WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

Interview with Richard Eskow, host and managing editor of "The Zero Hour" and the lead writer for Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. He recently wrote the piece "Dems Are Afraid Gaza Will Cost Them the Election. They're Not Afraid Enough," conducted by Scott Harris.Richard Eskow discusses the Biden/Harris administration’s position on Israel’s savage war in Gaza and how it may impact the turnout of voters Kamala Harris needs to win the battleground states essential for an electoral college victory. He’ll also assess Kamala’s move to the center on a host of issues during this campaign, and what progressive activists must do if she wins to advocate and support progressive policy initiatives, conducted by Scott Harris

What do you do when you are in a town that is politically polarized? Join Isabelle as she navigates bridging in a purple town. john a. powell, director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, provides sage advice to help Isabelle along. 

Interview with Teddy Wilson, a journalist and researcher on the U.S. radical right, conducted by Scott Harris.Teddy Wilson discusses the threat posed to the 2024 presidential election by Republican operatives, including the American First Legal Foundation, which are filing multiple lawsuits and laying the groundwork to challenge county and state election outcomes if Trump loses, as well as sowing chaos with plans to delay the certification of election results.

Interview with David Noll, associate dean for faculty research and development and a professor of law at Rutgers University, conducted by Scott HarrisDavid Noll discusses his new book, “Vigilante Nation: How State- Sponsored Terror Threatens Our Democracy,” co-written with UCLA professor of law Jon Michaels, which examines Trump/Republican election denialism, xenophobia and embrace of political violence in the 2024 election campaign.

An excerpt of former first lady Michelle Obama's speech delivered in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Oct. 26th, 2024.Michelle Obama powerfully spoke about the issue of reproductive rights and what’s at stake in the 2024 election, directly addressing the urgency of the issue for men, whose wives, sisters, mothers, cousins, aunts and girlfriends’ lives are jeopardized by Trump’s abortion ban.

Interview with Chris Lehmann, DC Bureau chief for The Nation magazine and a contributing editor at The Baffler, conducted by Scott HarrisChris Lehmann discusses his recent article, “The Press Needs to Start Taking Trump Literally,” addressing the media’s coverage of Trump’s unhinged and dangerous comments pronouncing Jan. 6 as “a day of love,” calls to use the U.S. military to round up his political enemies and his admiration of Adolph Hitler.

 Interview with Dr. Kate Sugarman, a family physician and election canvass volunteer with Seed the Vote, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

Interview with Josh Ruebner, adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University's Justice and Peace Studies program and author of "Shattered Hopes: Obama's Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace," conducted by Scott Harris.Ruebner discusses the ramifications of Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the rising death toll in Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, Biden/Harris administration calling for an end to Israel’s Gaza war, ongoing concern about a war with Iran involving the U.S. and the impact of Biden Israel Gaza policy on the 2024 election.

Interview with Jason Stanley, the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and author of "How Fascism Works," conducted by Scott Harris. Professor Stanley talks about his newest book, “Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite The Past To Control The Future,” and the threat posed to democracy by Donald Trump and the Republican Party in the 2024 election and beyond.

Neil Meyer, contributing writer to Jacobin Magazine, discusses his recent article spelling out a strategy for progressives to steer a Harris-Walz administration to the left should they win on Nov. 5 (jacobin.com/2024/09/harris-sand…-labor-dsa-strategy).Neil also co-edits The Left Noes Newsletter (www.left-notes.com/).Panel: Scott Harris, Ruthanne Baumgartner and Richard HillSept. 14, 2024