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In part 2 of Paul Jay’s discussion with Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, they examine Trump’s push for a new missile defense system—a step toward the weaponization of space that heightens the risk of nuclear war. They also analyze the roots of the war in Ukraine, the failure of U.S. foreign policy, and what’s needed now to prevent further escalation. TranscriptListenDonateSubscribeGuestMusic Paul JayHi, I'm Paul Jay. Welcome to theAnalysis.news. This is part two of my interview with Larry Wilkerson about whether Trump is building, should I say, is the American political-economic system giving birth to a new made-in-America Mussolini-styled state. We're going to talk in this episode more about Trump's Iron Dome, nuclear weapons, and foreign policy, particularly Ukraine. Please join us.All right, let's focus on some of the foreign policy and military stuff because they're connected, obviously. I just want to start a little bit on the supposed cuts to the Pentagon. I think they're being very smart about various things, one of which they're talking about how Musk is going to go in and cut the Pentagon budget. I think it's pretty clear, and there's been even some straightforward admissions by some of the officials, that this isn't really about cuts. It's about moving the money around. It looks like there's a conflict developing between the old legacy's Lockheed and Northrop Grumman's, and the new Silicon Valley, SpaceX and Musk, Palantir of Peter Thiel, although they both invest in each other's stuff and which all want this new high tech AI weaponry. This weaponization of space. And they want to take money away from the old guys and give it to the new guys. Now, there is an easy answer if you're Trump. Give money to both.Col Lawrence WilkersonYeah.Paul JayMaybe that will be his answer because they don't really give a damn about the deficit anyway. I don't know. What's your thinking?Col Lawrence WilkersonThat's true. Well, I've seen the lines, and there's been much controversy over the lines amongst people like the Pentagon Budget Campaign, POGO, and others. There was euphoria in the beginning because it was just announced as cuts, but then very quickly, when the budgeteers got into it from all these groups, they saw, no, they're not cuts. It's just transferring money. It's going from this account to that account. This account over here is high-tech, and Elon Musk or somebody like that has a lot of stake in it. This account over here is old, and that's what he's doing. No cuts at all. There are zero cuts so far in terms of the top line. In fact, there's going to be a $100 billion-plus increase in the top line forced by Wicker and others in Congress.So we're going to be close to a trillion dollars. It's going to be clear it's over $900 billion, but it's going to be close to a trillion. And you're right. What you might call the vested contractors do not like the fact that, in many cases, the money is going away from accounts over which they have the profit-making capacity to accounts where other Silicon Valley, smaller startups, or whatever have the capacity because Hegseth thinks, and he may be right in this, these people are agile. They move fast, they move quickly, and if they make a mistake, they fix it. They don't charge you necessarily for fixing it, which has become a practice of the big guys. He's got some people in the Pentagon who are not necessarily displeased with this shifting of funds, but it's clear, and people need to understand this: there's no cutting going on. In fact, as I said, with Congress beefing it up by 100 plus, it's going to be an even bigger top line than last year.Paul JayOkay, so what do you say to people, whether they're Trump supporters or not? Because I think a lot of people don't understand the issue. Okay, you're going to weaponize space, but what you're really doing, according to President Trump, is creating, finally, after so many failures, an effective anti-ballistic missile system.

The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy webinar featuring three U.S. government officials who resigned in protest of American military and political support for the Israeli war on Gaza. Whistleblowers Harrison Mann, Annelle Sheline, and Alexander Smith will explain their motives for resigning, the consequences of their actions, and their views of U.S. policy in the region. The discussion will be moderated by Kelley Vlahos, senior advisor for the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Is the U.S. heading toward a Mussolini-style corporate fascism? Colonel Larry Wilkerson joins Paul Jay to expose the power struggle shaping America’s future. From Trump’s influence to billionaires pushing for a CEO-run government, they break down the real coup happening in plain sight.

Following decades of ongoing mineral extraction, environmental plunder, and the subsidization of the fossil fuel industry, the second Trump administration’s aggressive pro-drilling agenda unapologetically seeks to seize as many foreign and domestic minerals and dirty energy sources as possible. Patrick Bond, political economist and Director of the Centre for Social Change in Johannesburg, discusses the mix of neoliberalism and paleo-conservatism undergirding Elon Musk’s corporate takeover of the US government. Bond also discusses the motivation behind US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision to skip the solidarity-equality-sustainability G20 in South Africa, and the implications of the US’ withdrawal from international climate agreements, slashing of emissions-reduction goals, and support for destructive carbon-intensive industries.

Israeli military raids on the West Bank have intensified ever since the fragile ceasefire agreement came into effect in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli forces have killed over 70 Palestinians in the West Bank this year alone and displaced thousands from their homes. These IDF raids not only target and kill Palestinians of all ages but serve as a pretext to launch mass arrest campaigns. Jenna Abu Hasna, international advocacy officer at the Ramallah-based NGO Addameer, describes Israel’s longstanding practice of mass arrests in the occupied Palestinian territories. Abu Hasna outlines Israel’s systemic torture of Palestinians in Israeli jails and its widespread practice of placing Palestinians under administrative detention for months – even years - without filing formal charges. Israel’s system of mass incarceration is not only a violation of international norms but serves as a tool to dispossess Palestinians of their rights, dignity, and land.

In part two, economist Martin Hart-Landsberg underscores the importance of planning for a just transition and transformation of socio-economic relations. Hart-Landsberg examines FDR’s Defense Production Corporation and War Production Board which were established to coordinate the U.S. economy’s rapid conversion from civilian to military production. The entrepreneurial class largely opposed these changes, fearing cuts to their bottom line. Yet FDR’s government, through experimentation with different strategies, was able to successfully allocate resources towards wartime production and negotiate enough procurement contracts to drive the conversion. Hart-Landsberg’s historical analysis of the successes and challenges of FDR's WWII production model lends important insights for solidaristic organizing and eco-socialist activism.

Palestinian-American journalist Rami Khouri outlines the Israeli far-right’s longstanding opposition to Palestinian self-determination and, as he says, the very right of Palestinians to exist. Khouri discusses how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, together with President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have shredded international law at every opportunity in their genocidal slaughter and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza. Yet despite Trump’s success in pressuring Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire deal, the agreement itself is on thin ice: Israel’s resumption of strikes in Gaza could lead to an unraveling of phase two negotiations, precluding the possibility of a permanent ceasefire and ultimately of any effective Palestinian governance and statehood.

Trump’s inaugural speech avoided direct war rhetoric with China but signaled dangerous trends: a growing alliance between corporate elites and government, imperialist ambitions, climate denial, and authoritarian overreach. With tech CEOs at the forefront and Musk in a key government role, the fusion of state and corporate power mirrors Mussolini-style corporatism. From threats to seize the Panama Canal to deploying emergency powers domestically, Trump’s vision risks U.S. democracy and global stability. This analysis unpacks the implications of a presidency rooted in power, profit, and peril.

Despite being (mis)characterized by the IMF as a free-market "success story," South Korea's development model involved state planning and import controls for decades prior to the 1997 East Asia debt crisis. Economist Martin Hart-Landsberg, Professor Emeritus at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, explains how capitalist globalization materialized and morphed in East Asia, often to the detriment of its worker population. With Trump's inauguration nearing, Hart-Landsberg sheds light on why contemporary U.S.-China hawks view China as a threat rather than a technological competitor.

Trump’s interest in Greenland is closely tied to his plan to build a nationwide anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system, which he calls the "American Iron Dome." It could trigger a nuclear war.