Welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of the Left podcast. Today we explore how

Victor Orban spent 16 years transforming Hungary into a blueprint for 21st century autocracy,

how that blueprint traveled directly to the United States and what Hungary's stunning

defeat of Orban can teach Americans about fighting

back against authoritarianism.

For those looking for a quick overview, the sources providing our top takes in about 95 minutes

today includes Radio Atlantic, The Majority Report, Last Week Tonight, DW News, stay tuned

with Preet, takes by Jamal Bowie, and the Dean Obadiah show. Then, in the additional deeper dives have of the show, there will be more in three sections. Section A, Origins, Section B, Tactics, and Section C, International. But first, a reminder to check out our new show solved on the Best of the Left YouTube channel. We're really proud of the show we're making and think you'll get real value out of it. Plus, you checking it out will help us find new viewers

on YouTube. So thanks in advance for all of your views, likes, subscribes, and the comments.

That's all on the best of the left YouTube channel linked in the show notes. And now,

on to the show.

Back overseas in a major defeat for President Trump's closest ally in Europe.

Hungarian voters ousted longtime Prime Minister Victor Orban, who was also close to Russia's

Vladimir Putin.

I was on the streets of Budapest.

I was in the middle of the mass.

I'm sure that you saw the pictures

that thousands of Hungarians were dancing and celebrating

and crying on the streets, hugging each other.

Which itself was a really, really interesting experience

because the Hungarian society is quite closed

in a sense that it's really hard to see people to dance

...