WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

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 campuses nationwide. He is author of the books, "How Fascism Works," and "Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future."To follow our weekly updates on the Trump regime’s authoritarian playbook, subscribe to our Between The Lines Radio Newsmagazine Substack and receive additions to our “Hey AmeriKKKa, It’s Not Normal” compilation.

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

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

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 negotiate a fair contract.Host: Richard Hill

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 committing political violence on his behalf.

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 letter to the university president addressing their concerns regarding: Trump’s anti-DEI policies, were blocked by police.

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 House press pool events, where the President’s staff will itself select reporters who will cover the presidency.

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.

Excerpt of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, Senate floor speech on Feb. 4, 2025, edited and produced by Scott Harris.In this Feb. 4, 2025 excerpt of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ speech, he addresses the Trump-Musk coup, describing it as a dangerous movement toward oligarchy, authoritarianism and kleptocracy.

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 food safety, as well as supervision of Medicare, Medicaid, CHIPS and the ACA.