WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

Interview with Russell Brown, Vietnam veteran, conducted by Scott Harris.Russell Brown talks about his participation in the 40-day “Veterans & Allies Fast for Gaza,” where dozens of U.S. war veterans and religious activists have gathered at United Nations headquarters in New York City to raise awareness of the famine looming over Gaza. Participants plan to consume less than 250 calories daily, mirroring the average daily nutrient intake of residents in Gaza. The fasters are demanding full humanitarian aid to Gaza under UN authority and no more U.S. weapons to Israel.

Interview with Ron Jacobs, a contributor to Counterpunch.org and author of Nowhere Land: Journeys Through a Broken Nation, conducted by Scott Harris.Ron Jacobs talks about his commentary, “Culture, Christianity, and the Afrikaner Blues,” in the context of the blatantly false claims made by Donald Trump during South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent meeting at the White House.

Interview with Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, conducted by Scott Harris.Alex Lawson discusses his group’s strategy to defeat Trump’s grotesque budget bill in the U.S. Senate that mandates the largest cuts in U.S. history — totaling $1.5 trillion from Medicaid and Medicare as well as the the SNAP food assistance program — while disproportionately giving the wealthiest Americans and profitable corporations a tax break that will cost $4 trillion over the next decade. All this while increasing the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion.

Interview with Lia Holland, campaigns and communications director with Fight for the Future, conducted by Scott Harris.Lia Holland talks about her group’s opposition to a provision included in this year’s Republican reconciliation bill, similar to last year’s H.R. 9495, which would allow the Trump regime to remove the tax-exempt status of nonprofits that it says support terrorism, with no requirements for providing evidence to prove such a charge, as a way to punish charities that advocate for issues that don’t align with Trump’s MAGA agenda.

Interview with Sim Kern, a former teacher, journalist, novelist, and best-selling author of The Free People’s Village, conducted by Scott Harris, conducted by Scott Harris.Sim Kern talks about his new book, Genocide Bad: Notes on Palestine, Jewish History, and Collective Liberation, a part-activist memoir, part-crash course in Jewish and Palestinian history. Genocide Bad dismantles Zionist propaganda in 10 unapologetic essays, drawing connections between Biblical promises and exploding pagers, medieval dress codes and modern-day apartheid.

Interview with Analilia Mejia, co-executive director of Popular Democracy in Action, conducted by Scott Harris.Analilia Mejia discusses her group’s opposition to the Trump/GOP budget proposal that will cut a combined $1 trillion from Medicaid and the SNAP food stamp program, which will result in 10.3 million people losing Medicaid coverage over the next decade to pay for major tax cuts primarily benefiting the nation’s wealthiest families.

 Interview with Raed Jarrar, advocacy director with the Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), conducted by Scott Harris.Raed Jarrar, advocacy director with the Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), discusses the group’s views on President Trump’s recent visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the U.A.E., the deals announced, gifts received, and major issues discussed, including the ongoing slaughter and starvation of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.DAWN is an American non-profit organization founded in September 2020 by Saudi U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi before his assassination ordered by the Saudi monarchy.

Allison Pilcher, policy director, with the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs discusses several important climate bills currently being debated in the Connecticut state legislature; and Luke Pickrell, a writer and member of Democratic Socialists of America, who talks about his recent Jacobin magazine article, "Only a Democratic Constitution Can Stop Trumpism."Resistance Roundtable Hosts: Ruth Anne Baumgartner, Scott Harris and Richard Hill

Juan Fonseca Tapia, a lead organizer with the Trust Act Now Coalition, discusses the history of this law, first passed in CT in 2013, then revised in 2019. The latest version, HB 7212, is now before the Conneticut State Legislature and contains an expansion of the protections to undocumented residents in the state.Interview by Richard Hill

Interview with Jeremy Brecher, a historian, documentary filmmaker, activist, and author of "Strike!" conducted by Scott Harris.Jeremy Brecher talks about his latest book, “The Green New Deal from Below: How Ordinary People Are Building a Just and Climate-Safe Economy,” which explores community-led initiatives in various sectors such as renewable energy, green schools and fair labor practices.Brecher has written over a dozen books on labor and social movements, including his widely acclaimed book, “Strike!” which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1972.