The Socialist Program with Brian Becker

Trump previewed his priorities in a press conference this week, saying he would consider military force to seize the Panama Canal and Greenland, declare the Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America,’ and that “all hell will break out” if the Israeli hostages are not returned by the day he takes office on January 20, 2025. Brian Becker and Eugene Puryear discuss the real priorities and policies to expect from the incoming government of billionaires. Brian is joined by Eugene Puryear, an author and political organizer, and co-host of The Freedom Side LIVE, a live video show every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern 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 and submit questions to the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

2024 confirmed that there are three intersecting crises shaping world politics and shaking the capitalist system. Brian reviews how the Gaza genocide, and the mass movement in response to it, became the dominant geopolitical issue, and explains what he thinks is coming next. This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content including live Q&A seminars with Brian Becker, and help keep this show on the air.

Peter Mertens, Secretary General of the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PVDA-PTB) sits for a wide-ranging interview with Brian Becker, longtime socialist organizer and founding member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.  They discuss everything from Europe’s economic and political crisis, the window of opportunity for socialism, the U.S.’s goal of encircling China, to how the PYB renewed itself as a mass force in Belgian politics by changing its internal culture and digging deeper roots into the working class. The interview is full of lessons and insights from the movement in Europe and the United States. Mertens is a member of the Chamber of Representatives since 2019, and as a Municipal Councillor in Antwerp since 2013. 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 and submit questions to the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

On this patrons-only episode, Brian & Layan discuss Trump‘s plans for NATO, Trump‘s threat to reconquer Panama, U.S. economic warfare against China, the U.S. bombing of Syria and Yemen—which continues—and who’s who in the Trump billionaire cabinet. Brian Becker is joined by Layan Sima Fuleihan, a Palestinian organizer with the Shut It Down for Palestine coalition, a popular educator, the Education Director at The People’s Forum, and an editor at 1804 Books. This is a preview of a patrons-only episode. Subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the full episode, get access to all our patrons-only content including live Q&A seminars with Brian Becker, and help keep this show on the air.