The Real Story: Blood on the Tracks -- A Vietnam Veteran's Battle Against Empire

In this patrons-only Q&A seminar, Brian and Nicole discuss the how to counter the far-right billionaire agenda that Musk, Trump, and the new administration are ushering in, what it seems like their aims and tactics are, the impact of Kendrick Lamar's halftime show, the contradictions in the cutting of USAID, the shadow cabinet concept that some Democrats are suggesting, the possible resumption of the Gaza genocide, Zohran Mamdani's run for mayor of New York, and more.Subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content including live Q&A seminars with Brian Becker, and help keep this show on the air.

13 Feb 9min

On today's episode, Brian and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss Elon Musk's power grab, pushing federal workers out, dismantling federal agencies, and cutting funding. But people nationwide are resisting.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find 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.

12 Feb 34min

Trump’s surreal claim that the United States will “own” Gaza, push out two million Palestinians, and develop expensive waterfront property for non-Palestinians has widely been condemned. But Miko Peled, son of an Israeli general, says this is no different than the Zionist aim for decades—and it will never happen.Brian Becker is joined by Miko Peled, a human rights activist and son of Israeli general. He is the host of The Miko Peled Podcast and author of “The General’s Son - A Journey of an Israeli in Palestine'' and "Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.” You can find his podcast, books, and much more at mikopeled.com.Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at https://www.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.

8 Feb 51min

On today's episode Nicole Roussell and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss Elon Musk's promises to cancel contracts, grants, and myriad payments from the U.S. Treasury Department. U.S. capitalism has already allowed Musk to control hundreds of billions of dollars and therefore control lots of our society's production—this is the billionaire agenda, which gives him even more control of our resources and U.S. residents even less. Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find 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.

5 Feb 37min

On this patrons-only episode, Brian & Layan discuss Trump's executive order to deport student protesters, Netanyahu's visit with Trump next week, Trump’s announcement of plans to completely ethnically cleanse the people of Gaza and why that won’t work, conflict within the administration, Trump’s ridiculous and racist blaming DEI for this week's heartbreaking airplane crash, and more. Brian Becker is joined by Layan Sima Fuleihan, a Palestinian organizer with the Shut It Down for Palestine coalition, a popular educator, the Education Director at The People’s Forum, and an editor at 1804 Books. This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content including live Q&A seminars with Brian Becker, and help keep this show on the air.

1 Feb 19min

Trump and the billionaires are using the attack on DEI and “woke” policies as a Trojan horse for all-out war against Black America. They’re targeting the achievements and reforms of the civil rights movement, which expanded democracy for all U.S. residents. The stage is now set for an epic battle about the direction of this country. Brian is joined by Eugene Puryear, an author and political organizer, and co-host of The Freedom Side LIVE, a live video show every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern on BreakThrough News. 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 and submit questions to the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

30 Jan 1h

On today's episode, Brian and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss DeepSeek, the newest AI technology developed cheaply by a Chinese company without the most advanced Nvidia chips, causing an almost $600 billion stock crash for Nvidia. What does this indicate about the state of U.S. technology, capitalism, and education? Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find 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.

29 Jan 40min

Brian Becker and Kemal Okuyan -- the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) -- discuss Turkey's role in Syria, Turkish President Erdogan's aspirations for a neo-Ottoman era, and the dynamics of a changing Middle East region. Here is a link to the TKP statement mentioned in this show, on the fall of the Assad government in Syria: https://www.tkp.org.tr/en/agenda/tkp-cc-statement-following-the-success-of-the-imperialist-plan-for-disintegration-of-syria-we-will-win-our-country-not-lose-it/ 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 and submit questions to the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

25 Jan 50min