The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

Donald Trump and the Pentagon are at war, once again, this time against Venezuela, and this war is widening. As the year 2025 comes to an end, Donald Trump is taking to the airwaves to talk about his “wonderful achievements.” But what really happened in 2025? And what’s next for the Trump administration and the people’s movement for social justice?

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Brian Becker is joined by Manolo De Los Santos of The People’s Forum to discuss Trump’s “total blockade” against Venezuela — an “act of war” targeting oil tankers and ports, according to members of Congress as they vote on a War Powers Resolution to prevent the president’s attacks from escalating even further. De Los Santos also reviews Venezuela’s response to Trump’s attacks, as well as its history of foreign colonization and how ...

Economist Richard Wolff joins Brian Becker to discuss President Trump’s resurrection of the Monroe Doctrine and pivot to Latin America, aimed squarely at pushing China out of the Western hemisphere — and why the strategy will fail.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

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The Trump White House engages in straight out piracy by seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker on its way to Cuba. Donald Trump says he’s giving the economy an “A+++++” grade under his administration. Millions of people are about to lose healthcare, and Trump’s approval rating is headed towards the basement. Brian Becker is joined by Layan Fuleihan to discuss.

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In the wake of the powerful Nationwide Day of Action for "No War on Venezuela" where over 65 cities mobilized to demand an end to the US war drive on Venezuela, we gather again to assess the current moment and chart the path forward.

This is a podcast version of last night's webinar, providing a space to evaluate the impact of our mobilizations against a potential war with Venezuela and discuss how we can deepen an...

Every four years, the U.S. government releases something called a ‘National Security Strategy’ (NSS). The Trump administration released its NSS in the last few days, and the media in the U.S. and all over the world is buzzing about what this strategy means. Today, we will talk about some of its key positions and answer the question: do they constitute a new foreign policy for the United States? Brian Becker is joined by Layan Fulei...

Donald Trump this week went on an all-out racist tirade against Somali Americans as ICE agents descend on Minneapolis, New Orleans, and other cities to carry out mass arrests of immigrant workers. People all over the United States are taking to the streets on Saturday December 6 in protest against a new US war, this time in Latin America against the people of Venezuela. Brian Becker is joined by Layan Fuleihan to discuss.

This is a ...

Billionaire Jeff Bezo’s Washington Post published a jaw-dropping article this week with the headline: ‘Why you may not want lower prices as much as you think you do.’ Economist Richard Wolff joins Brian Becker to debunk this claim. 

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

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Following the targeted shooting of two National Guard members in Washington DC, Donald Trump pledges to end all immigration from the so-called “third world.” Trump has also declared Venezuela’s airspace to be off-limits to all airlines as the US threatens a new war, this time, in Latin America. Brian Becker is joined by Layan Fuleihan to discuss.

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Karl Marx wrote in Capital that capitalism came into the world “dripping from head to foot, from every pore, with blood and dirt.” The Thanksgiving holiday is built around an insidious and false creation myth -- that the so-called “settling” of North America was a peaceful and amicable process. But in reality, the genocidal expansion of colonialism across the continent led to unspeakable suffering and death for Indigenous peoples. ...

Millions of working class people in the  U.S. will lose their health insurance coverage in the coming weeks. Brian and Professor Wolff discuss how both ruling-class parties are acting as agents of corporate capitalism while  millions of people have been evicted from Medicaid and 22 million more are facing a doubling of their monthly premium costs which will leave 37 million Americans unable to see a doctor or receive health care se...

The Trump White House has pushed a new resolution UN Security Council hands control of Gaza to an international body that will be chaired—according to Donald Trump—by Donald Trump. Meanwhile, as winter approaches, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza remain without shelter and without food.

Layan Fuleihan is joined by Taher Dahleh, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, to discuss.

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The stock market has plunged several days in a row due to fears of the overinvested AI bubble bursting. Nicole Roussell, a producer of the show, and Professor Wolff discuss how the next stock market crash could cause an economic collapse even more devastating than the worst in capitalism’s history: the Great Depression.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work...

The Trump administration and the pro-imperialist Venezuelan opposition are making plans for war against Venezuela. Behind the scenes, corporate capitalism is salivating over the possibility of seizing Venezuela’s vast natural resources. Brian Becker is joined by Layan Fuleihan to discuss.

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Democrats caved and health insurance premiums could more than double on average. Brian and Professor Wolff discuss the aftermath of the government shutdown, why it happened, and why it failed.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

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Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani received more than a million votes as he won the New York city mayoral election this week. Today we will talk about the practical implications of Mamdani's victory, how the ruling class in New York is likely to react to his election, and some of the strategic and theoretical questions for socialists as it regards elections and what political power actually means. Brian Becker is joined by Lay...

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani received more than a million votes as he won the New York city mayoral election this week. Today we will talk about the practical implications of Mamdani's victory, how the ruling class in New York is likely to react to his election, and some of the strategic and theoretical questions for socialists as it regards elections and what political power actually means. Brian Becker is joined by Layan F...

The ruling class mainstream media and the the Trump White House are “warning” of the dangers of Zohran Mamdani’s socialist politics. In spite of the ruling class pushback, many of his policies, like taxing the rich, are wildly popular—and not just in New York City.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

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The United Nations voted overwhelmingly, again, 165 to 7, to end the U.S. embargo on Cuba, with the U.S. and Israel voting against. This is as the one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever hit Cuba causes massive destruction but no deaths due to the country’s organization.

Plus, the Miami Herald is reporting that the Trump administration has approved military strikes on Venezuela, which could come ‘at any moment,’ and which could ...