Shows / Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Your Neighbor on the Left is a podcast done, not by a professional political talking head,
but just an average guy, living life as a progressive liberal in the midst of very
conservative surroundings. Each episode will tackle hot topics for the week, as well as
doing a deep dive on one important issue. A must-listen for progressives of every ilk, but
also a non-hostile way for folks on the right to hopefully better understand their
neighbors on the left.
Episodes
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
“Trump Told Me To” — The Case Against Pete Hegseth
Pete Hegseth’s defenders say he was carrying out Donald Trump’s orders. But what authority supported those orders, and what responsibility does Hegseth bear…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Midterm Postmortem: The Voters Have Spoken. Is Anybody Listening?
The voters delivered a resounding message in the 2026 midterms, handing Democrats control of Congress and leaving Republicans searching for answers. But what…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: A Majority Is a Terrible Thing to Waste
How historic was this midterm election, and what can earlier victories tell us about what happens next? From the New Deal and post-Watergate reforms to…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
The Business of Locking People Up
Immigration detention is becoming a booming business, and taxpayers are footing the bill. From a nearly half-billion-dollar prison purchase in Minnesota to…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
If Democrats Win, the Questions Begin
What happens if Democrats win control of Congress and suddenly have the power to investigate the Trump administration? From White House construction projects…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: Who Decides Who's American?
Who gets to decide what makes someone a “real American”? After a speaker at a Trump rally declared that a birth certificate doesn't make someone American…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
One Person, One Vote. One Billionaire, One Fortune.
One person, one vote. But what happens when one billionaire can spend $158 million influencing an election? In this episode, we examine Elon Musk's…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Who Does the Justice Department Work For?
Who does the United States Department of Justice really work for—the American people or the president? In this episode of Your Neighbor on the Left, we examine…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: Barefoot, Pregnant, and Off the Playing Field
In this edition of Back Porch Files, we're taking a trip back to the 1950s—or at least that's where the Heritage Foundation seems determined to send us. Scott…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
What Does Putin See in Trump?
Why does Vladimir Putin keep betting on Donald Trump? In this episode of Your Neighbor on the Left, we examine Russia's latest election disinformation…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
When Justice Becomes Entertainment
When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proposed livestreaming the execution of convicted Fort Hood mass murderer Nidal Hasan, he raised a disturbing question…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: All the President’s Yes-Men
In this edition of Back Porch Files, “All the President’s Yes-Men,” we examine Donald Trump’s approach to staffing his administration—and what happens when…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Justice for Sale? The Business of Presidential Pardons
The Constitution gives presidents extraordinary power to forgive federal crimes, but what happens when access to that mercy becomes a multimillion-dollar…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
The Price of Doing Business with Putin
Donald Trump says his new diesel agreement with Vladimir Putin will help bring down fuel prices. But at what cost? In this episode, Don examines the economic…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: The Bill Comes Due After the Election
Congress passed Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill in July 2025, but some of its most consequential changes to Medicaid, SNAP, and healthcare funding won’t…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
What Is Citizenship Worth?
The Justice Department says it is carrying out the largest denaturalization effort in modern American history. In this episode, Don looks at what…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
$45 and an American Flag: The Fine Print of School Choice
What does “school choice” really mean once you get past the slogan? In this episode, Don looks at a ProPublica investigation that found just how little it can…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: The Difference Between Risk and Responsibility
This episode of Back Porch Files takes on the line between personal risk and personal responsibility. Using the Cornell sexual assault allegations as a…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
When the Faith Bends to the Man: Trump and Christianity
Don examines the growing gap between religious liberty, Christian political power, and Christian character in the Trump era. Using the White House’s own claim…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Respect, Fear, and a Train Wreck at the UN
Donald Trump says America is respected again. But his September 22 speech to the United Nations told a very different story. In this episode of Your Neighbor…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: The Horse, the Sparrow, and the Lie of Trickle-Down
In this Friday edition of Back Porch Files, Don takes on the decades-old promise behind trickle-down economics: feed the people at the top, and prosperity will…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
The Trillion-Dollar $5,000 Check
In “The Trillion-Dollar $5,000 Check,” Don takes a closer look at Donald Trump’s promise of a $5,000 dividend for American adults and asks the questions the…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
When Loyalty Starts to Cost You
Republicans are not abandoning Donald Trump — but some of them may be starting to calculate the political cost of staying too close to him. In this episode…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: The World’s Most Expensive Participation Trophy
Donald Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center started with a real problem: an aging building in need of serious repairs. But it quickly became something much…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
The AI Arms Race
A researcher inside one of the world’s leading AI companies walks away, warning that the race to build more powerful systems may be moving faster than our…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Who Do You Work For?
Donald Trump personally gave four White House aides a total of $155,000 in cash gifts, including $45,000 each to Natalie Harp, Margo Martin, and Chamberlain…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: Where Was Donald Trump on 9/11?
On the 25th anniversary of September 11, Don takes a close look at Donald Trump’s evolving story about his own role in the aftermath of the attacks. From his…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
The War on Workers
Donald Trump has built his political brand around hard hats, factory floors, and promises to fight for the American working man—but what happens after the…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
The Government Wants to Charge You for Your Bedroom
In this episode of Your Neighbor on the Left, Don examines a proposed Trump administration rollback of an SSI rule that protects some low-income disabled…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: The $10 Million Magic Trick
A Florida grand jury says $10 million in taxpayer money from a Medicaid-related settlement was misappropriated and funneled through the Hope Florida Foundation…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
The Pentagon’s Influencer Army
In The Pentagon’s Influencer Army, Don digs into the strange story that began with conservative influencer DataRepublican and quickly grew into something much…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Stop Blaming the Teachers
Vivek Ramaswamy says teachers’ unions protect adults at the expense of children—but teachers are being asked to serve as educators, counselors, behavioral…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: The Records in Room 9582
In this episode of Back Porch Files, we step inside Room 9582—a secured space at FBI headquarters where investigators found filing cabinets, safes, burn bags…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Return to Sender: Trump’s Postal Power Grab
NOTE: This episode was recorded on 8/24. It does not reflect developments after that day. The Supreme Court has removed one obstacle to Donald Trump’s attempt…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
You’re Angry at the Wrong People
Americans have plenty to be angry about: housing is unaffordable, healthcare costs too much, wages feel stagnant, jobs do not always provide real security…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: What Really Happened in Omaha?
A politically connected credit-union executive. Allegations of child sexual exploitation. A Nebraska legislative investigation. A private investigator killed…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
The GOP’s Midterm Juggling Act
Republicans spent years making Donald Trump the center of their party. Now, heading into the 2026 midterms, they’re trying to do something much harder: keep…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Who Gets to Write the Past?
The Pentagon is rolling out a new Western civilization course for military-connected students, built around a textbook critics say gives Christianity a…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: The Root Scenario and the Potential for Election Chaos
This Back Porch Files episode examines what we're calling “The Root Scenario”: the possibility that Donald Trump could use a real or claimed election emergency…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
What Are We Calling Waste? When “Efficiency” Reaches the Classroom
Politicians love to talk about cutting waste, eliminating red tape, and making government more efficient. But what happens when those “savings” reach an actual…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
The Right’s Long-Game on Social Security
Republicans including Tommy Tuberville and Ron Johnson have called Social Security a scam or a Ponzi scheme, while figures like Scott Bessent and Ted Cruz have…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: I Fact-Check My Own Side Too
In this episode, I explain why I fact-check people I already agree with, why I sometimes challenge questionable posts from my own side, and why “the larger…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
The Wrong Men for a Dangerous Moment
When people imagine world wars, they picture a single catastrophic decision. History tells a different story. They often begin with small mistakes, wounded…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Transparency: Promise vs. Reality
The Trump administration promised to be the most transparent administration in American history. In this episode of Your Neighbor on the Left, we put that…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: Pandemic, Politics, and the Canceled Plan
In the early months of COVID-19, Donald Trump publicly downplayed the danger even as he privately acknowledged that the virus was airborne and deadly. At the…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Why America Treats Israel Differently: A Plain-English Guide to One of Politics' Most Complicated Issues
Why does America treat Israel differently than almost any other ally? The answer isn't a single conspiracy, religion, politician, or lobbying group. It's the…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Loyalty Over Integrity: The Double Standard of Trumpism
What happens when loyalty becomes more important than integrity? In this episode, Don examines Senator Chris Murphy's "500 Days of Corruption" timeline, not to…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: Three Stories. Nine Articles. One Reality?
In an era of endless headlines and endless outrage, how do you know you're getting the whole story? In this episode, we examine three major national news…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Show Me the Résumé: The Myth of Meritocracy
Whether it's a corporate office, a government agency, or the President's Cabinet, Americans love to say the best person should get the job. But do we actually…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
The Election Before the Election
Most people think elections begin when the polls open. They don't. They begin months earlier, when politicians shape what voters will believe about the results…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: Promises, Prayers & Politics
For decades, Republicans have argued that America's biggest problems stem from abandoning God and traditional values. But does the evidence support that claim?…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Republicans & the Constitution: Terms and Conditions May Apply
Republicans have spent decades branding themselves as the party of the Constitution. But what happens when the Constitution limits Donald Trump instead of…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
You’re Already Paying for It: Medicare for All
When my college-age son was bitten by a dog while making a food delivery, the emergency-room visit generated a bill of more than $58,000. The insurer may…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: The Cameras That Remember
A small camera on a pole may not look like much, but when it scans license plates, stores locations, and feeds a searchable database, it becomes part of a much…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
He Could Have Just Taken the Win
The World Cup should have been an easy patriotic win: packed stadiums, global attention, American cities on display, and the U.S. team giving people something…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Reality is the Remedy
In this episode, we look at the collapse of shared reality as the wound underneath so many of the crises we face: climate, public health, democracy, AI…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: Why They Scream Communism
Trump and the GOP love using “Communism” as a panic button, especially when the real conversation is about health care, rent, wages, unions, public goods, and…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
When No One Is Left to Say No
Independent watchdogs, inspectors general, career experts, and regulatory agencies rarely make headlines until someone tries to silence them. Using the Supreme…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
The Things We Let Slide
People often ask why Donald Trump inspires such strong opposition. The answer goes far beyond policy disagreements. This episode explores how influential…
- Your Neighbor on the Left Podcast
Back Porch Files: Housing Held Hostage
This episode looks at Trump’s decision to delay or refuse signing a bipartisan housing affordability bill unless Congress first advances his election-law…