WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

Interview with John Whitehead, founder and president of The Rutherford Institute, conducted by Scott Harris. Whitehead is an attorney and author who has written, debated and practiced widely around constitutional law, human rights, and popular culture.Here he discusses his recent Counterpunch commentary, “Would Orwell Be Branded a Terrorist? The Government’s War on Thought Crimes,” regarding the Trump regime’s daily violation of the Constitution and rule of law, seen most recently in the selective and vindictive grand jury indictment of former FBI Director James Comey — and the criminalization of Trump critics as terrorists who must be prosecuted and imprisoned.

Interview with Alan McPherson, professor of history at Temple University, conducted by Scott Harris.Alan McPherson examines whether recent U.S. military attacks on small boats off the coast of Venezuela were a violation of the congressional War Powers Resolution of 1973 and international law. McPherson also expresses his concern that the current buildup of U.S. military forces in the region could be a prelude to a U.S. assault on Venezuela to remove the nation’s President Nicolás Maduro from power.

Interview with Abby Maxman, president & CEO of Oxfam America, conducted by Scott Harris.Abby Maxman shares her perspective on Donald Trump’s UN speech; his closing down USAID worldwide and the cost in lives lost; the ongoing slaughter and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza and other priorities Oxfam is currently working on.

Interview with Theodore Hamm, associate professor and chair of journalism and new media studies at St. Joseph's University, conducted by Scott Harris. Theodore Hamm talks about his latest book, Run Zohran Run! Inside Zohran Mamdani’s Sensational Campaign to Become New York City’s First Democratic Socialist Mayor, an inside look at how Mamdani’s bold, grassroots campaign toppled New York’s political establishment and delivered the city’s most progressive mayoral primary victory. The author will also assess the state of the election campaign after incumbent NYC Mayor Eric Adams ended his campaign on Sept. 28.

Jeet Heer, a national affairs correspondent for The Nation and host of the weekly Nation podcast, The Time of Monsters, joins the Roundtable to discuss his recent Nation Magazine article, The Killing of Charlie Kirk is Part of a Terrible New Era of Political Violence. Hosted by Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard Hill.

Interview with Tom Swan, executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, conducted by Scott Harris.Tom Swan talks about the Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG) and other groups’ demand that Gov. Ned Lamont declare a fiscal emergency and call a special session of the  state legislature to take immediate action to protect the state’s residents from the Trump- GOP’s deep federal budget cuts to crucial social safety net programs, including Medicaid, SNAP and the Affordable Care Act.

Interview with Elizabeth Jacobs, professor emeritus of epidemiology at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, conducted by Scott Harris.Professor Jacobs shares her views on the actions taken by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which reversed recommendations for COVID vaccinations and a combined measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox vaccine. Observers say committee members, all of whom were appointed by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after he dismissed all 17 previous members, were unprepared, misunderstood, or ignored key data, and highlighted flawed or inconclusive research often trumpeted by vaccine critics.

Interview with Matt Wood, vice president of policy and general counsel with the media democracy group Free Press, conducted by Scott Harris.Wood focuses on the continuing pattern of Trump regime threats, lawsuits and intimidation targeting media companies, as too many CEOs in the media industry are surrendering to authoritarianism, turning their backs on their duty to protect free speech.

Interview with Rachel Bitecofer, author of "Hit Em' Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game," conducted by Scott Harris.Rachel Bitecofer, a political analyst, pollster and strategist, discusses her views on the state of our democracy in the face of Donald Trump’s daily assaults on our Constitution, the rule of law and freedom of speech. She also talks about her recent Substack post, “From Goebbels to Google,” which examines the links between radio during the Nazi era and today’s social media, where algorithms amplify hateful posts, sensationalism and other forms of emotionally charged content.

Interview with Kimberly Gill, community director with New Haven, Connecticut's Brave Nature School, and Carl Halberg and Hugo Crick-Furman of Bread & Puppet theater.Kimberly discusses the unique educational focus of the Brave Nature School, and Carl and Hugo talk about B&P's important history in political theater, their performance at New Haven’s Edgerton Park, 5:30 pm on Sept. 18, titled, “Our Domestic Resurrection Revolution in Progress Circus.”