WCPT 820 Interview: Peter Gleick

Edwin is joined by Peter Gleick, water and climate scientist, author, and co-founder of The Pacific Institute. Gleick discussed the role of water in the recent Los Angeles fires, highlighting the impact of rising temperatures on soil and vegetation dryness, and criticized President Donald Trump's e…

WCPT 820 Interview: Hadar Harris of PEN America

Edwin is joined by Hadar Harris, PEN America’s managing director, Washington.  Harris discussed the challenges to free speech in the U.S., highlighting the impact of book bans, media restrictions, the marginalization of NGOs, and attacks on higher education, and emphasized the importance of indivi…

WCPT 820 Interview: Ezra Levin

Edwin is joined by Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin, who discussed the importance of grassroots organizing and the need for a unified pro-democracy movement. He highlighted the success of Indivisible's weekly webinars, which have grown from 300 to 10,000 participants and address issues like messag…

WCPT 820 Interview: Dan Shafer

Edwin is joined by Dan Shafer, Civic Media's political editor and founder of The Recombobulation Area. Shafer discussed recent town halls in Wisconsin where Republican representatives have faced strong opposition, particularly over issues like Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficie…

WCPT 820 Interview: Jonathan Katz of Brookings

Edwin is joined by Jonathan Katz, senior director of Anti-Corruption, Democracy, and Security (ACDS) at The Brookings Institution. Katz discussed the seven pillars to defend democracy outlined in Brookings' "Democracy Playbook 2025": protect elections, defend rule of law, fight corruption, reinfor…

WCPT 820 Interview: Professor Don Moynihan

Edwin talks to Don Moynihan, University of Michigan Ford School’s J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy and author of the Can We Still Govern? Substack newsletter. Moynihan highlighted the dangers of "administrative vandalism," citing examples like the Trump administration's fir…

WCPT 820 Interview: The Atlantic's George Packer

Edwin is joined by George Packer, author and staff writer at The Atlantic, who discussed the implications of President Donald Trump's disregard for liberal democracy, citing Trump's actions to undermine the constitutional system of checks and balances, the military, and the rule of law. Packer high…

WCPT 820 Interview: Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe

Edwin is joined by climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, who discussed the challenges of climate change communication in a politically polarized world. She emphasized the importance of having effective, values-based conversations about climate change.  "In the U.S., two-thirds of people are worried …

WCPT 820 Interview: Georgetown's Abraham Newman

Edwin is joined by Abraham Newman, director of the BMW Center for German and European Studies at Georgetown. Newman discussed the weaponization of global financial systems by Elon Musk and the Trump administration and explained how the U.S. government, post-9/11, used financial infrastructures like…

WCPT 820 Interview: Amanda Marcotte

Edwin is joined by Amanda Marcotte, senior writer at Salon.com. Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).