The jury has begun its deliberations in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. To discuss, we FEATURE Debbie Hines. Hines is a Washington-DC based trial attorney, legal analyst, former Baltimore prosecutor and member of the Supreme Court bar. She is an expert in criminal law, high-profile criminal cases, gun control and gun laws, police brutality, death penalty, domestic violence and Supreme Court cases. Hines often addresses legal/political issues at the intersection of gender, race and class. As a former felony prosecutor, she tried homicides, attempted murders, rapes, burglaries, robberies, narcotics and economic crimes. Media includes: The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, The Hill, The Huffington Post, CBS, PBS, NPR.

The trial of the three white men who killed Ahmaud Arbery continues after Judge Walmsley rejected a request from the defense for a mistrial after they claimed Black pastors unfairly influenced the jury. To discuss, we FEATURE Reverend Irene Monroe. Reverend Monroe is an ordained minister, motivational speaker and she speaks for a sector of society that is frequently invisible. A native of Brooklyn, NY, Monroe graduated from Wellesley College and Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University, and served as a pastor at an African-American church in New Jersey before coming to Harvard Divinity School to do her doctorate. Media includes: The Advocate, Huffington Post, Baywindows, Cambridge Chronicle.

COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the U.S.—primarily in the Southwest, Midwest, and parts of the Northeast—and is halting the stateside decline of the Delta variant. To discuss, we FEATURE Susan Blumenthal, MD. Blumenthal served as U.S. Assistant Surgeon General, Senior Global Health Advisor and the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of Women’s Health in the US Department of Health and Human Services and was a White House Advisor on Health. She is currently a Senior Fellow in Health Policy at the New America, Senior Policy and Medical Advisor at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research and Chair of the Global Health Program at the Meridian International Center where her work focuses on a broad range of public health and science issues facing the nation and world. Media includes: The New York Times, Huffington Post, The Medical Herald.

Ahead of the 2022 elections, congressional maps are being redrawn and Republicans are set to take at least five seats due to gerrymandering. To discuss, we FEATURE Brenda Wright. Wright is the Senior Advisor, Legal Strategies at Demos. She has led many progressive legal and policy initiatives on voting rights, campaign finance reform, redistricting, election administration and other democracy and electoral reform issues and is a nationally known expert in these areas. She has argued two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court: Randall v. Sorrell (campaign finance) and Young v. Fordice (voting rights). She has written extensively on democracy and voting rights issues in both popular and scholarly publications. Extensive media experience.

House Democrats are hoping to vote this week on the Build Back Better plan, which amongst other things seeks to provide free, universal pre-K for 3 and 4 year olds, and 4 weeks of paid family leave. To discuss, we FEATURE Katie Bodendorfer Garner. Garner focuses on culture of motherhood in US, childcare crisis, mother/nanny relationship, intersectional feminism, and labor equality. She has been executive director of International Association of Maternal Action and Scholarship (IAMAS) since 2019. Her (in-progress) book, The Illusion of Choice, covers interviews with nearly 100 U.S. women and addresses inequalities of work, childcare, and motherhood. Media includes: Chicago Tribune, Authority magazine, Fast Company, WGN Radio, CBS.

As the pandemic continues and things begin to open up again, many workers are choosing to quit in what is being called the "Great Resignation" in order to find better pay and more flexibility. To discuss, we FEATURE Robin Leeds. Leeds is the founder and managing director of Winning Strategies LLC, a public affairs and political consulting firm based in Washington, DC. Leeds has devoted her career to expanding access to economic, civil, and social opportunities for all Americans and is a powerful voice for women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, and other underrepresented groups. She has a proven track record in the private sector and successfully guided numerous companies through public crises. Under her stewardship, major corporations have instituted socially responsible policies and programs creating diverse, inclusive and fair workplaces. Media includes: Chicago Tribune, Politico, The New York Times, France 24.

The Ghislaine Maxwell trial begins this week in New York City. Maxwell, who had close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, is being accused of sex trafficking. To discuss, we FEATURE Mary David. An advocate for women, girls, and victims of trauma, David has devoted her life’s work to empowering survivors of sexual assault, abuse, and human trafficking. While serving as a prosecutor in Baltimore City, David was the lead on human trafficking cases in District Court and handled almost 2,000 criminal cases. She testified on behalf of the Office of the State’s Attorney for judiciary and public hearings in support of human trafficking legislation. Formerly a United Nations Advisor on Women and Children’s issues, Mary has defended the rights of underserved populations at the UN General Assembly and other key institutions. Media includes: Huffington Post, Teen Vogue, Baltimore Sun, ABC, CBS, Fox.

President Biden is holding a virtual summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the U.S.-China economic relationship. One of their priorities will be Taiwan as tensions rise between China and Taiwan. To discuss, we FEATURE Ann Lee. Lee is an internationally recognized leading authority on China’s economic relations and an adjunct professor of economics and finance at New York University. She is also a former visiting professor at Peking University where she taught macroeconomics and financial derivatives. She consults with policymakers from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the U.S. about U.S.-China relations, international finance and trade, and China’s political economy. Media includes: The New York Times,The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Forbes, ABC, CBS, CNN.

Sesame Street has debuted its first Asian American muppet, Ji-Young. To discuss, we FEATURE Nancy Wang Yuen. Wang Yuen is a sociology professor at Biola University. Her book, Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism (2016, Rutgers University Press), examines the barriers actors of color face in Hollywood and how they creatively challenge stereotypes. She is a sought-after expert on race and media. With a research team, Nancy pioneered the first policy report on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in primetime television in 2006. Media includes: Associated Press, New Republic, Buzzfeed.

November is American Indian Heritage Month. To commemorate, we FEATURE Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation). Keene is a Native scholar, writer, and blogger and is passionate about reframing how the world sees contemporary Native cultures. She is the creator and author of Native Appropriations, a blog discussing cultural appropriation and stereotypes of Native peoples in fashion, film, music, and other forms of pop culture. She is currently an Assistant Professor of American and Ethnic Studies at Brown University. Through her writing and activism, Keene questions and problematizes the ways Indigenous peoples are represented, asking for celebrities, large corporations, and designers to consider the ways they incorporate "Native" elements into their work. Media includes: Time, Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, NPR.