A COVID-19 "double variant" was found in California. The double variant means that there are two mutations on the same coronavirus strain. To discuss, we FEATURE Aletha Maybank. Dr. Maybank is a highly respected physician on a mission. Currently, she is an Assistant Commissioner at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Dr. Maybank is also a Founding Board Member of the Artemis Medical Society, an organization created in 2012 to support and nurture women physicians of color worldwide with a current engagement of over 3,500 women. Her areas of expertise include preventive medicine, health injustice and inequities, food and fitness, maternal and child health, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and community health. Media includes: MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry Show, Disney Jr.'s DocMcStuffins, WBLS Daily Dose, Good Morning America.

Florida is evacuating people from their homes as concern grows over a wastewater pond that has begun to leak and could potentially collapse. The leak is at the Piney Point phosphate processing plant. To discuss, we FEATURE Anna Eskamani. Eskamani is an Orlando native and daughter of immigrants who has worked relentlessly her entire life to protect all members of our community through effective advocacy, bold leadership, and strategic management. A bridge builder, Anna flipped her legislative seat in 2018 and won her re-election by an overwhelming majority in 2020. She made history as the first Iranian-American elected to any public office in Florida and has championed critical issues like economic justice, environmental protection, equality for all, funding for public schools and support of arts and culture. Media includes: The Central Florida Future, Citrus Chronicle, The Huffington Post, Orlando Sentinel, Florida Today.

Florida Representative Matt Gaetz is under investigation for violating federal sex trafficking laws. Gaetz faces multiple sexual misconduct allegations. 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. Media includes: Teen Vogue, Huffington Post, The Baltimore Sun, ABC, CBS, Fox.

Several U.S. Army drill instructors have been suspended following allegations from a female soldier that they sexually assaulted her during training. To discuss, we FEATURE Kate Hendricks Thomas. Hendricks Thomas is on the faculty of George Mason University's Department of Global and Community Health and is the author of several books, including Invisible Veterans and her newest, Stopping Military Suicide. Media includes: The Washington Post, The Hill, Task & Purpose, NPR.

On Sunday, a riot broke out in a St. Louis jail, the fourth in the span of a few months. Inmates are concerned about conditions during COVID-19 and demanded court dates—proceedings have been delayed because of the virus. To discuss, we FEATURE Evie Litwok. Litwok is the Founder and Executive Director of Witness to Mass Incarceration (WMI). WMI’s mission is to end mass incarceration by placing formerly incarcerated women and LGBTQIA+ experiences at the center of the fight for alternatives to mass incarceration. She works to change the narrative from invisibility and victimization to empowerment through documentation, leadership training, organizing and advocacy. Litwok walked out of prison homeless, jobless, and penniless. Despite the lack of resources, she began speaking about her experiences in prison and formed WMI. Media includes: The Heat, Talk Poverty, The Nation, Forward.

President Biden has unveiled his Build Back Better infrastructure plan, which has been opposed by Republicans. To discuss, we FEATURE Susan Helper. Helper is the former Chief Economist for the U.S. Commerce Department. She previously served as a senior economist at the Council of Economic Advisers. Her research focuses on the globalization of supply chains, and on how U.S. manufacturing might be revitalized. Helper is the the Carlton Professor of Economics at Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Media includes: The Washington Post, USA Today, The New York Times, Business Week, Wall Street Journal.

Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss has joined Maryland hotelier Stewart W. Bainum Jr. in a bid for Tribune Publishing, which includes The Daily News, The Baltimore Sun and The Chicago Tribune. To discuss, we FEATURE Melita M. Garza. Garza is an associate professor at Texas Christian University’s Bob Schieffer College of Communication in Fort Worth, Texas. She teaches courses on media literacy and fake news, journalism history, business journalism and accountability reporting, and diversity and the media. Prior to earning her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012, she was an award-winning journalist for the Chicago Tribune, Bloomberg News, and the Los Angeles Times, among other organizations.

Harvey Weinstein filed an appeal to overturn his conviction, claiming that the testimony of the women called to court has unfairly influenced the jury. To discuss, we FEATURE Jessi Gold. Gold is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine. She has been featured in, among others, Self, InStyle, Glamour, and the HuffPost. Some of her favorite articles have included writing about Judge Aquilina’s handling of the Larry Nassar case and its importance for survivors, educating about how to prepare for psychotherapy, and writing first person accounts of sexual harassment in healthcare for the InStyle launch of TIME’S UP Healthcare.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forcasts the global economy will recover faster than expected, led by the United States. 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. Media includes: The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Businessweek, Forbes, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, CNBC, Fox Business, NPR.