A government shutdown looms as politicians in Washington continue to fail to negotiate a spending bill. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Susan Podziba, principal at Podziba Policy Mediation. Podziba has served as a public policy mediator for more than 30 years. Most of her projects include working with senior leadership of governments, representative stakeholders, civil society, and the general public. Podziba created a process design tool for World Bank mediators and assisted with the process design for a national economic policy dialogue in Sudan. Ms. Podziba is author of Civic Fusion: Mediating Polarized Public Disputes and Our City: From Corruption to Participatory Democracy as well as numerous book chapters and journal articles. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Fast Company.
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Donald Trump and endorsed a U.S.-backed Gaza peace plan. To discuss, we FEATURE Anna Therese Day. Day is an award-winning reporter and filmmaker, focused on social movements, human rights, and the intersection of technology and security. She is currently covering Israel-Palestine. Previously Middle East-based for nearly a decade, her international coverage focuses on security and defense, movements and insurgents, and the reality of US foreign policy on the ground. Her reports have appeared on CNN, Al Jazeera English, VICE News, among others. From 2015-2017, Day served as a regular contributor to The New York Times Women in the World, and her print reporting has been translated into Arabic, Hebrew, and Spanish.
On Tuesday, the Taliban imposed an indefinite internet shutdown across Afghanistan. The move is seen as another hit to women's freedom in the country, where access to education is now mostly online. To discuss, we FEATURE Lina AbiRafeh. AbiRafeh is a global women’s rights expert and gender equality advocate with decades of experience worldwide. She creates innovative solutions to global women’s rights challenges. She worked for over 20 years in development and humanitarian contexts in Afghanistan, Haiti, Central African Republic, Papua New Guinea, and others. AbiRafeh completed her doctoral work from the London School of Economics and published Gender and International Aid in Afghanistan: The Politics and Effects of Intervention in 2009, based on her PhD research. Her second book Freedom on the Frontlines: Afghan Women and the Fallacy of Liberation was released in February 2022. Media includes: Al Jazeera, The Conversation, France 24, CNN.
Hundreds of generals and admirals are meeting in Virginia at the Marine Corps Museum. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated plans to rename the Defense Department to the Department of War. To discuss, we FEATURE Nora Bensahel. Bensahel is a professor of practice at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a contributing editor and columnist for War on the Rocks. She is a renowned expert on U.S. defense policy, military operations, and the future of war. She is the co-author of the recently-published book Adaptation Under Fire: How Militaries Change in Wartime. Media experience: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, PBS, CNN, NPR.
This month, the Supreme Court will be hearing Louisiana v. Callais, a redistricting case looking at the legality of the Louisiana's new congressional map. The decision will have rippling effects on the Voting Rights Act of 1965. To discuss, we FEATURE Venkayla Haynes. Haynes is the director of communications for Black Voters Matter, an influential organization that enhances Black voter participation, shapes progressive policy, and has significantly influenced increased Black voter turnout in the 2020 Presidential Election, 2021 Georgia Special Election, and 2022 Midterm Elections across numerous states. Her expertise lies in strategizing and managing the organization's communications. Media includes: The Nations, Mother Jones, The Cut, Forbes, WABE.
On Sunday, a gunman drove his truck into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan before shooting churchgoers and setting the church on fire. Five people (including the gunman) were killed and eight were injured. To discuss, we FEATURE Kristin Goss, the Susan B. King distinguished professor of public policy at Duke Sanford School of Public Policy. Goss’ work focuses on why people do (or don't) participate in political life and how their engagement affects public policymaking. Her current research projects focus on the role of philanthropic billionaires in policy debates and on the evolution of gun-related advocacy over the past decade. Goss has written or co-produced three books on gun politics and policy: The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know, with Philip J. Cook; Gun Studies: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Politics, Policy, and Practice, co-edited with Jennifer Carlson and Harel Shapira; and Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America. Media includes: The Washington Post, Raleigh News & Observer, Newark Star Ledger.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, which will require large A.I. developers in California to report their safety protocols and the greatest risks posed by their technologies. To discuss, we FEATURE Robin Feldman. Feldman is the Arthur J. Goldberg distinguished professor of law and director of the A.I. Law and Innovation Center. Her work focuses on the role of intellectual property law in technology and innovation, drug pricing and health care law, and artificial intelligence and data. Feldman’s work has been cited extensively by the White House, numerous federal and state agencies, and members of Congress. Her IP/Antitrust work was cited by both sides during a recent Supreme Court case. She has appeared frequently before committees of the US House & Senate, the California legislature, and federal agencies such as the FTC, DOJ, USPTO, and the National Academy of Sciences. She participated in the GAO’s report to Congress on Artificial Intelligence and in the Army Cyber Institute’s threat casting exercise on weaponization of data. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, The Hill.
National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15. To commemorate, we FEATURE Liz Rebecca Alarcón. Alarcón is a media entrepreneur and political analyst with expertise in Latin America and U.S. Latinos. She’s the Founder & CEO of Pulso, a nonprofit media outlet reaching more than 1 million Latinos with history no one taught you and commentary you won’t find anywhere else. Alarcón’s writing and commentary has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, MSNBC, Time Magazine, and The Miami Herald, among others.















