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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
U.S. Immigration Policy
Latin America
Covid-19
Democracy
Political Violence
Social Collapse
Infrastructure Attacks
Technocracy
Counter-Terrorism
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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Artwork for Best of the Left

Latest Episodes

Air Date 12/10/2025

Dick Cheney used to be thought of as Darth Vader but did he have an end-of-life conversion back to the light side of the force? No, he was bad all along and only thought Trump was worse.

Be part of the show! Leave us a message... more

Re-Air Date: 12–2-25

Unless you were a member in May 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 reorganiz... more

Original Air Date: 1-23-2024

The recent discovery of hundreds of bodies buried behind a jail in unmarked graves sparks a renewed discussion about the futility and counter-productiveness of our system of incarceration and the context of our history ... more

Air Date 12/2/2025

If you need more evidence for just how far from rationality our politics have slid in recent decades, Zorhan Mamdani is seen by many as a radical for mostly just saying that people should be able to afford to buy the things they ... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

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
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
Chris Toensing
Editor of Middle East Report
Middle East Report
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
Sherrilyn Ifill
Founding director of the 14th Amendment Center for Law and Democracy at Howard University
Howard University
Episode: #1751 Monthly-ish Mix: Institutions Fall, Reality Breaks, Empire Rises
Mark Elias
Founder of Democracy Docket and elections attorney
Democracy Docket
Episode: #1749 Democracy: In Theory, In Practice, and Under Threat
Zohran Mamdani
Candidate running for office in New York
Episode: #1749 Democracy: In Theory, In Practice, and Under Threat
Dr. Marissa Cohen
Marriage and family therapist
Episode: #1745 Fake New World: The Age of AI Slop, AI Education, and AI Fascism

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 States3 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 States5 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
    6 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
#170
Canada/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#238
United Kingdom/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#155
Saudi Arabia/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#198
Russia/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#214
South Korea/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

#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.
#1745 Fake New World: The Age of AI Slop, AI Education, and AI Fascism
Q: How are data centers impacting local water resources?
Data centers require significant water for cooling, often being located in already stressed water regions, exacerbating local drought conditions.

Audience Metrics

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

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Household Income
Social Media Reach

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?

To see how many followers or subscribers Best of the Left has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

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. The Majority Report with Sam Seder
4. Democracy Now! Audio
5. Jacobin Radio

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. Farhat Al-Ani
2. Sinan Antoun
3. Chris Toensing
4. Dr. Jhacova Williams
5. Jenna Lisa Jones
6. Sherrilyn Ifill
7. Mark Elias
8. Zohran Mamdani

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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