WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

Interview with Ann Wright, a 29-year US Army/Army Reserves veteran who retired as a Colonel and a former US diplomat who resigned in March 2003 in opposition to the war.Ann Wright discusses her views on Donald Trump’s federalization and deployment of National Guard and Marine troops to Los Angeles over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, to suppress mostly peaceful protests regarding: militarized ICE deportation raids, and growing concern about the Trump regime’s partisan politicization of the U.S. military. 

Interview with Sasha Abramsky, The Nation magazine’s Western correspondent and author of "Chaos Comes Calling: The Battle Against the Far-Righs Takeover of Small-Town America," conducted by Scott Harris.Sasha Abramsky discusses his recent articles, “Trump Calls Up the Marines. Democracy Is in Danger,” and “Trump’s Dangerous Escalation in LA,” as well as the most dangerous authoritarian actions Trump may take in the coming days.

Interview with Elizabeth Jacobs, professor emeritus of epidemiology at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, conducted by Scott.Elizabeth Jacobs discusses her alarm at Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s changes to COVID vaccine recommendations for pregnant women and children; as well as removing all 17 sitting members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee and replacing them with new members, many of whom are reported to be critics of mRNA vaccines and public health measures taken during the COVID pandemic.

Interview with Jennifer Loewenstein, former associate director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, conducted by Scott Harris.Jennifer Loewenstein assesses the rationale and consequences of Israel’s attack on Iran, Tehran’s retaliation, the Trump regime’s apparent role in the attack, and the threat that this conflict could trigger a wider regional conflict involving the U.S.

Interview with Collin Rees, U.S. program manager with Oil Change International, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.The Trump administration is cutting every subsidy and tax rebate for clean energy under the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden in 2022. The Trump administration and the Republican Congress is also eliminating any other laws that promote the transition to clean energy that created hundreds of thousands of green jobs, many in red states.

Interview with Charles Haynes, of Citizens Against Tyranny in America, conducted by Scott HarrisCharles Haynes talks about Trump’s deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles amid protests against ICE deportation raids, and his recent column, “Trump Protestors: You Have No Idea What Is to Come,” with a focus on Israel’s seizure of ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza violates international law.

Interview with Brandon Wolf, Human Rights Campaign national press secretary, conducted by Scott Harris.Brandon Wolf provides an overview of Donald Trump’s many attacks on the LGBTQ+ community over the first five months of his administration and in the first few days of June Pride Month. He also discusses how HRC and a national coalition of allied groups are pushing back in the courts and on the street.

Interview with Tamika Middleton, managing director of Women's March, conducted by Scott Harris.Tamika Middleton discusses a broad coalition’s plans for the June 14th national No Kings and Kick Out the Clowns protests, which are being organized in more than 1,800 locations across the U.S. in response to President Trump and the Republican party’s attack on democracy and the rule of law.

Interview with Craig Mokhiber, former director of the New York Office of the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, conducted by Scott Harris.Craig Mokhiber discusses his urging the UN to convene under Uniting for Peace to mandate a protection force be deployed in Gaza, a call for a complete military embargo of Israel, robust sanctions against the regime, demand for a ceasefire, and action be taken to hold all perpetrators accountable.Mokhiber is an international human rights lawyer who resigned in protest from his post as director of the New York Office of the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2023, due to the unfolding Gaza genocide and the UN’s failures.

The June Labor Report features Jeremy Brecher, co-founder of the Labor Network for Sustainability, and author of the iconic labor history book, Strike!, joined by economist and labor historian Michael Zweig, to discuss the latest alarming developments in the Trump regime's authoritarian putsch, and what shape and strategies an effective resistance must take to counter a free-fall into fascism.Host: Richard Hill