Episodes
Friday Jul 17, 2020
Economic Update - The "Great Debate" that Wasn't
Friday Jul 17, 2020
Friday Jul 17, 2020
Throughout capitalism's history, the big topic in economics was how far the government should intervene in the economy. Conservatives wanted minimum intervention while liberals and socialists wanted much more. In fact, government intervention mostly aimed at saving, protecting, supporting capitalism. The genuinely "great debate" could and should have been about the strengths and weaknesses of capitalism versus those of a real alternative system, socialism.
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Economic Update - Sports and Capitalism
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
Saturday Jul 11, 2020
On this week's show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on false "trade-off" between illness and economy, going from normal to extraordinary injustice, hypocritical scapegoating of foreigners instead of facing domestic public health and economic failures, and lastly, the tragic neglect of education during the pandemic and economic crash. On the second half of the show, Prof. Wolff is joined by Nation magazine sports editor Dave Zirin.
Saturday Jul 04, 2020
Economic Update - Europe's New Internationalist Left
Saturday Jul 04, 2020
Saturday Jul 04, 2020
On this week's show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on "zombie" companies and their rapid growth in the US, The Federal Reserve "stress tests" expose risks, and weaknesses of major US banks. On the second half of the show, Prof. Wolff is joined by Greek economist, academic, philosopher and politician, Yanis Varoufakis on DiEM25, Europe's new internationalist left.
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Economic Update - The Pandemic's Lesson about Capitalism
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Preparing and coping with the Corona pandemic was inadequate: medical supplies were seriously deficient. That was because it was not profitable for firms to produce or stockpile the supplies. Neo-liberal governments were complicit with private profit capitalists rather than compensating for their inadequacies. The lesson: many basic social needs are like public health. We cannot, need not, and should not rely on capitalists to meet them. Alternatives are available.
Saturday Jun 20, 2020
Economic Update - Working Class Radicalism
Saturday Jun 20, 2020
Saturday Jun 20, 2020
On this week's show, Prof. Wolff presents updates on why US record on Covid-19 so much worse than most others'; corp buys Trump; US billionaires got much richer during pandemic and 42 million lost jobs; sharp rise to 66,433 homeless in LA. The second part of the show features an interview with creative activist and journalist. Eleanor Goldfield on her new film Hard Road of Hope on working class radicalism.
Saturday Jun 13, 2020
Economic Update - Dark Times, Hard Truths
Saturday Jun 13, 2020
Saturday Jun 13, 2020
"Updates on mismanaging Covid-19 and US system's crash; reactions to econ decline; sharing gains of firms profiting from the virus; the mistake of "dominating;" mass joblessness = class war. Interview Jimmy Dore on today's crises and roles of GOP and Dems.
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Economic Update - Socialism vs Covid-19: A Very Different Story
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Friday Jun 05, 2020
US has 5% of world's population but 30% of world's Covid-19 deaths. US capitalism did poorly against the virus. Today's program explores how socialism could and would prepare for and respond to Covid-19 differently. We include both the logic of socialism's different policies and examples of socialist-influenced policies in other countries.
Friday May 29, 2020
Economic Update - Cornel West on Pandemic Capitalism
Friday May 29, 2020
Friday May 29, 2020
"Updates on how pandemic and capitalism are combining to worsen social divides in the US. Interview with Cornel West on (1) how pandemic + economic crash are affecting US society and (2) the prospects for social change."
Saturday May 23, 2020
Economic Update - An Analysis for Today
Saturday May 23, 2020
Saturday May 23, 2020
An in-depth analysis of fascism as massive government intervention to protect and save a crashing capitalism. We focus on today's examples, historical parallels (in Germany and Italy), and how "strong men" leaders push fascist agendas. We discuss how fascism and socialism differ and how nationalism serves as fascism's social "disguise
Friday May 15, 2020
Economic Update - 2020 May Day Protests and Demands
Friday May 15, 2020
Friday May 15, 2020
A special program: interview with Kali Akuno, leader of Cooperation Jackson in Mississippi. As a leader of national May Day actions, he discusses their size, diversity, motivations and goals (including planned monthly national actions). He analyzes organizational challenges and prospects. Finally, he explains why he believes this May Day was a major strengthening of the US left.