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

Best of the Left: Perspectives on Politics, Culture, and Economics
Donald Trump
Christian Nationalism
Far-Right Extremism
Accelerationism
Supreme Court
Capitalism
Extreme Right Ideology
Neo-Fascism
Clarence Thomas
Latin America
U.S. Immigration Policy
Covid-19
Democracy
Political Violence
Infrastructure Attacks
Counter-Terrorism
Technocracy
Social Collapse
Italy
Israel

Expertly-curated progressive politics, news, and culture produced by leftist humans, not algorithms or AI. This is an award-winning podcast that dives deeply into a wide range of national and international issues facing society and governments. We draw from hundreds of sources of progressive news and commentary. Est. 2006. Save time by listening to a range of perspectives on a focused topic in eac... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes1622Founded20 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
News CommentaryPoliticsNews

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Latest Episodes

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 bein... more

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 w... more

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 interventi... more

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 be... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Myra Ahmed
Founder of Mochi Health
Mochi Health
Episode: #1761 Monthly-ish Mix: The Machine Cracks—Empire, Exploitation, and the Crumbling Facade
John Nichols
Executive editor of The Nation and author
The Nation
Episode: #1761 Monthly-ish Mix: The Machine Cracks—Empire, Exploitation, and the Crumbling Facade
Nathaniel Raymond
Executive Director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale
Yale University
Episode: #1758 Why you think the Sudanese civil war doesn't involve you
Khalid Khair
Expert on Sudan and Pro-Democracy Revolution
University of Toronto
Episode: #1758 Why you think the Sudanese civil war doesn't involve you
Chris Toensing
Editor of Middle East Report
Middle East Report
Episode: #1756 War Criminal Dick Cheney's Guide to Ethical Governance and Saving Democracy
Sinan Antoun
An Iraqi writer and poet, he escaped to Virginia during the war and reflects on experiences from Iraq.
Episode: #1756 War Criminal Dick Cheney's Guide to Ethical Governance and Saving Democracy
Farhat Al-Ani
An Iraqi activist and commentator involved in discussions around the consequences of US intervention in his country.
Episode: #1756 War Criminal Dick Cheney's Guide to Ethical Governance and Saving Democracy
Dr. Jhacova Williams
Cultural economist with the Economic Policy Institute.
Economic Policy Institute
Episode: #1354 Police violence and racism are a product of our past (Uprising, Crackdown, Authoritarianism) (Throwback)
Jenna Lisa Jones
Survivor of Epstein's sexual predation
Episode: #1754 The Epstein Files and Donald Trump, Our Predator-in-Chief

Host

Jay
Host providing insightful commentary and curation from various progressive sources.

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 3.8k ratings
  • 9.14.25

    I love this this podcast of a compilation of great clips of good info/analysis as well as introducing us to what may be new outlets we didn’t know about and can add them to our listening/reading resources. Thank you! love it!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    midwestBlue
    United States4 months ago
  • 7.14.25

    Excellent guests, very informative. you dive deeper into subject matter than others bringing up new info and I appreciate that. Thank you!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    midwestBlue
    United States6 months ago
  • Excellently Curated Program. I love getting all the different perspectives from all over the liberal and progressive media sphere.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Bauld G. Kobra
    7 months ago
  • Must have

    I have listened to this podcast for years. I always felt it gave me a fuller understanding of the issues. But these days I find Best of the Left an essential listen just to make sense of the times we are in

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    gfcsp
    United States9 months ago
  • Okay I guess.

    They talk about conservatives not being able to grasp different variations or groups and that not everyone has to be processed in good or bad. Then proceed to classify all conservatives as bad which is hypocritical. I listen to podcasts on both sides because I honestly believe that truth is something that doesn’t exist within the political spectrum anymore so you need to be very open to intelligence gathering. I have noticed in all of my listening though and I find this to be quite intriguing is... more

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Roan7107
    United States10 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate the depth of analysis and the quality of guests, often citing the podcast as essential for understanding contemporary issues.
Some reviews express frustration over perceived bias in coverage, particularly regarding conservative perspectives, but many remain loyal to the engaging discussions.
Highly informative and expertly curated content, often introducing new perspectives that may not be found elsewhere.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#169
United States/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#150
Canada/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#228
United Kingdom/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#193
Australia/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#29
Colombia/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#75
Hong Kong/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

#1757 Life is But a Game (that you can now bet on)
Q: Why did you start with Kyle's story?
Kyle's life was completely disrupted by gambling. His tale captures the impact of gambling apps and acknowledges the demographic most affected.
#1754 The Epstein Files and Donald Trump, Our Predator-in-Chief
Q: What would Trump or any person's responsibility be under the law to report that to the police if they knew about sex trafficking?
Presumably, they would be liable in some way, especially with extensive documentation supporting that knowledge.
#1354 Police violence and racism are a product of our past (Uprising, Crackdown, Authoritarianism) (Throwback)
Q: How can we prevent the recurrence of such violence?
We must engage in dialogue and communal efforts to confront racism and reform policing practices.
#1354 Police violence and racism are a product of our past (Uprising, Crackdown, Authoritarianism) (Throwback)
Q: Is the killing of George Floyd a modern day lynching?
Yes, it is considered a modern day lynching as it involved unlawful killing by public authorities.
#1749 Democracy: In Theory, In Practice, and Under Threat
Q: What does it mean to prevent Trump from undermining free and fair elections?
We must engage politically and as a community to ensure that the electoral process is upheld and protected.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
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Frequently Asked Questions About Best of the Left

What is Best of the Left about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The focus of this podcast is on expertly curated discussions featuring a wide array of progressive perspectives on significant political and social issues. Each episode presents listeners with detailed analyses and critiques of current events, drawing connections between history and contemporary topics such as systemic racism, police violence, economic disparities, and democratic integrity. Unique to this show is its commitment to sourcing information from a myriad of progressive outlets, offering new insights that may not be familiar to its audience. With a blend of commentary from experts and voices from affected communities, the content aims to foster understanding and empathy in a time of polarization and conflict.

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How many listeners does Best of the Left get?

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How many subscribers and views does Best of the Left have?

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Which podcasts are similar to Best of the Left?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Best of the Left:

1. Unf*cking The Republic
2. The Intercept Briefing
3. Democracy Now! Audio
4. The Nation Podcasts
5. Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer

How many episodes of Best of the Left are there?

Best of the Left launched 20 years ago and published 1622 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Best of the Left?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Best of the Left?

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What guests have appeared on Best of the Left?

Recent guests on Best of the Left include:

1. Myra Ahmed
2. John Nichols
3. Nathaniel Raymond
4. Khalid Khair
5. Chris Toensing
6. Sinan Antoun
7. Farhat Al-Ani
8. Dr. Jhacova Williams

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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