The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

Discussion on the rising credit card debt among workers and Capital One's bid to acquire Discover for over $35 billion. Insights from Professor Richard Wolff on economic inequalities and the need for systemic change. Exploration of historical shifts towards consumer credit, its impact on working-class families, and the looming crisis of credit card debt in America.

Joe Biden can’t remember the names of Hamas or the president of Mexico, but he is still all in for Israel’s genocide against Palestinians, pushing Ukrainians to keep fighting and dying, and sending billions of dollars abroad for weapons.  Brian Becker is joined by Eugene Puryear, the author of the book “Shackled and Chained,” a political activist, and a co-host of The Freedom Side LIVE, a live video show every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern on BreakThrough News. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

Discusses the spike in housing costs and inflation surpassing the Federal Reserve target. Explores human decisions affecting market prices and critiques media for blaming vague market forces. Compares past inflation rates during the Vietnam War and analyzes the impact on working people. Explores power dynamics within the capitalist system and the intervention in issues like rent control.

Richard Becker discusses the colonial roots of Zionism and Israel's role in advancing U.S. imperialism. The podcast delves into the historical origins of Zionism, the Balfour Declaration, Churchill's views, Arab resistance to colonial dominance, and the impact of Zionist settlements on Palestine.

As negotiations over the war in Gaza continue, Hamas delivered a three-part proposal that would end in a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli military from Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected the proposal, vowing to fight until “an absolute victory.” Is that possible for Israel? How will this genocidal war end? Brian Becker is joined by Mohammed Nabulsi, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement and an attorney based out of Houston, and Layan Sima Fuleihan, a popular educator, organizer, the Education Director at The People’s Forum, and an editor at 1804 Books. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

On today's episode Brian and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss the humongous floods in California that have wreaked damage across Southern California. Just 52,400 homes and businesses are projected to be covered by insurance—less than 1% of the more than 7.7 million households in the affected area. Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

In an exclusive interview, Brian Becker spoke with Haytham Abdo, a representative of The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Lebanon, about his perspective on the war in Gaza. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

The U.S. is amplifying its war on Yemen, in retaliation for Yemen’s protest against the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice will rule on South Africa’s case against Israeli genocide. Brian Becker is joined by Vijay Prashad, the Executive Director of the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, Chief Editor of LeftWord Books, and a prolific author, most recently publishing a new book with Noam Chomsky called “The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power.” Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

In this patrons-only Q&A seminar, Brian discusses the political reasons why Netanyahu will keep trying to expand the war in Gaza, why Biden is still supporting him, what it will take to stop the genocide, Russia and China’s role, the use of AI in warfare, an organized tax revolt as a tactic, and more. This episode is a preview of a longer seminar for Patrons in the TSP community. Subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest of this seminar, support the show, register for next time, and access the highly valuable archive of years of socialist analysis.

Guest Professor Richard Wolff discusses the potential consequences of integrating AI into the capitalist system, including mass unemployment and increasing inequality. The impact of AI on the labor market is explored, including perspectives on mass unemployment and equitable distribution of benefits. The effects of AI on the entertainment sector are discussed, along with job displacement and the rise of strikes and unionization efforts. Challenges with AI such as legal liability, energy consumption, and misinformation are highlighted. The extreme wealth inequality caused by capitalism is condemned, with predictions of dire consequences for the future.