The Socialist Program

A new Wall Street Journal study finds that the five biggest home insurers, Allstate, State Farm, Liberty Mutual, United Services Automobile Association, and Farmers Insurance, denied nearly half of all claims last year. The primary driver is an increase in deductibles, which insurers claim is being done to compensate for an increase in weather-related catastrophes. Professor Richard Wolff and producer Nicole Roussell discuss.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

According to the International Energy Agency, around 25% of the world's seaborne oil trade is transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, and the options to bypass it are limited. According to the UN Trade and Development Organization, around 30% of global seaborne fertilizer volumes pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Both have been significantly impacted by the US-Iran war. Professor Richard Wolff and producer Nicole Roussell discuss.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.

Americans are increasingly struggling to make ends meet, while the rich get even richer. Professor Richard Wolff and producer Nicole Roussell debunk corporate media justifications for this inequality.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.

Trump is planning the next war. The target is Cuba. Trump and his agents in the Pentagon and CIA are claiming that Cuba is threatening military action against the United States. The people in Cuba are preparing to resist and have said that they will fight to the death rather than surrender their independence and national sovereignty. Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss.

This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help make this show possible.

Robert Kagan, a leading architect of the 2003 Iraq invasion and the wider 'neocon' tendency in Washington, published an article this week titled 'Checkmate in Iran.' On today's show, Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss the latest headlines and react to this article, of which an excerpt reads:
"The defeats in Vietnam and Afghanistan were costly but did not do lasting damage to America’s overall position in the world, because they were far from the main theaters of global competition. The initial failure in Iraq was mitigated by a shift in strategy that ultimately left Iraq relatively stable and unthreatening to its neighbors and kept the United States dominant in the region.

Defeat in the present confrontation with Iran will be of an entirely different character. It can neither be repaired nor ignored. There will be no return to the status quo ante, no ultimate American triumph that will undo or overcome the harm done. The Strait of Hormuz will not be “open,” as it once was. With control of the strait, Iran emerges as the key player in the region and one of the key players in the world."

Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/05/iran-war-trump-losing/687094/?gift=hiiGzc0-UIJgig613c5z6zZjRf2WZbvFWlow-CamhFA&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

This episode was recorded on May 12th 2026.

Low-cost Spirit Airlines has gone bankrupt and closed, and the idea of nationalizing the airline has become hugely popular. Professor Richard Wolff and producer Nicole Roussell discuss the mainstream media’s reaction, the feasibility of a nationalized airline, and how it could look and improve workers’ lives.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.

The ratio of U.S. government debt to GDP (gross domestic product) is now over 100% – meaning the U.S. government is in more debt than the size of the entire U.S. economy. Professor Richard Wolff and Brian Becker break down why the U.S. government has gone into so much debt, and how it affects the working class.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.

As the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues, and a US ground invasion of Iran seems imminent, Iran has now responded by striking US-allied countries in the region. Will Trump continue this profoundly unpopular war that is upending the global economy? Will it spiral out of control?

Brian Becker is joined by Professor Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies who teaches at the University of Tehran.

Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.

Tech companies are laying off tens of thousands of workers — all while investing tens of billions of dollars into AI tech. Professor Richard Wolff and Brian Becker discuss the effects on the workforce and economy, and how a socialist society could handle new technology.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.

The Military-Industrial-Tech Complex is using the Iran war to consolidate its power over US society and reap huge profits, even though the war is a strategic failure for the US. Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss.

This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help make this show possible.