WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

Interview with Wajahat Ali, author of “Go Back to Where You Came From,” and creator of The Left Hook Substack page, conducted by Scott Harris. Wajahat Ali discusses his timely, incisive column, “When Will Trump Voters Be Asked to Reach Out and Understand the Rest of Us?” – and other issues related to the danger to U.S. democracy posed by Trump regime 2.0.

Interview with David Pepper, former chair of the Ohio Democratic party, publisher of the Pepperspectives substack newsletter and author of "2025," conducted by Scott Harris. David Pepper discusses his post-election column, “Resolve: 8 Reasons That Keep Me Going,” that considers what effective resistance could look like.  Pepper is the author of “Saving Democracy” and “Laboratories of Autocracy.”

Interview with Robert Jereski, a lawyer and activist who serves as the volunteer coordinator of Codepink's World Court Campaign, conducted by Scott Harris. Robert Jereski discusses the horrific ongoing war in Gaza and the significance of the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense chief Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader, Ib...

Interview with Natasha Lennard, a columnist for The Intercept and author of the book, Being Numerous: Essays on Non-Fascist Life," conducted by Scott Harris. Natasha Lennard discusses her recent article, “The Answer to Trump Victory Is Radical Action,” and her views on the urgent need to mobilize in advance of Donald Trump taking power in Washington on January 20, 2024) Women’s March Organizing Ja...

Interview with Tamika Middleton, managing director of Women's March, conducted by Scott Harris. Tamika Middleton discusses the nationwide organizing she and others are doing in advance of the massive Jan. 18 People’s March in Washington, D.C. and other locations around the U.S. to build community and power ahead of a second Trump presidency that threatens reproductive rights, civil rights, gender...

Interview with Amy Littlefield, The Nation magazine abortion access correspondent and a journalist who focuses on reproductive rights, healthcare, and religion, whose forthcoming book "American Crusaders," examines the history of the anti-abortion movement over the last fifty years, conducted by Scott Harris. Amy Littlefield assesses the outcome of the 2024 election, and Donald Trump and the GOP’s...

Interview with Cody Bloomfield, Communications Director with the group Defending Rights and Dissent, conducted by Scott Harris. Cody Bloomfield discusses the recent House defeat of The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, and the likelihood this legislation that would permit the Treasury Dept. to revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofits deemed to be supporting “terro...

Interview with Coleen Rowley, a retired FBI agent who was named one of TIME magazine’s Persons of the Year in 2002 for exposing and sharing some of the FBI's 9/11 intelligence failures, and a member of Veterans for Peace, conducted by Scott Harris. Coleen Rowley discusses Donald Trump’s picks for various cabinet positions thus far, i.e. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for Sec. of State, Pete Hegseth for...

Interview with Rachel Bitecofer, is a political scientist, election forecaster, political strategist and author of the book, "Hit 'Em Where It Hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game," conducted by Scott Harris." Rachel Bitecofer discusses her analysis on how/why Trump won the election, the Democrats’ misunderstanding of Trump’s strategy of demonizing immigrants and t...

Interview with Sarah Kendzior, author, "They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent," and "Hiding in Plain Sight," conducted by Scott Harris. Sarah Kendzior discusses her views on the outcome of the 2024 election, with a focus on Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland and the DOJ’s 2 1/2 year delay to prosecute Trump for his coup attempt – – allowing him to run and win back the...

Interview with Dulce Guzman, executive director of Alianza Americas talks about her groups' recent call for justice and unity, conducted by Scott Harris. Dulce Guzman’s recent call for justice and unity after Donald Trump’s election victory, and nationwide preparations are being made to resist Trump’s campaign pledge to deport 11+ million immigrants living in the U.S.

Interview with Victor Pickard, C. Edwin Baker professor of media policy and political economy and co-director at the Media, Inequality & Change Center at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication, conducted by Scott Harris. Victor Pickard assesses corporate media’s coverage of the 2024 election with a focus on the decline of legacy media outlets such as newspapers and...

Interview with Branko Marcetic, a Jacobin magazine staff writer and author of "Yesterdays Man: The Case Against Joe Biden," conducted by Scott Harris. Branko Marcetic examines why Vice President Kamala Harris lost the election to twice impeached, convicted felon and coup plotting insurrectionist Donald Trump, with a focus on the Democrat’s failure to speak to the economic concerns that were by far...

Interview with Steven Hassan, a mental health professional, author, and one of the nation's foremost deprogrammers who have helped people leave destructive cults, conducted by Scott Harris. Steven Hassan talks about the new edition of his book, “The Cult of Trump,” and the impact Donald Trump’s election victory will have on the president-elect himself, his followers, and his MAGA movement’s attack...

Interview with Alex Lawson Executive Director of Social Security Works, conducted by Scott Harris. Alex Lawson talks about his work ahead of the election to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare, with a focus on opposing Trump – GOP proposed cuts to benefits, and support for updating the Social Security COLA formula, V.P. Harris’ proposal to expand Medicare to cover long-term care at...

Interview with Nora Benavidez, senior counsel and director of digital justice and civil rights with the media democracy group Free Press, conducted by Scott Harris. Nora Benavidez discusses the important issues examined in Free Press’ recent reports on how social media platforms have degraded or abandoned content moderation, creating an environment that could fuel the spread of dangerous disinform...

Interview with Amanda Marcotte, a senior politics writer at Salon.com, author of "Troll Nation: How the Right Became Trump-Worshipping Monsters" and publishes the biweekly politics newsletter, Standing Room Only, conducted by Scott Harris. Amanda Marcotte discusses election issues including the critical role the gender gap will play in the election outcome, and the long-term post-election damage w...

Interview with Richard Eskow, host and managing editor of "The Zero Hour" and the lead writer for Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. He recently wrote the piece "Dems Are Afraid Gaza Will Cost Them the Election. They're Not Afraid Enough," conducted by Scott Harris. Richard Eskow discusses the Biden/Harris administration’s position on Israel’s savage war in Gaza and how it may impact the...

What do you do when you are in a town that is politically polarized? Join Isabelle as she navigates bridging in a purple town. john a. powell, director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, provides sage advice to help Isabelle along. 

Interview with Teddy Wilson, a journalist and researcher on the U.S. radical right, conducted by Scott Harris. Teddy Wilson discusses the threat posed to the 2024 presidential election by Republican operatives, including the American First Legal Foundation, which are filing multiple lawsuits and laying the groundwork to challenge county and state election outcomes if Trump loses, as well as sowing...

Interview with David Noll, associate dean for faculty research and development and a professor of law at Rutgers University, conducted by Scott Harris David Noll discusses his new book, “Vigilante Nation: How State- Sponsored Terror Threatens Our Democracy,” co-written with UCLA professor of law Jon Michaels, which examines Trump/Republican election denialism, xenophobia and embrace of political v...

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 Harris Chris 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 politi...

 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...