The Socialist Program

The United States is in the midst of a political upheaval right  now, after the 2020 uprising, the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, and  the Dobbs decision that overturned one of the Supreme Court's biggest  decisions -- access to abortion under Roe v. Wade. The right wing is on  the move and the left needs a clear understanding of just where they're  headed and how to be able to effectively fight back. What does Dobbs  indicate for other democratic rights that we thought were guaranteed?

Producer Nicole Roussell and Brian discuss the very significant  political changes in the domestic policy situation in the United States,  and the Attica prison uprising and massacre 51 years ago today.

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 United States and South Korea put on the biggest military war  games in four years, while Russia and China also ran military drills.  Will the world become multipolar and is that enough to fully counter  U.S. imperialism? Is major power conflict on the horizon?

Producer Nicole Roussell and Brian discuss what  multipolarity means for the international working class, what is needed  to end U.S. imperialism, and what geopolitics are evident in Ukraine.

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 Europe has plunged into an even deeper energy crisis  as Russia cuts off imports through the Nord Stream pipeline in response  to western sanctions. While US and European leaders pledged that  sanctions would quickly bring the Russian economy to its knees, is the  reality in fact the opposite?

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 August 2022 patrons-only seminar, Brian discusses the legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union before its dissolution, who is being lionized by the capitalist media after his death on Tuesday. Brian also discusses the 1-year anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal of from Afghanistan, the drying up of the Colorado River due to climate change, education under capitalism versus socialism, and more.

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

In this special crossover episode, Rania Khalek of Dispatches sits  down with Brian to talk about the impact of severe repression on the  socialist, communist and Black Liberation movement in the United States  during the past decades.

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 month it's on Wednesday, August 31, at  12pm ET/9am PT. Register now on Patreon!

On today's episode Walter Smolarek and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss the student debt crisis. With an announcement expected imminently on the fate of the national freeze on student debt payments, pressure is mounting on the Biden administration to not only extend the moratorium, but also cancel a substantial amount of the crushing debt burden tens of millions of people in the United States are under. How did we end up in a situation where borrowers have accumulated over $1.7 trillion in debt just because they wanted to get an education?

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.

A political, social, economy, and class struggle has been intensifying in Turkey. What are the demands of the people and the progressive forces like the   TKP, the Communist Party of Turkey?

Brian is joined by Kemal Okuyan, who is the secretary general of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), for an inside look.

A second congressional delegation went to Taiwan this week, less than two weeks after Pelosi visited. These trips have sparked a sense of outrage among many Chinese people, who demand respect for their sovereignty and for their impressive social and economic achievements. This includes massive poverty reduction and surpassing the United States in key indicators like life expectancy. How is U.S. aggression against China related to their continuous rise?

Brian is joined by Tings Chak, Shanghai-based researcher at the Tricontinental Institute & a member of Dongsheng News collective and the author of the pamphlet “Serve the People: The Eradication of Extreme Poverty in China.”

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 the housing market as the Federal Reserve-induced  economic downturn takes shape. The situation is rapidly deteriorating  for both renters and prospective home buyers, with  evictions on the rise, prices rising and interest rates spiraling out  of control.

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 month of Black August  focuses on the importance of the continued struggle for Black liberation  and honors the lives and struggle of political prisoners—and calls for  their freedom. While many have been released, like Albert Woodfox, who  was released in 2016 and passed away earlier this month, many still  linger behind bars, even in solitary confinement and in their 80s or  sick. What does the ongoing treatment of these organizers and fighters  tell us about the nature of the capitalist system and the tools that the  ruling class fears the most?

Nicole Roussell is joined by Nino Brown, a member of the Jericho  Movement, which organizes to free political prisoners, and an organizer  for the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

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.