10:00 AM Pacific Time: Fridays
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.
This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff, responding to requests, explores the parallels between what led to the rise of Hitler and fascism in Germany after World War I and what has brought the US to Trump and his current policies. Many key basic parallels are presented alongside some remaining differences that help explain why … Continued
On this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff has a one-on-one discussion with Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges, who draws on history, his years as a correspondent, and New York Times Middle East Bureau Chief, and his current work on and in the Middle East. He explains why Israel attacked Iran and what the … Continued
This week’s episode of Economic Update features an analysis by Professor Wolff on: 1. How Trump seeks to address the problem of costly American wars and their impact on sharply rising budget deficits, 2. How the rising U.S. debt has led to the loss of the United States’ “AAA” credit rating, 3. How Trump’s response … Continued
On this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on the blow back to Iowa Senator Joni Ernst’s rationalization of budget cuts to Medicaid to help fund tax cuts for corporations and the rich, how 8,000 Connecticut healthcare workers win contract gains by threatening to strike, and how the advertising industry spawned by … Continued
On this week’s episode, Professor Wolff delivers updates on U.S. versus Chinese wheelbarrows, the Cold War error against China, the lasting effects of terminated U.S. federal workers, how tariffs alone won’t bring manufacturing back to the U.S., further declines in U.S. coal mining, McDonald’s hamburgers in the U.S., and the rapid economic decline in Europe. … Continued
This week on Economic Update, Professor Richard Wolff delivers updates on Trump’s cuts to school mental health counselors, the mass strike in LA County, why China is better positioned for a trade war with the U.S., and how profit drives corporate decisions to relocate U.S. factories overseas, thereby making the U.S. economy vulnerable to long, … Continued
This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff begins by presenting updates on the death of libertarianism and the rise of U.S. economic nationalism, then on U.S. universities becoming big businesses, governed by money concerns. In the episode’s second half, Professor Wolff interviews Professor Geert Dhondt, the Chair of the Economics Department and Economics Professor at … Continued
In this special, hour-long edition of Economic Update, Professor Richard Wolff begins by analyzing the choice between reform and revolution through two historical discussions: the anti-slavery fight in the mid-19th century and the anti-Depression fight in the U.S., during the 1930s. He then explains the stakes in choosing reform or revolution as goals for social … Continued
In this special, hour-long edition of Economic Update, Professor Richard Wolff delivers updates on Trump versus Harvard, Trump’s “antisemitism” maneuver, how higher education in the U.S. is becoming ever more ” business-like,” and the economics behind the depreciation of the U.S. dollar since Jan 20, 2025. Then, he interviews Mr. Rob Robinson, who is to … Continued
This week on Economic Update, Professor Richard Wolff examines a major labor strike unfolding in California, where 2,400 Kaiser Permanente mental health workers are fighting for better conditions. Next, he breaks down how tariffs function as an economic weapon, undermining the living standards of U.S. workers. Finally, Professor Wolff sits down with Kali Akuno, co-founder … Continued
