COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org

Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint

1) Victor Pickard is Professor of Media Policy and Political Economy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, where he co-directs the Media, Inequality & Change Center. Professor Pickard discusses the important issues examined in his recent Nation magazine article, "The Media’s Profits Trump Democracy, Once Again: Paramount’s settlement with Trump is a symptom of deep structural rot in our corporate media system." In his analysis Professor Pickard goes beyond the predictable commentary on "bad media companies" surrendering to Trump, but discusses the urgent need to envision a community-based media system that prioritizes journalism, democracy and equality over profit.

2) Kali Holloway is a columnist for The Nation and the former director of the Make It Right Project, a national campaign to take down Confederate monuments and tell the truth about history. She'll discuss her recent article, "The Real Reason Those White South Africans Are Here," with a focus on the multiple ways the Trump regime is carrying out an explicitly racist, white supremacist agenda. She'll also address corporate media's failure to call out Trump's racism, while normalizing his actions driven by hate and bigotry.

3) Interviews with participants in the pro-democracy, anti-Trump ‘No Kings Day’ June 14, 2025 protests in Trumbull and Newtown CT. The ‘No Kings Day’ protests involved 2,100 protest sites across the U.S. and attracted the participation of an estimated 5 million protesters.

4) Debra, an organizer with the group Indivisible Amity, CT -- and Tom of the Indivisible chapter in Orange CT, discuss plans for the Thursday, July 17th "Good Trouble Lives On Rally" — with speakers and music on the New Haven Green in downtown New Haven, CT from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. This event, part of day of some 1,000 +protests nationwide, is being organized in response to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration -- and in defense of voting rights, democracy, and civil liberties, is inspired by the legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis who died 5 years ago and his lifelong call to get into “good trouble.”

COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org

Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint

1) Adam W Gaffney, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Bruce Lesley, President of the group First Focus on Children discuss the expected overall healthcare impact of the Trump/GOP federal budget bill just passed by Congress that cuts $1 trillion from Medicaid and Medicare, will take away millions of poor families's access to food and nutrition programs, and close hundreds of community hospitals. Both will also address viable alternatives to America's current failed for-profit healthcare system.

2) Chris Lehmann, the DC Bureau chief for The Nation magazine and a contributing editor at The Baffler, discusses the important and timely issues examined in his recent Nation article, "Trump's Big Bill is Building a Big Police State," "explaining that with more than $150 billion in outlays to expand the horrific surveillance, detention, and rendition regime created under the Laken Riley Act, the measure will carry out Trump’s pledge to make the terror wreaked by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, alongside federal and National Guard troops, in Los Angeles the standard operating procedure for immigrant roundups going forward."

3) Teddy Wilson, a journalist and researcher with more than a decade of experience covering the U.S. Radical Right who publishes the Radical Reports newsletter, talks about indicted January 6th insurrectionist, Jared L. Wise's appointment as a counselor to Ed Martin, Director of the so-called Dept. of Justice 'Weaponization Working Group,' and also discusses investigations he's conducted in his "Pardon Tracker" series re: the alarming activities of insurrectionists and other convicted criminals after they were pardoned by Donald Trump.

4) Maggie Mitchell Salem, Executive Director of the CT based group IRIS, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, discusses the impact of the Trump administration's new immigration policies on IRIS services, as well as federal funds revoked or withdrawn from IRIS' budget. She'll also talk about her group's new 'Know Your Rights' campaign that was launched on the July 4th weekend, and other projects and services local listeners can support or volunteer for.

COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org

Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint

1) Sarah Kendzior, author of four bestselling books including, “They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent,” and her latest, "The Last American Road Trip," talks about the Trump - GOP mafia state's aggressive attack on the U.S. constitution, rule of law and dissent, as the regime deploys National Guard troops and the Marines to U.S. cities and instigates war (with Israel) against Iran.

2) Amanda Marcotte, a senior politics writer at Salon.com and author of "Troll Nation: How The Right Became Trump-Worshipping Monsters Set On Rat-F*cking Liberals, America, and Truth Itself," talks about her recent commentary, "Evangelicals push Trump into conflict with Iran," making the case that the Christian right remains Trump's most important constituency.

3) India Walton, senior strategist with RootsAction.org, won the Democratic primary for mayor of Buffalo, N.Y. in 2021, but lost the general election after establishment Democrats, Republicans and the city's business sector pulled out all the stops to defeat her. She'll discuss Zohran Mamdani's apparent and historic victory in the New York City primary election, and the attacks and obstacles he'll likely face in the general election campaign as the Democratic Party establishment, their corporate allies and Wall Street attempt to smear Zohran as a "dangerous Muslim socialist."

4) Dulce Guzman, Executive Director of Alianza Americas discusses her group's response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that limits the power of federal judges to issue nationwide injunctions, without addressing the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship. She'll also talk about the next steps in defending the U.S. Constitution from Trump regime authoritarian rule.

COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org

Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint

1) Trump's Bombing of Iran an Echo of Disastrous Iraq War

Phyllis Bennis, director of the Institute for Policy Studies’ New Internationalism Project, 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.

2) Trump & MAGA's Embrace of Political Violence Kills

David Schultz, Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Political Science, Environmental Studies, and Legal Studies at Hamline University, 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’ll examine Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s embrace and normalization of political violence, such as the January 6th Capitol insurrection and the more recent deployment of U.S. military forces to suppress anti-Trump/ICE protests in Los Angeles, and how Trump’s MAGA movement could employ political violence to extinguish U.S. democracy.

3) Democrats Must Adopt Progressive Economic Agenda to Defeat Trump and Protect Democracy

Norman Solomon, co-founder of RootsAction.org, executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy and author 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.

4) Danbury CT Immigration Activists Organize the Community to Counter ICE Deportation Raids

Carolina Bortolleto, co-founder and Co-Executive Director with Connecticut Students for a Dream, and immigrant rights activist 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.

COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org

Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint

1) Jennifer Loewenstein, former associate director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 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.

2) Elizabeth Jacobs, professor emeritus, of epidemiology at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, discusses her alarm at Trump’s Health and Human Services Secreatary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s removal of 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 pandemic.

3) Sasha Abramsky, The Nation magazine’s Western correspondent and author, his latest titled, "Chaos Comes Calling: The Battle Against the Far-Right Takeover of Small-Town America." He'll talk about his recent articles, "Trump Calls Up the Marines. Democracy Is in Danger," and "Trump’s Dangerous Escalation in LA," and discuss the most dangerous authoritarian actions Trump may take in the coming days.

4) 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 on Iraq, 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 re: militarized ICE deportation raids, and growing concern about the Trump regime's partisan politicization of the U.S. military.

COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org

Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint

1) Israel's Seizure of Ship Carrying Humanitarian Aid to Gaza Violates International Law
Craig Mokhiber, is an international human rights lawyer and former director of the New York Office of the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights who resigned in protest in 2023 due to the unfolding Gaza genocide and the UN’s failures. He'll discuss 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.

2) No Kings June 14th AntiTrump Nationwide Protests, Likely to be the Biggest Since Trump Returned to the White House

Tamika Middleton, Managing Director of Women's March, discusses a broad coalition's plans for the June 14th national No Kings and Kick Out The Clowns protests in the face of President Trump and the Republican Party's attack on democracy and the rule of law, that are being organized in more than 1,600 locations across the U.S.

3) Trump Attacks on LGBTQ Community Provokes Energized Resistance

Human Rights Campaign National Press Secretary Brandon Wolf provides an overview of Donald Trump's many attacks on the LGBTQ+ community over the first 5 months of his administration, and in the first few days of June Pride Month. He'll also discuss how HRC and a national coalition of allied groups are pushing back in the courts and on the street.

4) If Trump Imposes Insurrection Act the US Will be on its Way to Dictatorship

Charles Haynes with the group Citizens Against Tyranny in America 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 his concern that Trump may soon be deploying US military troops against US citizens protesting his authoritarian power grab, and the need for protest organizers to be prepared on how to respond.

COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org

Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint

1) Progressive Groups Demand Democrats Hold Emergency Meeting to Develop Effective Challenge to Trump's Autocracy

Alan Minsky, executive director of Progressive Democrats of America, 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.

2) 'Project Esther' Advocates Suppression of Pro-Palestinian Protest, But Equates All Dissent with Terrorism

Andra Watkins, a New York Times best-selling author, who’s devoted many months researching and dissecting Project 2025 on her Substack online newsletter, "For Such a Time as This,” She'll discuss her recent column, "Project Esther: Where Dissent = Terrorism," with a focus on how 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, have as their larger goal the suppression of all dissent that they label as terrorism.

3) Group Files Human Rights Complaint Against US for Complicity with Israel's Gaza Genocide

Seth Donnelly one of the founders of Taxpayers Against Genocide, a grassroots movement spreading across the US, who talks about his group's class action lawsuit in Northern California against Congresspersons for their use of tax dollars to fund Israel's genocide in Gaza.

4) Coalition Wins Amendments to Connecticut 'Trust Act,' Strengthening Protections for Immigrant Community

Juan Fonseca of Danbury, the campaign manager of the Trust Act NOW! coalition, 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.

COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org

Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint

1) The Deadly Impact of Trump-GOP House Budget Bill

Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works, discusses his group's strategy to defeat Trump's grotesque budget bill in the U.S. Senate that mandates the largest cuts to Medicaid and Medicare in U.S. history, slashing 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.

2) Trump White Supremacy on Full Display in Meeting with South Africa's President

Ron Jacobs, contributor to Counterpunch.org and author of "Nowhere Land: Journeys Through a Broken Nation," 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 Ramaphosa's recent meeting at the White House.

3) Veterans' Fast Demands Israel Restore Full Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

Vietnam Veteran Russell Brown, talks about his participation in the 40-day “Veterans & Allies Fast for Gaza,” where dozens of US war veterans and religious activists have gathered at United Nations headquarters in New York City, with the goal of raising awareness of the famine looming over Gaza. Participants plan to consume less than 250 calories a day, mirroring the average daily nutrient intake of residents in Gaza. The fasters are demanding 1) Full humanitarian aid to Gaza under UN authority and 2) No more U.S. weapons to Israel.

4) Connecticut Teachers Union Civil Disobedience Protest Calls for Equitable Funding for State's Schools

Leslie Blatteau, President of the New Haven Federation of Teachers 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 CT Governor Ned Lamont's office at the State Capitol. The protest was part of a campaign to "secure more robust and equitable investments in Connecticut’s neighborhood and magnet schools."