Israel is at war with Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and now Iran. More than 180 Iranian missiles struck Israel on Tuesday. For the last year Israel has carried out a non-stop killing spree in Gaza—that war is now part of a larger regional war in the Middle East. Brian Becker is joined by Ben Norton, an investigative journalist currently based in Beijing, and the editor of the independent news website Geopolitical Economy Report, at geopoliticaleconomy.com. 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.

Richard Wolff, a prominent economist and co-founder of Democracy at Work, dives into the complexities of modern banking and capitalism. He discusses how traditional banks struggle against agile trading firms due to tech advancements. The conversation reveals how loopholes allow banks to evade regulation, impacting market ethics. Wolff also critiques the profit-driven nature of capitalism, advocating for systemic changes to address regulatory failures. Lastly, he explores Wall Street's selective political influences and the vulnerabilities faced by capitalism in the 21st century.

In this patrons-only Q&A seminar, we focus on the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah and what it means, the prospects for the Israeli military invasion of Lebanon, and the real attitude of the Biden-Harris administration -- which is hoping for an all out victory for Israel and not a cease-fire. This is a preview of the full Q&A seminar for members of our Patreon community. Subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest of this seminar, support the show, submit questions and register for next time, and access the highly valuable archive of years of socialist analysis.

Israeli air strikes in Lebanon are creating carnage, and the death toll is now soaring—including many children. One week ago Israel turned thousands of people in Lebanon into human bombs by inserting explosives into their communication devices. Brian and Ghadi discuss the devastation, why Israel and the US can’t win, and the secret Sykes-Picot treaty. Brian Becker is joined by Ghadi Francis, Lebanese writer, war correspondent, and host of TV show The West Asia Post. 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 Trump's economic program, including his threats to impose massive tariffs on Deere's farming equipment if they move operations to Mexico as planned. 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.

Israel turned thousands of people in Lebanon into human bombs on Tuesday with a sophisticated terrorist attack. Thousands of pagers exploded at the same time around the country, killing and injuring many, and the next day the Israelis carried out another major attack. Brian and Layan delve into the decades of Israeli terrorism against Lebanon, the U.S. corporate media’s “light-hearted” coverage, and the arrogant imperialist policies that started it all. 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. 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.

Richard Wolff, a renowned economist and co-founder of Democracy at Work, joins Brian Becker to tackle the urgent issues surrounding consumer debt in the U.S. They discuss the disproportionate burden on working-class families struggling with rising debts from healthcare and education. The conversation explores how Federal Reserve interest rates affect borrowing and inflation, while also touching on the implications of military spending on national debt. Wolff emphasizes the need for systemic change to address these critical economic disparities.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s first, and likely last, debate was held last night. America’s tortured form of “democracy” was on display for the whole world to see. Brian Becker is joined by Claudia De La Cruz, a presidential candidate for the Party for Socialism & Liberation, a lifelong community organizer and popular educator. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at https://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 Nicole Roussell and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss a newly released report aiming to assess and fix Europe's economic decline against the United States and China. 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.

On today's episode Nicole Roussell and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss China's increasing use and production of robots to help workers amid a large population decline. 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.