A federal court in Texas has ordered ballot drop-off boxes be removed across the state and to restrict drop-off sites to one per county. Meanwhile, California Republicans have been ordered to take down unauthorized ballot boxes found in three counties in California. To discuss, we FEATURE Khalilah L. Brown-Dean. Brown-Dean is Associate Professor of Political Science at Quinnipiac University and former Faculty Co-Coordinator of the Health Policy and Advocacy concentration at the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine. With a keen eye toward the practical implications of democratic conflict, her research interests center on voting rights, criminal justice, election administration, and public policy. She has published numerous academic and popular pieces including a co-authored report on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that was presented during the 50th anniversary celebration of the historic Bloody Sunday March in Selma, Alabama. Media includes: The New York Times, Democracy Now, Al-Jazeera, The Hill, NPR.

Low-income students are facing challenges during the pandemic since libraries are closed and many do not have access to computers or wifi at home. To discuss, we FEATURE Janet L. Holmgren. On the frontlines of higher education for more than 35 years, Holmgren was appointed President of Patten University (Oakland, CA) in 2012. She served as President and Susan Mills Professor of Mills College (Oakland, CA) from 1991 to 2011, and continues at Mills as a senior tenured professor of English. Holmgren has also served as chair of the Boards of the American Council on Education, the National Council for Research on Women, the Executive Committee of the Women’s College Coalition, and the California Governance Task Force for the Revision of the Master Plan for Pre-K through 16 Education. Media includes: San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland Tribune, San Jose Mercury News.

Johnson & Johnson has paused its COVID-19 vaccine trial after one of the participants came down with an "unexplained illness." To discuss, we FEATURE Amy Finan, the chief executive officer of the Sabin Vaccine Institute. As CEO, Amy has led the development and implementation of a strategic plan focusing Sabin on a mission to make vaccines more accessible, enable innovation and expand immunization across the globe. Extensive media experience.

This week, Megan Thee Stallion wrote an op-ed for The New York Times to discuss protecting Black women. In the piece, she addressed a violent incident she experienced over the summer where rapper Tory Lanez shot her in both her feet. To discuss, we FEATURE Carolyn West. West is Professor of Clinical Psychology in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences and affiliate Professor in the Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington. She is a nationally recognized Black feminist scholar who investigates gender-based violence in the lives of African American women, with a focus on domestic violence, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. Dr. West has authored more than 70 academic publications and is editor/contributor of "Violence in the Lives of Black Women: Battered, Black, and Blue" (Routledge, 2002). Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Essence Magazine, NPR.

Microsoft has seized control of computers that were installing malicious software onto local government networks, which could have disrupted the November election by interfering with voter registration records. To discuss, we FEATURE Jessica Robinson. Robinson is Founder and CEO of PurePoint International, which works to help people and companies be safe. An expert on both physical and cyber security, Ms. Robinson has served on the Washington DC Police Foundation's Women's Committee and the NYC Police Foundation's Crime Stoppers Committee. Media includes: Security Director Magazine, CommPro.Biz, Talking Alternative Broadcast.

SAG-AFTRA, or the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, has unveiled new resources for preventing sexual harassment and building safer working conditions for members. To discuss, we FEATURE Sarah Beaulieu. Beaulieu is an author, speaker and trains workplaces on sexual harassment prevention and response. Sarah's forthcoming book, Breaking the Silence Habit: A Practical Guide to Uncomfortable Conversations in the MeToo Workplace (Berrett-Koehler) provides an overview of uncomfortable conversations and their role in effective, skills-based sexual harassment training. Media includes: Boston Business Journal, The Associated Press, Providence Journal, Chronicle of Philanthropy, AskMen.

In September, Donald Trump signed an executive order banning the federal government, and its contractors, subcontractors, and grantees, from offering diversity training on racial and gender biases due to them being "divisive" and promoting a "malign ideology." To discuss, we FEATURE Michelle Rivera, PhD. Rivera is a champion for equity and inclusion across multiple public sectors. She is a Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow (2017-2019) and the recently appointed Public Engagement Manager for Diversity and Inclusion at the Field Museum. She earned her doctorate in Communication from the Institute of Communications Research, with a graduate minor in Latina/o Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Media includes: Billboard Magazine, Remezcla, Fusion.

The Supreme Court has paused the census, effectively allowing the Trump administration to shut it down. Most experts say a shortened census would exasperate the problem of undercounting those most difficult to reach – the young, the poor, and those minority groups suspicious of the government. To discuss, we FEATURE Melanie L. Campbell. Campbell is the CEO & President of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, Inc. She has a strong knowledge base in Black voter participation, the census count, civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights, election reform, Katrina-Rita Gulf Coast recovery and rebuilding, youth leadership development, non-profit management and cross-cultural coalition building. Media includes: Washington Post, Black Enterprise, New York Times, Philadelphia Tribune, BET, CNN.

The Arctic has been thawing, with 40% of the 4,000-year-old Milne Ice Shelf melting off and caving into the sea in July. To discuss, we FEATURE Sue Cook. Cook is a glaciologist working at the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre in Tasmania. She earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Oxford and her doctoral degree in glaciology from Swansea University. Her research focuses on the Antarctic ice sheet, and particularly the formation of large icebergs. Media includes: The Conversation, Australian Broadcast Corporation, Beyond Zero Emissions Podcast.