Tomorrow, President Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address to Congress. To discuss, we FEATURE Donna R. Hoffman, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Northern Iowa. Her research focuses on both electoral politics and presidential rhetoric. She is the co-author of Addressing the State of the Union: The Evolution and Impact of the President’s Big Speech (Lynne Rienner Publishers 2006). Professor Hoffman’s research on presidential rhetoric examines the way that presidents communicate their policy agendas with both Congress and the public, especially through State of the Union addresses. Her work on electoral politics examines changes in the partisan composition of the American electorate. Media includes: Time Magazine, Bloomberg News, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, NBC.
The mayor of Elizabeth City, North Carolina called a state of emergency in advance of the sheriff's department releasing bodycam footage of deputies shooting and killing Andrew Brown Jr. To discuss, we FEATURE Crystol Sills. As co-founder and executive director at Missin Peace—the nation’s only public police misconduct registry, Sills is the premier expert on police reform. After years of research and studies of countless cases of police misconduct, she and her team have pinpointed a solution to end repeat atrocities of police violence. Starting in 2017, she and co-founder Dr. Jiovanni Felton began developing the Missin Peace Database™. This system aggregates formal police complaints from the public (copies of the records often buried in internal databases) and makes them accessible to investigative journalists, hiring managers, and civil rights attorneys. Media includes: The Highest Ground Podcast, The Boston Herald, Marketplace.
On Monday, the Supreme Court heard at a case involving anonymous donations, rich donors, and tax breaks. The case will decide whether nonprofits are obliged to name their largest donors. To discuss, we FEATURE Lisa Dietlin. Dietlin is an internationally recognized expert on philanthropy, charitable giving and transformational change who, as a leading figure in the American nonprofit sector, is a highly coveted keynote speaker, media personality, philanthropic consultant, coach and facilitator. Dietlin’s decades-long experience in the fundraising and nonprofit arenas, groundbreaking research on giving patterns, and influential ideas on transformational philanthropy have led her to become one of the most trusted philanthropic advisors in the nation. Media includes: USA Today, Marketwatch, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, NBC, CBS.
The Supreme Court will consider the scope of the Second Amendment next term by looking at a New York law that restricts people from having concealed handguns. To discuss, we FEATURE Shannon Watts. Watts is Founder of Moms Demand Action. Moms Demand Action has established a chapter in every state of the country and is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country, with more than three million supporters. Moms Demand Action began as a Facebook group with the message that all Americans can and should do more to reduce gun violence. The online conversation turned into grassroots movement of American mothers fighting for public safety measures that respect the Second Amendment and protect people from gun violence. Media includes: Time, The Washington Post, MSNBC, CNN, NPR.
President Biden will be proposing a new plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans. To discuss, we FEATURE Valerie Wilson. Wilson is the director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy (PREE), a nationally recognized source for expert reports and policy analyses on the economic condition of America’s people of color. She has written extensively on various issues impacting economic inequality in the United States—including employment and training, income and wealth disparities, access to higher education, and social insurance—and has also appeared in print, television, and radio media. Media includes: BET, C-SPAN, NPR, Fox News.
India is experiencing a COVID-19 surge with hospitals running out of oxygen and beds. The U.S. has agreed to send vaccines to help aid in the crisis. To discuss, we FEATURE Zubaida Bai. Bai is the Founder and CEO of ayzh, a social enterprise with a mission to bring simplicity and dignity to women’s health worldwide. She is widely regarded as an expert and a leader in the field of designing low-cost health products customized for the developing world. Her award-winning $3 Clean Birth Kit in a Purse contains simple, essential tools recommended by the World Health Organization to prevent infection at the time of childbirth and ensure a safe and hygienic birth. Media includes: Al Jazeera, Financial Times, Economic Times, CNBC, BBC.
Alexei Navalny's political organization has been suspended ahead of a court ruling that is expected to categorize the group as a terrorist organization. To discuss, we FEATURE Toby Gati. Gati is President of TTG Global LLC. Formerly Senior International Advisor at the global law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, she focused on political, economic and trade developments in Russia, Eurasia, and Central and Eastern Europe. She also provided assessments of various politically sensitive regions of the world, as well as analyses of the workings of international political and economic institutions. Gati has lectured and published on U.S.-Russia relations, American foreign policy and the work of the United Nations and other international organizations. Media includes: The Washington Times, The Moscow Times, CNN, ABC, NPR.
Political tensions in Somali are high as current president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed failed to hold an election and extended his term by two more years. To discuss, we FEATURE Frances Z. Brown. Brown is a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she researches stabilization, development, state-building, and governance in conflict-affected states. Brown arrived at Carnegie in September 2017 from the White House National Security Council (NSC) staff, where she served for eighteen months under both the Obama and Trump administrations. As Director for Democracy and Fragile States, she advised White House leadership and managed interagency policy processes on key political transitions, post-conflict stabilization efforts, democratic institution building, and civilian support to counter-terrorism missions. Media includes: The Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Al Jazeera, Los Angeles Times.
Chloé Zhao has become the first woman of color and Asian woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director. To discuss this historical moment, we FEATURE Nancy Wang Yuen. 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. With a research team, Yuen pioneered the first policy report on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in primetime television in 2006. She is a sought-after expert on race and media. Media includes: Associated Press, The New Republic, Buzzfeed.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Megha Ramaswamy. As a sexual health researcher and academic, Ramaswamy's work has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health. She has worked for the last fifteen years studying how the intersection of urban living, race, class, and gender structure health and social risk for women and men involved in the criminal justice system. Her work has led to the development of behavioral and systems-level interventions that address the intersection of trauma, sexual health, and cancer prevention. Media includes: Rewire, The Medical Care Blog.
WMC SheSource has a list of experts on topics related to sexual violence.
The U.S. Census has released state population counts for reapportionment, showing which states have gained or lost population, congressional representation and electoral votes. To discuss, we FEATURE Beth Jarosz. Jarosz is a senior research associate in PRB’s United States Programs division where she manages several projects and works on a variety of topics including child health and well-being, local population growth and demographic change, women's well-being, and inequality. She has published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on a wide range of U.S. demographic topics including census data, and population estimation and forecasting methods. Media includes: The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, USA Today.















