The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss the deadly consequences of  the U.S. government's stubborn refusal so far to waive patents  preventing developing countries from producing their own Coronavirus  vaccines -- all to protect the profits of the big pharmaceutical  corporations. 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

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss where the Biden administration is headed politically and why. In his address to a joint session of Congress last Thursday, Biden appears to have signaled a significant turn towards a program aimed at providing substantial benefits to working people.

Explores China's early foreign policy with anti-colonialism and alliance with Soviet Union. Examines Cold War mindset and impact on US policy. Discusses consequences of Stalin's death and rupture between Soviets and China in 1959. Reflects on China's ideological struggle and shift to the left in the 1960s.

Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss the latest efforts by the Biden administration to put severe economic pressure on Germany to back out of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, an infrastructure project that would deliver Russian gas to the European market competing with big U.S. oil and gas monopolies.   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

On  today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how the U.S. government is hoarding vaccine doses and prolonging the suffering of people all around the world in defense of big pharma’s profits. They also discuss tensions between Russia and NATO over Ukraine, a new court ruling in Los Angeles on the rights of the homeless, and more.

The fate of the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement hangs in the balance. The United States broke the agreement during the Trump administration and reimposed sanctions that caused great suffering to Iranians, but negotiations are now underway for the United States to rejoin. Meanwhile, Israel is upping its aggression against Iran. Brian is joined by Professor Mohammad Marandi, an expert on American studies and postcolonial literature who teaches at the University of Tehran.

Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss how the tobacco industry built an extremely profitable business model based on addiction, and what they're doing to try to keep it going. 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

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss the historic people's victory in  the trial of Derek Chauvin, which resulted in guilty verdicts on all three counts thanks to the mass movement that swept the country and the world demanding justice for George Floyd. They also discuss laws being considered across the country to repress protest, environmental issues ahead of Earth Day, and more.

In this January 2021 patrons-only seminar, Brian and the crew talked  about the January 6th fascist insurrection, delving into the details and  the historical context of fascism in the United States. Check out the preview now and subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest!

The Biden administration has announced that the United States will be withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan by September 11 of this year, and that this withdrawal will take place regardless of conditions on the battlefield. What's behind this move? Is the U.S. empire's longest war really coming to an end? Continuing last week's episode about the history of U.S. intervention in Afghanistan, Brian talks with Sohrob Aslamy, a doctoral student at Syracuse  University in the Department of Geography and the Environment.