WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

Interview with Mazin Qumsiyeh, professor and volunteer director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University, conducted by Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus.Melinda Tuhus spoke with professor Qumsiyeh, who lives in the occupied West Bank town of Beit Sahour, a suburb of the city of Bethlehem, where settler violence recently flared. Here he makes clear that settlers, with the collaboration of the Israeli military, are not just targeting isolated Palestinian villages, but engaged in an ethnic cleansing campaign.

Interview with Dustin Wahl, executive director of Fix Our House, conducted by Scott Harris.Dustin Wahl talks about his group’s education and advocacy campaign promoting proportional representation in the U.S. House of Representatives, "as an urgently-needed reform to pull politics out of its doom loop of polarization and dysfunction, sideline the anti-democratic forces threatening our democracy and offer America’s diverse electorate full and fair representation."

Interview with Gerry Condon, a Vietnam-era veteran and war resister, former president and current national board member of Veterans For Peace, conducted by Scott Harris.Gerry Condon discusses Veterans for Peace’s condemnation of the Trump regime’s spying on anti-ICE activists in Minneapolis/St. Paul against the backdrop of President Trump’s criminal prosecution of his perceived political enemies and labeling Americans who oppose his agenda as “domestic terrorists.”

Interview with Sasha Abramsky, journalist and author of Chaos Comes Calling: The Battle Against the Far-Right Takeover of Small-Town America and American Carnage: How Trump, Musk, and DOGE Butchered the U.S. Government, conducted by Scott Harris.Sasha Abramsky discusses his recent columns in The Nation covering the Trump regime’s open planning for a coup to manipulate the outcome of this November’s midterm congressional election, which most polls say Republicans will likely lose decisively. Abramsky is also author of The American Way of Poverty. 

Interview with Greg Palast, investigative journalist and author, conducted by Scott Harris.Greg Palast, who’s been reporting on voter suppression for over 20 years, is an award-winning investigative journalist and best-selling author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, whose investigations were featured in the documentary film, “Vigilante: Georgia’s Vote Suppression Hitman.” He talks about the U.S. Supreme Court’s interim ruling in a case involving Donald Trump’s effort to have the federal government take control of mail-in voting in a scheme to manipulate the outcome of the midterm election that will determine which party controls Congress.

The first episode of "Live Boldly with Rev Sara Smith," features an introduction to the new WPKN Radio program, by host, Rev. Sara Smith, Senior Minister of the United Congregational Church of Bridgeport, President/CEO and Founder nOURish BRIDGEPORT, Inc., and Sacred Heart University’s Protestant chaplain. As the program opens Rev. Smith talks about her life's journey and engagement in important issues in the Greater Bridgeport community, as well as her planned focus for her one hour "Live Boldly" program which is broadcast on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 7:00 am on Listener Supported Community Radio, WPKN, 89.5 FM, WPKN.org. This first show features an interview with Tshon Cooper-Davis, Food Pantry Director & Volunteer Coordinator with nOURish BRIDGEPORT,a non-profit group founded in 2009 that operates 10 programs focusing on education, food, and health.

Interview with Anna Bernstein, principal federal policy advisor at the Guttmacher Institute, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Anna Bernstein who talks about the new policy the Trump administration is implementing that prioritizes abstinence, a policy directly advocated for in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 playbook.

Interview with Sam Carliner, freelance journalist covering U.S. foreign policy, immigration policy, and social movements, conducted by Scott Harris.Sam Carliner, a freelance journalist covering U.S. foreign policy, immigration policy, and social movements, talks about his recent article, “Pro-Palestine Academics Have Been Fighting the New McCarthyism,” which recounts how in recent years hundreds of academics have been fired, censored, threatened, or otherwise punished for their research and advocacy. The movement for Palestine has been one of the Trump administration’s main targets, and provides an important example of how those facing repression are fighting back.

Interview with Thomas Meyer, deputy political director of Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Action, conducted by Scott Harris.Thomas Meyer discusses his group’s important work opposing the construction of data centers nationwide, where public opposition is on the rise to the rapid construction of artificial intelligence and cloud computing data centers, driven by bipartisan concerns over massive energy consumption, strained local water supplies, noise pollution, and rising residential utility bills.

Interview with Dr. Jake Scott, a clinical associate professor of infectious diseases at Stanford University School of Medicine, conducted by Scott Harris.Dr. Jake Scott is a coauthor of “Updated evidence for COVID-19, RSV, and Influenza Vaccines for 2025-2026” in the New England Journal of Medicine. He discusses his Aug. 11 commentary, “What the vaccine executive order gets wrong, and what it will cost us,” which examines the consequences of President Trump’s Aug. 10 executive order that decreases the number of universally recommended vaccines for children, calls for splitting up the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) shot, maintaining that each vaccination should occur at a separate medical visit.

Interview with Michael Sozan, a senior fellow at American Progress, conducted by Scott Harris.Michael Sozan talks about his critically important and comprehensive report, written with Ben Olinsky: “The Trump Administration is Interfering in the 2026 Midterm Elections to Entrench the Imperial Presidency,” which lays out the existential threat posed to democracy this November that isn’t getting the attention it so desperately deserves right now.

The Monthly Labor Report speaks with Hae-Lin Choi, co-founder/co-executive director of Hands Off NYC (https://www.handsoffnyc.com), in the lead up to Labor Day 2026.Hae-Lin talks about Labor Days past and how this one will set a marker for a new worker-immigrant alliance in preparation to fight for a fair election on November 3. Hosted by Michael Zweig and Richard Hill

Interview with Joshua Rovner, director of Youth Justice with The Sentencing Project, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Josh Rovner, a senior research analyst with The Sentencing Project, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, where he focuses on youthful offenders and works to keep juveniles out of the adult court system. Here he talks about several major recent court rulings regarding juvenile sentences, and what Colt Gray can expect as he begins his lifetime behind bars.

Interview with Autumn Waddell, an activist with the Elbit Out of South Carolina coalition, conducted by Scott Harris.Autumn Waddell discusses the recent arrests of three protesters picketing outside the Elbit Systems of America’s factory in Ladson, South Carolina. She also talks about Israel’s genocide in Gaza, violations of free speech surrounding dissenting views on the U.S. relationship with Israel, and the international campaign against Elbit Systems, which in Britain, under the name Palestine Action, has been designated as a proscribed “terrorist” organization and banned under the U.K.’s Terrorism Act.

Interview with Gov. Ned Lamont and state Rep. Josh Elliott, conducted by Scott Harris.Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and state Rep. Josh Elliott discuss their positions on voters’ top issues, including skyrocketing health care costs, taxing the rich, the high cost of electricity and the urgent need to build affordable housing.

Interview with Branko Marcetic, a Jacobin staff writer and the author of "Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden," conducted by Scott Harris. Branko Marcetic assesses recent Democratic party primary victories by progressive candidates and members of the Democratic Socialists of America, the millions of dollars spent by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and centrist Democrats to defeat them, and efforts to unify the party before the November midterm election.

Interview with Jennifer Loewenstein, former associate director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, conducted by Scott Harris.Jennifer Loewenstein discusses her views on the current status of Trump’s war on Iran, how the conflict has spread dangerously throughout the region, and the future of the Strait of Hormuz where Iran and Oman are engaged in talks to manage the disputed waterway.

Interview with Stanley Heller, administrator of the New Haven, CT -based group Promoting Enduring Peace and host of the TV newsmagazine “The Struggle," conducted by Scott Harris.Stanley Heller talks about the global campaign to release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the prominent Palestinian pediatrician and director of North Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, who has been imprisoned by Israel without charge or trial since Dec. 27, 2024. Reports indicate Dr Safiya is suffering deteriorating health without adequate medical attention, where eyewitnesses say his condition is life threatening, unless he’s freed very soon.

Interview with J. Patrick Coolican, editor-in-chief of Minnesota Reformer, conducted by Scott Harris.J. Patrick Coolican addresses both the worry and complacency among many Democrats regarding Trump’s clear plan to intervene and manipulate the outcome of the November midterm election. He discusses his recent article, “The Blueprint for Fighting Trump’s Attempt to Sabotage the Election, Drawn up in Minnesota,” about Doran Schrantz ‘s 14-page Democratic party internal memo titled, “Act Free to Be Free: A State and Local Pro-Democracy Framework.”

Interview with Chris Hedges, a Pulitzer Prize–winning former New York Times foreign correspondent, conducted by Scott Harris.Chris Hedges discusses his recent commentary titled, “Trump’s Phantom Enemies,” which asserts the Trump regime is linking Cuba with domestic, communist subversion and is laying the groundwork for McCarthyite blacklisting and criminalizing of all left-wing, progressive, anti-war and anti-imperialist dissent.Hedges was bureau chief in the Middle East and the Balkans for 15 years and author of War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, a National Book Critics Circle finalist, and A Genocide Foretold: Reporting on Survival and Resistance in Occupied Palestine.

Interview with William LeoGrande, professor of government, dean emeritus of the School of Public Affairs at American University Washington, D.C., conducted by Melinda Tuhus.Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Professor LeoGrande about the history of U.S.–Cuba relations and the dire conditions faced by the Cuban people during this Trump regime engineered humanitarian crisis.

Interview with Jason Stanley, professor of philosophy and chairman of American studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, conducted by Scott Harris.Professor Stanley discusses his work at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Yale University's response to Education Secretary Linda McMahon's letter to U.S. universities and colleges asking their leaders to publicly commit to a series of institutional changes, many of which are in line with the Trump administration’s higher education, and political agenda.  He also assesses the Trump regime's threat to interfere with, and manipulate the outcome of the 2026 midterm election.  

Interview with Annelle Sheline, research fellow with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Annelle Sheline, who resigned from the State Department in March 2024 in protest over President Biden’s unconditional support for Israel’s military operations in Gaza. She now serves as a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Here she explains the danger of integrating the U.S. and Israeli military budgets would present and the likelihood of its approval by Congress as part of the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act.

Interview with Khury Petersen-Smith, Michael Ratner Middle East fellow and the co-director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, conducted by Scott Harris.Khury Petersen-Smith talks about the new IPS report, “Forging a Democracy that Works for All: Countering the Power of Billionaires, Corporations, and the Pentagon,” which proposes a detailed progressive blueprint to expand democracy by targeting the outsized influence of billionaires, corporations, and the military.

Interview with Amanda Hollowell, chief of campaigns with Color of Change, conducted by Scott Harris.Amanda Hollowell discusses her group’s campaign opposing congressional approval for $10 billion to implement key sections of President Trump’s “Save America Act,” designed to make it harder for millions of Americans to vote, primarily targeting communities of color. Although the House approved the $10 billion which is part of a $95 billion reconciliation package, the measure must first be approved by the U.S. Senate in order to be implemented.

Interview with Matthew Hoh, a Iraq War combat veteran, former Afghanistan State Department officer and a senior fellow with the Eisenhower Media Network, conducted by Scott HarrisMatthew Hoh, a Iraq War combat veteran and Afghanistan State Department officer who resigned in protest over U.S. war policy in 2009, now serves as a senior fellow with the Eisenhower Media Network.  He discusses his views on the now reignited U.S. war on Iran, assessing the recent round of attacks resulting in the recent deaths of four more U.S. service members, Trump and Pete Hegseth’s leadership of this failed war and rising public opposition. Hoh will also consider Trump’s muddled handling of a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia with no restrictions on the kingdom to develop a nuclear bomb, setting off fears of a new Middle East nuclear arms race.(Producer’s note: Due to technical issues with the guest's phone line during the interview, the audio has several drop-outs.)

Interview with Melvin 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.Melvin Goodman, whose latest book is titled, American Carnage: The Wars of Donald Trump, talks about his recent Counterpunch.org commentary, “The Sordid Politics of Defense Spending” and “Donald Trump: Killer of Arms Control and Disarmament,” regarding Trump’s requested increase of $1.5 trillion in defense spending justified by a massive exaggeration of national security challenges.

The Monthly Labor Report talks with Sultana Hossain, recording secretary with the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), which continues to fight for its first contract with the company two years after the union's certification by the NLRB. Sultana Hussain describes the history of the movement that led to the formation of the ALU, the egregious working conditions that fueled the movement, and the ongoing battle for recognition by Amazon.Hosted by Michael Zweig and Richard Hill

Interview with Delcianna Winders, director of the Animal Law and Policy Institute at Vermont Law and Graduate School, conducted by Melinda Tuhus. Since it became law in 1973, the Endangered Species Act has used a broad definition of “harm” to animals by including any significant “modification or degradation” of habitat that kills or injures animals by impairing their ability to eat, shelter or breed. But on July 10, the Trump administration’s Interior Department and Commerce Department announced a final rule that rescinded this longstanding interpretation. Here Delcianna Winders talks about the devastating impact of the new rule on endangered and threatened species.

Interview with Daniel HoSang, professor of American studies and political science at Yale University and president of the Yale chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP.)Professor HoSang discusses his work with the group “Stand Up For Yale,” which has circulated petitions on campus and urged Yale President Maurie McInnis and the Board of Trustees to reject a pending settlement between Yale University and the Trump administration—as the dean of the Yale Law School, students and other faculty members are working to stop the deal. HoSang’s most recent book is titled, A Wider Type of Freedom: How Struggles for Racial Justice Liberate Everyone.

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 examines how President Trump’s termination of two members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and forced resignation of the remaining Republican commissioner fits in with President Trump’s recent televised speech repeating conspiracy theories about foreign interference in U.S. elections, issuing voter suppression executive orders, demanding states turn over sensitive voting data, launching DOJ investigations, and proposed “SAVE America Act” legislation. All these actions together threaten the integrity of the November 2026 midterm election,  in what many believe reveals the president’s intention to interfere with, and/or manipulate the outcome of the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

Interview with Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens or (LULAC), conducted by Scott Harris.Juan Proaño discusses the ongoing violence by ICE agents across the U.S. that’s most recently resulted in two fatal ICE shootings in Houston, Texas, and Biddeford, Maine, where he leads the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). LULAC is demanding immediate transparency, independent investigations, and an end to the Trump administration enabling federal law enforcement officers “hunting for Latinos.”

Interview with Doug Moss, founder of Earth Action Network, Inc., conducted by Scott Harris.Doug Moss discusses his new goplant-based.org billboard project, which launched on July 20th to educate the public about the evils of animal factory farming, which is linked to climate change, pollution, and is a major obstacle to addressing world hunger and global water shortages. Doug is the founder of Earth Action Network, which published the award-winning E: The Environmental Magazine for many years, and the nationally-syndicated Q&A environmental column, earthtalk.org.

The Roundtable talks with David Dayen, Executive Editor of The American Prospect Magazine about the Democratic Senate primary battles in Maine and Michigan; and then welcome Michelle Jimenez, vice president of the Yale College Council to talk about the fight to fend off the Trump administration's attempt to coerce the university to bow to anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Yale medical and law schools.Panel: Ruthanne Baumgartner, Scott Harris and Richard Hill

Interview with Marcel Reid, a longtime whistleblower advocate and co-founder and director of the Annual Whistleblower Summit & Film Festival, conducted by Scott Harris.Marcel Reid, a longtime whistleblower advocate who was national director and chairman of DC ACORN, an elected former director on the national board of the Pacifica Radio network, and co-founder and director of the Annual Whistleblower Summit & Film Festival that will take place this year July 26-July 30 in Washington, D.C.

Interview with Amanda Shanor, associate professor of legal studies and business ethics at the University of Pennsylvania and a Yale Law School graduate, interviewed conducted by Scott Harris.Amanda Shanor discusses her views on opposition to a pending settlement between Yale University and the Trump administration over White House accusations that Yale’s School of Medicine is illegally discriminating against white and Asian applicants in favor of Black and Hispanic candidates. The Trump regime is threatening the loss of federal funding, as the dean of the Yale Law School, students, faculty members, and alumni are working to stop the deal.

Interview with Dr. Diljeet Singh, president, Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), conducted by Scott Harris.Dr. Singh talks about an upcoming gathering of physicians in Washington, D.C. to discuss what’s ahead for organizing the national movement supporting Medicare for All legislation that would establish a universal healthcare system for everyone in the U.S., similar to what every other industrialized nation in the world has had for decades.

Interview with Raed Jarrar, advocacy director with the group Democracy for the Arab World (DAWN), conducted by Scott Harris.Raed Jarrar discusses the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, the on-again, off-again negotiations, the escalating exchange of missile and drone attacks across the region and conflicting accounts from each side on whether or not peace talks will resume. Democracy in the Arab World Now (DAWN) was founded by Saudi U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi before his assassination by the Saudi government in 2018.

Interview with Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.  Nathaniel Raymond has been using satellite imagery to investigate the humanitarian crisis in the contested region. Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Raymond, who explains how this potential catastrophe differs from the genocide committed against the people of El Fasher last year.  He also discusses which nations are supporting Sudan’s warring armies and what could be done to prevent another humanitarian disaster.

Interview with Melinda Rostal, an epidemiologist and lead for Office of Management and Budget response with the group Defend Public Health, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.Melinda Rostal, with Defend Public Health, a national public health watch dog organization founded in the wake of Trump’s 2024 election win,  describes some of the proposed changes to regulations, their potential impact, and what people are doing to fight back.

Interview with Arthur Kanegis, director of the film documentary, "The World Is My Country," conducted by Scott Harris.Arthur Kanegis talks about his documentary film that explores the life of Garry Davis, a Broadway song and dance man who turns his war guilt over bombing civilians in World War II into electrifying action that galvanizes war-weary Europe, sparks a movement and helps pave the way for the UN to unanimously pass the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Interview with Todd Schulte, president of FWD.US, conducted by Scott Harris.Todd Schulte talks about the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended Temporary Protective Status and the justices’ narrow decision upholding birthright citizenship. He warns that 400,000 U.S. citizen children could still be separated from their parents because of the TPS ruling. The consequences for 1.3 million individuals with TPS and another 800,000 of their U.S. citizen spouses and children are dire. Schulte is demanding the administration reverse course on TPS, while urging Congress to pass legislation providing a pathway to citizenship.

Interview with Norman Solomon, director of RootsAction and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy, conducted by Scott Harris.Norman Solomon talks about his Guardian commentary, “Progressive primary victories have corporate Democrats panicking,” examining how the success of democratic socialists has led to an establishment backlash, fueling divisions over how to respond.

Interview with Hanna Riley Fernandez, a writer and activist based in Burlington, Vermont, conducted by Scott Harris.Hanna Fernandez, who writes about the intersection of media and the criminal legal system, discusses her recent Nation magazine article, “Cameras Are Everywhere—and People Have Had Enough,” and issues related to growing public concern about the unregulated surveillance applications of artificial intelligence.

In today's Organic Farm Stand:   Diane's Hot Topics   Tribute to Suzanne Duesing   Honey Bee Update with Vincent Kaye   Wakeman Town Farm with guests Nicole Gerber and Jaime SmithHosted by Richard Hill and Diane Lauricella

Interview with Xavier de Janon, an attorney representing one of the defendants facing state charges, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.While there are 22 individuals facing charges across various jurisdictions, related to the ICE detention center protest, the primary federal case involves a group of 9 defendants, accused of being part of an antifa terror cell, who were convicted in March of domestic terrorism, rioting, and explosive offenses. Eight of those convicted were sentenced on June 23 to between 30 and 100 years in prison. The one defendant sentenced to 100 years in prison was convicted of attempted murder of a policeman, stating he shot and injured an officer on the scene, after he thought the officer was about to shoot one of the other protesters. The defendants, who’ve been in jail over the past year held on $1 million bail they can’t pay, say they’ll be appealing their case.  Here Xavier de Janon talks about the 30- to 100-year sentences handed down in what he believes is a  blatantly political prosecution.

Interview with Brendan Cook, a defendant in the "Swarthmore 9" case, conducted by Scott Harris.Brendan Cook discusses his and his co-defendant’s trial that begins on July 1st, stemming from the group’s May 3, 2025 arrest on third-degree “defiant trespassing” charges after the individuals refused to vacate a pro-Palestine encampment at Swarthmore College.

Interview with Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, conducted by Scott Harris.Guerline Jozef discusses Haitian Bridge Alliance’s view on the consequences of two recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings: the Mullin v. Doe case that overturns lower court decisions blocking the Trump administration’s move to end Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitians and 4,000 Syrians—and the Mullin v. Al Otro Lado case that allows border officials to turn away asylum seekers arriving at U.S. ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Interview with Carol Evans, vice president of policy with Common Cause, conducted by Scott Harris.Carol Evans talks about Common Cause’s concern about and work to protect this November’s midterm election from interference and manipulation by the Trump administration and Republican party. In recent months, the president and GOP have taken multiple steps to implement measures with the intent of suppressing the votes of millions of Americans and rigging election results.

Interview with John Tarleton, editor-in-chief of The Indypendent, conducted by Scott Harris.John Tarleton discusses The Indypendent’s coverage of the city’s historic June 23rd Democratic primary election, with a focus on Democratic Socialist of America party candidates’ victories and their likely impact on both local and national politics. The Indypendent is New York City’s free progressive monthly newspaper.