Ep 111 - Cuban President Defends Economic Reforms

Jeremy, Justin, and Tony examine Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez's June 17, 2026 speech, "Reality Demands Urgent and Necessary Changes," delivered at an extraordinary meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba. Facing a severe economic crisis forced on it by the United States sanctions regime, Cuba's leadership has announced a new wave of economic transformations aimed at stabilizing the economy, increasing production, attracting investment, and restructuring parts of the socialist model. Link to Text of Speech Support the show Join us on Patreon for early-release episodes, study guides, bonus content, TheoryBeats, and more! You can even sign up for free to access study guides, merch updates, and surprise drops. Stay connected: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and don't forget to rate and review it helps the show reach more comrades.Follow us on: Twitter/X: @prolespod Instagram & Facebook: @prolespod Upscrolled: @prolespod Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected] or at [email protected] 

Tony, Jeremy, and Justin break down The Wall Street Journal's recent coverage of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, centering on the headline-grabbing article, "The World's Most Surprising Economic Success Story Is... North Korea." Has Western capitalist media finally acknowledged that communism works? Or is there more to the story than the headline suggests? Join the hosts as they unpack the article's claims, examine the broader narrative around North Korea's socialist construction, and explore what this surprising piece reveals about capitalist media and it's limits.  Additional Links  Image of Scary North Korean Skyscraper How to Visit North Korea w/ Zoe Stephens (AES Episode) Explaining North Korea (DPRK) w/ Ben Weston (AES Episode) A Walk Through Pyongyang in 2026 Traffic in Pyongyang 2026 Support the show Join us on Patreon for early-release episodes, study guides, bonus content, TheoryBeats, and more! You can even sign up for free to access study guides, merch updates, and surprise drops. Stay connected: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and don't forget to rate and review it helps the show reach more comrades.Follow us on: Twitter/X: @prolespod Instagram & Facebook: @prolespod Upscrolled: @prolespod Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected] Have questions, comments, or ideas that are too spicy for the FBI? Email us at [email protected] 

Half the Sky is a brand new podcast from ProlesPod host, Rae! It is an attempt to provide a perspective often lacking from the podcast space: that of women (and women-adjacent folks). If and when those voices are present, they are quite often offset by their dude counterparts. And so (at least on the mic) HTS is a bro-free zone. Rae's cohosts on this very special audio journey are Jen (Big Nasty) of How the Red Was Won, Lenore from Workers Lit, Luna Oi!, and Revolutionary Th0t. Episode one of Half The Sky is partly a discussion of why none of our hosts has children, but additionally, would anything change their minds? There are further conversations about the differences between the extremely hostile world that western kids are subjected to, vs the attitude toward mothers and children in Vietnam. And Luna advocates for humans to return to egg-laying like our distant ancestors. HTS Instagram

Rae and Justin (and Martín!) are joined by Camarada Michi and Danny El Comunista to have a deep discussion of the ways in which South American socialist revolutions have formed and changed. Why have there been almost no successful armed revolutions? Why did Allende fail? What is happening in the region today?    Support the show Join us on Patreon for early-release episodes, study guides, bonus content, TheoryBeats, and more! You can even sign up for free to access study guides, merch updates, and surprise drops. Stay connected: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and don't forget to rate and review it helps the show reach more comrades.Follow us on: Twitter/X: @prolespod Instagram & Facebook: @prolespod Upscrolled: @prolespod Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected] Have questions, comments, or ideas that are too spicy for the FBI? Email us at [email protected] 

Justin and Rae sit down with Jean Paul Fartre (JPF) for a wide-ranging conversation on justice work, prison abolition, wrongful convictions, and the role of love in revolutionary politics. Along the way, they discuss JPF's experiences as a male escort, the limits of liberal approaches to prison abolition, and what meaningful solidarity can look like in practice. Read JPF's writing at https://jeanpaulfartre.substack.com/ Follow him on social media: @jeanpaulfartre Support the show Join us on Patreon for early-release episodes, study guides, bonus content, TheoryBeats, and more! You can even sign up for free to access study guides, merch updates, and surprise drops. Stay connected: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and don't forget to rate and review it helps the show reach more comrades.Follow us on: Twitter/X: @prolespod Instagram & Facebook: @prolespod Upscrolled: @prolespod Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected] Have questions, comments, or ideas that are too spicy for the FBI? Email us at [email protected] 

Rae and Jeremy are joined by Ashwin Shantha of the Journal of International Solidarity to discuss the ways in which (and the reasons why) China has developed an indigenous approach to green technology. We talk NEVs and solar panels through the lens of sovereignty, socialism, and anti-imperialism. We get into the relationship among the Imperialist West, China, and the rest of the Global South. Resources Exploring China's Green Development Path China's Ecological Miracle w/ Kyle Ferrana Reviving Erhai Lake Closer to China: Five Major Development Concepts III - Green Development China's Ecological Civilization Sets China on a Greener Course Journal of International Solidarity Podcast (YouTube) Journal of International Solidarity Patreon Support the show Join us on Patreon for early-release episodes, study guides, bonus content, TheoryBeats, and more! You can even sign up for free to access study guides, merch updates, and surprise drops. Stay connected: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and don't forget to rate and review it helps the show reach more comrades.Follow us on: Twitter/X: @prolespod Instagram & Facebook: @prolespod Upscrolled: @prolespod Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected] Have questions, comments, or ideas that are too spicy for the FBI? Email us at [email protected] 

Max and Matthew from IF DDR (International Research Centre DDR) join Jeremy and Justin for a wide-ranging discussion on the realities of socialist democracy in East Germany. The conversation explores the lived experiences of German peasants during a period of major social transformation, alongside a closer look at the GDR's often-overlooked anti-imperialist legacy. Studies Produced by IF DDR THE LAND TO THOSE WHO WORK IT "SOCIALISM IS THE BEST PROPHYLAXIS" RISEN FROM THE RUINS Support the show Join us on Patreon for early-release episodes, study guides, bonus content, TheoryBeats, and more! You can even sign up for free to access study guides, merch updates, and surprise drops. Stay connected: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and don't forget to rate and review it helps the show reach more comrades.Follow us on: Twitter/X: @prolespod Instagram & Facebook: @prolespod Upscrolled: @prolespod Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected] Have questions, comments, or ideas that are too spicy for the FBI? Email us at [email protected] 

On this very special episode of ProlesPod, Rae gets to meet their hero, Matthew Remski, host of the podcasts Conspirituality and Anti-Fascist Dad. He is also the author of the new book Anti-Fascist Dad. Today, we discuss grifters and grifts in the wellness community, cults, the intersection of these things with fascism, as well as fatherhood itself. You can find all of Matthew's various links to his socials and projects here. Support the show Join us on Patreon for early-release episodes, study guides, bonus content, TheoryBeats, and more! You can even sign up for free to access study guides, merch updates, and surprise drops. Stay connected: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and don't forget to rate and review it helps the show reach more comrades.Follow us on: Twitter/X: @prolespod Instagram & Facebook: @prolespod Upscrolled: @prolespod Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected] Have questions, comments, or ideas that are too spicy for the FBI? Email us at [email protected] 

Rae and Tony sit down with Holly High—frequent guest on Tony's other podcast, Actually Existing Socialism—to discuss the present-day realities of Laos' socialist people's democracy. Holly is an anthropologist whose fieldwork in Laos uses ethnographic methods and anthropological analysis to explore everyday human experience. Check out Holly's Substack, Revolutions in Reproduction, and subscribe for a chance to win a free copy of one of her books. Support the show Join us on Patreon for early-release episodes, study guides, bonus content, TheoryBeats, and more! You can even sign up for free to access study guides, merch updates, and surprise drops. Stay connected: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and don't forget to rate and review it helps the show reach more comrades.Follow us on: Twitter/X: @prolespod Instagram & Facebook: @prolespod Upscrolled: @prolespod Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected] Have questions, comments, or ideas that are too spicy for the FBI? Email us at [email protected] 

*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-WEB:46689808-d0dc-4eed-be4c-a712e949e949-0" data-testid= "conversation-turn-2" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn= "assistant"> Luna Oi and EJ join the show for a grounded, hilarious, and wide-ranging conversation on what socialist construction actually looks like in Vietnam today—the wins, the contradictions, the setbacks, and yes, a bit of extra beef along the way. They also dive into their ambitious translation project, bringing Vietnamese Marxism-Leninism textbooks to a broader audience and unpacking why that work matters right now. Access Free Vietnamese Marxist Leninist Textbook PDF Here Buy Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist Textbook Physical Copy Here Support the show Join us on Patreon for early-release episodes, study guides, bonus content, TheoryBeats, and more! You can even sign up for free to access study guides, merch updates, and surprise drops. Stay connected: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and don't forget to rate and review it helps the show reach more comrades.Follow us on: Twitter/X: @prolespod Instagram & Facebook: @prolespod Upscrolled: @prolespod Have questions or comments? Email us at [email protected] Have questions, comments, or ideas that are too spicy for the FBI? Email us at [email protected]