privacy - The Weeds - Air Date 4-10-24

KP 3: Digital surveillance and reproductive rights - Technically Optimistic - Air Date 5-15-24

KP 4: Anti-abortion hardliners want restrictions to go farther. It could cost Republicans - Consider This - Air Date 5-23-24

KP 5: Abortion and Reproductive Rights Part 2 - Lectures in History - Air Date 3-16-24

KP 6: Rakeen Mabud on Greedflation, Rachel K. Jones on Mifepristone - CounterSpin - Air Date 4-5-24

KP 7: Abortion and the erosion of privacy Part 2 - The Weeds - Air Date 4-10-24

KP 8: Digital surveillance and reproductive rights Part 2 - Technically Optimistic - Air Date 5-15-24

(56:09) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On the abuse produced by abortion restrictions

DEEPER DIVES

(01:01:35) SECTION A: CRIMINALIZING ABORTION

A1: Abortion and Reproductive Rights Part 3 - Lectures in History - Air Date 3-16-24

A2: Digital surveillance and reproductive rights Part 3 - Technically Optimistic - Air Date 5-15-24

A3: Abortion and the erosion of privacy Part 3 - The Weeds - Air Date 4-10-24

(01:20:04) SECTION B: ABORTION EXTREMISM OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

B1: Texas Republicans Want To Execute Women Who Defy Them - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 5-30-24

B2:

Air Date: 7/10/2026

Today we look at what it means to live in an economy that has quietly split in two with a soaring stock market driven by AI on one side, a collapsing job market on the other, and the subtle shift in the right to own things, from your music and movies to your car's software, which all underlie the slide toward technofeudalism.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: America Is Entering a New Socialist Era — and It Might Stick - The Recount - Air Date 6-30-26

KP 2: America's Job Market Is Collapsing - Max Fisher - Air Date 4-10-26

KP 3: The Richest Country Is Pretty Mid Now Part 1 - Benn Jordan - Air Date 6-28-26

KP 4: We Uncovered The Master Plan That Peter Thiel Doesn't Want You To See - More Perfect Union - Air Date 6-29-26

KP 5: The End Of Capitalism Is Here. - Second Thought - Air Date 6-5-26

(01:06:28) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Humanity Is About to Be Optimized Out of Existence for the Sake of Profit

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:06:46) SECTION A: THE RISING LEFT

A1: Trump's Speech At America 250 BACKFIRES, Sony Ends PHYSICAL MEDIA | Zaid Talks Part 1 - Zaid Tabani - Air Date 7-5-26

A2: Do Democrats F*ck Now? How Democratic Socialists Are Taking Over The Party - Some Some More News Clips and Some More News - Air Date 7-5-26

A3: How the Democratic Party Captures and Subverts Revolutionary Energy (with Kshama Sawant) - The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel - Air Date 6-29-26

A4: AI Is Losing and the Left Is Winning, with Brennan Lee Mulligan and Ed Zitron - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 6-26-26

A5: Democrats Don't Know What "Affordability" Actually Means, with Dino Guastella - Factually! with Adam Conover - Air Date 6-24-26

(01:49:40) SECTION B: EVERYDAY EXTRACTION

B1: The American Economy Is Broken—Here's Why - Established Context Part 1 - Air Date 4-13-26

B2: Why Owning Nothing Is So Expensive - Business Insider and Insider - Air Date 1-24-26

B3: NEW WARNING: Your Vehicle Can't Be FIXED After 2026 - Motor Feed - Air Date 6-28-26

B4: Trump's Speech At America 250 BACKFIRES, Sony Ends PHYSICAL MEDIA | Zaid Talks Part 2 - Zaid Tabani - Air Date 7-5-26

B5:

Air Date: 7/7/2026

Today we use the 2026 World Cup to pull everything that runs under the game up into the light. Nearly a quarter of the players are representing a country other than the one they were born in, praised as national heroes when they score but scorned as foreigners when they lose. The history of colonialism built the machinery that turns immigrants into targets, and the results are playing out live around this year's tournament, in the towns that throw their arms open and the borders that slam shut, in who a country will claim and who it leaves outside.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Always Root for the Underdog - Pop Culture Detective - Air Date 7-1-26

KP 2: Colonial Wars Played On The Pitch - AJ+ - Air Date 6-21-26

KP 3: How the U.S. and France Ruined Haiti - Bianca Graulau - Air Date 8-14-25

KP 4: Who Gets To Enjoy The World Cup? - AJ+ - Air Date 6-19-26

KP 5: US Soccer Star Shows MAGA's Racism With Zero Effort - Rick Strom - Air Date 6-23-26

KP 6: How Colonialism Created Mbappe and Zidane, Explained - Uncivilized - Air Date 7-12-24

KP 7: Iran's World Cup Team Divides the Diaspora in the US | DW Reporter - DW News - Air Date 6-26-26

KP 8: Keep My Culture Out Your Mouth! - PissedMagistus - Air Date 6-27-26

(00:59:27) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

The World Cup Exposes How Racism Is a Tool, Not a Belief

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:11:20) SECTION A: COLONIALISM'S LONG GAME

A1: Colonialism Never Ended – It Just Became Debt - AJ+ - Air Date 9-6-25

A2: They BANNED Haiti World Cup Jersey to HIDE Black History - THE MERC - Air Date 6-21-26

A3: Belgium Hands Over Remains of Patrice Lumumba to DR Congo - DW News - Air Date 6-20-22

A4: DR Congo's Lumumba Super Fan Arrives at FIFA World Cup After Delays | Firstpost Africa | N18G - Firstpost - Air Date 6-23-26

A5: How a Football Team Fueled Algeria's Fight for Independence - Uncivilized - Air Date 8-1-24

(01:44:54) SECTION B: DIASPORA AND DUAL IDENTITY

B1: Tim Weah on World Cup Dreams, the African Diaspora and USMNT's Fair-Weather Knicks Fandom | PTFO - PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT - Air Date 6-19-26

B2:

Air Date: 7/4/2026

Today we examine what America has celebrated for 250 years and what it keeps refusing to look at. The Declaration promised government by the consent of the governed, but the Constitution protected slavery, concentrated power in elites, and left the definition of "the people" deliberately vague. Every generation inherits that same unresolved contradiction and has to address it for themselves.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: The Constitution's Preamble, Plain and Powerful - Civics In A Year - Air Date 10-9-25

KP 2: Trump 250 Gala Grows More Humiliating as Fox Grapples with Low Turnout - THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent - Air Date 6-26-26

KP 3: Thom Hartmann -The Myth of Corporate Personhood - Brave New Foundation - Air Date 3-3-10

KP 4: The Constitution (Melissa's Version) - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 5-11-26

KP 5: The Declaration of Independence and Democracy Renovation Part 1 - Democracy Works - Air Date 4-6-26

KP 6: America's 250th Birthday Must Reckon with Racism, Historian Says - Here & Now Anytime - Air Date 6-19-26

(00:52:07) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

America's Birthday Lie: The Constitution Didn't Promise Democracy

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:10:03) SECTION A: FOUNDING IDEAS

A1: Promote The General Welfare - Siena and Toast The Podcast - Air Date 11-18-2020

A2: The Ideas at the Heart of the Declaration and the Constitution Part 1 - We the People - Air Date 6-25-26

A3: Bill of Rights Institute's Tony Williams & David Bobb on America 250 Part 1 - The Takeout with Major Garrett - Air Date 6-16-26

A4: Ep.289 Divided Over the Declaration How an Enduring Debate Sustains the Vision of America with Author Tony Williams 480 - Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America - Air Date 2-13-26

A5: Bill of Rights Institute's Tony Williams & David Bobb on America 250 Part 2 - The Takeout with Major Garrett - Air Date 6-16-26

(01:47:48) SECTION B: RACE & RECKONING

B1: The Fantasy of America at 250 Part 1 - On the Media - Air Date 6-26-26

B2…

Air Date: 7/1/2026

Today we examine how four months of American bombardment accomplished what decades of diplomacy never could, making Iran, still run by oppressive theocrats, a regional superpower. An Iranian woman told a reporter she endured the bombing hoping it would topple the regime. Instead, it entrenched it.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: J.D. Vance Iran Deal Fall Guy Part 1 - On the Media - Air Date 6-19-26

KP 2: The Cards Held by Iran in a Badly Written Memorandum - Explainer - Air Date 6-18-26

KP 3: Trumpworld Quietly Shivs JD Vance as Damning Leaks Discredit Iran Deal - THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent - Air Date 6-17-26

KP 4: Trump Weakened U.S. Allies While Strengthening Iran Part 1 - UNFTR - Air Date 6-19-26

KP 5: What the End of War Could Mean for Iranians - The Current - Air Date 6-17-26

KP 6: The Iran Deal, Boy, I Don't Know - Takes by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 6-18-26

(00:54:18) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Trump's Iran War Gave the Regime Everything It Wanted

Steve Bannon Has Called His "Army" to Do Battle—No Matter Who Wins in November

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:07:37) SECTION A: THE DEAL ITSELF

A1: Executive Disorder Iran Deal, UFC at the White House, Dialog Hack - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 6-19-26

A2: For His Own Birthday, Trump Gifts Iran $300 Billion - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 6-16-26

A3: Iran Conflict Brief The US-Iran Deal and a New Phase of Accommodation - Columbia Energy Exchange - Air Date 6-16-26

A4: The Cards Held by Iran in a Badly Written Memorandum Part 2 - Explainer - Air Date 6-18-26

(01:43:52) SECTION B: THE STRATEGIC LOSS

B1: Iran Deal Winners, Losers, and Regional Impact Part 1 - Sources & Methods - Air Date 6-19-26

B2: Trump Weakened U.S. Allies While Strengthening Iran Part 2 - UNFTR - Air Date 6-19-26

(01:58:52) SECTION C: VOICES F…

Air Date: 6/27/2026

Today we trace how one man went from receiving a $278 million government grant to becoming the world's first trillionaire who spent .025% of his wealth to get Trump elected, then used his position to slash programs that help people while stoking race riots overseas.

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: 'Billionaire CRISIS': How the Country's Wealthiest Are 'bankrolling' U.S. Politics - MS NOW - Air Date 5-27-26

KP 2: We Uncovered a Hidden Wealth Transfer in the SpaceX IPO. You're Holding the Bag. - More Perfect Union - Air Date 5-27-26

KP 3: Trump DOGE Cuts Caused 600,000 Deaths This Year, Fmr. USAID Official Says - The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell - Air Date 11-24-25

KP 4: Everything Is Falling Apart and Americans Aren't Happy About It - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 6-16-26

KP 5: Elon Musk Celebrates Trillionaire Status by Stoking Racist Terrorism in Belfast! - I Doubt It Podcast - Air Date 6-14-26

KP 6: Why The Economist Hates Wealth Taxes - Garys Economics - Air Date 6-14-26

(00:57:37) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

The System That Made Musk a Trillionaire Is the Real Villain

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:15:26) SECTION A: THE TRILLIONAIRE AND WHAT HE REVEALS

A1: 'Massive Loser': World Roasts First Trillionaire Elon Musk - The Rational National - Air Date 6-14-26

A2: A Trillion Dollars - Jonathan Pie - Air Date 6-14-26

A3: Trillionaire Welfare Queen - The John Fugelsang Podcast - Air Date 6-15-26

A4: "Land Grab": Trillionaire Elon Musk Sued in South Texas to Block SpaceX Takeover of Wildlife Refuge - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-16-26

(01:49:20) SECTION B: THE HUMAN COST OF CONCENTRATED POWER

B1: 9.4M Lives at Risk: The Human Cost of Elon Musk's DOGE Cuts - Holy Post Media - Air Date 6-15-26

B2: Justin Wolfers on Musk, Inequality, and the Price of American Democracy - Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers - Air Date 6-13-26

B3: 'If You Can Keep It': What The Wealth Gap Means For Democracy Part 1 - 1A - Air Date 4-27-26

(02:12:31) SECTION C: THE SPACEX IPO HEIST

C1:

Air Date: 6/24/2026

The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! If you've been pulling back from the news for your own sanity, this one's built for you — a quick recap and reference guide to the past month or two, organized around a single idea: when power can't earn legitimacy, it manufactures it.

The performance. Spectacle, religion, and health branding standing in for real consent: Trump collecting a FIFA "peace prize," Christian nationalism worn as a costume the actual church refuses to bless, and RFK Jr. dressing up a gutted vaccine agenda as "moderate," scapegoating immigrants as he goes, while the USAID cuts run up a body count.

The machinery. The infrastructure that keeps the performance going while real consent drains away underneath: a legal system bent toward self-dealing and a $1.8 billion slush fund, billionaire money rewriting the rules since Citizens United, an AI gold rush sold as inevitable before anyone voted on it, and an economy booming on paper while the ground shifts under everyone's feet.

The vacuum and the reclaiming. What rushes in when legitimacy collapses, from normalized political violence to a manifesto born of that collapse — and then the democratic answer: why the rupture hasn't come, why revolutions tend to devour themselves, and why the slower work wins. Nonviolent movements draw eleven times the participation, and the ballot box the Supreme Court is fighting hardest to narrow is the same one that just turned out 78% of Hungary to remove Orbán.

Full Show Notes

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SECTION 1: THE PERFORMANCE OF LEGITIMACY

(00:01:31) #1798 - FIFA Sportswashing Fascism: The World Cup from Mussolini to Trump

1: Trump Is a 'master Marketer' Symone Reacts to President Getting FIFA Peace Prize - Chris Jansing Reports - Air Date 12-5-25

2: Jules Boykoff on World Cup and Sportswashing Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 5-15-26

3: Trump LOSES IT as FIFA SUFFERS MAJOR CRISIS!! Part 1 - MeidasTouch - Air Date 5-6-26

(00:23:20) #1787 - The American President vs The American Pope: Leo XIV, Trump, and the MAGA-Catholic Rift

4: Someone Tell Pete Hegseth That "Pulp Fiction" Isn't in the Bible - Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie - Air Date 4-18-26

5: "Two Versions of Christianity": Pope Leo Calls for Peace as U.S. Uses Religion to Justify Iran War - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-1-26

6: Why America and the Vatican Have Fallen Out - TLDR News Global - Air Date 4-11-26

(00:46:03) #1794 - From MAHA to Measles: RFK's Public Health Purge Will Make America Sick Again

7: Why RFK Jr. Is Projecting a More 'Moderate' MAHA Stance - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 4-27-26

8: RFK Jr Goes Full Eugenics to Congress; IMMIGRANTS BRING DISEASE - Brittany…

Air Date: 6–20-2026

Today we explore how political revenge became official government policy. The Department of Justice has dropped fraud cases while opening vindictive investigations into Trump's critics. Judges who rule against him face death threats at home with no federal protection and thousands of DOJ lawyers have walked out the door, leaving the agency hollowed out by loyalty tests and bent toward retribution.

Full Show Notes

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Trump Eyes Personal Lawyer to Run DOJ Part 1 - The Beat W Ari Melber - Air Date 6-4-26

KP 2: This Federal Judge Ruled Against Trump. Then the Death Threats Rolled in Part 1 - 60 Minutes - Air Date 3-1-26

KP 3: Judges Call Out Rising Acts of Violence Against the Judiciary, Slam Trump's 'irresponsible Rhetoric' - NBC News - Air Date 6-3-26

KP 4: How Low Can the DOJ Go - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 4-27-26

KP 5: Fraud on the Court Even as DOJ Drops $1.8B Settlement Fund, Judge Reopens Case Over Collusion Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-3-26

KP 6: 'The Audacity' DOJ Turns to X to Recruit as Prosecutors Flee Trump's Politicization of Department - MS Now - Air Date 2-1-26

KP 7: DOJ in Crisis - Stay Tuned with Preet - Air Date 2-10-26

(00:53:44) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Trump Built a One-Way Ratchet to Tyranny. Here's How We Break It.

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:06:27) SECTION A: A DEPARTMENT OF REVENGE

A1: 'The Department of Revenge' Explores Trump's Use of DOJ to Settle Political Scores - PBS Newshour - Air Date 6-11-26

A2: This Federal Judge Ruled Against Trump. Then the Death Threats Rolled in Part 2 - 60 Minutes - Air Date 3-1-26

A3: Trump Eyes Personal Lawyer to Run DOJ Part 2 - The Beat W Ari Melber - Air Date 6-4-26

(01:25:33) SECTION B: MALICIOUS PROSECUTIONS

B1: Small DoJ Energy - Opening Arguments - Air Date 2-20-26

B2: The Vindictive DOJ Part 1 - Law and Chaos - Air Date 6-4-26

B3: The Malicious Incompetence of Trump's DOJ - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 6-15-25

B4:

Air Date: 6/17/2026

Today we trace a pattern that repeated across half a dozen states this primary season: working-class candidates running on the cost of living beat the opponents party leadership hand-picked and funded. It looks like ordinary election news, but it's more pieces of a larger shift already underway; away from a politics of left against right and toward a new era of the elite vs working people.

Full Show Notes

Transcript

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Hayes: Trump Is Chasing Good Press with Bombs - All In with Chris Hayes - Air Date 6-11-26

KP 2: Bernie Sanders Just Won Them All - The Rational National - Air Date 6-10-26

KP 3: We Sat AOC Down With Republican Voters. Can She Win Them Over? - More Perfect Union and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - Air Date 6-9-26

KP 4: "Fetterman Vibes?" DSA Dem WON'T DEFEND Graham Platner - Breaking Points - Air Date 6-9-26

KP 5: Abdul El-Sayed Thinks the Michigan Senate Race Will Come Down to This One Factor - Slate and Abdul El-Sayed - Air Date 4-30-26

(00:49:39) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Counterfeit Populism Is Dying

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:05:26) SECTION A: READING THE PRIMARY MAP

A1: Voters Reject the Establishment in This Week's Primaries - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 6-4-26

A2: Josh Turek, Democratic Senate Nominee, on Why Iowa Will Flip Blue - Brian Tyler Cohen News - Air Date 6-3-26

A3: The Graham Platner Debate Part 1 - Majority 54 - Air Date 6-4-26

A4: Kentucky Senate Seat Is 'most Flippable' Race, Says Democrat Charles Booker - Meet The Press NOW _ NBC News NOW - Air Date 5-19-26

A5: The Democratic Establishment Can Be Defeated - Current Affairs - Air Date 5-15-26

(01:45:20) SECTION B: THE PLATNER RECKONING

B1: How Maine Democrats View Platner's Scandals and Chances to Oust Sen. Collins - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 6-9-26

B2: Graham Platner's Billionaire-Bashing Message Resonates in Maine Senate Race, Despite Controversies - Democracy Now! - Air Date 6-8-26

B3: Why I Left the (White) Left - Signified B Sides - Air Date 6-2-26

B4:

Air Date: 6/12/2026

Today we examine how America caused a loneliness epidemic by tearing down the places where people used to find each other, how big tech is offering AI as a lackluster substitute for connection, and how people are building the opposite of loneliness with block parties, labor unions, and community gardens.

Full Show Notes

Transcript

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: How Capitalism Causes Loneliness Part 1 - Second Thought - Air Date 6-2-23

KP 2: Anthropic Discovers the Axis of Evil, and AIs Loneliness Economy - The AI Fix - Air Date 2-3-26

KP 3: The Political Economy of Love Attention, Affection, & What Capitalism Can't Buy Part 1 - Rev Left Radio - Air Date 1-19-26

KP 4: What Do We Mean by Humane Tech Part 1 - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 6-4-26

KP 5: Stone Soup A Recipe for Community Organizing Marina Barnett Part 1 - TEDxWidenerUniversity - Air Date 10-24-22

KP 6: The Simple Habit for a Happier Social Life Nicholas Epley Part 1 - TEDTalks - Air Date 5-19-26

(00:49:32) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Why the Left Needs to Have More Fun to Build Real Power

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DEEPER DIVES

(00:59:32) SECTION A: THE LONELINESS WE LIVE IN

A1: Loneliness - Capitalism's Collateral Damage - Democracy At Work - Air Date 8-29-22

A2: How Capitalism Causes Loneliness Part 2 - Second Thought - Air Date 6-2-23

A3: Loneliness - Capitalism's Collateral Damage Part 2 - Democracy At Work - Air Date 8-29-22

A4: The Political Economy of Love Attention, Affection, & What Capitalism Can't Buy Part 2 - Rev Left Radio - Air Date 1-19-26

(01:29:54) SECTION B: AI COMPANION MACHINE

B1: Can AI Companionship Cure Loneliness – or Deepen It Part 1 - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 2-27-26

B2: People Are Lonelier Than Ever. Enter AI. - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 5-30-25

B3: The Dark Side of AI Companions, and the 1930s LLM - The AI Fix - Air Date 5-5-26

B4: What Do We Mean by Humane Tech Part 2 - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 6-4-26

B5:

Air Date: 6/10/2026

Today we explore how Taiwan's own people are stuck between the US and China. Fewer and fewer of them want to rejoin China but their faith in America is sinking just as fast as Trump treats them as a bargaining chip. Their own leaders are split on how to respond. And the place that makes most of the world's advanced chips has almost no seat at the table where its future is being decided.

Full Show Notes

Transcript

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Xi, Putin & Trump - Who Really Runs the World? | To the Point - DW News - Air Date 5-21-26

KP 2: Can There Ever Really Be "one China?" - Vox - Air Date 5-28-26

KP 3: How the US Is Trying to Challenge China's Critical Mineral Dominance Part 1 - The China in Africa Podcast - Air Date 5-28-26

KP 4: Why Did Trump Take Elon Musk to China? - Paul Krugman - Air Date 5-14-26

KP 5: Why This Island Could Trigger World War 3 - Johnny Harris - Air Date 12-18-25

KP 6: China Will Never Beat Taiwan, Here's Why - Maxinomics - Air Date 3-37-26

(00:53:26) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

The Stories Nations Tell Will Destroy Us_ China, Taiwan, and Trump

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:04:39) SECTION A: THE MAKING OF TAIWAN

A1: The Taiwan Conflict, Explained - Ryan Chapman - Air Date 10-13-22

A2: Inside China's Plan to Take Over Taiwan "peacefully" | If You're Listening - ABC NEWS In-depth - Air Date 11-28-25

(01:24:47) SECTION B: THE MULTIPOLAR WORLDVIEW

B1: China Rising Part 1: How the Unipolar World Is Ending - Beyond the Ballot Box - Air Date 2-10-26

B2: US Unipolarity Vs China's Multipolarity: Whose Vision Will Shape the New Global Order?

B3: China Rising Part 2: Taiwan, Xinjiang, Sovereignty and Human Rights - Beyond the Ballot Box

(01:52:00) SECTION C: TAIWAN IN THE CROSSHAIRS

C1: What's Behind the Record-breaking $11 Billion US-Taiwan Arms Deal? - DW News - Air Date 12-19-25

C2: Is Taiwan Moving Away From the US? - TLDR News Global - Air Date 4-20-26

(02:09:55) SECTION D: THE SUMMI…

Air Date: 6–5-2026

Today we explore sportswashing past and present, from fascist dictators who first weaponized the World Cup to FIFA's modern extractivism model of corrupt capitalism, and why workers, unions, and fans are now organizing to reclaim the game from those profiting off it.

Full Show Notes

Transcript

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: Trump Is a 'master Marketer' Symone Reacts to President Getting FIFA Peace Prize - Chris Jansing Reports - Air Date 12-5-25

KP 2: Jules Boykoff on World Cup and Sportswashing Part 1 - CounterSpin - Air Date 5-15-26

KP 3: The Fascist World Cup Part 1 - Power Plays - Air Date 5-21-26

KP 4: Exploring the Sportwashing, Greed and Corruption of the 2026 World Cup - The Blazing Musket Podcast - Air Date 5-6-26

KP 5: Trump LOSES IT as FIFA SUFFERS MAJOR CRISIS!! Part 1 - MeidasTouch - Air Date 5-6-26

KP 6: Jules Boykoff on World Cup and Sportswashing Part 2 - CounterSpin - Air Date 5-15-26

(00:45:01) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

FIFA, Trump, and the Patriotism Scam They're Running on America

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:01:55) SECTION A: TRUMP'S PLAYBOOK

A1: Is This the Most Political World Cup of All Time Part 1 - The Global Story - Air Date 5-25-26

A2: As the World Cup Arrives in Seattle, so Do the Contradictions Part 1 - Soundside - Air Date 5-18-26

(01:14:02) SECTION B: FASCIST ORIGINS

B1: Sportswashing Explained Part 1 - Rights & Wrongs - Air Date 5-25-26

B2: Soccers Shadow And Sunlight the Fascist History of the World Cup and 20 Years of Soccer Without Borders Part 1 - Edge of Sports - Air Date 5-28-26

B3: The Fascist World Cup Part 2 - Power Plays - Air Date 5-21-26

B4: Soccers Shadow And Sunlight the Fascist History of the World Cup and 20 Years of Soccer Without Borders Part 2 - Edge of Sports - Air Date 5-28-26

(01:55:31) SECTION C: GREED MACHINE

C1: Trump LOSES IT as FIFA SUFFERS MAJOR CRISIS!! Part 2 - MeidasTouch - Air Date 5-6-26

C2: