Stephen Zunes, a foreign policy scholar and professor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of San Francisco, analyzes and contextualizes the Jan. 3 US military strike on Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Adela Flores.
Interview by Richard Hill

In this episode of Mic Check, host Tyler Nelson speaks with Terri Eickel, Executive Director of the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network (IREJN), Connecticut’s only faith-based environmental non-profit organization. Committed to justice and grounded in hope, IREJN seeks to inspire and equip Connecticut’s religious communities and their spiritual allies to protect our planet through education, engagement, and advocacy.

Topics covered in their conversation include:

• IREJN's origin story and how Terri came into this work
• the meaning and opportunity of interreligious coalition building
• distinctions between eco-justice (a.k.a. environmental justice) and environmentalism
• barriers to participation preventing vulnerable CT residents from home weatherization
• Residential Energy Preparation Services (REPS) – its success and the need to replenish funding
• the value of rapid solar deployment and turning houses of worship into climate resiliency centers

Find more information about Interreligious Eco-Justice Network at irejn.org or by contacting Terri at terri@irejn.org.

Resources mentioned by Terri include:

• IREJN Energy Efficiency Small Grant Program
• Residential Energy Preparation Services (REPS)
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• EnergizeCT

On the November 18, 2025 episode of Mic Check, host Mike Merli sat down with Debbie Gray, founder of Women Aligned With Abundance (WAWA), a Waterbury-based non-profit focused on women's empowerment.

Debbie spoke about her personal journey, and the motivation and inspiration behind her founding WAWA, and engaging in the women's empowerment work she's doing.

WAWA meets every fourth Wednesday at the North End Recreation Center at 268 North Main Street in Waterbury, Connecticut.

For more information, Debbie and WAWA can be reached at 203-514-2144, via email at wawainc24@gmail.com, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/467279502566892.

WAWA's website is https://wawainc.mailchimpsites.com/.

On the September 21, 2025 episode of Mic Check, host Mike Merli sat down with Derrell Soulds. Derrell was born in Waterbury, Connecticut to a single mother, and has two siblings. He has served over twenty years in and out of prison here in Connecticut, and is currently home and on a positive path. Derrell’s prized possessions are his family members. He has worked hard to earn certifications that include ServeSafe, OSHA 30, Flagging, and a Human Services Certificate via Asnuntuck Community College, with employment tenures at Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Global Steering Company, and as a Support Specialist for Entry Point Staffing. Derrell’s mantra is: “Through God, all things are possible.” During this program, Derrell speaks out about the impacts that systemic racism and the injustices within the prison system have had on him, while also shining a light on his journey, his childhood, the immense and profound love he has for his family, and his hopes and dreams for the future.

Derrell welcomes correspondence and support via email at dsoulds731@gmail.com and via CashApp at $DerrellSoulds.

Isabelle interviews Shannon Downey, aka Badass Cross Stitch, a nationally recognized activist, artist, author and educator. Shannon lives in Chicago and has been organizing community members and resisting the violence of federal agents deployed as part of the Trump administration's Operation Midway Blitz. Since its start in September of 2025 -- this federal invasion of an American city -- has grown in both size and brutality. But something that should not get lost in this narrative is the love, bravery and ferocity that Chicagoans are exhibiting as they defend their communities and their city. Their organizing and tactics provide a model for communities around the country.
Photo by: Shannon Downey

The upcoming holiday season is known as a time for gathering with friends and family over food. But November 1st marked the cut-off of SNAP benefits and the rapid increase of food insecurity across the nation as part of the Trump administration's continued campaign against immigrants, the working class, and the federal assistance programs which tens of millions depend upon.

In this episode of Mic Check, host Tyler Nelson speaks with Maggie Mitchell Salem, Executive Director of IRIS (Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services), a resettlement agency located in New Haven, Connecticut. Maggie provides an update on IRIS’s new location in downtown New Haven, the Trump regime's continuing erosion of America’s great legacy of bipartisan immigration policy, and what the loss of SNAP and other essential services means for immigrants and U.S.-born citizens. Their conversation concludes on the topic of hope, plus some tangible ways that listeners can help their sisters and brothers around Connecticut experiencing hunger and food insecurity.

Resources recommended by Maggie include:
IRIS Food Pantry (75 Hamilton St, New Haven) is open from 8:30-11:00am on Wednesdays. Donations accepted at irisct.org/donate.

Community Soup Kitchen of New Haven (84 Broadway, New Haven) provides healthy and nutritious meals to all persons. Information at csknewhaven.org.

Connecticut Foodshare connects people with mobile and local food pantries at ctfoodshare.org/find-food.

Laura Modlin interviews Melissa McDowell on how she cured herself with food.

"I have met a lot of people in the local food movement who were set on their path to championing better food after curing themselves with what they ate. So, I am pleased to be able to interview one very special lady on WPKN who did just that." ~ Laura

Photo courtesy of Melissa McDowell.