The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

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  McClain was herself arrested in a coordinated police attack on September 17, 2020. She was charged with multiple felonies and is awaiting trial. If convicted, Lillian House could be imprisoned for a half a century.

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 from Pandemics or Itself”. You can check out his work at www.rdwolff.com.

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 Counterpunch  and Dissident Voice.

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 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, 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, and more.

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 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, 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 Brian.