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

#1774 Monthly-ish Mix: Who's in Charge?—The Scramble for Control of Nations, Bodies, and Minds

Mar 3, 2026
A rapid tour of geopolitical power grabs, from U.S. moves on Venezuelan oil to the erosion of the postwar legal order. They unpack how economic coercion and corporate profit motives reshape institutions and daily life. The show covers state surveillance, ICE tactics, healthcare and student‑debt threats, platform control of attention, AI profit pressures, and examples of grassroots resistance.
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INSIGHT

Resuming Wage Garnishment Will Deepen Student Debt Harm

  • Student debt policy shifts include wage garnishment resumption and proposals to limit loan availability, worsening inequalities.
  • Debt Collective urges borrowers to contest garnishments, explore discharge options, and organize for systemic relief.
INSIGHT

New TikTok Owners Put Algorithm Power In Oracle's Hands

  • TikTok's U.S. sale to Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX hands algorithm control to U.S. interests, raising political-content risks.
  • Oracle manages algorithm and data security, and technical outages drove early censorship fears more than deliberate suppression.
INSIGHT

Litigation Now Targets Platform Design Over Content

  • Lawsuits are testing social platforms on design choices, not just user content protections under Section 230.
  • A California trial alleges Meta and YouTube engineered addictive features and failed to warn, creating a new legal angle.
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