The Socialist Program

Today's episode is the second in a multi-part series on Lenin's theory of imperialism and how his ideas apply to the modern day struggle  against war and empire. Brian Becker and Walter Smolarek discuss how nearly the entire globe was divided up by the imperialist powers by the end of the 19th century as part of the expand-or-die nature of the capitalist system. The imperialists then turned to catastrophic world war as the only available means to grow their empire. But by the middle of the 20th century, it became clear that  this had led to the rise of a bloc of socialist states that threatened the existence of capitalism itself. Inter-imperialist competition took a backseat as a new era of global class war began.  These concepts are covered in detail in the book "Imperialism in the 21st Century: Updating Lenin's Theory a Century Later" published by  Liberation Media.

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 Pandora Papers -- the massive leak of financial information exposing how the rich and powerful hide their assets in tax havens around the world. How does this institutionalized system of tax evasion function? What does this tell us about how the capitalist system works?

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can check out 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.

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss the criminal lengths that capitalists in the United States will go to make a profit, from scamming working class borrowers to extorting tax payers for subsidies and so much more. We’ll also discuss the death of Colin Powell and his legacy, right wing Democrats aiming to block passage of the social spending budget, and recent instances of racist police abuse as the trial of the killers of Ahmaud Arbery opens.

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.

As the U.S. government makes a series of aggressive moves, could moves by the Taiwanese government towards a declaration of independence spark a war with China? Brian and Prof. Ken Hammond also discuss the essential historical background left out by the corporate media, explaining how Taiwan was carved away from the rest of China at the conclusion of the civil war in 1949 with the sponsorship of U.S. imperialism.

Brian is joined by Kenneth Hammond, a Professor of  East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University and an activist with the organization Pivot to Peace.

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 Prof. Richard Wolff joins the show to discuss  major developments in the labor movement as workers grow increasingly  assertive of their rights. Members of the International Alliance of  Theatrical Stage Employees voted almost unanimously  to authorize a strike that would shut down Hollywood, Kellogg’s factory  workers are on strike, and workers at Nabisco recently wrapped up a  successful strike action. Will this trend continue?

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can check out 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.

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss Indigenous People's Day and the  true history of colonization and how healthcare industry capitalists are seeking to sabotage measures that would cut into their profits as they continue their war on the poor, the elderly and the sick. They also discuss how the far right has set its sights on education, pushing for bans on the teaching of the history of racism in America and on COVID safety precautions in its latest efforts to stir up baseless controversy, the death of war  criminal General Ray Odierno, protests against the Line 3 pipeline, and new CIA efforts to target 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, Brian and Lee Camp discuss the latest revelations about the CIA's attempts to take revenge on Wikileaks for exposing the secret crimes of the U.S. government. This went as far as planning to assassinate Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange, who was at that point confined to the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Now in prison, the fight to free Assange continues.

They also discuss the case of Steven Donzinger, an international environmental lawyer who took on Chevron and won — but has now been sentenced to prison in a case of retaliation that has drawn global outrage. They also discuss the political right turn made by Tulsi Gabbard.

Lee Camp is the host of the TV show Redacted Tonight and author of the book Bullet Points & Punch Lines. Check out his work at LeeCamp.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 Brian and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss the massive scale of the eviction crisis and the urgent need for struggle in the face of this threat. While billionaires saw their wealth dramatically expand over the course of the pandemic and the government moved swiftly to bail out the rich, working class tenants accumulated crushing levels of rent debt. Now landlords are preparing to kick millions out of their homes as the pandemic continues to rage. Brian and Prof. Wolff also discuss examples from history of tenants organizing to stand up for their right to housing -- and bring down the system that prioritizes profits over people's lives. 

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can check out 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.

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker,  Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how the battle in Congress over the fate of major social programs to address the needs of the people and the planet continues after the House progressive caucus blocked passage of a physical infrastructure bill to  counter efforts by right wing Democrats to kill the much larger budget and social infrastructure bill. Also, they discuss the latest on the pandemic as the U.S. death toll hits 700,000, efforts by the right wing to cement its political power through redistricting, and more.

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 September 2021 patrons-only seminar, Brian and the crew discuss the how socialism can be achieved in the United States and how  revolutions happen, how to organize against imperialist war including from within the ranks of the military, and the internal contradictions of the U.S. government that are preventing Congress from addressing the dire needs of the people. Check out the preview now and subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest!