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WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

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WPKN's leading public affairs coverage concerning politics, policy, planet and so much more.
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Episodes

Right-wing Domination of Social Media a Powerful Channel for Political Disinformation

Interview with Kayla Gogarty, research director with Media Matters for America, conducted by Scott Harris. Kayla Gogarty discusses her group’s recent study, “New analysis found 9 out of the 10 top online shows assessed are right leaning.” Ideas are being debated on how progressive activists, journalists and scholars can break through right-wing media domination to reach more Americans to counter dangerous Trump-GOP authoritarianism in defense of democracy and advocate for policy solutions to add...

Mar 30, 202516 minEp. 135

Trump Defiance of Rule of Law Plunges U.S. Into Deepening Constitutional Crisis

Interview with Christopher Wright Durocher, vice president for program and policy with the American Constitution Society, conducted by Scott Harris. Christopher Durocher assesses the threat to democracy posed by the Trump administration’s actions over the past eight weeks and offers thoughts on what it will take to mount an effective defense of the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law.

Mar 30, 202528 minEp. 134

Trump’s Erratic Tariffs, Massive Federal Government Layoffs and Budget Cuts Provoke US Recession

Interview with Dean Baker, senior economist with the Center for Economic and Policy Research, conducted by Scott Harris. Dean Baker discusses his recent articles, “The Democrats’ Necessary Apology” and “The Trump-Musk Recession: Because They Can,” as well as issues related to Trump’s tariffs, Wall Street’s response and what’s ahead for the U.S. economy.

Mar 21, 202518 minEp. 133

New Book Examines the Vast Difference in How White Americans Perceive Racism and Sexism

Interview with Betsy Leondar-Wright, a community organizer, a diversity workshop facilitator, and a sociology professor teaching critical race theory and economic inequality. Leondar-Wright talks about her new book, “Is It Racist? Is It Sexist? Why Red and Blue White People Disagree, and How to Decide in the Gray Areas,” co-written with Jessi Streib, as well as President Trump’s attack on DEI and effort to overturn civil rights and anti-discrimination laws.

Mar 21, 202517 minEp. 132

Trump-Musk Attack on Social Security Could Disrupt Benefits to Nation’s Most Vulnerable

Interview with Justin Glawe, independent journalist and editor of the American Doom newsletter, conducted by Scott Harris. Justin Glawe discusses his latest Rolling Stone article, “Social Security Insiders Warn Trump and Musk Could Break the Program,” and growing concern that congressional Democrats can’t mount an effective defense of America’s most popular government program. He's the author of the forthcoming book, "If I Am Coming to Your Town, Something Terrible Has Happened."...

Mar 21, 202517 minEp. 131

Trump Suppression of Free Speech Used as Unconstitutional Pretext to Deport Palestinian Student Activist

Interview with Sam Carliner, a journalist who focuses on US imperialism and the climate crisis, conducted by Scott Harris. Sam Carliner talks about his recent Waging Nonviolence magazine article, “How pro-Palestine student activists are fighting increasing repression,” and the recent Trump administration’s arrest and attempt to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder who played a significant role in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University last spring.

Mar 21, 202528 minEp. 130

The Organic Farm Stand: The Secret Life of Healthy Soil!

Monique Bosch, the Soil Health Program Manager with CT NOFA, gets down and dirty about the microbial basis of healthy soil that promotes nutrient dense food and a sustainable environment. Also: Steve Munno of Massaro Farm in Woodbridge, CT, provides the Small Farms Report; and Vincent Kaye of Swords into Ploughshares Honey, presents the Honey Bee Update. Host: Richard Hill

Mar 19, 202545 minEp. 129

Connecticut Citizen Action Group’s 2025 Legislative Agenda Explained

Interview with Tom Swan, executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, conducted by Scott Harris. Tom Swan discusses CCAG’s priorities and goals in the current state legislative session, as well as initiatives a coalition of groups in the state are working on to build a firewall to protect CT residents from Trump 2.0 authoritarian federal policies targeting civil rights, education, and critical social safety net programs.

Mar 17, 202516 minEp. 128

Trump’s Erratic On-Again, Off-Again Tariff Policy Born of Desperation

Interview with Richard D. Wolff, professor of economics emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, author of 11 books including, “Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism,” and host of the weekly TV program Economic Update, conducted by Scott Harris. Richard D. Wolff examines Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China, Europe and other nations; the impact on the U.S. economy, as well as indications that the Trump regime is getting ready to manipulate government-issued econom...

Mar 17, 202519 minEp. 127

Target’s Elimination of the Chain’s DEI Policy Provokes Nationwide 40-Day Boycott

Interview with the Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, senior pastor at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, conducted by Scott Harris. Senior Pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant discusses his call for a 40-day “fast” from shopping at Target stores during Lent starting on March 5, in response to the company’s retreat from their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies after Donald Trump launched a campaign to eliminate DEI and decades-long civil rights policies in the federal ...

Mar 17, 202516 minEp. 126

Trump’s Ongoing Assault on Democracy Closely Follows the Authoritarian Playbook

Interview with Jason Stanley, Jacob Urowsky professor of philosophy at Yale University and author of Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future, conducted by Scott Harris. Jason Stanley shares his views on the Trump regime’s unconstitutional attempt to eliminate entire federal agencies, the mass firing of government employees, the witch hunt targeting DEI and all federal anti-discrimination policies, as well as recent threats to criminalize student protest at university...

Mar 17, 202526 minEp. 125

Make the Road CT: Communities Fight Back In Connecticut

Sonia Hernandez and Veronica Ubaldo are team members with the community support organization Make the Road Connecticut , one of a national network of grassroots immigrant-led groups. They share their personal stories of struggle for a better life in the US and their involvement in the fight for immigrant rights in their home town of Bridgeport, CT. Hosted by Richard Hill

Mar 14, 202529 minEp. 124

Resistance Roundtable: International Women's Day Special with Medea Benjamin and Francesca Rheannon

A conversation with Medea Benjamin, co-director of Code Pink, and Francesca Rheannon, host of A Writer's Voice, a podcast which airs nationally and on WPKN-CT. Our guests cover topics from the ramped up oppressive measures against women's rights under Trump 2.0; to the possibilty of an end to the war in Ukraine; and the assault on DEI, free speech and public education. Hosts: Ruthanne Baumgartner, Scott Harris and Richard Hill

Mar 12, 202549 minEp. 123

Monthly Labor Report: 6 Weeks in and YES--We've Got Fascism!

This month the Labor Report focuses on the rapid devolution of the American political system into an authoritarian fascist oligarchy. Michael Zweig, economist and labor historian, provides an overview of these dangerous developments and the type of resistance needed to combat them. Special guest Sultana Hossain, recording secretary for tha Amazon Workers Union, reports on the "holiday strike" against Amazon last December; and then discusses the on-going fight by the AWU to force Amazon to negoti...

Mar 12, 202529 minEp. 122

For Decades, the FBI and local Police Have Turned a Blind Eye to White Supremacist Violence

Interview with Mike German, a fellow with the Liberty and National Security program at the Brennan Center for Justice, conducted by Scott Harris. Mike German talks about his new book, “Policing White Supremacy the Enemy Within,” a former FBI agent’s urgent call for law enforcement to prioritize far-right violence and end tolerance for police racism, and an increasingly dangerous situation where Donald Trump and his administration have embraced white supremacist and armed militia groups committin...

Mar 06, 202519 minEp. 121

Students Across America Resist Trump’s Elimination of Campus DEI

Interview with Nicole Carty, Executive Director of Get Free, a youth-led progressive activist movement, and Carson Delia, a Temple University student and Get Free member, conducted by Scott Harris. Nicole Carty and Carson Delia talk about confronting the Trump regime’s attempt to eliminate DEI policies in higher education and censor curricula that don’t conform to their white supremacist ideology. They’ll also discuss a recent incident at Temple University where students attempting to deliver a ...

Mar 06, 202516 minEp. 120

Trump Threats, Attempts to Intimidate US Free Press

Interview with Katherine Jacobsen, Canada, and Caribbean program coordinator with the Committee to Protect Journalists, formerly worked for The Associated Press in Moscow and as a freelancer in Ukraine, conducted by Scott Harris. Katherine Jacobsen talks about CPJ’s call on the Trump administration to restore Associated Press access to the White House, and the Trump regime’s removal of the White House Correspondents’ Association from their decades-long role assigning reporters to cover White Hou...

Mar 06, 202520 minEp. 119

Confronting the Democratic Party’s Weak Opposition to the Trump Coup

Interview with Norman Solomon, co-founder of RootsAction.org and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy, conducted by Scott Harris. Norman Solomon discusses his recent article, “Democrats Irritated by Voters Who Elected Them Need an Attitude Adjustment.” where he warns that Democratic legislators who are “perceived as wimps who failed to put up a fight against President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk, risk facing primary challenges propelled by grassroots anger....

Mar 06, 202527 minEp. 118

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is Waging a Dangerous Attack on the Foundation of U.S. Public Health Policy

Interview with Elizabeth Jacobs, professor emeritus, epidemiology at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, conducted by Scott Harris. Elizabeth Jacobs discusses rising concern about newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr.’s agenda at this sprawling agency and the damage his anti-science views could inflict on the federal health response to contagious diseases such as measles and bird flu, federally-funded research on new drugs and f...

Feb 27, 202518 minEp. 116

Civil Resistance Strategies and Tactics to Resist the Trump-Musk Coup

Interview with Maria J. Stephan, author of the award-winning book, "Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict," conducted by Scott Harris. Maria Stephan talks about her recent article, “We are Stronger Than We Think,” and issues related to the rising protest movement opposing the Trump/Musk agenda, the power of collective defiance and how to make cruelty backfire. Stephan, co-lead and chief organizer of the Horizons Project, is the author and editor of five books on ...

Feb 27, 202520 minEp. 115

Voters Oppose Congressional Republicans’ Attempt to Slash $880 Billion from Medicaid

Interview with Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, conducted by Scott Harris. Alex Lawson discusses the House GOP budget resolution that calls for $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid to help pay for extending the 2017 tax cuts for billionaires and multinational corporations, primarily benefiting the wealthiest Americans. He also talks about the group’s campaign to educate and mobilize Americans to oppose this proposal that will eliminate millions of Americans’ access to afford...

Feb 27, 202525 minEp. 114

BIPOC Farmers in Move Forward in CT: The Liberated Land Cooperative

Vetiveah Harrison and Héctor Freedom Gerardo, discuss their unique journeys that led them to the food justice movement and ultimately to the formation of the Liberated Land Cooperative ( https://www.liberatedlandcooperative.com/). This group of BIPOC farmers and food justice activists has created a network of CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) farms that together are making a significant dent in food and nutricion deficits that plague so many urban and rural communites in Connecticut. Hosts:...

Feb 24, 202548 minEp. 113

OMB Director Russell Vought, Architect of Trump-Musk Demolition of Federal Government

Interview with Branko Marcetic, a Jacobin magazine staff writer and author of "Yesterday's Man: The Case Against Joe Biden," conducted by Scott Harris. Branko Marcetic discusses his soon-to-be-published in-depth profile of Russell Vought, the longtime radical anti-government ideologue who, as Trump’s recently confirmed director of the Office of Management and Budget, is now poised to see through the cause of his life: “dismantling the federal government and handing unlimited power over American ...

Feb 20, 202513 minEp. 112

Trump Russia Ukraine War Peace Overture Creates Rift with US European Allies

Interview with Mel Goodman, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, a professor of government at Johns Hopkins University, conducted by Scott Harris. Mel Goodman examines Trump’s latest initiative to end the Ukraine war, his reported conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin — and how these announced negotiations could impact the people of Ukraine, Russia and Europe. Goodman is the author of a number of books on politics including, “American Carnage: The Wars of Donald T...

Feb 20, 202520 minEp. 111

Democrats’ Muddled, Ineffective Response to Trump-Musk Coup

Interview with Kenny Stancil, a senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project with broad interests in the political economy of inequality, conducted by Scott Harris. Kenny Stancil talks about his recent article, “Where Is the Democratic Opposition?” and an update on efforts being made to organize an effective and aggressive national Trump opposition movement both inside the Democratic Party and across civil society.

Feb 20, 202520 minEp. 110

Trump’s Illegal Demolition of Federal Government Provokes Constitutional Crisis, Calls for Impeachment

Interview with John Bonifaz, a constitutional attorney and the co-founder and president of the Free Speech For People, conducted by Scott Harris. John Bonifaz assesses our national crisis as the Trump/Musk coup continues, including the constitutional crisis this administration has provoked as the Trump regime ignores judge-issued injunctions ordering them to halt their illegal actions. Bonifaz is co-author of the 2018 book, "The Constitution Demands It: The Case for the Impeachment of Donald Tru...

Feb 20, 202525 minEp. 109

In One Connecticut City: Maga Targets Schools, Kids, Parents, and Communities

Resistance Roundtable features two guests: -Prof. Christopher Vials, who teaches English at UCONN-Storrs, discusses the theory and practice of fascism and how Trump 2.0 is careening toward a complete dissolution of what remains of American democracy. -Leslie Blatteau, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers, talks about the threat posed by the Maga agenda to Connecticut schools, students, parents, and communities. Interviewed by: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill...

Feb 17, 202550 minEp. 108

Black Labor -- Then and Now with Steven Pitts and Michael Zweig

A deep dive into the history of African American involvement in the US labor movement with S teven Pitts, recently retired labor policy advisor of the UC Berkeley Labor Center; and Michael Zweig, economist, labor and civil rights activist, and founder of the Center for the Study of Working Class Life at SUNY Stony Brook. Host: Richard Hill

Feb 16, 202532 minEp. 107

A Valentine to Community Organizing

Isabelle sits down with her friend Regina Mosley, a community organizer, to talk about love and community organizing. Clips from past conversations with community organizers are included and a wide ranging conversation ensues. Everything from key elements of organizing to the patriarchy's impact on Valentine's Day gift giving is discussed. Music from Ayminor featuring Call Me Ace is included. Please be advised that this show includes a conversation about the murders of unarmed Black people by th...

Feb 14, 202527 minEp. 106
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