Claim OwnershipThe Socialist Program with Brian Becker
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News and views about the world for those who want to change it.
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In 1953 the CIA secretly organized a coup to overthrow the democratically elected leader of Iran. This was the CIA's first regime change operation — code-named 'Operation Ajax' — becoming the playbook for later CIA operations. Its consequences are still reverberating around the world.In this episode we take a deep dive into how Operation Ajax was planned and executed, it's motivations, the political context locally and globally, what happened in Iran after 1953, its impact on US-Iran relations up to today, and more. We've added many archival audio clips, including first-hand accounts on both sides, sound effects, music, and more. This is the first episode in our new series on The Socialist Program. In each episode we will unpack a different CIA/Pentagon operation, each which was given its own code-name as Operation Ajax was. Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get access to the next episodes in this series, more exclusive content, and help keep this show on the air.Credits:Brian Becker - writer, narratorLayan Fuleihan - writer, narratorJohn Prysner - audio engineer, producerEmily Brease - archival producer
On Friday the right-wing Supreme Court delivered a stinging blow to Trump, ruling that his unilateral tariffs were unconstitutional. Trump claims he’s going ahead with more tariffs anyway, but economist Richard Wolff explains that they’ve already failed at their central economic premise.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
The Trump administration has revoked the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases, a major cause of climate change and millions of premature deaths from air pollution every year. Professor Richard Wolff and Brian Becker discuss why this is happening, and the even more dire level of air and water pollution in the United States before the EPA.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
![How Capitalist Media Hides U.S. Imperialism in Plain Sight [Preview]](https://s3.castbox.fm/9a/f3/89/dac2bf020300967560c1ff00f11f2ed2ab_scaled_v1_400.jpg "How Capitalist Media Hides U.S. Imperialism in Plain Sight [Preview]")
Brian and Layan take a deep dive into how the capitalist-owned mainstream media conceals the truth about what motivates U.S. war-makers – and what they are hiding – by debunking the recent New York Times article titled: ‘Trump's Oil Grab in Venezuela Shatters an American Taboo’This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help make this show possible.
Cuba is running out of fuel to power hospitals, schools, harvest crops, and transport basic goods — because Donald Trump has implemented a total fuel blockade against the island nation.Brian Becker is joined by Manolo De Los Santos, the executive director of The People’s Forum in New York, to discuss why Trump and the U.S. empire have targeted Cuba, and why people in Cuba are refusing to surrender.Link to referenced letter in support of Cuba: https://www.letcubalive.info/Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
More than 30% of countries around the world are facing severe US economic sanctions causing mass suffering, hunger, and death. From Cuba, to Venezuela, to the DPRK, and now even to traditional US allies who are being targeted with tariffs and other economic threats unless they bow to the demands of the Trump administration. Richard Wolff explains that these are the efforts of an empire that is in decline but still possesses military and economic weapons that can do great damage to those who try to maintain independence from Wall Street and the White House.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
![Hidden Histories of Rebellion: How America Changed and Why Trump Will Fail [Preview]](https://s3.castbox.fm/71/f7/86/58435a0795c6bf71517fa7d1ed041f578c_scaled_v1_400.jpg "Hidden Histories of Rebellion: How America Changed and Why Trump Will Fail [Preview]")
1The Trump administration’s agenda has become unmistakable: attack the living legacy of the Civil Rights Revolution – both by trying to erase the historical memory of it, and by reversing the expansion of democracy that it won. Why are Trump and his billionaire backers so threatened by this legacy? What lessons does it have for us today? How does social change happen?This episode is built around a class on this topic, taught by our host Brian Becker, part of a class series at The People's Forum in New York City titled: 'Hidden Histories of Rebellion in the United States’, recorded on January 27th. We've added supplemental audio clips and edited it for this podcast format. This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help make this show possible.
On the heels of the Minnesota general strike on January 23rd, and a nationwide shutdown the following week in which millions participated, Professor Richard Wolff and Brian Becker discuss the general strike tactic. How has it been used in the United States and elsewhere? Can it tip the scales against the Trump administration's attempts to roll back the gains of the Civil Rights Movement?Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
One week ago, there was a general strike in Minneapolis against ICE Terror. The following morning, ICE agents executed ICU nurse Alex Pretti. They wanted to intimidate this new mass movement. But that failed. Today hundreds of thousands marched and millions participated in a nationwide shutdown against ICE; no work, no school, no shopping. Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss, recording this episode at Noon Eastern Time, January 30th. Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
![Workers Shut Down the Twin Cities and Say No to ICE [Preview]](https://s3.castbox.fm/cb/ed/f5/83a61a46150d07fb1669924371770d8254_scaled_v1_400.jpg "Workers Shut Down the Twin Cities and Say No to ICE [Preview]")
The United States may be entering a new era of labor militancy. A general strike led by labor, community organizations, small businesses, student groups, and faith-based leaders has shut down Minnesota, in protest against the terror campaign launched by thousands of ICE agents in recent weeks. Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss.This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help make this show possible.
Imperialism in the 21st Century is starting to look like the imperialism of the early 20th century as Donald Trump ramped up his demand to seize Greenland from Denmark. Professor Richard Wolff and Brian Becker discuss how capitalist competition led to two catastrophic world wars in the first half of the 20th Century, and how similar competitive pressures are taking shape today. Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.
![Minneapolis Fights Back While Trump Threatens To Invoke The Insurrection Act [Preview]](https://s3.castbox.fm/f6/26/b5/09360e51b218616dc9964a232a7288b932_scaled_v1_400.jpg "Minneapolis Fights Back While Trump Threatens To Invoke The Insurrection Act [Preview]")
As thousands of ICE agents continue their rampage in Minneapolis, the people are preparing for an even larger fightback that could reshape politics in the United States. Elon Musk endorses a call for martial law, and President Trump threatens the Insurrection Act to deploy the US military against the people of the United States. Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss.This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help make this show possible.
Trump ordered the massive bombing of Iran in June. Next he bombed Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026. Is Trump now setting his imperial sights on Cuba?Brian Becker is joined by Manolo De Los Santos, the executive director of The People’s Forum in New York.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
The United States is at a boiling point after the ICE killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Cities across the country are under attack from Trump’s federal ICE agent police force, and hundreds of thousands protested this ICE invasion this past weekend. Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss the struggle that is heating up.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.
![Why The War Powers Resolution Won't Stop Trump By Itself [Preview]](https://s3.castbox.fm/83/19/5a/0d6f9e8297a471682541aef8940a00149f_scaled_v1_400.jpg "Why The War Powers Resolution Won't Stop Trump By Itself [Preview]")
Masked ICE agents are on a rampage in Minneapolis, in Portland, and throughout the United States. The Trump White House and the Pentagon have seized the fifth oil tanker carrying Venezuelan oil. Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss.This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help make this show possible.
After the January 3rd bombing of Venezuelan neighborhoods, military facilities and the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, the Trump White House and Pentagon are still imposing a full scale naval blockade against Venezuela. The Trump administration is claiming they’ve fundamentally changed the Venezuelan government but the facts don’t bear this out. Many of the oil concessions they may now receive were long ago offered by Maduro himself. Brian is joined by Manolo De Los Santos, the executive director of The People’s Forum in New York, to discuss how the government in Venezuela is still mobilizing the nation in defense of its sovereignty.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
Trump, Steven Miller, and other top administration officials are claiming that they are “running Venezuela,” taking over the country and its vast oil reserves. That’s not true, the Venezuelan government remains intact, but they are imposing a full naval blockade on the country in an effort to completely shut down Venezuela’s economy. The Trump admin also intends to conquer Greenland by one means or another, and are declaring ownership of the Western Hemisphere. Is the Trump administration’s open rejection of international laws – which were designed to prevent another World War – just rhetoric? Or does it represent a larger shift in U.S. and thus global politics? Brian Becker is joined by Professor Richard Wolff, author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work -- find his work at rdwolff.com.Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores appeared in a U.S. court in New York City earlier today following the illegal kidnapping of Venezuela's president. Donald Trump has now acknowledged that he consulted with U.S. oil monopolies before and after the attack on Venezuela. The U.S. Congress did not authorize this attack, and Trump, while consulting with the oil company executives, refused to even brief Congress. Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss.
![How Trump Promised Peace But Ramped Up Militarism at Home and Abroad [Preview]](https://s3.castbox.fm/8b/b2/43/da9f8f35484c5eb3c04ec85bba7684e7a9_scaled_v1_400.jpg "How Trump Promised Peace But Ramped Up Militarism at Home and Abroad [Preview]")
Brian and Layan review the year of 2025 under the Trump regime – including his lies about being a ‘peace president’ – and what to expect in 2026. This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content, and help make this show possible.
Brian speaks with author and historian Aaron Leonard about his book "Menace of Our Time: The Long War Against American Communism.” Leonard’s book is a riveting account of the extraordinary efforts by politicians. At the moment that the Trump White House is issuing Executive orders deeming people with anti-capitalist views as domestic terrorists it is important to learn about the history of anti-communist witchhunting in the United States during the past century. Get the book here: https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/menace-of-our-time/9781978841802See all of Aaron’s work here: http://aaronleonard.net/Join the The Socialist Program community at http://www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.
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I Love The Socialist Program.
I recommend this for a listen good conversation about deepseek
A truly terrible podcast - it actually turns me against Socialism. The possible world they paint is not a bright one full of opportunities rather it is a distopian, disconnected existence. I usually love the stuff that this channel produces and remain an avid climate change activist.
outstanding program
I wish people would put aside their prejudice when looking at people white/black/left/right. I wish people would watch the Rittenhouse trial before reporting on it. I wish people would learn about guns and gun laws before discussing someone else using a gun. It would be nice if people on the Left were more concerned with reporting the facts then calling white men racists. I wish they wouldn't ignore that BLM riots happened and the mobs taking part were extremely dangerous. That people were killed and $Billions in damage done by BLM and Antifa during their riots in 2020. The anti-war stuff was good though.
So how did we go from hundreds of thousands of people dying from the flu before COVID, but during COVID you only had 60 thousand deaths?
Didn't he open his talk with there is no hard evidence on the C19. Then went on to quote figures to why you should take the shot.
Greta thunberg talked at davos cuz she was invited by elites. Unfortunately she’s been co-opted
9 million workers don’t own homes. They pay ridiculous 30 years of rent to a bank for the privilege of pretending like they own those homes
conspiracy theory? how are you certain it didn't? it is a more logical explanation than bat soup consumed near a biolab....