The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

On today's episode Brian Becker and Prof. Richard  Wolff discuss the report from the Tax Justice Network, a well-known  international organization, finding that the United States is now the  country with the greatest degree of financial secrecy in the entire  world.  Banks and corporations move in the shadows, concealing their operations  and vast wealth. What are the ultra rich up to behind the scenes? 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 In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss how Congress raced to pass a massive $40 billion spending package for the  war in Ukraine at the same time as the foreign policy establishment  contemplates the possibility of a military confrontation with China.  They also discuss the anniversary of the murder of  George Floyd and the racist massacre in Buffalo, the struggle for  abortion rights as the Supreme Court ruling looms, 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.

Today's bonus episode is a recording of Brian Becker's keynote speech at the Los Angeles Socialism Conference on May 7th, 2022.

The Summit of the Americas being held next month in Los Angeles is shaping up to be a humiliation for the Biden administration. In response to the United States’ attempt to exclude Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the gathering, leaders in Bolivia, Mexico and Caribbean states plan to boycott. And activists in Los Angeles along with others throughout the country and the hemisphere are planning a People’s Summit for Democracy as a counter-event to demand an end to U.S. aggression against Latin America and highlight the people’s struggles against injustice inside the United States itself. Brian is joined by Manolo De Los Santos, the co-executive director of The People’s Forum in New York, and a longtime popular educator. 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.

Professor Richard Wolff discusses the shortage of infant formula and criticizes the capitalist economy for neglecting the survival needs of babies. The podcast explores the infant formula crisis in the US, outsourcing baby formula manufacturing to China, the impact of COVID on schools and businesses, and the effects of capitalism on access to essential products.

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, and Nicole Roussell discuss the racist massacre in Buffalo, New York over the weekend, journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces and despite being an American the United States hasn’t responded,  Finland and Sweden are nearly set to join NATO, 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.

How does China view the war in Ukraine? Brian Becker and Tings Chak discuss China’s foreign policy and how Chinese leaders are grappling with the world situation as it is transformed by the war. They also deal with the state of China’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S.-instigated tensions over Taiwan, and more.  Brian is joined by Tings Chak, a researcher at Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and a member of the Dongsheng News collective.  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 Federal Reserve raised interest rates at the highest rate in over 20 years, signaling a major shift in policy as it attempts to tackle the spiraling inflation crisis. But will this maneuver work? Or is it likely to instead spark a new recession? 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 In the News roundtable, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and  Walter Smolarek discuss how protesters took to the streets all  throughout the last week in cities and towns across the country in  outraged response to the Supreme Court’s draft ruling overturning  Roe v. Wade – which was heroically leaked to the public before it was  finalized. The panel also discusses the latest updates on the war in  Ukraine, elections in the Philippines and Northern Ireland, Amazon being  challenged in the halls of Congress, 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.

As the United States escalates the war in Ukraine by sending another $33 billion, the possibility of nuclear war is coming into focus. Brian and Greg Mello discuss how the U.S. policy of waging proxy war on Russia via Ukraine raises the threat of a direct confrontation between the two nuclear-armed powers. What is the United States’ strategy in this nuclear game of chicken and what are the dangers of nuclear war? Greg Mello is co-founder and Executive Director of the Los Alamos Study Group. 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.