WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

Interview with Susan Campbell, distinguished lecturer, College of Arts & Sciences at the University of New Haven, conducted by Scott Harris.Susan Campbell discusses her recent commentary, “Debunking Lies about America’s Homeless,” in the context of President Trump’s takeover of the Washington, D.C.’s police department and his announced deployment of 800+ National Guard troops to “crack down on crime and homelessness.”

Interview with Sydney Register, Press Secretary with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and Aaron Stephens, senior legislative strategist for P Street, conducted by Scott Harris.Sydney Register and Aaron Stephens discuss their group’s campaign targeting Paramount’s cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s contract on “The Late Show” as an example of Donald Trump’s transactional corruption vis-a-vis the company’s request for FCC approval of their $8 billion merger with Skydance. Register and Stephens also discuss PCCC’s response to the Trump regime and GOP’s unprecedented effort to gerrymander five congressional seats in Texas and possibly 8-10 seats in other states in advance of the 2026 mid-term election.

Interview with Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, co-founder and executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, conducted by Scott Harris.Mara Verheyden-Hilliard discusses her group’s response to Donald Trump’s militarized takeover of Washington, D.C., and growing concern that this is yet another test (along with Los Angeles) that is laying the groundwork for the deployment of the U.S. military to cities across the nation. She also assesses the possible future invocation of the Insurrection Act and suspension of constitutional rights.

Interview with Jason Stanley, professor of philosophy and chair of American Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, conducted by Scott Harris.Professor Stanley explains why he left the U.S. after Donald Trump's election, and examines the Trump regime’s seven-month history of imposing authoritarian rule, including the recent executive order mandating an expansive review of the Smithsonian Institution’s museum exhibitions, materials and operations to ensure they align with President Donald Trump’s view of history.Stanley is a professor of philosophy and also author of "How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them." His latest book is "Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future."

Manny Robinson, Gulf South Fossil Finance Hub, and Roishetta Ozane, founder and CEO of the Vessel Project address crowds gathered outside banks, insurance companies and their board members' homes, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.Anti-fossil fuel campaigners from the U.S. Gulf South joined other activists in New York City from July 28 to Aug. 2 for an action dubbed, “From the Gulf South to the Global South.” Stop the Money Pipeline, a group that targets banks and insurance companies enabling the construction of methane pipelines and liquefied “natural” gas or LNG, export terminals, co-organized the protest.

Interview with Kellie Snider, a contemporary American artist, conducted by Scott Harris.Kellie Snider discusses the nation’s history of white supremacy and racism before, during, and after slavery. She also talks about her work as an artist and the intersection of art and politics during our current crisis, where the Trump regime is launching attacks on virtually all democratic institutions.

Interview with Matt Gertz, Media Matters for America senior fellow, conducted by Scott Harris.Matt Gertz assesses how corporate and MAGA media are covering public demand for the release of the Epstein files, with some cooperating with the Trump White House by amplifying bogus distraction stories designed to tamp down the controversy.He also comments on Paramount’s decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, as well as concerns that the president has. Trump’s lawsuits and many other attempts to intimidate media outlets constitute a very real threat to free speech, freedom of the press, and democracy itself.

Interview with Candice Fortin, U.S. campaign manager with the climate group 350.org, conducted by Scott Harris.Candice Fortin provides an overview of the Trump regime’s multi-pronged attack on all federal climate regulations; the short- and long-term impact on the environment; what if anything states can do to implement their climate regulations and how climate/environmental activist groups like 350.org can challenge these policies both in court and in the streets.

Interview with David Daley, former editor-in-chief of Salon, conducted by Scott Harris.David Daley discusses his recent Nation article, “How the GOP Hopes to Gerrymander Its Way to a Midterms Victory,” given what Trump and Republicans are doing to carve out five new GOP-leaning districts in Texas and what democracy defenders could and should be doing now to prevent the further erosion of our democratic system and ensure the integrity of elections in both the short and long term.Daley is the author of the national bestseller, “Antidemocratic: Inside the Far Right’s 50-Year Plot to Control American Elections,” and Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn’t Count,” which helped spark the drive to reform gerrymandering. Daley’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Times, the Atlantic and the Guardian.

Resistance Roundtable double header:    --the fight against the genocide in Gaza with Branko Marcetic, staff writer with Jacobin Magazin; and Daniella Colombi, a graduate student at the U. of Maryland who led the fight that resulted in court settlement of $100,000 to the Students for Justice in Palestine by UMD   --Connecticut re-groups to fight for a clean environment in the face of the Trump regime's dismantling of Federal climate regulations (featuring Samantha Dynowski, ED of the Sierra Club's CT chapter; and Sena Wazer, a student at the Yale School for Environmental StudiesPanel: Ruthanne Baumgartner, Scott Harris and Richard Hill