Counterpoint 01-13-25: Scott Harris discusses The consequences of Trump's plan to pardon January 6 Insurrectionists; Facebook dumps platform fact-checking amplifying Trumps lies; LA wildfires, climate crisis and the future of public policy; Amazon Labor U

Counterpoint with Scott Harris

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

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WPKN Archives

1) Trump Pardon of J-6 Insurrectionists: A Disaster for Democracy, Rule of Law

Public Citizen Democracy Campaign Co-Director Jonah Minkoff-Zern talks about his group's position on Donald Trump's campaign pledge to pardon convicted January 6th insurrectionists that was explained in their recent press release, "If Trump Pardons January 6 Insurrectionists, He Will Further Betray the American People," He'll also assess the consequences of this act for the rule of law, and the signal it will send to rightwing domestic terrorists.

2) Facebook Dumping Fact-Checking Promotes Trump Lies and Disinformation

Ahmed Baba a journalist and columnist at The Independent, talks about his recent article, "How Zuckerberg’s Meta Policy Changes Empower Trump’s Disinfo Machine," re: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's announcement that Facebook will abandon professional third-party content moderation and fact checking in favor of the user-generated “Community Notes” model Elon Musk uses.

3) Los Angeles Wildfire Catastrophe, the Climate Crisis and the Future of Public Policy

Michael Richardson an activist with the elder-focused group Third Act, talks about the real world impact of the climate crisis we see now in the catastrophic fires in Los Angeles, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events across the globe. He'll also assess the incoming Trump administration's plan to implement destructive climate policies, and what our listeners can do to effectively express their opposition.

4) Amazon Labor Union's Christmas Strike Succeeds in Organizing First National Action

Sultana Hossain, Recording Secretary with the Amazon Labor Union discusses her union's recent national holiday strike, the ongoing campaign pressuring Amazon to negotiate with the union to sign and implement fair contracts, and concern about the Trump administration's declared hostility to labor rights, and the future of the U.S. labor movement.