WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

Interview with John Tarleton, editor-in-chief of The Indypendent, New York City's free progressive monthly newspaper, conducted by Scott Harris.John Tarleton discusses his coverage of Zohran Mamdani’s surprise victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary and the obstacles ahead for his progressive campaign in the November election, where he’ll face both Mayor Eric Adams and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He also considers what Mamdani’s rise could mean for progressive candidates in the Democratic party and across the U.S.

Interview with Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma and critical care surgeon, and Dr. Ayaz Pathan, an emergency room physician, conducted by Scott Harris.Dr. Feroze Sidhwa and Dr. Ayaz Pathan discuss their experiences working as physicians in Gaza; the ongoing slaughter and starvation of Palestinian civilians there; and their understanding of the mission of the Israeli-U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in distributing food that has resulted in hundreds of lives lost and the U.S. role in Israel’s 21 month-long Gaza war.

Dr. Jack Rasmus, professor emeritus at St. Mary's College and author of The Scourge of Neoliberalism--US Economic Policy from Reagan to Trump, looks under the hood of the recently-passed MAGA tax and spending cut bill, and finds more of the putrefaction associated with neoliberalism and late-stage capitalism.Interview by Richard Hill 

Excerpt of speech by Jonathan Kuttab, Palestinian-American human rights lawyer and author of Beyond the Two-State Solution, recorded and produced by Melinda Tuhus.Beyond the current bloody war and genocide in Gaza, people across the Middle East and world are asking whether or not the long-standing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians can ever be resolved. Jonathan Kuttab is a Palestinian-American human rights attorney who practices in the U.S., Palestine and Israel. Kuttab, a practitioner of nonviolent resistance, is the co-founder of both the independent Palestinian human rights association Al-Haq and Non-Violence International. He recently spoke about the prospects for peace and co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians at the Unitarian Society of New Haven, Connecticut. Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus was there and presents this excerpt of his powerful talk.

Interview with Debra, an organizer with the group Indivisible Amity, Connecticut -- and Tom of the Indivisible chapter in Orange, Connecticut, conducted by Scott Harris.Indivisible organizers Debra and Tom discuss plans for the Thursday, July 17 “Good Trouble Lives On Rally” — with speakers and music on the New Haven Green in downtown New Haven, CT from 6 to 7 pm. This event, part of the day’s some 1,000+ protests nationwide, is being organized in response to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration — and in defense of voting rights, democracy, and civil liberties. The protests are inspired by the legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis, who died five years ago and his lifelong call to get into “good trouble.”

Interviews with several participants in the pro-democracy, anti-Trump ‘No Kings Day’ June 14, 2025, protests in Trumbull and Newtown CT, conducted by Scott Harris.The ‘No Kings Day’ protests involved 2,100 protest sites across the U.S. and attracted the participation of an estimated 5 million protesters.

Interview with Kali Holloway is columnist for The Nation and the former director of the Make It Right Project, a national campaign to take down Confederate monuments and tell the truth about history, conducted by Scott Harris.Kali Holloway discusses her recent articles on white supremacy and the Trump regime, with a focus on the multiple ways Trump has carried out an explicitly racist, white supremacist agenda. She also addresses corporate media’s failure to call out Trump’s racism, while normalizing his actions driven by hate and bigotry. 

Interview with Victor Pickard, professor of media policy and political economy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, where he co-directs the Media, Inequality & Change Center.Victor Pickard discusses the important issues examined in his recent Nation magazine article, “The Media’s Profits Trump Democracy, Once Again,” with Paramount’s settlement with Trump as a symptom of deep structural rot in our corporate media system. In his analysis, Pickard goes beyond the predictable commentary on “bad media companies” surrendering to Trump, but discusses the urgent need to envision a community-based media system that prioritizes journalism, democracy, and equality over profit. 

Interview with Xavier de Janon, an attorney representing one of 61 ‘Stop Cop City’ defendants in Atlanta, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Xavier de Janon, an attorney representing one of the 61 defendants. Here, he discusses the status of the cases and the serious possible sentences — up to 20 years in prison — that await any who are convicted. On July 7, a few days after this interview was conducted, the judge in King’s case declared a mistrial, saying there were “juror issues.”

Interview with Maggie Mitchell Salem, executive director of Connecticut-based IRIS, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, conducted by Scott Harris.Maggie Mitchell Salem discusses the impact of the Trump administration’s new immigration policies on IRIS services, as well as federal funds revoked or withdrawn from IRIS’ budget. She also talks about her group’s latest Know Your Rights campaign that was launched on the July 4th weekend, and other projects and services local listeners can support or volunteer for.