WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

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

Interview with Kimberly Fountain, consumer financial justice field manager at Americans for Financial Reform, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Kimberly Fountain, consumer financial justice field manager at Americans for Financial Reform. Here she explains why medical debt shouldn’t be included in consumers’ credit ratings and the disparate impact it has on different communities.

Interview with Ayesha R. Clarke, executive director of the Connecticut-based Health Equity Solutions, conducted by Scott Harris.Ayesha Clarke discusses how the federal slashing of social safety net programs in Trump’s recently passed budget bill will impact Connecticut residents, and what Gov. Ned Lamont and the legislature can do to prepare and offset the pain and disruption to essential services serving the state’s most vulnerable residents.

Interview with Rebecca Gordon, TomDispatch.com writer, longtime political activist, and adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco, conducted by Scott Harris.Rebecca Gordon discusses her important coverage of how the Trump regime is expanding the “surveillance state” targeting perceived enemies to extend and consolidate authoritarian power.Gordon taught philosophy at the University of San Francisco. A long-time political activist, she’s presently retired from teaching but remains active with the faculty union and writes regularly for TomDispatch.com. She is the author of several books, including "Mainstreaming Torture" and "American Nuremberg."