The Socialist Program

The Iran war has closed the Strait of Hormuz almost completely. The head of the International Energy Agency said that the war is causing the biggest energy crisis in history. Professor Richard Wolff and Brian Becker discuss.

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

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.

As highlighted by a New York Times report this week, the debate about Trump’s mental health has been revived. Trump posting memes of himself and Jesus and starting a regional war with Iran are certainly indicative that something is wrong. But polling across issues shows that U.S. residents are unhappy with this system as a whole. 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.

The Islamabad talks collapsed. Twenty-one hours of negotiations in Pakistan, the first face-to-face between the US and Iran since 1979, and it ended with nothing. Oil futures jumped seven percent. And the President of the United States did all of this from a golf club in Florida after spending Saturday night at a UFC fight in Miami where the crowd booed him. And starting today, Monday, April 13th, the US is escalating once again, declaring a full blockade of Iranian ports by the US Navy. 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.

The Islamabad talks collapsed. Twenty-one hours of negotiations in Pakistan, the first face-to-face between the US and Iran since 1979, and it ended with nothing. Oil futures jumped seven percent. And the President of the United States did all of this from a golf club in Florida after spending Saturday night at a UFC fight in Miami where the crowd booed him. And starting today, Monday, April 13th, the US is escalating once again, declaring a full blockade of Iranian ports by the US Navy. 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.

On Wednesday night, President Trump addressed the nation and issued what can only be described as a genocidal threat against Iran, saying: “We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong.” He also claimed that the US is winning the war and that it should be over “very shortly”

Today, a US F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran. 

Editor's Note: This episode was recorded at 11:00AM ET today, April 3rd. After this recording, a second US fighter jet, on a search mission for the first downed jet, was downed by Iranian air defenses.

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.

Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss what's happening behind the scenes in Trump's war room. This includes the Trump administration's possible collusion with a massive insider trading scheme.

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.

The U.S. economic crisis is worsening as Trump requests $200 billion more dollars to fund his war against the Iranian people, which has already killed at least 3,230 people in Iran and 13 U.S. soldiers. Trump is facing legal battles against his tariffs and public opinion is turning against him. Professor Richard Wolff and Brian Becker 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.

More than fourteen hundred people have been killed in Iran, including over two hundred children. The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed. Countries across Asia are rationing fuel, canceling thousands of flights, and closing schools to conserve energy. The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a two hundred billion dollar funding request to Congress. The president told a rally crowd the war was won in the first hour, but today, with the casualty numbers rising, and the number of displaced reaching over a million, there is no plan for when or how this ends. Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss.

Two weeks ago, the United States and Israel launched a massive bombing campaign against Iran, killing the Supreme Leader and many other political and military senior officials on the very first night and striking thousands of targets across the country. The administration said the war would be over in weeks. Trump said it was won in the first hour. Driven by extreme hubris, Donald Trump and his entire team have made an extreme miscalculation.

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