The Socialist Program

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...

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 C...

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 socia...

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 lon...

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 Ou...

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 o...

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. Pl...

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, a...

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 t...

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 a...

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...

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? Professo...

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 capitalis...

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. Rania Khalek’s Dispatches program is on  BreakThrough News, and is available on video at  YouTube.com/BreakThroughNews and as a podcast on...

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...

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. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joini...

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. ag...

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-foun...

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...

A massive fire in Matanzas, Cuba, is coming under control after five days due to tireless efforts by firefighters and specialist crews. But the U.S. blockade, which worsened under Trump with 243 additional coercive measures, and which Biden has largely kept in place, has deprived Cuba of the equipment and resources necessary to handle this disaster. Brian is joined by Manolo De Los Santos, a centr...

On today's episode Brian and Prof. Richard  Wolff analyze the Senate's spending bill entitled the "Inflation  Reduction Act" for the effect it could have on inflation. It falls far  short of what’s desperately needed to address the overlapping crises  causing so much suffering for working people. Professor Richard Wolff is an author  & co-founder of the organizati...

A deadly fire broke out over the weekend in Cuba from a lightning storm  that struck near an oil storage facility and caused an explosion. At  least one person has been confirmed dead, and dozens more are injured  and missing. This tragic natural disaster could have happened in any  country, but is even harder on Cuba due to the U.S. war against  them...including many of T...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island of Taiwan this week, in an unprecedented escalation toward China. What will the fallout be? Could Pelosi have made this trip without the administration’s blessing? Will this surprise visit anger US allies in the region? Brian is joined by Dr. Ken Hammond, professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University, founding director of th...

On today's episode Walter Smolarek and Prof. Richard  Wolff discuss a leaked memo written by a top Bank of America economist  that reveals in explicit terms the strategy of the capitalist class:  cause as much suffering among workers as possible  to rebalance the economy in favor of the rich. As the U.S. begins to  experience an intentionally-caused recession, it is n...

In a huge moment for the state and for the country, Kansas is voting today on a constitutional amendment that would effectively ban abortions if passed. Kansans are mobilized and fighting against this attack on women. In this edition of The Socialist Program, we air three presentations from a convening at The People’s Forum in New York called Free, safe, legal abortions now! Justice is ours to mak...