WPKN Archives: 12.14.15: Counterpoint host Scott Harris discusses Donald Trump and his racism; Assesses the agreement negotiated at the Paris climate summit; Examines the results of Venezuela's legislative election & Ongoing CT janitors contract talks & strike threat

Episode Info

Show:
Counterpoint

Original Aired:
Monday, December 14th, 2015
8:07PM to 10:04PM

Duration:
1 hour, 57 minutes

Posted:
Monday, December 14th, 2015 8:00PM

Tags:
politics economy globalwarming opposition racism election elections union negotiations strike fascism united venezuela seiu gop trump republicans paris xenophobia climatesummit socialistparty inflation janitors


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Episode: 12.14.15: Counterpoint host Scott Harris discusses Donald Trump and his racism; Assesses the agreement negotiated at the Paris climate summit; Examines the results of Venezuela's legislative election & Ongoing CT janitors contract talks & strike threat

Counterpoint, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 - 10:00 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org

1) Chip Berlet is a former analyst with Political Research Associates, who has written about racism and intolerance for over four decades. He'll discuss his recent article, "Trump: An Apocalyptic Messenger for the Christian Right," and related issues such as the long history of xenophobia and racism within the GOP -- and the U.S. political, media response.

2) David Pomerantz, a senior climate and energy campaigner with Greenpeace USA, assesses the results of the UN climate summit in Paris, where 195 nations signed on to an accord that will, for the first time, commit nearly every country to lowering planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. But scientists say the agreed to targets, if reached, will only be half what is necessary to stave off an increase in atmospheric temperatures of 2 degrees Celsius or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. the point at which, researchers have concluded will result in rising sea levels, severe weather, droughts and flooding as well as widespread food and water shortages.

3) Garbriel Hetland, assistant professor of Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies at the University at Albany, SUNY analyzes the results of the Venezuelan election that he explored in a recent Nation Magazine article, "The End of Chavismo? Why Venezuela's Ruling Party Lost Big, and What Comes Next."

4) Alberto Bernardez, Assistant Supervisor of the SEIU 32 BJ union discusses the effort now underway by janitors, including the threat of a strike, to negotiate a new contract with Hartford, CT area building cleaning contractors that would include a fair wage increase, maintaining adequate health and pension benefits and paid sick days.

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 web site and the full 2-hour unedited program can be accessed at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint

Show: Counterpoint

Counterpoint, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00-10:00 pm ET. Webstreaming is at http://wpkn.org/ . Interview segment archives are at counterpointradio.org .

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