i was told by arabs that kuwait is considered part of iraq, so saddam was justified in invading it to take it back

A deadly fire broke out over the weekend in Cuba from a lightning storm that struck near an oil storage facility and caused an explosion. At least one person has been confirmed dead, and dozens more are injured and missing. This tragic natural disaster could have happened in any country, but is even harder on Cuba due to the U.S. war against them...including many of Trump’s policies that Biden hasn’t touched.

Nicole Roussell is joined by Gloria La Riva, coordinator of the Cuba and Venezuela Solidarity Committee and one of the co-founders of the Hatuey Project at hatueyproject.org.

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.

Disaster Strikes Twice: How Lethal U.S. Policies Target Cuba Even During Natural Disasters

The month of Black August focuses on the importance of the continued struggle for Black liberation and honors the lives and struggle of political prisoners—and calls for their freedom. While many have been released, like Albert Woodfox, who was released in 2016 and passed away earlier this month, many still linger behind bars, even in solitary confinement and in their 80s or sick. What does the ongoing treatment of these organizers and fighters tell us about the nature of the capitalist system and the tools that the ruling class fears the most?

Nicole Roussell is joined by Nino Brown, a member of the Jericho Movement, which organizes to free political prisoners, and an organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

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.

Fighting Back Since 1619: Black August, Political Prisoners & the Fight for Socialism

On today's episode Walter Smolarek and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss the housing market as the Federal Reserve-induced economic downturn takes shape. The situation is rapidly deteriorating for both renters and prospective home buyers, with evictions on the rise, prices rising and interest rates spiraling out of control.

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.

Evictions, rising rents and unaffordable homes: Capitalist housing market a total failure

A second congressional delegation went to Taiwan this week, less than two weeks after Pelosi visited. These trips have sparked a sense of outrage among many Chinese people, who demand respect for their sovereignty and for their impressive social and economic achievements. This includes massive poverty reduction and surpassing the United States in key indicators like life expectancy. How is U.S. aggression against China related to their continuous rise?

Brian is joined by Tings Chak, Shanghai-based researcher at the Tricontinental Institute & a member of Dongsheng News collective and the author of the pamphlet “Serve the People: The Eradication of Extreme Poverty in China.”

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 Rise: Why U.S. Threats & Provocations Will Not Succeed

A political, social, economy, and class struggle has been intensifying in Turkey. What are the demands of the people and the progressive forces like the TKP, the Communist Party of Turkey?

Brian is joined by Kemal Okuyan, who is the secretary general of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), for an inside look.

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.

Social & Economic Crisis in Turkey w/ TKP Secretary General

In this special crossover episode, Rania Khalek of Dispatches sits  down with Brian to talk about the impact of severe repression on the  socialist, communist and Black Liberation movement in the United States  during the past decades.

Rania Khalek’s Dispatches program is on  BreakThrough News, and is available on video at  YouTube.com/BreakThroughNews and as a podcast on Google, Apple, and  anywhere you get your podcasts.

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. This month it's on Wednesday, August 31, at  12pm ET/9am PT. Register now on Patreon!

Infiltration, Violence, Deportation: How the State Weakened and Split Socialism in the US

The United States and South Korea put on the biggest military war  games in four years, while Russia and China also ran military drills.  Will the world become multipolar and is that enough to fully counter  U.S. imperialism? Is major power conflict on the horizon?

Producer Nicole Roussell and Brian discuss what  multipolarity means for the international working class, what is needed  to end U.S. imperialism, and what geopolitics are evident in Ukraine.

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.

Global Confrontation: The US, Russia, China, and a New Era

The United States is in the midst of a political upheaval right now, after the 2020 uprising, the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, and the Dobbs decision that overturned one of the Supreme Court's biggest decisions -- access to abortion under Roe v. Wade. The right wing is on the move and the left needs a clear understanding of just where they're headed and how to be able to effectively fight back. What does Dobbs indicate for other democratic rights that we thought were guaranteed?

Producer Nicole Roussell and Brian discuss the very significant political changes in the domestic policy situation in the United States, and the Attica prison uprising and massacre 51 years ago today.

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.

The Deepening Assault on Core Democratic Rights in the USA

Two of the biggest world powers, Russia and China, have formed an alliance based on common interest, despite a very complex history. Seven months into the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, what is the state of the relationship?

Brian is joined by Marco Fernandes, researcher with Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, member of Dongsheng News collective & organizer with the No Cold War campaign.

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.

The China-Russia Alliance: Will It Endure? Will It Grow?

The United States has acknowledged almost 500 military interventions, listed in detail in a report by congressional researchers. More than 200 were just in the last 31 years, since the fall of the Soviet Union, representing a significant increase over the hundreds of years prior. What does this explain about the nature of capitalism, war, and imperialism?

Brian is joined by Ben Norton, an investigative journalist based in Latin America, and editor of the independent news website Multipolarista, which you can find at multipolarista.com.

Ben’s article that Ben and Brian discuss is here on his website: https://multipolarista.com/2022/09/13/us-251-military-interventions-1991.

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.

251 Interventions in 30 Years: A System Addicted to War w/ Ben Norton

The Communist Party of China is in its 20th Congress, a week-long meeting of 2,296 elected delegates from around the country in a nominations and voting process in which 95 million CPC members participated. The delegates set the priorities for China for the next five years.

Brian and Tings Chak, researcher at the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research & a member of Dongsheng News collective, discuss the biggest takeaways, China’s economy, Xi Jinping’s presidency, Biden’s recent singling out of China in his National Security Doctrine, and more.

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.

Xi Elevates China’s Socialist Goals, Prepares Country for Global ‘Storms’

News and views about the world for those who want to change it, with Brian Becker

Infiltration, Violence, Deportation: How the State Weakened and Split Socialism in the US

The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

Recent comments

Social cat

Social cat

Related tracks