WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

Interview with John Lugo, community organizing director with Unidad Latina en Accion, and Carolina Bortoletto, co-founder of CT Students for a Dream, conducted by Scott Harris.John and Carolina discuss President-elect Trump’s demonization of migrants and preparations local organizations are making to defend the state’s immigrant residents in the face of Trump’s campaign pledge to conduct the largest mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in U.S. history. They also address what Connecticut state government and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont can do to Trump-proof the state.

Interview with Will Rice, a consultant with Americans for Tax Fairness, conducted by Scott Harris.Will Rice discusses the group’s work raising the alarm about what Trump and the Republicans have planned to make the U.S. tax system even more unfair for working families, with deeper tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations — as they build a government captured by right-wing billionaires and oligarchs. In this term, Trump and cronies are likely to make deep tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy permanent.

Interview with Wajahat Ali, author of “Go Back to Where You Came From,” and creator of The Left Hook Substack page, conducted by Scott Harris.Wajahat Ali discusses his timely, incisive column, “When Will Trump Voters Be Asked to Reach Out and Understand the Rest of Us?” – and other issues related to the danger to U.S. democracy posed by Trump regime 2.0.

Interview with David Pepper, former chair of the Ohio Democratic party, publisher of the Pepperspectives substack newsletter and author of "2025," conducted by Scott Harris.David Pepper discusses his post-election column, “Resolve: 8 Reasons That Keep Me Going,” that considers what effective resistance could look like.  Pepper is the author of “Saving Democracy” and “Laboratories of Autocracy.”

Interview with Robert Jereski, a lawyer and activist who serves as the volunteer coordinator of Codepink's World Court Campaign, conducted by Scott Harris.Robert Jereski discusses the horrific ongoing war in Gaza and the significance of the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense chief Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masr for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. He’ll also talk about his work at the UN to overcome U.S. vetoes of a succession of UN Security Council Gaza ceasefire resolutions.

Interview with Natasha Lennard, a columnist for The Intercept and author of the book, Being Numerous: Essays on Non-Fascist Life," conducted by Scott Harris.Natasha Lennard discusses her recent article, “The Answer to Trump Victory Is Radical Action,” and her views on the urgent need to mobilize in advance of Donald Trump taking power in Washington on January 20, 2024) Women’s March Organizing January 18th Trump Protest.

Interview with Tamika Middleton, managing director of Women's March, conducted by Scott Harris.Tamika Middleton discusses the nationwide organizing she and others are doing in advance of the massive Jan. 18 People’s March in Washington, D.C. and other locations around the U.S. to build community and power ahead of a second Trump presidency that threatens reproductive rights, civil rights, gender equality and democracy itself.

Interview with Amy Littlefield, The Nation magazine abortion access correspondent and a journalist who focuses on reproductive rights, healthcare, and religion, whose forthcoming book "American Crusaders," examines the history of the anti-abortion movement over the last fifty years, conducted by Scott Harris.Amy Littlefield assesses the outcome of the 2024 election, and Donald Trump and the GOP’s ongoing threat, to step-by-step further erode reproductive rights when Trump and the new GOP Congress take power in January.

Interview with Cody Bloomfield, Communications Director with the group Defending Rights and Dissent, conducted by Scott Harris.Cody Bloomfield discusses the recent House defeat of The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, and the likelihood this legislation that would permit the Treasury Dept. to revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofits deemed to be supporting “terrorism,” or something like it, will be voted on again, which if passed and signed into law would give Donald Trump a powerful weapon to use against his perceived enemies.

Interview with Coleen Rowley, a retired FBI agent who was named one of TIME magazine’s Persons of the Year in 2002 for exposing and sharing some of the FBI's 9/11 intelligence failures, and a member of Veterans for Peace, conducted by Scott Harris.Coleen Rowley discusses Donald Trump’s picks for various cabinet positions thus far, i.e. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for Sec. of State, Pete Hegseth for Sec. of Defense, John Ratcliffe as CIA Director, Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as Attorney General, Mike Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel, and NY Rep. Elise Stefanik as US ambassador to the UN. Rowley will assess these nominations and the implications for US domestic and foreign policy under the coming Trump regime.