WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast

Interview with Ken Bossong, executive director of the nonprofit Sun Day Campaign, conducted by Scott Harris.Ken Bossong discusses his year-end review of reports from FERC and EIA regarding the mix of renewable energy sources that now comprise 30 percent of total U.S. electrical generating capacity, and is on track to reach 37 percent by the end of 2027. He also addresses prospects for setbacks that may be ahead for renewal energy under President Trump who has declared climate change as a “hoax” and has pledged to repeal some of the Biden administration’s key renewable energy/climate change programs and funding.

Interview with David N. Gibbs, professor of history at the University of Arizona and author of Revolt of the Rich: How the Politics of the 1970s Widened America's Class Divide, conducted by Scott Harris.David Gibbs shares his views on late President Jimmy Carter’s legacy, both in economics and foreign policy, that many corporate media obituaries of the 39th U.S. president omit.

Interview with Sasha Abramsky, The Nation magazine's Western correspondent and author of Chaos Comes Calling: The Battle Against the Far-Right Takeover of Small-Town America, conducted by Scott Harris.Sasha Abramsky discusses his recent article, “Will Trump Weaponize the FCC to Crack Down on Media Outlets He Doesn’t Like?” and the alarming anticipatory obedience we see toward Trump from Jeff Bezos, Patrick Soon-Shiong, ABC News, Mark Zuckerberg, et al.  He is the author of The American Way of Poverty, The House of Twenty Thousand Books, Little Wonder: The Fabulous Story of Lottie Dod.

The Organic Farm Stand  --Hot Topics:  The return of light, the polar vortex, what to do with fire place ash  --The Honey Bee Update with Vincent Kaye  --John Kenny of Big Train Farm talks about the history of his CSA and the trials and tribulations of organic certificationHosts:  Richard Hill and Diane Lauricella

Interview with Eric LeCompte, executive director of the Jubilee USA Network, United Nations finance expert, and advisor to the Vatican and Catholic Bishops on debt and economic issues, conducted by Scott Harris.Eric LeCompte discusses Pope Francis’ call for debt cancellation for developing nations, reforming the international finance system to protect the poor and the urgent need to address the global climate crisis.

Interview with Michel S. Moushabeck is a writer, editor, publisher and the founder of Interlink Publishing, conducted by Scott Harris.Michel Moushabeck discusses his article, “Palestinians Endure Another Christmas of Genocide and Displacement,” and issues related to U.S. Middle East policy under President Biden and the future under Donald Trump. He is also founder of Interlink Publishing, a 32-year-old independent publishing house.  Moushabeck is recipient of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee’s Alex Odeh Award and is also a musician of Palestinian Arab Descent.

Interview with Kate Kelly, senior director of the Women's Initiative at the Center for American Progress, conducted by Scott Harris.Kate Kelly talks about the new national alliance that’s now urging President Biden to instruct the national archivist to certify and publish the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which has been approved by two-thirds of Congress and ratified by three-fourths of the states, yet remains unpublished due to disagreement regarding the seven-year time limit Congress set in its ERA preamble that expired in the 1970s.  Kelly was also former legislative director for Rep. Cori Bush, D-Missouri, who helped found the first-ever Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Caucus in Congress.

Interview with Marjorie Cohn, professor emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and past president of the National Lawyers Guild, conducted by Scott Harris.Marjorie Cohn discusses her recent article, “Trump Is Using ‘Unitary Executive’ Theory in His Bid to Amass Supreme Power,” issues related to Trump and co-president billionaire Elon Musk and “Project 2025’s” blueprint to impose an authoritarian state replacing democratic institutions.

Interview with Jasmine Rivera, executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition, conducted by Scott Harris.Jasmine Rivera discusses her group’s Dec. 18 protest action on Philadelphia’s Ben Franklin Bridge, demanding President Biden issue directives to protect immigrants from Trump’s mass deportation plan before he leaves office and the nationwide activism that will be necessary to effectively challenge Trump’s anti-immigrant policies over the next four years.

Interview with Parker Molloy, media critic and publisher of the Present Age newsletter, conducted by Scott Harris.Parker Molloy talks about her recent article, “One Day in Anti-Trans America,” with a focus on Trump and the GOP’s demonization of the trans community, the Democrat’s non-response, and the failure of corporate media’s coverage of right-wing extremists’ dangerous scapegoating, which leads to violence.