Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff

This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff explains why the wars in Ukraine and Iran are driving higher interest rates in the U.S., affecting the diesel oil crisis, American inflation, and even the price of a Big Mac. The second half of the show features an interview with photojournalist Steve Mellon on converting Pittsburgh Post-Gazette into the worker co-op, Pittsburgh Progress. Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff is a production of Democracy at Work, Inc., and any reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited without written permission. We make it a point to keep the show ad-free and rely solely on viewer support to continue doing so. Every donation counts and helps us reach a larger audience with the information they need to better understand the events around the world that they won't find anywhere else. We want to thank our devoted community of supporters who help make this show and the others we produce possible each week. We kindly ask you to also support the work we do by encouraging others to subscribe to our YouTube channel and website: www.democracyatwork.info Professor Wolff's latest book, "Understanding Capitalism," is available now for purchase: https://linktr.ee/understandingcapitalism Professor Wolff's "Understanding Series," is available for purchase: https://linktr.ee/RichardWolffBooks © 2026 Democracy at Work, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In this week's episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on the September 6th German elections and their meanings, the importance of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the undemocratic internal organizations of major capitalist corporations. The second half of today's show features an interview with stand-up comedian, activist, and media commentator Francesca Fiorentini. Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff is a production of Democracy at Work, Inc., and any reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited without written permission. We make it a point to keep the show ad-free and rely solely on viewer support to continue doing so. Every donation counts and helps us reach a larger audience with the information they need to better understand the events around the world that they won't find anywhere else. We want to thank our devoted community of supporters who help make this show and the others we produce possible each week. We kindly ask you to also support the work we do by encouraging others to subscribe to our YouTube channel and website: www.democracyatwork.info Professor Wolff's latest book, "Understanding Capitalism," is available now for purchase: https://linktr.ee/understandingcapitalism Professor Wolff's "Understanding Series," is available for purchase: https://linktr.ee/RichardWolffBooks © 2026 Democracy at Work, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In this episode, Professor Wolff delivers updates on new research documenting market failure to meet the urgent, large need for childcare in the US, the selective morality of Ambassador Huckabee, the empty threats by corporations and the rich to leave jurisdictions that dare to tax them, and the significance of the debt passing milestone of $40 trillion. The second half of today's show features an interview with long-time activist and organizer, David Cobb, on the resurgence and importance of activism in the U.S. today We want to thank our devoted community of supporters who help make this show and the others we produce possible each week. We kindly ask you to also support the work we do by encouraging others to subscribe to our YouTube channel and website: www.democracyatwork.info Professor Wolff's latest book, "Understanding Capitalism," is available now for purchase: https://linktr.ee/understandingcapitalism Professor Wolff's "Understanding Series," is available for purchase: https://linktr.ee/RichardWolffBooks © 2026 Democracy at Work, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Today's entire program is devoted to tracing the origins and evolution of socialism through its splits and growth to become a global movement shadowing capitalism. Particular attention is paid to the specialist focus on capturing the state and the split between electoral/evolutionary approaches to that capture, as well as revolutionary approaches. A guiding theme is the relevance of socialism's rich history to its resurgence via the DSA in the US today. We hope you enjoy this discussion and look forward to joining you next week for another all-new episode of Economic Update. Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff is a production of Democracy at Work, Inc., and any reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited without written permission. We make it a point to keep the show ad-free and rely solely on viewer support to continue doing so. Every donation counts and helps us reach a larger audience with the information they need to better understand the events around the world that they won't find anywhere else. We want to thank our devoted community of supporters who help make this show and the others we produce possible each week. We kindly ask you to also support the work we do by encouraging others to subscribe to our YouTube channel and website: www.democracyatwork.info Professor Wolff's latest book, "Understanding Capitalism," is available now for purchase: https://linktr.ee/understandingcapitalism © 2026 Democracy at Work, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on U.S. businesses receiving refunds for Trump's illegal tariffs without lowering prices raised to cover them, a 24% decline in foreign students coming to the U.S., and an emerging labor shortage in the U.S. economy. The second half of the show features an interview with Prof. Lucas Wilson, Mt Holyoke College, on the resurgence of white supremacy in the US today. We hope you enjoy this discussion and look forward to joining you next week for another all-new episode of Economic Update. Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff is a production of Democracy at Work, Inc., and any reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited without written permission. We make it a point to keep the show ad-free and rely solely on viewer support to continue doing so. Every donation counts and helps us reach a larger audience with the information they need to better understand the events around the world that they won't find anywhere else. We want to thank our devoted community of supporters who help make this show and the others we produce possible each week. We kindly ask you to also support the work we do by encouraging others to subscribe to our YouTube channel and website: www.democracyatwork.info Professor Wolff's latest book, "Understanding Capitalism," is available now for purchase: https://linktr.ee/understandingcapita... © 2026 Democracy at Work, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The rational approach is to ask which works better in an industry or to meet any social need: private enterprise or government enterprise. It is irrational and dogmatic to think only one or the other is allowed. For 100 years we have wasted time debating which is good and which bad. It's time to move on. Let's talk less about macro-issues like private vs public and more about the micro issue: what is the best way to organize enterprises (factories, offices, and stores): top-down hierarchical or democratic. That could bring much-needed change and improvement to today's economic systems. We hope you enjoy this discussion and look forward to joining you next week for another all-new episode of Economic Update. Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff is a production of Democracy at Work, Inc., and any reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited without written permission. We make it a point to keep the show ad-free and rely solely on viewer support to continue doing so. Every donation counts and helps us reach a larger audience with the information they need to better understand the events around the world that they won't find anywhere else. We want to thank our devoted community of supporters who help make this show and the others we produce possible each week. We kindly ask you to also support the work we do by encouraging others to subscribe to our YouTube channel and website: www.democracyatwork.info Professor Wolff's latest book, "Understanding Capitalism," is available now for purchase: https://linktr.ee/understandingcapita... © 2026 Democracy at Work, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The d@w Team Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff is a DemocracyatWork.info Inc. production. We make it a point to provide the show free of ads and rely on viewer support to continue doing so. You can support our work by joining our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/democracyatwork Or you can go to our website: https://www.democracyatwork.info/donate Every donation counts and helps us provide a larger audience with the information they need to better understand the events around the world they can't get anywhere else. We want to thank our devoted community of supporters who help make this show and others we produce possible each week. We kindly ask you to also support the work we do by encouraging others to subscribe to our YouTube channel and website: www.democracyatwork.info

On this week's episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff provides updates on the 3 major teachers' unions struggling with the LA Unified School District, rising electricity costs in the U.S., and corrupt utility commissions, and on the extreme redistribution of wealth from the lower 99% to the richest 1% in the U.S. from 1990 to 2025. The second half of today's show features an interview with public health professor Stephen Bezruchka on the economic and political roots of widespread sickness in the U.S., as analyzed in his new book, "Born Sick in the USA: Improving the Health of a Nation". The d@w Team Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff is a DemocracyatWork.info Inc. production. We make it a point to provide the show free of ads and rely on viewer support to continue doing so. You can support our work by joining our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/democracyatwork Or you can go to our website: https://www.democracyatwork.info/donate Every donation counts and helps us provide a larger audience with the information they need to better understand the events around the world they can't get anywhere else. We want to thank our devoted community of supporters who help make this show and others we produce possible each week. We kindly ask you to also support the work we do by encouraging others to subscribe to our YouTube channel and website: www.democracyatwork.info