Trump’s $5 Billion Grift: How Capitalism Steals From Us

The U.S. economy is headed into a downward spiral, with millions unemployed, prices going up, and myriad other poor economic indicators. Professor Richard Wolff & Brian Becker discuss how this is baked into the capitalist system and only a change of economic system can change the frequent economic crashes that fall the hardest on workers.Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

A new poll shows that the majority of U.S. residents—75%—don’t believe in the so-called American Dream: that if you work hard in the United States, you can succeed at having an economically secure life. Professor Richard Wolff & Brian Becker discuss the major and growing inequality in the United States.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 https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.

Millions of Venezuelans participated in military drills to help defend the country as U.S. warships and fighter aircraft are deployed by Trump. Brian is joined by Manolo De Los Santos, Executive Director of The People’s Forum, for a discussion of the latest threats from the Trump Administration, how the issue of narcotics trafficking is being falsely used to justify another U.S. war of aggression – this time against the country that possesses the largest oil reserves in the world. Manolo explains how Maduro supporters are now being joined by many critics of the government to defend the homeland from Yankee Imperialism’s latest threats.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 keep this show on the air.

Brian and Layan discuss the mass ICE raids and arrests in the last days of hundreds of workers at an auto factory in Georgia and a food production facility in Syracuse, NY. They also discuss the massive military parade in China that drew prominent attendance from the leaders of Russia, India, North Korea, Iran. Trump’s aggressive policies are creating a new coalition of countries opposed to U.S. hegemony.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 keep this show on the air.

Trump’s family made $5 billion on Monday when they launched a new currency, a memecoin called $Trump. Along with propping up failing company Intel, these are recent examples of the resources the capitalists take from U.S. workers. Professor Richard Wolff & producer Nicole Roussell lay out how this corruption and grift occur.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 https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.

The Wall Street Journal provides evidence that the Ukraine war is a proxy war between the US and Russia. The Trump Administration’s attempt to takeover DC is part of the attempt to end the semblance of bourgeois democracy in the United States. Don’t we need socialized healthcare, not “Medicare for All”? What do we do to stop the federal takeover of more U.S. cities? Do protests even work? How can we as socialists help merge, and lead, the labor and mass movements? Why is Russia not an imperialist country? These are just some of the topics that Brian Becker and producer Nicole Roussell discuss in today’s patrons-only Q&A seminar.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 keep this show on the air.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that 1.6 million immigrants have left the United States since Trump took office due to the reign of terror the administration has perpetrated. Trump has also sued the Maryland federal judiciary for making him follow proper deportation procedures. Professor Richard Wolff & Brian Becker discuss the terror against immigrants, the military in the streets, and how the world is reacting. Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can find his work at rdwolff.com.

Donald Trump met with Vladimir Putin on August 15th. 3 days later, with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with the leaders of the major NATO countries. Trump promised that his personal intervention would lead to a quick end to the war, but he has badly misjudged the situation. Brian Becker and Layan Fuleihan discuss the latest, and explain why the war in Ukraine is not ending, at least not anytime soon.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 keep this show on the air.

The Trump administration is considering buying a 10% stake in tech company Intel to prop up the struggling chip maker. Professor Richard Wolff & Brian Becker discuss why they might do this, what it means about the U.S. economy, and what it tells us about the U.S. government's competition with China.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 https://www.patreon.com/TheSocialistProgram to get exclusive content and help keep this show on the air.

Brian and Layan discuss the rapidly expanding worldwide opposition as Israel intentionally slaughters journalists and starves Palestinian civilians. Even mainstream media figures are now denouncing Israel. They also expose the coup-like nature of Donald Trump’s militarization decree that intensifies an all-out attack against Black, Latino and immigrant communities. They also provide a political framing for the Putin-Trump meeting in Alaska and assess Russia’s goals in the Ukraine War.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 keep this show on the air.