The Socialist Program

On today's episode Walter Smolarek and Prof. Richard  Wolff discuss how Hurricane Ian has caused historic devastation  throughout Florida, leaving over 100 dead and destroying homes and  critical infrastructure. All of the extreme inequalities of the  capitalist system are on display in the wake of this massive disaster.

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 analyzes Secretary  of State Blinken's gloating about the Nordstream pipeline explosion and  what this tells us, what is needed for a big anti-war mobilization, and  how to effectively provide mutual aid. He also talks about Brazil's  presidential election, with popular left candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da  Silva winning in the first round but headed to a runoff against  far-right Jair Bolsonaro, and the U.S. government's view on it, and  more.

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

Two of the biggest world powers, Russia and China, have formed an alliance based on common interest, despite a very complex history. Seven months into the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, what is the state of the relationship?

Brian is joined by Marco Fernandes, researcher with Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, member of Dongsheng News collective & organizer with the No Cold War campaign.

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 the Federal Reserve’s relentless campaign to raise  interest rates is having profound consequences not just in the United  States, but around the world. As rates rise in the United States, the  value of other currencies is plummeting, intensifying inflation and a  whole host of other economic and social issues.

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 far right is on the move, installing themselves in key places  throughout the election infrastructure of the country. States are  considering further attacks, like eliminating early voting, after  Republicans have spent decades filling the state legislatures. These  attacks are racist, undemocratic, and coming to a head this November.

Brian is joined by Esther Iverem, a longtime 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 Ukraine war is escalating—dramatically. Russian President Putin & U.S. President Biden both made major and dramatic speeches in the last day, after a successful and U.S.-backed Ukrainian counter-offensive earlier in the week. What did Putin and Biden reveal in their addresses and where is this headed?

Brian is joined by Eugene Puryear, the host of the BreakThrough News podcast The Punch Out, co-host of the BT live video show The Freedom Side, and a writer, including the article “Should we really blame NATO for the Ukraine war?”

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 fears of an all-out economic crisis are deepening as FedEx announces that it expects a global recession based on a sharp decline in world shipping activity, and a higher-than expected inflation report deepens the federal reserve’s determination to raise interest rates. The capitalist class remains determined to drive the economy off a cliff to eviscerate workers’ living standards and bargaining power.

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 assault on our democratic rights within the United States is growing. The right wing of the U.S. ruling class, using the Supreme Court and other undemocratic institutions, has begun eviscerating hard-fought economic, social, and political rights that have been achieved in past decades. This will be an epic struggle. Producer Nicole Roussell and Brian discuss how we got here and what's next.

The U.S. government has destroyed cities, countries, and towns around the world, through bombs and air raids, military ground invasions, naval attacks, economic sanctions and strangulation, coups, and more. Some say U.S. force is never ending, others say it’s on a fast decline, almost gone forever. Vijay Prashad and Noam Chomsky argue in their new book, “The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power,” that U.S. military might is somewhere in the middle: it’s fragile.

Brian is joined by Vijay Prashad, the Executive Director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, Chief Editor of LeftWord Books, and author of a new book with Noam Chomsky called “The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power.”

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 the corporate-owned media has been  consumed with wall-to-wall coverage of the death of the Queen, fawning  over the British monarchy. But the lifestyle that’s being celebrated is one based on plunder and empire. While their “subjects” live in  poverty, the royals live a life of total luxury – all because they were  lucky enough to be born into the right family.

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.