WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

A deep dive into the history of African American involvement in the US labor movement with Steven 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

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 the police.

Interview with Kay Evert, one of the co-founders of the group NoVoiceUnheard, and Sydney, an organizer with the Pittsburgh branch of the 50501 protest movement and 50501’s national press liaison, conducted by Scott Harris.Kay Evert talks about the national mobilization network opposing Donald Trump’s illegal conduct and authoritarian agenda that, on Feb. 5, coordinated some 80 protest rallies in all 50 U.S. states against Trump, Elon Musk, and the Republican Party’s power grab.

Interview with Derek W. Black, Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina, conducted by Scott Harris.Derek Black discusses what’s at stake in the Trump administration’s attack on the federal Department of Education, his motivation for this assault, and the importance of federal funds to providing quality primary and secondary education to millions of students across the U.S. He also touches on the issues examined in his new book, “Dangerous Learning: The South’s Long War on Black Literacy.”

Interview with Amanda Marcotte, a senior politics writer at Salon.com and author of "Troll Nation: How the Right Became Trump-Worshipping Monsters," conducted by Scott Harris.Amanda Marcotte discusses her article re: Oligarch billionaire Elon Musk’s lawless federal agency takeover, “‘ Hitler had some decent points’: Internet trolls guide Musk’s covert coup,” examining the vile white supremacy that permeates Musk’s fascist child army, conducted by Scott Harris

Interview with Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and international adviser for Jewish Voice for Peace, conducted by Scott Harris.  Phyllis Bennis talks about Donald Trump floating the idea that the US should take over Gaza, ethnically cleanse 2.3 million Palestinian residents and rebuild it into a “Middle East Riviera,” as well as the international rejection of this criminal proposal.Bennis is author of the new book “Understanding Palestine & Israel,” published by Interlink Books.

Immigration Defense SpecialJohn Lugo of Unidad Latina en Accion, and Bethany Perryman, communications director for the Connecticut ACLU, discuss strategies for defending undocumented people against ICE raids in local communities.Host: Richard Hill

Interview with Mazin Qumsiyeh, director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

Interview with Greg Palast, investigative journalist for The Guardian and New York Times best-selling author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, conducted by Scott Harris.Greg Palast concludes that if all legal ballots were counted, Trump would have lost the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Kamala Harris would have won the Electoral College vote and the presidency. He talks about his years-long investigation into Republican voter suppression impact on the 2024 presidential election, detailed in his latest article, “Trump Lost. Vote Suppression Won. Here are the Numbers.”Greg Palast’s new film is about the latest attacks on the right to vote that bent this past election.  It’s called, Vigilantes Inc: America’s New Vote Suppression Hitmen, narrated by Rosario Dawson and produced by Martin Sheen. Leonardo DiCaprio has released the film for free streaming at GregPalast.com.

Interview with Will Rice, a consultant with Americans for Tax Fairness, conducted by Scott Harris.Will Rice discusses the Trump-GOP plan to cut more taxes for the rich and impose austerity on the rest of us, referencing a newly leaked memo from House Budget Committee Republicans that proposes slashing trillions from healthcare, nutrition, climate change prevention and more while handing $1.2 trillion in new tax breaks to millionaires, billionaires and big corporations.