The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

On  today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how the U.S. government is hoarding vaccine doses and prolonging the suffering of people all around the world in defense of big pharma’s profits. They also discuss tensions between Russia and NATO over Ukraine, a new court ruling in Los Angeles on the rights of the homeless, and more.

The fate of the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement hangs in the balance. The United States broke the agreement during the Trump administration and reimposed sanctions that caused great suffering to Iranians, but negotiations are now underway for the United States to rejoin. Meanwhile, Israel is upping its aggression against Iran. Brian is joined by Professor Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran.

Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss how the tobacco industry built an extremely profitable business model based on addiction, and what they're doing to try to keep it going. Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author of many books, the latest being “The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself”. You can check out his work at rdwolff.com

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss the historic people's victory in  the trial of Derek Chauvin, which resulted in guilty verdicts on all three counts thanks to the mass movement that swept the country and the world demanding justice for George Floyd. They also discuss laws being considered across the country to repress protest, environmental issues ahead of Earth Day, and more.

In this January 2021 patrons-only seminar, Brian and the crew talked  about the January 6th fascist insurrection, delving into the details and  the historical context of fascism in the United States. Check out the preview now and subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest!

The Biden administration has announced that the United States will be withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan by September 11 of this year, and that this withdrawal will take place regardless of conditions on the battlefield. What's behind this move? Is the U.S. empire's longest war really coming to an end? Continuing last week's episode about the history of U.S. intervention in Afghanistan, Brian talks with Sohrob Aslamy, a doctoral student at Syracuse  University in the Department of Geography and the Environment.

Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss the push for a global minimum tax on corporations. What prompted this move -- which is supported by the Biden administration -- and what does it say about how global capitalism works? Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author of many books, the latest being “The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself”. You can check out his work at rdwolff.com

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss the police murder of Daunte Wright  outside of Minneapolis as the trial of Derek Chauvin continues, the Pentagon's latest statement on "extremism" in its ranks, the brutalization of Army lieutenant Caron Nazario, the cyberattack on a key Iranian nuclear facility, and more.

In this December 2020 patrons-only seminar, Brian and the crew talked about the big picture of US imperialism from World War II to today, including what the Biden administration means for US foreign policy. Check out the preview now and subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest!

The United States has been intervening in Afghanistan since 1979. Trump and now Biden promise to end U.S. involvement in the Afghanistan war. But imperialist domination in the country continues. Brian is joined by Sohrob Aslamy, a doctoral student at Syracuse University in the Department of Geography and the Environment.