The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss the end to the 20-year U.S. occupation of Afghanistan. The government of Afghanistan has collapsed without a fight, in the face of a lightning offensive by the Taliban following the announcement that US forces were leaving Afghanistan. Joe Biden went on national television yesterday to defend his decision to end the war. Biden acknowledged, in essence, that the US had been defeated and retaining military forces in Afghanistan would never change the outcome. The panel also discusses the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the new court ruling on the federal eviction moratorium, the latest on the rise of the far right, 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.

Today's episode covers the rapid fall of key cities in Afghanistan to the Taliban & the consequences of 20 years of brutal U.S. occupation of the country. Brian & guest Mike Prysner also discuss how socialists struggle against imperialist war & organize enlisted soldiers to resist. Brian is joined by Mike Prysner, an anti-war activist, producer of The Empire Files & co-host of the podcast "Eyes Left". 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.

Brian and Prof. Wolff begin a multi-part series on agriculture under capitalism. Under this system, the most basic necessity of life -- food -- is turned into a source of profit dominated by a smaller and smaller number of agribusiness corporations. Environmental destruction and enormous waste are built into the capitalist agriculture system while hundreds of millions around the globe still go hungry.   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 from Pandemics or Itself”. You can check out his work at rdwolff.com. Richard and Brian also discuss two important books on the topic in this episode: "Creating an Ecological Society: Toward a Revolutionary Transformation" by Fred Magdoff and "Animal, Vegetable, Junk" by Mark Bittman. 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 battle over the fate of millions of people in the United States facing eviction as the movement for housing rights gains momentum. Meanwhile, the new COVID wave worsens, the Taliban seized a series of key cities in Afghanistan, and more.  We'll also we'll hear from special guest Eugene Puryear about his recent trip to Ghana to attend a historic congress launching a new socialist organization with major support from the country's youth. Eugene Puryear is a host for BreakThrough News. Be sure to check out his daily podcast: The Punch Out. 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.

We continue a series of discussions about the basics of  Marxism, focusing today on the corporate-owned media. The majority of  the media in the United States is owned by five giant corporations --  What does this tell us about the so-called “free press”? 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 from Pandemics or Itself”. 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.

Today's episode covers the struggle to stop the  impending massive wave of evictions. After public outrage and protest,  including a sit-in outside Congress led by Rep. Cori Bush, Biden  relented and extended the eviction moratorium. Brian is joined by Lee Camp, host of the TV show Redacted Tonight and author of the book Bullet Points & Punch Lines. 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  Democratic Party leadership in Congress and the Biden administration are  failing to act in the face of impending mass evictions. They also  discuss the grassroots movement against evictions -- including the  sit-in outside Congress by Rep. Cori Bush, the latest from the Olympics,  the surge in Covid infections, Peru’s new left wing government, 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.

Kenneth Hammond, a pro in Chinese politics and history, joins Brian Becker to dive into an in-depth exploration of China's foreign policy since 1949. The podcast covers topics like the impact of the United States' new military doctrine, China's alliance with the Soviet Union, the historical context of the Korean War, the Chinese exclusion from the 1960 summit, and the strategies employed by the US to manipulate politics in other countries. It also delves into the economic history of China and its shifting foreign policy, Nixon's visit to China, the rise of neoliberalism, the breakup of socialist governments, and the significance of Hong Kong's return to China. Furthermore, it discusses the century of humiliation experienced by China, cooperation against Islamic fundamentalism, China's changing perception in the US, the South China Sea dispute, and escalating tensions over Taiwan.

Kenneth Hammond, Professor of East Asian and Global History, discusses China's foreign policy under Xi Jinping and the US 'Pivot to Asia' strategy. Topics include the impact of global events on China's foreign policy, Philippines' claim against China in the South China Sea, the contradictions in US-China relations, China's Belt and Road Initiative, and China's complex relationships with the West and developing world.

Today we continue a series of discussions about the basics of Marxism — a method for understanding and changing the world used by many of the great revolutionaries of modern history. Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss rent, evictions and social programs under capitalism. With the CDC’s eviction moratorium set to expire, millions are now facing homelessness because they cannot pay rent. And why do governments controlled by the ultra-rich sometimes decide to institute measures that alleviate the suffering of workers? 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 from Pandemics or Itself”. 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.