The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

The Biden administration is turning up the heat against China yet again, as news leaks that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is traveling to Taiwan in August—another in a series of majorly escalatory acts. Brian is joined by Dr. Ken Hammond, professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University, founding director of the Confucius Institute at New Mexico State University, and activist with Pivot to Peace. 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 break down the real cause of inflation. Inflation is  rising prices, which is something the working class doesn't control.  Businesses—and the Fed when it raises prices for borrowers by increasing  interest rates—do control prices. Why do businesses do this since  inflation is bad for the economy? Can the government change this? 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.

Biden just landed from a multi-day tour in the Middle East where he  spectacularly failed at his goals, including bringing more Arab  countries into an alliance with Israel and bringing the price of oil  down. This week, Russian President Putin is meeting with Iranian &  Turkish leaders including Supreme Leader Khamenei and President  Erdogan--showing that Iran and Russia are not as isolated as Biden makes  them out to be. U.S. influence is declining, but will U.S. officials  change their approach? Brian is joined by Professor Mohammad  Marandi. He is an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature  who teaches at the University of Tehran. 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 escalation in the cold war against China, the heads of the U.S. FBI and UK MI5 spoke jointly in London on the “serious threat“ that they say the Chinese government poses to Western businesses. Meanwhile, New York City released a PSA on what to do in a nuclear war, where the main recommended tactic is to go inside. What is behind the sensationalist language and where have we seen it before? Brian is joined by Dr. Ken Hammond, professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University, founding director of the Confucius Institute at New Mexico State University, and activist with Pivot to Peace. 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 leaders of the wealthy G7 nations gathered in  Germany this week for a summit focused on isolating Russia from the  world economy. The summit discussed attempts to  impose a “price cap” on Russian oil exports and a prohibition on  trading Russian gold, but is this sanctions regime backfiring on the  west? 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.

The Supreme Court – an unelected group of nine millionaires with  lifetime appointments – have overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed  the right to abortion at the federal level. Tens of thousands have been  in the streets all over the country since the Dobbs  decision was announced on Friday, and in the weeks prior to that in  response to the draft decision leak. Biden called abortion “a  fundamental right” in his speech Friday reacting to the decision, but  has so far taken no action to restore this right. How can  a militant women’s movement overcome the indifference and outright  hostility of the political establishment towards abortion rights? In this special edition of The Socialist Program, we air two interviews  from our video partner BreakThrough News from their live coverage just  after the Dobbs decision came down. Hosts Eugene Puryear and Rania  Khalek BT were joined by Kym Smith -- an organizer  with the Party for Socialism and Liberation in South Carolina -- and  Mara Verheyden-Hilliard -- a constitutional rights lawyer and executive  director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund. 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 a true show of intercontinental solidarity, words from Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel joined the speeches of Native activist and Co-Director of the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee Jean Roach, National Director of BYP100 D’atra Jackson, and host of this show, Brian Becker, at the final plenary of the three-day-long People’s Summit for Democracy in early June. 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 elections in France's legislature that led to  a large upswing in   seats won by the progressives and current President Macron's  center-right party losing their governing majority. What does this  energy behind the left in France tell us? 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.

Discussing the need for reliable information about China, the podcast explores misconceptions about dissent and public debate in China. It also delves into China's approach to the COVID-19 pandemic and the effectiveness of lockdown measures. The chapter highlights the disparity in spending on PCR tests and US aid to Ukraine, the success of the Chinese film industry, and the eradication of extreme poverty in China.

Stephanie Weatherbee Brito from the International People's Assembly joins Brian to discuss building a global movement against capitalism. They cover the historical roots and global nature of the anti-capitalism movement, the problems with capitalism including its inability to address climate catastrophe, and the importance of engaging young people in political activism.