The Socialist Program

On today's episode Brian Becker and Prof. Richard Wolff  discuss how FTX, which was among the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in  the world, has collapsed in one of the most spectacular corporate  bankruptcies ever. In other tech-related industries too, mass layoffs  continue to gather pace. The boom-bust cycle of capitalism is once again  on full display.

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.

This weekend, Brian spoke at the "The Real Path to Peace in Ukraine" event in NYC, which inaugurated   a new, multi-national, grassroots movement    to advocate for the end to the current war in Ukraine. He spoke about the need for negotiations in Ukraine over escalation.

To  see the whole program, including  Former Green Party Presidential Nominee  Jill Stein,  Tricontinental Institute for Social Research  Director Vijay Prashad, BreakThrough News Host Eugene Puryear, The  People's Forum Co-Director Claudia de la Cruz, and CODEPINK Founder  Medea Benjamin, watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asndac1ETFk.

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.

Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he’s running for president again, despite only delivering a “red trickle” in the midterm elections and losing the presidency by seven million votes in 2020. What was his real record in office?

Brian is joined by Eugene Puryear, an author, activist, and co-host with Rania Khalek of The Freedom Side LIVE, a live video show every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET on BreakThrough.

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 Brian and Prof. Richard  Wolff discuss the mass layoffs that billionaire CEOs at Meta (formerly  Facebook), Twitter, Amazon, and others have begun. More than one hundred  thousand workers are projected to lose their jobs this year just in the  tech industry.

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.

In this patrons-only seminar, Brian discusses why the widely predicted Republican red wave became a trickle and what it means for  organizing and answers questions about the anti-war movement, the  Ukraine war, China's relationship with Cuba, and more.

Check out the preview now and subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest!

Brian is joined by investigative reporter Greg Palast,  who wrote the film “Vigilantes: Georgia’s Vote Suppression Hitmen,”  available at gregpalast.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 episode Walter Smolarek and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss how huge numbers of people are being locked out of the housing market amid soaring interest rates and home prices, marking a dramatic reversal for millions of people who were hoping to buy their own home. With prices spiking for renters as well, the failure of the capitalist market to provide something as basic as affordable shelter is on display.

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.

The poll tax was eliminated within this lifetime, in 1966, but the  right-wing in America has been hard at work reconstructing it with ID  requirements, stripping people with convictions of the right to vote,  and even arresting people for voting. It's Election Day today and many  people are heading to the polls in what may be a significant election.  What are the most important elements for socialists to know about?

Brian  is joined by Esther Iverem, journalist, producer and host of the show  ‘On the Ground: Voices of Resistance From the Nation’s Capital,’ which  comes out weekly on Fridays. Check it out at onthegroundshow.org and two dozen Pacifica stations nationwide.

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.

The right-wing loves yelling, “We’re a republic, not a democracy!” Now they have a Supreme Court that agrees with them. The Court is about to hear Moore v. Harper, a gerrymandering case that will also take up the Electors Clause of the Constitution. The Republican legal argument, made famous by Trump’s 2020 legal team, is that state legislatures can send their own choice of electors to the Electoral College, rather than abiding by the vote of the people. The implications of this are huge — the end of ‘one person, one vote.’

Brian is joined by Steven Donziger, an advocate, writer and public speaker on human rights and corporate accountability. His most recent piece is The most terrifying case of all is about to be heard by the US Supreme Court. He also filed a class-action lawsuit with others against Chevron for environmental damage – including dumping 17 million gallons of crude oil in the Ecuadorian rainforest – and won a historic $9.5 billion judgment. Chevon then fled Ecuador and launched a campaign against Donziger that resulted in him being disbarred, serving 45 days behind bars, and under home confinement for 993 days. For more on his story, watch his interview on The Freedom Side and Rania Khalek Dispatches here on BreakThrough.

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 Brian Becker and Prof. Richard  Wolff discuss how Elon Musk became the new owner of Twitter. The  widely-hated billionaire immediately began to prepare layoffs,  reportedly starting with the mass firing of a quarter of all  employees at the company. Under the dictatorship of the rich, one of  the main ways that people in society communicate with each other can  become the private possession of a single ultra-wealthy capitalist.

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.