KPFA - Economic Update

On this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on the Italian dockworker unions refusing to load or unload Israeli cargo, the broadened national general strikes in Italy demanding the end of the Italian government’s support for Israel because of Gaza, and a discussion of the return of socialism into U.S. politics after 80 years. The second half to the show features an interview with Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Professor at M.I.T. and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing. Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. The post Global Housing Crisis: Rights and Realities appeared first on KPFA.

This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on the impending U.S. recession, JP Morgan admits failures of the neoliberal period as it turns nationalist, and the causes of mass shootings in the U.S. In the second half of today’s show, Professor Wolff interviews two young U.S. union organizers and their organizing method of “workers inquiry”: Alex Pyne of the Blue Bottle Independent Union and Anastasia Wilson of Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. The post Union Organizing in Today’s US appeared first on KPFA.

On this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on the censoring of U.S. government reports on hunger, changes in U.S. agriculture amid capitalism’s decline, the special place of white, male, Christian union members in the MAGA world, and the relation of A.I. and jobs. In the second half of the show, Professor Wolff interviews UCLA Professor Ramesh Srinivasan, host of the podcast “Utopias,” on technology, capitalism, and our collective future. Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. The post Late Stage Capitalism and Technical Change appeared first on KPFA.

This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on the I.C.E. raid at a battery factory in Georgia, the growing inequality in the U.S. during both Trump terms, the 75 U.S. military airstrikes on Somalia in 2025, and France’s mass national street actions against the Macron government’s austerity policies. The second part of the episode features an interview with Christopher G Beck, the architect who is organizing a union of architects in the U.S. and author of the new book, The Labor of Architecture. Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. The post Unionizing American Architects appeared first on KPFA.

Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. The post Economic Update – October 10, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. The post Economic Update – October 3, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on Bernie-endorsed Independent U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner in Maine, the latest Gallup poll showing that 68% Americans are pro-union, more than 97% of park workers at Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon parks vote to unionize, ICE has so far deported half a million. At the same time, DOGE has fired a million federal workers (mostly high-wage), resulting in a significant net job loss nationwide. The second half of the show features an interview with Trent Lange, leader of the California movement to get money out of politics. Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. The post The Fight Against Money Corrupting Politics appeared first on KPFA.

The left-wing surge of the US working class during the 1930s Great Depression forced the Democratic Party to make the US govt serve the working class more than it ever had before or since. It was called the New Deal. In reaction, the US employer class, angry that gov’t programs for the people were paid for by taxes on corporations and the rich, turned to the Republican Party after world war 2 ended in 1945, and directed it to roll back the New Deal, to literally reduce or eliminate all it had accomplished. Because the New Deal made the great mistake of leaving profits in the hands of employers, the employers used those profits to provide Republicans with the means to defeat the DEMs and roll back the New Deal. In reaction, the DEMs looked for money, found it in the hands of many of the donors who funded the Republicans. So for many years the US was led by one or the other party: the GOP rolled back the New Deal faster, the DEMs slower. One ruling class, two parties to serve it. The 2008 Great Recession ended the cozy system as both parties had to protect the privileges of the corporations and the rich even as the US empire and economy declined. As the mass of people suffered and neither GOP nor DEMs stopped it, people became desperate and elected Trump out of rage and hysteria. He did not and will not solve the basic problems any more than his predecessors did. For that a really, new and different political party is needed….one that puts the American Working People First, the American majority. The program ends with suggestions of how such a new party could really change the country and solve its worst problems. Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. The post An Argument for a New Labor Party appeared first on KPFA.

This week’s updates covers Trump ending Housing First, Spain goes for a wealth tax, Trump disqualifies unions at government agencies, France’s mass movement  on September 10th against the Macron government, and Air Canada’s strike by flight attendants who defied the government back-to-work order and won against both the Canadian government and their employer, Air Canada. Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. Click Here to listen to the current episode of Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff. The post Social Problems Require Social Movement Solutions appeared first on KPFA.

Professor Wolff explains what deficits are and why the capitalist system enables and invites employers to cause them. He then proceeds to explain how deficits both solve specific problems of capitalism while also causing others. Over time, problems accumulate to undermine the credit of the US and bring economic crisis. Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) is shown to offer one way out of the crisis by changing how money is created. Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. Click Here to listen to the current episode of Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff. The post Government Deficits; Why They Happen, Who Benefits From Them, and MMT appeared first on KPFA.

In this week’s episode of the “Best Of Economic Update Series,” we examine a comparison between the economic failures we face today caused by the same political forces and capitalists that we have encountered before, as well as the causes and effects of economic policies proven to fail. Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. Click Here to listen to the current episode of Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff. The post Best of Economic Update Part 4: Today’s Economic Failures appeared first on KPFA.

This week on Economic Update, we take a look back at some of Prof. Wolff’s guest interviews from years past that still echo in today’s global socio-economic setting. We hope you’re enjoying this “Best Of” series. We will return to regular weekly updates on Labor Day, and as always, we thank you for your attention, support, and solidarity. The post Best Of Series Part 3: Interviews Echoing Today appeared first on KPFA.

This week on Economic Update, we revisit two of the most viewed episodes of Economic Update. The first features Professor Wolff’s analysis of the key changes driving the emergence of a new economic world order, and the second provides a look at the causes and effects of China’s economic achievements.   Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. Click Here to listen to the current episode of Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff. The post Best Of Series Part 2: The Most Viewed Updates appeared first on KPFA.

This week on Economic Update, we take a look back at Donald Trump’s first term as president through the lens of psychology with Dr. Harriet Fraad. She explains what could have led people to vote for him instead of the alternative, and provides a backdrop of the socio-economic situation facing his supporters at that time. She is followed by another interview with Professor Wolff and Dr. Arlie Hochschild, a former sociology professor at UC Berkeley and a renowned author. Her research provides insight into the reasons why many still support Mr. Trump, despite their deteriorating socio-economic situation today.     Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. The post Best Of Series Part 1: Psychology & Trump appeared first on KPFA.

Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. Click Here to listen to the current episode of Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff. The post Economic Update – July 25, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

On this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff provides updates on Medicare advantage and “pre-authorization” as a way to reduce Medicare payments, liberals and radicals split over Mamdani,  Trump’s current budget further deepens the inequality of wealth across the US, and Mexico attends the BRICS meeting in Rio de Janeiro. In the second part of today’s show, Professor Wolff interviews Professor Henry Giroux from McMaster University, Canada, on capitalism, culture, and fascism in the U.S. today.   Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. Click Here to listen to the current episode of Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff. The post Capitalism and Culture, Their Connection in Crisis Now appeared first on KPFA.

On this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on the political theater, of the U.S./Iran hostilities, the political shock of Zohran Mamdani’s Democratic primary win in New York City, the withdrawal of union leaders from the Democratic National Committee, and the rising trade among BRICS crosses the $1 trillion milestone. In the second part of today’s show, Prof. Wolff interviews two leaders of the musicians’ union representing the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, New York City: Javier Gandara and Stephanie Mortimore.   Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. Click Here to listen to the current episode of Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff. The post The Workers’ Struggle within The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra appeared first on KPFA.

This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff, responding to requests, explores the parallels between what led to the rise of Hitler and fascism in Germany after World War I and what has brought the US to Trump and his current policies. Many key basic parallels are presented alongside some remaining differences that help explain why what Trump is doing is not yet what a fully formed US fascism would entail.   Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores alternative ways to organize, markets, and government policies. Click Here to listen to the current episode of Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff. The post How Deep Fascist Parallels Run appeared first on KPFA.

On this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff has a one-on-one discussion with Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges, who draws on history, his years as a correspondent, and New York Times Middle East Bureau Chief, and his current work on and in the Middle East. He explains why Israel attacked Iran and what the short- and long-term prospects are for their war. He also devotes some of his analyses to examining Israel’s genocidal policies toward Palestinians.   The post The Crisis in the Middle East, with Chris Hedges appeared first on KPFA.

This week’s episode of Economic Update features an analysis by Professor Wolff on: 1. How Trump seeks to address the problem of costly American wars and their impact on sharply rising budget deficits, 2. How the rising U.S. debt has led to the loss of the United States’ “AAA” credit rating, 3. How Trump’s response is to seek to slash government spending and raise money by imposing tariffs on the entire world, 4. How this backfires as other countries retaliate, hurting U.S. exports and causing the dollar to lose its appeal as the world’s safest currency, 5. How China’s economic rise is more substantial than the U.S. measures aimed at stopping or slowing that rise, 6. How the declining U.S. empire undermines the U.S. capitalist economy by making it increasingly difficult for CEOs and other corporate leaders in the U.S., households, and the government to prevail over and dominate the U.S. economy and society.   The post Making Sense Of Trump’s Economic Plan appeared first on KPFA.