The Socialist Program

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how a high profile visit to Kiev by Defense Secretary Austin and Secretary of State Blinken further cemented the central role of the United States in equipping and organizing the Ukrainian war effort -- and blocking peace talks. They also discuss Elon Musk moving in on Twitter, French President Macron...

The war in Ukraine has ushered in a new era of global politics, and it has also ushered in a new political witch hunt against dissenting voices. With more and more intensity, the corporate media – including social media giants – are closing ranks to squeeze out anyone who dares speak up in opposition to the Pentagon’s narrative and against catastrophic confrontation between the United States and R...

On today's episode Walter Smolarek and Prof. Richard  Wolff discuss the extreme injustices of the U.S. tax system. Monday was  Tax Day — no cause for celebration for millions of ordinary people. But  for the ultra rich, it wasn’t so bad.  Many of the wealthiest people on the planet actually pay a tax rate  that is lower than a typical worker — how do they get away wit...

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther  Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how powerful figures  in the West are pushing for even graver acts of reckless escalation in  Ukraine, and how big oil is cashing in on the war with plans for massive  drilling expansion with the help of the Biden administration. The panel  also discusses the latest...

On today's episode Nicole Roussell interviews Brian Becker about the new phase of heightened conflict that world politics is entering. As the United States moves aggressively to maintain its position of the world's dominant power, the  globe is becoming increasingly polarized between supporters of this world order and those who fall outside of it -- a process dramatically accelerated by the w...

On today's episode Brian Becker and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss  what's coming next for our economy as inflation rises and pressure  mounts on the Federal Reserve to pull back its extraordinary support for  big business. Is a recession coming? Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com . Please ma...

On today's In the News roundtable, Nicole Roussell, Esther Iverem and  Walter Smolarek discuss how the fighting in Ukraine is intensifying in  the country’s east at the same time as the United States and its NATO  allies are seeking to prolong the war for their  own geopolitical benefit. The panel also discusses how the courts  continue to offer impunity for police br...

The war in Ukraine is entering a new phase. NATO leaders are meeting and are clearly worried that the Zelenskyy government might agree to a negotiated end to the war. Brian Becker and Dr. Gabriel Rockhill discuss the internal politics in Ukraine with a focus on the role of the far right, fascists and neo-Nazis. Brian is joined by Dr. Gabriel Rockhill, Founding Director of the Critical Theory Works...

On today's episode Brian Becker and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss how Amazon workers in Staten Island made history by forming the first labor union in the United States at the corporate giant. Meanwhile, support for unionization increased  as Amazon workers participated in a re-vote at a facility in Bessemer,  Alabama, with the final outcome still too close to call. The surge of labor mili...

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss how NATO countries search for ways to deepen the conflict in Ukraine with arms shipments and sanctions, while promoting  selective outrage at the violence of war. The panel also discusses the victory of workers in Staten Island who formed the first Amazon union in the United States, Martin Luther King’s...

In this March 2022 patrons-only seminar, Brian and Nicole discuss and  answer questions about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, including  Biden's call for Putin to be removed from power in Russia, what a nuclear war would really mean, and more. They also discuss the struggle for women's liberation and the wider "New Cold War" against China.  Check out the preview now and subscribe a...

Key international relationships are being profoundly tested by the war in Ukraine, especially the alliance between China and Russia – the two countries at the top of the U.S. empire’s hit list. How does China’s government view Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine? Will the relationship between the two countries grow closer or more distant as the western powers attempt to cut Russia off from the glo...

On today's episode Walter Smolarek and Prof. Richard  Wolff discuss the Biden administration's budget proposal for the coming  year on Monday, proposing an enormous increase to the military budget  as the new Cold War intensifies. Biden  also included a proposal to tax the ultra-rich, but is this really  enough to make a dent in the enormous level of inequality in this &nb...

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole  Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how Joe Biden deepened the war in Ukraine during a trip to Poland over the weekend when he declared that  Russian president Putin “cannot remain in power.”  As the United States and other NATO powers raise the stakes, is there  any hope for a breakthrough in negotia...

The war in Ukraine has altered the global order. How is it changing politics around the globe? What is the historical background of the different nations in the region throughout the different historical eras and how does that affect the current conflict? What does history tell us about where this is headed? Brian Becker is joined by Vijay Prashad, the Executive Director of the Tricontinental: Ins...

On today's episode Brian Becker and Prof. Richard Wolff  discuss  the still increasing costs of many necessities, as the United States  flounders in the economic crisis that's now been ongoing for several  years. To what extent is the war in Ukraine having an effect? Professor  Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization  Democracy at Work. You can...

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell and  Walter Smolarek discuss the latest on Ukraine -- developments from the battlefield as well as the shockwaves rippling across world politics and the economy. They also discuss how the dictatorship of capital continues to imperil lives amid the pandemic, an impending wave of utility shut offs, and more. Please make an urgentl...

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy gave a high profile address to Congress calling for stepped up US involvement in the war — especially through the imposition of a "no-fly zone." While this idea is presented as a humanitarian move, the reality is that such an action would mean that the two largest nuclear-armed powers would be in a state of war with each other. Brian and Eugene Puryear discuss this an...

On today's In the News roundtable, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how Congress has allocated billions of dollars in military spending at breakneck speed to fuel the war in Ukraine, and is moving to permanently expand the U.S./NATO war machine -- but no such urgency can be found when it comes to the plight of the tens of millions of people going hungry, experiencing home...

As the world enters a new phase of major power conflict, it is crucial  to understand the character of the Russian government and the role it  plays on the world stage. Is Russia an imperialist power, equivalent to  countries like the United States, France or the UK? How has the  imperialist world system been set up – and is Russia in the club, or  out? Brian is joined by...

On today's special edition of The Socialist Program, Brian is joined by Lee Camp, a writer, comedian, activist and journalist. For eight years Lee hosted the television show “Redacted Tonight”, but this anti-war, anti-imperialist program has now been shut down along with all the shows on RT America amid the  anti-Russia frenzy sweeping the country. They discuss how ce...

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, and Walter Smolarek discuss the devastating sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and its allies and the frenzy to boycott and denounce all things Russian. They also discuss International Women’s Day, the anniversary of the Bloody Sunday attack on civil rights demonstrators in Selma and the struggle for voting rights today,...

Intense bombing and fighting continues throughout Ukraine as Russia’s war enters its second week. Western countries have imposed a sanctions regime on Russia that is battering the economy and hitting workers the hardest. Eugene Puryear and Brian Becker discuss the latest on the war and explore the essential historical context, establishing five basic principles and points of unity for progressive...

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss the war in Ukraine, which continues to rage as the world is engulfed in a crisis that has the potential to reconfigure global politics in fundamental ways. What consequences has the war brought about so far? Which side is winning? How can peace truly be established? The panel discusses these...

Abby Martin and Brian Becker discuss the Ukraine war and what it means for the anti-war movement. This episode was produced in collaboration with The Empire Files . Watch the video version of this episode on the Empire Files or BreakThrough News YouTube channels. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram...