The Socialist Program

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss the one year anniversary of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery by racist vigilantes, the trial of Derek Chauvin -- the Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd -- beginning this week, Donald Trump delivering a major speech to the CPAC right wing political gathering, the uprising in Ha...

A damning new independent investigation into the police murder of  Elijah McClain in Aurora, Colorado has been released, but the only people facing charges so far in this case are the activists who led the movement for justice for Elijah McClain. Lillian House joins the show. Lillian and other leaders of a mass movement in the Denver/Aurora Colorado area demanding justice for Elijah  McC...

Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss what the terrible storm in Texas and elsewhere in the south that has caused death, destruction and a near total breakdown in infrastructure. What does this say about the capitalist system? Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author of many books, the latest being “The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us fr...

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss the COVID death toll in the United  States topping 500,000, the winter storm that has left millions without power in zero degree temperatures in Texas, a new independent report that further exposes the police in Aurora Colorado for the brutal murder of Elijah McClain, and more.

Life Expectancy in the United States had suffered its largest one year drop since the end of World War II. Covid deaths moving toward 500,000.  Covid is not over but another pandemic is sure to follow. When? No one  knows. But will the US be ready? Brian Becker is joined by KJ Noh. He’s a peace activist and scholar on the geopolitics of Asia, and he’s a frequent contributor to Count...

Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss how deeply dependent big banks and corporations are on government assistance, the rise in speculation on "junk bonds", the organizing drive by workers at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama, and more. Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work  and the author of many books, the latest being “The System is the Sickness: When Capitalism Fails...

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss the conclusion of Trump's second impeachment trial and what lasting effects it may have on national politics. The panel also discusses how U.S. capitalism continues to fail to tackle the pandemic, Biden administration foreign policy, the attack on the independent media outlet Newsclick, an...

On this episode we are joined by Brian Willson, a Vietnam veteran, writer, lawyer and a peace activist. On September 1, 1987, Brian lost his legs while participating in a peaceful act of civil disobedience at a railroad track at the Concord Naval Weapons Station to block the shipment of  weapons to the terrorist Contra fighters in Nicaragua, and has continued his fight against U.S. empire.

As Congress continues to deliberate over a new economic stimulus plan, more and more people are focusing on the outrageously low minimum wage. Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss this issue and what it tells us about the capitalist system. Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author of many books, the latest being “The System is the Sickness: When Capitalism Fail...

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss the beginning of Trump's impeachment trial, climate change, the latest on the pandemic, the election in Ecuador, mass protests in Haiti, and more.

Will the U.S. continue under Biden to push towards confrontation with China? As the Biden administration takes the reins, what will change about U.S. policy towards China, and what will remain the same? Kenneth Hammond, a Professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University and an activist with the organization Pivot to Peace, discusses these questions and more  with Bria...

Shockwaves hit Wall Street banks and hedge funds in the face of a Reddit-based insurgency of day traders who targeted financial giants. Brian and Prof. Wolff examine the role played by speculation, the stock market and financial bubbles in capitalism. Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author of many books, the latest being “The System is the Sickness: Wh...

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss how politicians throughout U.S. history have incited racist mobs to carry out acts of violence, how this long standing trend manifested in the January 6 attack on the Capitol Building, and a roundup of national and international headlines.

After 45 Senate Republicans voted to declare his impeachment trial unconstitutional, Donald Trump is almost assured an acquittal. It marks a  stunning turnaround for a man who just a few weeks ago was completely  isolated and facing the prospect  of jail time for seditious conspiracy. How did the Democratic Party  fail so spectacularly? Will impeachment ironically be the thing...

On  this week's episode of The Socialist Program's regular segment  "Capitalism in Crisis" with Prof. Richard Wolff, we discuss mounting  corporate debt and long term trends in capitalism,  including increasingly worse recession and capitalists' growing  dependency on government aid. Richard  Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the  ...

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss the Democratic Party establishment’s blundering first week in power, Biden’s efforts to forge unity with the right wing, and how his administration’s foreign policy is playing out.

Under the cloud of a massive military occupation of Washington DC Joe  Biden was sworn in as the 46th president. In a highly polarized country  Biden announced 17 Executive Orders and started unveiling the policies  and objectives of the new administration. Hunger, unemployment and  homelessness is surging. More than 100,000 have died from Covid in just  the last four week...

On  this week's episode of The Socialist Program's regular segment  "Capitalism in Crisis" with Prof. Richard Wolff, we discuss the economic  stimulus bill proposed by President Biden  and how it falls short of the dramatic steps needed to address the  suffering caused by the pandemic. Richard  Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the &nbs...

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell,  Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek continue our coverage of the aftermath  of the assault on the Capitol Building, with a focus on the different  components and motivations of the  fascist movement that led the attack.

Dr. Gerald Horne offers his insights and historical perspective on the fascist-led mob that seized temporary control of the Capitol Building and dispersed Congress for hours in an effort to alter the 2020 election outcome. Professor Gerald Horne originally sat down for a conversation with Brian about his latest book "The Bittersweet Science -- Racism,  Racketeering, the Political Economy of B...

Various ruling class factions, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have coalesced against Trump and the fascist-led insurrection against Congress. What comes next?

On this week's episode of The Socialist Program's regular segment "Capitalism in Crisis" with Prof. Richard Wolff, we discuss the role played by economic factors in the growth of fascist movements. Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss how the core features of capitalism provide fascism with an opportunity to rise and take power.

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss the rising tide of the fascist movement in the United States amid the pro-Trump mob's seizure of the Capitol Building, what may come next as Trump's term comes to a close, and how the people can organize and fight back.

Donald Trump forfeited all support from establishment forces when he incited a fascist assault against the sitting U.S. Congress. Was there police and military collusion that allowed fascist forces to quickly seize control of the Capitol building?

Brian speaks with Prof. Richard Wolff about Marx and the Marxist analysis of the fundamental features of capitalism. Marx's assessment of the laws of capitalism were written more than 150 years ago, but they are spot on in their description of modern day capitalism and explain why millions of people are turning toward socialism with a renewed interest in Marx. Richard Wolff is the co-founder of th...