Economic Update – January 9, 2026
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.

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Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, locally and globally. The program explores government policies, alternative ways to organize, and markets.
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.
This program begins by analyzing the political monopoly (aka “The Center”) operated by the GOP and Dems in the US: its organization and dominance until the last few years. The monopoly deteriorates as both GOP and Dem coalitions suffer splits and cracks opening opportunities for radical political shifts and perhaps new parties. The context of … Continued
On this weeks episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff provides an analysis of “globalization” as a fancy slogan to hide a profit-driven, profit-boosting period (1970-2015) that saw US capitalists move factories abroad. It destroyed so many well-paid factory jobs (especially of white, male Christians) that it produced massive suffering among the affected communities. As their … Continued
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.
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.
This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on the nationwide Starbucks strikes, the results of Trump’s tariffs: facts and fakery. The second part of the show features an interview with journalist and podcast host John Fugelsang about his new book: Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the … Continued
On today’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers an introduction to the key economic concept of “the surplus.” He explains economic structures as ways of organizing the production and social distribution of the surplus. Then he briefly applies this concept to the economies of slavery and feudalism before focusing on the role of the … Continued
The totality of today’s Economic Update is devoted to exploring (1) the multiple ways that capitalism imposes class warfare on its people, and (2) how class warfare shapes the capitalist system’s impact on employers and employees. Specific examples show (1) what kind of class struggle is involved in tariffs such as those imposed by Trump, … Continued
On this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff’s updates include the 60+ people killed by the U.S. military in what it claimed were “narco boats,” Socialist Catherine Connolly wins the Presidency in Ireland, Canada hit with nationwide postal workers strike alongside a strike of the entire public workforce (51,000) in Alberta, Canada, and finally … Continued
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 … Continued
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 … Continued