Brian and Layan discuss the rapidly expanding worldwide opposition as Israel intentionally slaughters journalists and starves Palestinian civilians. Even mainstream media figures are now denouncing Israel. They also expose the coup-like nature of Donald Trump’s militarization decree that intensifies an all-out attack against Black, Latino and immigrant communities. They also provide a political framing for the Putin-Trump meeting in Alaska and assess Russia’s goals in the Ukraine War.
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Trump has declared a police state in D.C., announcing a federal military takeover. Despite recent violent crime rates in D.C. at a 30-year low, he cited “crime” as the reason—but Professor Richard Wolff & Brian Becker discuss his real goals.
Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.
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Before we can change the world, we have to understand how change occurs. Today's episode features a recording of our host Brian Becker teaching at the Summer School for Socialism, a class series hosted by The People's Forum in New York City. The class module in today's episode is titled "Change is Possible." How do systems of power rise and fall? Brian introduces the Marxist method for understanding how societies change.
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In the decades since its 1949 revolution, China has emerged – or reemerged – as a global power, and the U.S. government sees China’s rise as an existential threat. Now there’s a bipartisan consensus, anchored in the Pentagon’s strategic doctrine, preparing for war and “great power conflict” with China. Brian Becker talks with Prof. Ken Hammond, who recently returned from teaching in China, about the political, social, and class character of the Chinese socialist project.
Dr. Ken Hammond is a professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University, founding director of the Confucius Institute at New Mexico State University, and a leading organizer with Pivot to Peace.
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Coinciding with the 72nd anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended military hostilities during the Korean War, a historic People's Summit for Korea took place in New York City between July 25th and 27th. Brian Becker, host of The Socialist Program, was a guest on one of the plenary panels entitled "The Long Revolution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." In his presentation Brian outlines the different stages of US-DPRK relations since the end of the Korean War. He explains why the U.S. has refused, so far, to sign a peace treaty, and outlines the challenges for activists in the U.S. who are organizing to promote peace on the Korean peninsula and an end to the U.S. occupation of South Korea.
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Mass arrests of immigrants in the United States, massive starvation imposed on the people of Gaza. The Trump administration is on a rampage, but there is a growing nationwide fightback movement.
Brian Becker is joined by Layan Sima Fuleihan, a Palestinian organizer with the Shut It Down for Palestine coalition, Education Director at The People’s Forum, and an editor at 1804 Books.
This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help keep this show on the air.
Emblematic of capitalist corporations, investment bank Goldman Sachs asks a revealing question that shows the evils of capitalism: ‘Is curing patients a sustainable business model?’
Nicole Roussell and Professor Richard Wolff discuss the unhealthy effects of the profit drive and huge profits in the pharmaceutical industry, using Hepatitis C treatments as an example, and how the math would work with industry profit no longer built in. Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.
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ICE conducted one of the largest raids since Trump took office in Ventura County, California, with agents chasing farmworker Jaime Alanis off a roof to his death and arresting over 360 people. Those arrested included U.S. citizens, moms, and veterans. Now organizers have successfully mobilized a large network of volunteers to fight back against the ICE campaign of terror.
Brian Becker is joined by Lainy Yompian and Ryan Drury of VC Defensa, the network in Ventura County, California that has organized the network and hotline to respond to ICE raids and follow them around town.
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The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Trump’s evisceration of the Department of Education this week through mass layoffs. Fellowships and sponsorships to fund student research are getting cut while student debt is growing. Professor Richard Wolff breaks down the potential impacts on the U.S. economy and society, the history of the federal education system in the U.S., and the root causes of Trump’s attacks on education.
Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.
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The right-wing Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for Trump to carry out the mass firings of hundreds of thousands of federal workers. More than 200,000 have already been fired or forced out as Trump carries out the Project 2025 plan to radically re-shape the form of government in the United States. The violent ICE assault against immigrant families is part of that plan.
Brian Becker and Professor Richard Wolff discuss what happens to the economy when those cuts hit and the layoffs continue. They also discuss why the ruling class is freaking out about NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s proposal to tax the rich by just 2% more and make buses free and provide affordable housing for New Yorkers.
Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.
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Donald Trump’s Tax bill has passed. It constitutes a massive transfer of wealth from working class and poor people to the already very very rich. Israel continues to massacre Palestinians lining up to receive food in Gaza. And Donald Trump has announced that a ceasefire is near.
Brian Becker is joined by Layan Sima Fuleihan, a Palestinian organizer with the Shut It Down for Palestine coalition, Education Director at The People’s Forum, and an editor at 1804 Books.
This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help keep this show on the air.
Trump and the Republicans have passed in the Senate a sweeping tax bill that is a massive wealth transfer from the poorest to the wealthiest, making permanent Trump’s huge 2017 tax cuts for the wealthiest and giving hundreds of billions to corporations —while slashing millions of people’s access to healthcare and nutrition. Brian Becker and Professor Richard Wolff discuss how Congress is ramming through a highly unpopular bill and what it says about U.S. capitalism. They tie in how the primary victory of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in NYC shows people are ready for another way.
Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.
Join the The Socialist Program community at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
New Yorkers voted by a large margin for Zohran Mamdani, a self-described Democratic Socialist, in the Democratic Party primary this week. The entire U.S. ruling class, much of it rooted in New York City, on Wall Street, has declared war against Mamdani, hoping to prevent his expected victory in the general election in November.
Brian and Layan also discuss the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and what it says about contemporary politics and the state of the U.S. empire.
Brian Becker is joined by Layan Sima Fuleihan, a Palestinian organizer with the Shut It Down for Palestine coalition, a popular educator, the Education Director at The People’s Forum, and an editor at 1804 Books.
This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help keep this show on the air.
Trump and Israel started a dangerous war against Iran but Trump called it off after dropping massive bombs. What happened? Was the United States defeated again? How did Iran pull off a victory?
Brian Becker is joined by Professor Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies who teaches at the University of Tehran.
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The Trump Administration bombed Iran and then within 24 hours announced a ceasefire. Brian Becker and Professor Richard Wolff analyze Trump and Netanyahu's erratic actions and the bigger picture behind them.
Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.
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The Trump White House has ordered U.S. Naval and Air Force assets to move in the direction of Iran in preparation for a major U.S. war against this country of 90 million people. Trump promised to be the president bringing peace and ending endless war; instead, he has become the partner of war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu in expanding Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza now against Iran.
Brian Becker is joined by Layan Sima Fuleihan, a Palestinian organizer with the Shut It Down for Palestine coalition, a popular educator, the Education Director at The People’s Forum, and an editor at 1804 Books.
This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help keep this show on the air.
Trump is escalating a potentially huge war against Iran while pushing massive cuts on basic needs for Americans like food and health care, enacting widespread tariffs, and terrorizing immigrants with deportation raids.
Nicole Roussell and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss what’s new and what’s not new about the U.S. government attacks.
Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.
Join the The Socialist Program community at www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
The Israeli government, with the full support of Donald Trump and the White House, has launched a war against Iran and the people of Iran, posing the danger of a wider regional war that could lead to a global confrontation unlike anything since World War II.
Brian Becker is joined by Layan Sima Fuleihan, a Palestinian organizer with the Shut It Down for Palestine coalition, a popular educator, the Education Director at The People’s Forum, and an editor at 1804 Books.
Join the The Socialist Program community at www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
China and the US have been in high stakes trade talks this week while the Trump Administration launches all-out attacks on immigrants, sending military forces to Los Angeles in an attempt to stop protests against ICE raids.
Brian Becker and Professor Richard Wolff discuss Trump’s management of the affairs of the bourgeoisie, and the extreme stress that U.S. capitalism is under.
Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.
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Donald Trump and the US government declared war against working class immigrant families, against grandparents, parents, and against their children. 30 million people in the United States either have a green card giving them legal status as immigrants, or they are undocumented, working here, but without legal papers. This means that a big section of the country is under attack by the US government, and people are standing up, they're organizing, they’re mobilizing, they’re fighting back.
Brian Becker is joined by Layan Sima Fuleihan, a Palestinian organizer with the Shut It Down for Palestine coalition, a popular educator, the Education Director at The People’s Forum, and an editor at 1804 Books.
