In the News: Trump and Right Wing Privilege
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.
10 Feb 20211h 12min
The Real Story: Biden Targets China
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.
4 Feb 202154min
Capitalism in Crisis: GameStop Insurgency -- Myths and Facts
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: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself”. You can check out his work at rdwolff.com.
3 Feb 202134min
In the News: The Role of the Racist Mob in American Politics
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.
2 Feb 202156min
The Real Story: Why Impeachment Helps Trump
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 that paves the way for Trump’s reentry into the political spotlight? What does this mean for the rising danger of fascism?
28 Jan 202142min
Capitalism in Crisis: Capitalism's Death Spiral
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 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.
27 Jan 202129min
In the News: Democrats Get Ready for Failure
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.
26 Jan 202155min
The Real Story: What is Biden Planning?
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 weeks. We take a look at the Biden's domestic and foreign policy positions and talk about the imperative need for a new, massive and militant working class movement without which the Biden White House will enforce its number #1 promise to voters that "nothing will fundamentally change."
21 Jan 202152min
