Episodes Newest First

Brian Becker and Dr. Gerald Horne discuss the one-year anniversary of the January 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol, encouraged and organized by Donald Trump. It was the first time since 1812 that the U.S. government was under attack on its home soil, yet the leaders of the attack have still not been prosecuted – just the soldiers. What’s happened in the year since the assault? What does it tell us about what’s coming? And how can we fight back?

Brian is joined by Dr. Gerald Horne. He holds the Moores Professorship of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston and is the author of many books, including “The Color of Fascism: Lawrence Dennis, Racial Passing, and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism in the United States,” and “The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America.”

Watch the NEW video edition of “The Real Story” 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 the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

American Fascism: White Supremacy and the Far Right from the Klan to Jan. 6

On today's episode Brian Becker and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss the increasingly unstable political environment, as Dr. Wolff writes about in his newest article. He argues that some politicians are denying there are any problems while some find a scapegoat where they can direct people's anger--and both of which are symptoms of the political elite desperately trying to protect the capitalist system.

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can check out his work at rdwolff.com, and read the article here: https://www.alternet.org/2022/01/capitalism.

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.

An Empire in Decline: Why the Ruling Class Blame Game Will Fail

Tensions remain sky high in Ukraine and across Europe but do they have to remain so? There is a path to peace — and solution to the crisis — but it requires recognizing the neutrality of Ukraine, which has long been internally divided. 

Brian is joined by Eugene Puryear, author and activist, host of the BreakThrough News podcast The Punch Out, and co-host of the BT live video show The Freedom Side.

Watch the video edition of “The Real Story” on BreakThrough News!: http://youtu.be/uPAqExszum0

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.

Peace is Possible: The Solution to the Crisis in Ukraine

[This episode was recorded Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022 at 3 PM Eastern Standard Time]

A historic crisis is playing out in Eastern Europe over Ukraine, one that has profound ramifications for the entire world. The United States and its allies are imposing harsh sanctions on Russia over its recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics as independent states, and the possibility of direct clashes between the Ukrainian and Russian military looms. This episode covers how NATO expansion and the 2014 western-backed coup in Ukraine created the powderkeg situation that is currently exploding, and what may come next. 

Brian is joined by Eugene Puryear, author and activist, host of the BreakThrough News podcast The Punch Out, and co-host of the BT live video show The Freedom Side.

Watch the video edition of “The Real Story” 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 the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

Ukraine Powder Keg: Why NATO Expansion Must End

It's the end of Freemium Freebruary! This bonus episode is on the house but the rest are going back to the warm confines of our Patreon. Sign up if you want more! Don't if you don't! Live! Laugh! Love!
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Andrew, Theo, and Ben finally get a first-person account from one of the countless Americans that have climbed into a zoo enclosure. Plus: hurling meerkats at God, To Hunt Man, a slow meteor burns ominously across the sky, and the joy of throwing shit into rivers.
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UNLOCKED BONUS EPISODE: Meerkat-Man War

Bonus Episodes

Whitney is joined by Robbie Martin and researcher "Gumby" to unpack what we actually know about the US-funded biolabs in Ukraine and how the programs behind these labs originated with suspect "bioterror" claims at the end of the Cold War.
Published 03/18/22.

Ukraine & The Specter of Bioterror with Robbie Martin And Gumby

The war in Ukraine has altered the global order. How is it changing politics around the globe? What is the historical background of the different nations in the region throughout the different historical eras and how does that affect the current conflict? What does history tell us about where this is headed?

Brian Becker is joined by Vijay Prashad, the Executive Director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, Chief Editor of LeftWord Books, and author  of “Red Star Over the Third World.”

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.

Ukraine as a Pawn: The Real Reason the US Forced a Crisis with Russia

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole  Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how Joe Biden deepened the war in Ukraine during a trip to Poland over the weekend when he declared that  Russian president Putin “cannot remain in power.”  As the United States and other NATO powers raise the stakes, is there  any hope for a breakthrough in negotiations? The panel also discusses  the administration’s massive new military spending proposal, protests  against British colonialism in the Caribbean, the death of Madeline Albright, the debate over Russian oil purchases, 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.

U.S. Strategy vs. Russia: Regime Change, Encirclement, or Both?

On today's episode Walter Smolarek and Prof. Richard  Wolff discuss the Biden administration's budget proposal for the coming  year on Monday, proposing an enormous increase to the military budget  as the new Cold War intensifies. Biden  also included a proposal to tax the ultra-rich, but is this really  enough to make a dent in the enormous level of inequality in this  country?

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.

Biden's New Budget Gives $31 Billion Gift to War Industry

Key international relationships are being profoundly tested by the war in Ukraine, especially the alliance between China and Russia – the two countries at the top of the U.S. empire’s hit list. How does China’s government view Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine? Will the relationship between the two countries grow closer or more distant as the western powers attempt to cut Russia off from the global economy? What consequences will this have for the entire world?

Brian is joined by Dr. Ken Hammond, professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University, founding director of the Confucius Institute at New Mexico State University, and activist with Pivot to Peace.

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This show comes out weekly on BreakThrough News’ Youtube, Wednesdays at 7pm ET. Subscribe now to never miss an episode.

The Socialist Program with Brian Becker also comes out three times per week in podcast  form — including weekly news round-ups and segments with economist Richard Wolff. Subscribe on your preferred listening platform here! https://linktr.ee/thesocialistprogram

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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 Reaffirms Closer Relations with Russia as Ukraine War Continues

In this March 2022 patrons-only seminar, Brian and Nicole discuss and  answer questions about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, including  Biden's call for Putin to be removed from power in Russia, what a nuclear war would really mean, and more. They also discuss the struggle for women's liberation and the wider "New Cold War" against China. 

Check out the preview now and subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest!

Brian Becker Seminar #14: Ukraine, Biden Calls For Regime Change In Russia, & More (Preview)

We return to the Enemy Camp with Tyler from New Zealand to discuss "The Shadow" by Lionel Terry.

#147 - The Shadow

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how a high profile visit to Kiev by Defense Secretary Austin and Secretary of State Blinken further cemented the central role of the United States in equipping and organizing the Ukrainian war effort -- and blocking peace talks. They also discuss Elon Musk moving in on Twitter, French President Macron winning re-election, 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.

U.S. Officials' Goal is to "Weaken Russia" in a Long War in Ukraine

To receive bonus content & to help make this program possible, please join us on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/thekatiehalpershow

In light of the leaked SCOTUS decision overturning Roe v Wade, Journalist Amy Littlefield, activist & Congressional candidate Rebecca Parson along with Constitutional lawyer Shahid Buttar discuss how the Democrats enabled the attack on reproductive rights and continue to do so literally as we speak. 

Amy Littlefield is The Nation's abortion access correspondent and a journalist who focuses on reproductive rights, health care, and religion.
https://www.amylittlefield.com/ 
https://twitter.com/amylittlefield

Rebecca Parson, a commissioner on the Tacoma Area Commission on Disabilities, an organizer with the Tacoma Tenants Organizing Committee and a congressional candidate for Washington's Sixth District. She’s the only candidate in the race supporting a $30 minimum wage, Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and national rent control. 
https://www.rebeccaparson.com/
https://twitter.com/RebeccaforWA

Shahid Buttar is a constitutional lawyer, national non-profit leader, and musical artist who won over 81,000 votes from San Franciscans in 2020 to replace the most powerful member of the House.
https://shahidforchange.us/
https://twitter.com/ShahidForChange
https://twitter.com/sheeyahshee

How Dems Sold Out Roe V Wade With Amy Littlefield, Rebecca Parson & Shahid Buttar

Ali Abunimah talks about Israel and Palestine and the New York Times piece blaming Russia for the hate and Islamophobia faced by Linda Sarsour and the organizers of The Women's March. But first Karen and Jamie Zelermyer talk about their award winning podcast "I Was Never There," which looks at what happened to their friend Marsha "Mudd" Ferber, a rock-club owner and low-level drug dealer who went out for an errand in 1988 — and never came home.

Ali Abunimah is a Palestinian-American journalist who has been described as "the leading American proponent of a one-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict." He's the co-founder of The Electronic Intifada website and the author of 'One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse' and 'The Battle for Justice in Palestine: The Case for a Single Democratic State in Palestine..' 

Jamie Zelermyer has been a New York based Producer and Production Executive for the past twenty plus years. Currently, she is the co-host and creator of I Was Never There, a serialized eight episode non- fiction podcast, made in collaboration with Wonder Media Network. The series premiered at The Tribeca Festival in 2022 garnering a Special Jury Mention and has cracked the top 20 on ApplePodcasts. She was the VP, Physical Production at Focus Features / Rogue Pictures for six years. Prior to Focus Jamie was a Line Producer and Production Manager working on films such as Igby Goes Down, Boys Don’t Cry and You Can Count on Me. Jamie is the President of the Board of Directors of New York Women In Film and Television, and is an adviser on NYWIFT’s The Writer Lab, a program for female Writer’s over 40 funded by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. 

In her 73 turns around the sun, Karen Zelermyer has held a multiplicity of job titles including President and CEO of a philanthropic advocacy organization, Deputy Director of an LGBTQ foundation, Development Director of a women’s social service organization, Board Chair and foundation consultant. Karen is also a life-long social justice feminist activist.  She cut her activism teeth in the Vietnam anti-war movement and continues to have an unwavering commitment to the dismantling of racism and white privilege, heteronormativity and misogyny. She is the co-host and creator of the podcast I Was Never There.  She also has a few degrees but that was a really long time ago.

Links to "I Was Never There" podcast:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1crmHd7u1dLqfw9NJa82xc
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-was-never-there/id1619387402


Link to The Electronic Intifada - https://electronicintifada.net/


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Ali Abunimah On Palestine, Karen & Jamie Zelermyer On 'I Was Never There'

In this Live Show Beg-a-Thon, recorded 10/20, we discuss the morality politics of Star Trek and Pro Wrestling with guests are Robert Greene II and Brandi Collins-Dexter.

A Citations Needed Live Show Beg-a-Thon: The Morality Politics of Star Trek + Pro Wrestling

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

Ukraine Powder Keg: Why NATO Expansion Must End

The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

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