The main suspect into the shooting of Charlie Kirk is in police custody. While no motive has been found, the shooting has sparked conversation about gun control, white supremacy, and a growing divide across political lines. To discuss, we FEATURE Kelly J. Baker. Baker is a freelance writer who covers religion, higher education, racism, gender, contingent labor, and popular culture. She’s been researching and writing about white supremacy, white nationalism, racism, and religious intolerance for over 15 years. Baker is the author of Gospel According to the Klan: The KKK’s Appeal to Protestant America, 1915-1930 and The Zombies Are Coming: The Realities of the Zombie Apocalypse in American Culture, which explores fantasies of the zombie apocalypse, guns, masculinity, and violence. Media includes: The New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post.

Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the publication of defamation and working with the Democratic party to interfere with elections. To discuss, we FEATURE Chris Demaske. Demaske is a former journalist and a professor of communication in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences and affiliate faculty in the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. She is a nationally recognized First Amendment law scholar whose work seeks to reconceptualize First Amendment law in a manner that more fully protects and supports free speech for everyone, especially for members of racial, ethnic, gendered and religious groups typically marginalize, silenced or vilified in U.S. society. Her investigations cover a spectrum of free speech topics including internet pornography, social media regulation, free speech zones, political dissident speech, high school censorship, academic freedom, incitement, and true threats. Media includes: Jackson Clarion Ledger, Seattle Times, Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

GOP leaders have unveiled a plan to avoid a government shutdown until November 21, but require support from some Democrats for it to pass. Democratic leadership are refusing to vote for the plan without changes, including a roll back on Medicaid cuts. To discuss, we FEATURE Rachel Snyderman, managing director of economic policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center. Snyderman joined BPC following federal service with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Department of Commerce, and the Office of Management and Budget. Prior, Snyderman worked with the Mexican Ministry of Finance’s Economic Productivity Unit in Mexico City to design innovative financial products that promoted financial security and social inclusion. Media includes: The Washington Post, The Hill, NY Daily News, Newsweek.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15 to October 15. To commemorate, we FEATURE Krissia Campos Spivey. Spivey is a rising national leader in ensuring equality of educational opportunity for Hispanic families. After raising the bar for parent-facing school choice resources in Spanish as a part of National School Choice Week, she’s expanding on that work as senior director at the National School Choice Awareness Foundation, where she helps Latino parents explore all of their K-12 education options in Spanish, year-round. In her role, Spivey leads the foundation’s efforts to communicate with Spanish-speaking communities, builds partnerships with nonprofit organizations to expand Spanish-language school choice outreach, and uses her expertise in digital communications to enhance the foundation’s programs. As a first-generation immigrant, she is passionate about empowering parents of every background to make informed decisions about their children’s education. Spivey is Salvadoran-American and fluent in both Spanish and English. Media includes: Univision, Telemundo, USA Today, NPR.