Left Reckoning

Trump turned the White House South Lawn into a UFC cage for his 80th birthday — a gladiator spectacle dubbed Freedom 250, with $1.5 million ringside seats and a crowd he handpicked himself. David sits down with Ben Case — writer, organizer, and former pro Muay Thai fighter — to get at what the fights are really about: private equity, tech billionaires, and the Saudi government quietly consolidating control over all of combat sports, with Trump as the would-be emperor cashing in (he even bought TKO stock first).Plus, up top: the Texas GOP convention, where delegates told lifelong Muslim Republicans to convert to Christianity or leave the country, an elephant marched for "Don't Sharia Our Texas," and the lunatic fringe finished becoming the party.And lastly, David sits down with working-class candidate Eon Huntley, who is running a democratic socialist campaign in NYC!Ben Case: https://jacobin.com/2026/06/ufc-freedom-trump-white-saudisEon Huntley Campaign: https://eonforassembly.com/Support Left Reckoning and get the Sunday shows: patreon.com/leftreckoningNew here? Subscribe and hit the bell — it genuinely helps us keep doing this.Twitter: @LeftReckoning / @davidgriscom / @MattLech

Matt and David check in on an old (un)favorite in Sam Harris and his clinically hysterical way of denying atrocities. Then, socialist Conrad Blackburn talks about running for State Assembly in Harlem. Finally, Mehdi Hasan embarrasses Patrick Bet-David.Support Left Reckoning and get the Sunday Show at Patreon.com/leftreckoningEarly voting in Harlem starts June 13th conradforharlem.com

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David and Matt wade into the heated Chris Smalls/Amazon Labor Union discourse prompted by this recent review of his upcoming book in Jacobin:
https://jacobin.com/2026/06/smalls-amazon-labor-organizing-celebrity

Support the show at patreon.com/leftreckoning and get our weekly Sunday Show.
Matt and David weigh in on the accusations of betrayal and purity-testing being levelled at Norm Finkelstein by certain parts of the media-fixated left.Then,  @orangefreddyg  joins Matt to discuss pressing issues in the NY/NJ area, including a Israeli war criminal inclusive zionist klan rally in NYC, a detention center being protested for hellish conditions in NJ, and some socialist campaigns to watch for in the city.

Support Left Reckoning at Patreon.com/leftreckoningAnnie Lowrey brings the Bidenomics vibecession argument back and the lib stats nerds can't help advertising their incomprehension. Also, Jasmine Crockett is uh busy.