WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

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

Interview with Robert Creamer, a veteran political organizer and strategist, conducted by Scott Harris.Robert Creamer talks about his new book, “Nuts and Bolts: The Formula for Progressive Electoral Success,” a step-by-step field manual for how progressives can win electoral campaigns and a textbook for anyone who wants to know how electoral politics really works. Creamer has been a veteran political organizer and strategist for five years.

Interview with Andra Watkins, a New York Times best-selling author and editor of the Substack online newsletter, “How Project 2025 Will Ruin Your Life, conducted by Scott Harris.Andra Watkins talks about her recent article, “What Nobody is Reporting About Project 2025 Disaster Response,” and the deadly disinformation that’s being spread by Donald Trump and his supporters that has undermined Hurricane Helene’s and Milton’s disaster response.

Interview with Justin Glawe, an independent journalist, frequent contributor to Rolling Stone magazine and the newsletter American Doom, conducted by Scott HarrisJustin Glawe discusses the important issues examined in his recent articles regarding GOP threats to undermine the 2024 election with a focus on the conduct of Georgia’s election board and the mass purging of eligible voters in that state.Glawe’s forthcoming book is titled, “If I Am Coming to Your Town, Something Terrible Has Happened.”

Monthly Labor Report hosts, Richard Hill and Michael Zweig, interview Leonard Aguilar, secretary-treasurer of the Texas AFL-CIO, about the reach and growth of union organizing in Texas -- with special focus on Latinx participation and projected voting patterns.Interview by Michael Zweig and Richard Hill, Oct. 1, 2024