WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

Resistance Round Table is broadcast on WPKN the 2nd Saturday of each month where we engage in conversation about local and nationwide organizing for a more just and democratic America during this pivotal and dangerous moment in our nation's history.

Show hosts are: Ruth Anne Baumgartner, a longtime instructor in literature and writing at Central Connecticut State University, member of the executive Committee of the CT Conference of the American Association of University Professors. Richard Hill, host of WPKN shows, First Tuesday Rainy Day Radio and Organic Farm Stand, and a rotating host of Mic Check. Richard...

Interview with Mike Ferner, former director and former chair of the board of Veterans for Peace, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.

Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Mike Ferner, a former national director of Veterans for Peace who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, later discharged as a conscientious objector. Ferner began the fast with the others, but was forced to drop out after 21 days due to health reasons. Here he talks about his hope that the fast will draw attention to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and end the suffering of Palestinian civilians there.

Interview with Carolina Bortolleto, co-founder of Connecticut Students for a Dream, and Juliana Soares, immigrant rights activist, conducted by Scott Harris.

Carolina Bortolleto and Juliana Soares discuss recent ICE deportation raids in Danbury and elsewhere in Connecticut, the Danbury community’s response and demands issued by Danbury Unites for Immigrants, a collective of local immigrant community leaders.

Interview with Norman Solomon, co-founder of RootsAction.org, executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy and author, conducted by Scott Harris.

Norman Solomon talks about the recent massive June 14th nationwide anti-Trump protests and his recent commentary, “No Kings Day’ Was Historic: Now We Need a Powerful — and Independent — Movement Against Trump,” discussing the strategies and tactics necessary to stop the Trump-GOP march toward fascism.

Interview with David Schultz, distinguished professor in the departments of political science, environmental studies and legal studies at Hamline University, conducted by Scott Harris.

David Schultz discusses his recent Counterpunch article, “The Tragedy of Political Violence: It Works,” recounting how violence has played a critical role in shaping history across the world and here in the U.S. He examines Donald Trump’s and the Republican party’s embrace and normalization of political violence, such as the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and the more recent deployment of U.S. military forces to suppress anti-Trump/ICE protests in Los Angeles...

Interview with Phyllis Bennis, director of the Institute for Policy Studies’ New Internationalism Project, conducted by Scott Harris.

Phyllis Bennis talks about President Trump’s decision to launch of air strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the ongoing Israel-Iran air battle, and the danger that Trump’s entry into the conflict could ignite a dangerous regional war.

Interview with Randi Spivak, public lands policy director with the Center for Biological Diversity, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.

Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Randi Spivak, public lands policy director with the Center for Biological Diversity, discusses these threats and suggests ways listeners can help protect America’s public lands.

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...

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 Harris

Charles 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 th...

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

 Interview with Umme Hoque, an organizer with Defend and Recruit, conducted by Melinda Tuhus.

Avelo Airlines is the only known commercial carrier that is operating deportation flights from the U.S. under contract with Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security. One of its commercial passenger hubs is in New Haven, Connecticut, where it has grown from a few flights to as many as 14 per day, mostly to the Southeast and Puerto Rico.

Interview with Juan Fonseca of Danbury, the campaign manager of the Trust Act NOW! coalition, conducted by Scott Harris.

Juan Fonseca discusses the CT Senate’s recent passage of amendments to the state’s TRUST Act, assessing what was, and was not accomplished by groups working to strengthen protections for the state’s immigrant community.

Interview with Seth Donnelly, one of the founders of Taxpayers Against Genocide, a grassroots movement spreading across the U.S., conducted by Scott Harris.

Seth Donnelly talks about his group, Taxpayers Against Genocide, and the National Lawyers Guild International Committee’s legal complaint filed with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights against the U.S. government for complicity in genocide in Gaza. The lawsuit includes notarized affidavits by Palestinian-American plaintiffs who have lost loved ones to the U.S.-funded slaughter of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Interview with Andra Watkins, a New York Times best-selling author and Project 2025 dissector on the Substack online newsletter, "For Such a Time as This, conducted by Scott Harris.

Andra Watkins discusses her recent column, “Project Esther: Where Dissent = Terrorism,” with a focus on the Trump regime’s targeting of individuals and groups protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza and in support of independence and self-determination for Palestine. Watkins says Project Esther’s larger goal is the suppression of all dissent, which they label as terrorism.

Interview with Alan Minsky, executive director of Progressive Democrats of America, conducted by Scott Harris.

Alan Minsky discusses a petition circulated by several progressive groups calling for the Democratic National Committee to “convene an emergency meeting of all its members—fully open to the public—as soon as possible,” to strategize in confronting “the predatory, extreme and dictatorial actions of the Trump administration.” He’ll also review what happened in the May 30th meeting of the DNC’s executive committee.

Interview with Leslie Blatteau, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers.

Leslie Blatteau talks about the CT chapter of the American Federation of Teachers union’s recent civil disobedience protest resulting in the arrest of 10 members and students in front of Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s office at the State Capitol. The protest was part of a campaign to “secure more robust and equitable investments in the state’s neighborhood and magnet schools.”

Interview with Russell Brown, Vietnam veteran, conducted by Scott Harris.

Russell Brown talks about his participation in the 40-day “Veterans & Allies Fast for Gaza,” where dozens of U.S. war veterans and religious activists have gathered at United Nations headquarters in New York City to raise awareness of the famine looming over Gaza. Participants plan to consume less than 250 calories daily, mirroring the average daily nutrient intake of residents in Gaza. The fasters are demanding full humanitarian aid to Gaza under UN authority and no more U.S. weapons to Israel.

Interview with Ron Jacobs, a contributor to Counterpunch.org and author of Nowhere Land: Journeys Through a Broken Nation, conducted by Scott Harris.

Ron Jacobs talks about his commentary, “Culture, Christianity, and the Afrikaner Blues,” in the context of the blatantly false claims made by Donald Trump during South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent meeting at the White House.

Interview with Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, conducted by Scott Harris.

Alex Lawson discusses his group’s strategy to defeat Trump’s grotesque budget bill in the U.S. Senate that mandates the largest cuts in U.S. history — totaling $1.5 trillion from Medicaid and Medicare as well as the the SNAP food assistance program — while disproportionately giving the wealthiest Americans and profitable corporations a tax break that will cost $4 trillion over the next decade. All this while increasing the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion.

Interview with Lia Holland, campaigns and communications director with Fight for the Future, conducted by Scott Harris.

Lia Holland talks about her group’s opposition to a provision included in this year’s Republican reconciliation bill, similar to last year’s H.R. 9495, which would allow the Trump regime to remove the tax-exempt status of nonprofits that it says support terrorism, with no requirements for providing evidence to prove such a charge, as a way to punish charities that advocate for issues that don’t align with Trump’s MAGA agenda.

Interview with Sim Kern, a former teacher, journalist, novelist, and best-selling author of The Free People’s Village, conducted by Scott Harris, conducted by Scott Harris.

Sim Kern talks about his new book, Genocide Bad: Notes on Palestine, Jewish History, and Collective Liberation, a part-activist memoir, part-crash course in Jewish and Palestinian history. Genocide Bad dismantles Zionist propaganda in 10 unapologetic essays, drawing connections between Biblical promises and exploding pagers, medieval dress codes and modern-day apartheid.

Interview with Analilia Mejia, co-executive director of Popular Democracy in Action, conducted by Scott Harris.

Analilia Mejia discusses her group’s opposition to the Trump/GOP budget proposal that will cut a combined $1 trillion from Medicaid and the SNAP food stamp program, which will result in 10.3 million people losing Medicaid coverage over the next decade to pay for major tax cuts primarily benefiting the nation’s wealthiest families.

 Interview with Raed Jarrar, advocacy director with the Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), conducted by Scott Harris.

Raed Jarrar, advocacy director with the Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), discusses the group’s views on President Trump’s recent visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the U.A.E., the deals announced, gifts received, and major issues discussed, including the ongoing slaughter and starvation of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

DAWN is an American non-profit organization founded in September 2020 by Saudi U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi before his assassination ordered by the Saudi...

Allison Pilcher, policy director, with the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs discusses several important climate bills currently being debated in the Connecticut state legislature; and Luke Pickrell, a writer and member of Democratic Socialists of America, who talks about his recent Jacobin magazine article, "Only a Democratic Constitution Can Stop Trumpism."

Resistance Roundtable Hosts: Ruth Anne Baumgartner, Scott Harris and Richard Hill

Juan Fonseca Tapia, a lead organizer with the Trust Act Now Coalition, discusses the history of this law, first passed in CT in 2013, then revised in 2019. The latest version, HB 7212, is now before the Conneticut State Legislature and contains an expansion of the protections to undocumented residents in the state.
Interview by Richard Hill

Interview with Jeremy Brecher, a historian, documentary filmmaker, activist, and author of "Strike!" conducted by Scott Harris.

Jeremy Brecher talks about his latest book, “The Green New Deal from Below: How Ordinary People Are Building a Just and Climate-Safe Economy,” which explores community-led initiatives in various sectors such as renewable energy, green schools and fair labor practices.
Brecher has written over a dozen books on labor and social movements, including his widely acclaimed book, “Strike!” which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1972.

Interview with Margaret Poydock, a senior policy analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, conducted by Scott Harris.

Margaret Poydock discusses EPI’s new report, “100 Ways Trump Has Hurt Workers in his First 100 Days,” which she co-authored, as well as the response of workers and opponents challenging the Trump regime policies. His new book Examines “The Green New Deal from Below” Jeremy Brecher, is a historian, documentary filmmaker, activist, and author of over a dozen books on labor and social movements, including his widely acclaimed book, “Strike!” which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1972. Jeremy will talk about his latest book, “...

Interview with Jacob Love, senior attorney with the Boston-based group Lawyers for Civil Rights, conducted by Scott Harris.

Jacob Love talks about his work challenging President Trump’s executive order to strip birthright U.S. citizenship from children born to immigrant parents. He’ll also discuss his concern about reports that the Trump regime is now actively considering deporting immigrants from the U.S. to Libya and Rwanda — as well as the hundreds of Venezuelans who have already been remanded to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison without due process.

A Catholic Worker Activist’s Appeal to Pope Leo to Visit Gaza: Interview with Kathy Boylan, a member of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker community in Washington, D.C., conducted by Scott Harris.

Kathy Boylan discusses her hopes for Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope, as a peacemaker and advocate for social justice, as well as personal appeal to the new Pope to visit Gaza and take a moral stand against Israel’s continuing war against the civilian Palestinian population, and current blockade of all food and humanitarian aid.

...

The May, 2025 Monthly Labor Report focuses on the fully emergent fascist assault on higher education and intellectual life the US with special guest Fred Kowal, president of United University Professions (UUP) and economist Michael Zweig.  The conversation includes an analysis of what social and political forces must coalesce to create a truly effective anti-fascist front.
Host: Richard Hill

Interview with Dr. Kristen Panthagani,  a scholar with the Yale Emergency Scholars (YES) Program, completing an integrated emergency medicine residency and research fellowship focusing on health literacy and communication, conducted by Scott Harris.

"The views expressed in this interview belong to Dr. Panthagani and do not necessarily reflect the views of Yale University or Yale New Haven Hospital."

Dr. Kristen Panthagani discusses criticism of Trump-appointed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s spread of disinformation about the safety of vaccines, promotion of bogus “cures” for the growing measles epidemic, regressive rhetoric about people suffering from au...

Interview with Mark Colville, longtime social justice activist and leader of New Haven CT's Amistad Catholic Worker House, and a Yale student who wishes to remain anonymous, conducted by Scott Harris

Mark Colville discusses Yale University administrator’s decision to revoke Yalies4Palestine university club status, the larger issues of freedom of speech on campus, the illegitimate conflation of any criticism of Israel with antisemitism, and the Trump administration’s attack on colleges and university federal funding to suppress dissent and academic freedom.

Interview with Craig Mokhiber, an international human rights lawyer and former director of the New York Office of the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, conducted by Scott Harris.

Craig Mokhiber discusses Israel’s blockade of food supplies to Gaza, starving 2.3 million Palestinians, the recent International Court of Justice hearings on Israel’s attack on and interference with UNRWA and other UN agencies in Palestine — as well as the long-term impact of Israel and the U.S. government’s undermining of international law and the impact on future conflicts around the world.

Mokhiber is an interna...