Masked ICE agents are on a rampage in Minneapolis, in Portland, and throughout the United States. The Trump White House and the Pentagon have seized the fifth oil tanker carrying Venezuelan oil. Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss.

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After the January 3rd bombing of Venezuelan neighborhoods, military facilities and the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, the Trump White House and Pentagon are still imposing a full scale naval blockade against Venezuela. The Trump administration is claiming they’ve fundamentally changed the Venezuelan government but the facts don’t bear this out. Many of the oil concessions they may now receive were long ago offered by Maduro himself. 

Brian is joined by Manolo De Los Santos, the executive director of The People’s Forum in New York, to discuss how the government in Venezuela is still mobilizing the nation in defense of its sovereignty.

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Trump, Steven Miller, and other top administration officials are claiming that they are “running Venezuela,” taking over the country and its vast oil reserves. That’s not true, the Venezuelan government remains intact, but they are imposing a full naval blockade on the country in an effort to completely shut down Venezuela’s economy. The Trump admin also intends to conquer Greenland by one means or another, and are declaring ownership of the Western Hemisphere.

Is the Trump administration’s open rejection of international laws – which were designed to prevent another World War – just rhetoric? Or does it represent a larger shift in U.S. and thus global politics?

Brian Becker is joined by Professor Richard Wolff, author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work -- find his work at rdwolff.com.

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Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores appeared in a U.S. court in New York City earlier today following the illegal kidnapping of Venezuela's president. Donald Trump has now acknowledged that he consulted with U.S. oil monopolies before and after the attack on Venezuela. The U.S. Congress did not authorize this attack, and Trump, while consulting with the oil company executives, refused to even brief Congress. Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss.

Brian and Layan review the year of 2025 under the Trump regime – including his lies about being a ‘peace president’ – and what to expect in 2026.

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Brian speaks with author and historian Aaron Leonard about his book "Menace of Our Time: The Long War Against American Communism.”  Leonard’s book is a riveting account of the extraordinary efforts by politicians. At the moment that the Trump White House is issuing Executive orders deeming people with anti-capitalist views as domestic terrorists it is important to learn about the history of anti-communist witchhunting in the United States during the past century. 

Get the book here: https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/menace-of-our-time/9781978841802

See all of Aaron’s work here: http://aaronleonard.net/

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Donald Trump and the Pentagon are at war, once again, this time against Venezuela, and this war is widening. As the year 2025 comes to an end, Donald Trump is taking to the airwaves to talk about his “wonderful achievements.” But what really happened in 2025? And what’s next for the Trump administration and the people’s movement for social justice?

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Brian Becker is joined by Manolo De Los Santos of The People’s Forum to discuss Trump’s “total blockade” against Venezuela — an “act of war” targeting oil tankers and ports, according to members of Congress as they vote on a War Powers Resolution to prevent the president’s attacks from escalating even further. De Los Santos also reviews Venezuela’s response to Trump’s attacks, as well as its history of foreign colonization and how it has shaped the consciousness of every generation in the country.

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Economist Richard Wolff joins Brian Becker to discuss President Trump’s resurrection of the Monroe Doctrine and pivot to Latin America, aimed squarely at pushing China out of the Western hemisphere — and why the strategy will fail.

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

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The Trump White House engages in straight out piracy by seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker on its way to Cuba. Donald Trump says he’s giving the economy an “A+++++” grade under his administration. Millions of people are about to lose healthcare, and Trump’s approval rating is headed towards the basement. Brian Becker is joined by Layan Fuleihan to 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.