In light of President Trump's defense of his sharing of classified information with Russia, we SPOTLIGHT Nina L. Khrushcheva. Nina is a professor in the Graduate Program of International Affairs at the New School, where she teaches courses on International Media, Comparative Propaganda, Culture and Capitalism, Film and Empire, and Russia’s Contemporary Politics and History. She is also a senior fellow of the World Policy Institute, where she heads the Russia Projects, which examines the contours of the current national identity of Russians and its impact on Russian politics. Media includes: NewHour with Jim Lehrer, Charlie Rose, Lou Dobbs, NPR, BBC, CNN.
WannaCry ransomware has attacked many computers worldwide and, recently, researchers have noticed similar coding to the one used by Lazarus hackers, who have connections to North Korea. To discuss what this worldwide hack could mean, we FEATURE E. Gabriella Coleman. Gabriella is the Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy at McGill University. Trained as an anthropologist, she teaches, writes, and researches on the ethics of computer hacking with a focus on open source software and the protest ensemble Anonymous. She regularly comments on digital activism, surveillance, free speech and censorship on the news. Media includes: NPR, CNN, CBC, PBS, New York Times.
With Attorney General Jeff Sessions announcing a plan to pursue stricter penalties for criminals-- a stark difference from former President Obama's plans for more lenient penalties for small offenses-- we FEATURE Sarah J. Totonchi. Sarah is the Executive Director of the Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR), a nonprofit law firm that provides legal representation to people facing the death penalty, challenges human rights violations in prisons and jails, seeks through litigation and advocacy to improve legal representation for poor people accused of crimes, and advocates for criminal justice system reforms on behalf of those affected by the system in the Southern United States. Media includes: The Economist, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Daily Report, Al-Jazeera America, local TV.
Texas has asked for Medicaid funding back after waiving it in lieu of banning Planned Parenthood under the Obama administration. To discuss what this could mean for Planned Parenthood nationally and the women they serve, we FEATURE Sophia Yen. Sophia is is an adolescent medicine specialist and reproductive rights advocate. She is an Associate Professor at Stanford Medical School in the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics. Her research interests are: Emergency Contraception knowledge, use and practice of patients and physicians, reproductive health needs of adolescents and college students, accuracy of reproductive health websites. Media includes: Oprah Radio, View from the Bay, San Jose Mercury News, Good Housekeeping, Ms. Magazine blog.
The Supreme Court has once again decided not to review a North Carolina voter ID law, which has been accused of stopping African American voters from voting, and we FEATURE Lisa Danetz. Lisa is a voting rights and campaign finance lawyer who addresses issues of inequality and fairness in elections. She is an expert on implementation of Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act, has worked cooperatively with and also litigated against states regarding implementation of the National Voter Registration Act, and has engaged in advocacy before Congress and federal executive offices on the issue. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Bloomberg.
Liz Theran
