The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

The right-wing loves yelling, “We’re a republic, not a democracy!” Now they have a Supreme Court that agrees with them. The Court is about to hear Moore v. Harper, a gerrymandering case that will also take up the Electors Clause of the Constitution. The Republican legal argument, made famous by Trump’s 2020 legal team, is that state legislatures can send their own choice of electors to the Electoral College, rather than abiding by the vote of the people. The implications of this are huge — the end of ‘one person, one vote.’ Brian is joined by Steven Donziger, an advocate, writer and public speaker on human rights and corporate accountability. His most recent piece is The most terrifying case of all is about to be heard by the US Supreme Court. He also filed a class-action lawsuit with others against Chevron for environmental damage – including dumping 17 million gallons of crude oil in the Ecuadorian rainforest – and won a historic $9.5 billion judgment. Chevon then fled Ecuador and launched a campaign against Donziger that resulted in him being disbarred, serving 45 days behind bars, and under home confinement for 993 days. For more on his story, watch his interview on The Freedom Side and Rania Khalek Dispatches here on BreakThrough. 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.

Elon Musk's Twitter takeover and mass layoffs, the failure of capitalism, the undemocratic nature of billionaire ownership, the parallels between monarchies and high finance, the impact of debt on different class positions, and Elon Musk's controversial background and actions.

In this patrons-only seminar, Brian discusses the win of left Workers  Party candidate & former president Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva over  far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and the huge impact it will have in  Brazil and in the region, Elon Musk ordering massive job cuts as he  takes over Twitter, the US sending nuclear weapons to Europe, and more. Check out the preview now and subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest!

Massive protests in South Korea are demanding the end of right-wing President Yoon Suk-yeol's tenure. At the same time, the US and Japan are promising a major military escalation against North Korea. Brian is joined by K.J. Noh, a peace activist, organizer with Pivot to Peace, scholar on the  geopolitics of Asia, and a frequent contributor to Counterpunch and Dissident Voice. 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 Walter Smolarek and Prof. Richard  Wolff discuss how demonization of China has gone into overdrive as the  country chooses its new leadership, and how a key component of this has  been increasingly strident advocacy for so-called  “economic decoupling” from China. And in fact, just ahead of China’s  Communist Party congress, the U.S. government unveiled a harsh blow to a  critical sector of trade. 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.

As rents spike higher and higher, tent cities grow across the  country, and eviction protections wear out, tenants are fed up and  organizing. Nicole and Brian discuss the coming — and necessary — rent revolution. 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 Communist Party of China is in its 20th Congress, a week-long meeting of 2,296 elected delegates from around the country in a nominations and voting process in which 95 million CPC members participated. The delegates set the priorities for China for the next five years. Brian and Tings Chak, researcher at the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research & a member of Dongsheng News collective, discuss the biggest takeaways, China’s economy, Xi Jinping’s presidency, Biden’s recent singling out of China in his National Security Doctrine, and more. 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.

What would socialism look like in the United States—the richest  country ever known yet 38 million people are hungry? Socialism would use  that wealth and our development for the needs of the people, stop  endless wars, and crush racism, sexism, and all forms of bigotry. A new  book, "Socialist Reconstruction: A Better Future for the  United States," demonstrates what this could look like in detail,  starting in “the first decade of  socialism in the United States." Brian is joined by Dr. Jodi Dean, Professor of Political Science at  Hobart and William Smith Colleges & author of several books. She and  Brian were part of the collective effort to produce the just-released book “Socialist Reconstruction: A Better Future for the United States." 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.

Russia has been hit by multiple major attacks, including sabotage in their Nordstream energy pipelines and the explosion on the Crimean Bridge. The bridge is a vital supply route to and from the peninsula with military supplies. Russia responded with missiles hitting Kiev. As NATO and Europe send further weapons and technology, the war is quickly escalating. Where is it going? Brian is joined by Eugene Puryear, the host of the BreakThrough News podcast The Punch Out and co-host of the BT live video show The Freedom Side, which you can watch on the BreakThrough News YouTube channel, Thursdays 3–5pm ET. 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 Brian Becker and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss the  International Monetary Fund predicting a worse economy in 2023 and  the illuminating comments from CEO  Jamie Dimon  of  JP Morgan Chase, the largest US investment bank. Bankers like Dimon and The Fed (made up of majority bankers) are  pushing the economy toward the brink, despite the crisis this will cause  for workers and families nationwide. 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.