:1995-2001:

The HBO documentary THE SWAMP (2020) follows three "maverick" Republican congressmen who seek to fulfil Donald Trump's promise to "drain the swamp," even if that means alienating their party leaders. But what you really need to know about this documentary is that the main one is Matt Gaetz, and he is a huge doofus. PLUS: thoughts on Canada Day, Alex Gibney's Agents of Chaos, and a look back at the media coverage of the War in Iraq.

Michael and Us

#248 - Enemy at the Gaetz

You know what would've been a lot worse than a vile McCarthyite smear against an important antiwar journalist igniting an ugly war in online left media circles? A vile McCarthyite smear against an important antiwar journalist being tolerated by online left media circles.

Reading by Tim Foley.
Article with links and sources: https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/tyt-jimmy-dore-and-other-notes-from

TYT, Jimmy Dore, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how the U.S. government and corporate media are hoping for regime change in Cuba, but the Cuban people and government are mobilizing to defend their revolution in spite of the severe hardships caused by the U.S. blockade. They also discuss the political crisis in Haiti and the danger of U.S. intervention, and more. This episode includes a special interview with Cathy Rojas, the socialist candidate for mayor of New York City.

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.

U.S. Strangles Cuban Economy & Seeks Counter-Revolution

Brian Becker and Prof. Richard Wolff continue a discussion on the Marxist understanding of the housing market, today focusing on the system of rent and the current crisis resulting from soaring rents. Today's episode is also part of a series of discussions about the basics of Marxism — a method for understanding and changing the world used by many of the great revolutionaries of modern history.

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.

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.

Soaring Rents Lead to New Housing Crisis

Today's episode is the sixth in a multi-part series that takes an in-depth look at the history of China's foreign policy. In 1997, China achieves another milestone in its long struggle to unify the country and end foreign domination -- the return of the city of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. Meanwhile, China's economic growth accelerates as the country plays a bigger and bigger role in the global economy. In 2001, this culminates with China's entry into the World Trade Organization

Brian is joined by Kenneth Hammond, a Professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University and an activist with the organization Pivot to Peace.

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.

China's Foreign Policy Part 6, 1995-2001: Hong Kong Returns to China and China Joins the WTO

(Patreon-only Rose McGowan interview here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/rose-mcgowan-57953217)
Labor journalists Alex Press (https://twitter.com/alexnpress) & Jonah Furman (https://twitter.com/JonahFurman) discuss the labor movement, strikes, John Deere and what it has to do with Alec Baldwin's deadly shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Alex Press is a writer and editor at Jacobin Magazine, whose latest article is "Halyna Hutchins’s Death on the Set of Rust Was 'Not a Freak Accident'."Jonah Furman is a labor movement organizer and writer for Labor Notes (https://twitter.com/labornotes), the media and organizing project that since 1979 has amplified the voice of workers and labor militants. He is also a frequent contributor to The Intercept.

Alec Baldwin Shooting 'NOT a Freak Accident' With Alex Press & Jonah Furman

Readings of all Caitlin Johnstone's articles, usually by her co-writer Tim Foley.