WPKN Archives: 08-18-25: Counterpoint host Scott Harris discusses Trump's 7-months of authoritarian rule; Trump's militarized occupation of Washington, DC; Paramount's firing of Stephen Colbert linked to FCC approval of corporate merger; Debunking lies re: the homeless

Episode Info

Original Aired:
Monday, August 18th, 2025
8:02PM to 9:31PM

Duration:
1 hour, 29 minutes

Posted:
Monday, August 18th, 2025 8:05PM

Tags:
housing poverty fcc fascism texas crime corruption trump merger whitesupremacy washingtondc authoritarianism repression gerrymandering censorship homelessness lies nationalguard criminalization surrender colbert paramount 2026election rigging


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Episode: 08-18-25: Counterpoint host Scott Harris discusses Trump's 7-months of authoritarian rule; Trump's militarized occupation of Washington, DC; Paramount's firing of Stephen Colbert linked to FCC approval of corporate merger; Debunking lies re: the homeless

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 Chair of American Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, and author of "Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future," and "How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them." Professor Stanley will examine the Trump regime's 7 month history of imposing authoritarian rule, including his issuing a recent executive order mandating an expansive review of the the Smithsonian Institution's museum exhibitions, materials and operation, to ensure they align with President Donald Trump's view of history.

2) Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, discusses her group's response to Donald Trump's militarized takeover of Washington, D.C., and growing concern that this is yet another test (along with Los Angeles) that's laying the groundwork for the deployment of the U.S. military to cities across the nation, and the possible future invocation of the insurrection act and suspension of constitutional rights.

3) Sydney Register, Press Secretary with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and Aaron Stephens, PCCC's Senior Legislative Strategist, will discuss their group's campaign targeting Paramount's cancellation of Stephen Colbert's contract on the Late Show linked with the company's request for FCC approval of their $8 billion merger with Skydance -- and PCCC's response to the Trump regime and GOP's unprecedented effort to gerrymander 5 Congressional seats in Texas and possibly 8-10 seats in other states in advance of the 2026 mid term election.

4) Susan Campbell, Distinguished Lecturer, College of Arts & Sciences at the University of New Haven, discusses her recent commentary, "Debunking lies about America's homeless," in the context of President Trump's takeover of the Washington, D.C.'s Police Department and his announced deployment of 800+ National Guard troops to "crack down on crime and homelessness."

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

 

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