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

1) Michael Sozan, a senior fellow at American Progress, talks about his recent article written with Ben Olinsky, their critically important and comprehensive report: "The Trump Administration Is Interfering in the 2026 Midterm Elections To Entrench the Imperial Presidency," that lays out the existential threat posed to democracy this November, that isn't getting the attention it so desperately deserves right now.

2) Dr. Jake Scott, a clinical associate professor of infectious diseases at Stanford University School of Medicine, and a coauthor of "Updated evidence for COVID-19, RSV, and Influenza Vaccines for 2025-2026" in the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Scott discusses his 8/11/26 commentary, "What the vaccine executive order gets wrong, and what it will cost us," which examines the consequences of President Trump's August 10th 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.

3) Thomas Meyer, Deputy Political Director of Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Action, 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.

4) 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.

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

Connecticut's Democratic Primary is Tomorrow. Tues, 8-11-26.

Tune into WPKN 89.5 FM, WPKN.org - tonight at 8:00 pm EDT when the Counterpoint program will present the two gubernatorial candidates: Governor Ned Lamont and State Rep. Josh Elliott discussing the issues.

Counterpoint host Scott Harris conducts back-to-back interviews where the two candidates discuss their positions on voter's top issues including: skyrocketing health care costs, taxing the rich, the high cost of electricity and the urgent need to build affordable housing.

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

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

2) Branko Marcetic, a Jacobin staff writer and the author of "Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden," assesses recent Democratic Party primary victories by progressive candidates and members of the Democratic Socialists of America, the millions of dollars spent by AIPAC and centrist Democrats to defeat them, and efforts to unify the party before the November Midterm election.

3) Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and State Rep. Josh Elliott are interviewed about their candidacies on the eve of the Tuesday, August 11 Democratic Party Primary election for Governor. They discuss their positions on voter's top issues including, skyrocketing health care costs, taxing the rich, the high cost of electricity and the urgent need to build affordable housing.

4) Autumn Waddell an activist with the Elbit Out of South Carolina coalition, discusses the recent arrests of three protesters picketing outside the Elbit Systems of America factory in Ladson, South Carolina -- and issues related to 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 banned under the Terrorism Act, designating it as a proscribed "terrorist" organization.

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

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

1) Jason Stanley professor of philosophy and chairman of American studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, and author "How Fascism Works," and "Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future." Professor Stanley discusses Trump's very open escalation of threats against the November midterm election, rising violence from masked ICE agents, the building of concentration camps nationwide -- as the regime criminalizes and targets voting rights groups, journalists, progressive dissidents, universities and perceived enemies.

2) Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who was a New York Times foreign correspondent and bureau chief in the Middle East and the Balkans for fifteen years, and author. His book, "War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning," was a National Book Critics Circle finalist. His recent titles include, "A Genocide Foretold: Reporting on Survival and Resistance in Occupied Palestine." Chris will discuss his recent commentary titled, "Trump’s Phantom Enemies," that asserts the Trump regime in linking Cuba with domestic, communist subversion is laying the groundwork for McCarthyite blacklisting and criminalizing of all left-wing, progressive, anti-war and anti-imperialist dissent.

3) J. Patrick Coolican, Editor-in-Chief of Minnesota Reformer, 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 internal memo titled, “Act Free to Be Free." Addressing both the worry and complacency among many Democrats re: what Trump is clearly planning to intervene and attempt to manipulate thre outcome of the November midterm election.

4) Stanley Heller, administrator of the New Haven CT based group Promoting Enduring Peace and host of the TV newsmagazine “The Struggle," 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 December 27, 2024. Reports indicate Dr Safiya is suffering deteriorating health without adequate medical attention, where eyewitnesses say his condition is life threatening, unless freed very soon.

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