WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

Interview with David Paul, a member of the Task Force on the Americas and Democratic Socialists of America, conducted by Scott Harris. David Paul assesses the Trump regime’s escalating military threats against Venezuela, Columbia and Latin America; the bombing of small boats and murder of 40+ alleged drug smugglers or fishermen in international waters; open White House discussion of a regime chang...

Interview with Hardy Merriman, former president of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, conducted by Scott Harris. Hardy Merriman discusses his views on the direction and strength of the U.S. anti-authoritarian resistance movement, i.e. the recent No Kings Day mobilization — and what new strategies and tactics may be necessary to rapidly adopt in the face of Donald Trump’s deployment o...

Interview with Connecticut Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas, conducted by Scott Harris. Secretary Thomas discusses the importance of local elections, highlighting typical low turnout and the need for more civic engagement. She also talks about steps her office is taking to ensure elections in Bridgeport, Connecticut are secure and open to all eligible voters, questions about early voting and ab...

Interview with Robert Weiner, director of the Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, conducted by Scott Harris. Robert Weiner discusses the critical issues being decided in the Louisiana v. Callais case now before the U.S. Supreme Court: racial gerrymandered congressional district maps eliminating the voices of Black and Latino legislators and the battle ahead...

The Organic Farm Stand hosts an interview with L. Michael Green, executive director or Food First (Institute for Food and Development Policy), about the mission and history of this organization that has been fighting for food justice and innovative food policy for 50 years. Hosts: Richard Hill and Diane Lauricella   

Interview with Eddie Lejuine, a 62-year-old fisherman from Cameron, Louisiana, conducted by Melinda Tuhus. Eddie Lejuine traveled with other Gulf residents to Washington, D.C. in September to protest the continued buildout of LNG facilities. The group met with government agency representatives and politicians, and participated in a 'Petrostate Tour' organized by Third Act Actions Lab.  They also v...

Interview with Dr. Ira Helfand, member of the International Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), conducted by Scott Harris. Dr. Ira Helfand, a steering committee member of the 'Back from the Brink' campaign, discusses the threat nuclear warfare poses to humanity and how the public can help mitigate it. He is calling on the U.S. to implement policies to le...

Interview with Steven A. Cash, executive director of The Steady State, whose members are former senior national security officials drawn from across the intelligence, diplomatic, homeland security and defense communities. Steven Cash, who formerly served as senior advisor to the undersecretary at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence & Analysis, talks about his group’s “...

Interview with Steve Phillips, host of the podcast “Democracy in Color" and founder of the political media organization Democracy in Color, conducted by Scott Harris. Steve Phillips discusses his views on the important issues being decided in the Louisiana v. Callais case now before the U.S. Supreme Court, which could eliminate the remaining protections in the Voting Rights Act — and the battle ah...

Interview with Phyllis Bennis, director of the Institute for Policy Studies’ New Internationalism Project, conducted by Scott Harris Phyllis Bennis shares her views on the Gaza ceasefire agreement and its many shortcomings, including the lack of specificity on a number of key issues such as who will govern Gaza and when will Israeli forces fully withdraw? But most important, how can reconstruction...

WPKN's live interviews from the streets of Middletown, Hartford, Bethel and Stamford in CT; East Hampton, Long Island; and New York City. conducted by Mike Merli, Tyler Nelson, Michael Zweig, Francesca Rheannon, Scott Harris and Caroline Bortoretto. Hosted and with commentary by Richard Hill, John Lugo, Roberto and Alexandro.

Interview with Bryce Lockwood, 85-year-old retired U.S. Marine who was aboard the USS Liberty, conducted by Melinda Tuhus. Lockwood was one of three Marine Corps linguists aboard the ship and was seriously burned when a torpedo exploded. He was awarded a Purple Heart and also a Silver Star for rescuing three sailors trapped in flooded ship compartments. Altogether, 34 were killed and 174 wounded....

Interview with John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, conducted by Scott Harris. John Feffer discusses the U.S. military’s deadly strikes on four boats in international waters off Venezuela’s coast; Donald Trump’s designation of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a “narco-terrorist” and growing concern that the U.S. may be moving toward initiating...

Interview with Wendell Potter, president of the Center for Health and Democracy and editor/writer of the newsletter, “Health Care Un-Covered.” Wendell Potter discusses his views on the current federal government shutdown triggered due to Congress’ failure to renew ACA subsidies that will cause millions of policyholders’ premiums to skyrocket. He also talks about the many failures of the U.S. healt...

Interview with Robert Jereski, a lawyer, activist and coordinator of Code Pink Women for Peace World Court Campaign, conducted by Scott Harris. Robert Jereski discusses the release of live 20 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and some 2,000 Israeli-held Palestinian prisoners under phase #1 of President Trump’s 20-point Gaza Ceasefire plan, with the goal of ending Israel’s war in Gaza that’s k...

Interview with retired U.S. Army Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell from 2002 to 2005, conducted by Scott Harris. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson discusses his views on the Gaza ceasefire agreement and Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to cities across the U.S.; the legality and dangers of this policy; and his thoughts on the president’s...

Nicholas S. Davies discusses his Common Dreams article: Beware Trump’s Ceasefire Deal Absent Meaningful UN Action to Halt Israel’s Genocide. And Carol Rizzolo, co-lead for CT Shoreline Indivisible talks about plans for the Oct. 18 No Kings 2 rallies which could be the largest single-day mass protest in US history. Panel: Ruthanne Baumgartner, Scott Harris and Richard Hill

Carol Rizzolo, co-lead for  CT Shoreline Indivisible and co-founder of Safe Vote CT, discusses the plans for No Kings rallies planned in nearly 50 towns in Connecticut. Carol shares her thoughts on the national emergency we are contending with in the face of the Trump regime's openly authoritarian actions and dictats. Interview by Richard Hill

Interview with Danny Tsoi, a furloughed federal worker at the Department of Health and Human Services, conducted by Scott Harris. Danny Tsoi, a federal worker at the Department of Health and Human Services, is one of 620,000 government employees who’ve been placed on furlough since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. Between The Lines’ Scott Harris spoke with Tsoi, who works at the Centers for Medicare...

Interview with Crystal Cavalier-Keck, 7 Directions of Service cofounder, conducted by Melinda Tuhus. Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck, 7 Directions of Service co-founder with her husband Jason Crazy Bear, talks about four presentations she made during Climate Week at the United Nations, and summarizes the information shared here.

Interview with David Rovics, an internationally known songwriter, musician, writer, podcaster and Portland, Oregon-based activist, conducted by Scott Harris. David Rovics, talks about Trump’s targeting of Portland with a National Guard troop deployment — which Rovics wrote about in a recent commentary, “Portland, Oregon: Myths and Realities in 2025,” covering what is, and is not going down on the...

Interview with Chuck Collins, a senior scholar and director of the Institute for Policy Studies' Program on Inequality and the Common Good, conducted by Scott Harris. Chuck Collins talks about his latest book titled, " Burned by Billionaires," where he chronicles how the actions of the top .01 percent have severe consequences for the rest of us, exposing how the rich rig the game in their favor, r...

Interview with Mel Goodman, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, professor of government at Johns Hopkins University, and a former CIA analyst , conducted by Scott Harris. Mel Goodman, author of American Carnage: The Wars of Donald Trump, and national security columnist for CounterPunch.org, discusses his recent article, “Setting the Stage for the Insurrection Act,” which examin...

Interview with Rick Goldsmith, documentary filmmaker of “Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink,” conducted by Melinda Tuhus Here Goldsmith talks about his film   which examines the role of vulture capital in the wrecking of local newspapers nationwide. The film profiles the courageous journalists who fought against the hedge funds gobbling up newspapers in order to save and rebuild...

Interview with John Whitehead, founder and president of The Rutherford Institute, conducted by Scott Harris. Whitehead is an attorney and author who has written, debated and practiced widely around constitutional law, human rights, and popular culture. Here he discusses his recent Counterpunch commentary, “Would Orwell Be Branded a Terrorist? The Government’s War on Thought Crimes,” regarding the...