The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

Guest, Esther Iverem, discusses the dangerous Supreme Court decisions, voter suppression past and present, uncovering attempts to overturn the election, the far-right's assault on election infrastructure, and the importance of voting and supporting the socialist program.

The Ukraine war is escalating—dramatically. Russian President Putin & U.S. President Biden both made major and dramatic speeches in the last day, after a successful and U.S.-backed Ukrainian counter-offensive earlier in the week. What did Putin and Biden reveal in their addresses and where is this headed? Brian is joined by Eugene Puryear, the host of the BreakThrough News podcast The Punch Out, co-host of the BT live video show The Freedom Side, and a writer, including the article “Should we really blame NATO for the Ukraine war?” 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 how fears of an all-out economic crisis are deepening as FedEx announces that it expects a global recession based on a sharp decline in world shipping activity, and a higher-than expected inflation report deepens the federal reserve’s determination to raise interest rates. The capitalist class remains determined to drive the economy off a cliff to eviscerate workers’ living standards and bargaining power. 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.

Examining the assault on democratic rights in the US and the rise of the ultra-right. Discussing the historical political volatility and the consequences of US wars. Highlighting the revival of right-wing politics, threats to democracy, and the significance of recent Supreme Court cases. Exploring the ultra-right's quest for political power and the need for a united and radical movement to resist.

The U.S. government has destroyed cities, countries, and towns around the world, through bombs and air raids, military ground invasions, naval attacks, economic sanctions and strangulation, coups, and more. Some say U.S. force is never ending, others say it’s on a fast decline, almost gone forever. Vijay Prashad and Noam Chomsky argue in their new book, “The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power,” that U.S. military might is somewhere in the middle: it’s fragile. Brian is joined by Vijay Prashad, the Executive Director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, Chief Editor of LeftWord Books, and author of 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 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 the corporate-owned media has been  consumed with wall-to-wall coverage of the death of the Queen, fawning  over the British monarchy. But the lifestyle that’s being celebrated is one based on plunder and empire. While their “subjects” live in  poverty, the royals live a life of total luxury – all because they were  lucky enough to be born into the right family. 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.

This podcast discusses the political upheaval in the US, including the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol and the Dobbs decision. It explores the impact on democratic rights, particularly regarding abortion. The Attica prison uprising and its legacy are also discussed, along with the erosion of core democratic rights and the far right's efforts to limit popular democracy.

The United States and South Korea put on the biggest military war  games in four years, while Russia and China also ran military drills.  Will the world become multipolar and is that enough to fully counter  U.S. imperialism? Is major power conflict on the horizon? Producer Nicole Roussell and Brian discuss what  multipolarity means for the international working class, what is needed  to end U.S. imperialism, and what geopolitics are evident in Ukraine. 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 Europe has plunged into an even deeper energy crisis  as Russia cuts off imports through the Nord Stream pipeline in response  to western sanctions. While US and European leaders pledged that  sanctions would quickly bring the Russian economy to its knees, is the  reality in fact the opposite? 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 this August 2022 patrons-only seminar, Brian discusses the legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union before its dissolution, who is being lionized by the capitalist media after his death on Tuesday. Brian also discusses the 1-year anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal of from Afghanistan, the drying up of the Colorado River due to climate change, education under capitalism versus socialism, and more. Check out the preview now and subscribe at patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the rest!