Updates on social costs of criminalizing marijuana, US food outlets taken over by foreign conglomerates, capital labor conflict in India, Trump's Signature Bank swamp, New Zealand makes 10-days paid domestic violence leave mandatory. Interview with Matt Christman and Will Menaker of the Chapo Trap House podcast phenomenon: how and why its mix of comedy and sharp social criticism grew to be so popular.

With Host Richard D. Wolff.

Capitalism: Problems and Pushback

[caption id="attachment_299186" align="aligncenter" width="290"] Michelle Alexander 2011Source: Wikimedia Commons[/caption]

Updates on political economy of Trump/GOP attacks on China and their long term costs; parallel analysis of attacks on immigrants; Michelle Alexander on who today is “The Resistance;” and record funds pouring into US midterm elections. Interview with Lee Carter, a socialist elected to Virginia House of Delegates on why and how he won.

Virginia Elects a Socialist

Updates on IMF prediction of slowing global growth, Bank of England warnings on accumulation of sub-prime debt, Nordhaus Nobel prize and market ideology, Dutch unions and others against corporate tax evasion, and signs of labor militancy in Marriott strike and profit-sharing demands of steelworkers. Interview Chris Hedges on his latest book: America: The Farewell Tour.

A Deepening Crisis of Capitalism

[caption id="attachment_298186" align="aligncenter" width="342"] Source: Flickr[/caption]

Updates on UK's Liberal Democrats advocating serious reduction of wealth and income inequality, Sears CEO blames pensions for Sears' problems, JP Morgan predicts next financial collapse in 2020, failure to deal with opioid crisis, G-20 meeting in Argentina evades real issues, Europeans clash with US over trade with Iran, trivial SEC fine for Citigroup dishonesty with investors. Major discussion: political economy of immigration as a right-wing issue and an effective left-wing response.

With Richard D. Wolff.

The ‘Immigration Issue’ and Capitalism

Updates on Tenth Anniversary of Lehman Brothers Bank collapse, assisting Ocasio-Cortez show how to finance socialist projects, Colin Kaepernick's ad for Nike and contradictions of capitalism. Interview with Michael Pelias on launching a new Left University in New York: rationale and goals.

With Host Richard D. Wolff.

Launching a New University

This week's special edition of Economic Update deals with Keynesian economics as a theory that clashes with both the mainstream economics ("neoclassical") that celebrates private capitalism and with critical theories such as Marxian economics that are opposed to capitalism.

Capitalism: Problems and Pushback

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