Counterpoint with Scott Harris

Scott Harris
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Each week, host Scott Harris conducts interviews on a wide range of political, economic and social topics with individuals and representatives of organizations not ordinarily accessible in the mainstream media. This show airs weekly on WPKN (wpkn.org) and streams here in podcast form.

  1. 1d ago

    Counterpoint 07-20-26 with Scott Harris discusses: 2 More ICE Shooting Deaths in Texas and Maine; Trump Escalates his Scheme to Subvert Midterm Election; Rising Opposition to Trump Yale University Deal; CT Billboards Educate on Dangers of Factory Farmin

    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) Two More ICE Shooting Deaths in Texas and Maine Trigger Anger and Protests Juan Proaño, Chief Executive Officer of League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) 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 his group LULAC, is demanding immediate transparency, independent investigations, and an end to the Trump administration enabling federal law enforcement officers "hunting for Latinos."   2) Trump Escalates his Scheme to Subvert Midterm Election Robert Weiner, Director of the Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, discusses President Trump's termination of two members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and forced the resignation of the remaining Republican commissioner.  He'll examine how this latest action 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 that 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.   3) Faculty, Students and Alumni Oppose Trump-Yale University Extortion Deal  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, who's most recent book is titled, "A Wider Type of Freedom: How Struggles for Racial Justice Liberate Everyone,” 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.   4) CT Billboards Educate Public on the Many Dangers of Animal Factory Farming Doug Moss, the founder of Earth Action Network, Inc, which for many years published the award-winning E – The Environmental Magazine, and the nationally-syndicated Q&A environmental column, EarthTalk.  Doug will discussing his new goplant-based.org billboard project, which will be launched on July 20th to educate the public about the evils of animal factory farming, which is linked to climate change, pollution, and is an important obstacle in the way of addressing world hunger and global water shortages.

  2. Jul 14

    Counterpoint 07-13-26 with Scott Harris discusses: US Iran War Escalates After Talks Break Down; AS U.S. Healthcare System Fails, Support for Medicare For All Grows; Faculty, Students Oppose Yale-Trump Agreement; Whistleblower Summit Comes to Wash DC

    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) US Iran War Escalates After Talks Break DownRaed Jarrar, advocacy director with the group Democracy for the Arab World (DAWN) which was founded by Saudi U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi before his assassination by the Saudi government in 2018. Jarrar will discuss 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.   2) As U.S. Healthcare System Fails, Support for 'Medicare For All' Grows Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) President, Dr. Diljeet Singh, will talk 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.   3) Faculty, Students Oppose Yale University-Trump Agreement to Avoid Threatened Loss of Federal Funding Amanda Shanor, Associate Professor of Legal Studies & Business Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Yale Law School graduate, 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 Yale Law School, students, faculty members, and alumuni are working to stop the deal.   4) Whistleblower Summit and Film Festival Comes to Washington D.C. July 26-30th. Marcel Reid, a longtime whistle blower advocate, who was National Director and Chair 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 DC.  Marcel will talk about this year's Summit and film festival, as well as the critical importance of whistle blowers for journalism and democracy, as well as the need to protect them from retribution and intimidation to shut them down.

  3. Jul 7

    Counterpoint 07-06-26 with Scott Harris discusses: Nationwide revolt against mass AI surveillance; Corporate democrats freak out over democratic socialist primary wins; SCOTUS narrowly upholds Birthright Citizenship; "The World Is My Country" documentar

    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) Nationwide Revolt Against Mass AI Surveillance on a Winning Streak Hanna Riley Fernandez, a writer and activist based in Burlington, Vermont who investigates 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.   2) Corporate Democrats Freak Out Over Democratic Socialists Primary Wins Norman Solomon, director of RootsAction and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy, 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.   3) After SCOTUS Narrowly Upholds Birthright Citizenship Trump, GOP Congress Move to Overturn this Constitutional Right Todd Schulte, President of FWD.US talks about the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended Temporary Protective Status and the justice's 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 -- and 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.   4) Documentary Film"The World Is My Country" Tells the Story of a Broadway Actor who Sparks a Post WWII Movement for World Peace. Arthur Kanegis, director of the film documentary, "The World Is My Country," talks about his 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.

  4. Jun 30

    Counterpoint 06-29-26 with Scott Harris discusses: NYC Democratic socialist primary victories; Challenging Trump GOP voter suppression, Supreme Court Ends TPS protections for Haitians, Syrians; 'Swarthmore 9' trial defendants stand up for free speech

    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) John Tarleton, editor-in-chief of The Indypendent, New York City's free progressive monthly newspaper, discusses his newspaper’s coverage of New York 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.   2) Carol Evans, Vice President of Policy with Common Cause, talks about her group’s concern about -- and work to protect this November's midterm election from interference and manipulation by the Trump administration and Republican Party. The President and GOP have over recent months taken multiple steps to implement measures with the intent of suppressing the votes of millions of Americans and rigging election results.   3) Guerline Jozef, Executive Director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance discusses her group's view on the consequences of two recent US 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.   4) Brendan Cook, a defendant in the "Swarthmore 9" case 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.

  5. Jun 23

    Counterpoint 06-22-26 with Scott Harris discusses: Donald Trump's Humiliating Iran War Defeat; FBI Targets Ohio Voting Rights Group; Trump Justice Dept. Arrests 15 Minneapolis Anti-Ice Activists; Review of SPLC's Annual Year in Hate & Extremism Report

    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) Donald Trump's Humiliating Iran War Defeat the Most Significant Since Vietnam David Faris, Professor of Political Science at Roosevelt University and author of "The Kids Are All Left: How Young Voters Will Unite America," discusses his recent Nation Magazine commentary, "The Framework for the Iran Peace Deal Means Total Humiliation for Trump," and other developments in the status of U.S.-Iran ceasefire and peace negotiations. 2) FBI Targets Ohio Voting Rights Group in Advance of Critical Midterm Election Dion Nissenbaum, Senior Reporter with Votebeat National, nonpartisan local reporting on elections and voting, to discuss his recent news story, "FBI probe of Ohio voting rights group expands to include an affiliated national advocacy network," and other Trump administration threats to the midterm election he's been covering for Vote Beat. 3) Trump Justice Dept. Arrests 15 Minneapolis Anti-Ice Activists in Another Attack on Free Speech Pastor Doug Pagitt, executive director of the Minneapolis-based national organization Vote Common Good, discusses how the resistance community he works with has been doing since the dark days of the ICE invasion and war in the Twin Cities in January. He'll also talk about the Dept. of Justice recent issue of federal criminal charges against 15 Minneapolis residents in connection with anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis/St. Paul earlier this year, accused of “conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers” and of allegedly “violently” impeding immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities. 4) The Southern Poverty Law Center's 2025 Year in Hate & Extremism Report Summarized Rachel Carroll Rivas, Deputy Director Research, Reporting & Analysis with the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center & SPLC Action Fund, discusses the Center's Annual Year in Hate & Extremism Report, which finds that under the Trump regime far-right extremist groups have gained new power across the federal government, private tech sector and college campuses over the course of 2025.

  6. Jun 16

    Counterpoint 06-15-26 with Scott Harris discusses: The Pentagon's dangerous rush to adopt AI; Trump says Iran peace deal is real this time; Assessing the US left debate on race & class; Congress gives ICE $70 billion opening door to more violence & abus

    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 Pentagon's Dangerous Rush to Adopt and Deploy AI into All Military Missions William D. Hartung, Senior Research Fellow, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft -- and author, with Ben Freeman of "The Trillion Dollar War Machine: How Runaway Military Spending Drives America Into Foreign Wars and Bankrupts Us At Home," discusses his recent Nation magazine article, "The Pentagon Is Going “AI First,” and issues related to growing concern about the unregulated military applications of AI.   2) Trump Says Iran Peace Deal is Real This Time Jennifer Loewenstein, former associate director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, assesses the announcement that the US and Iran reached an initial agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz and further extend a shaky ceasefire in the Iran war, how Israel's ongoing attacks and invasion of Lebanon could derail this peace deal, and the lasting impact of Donald Trump's war will impact America's standing in the world.   3) Assessing the Long US Left Debate on Race and Class David Schultz, Distinguished University Professor, Winston Folkers Endowed Distinguished Faculty Chair at Hamline University, talks about his recent commentary, "What is Wrong With the American Left: the Abandonment of Class," issues related to extending democracy into the economy and how this debate should relate to U.S. electoral politics.   4)  Congress gives ICE $70 Billion Opening Door to More Violence & Abuse Yanira Arias, Advocacy and Leadership Organizer at Alianza Americas, discusses her group's opposition to the recent congressional authorization of $70 billion for the Dept. of Homeland Security to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, without any reforms or restrictions. She'll focus on Alianza America's call on "elected officials to reject the expansion of a system that spreads fear, destabilizes families, and undermines trust in public institutions," and what can be done now to mitigate the harm ICE agents will inflict across the U.S. with their new funding.

  7. Jun 9

    Counterpoint 06-08-26 with Scott Harris discusses: The MAGA Murder of '60 Minutes;' 'Kick Out Corruption Tour' links Trump Grift to Affordability Crisis; DOGE Mass Firings Close Social Security Offices Nationwide; Campaign Warns of Coming Healthcare Cut

    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) Ellisons & Bari Weiss Murder '60 Minutes'  Sophia Tesfaye, a senior writer at Salon.com, talks about her recent commentary, "Bari Weiss brings Trumpism to “60 Minutes, ” re: the Ellison family CBS "murder" of America's highest rated and most watched news program, issues related to MAGA friendly billionaires' takeover of media outlets, and Donald Trump's weaponization of the FCC and other federal agencies to destroy the nation's free press.   2) 'Kick Out Corruption Tour' Links Trump Grift to Affordability Crisis  Stand Up America's Executive Director, Christina Harvey discusses her group's national "Kick Out Corruption Tour," being organized with End Citizens United, to expose how corruption in Washington is driving up costs for everyday Americans, while offering solutions to cleaning up the waste, fraud and abuse that results from unchecked government corruption.   3) Musk-DOGE Mass Firings Close Social Security Offices Nationwide Alex Lawson, executive director of the group Social Security Works, talks about the Increasing number of Social Security offices that are "temporarily closed" while others are chronically understaffed "ghost offices" that only have a skeleton crew left and can’t meaningfully serve the local community. All this while there are reports that the Trump administration is planning to use AI to spy on employees and use low staffing as an excuse to close more offices.   4) Campaign Warns of Coming Catastrophic Healthcare Budget Cuts Sean Strub, an AIDS activist, founder of POZ Magazine, author, and politician talks about the nationwide Seven Days in June campaign, June 1–7, organized to raise awareness about the $1.2 trillion in federal cuts to healthcare programs, the fight to restore funding impacting millions of Americans, and calling on local, state, and federal leaders to protect health as a governing priority.

  8. Jun 2

    Counterpoint 06-01-26 with Scott Harris discusses Trump's Cuba oil blockade &invasion threat; World Press Freedom Index tracks decline of free press globally & in US; CT State Rep. Josh Elliott's primary challenge to Gov. Lamont; Democrats autopsy repor

    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) Peter Kornbluh, director of the Cuba Documentation Project at the National Security Archive in Washington, D.C., and co-author, with William M. LeoGrande, of Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana.  Kornbluh, also the author of The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability, talks about his recent Nation Magazine article, "The CIA Goes to Cuba," and what the Trump regime may be planning after its indictment of Raúl Castro in Florida, possibly kidnapping the aging Cuban leader as they did with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January -- or a U.S. military invasion.   2) Ben Grazda, Advocacy Manager with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Reporters Sans Frontières summarizes RSF's World Press Freedom Index tracking the decline in freedom of the press around the world, and the steep decline here in the U.S. He'll examine some of the long term challenges facing American journalists including: economic pressure leading to the disappearance of many local news outlets, concentration of ownership, political attacks on government critics, and the January 2026 FBI raid on Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's home which sets a dangerous precedent for the future prosecution of journalists doing their jobs.   3) Rep. Josh Elliott of Connecticut's 88th District representing residents of Hamden's Spring Glen, Whitneyville, parts of Centerville and Shepherd Hill neighborhoods. Rep. Elliott, who serves as Deputy House Speaker and Majority Caucus Co-Chair, won 25% of the delegates at the state's Democratic Convention last month, clearing the 15% threshold to force an August primary election against incumbent Democratic Governor Ned Lamont. Lamont won the party's official endorsement with about 75% of the delegate vote. Rep. Elliott will talk about his candidacy, the policies he's advocating, and his strategy to win the August 11th primary.   4) Sam Rosenthal Political Director of Roots Action talks about his recent commentary, "Establishment Democrats Still Don’t Get Why They Lost in 2024," and the critical importance -- in this moment of Donald Trump's multifront violent attack on U.S. democracy -- of having a viable political party to stand as an alternative to Trump and the Republican Party's authoritarian project.

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About

Each week, host Scott Harris conducts interviews on a wide range of political, economic and social topics with individuals and representatives of organizations not ordinarily accessible in the mainstream media. This show airs weekly on WPKN (wpkn.org) and streams here in podcast form.

Information

  • Creator
    Scott Harris
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Squeaky Wheel Productions, Inc.
  • Show Website
    Counterpoint with Scott Harris

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