The Senate is voting on overturning President Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border. To discuss, we FEATURE Vanessa C. Tyson. A social scientist by training, Tyson teaches in the Department of Politics at Scripps College in Claremont, CA. As an expert on U.S. Congress, policy formulation, race, gender, and social justice, Dr. Tyson has an extensive background in both US and California politics. Dr. Tyson’s book, Twists of Fate: Multiracial Coalitions and Minority Representation in the US House of Representatives (Oxford University Press, 2016), explores structural inequality in policy formulation in the United States, and how members of Congress have formed multiracial coalitions as a strategy to provide for their diverse constituencies. Media includes: US News and World Report, The Sacramento Bee, NPR, The Huffington Post, The Bryan Callen Show.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for changes made to Title X that would strip federal funding from reproductive health providers that offer abortion services. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Kristyn Brandi. Dr. Brandi is an Assistant Professor at Rutgers - New Jersey Medical School. She is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist with a fellowship training in Family Planning (contraception and abortion services). Dr. Brandi currently sits on the board of Physicians for Reproductive Health and the Ethics Committee for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She has published research on contraceptive coercion by doctors to patients seeking abortion. Her master's degree concentration focused on Health Law, Bioethics, and Human Rights, which she has focused her educational pursuits around abortion policy, contraceptive decision-making, and racial justice within medical education. Media includes: The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, ReWire News, Elite Daily, Mother Jones, SELF. 

Deadly tornadoes roared across Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. The deadliest of the tornadoes was in Alabama, where 23 were killed and dozens injured. To discuss, we FEATURE Julie Pullen. Dr. Pullen is Director of Product at Jupiter Intelligence, a start-up delivering hyper-local predictions for a changing climate using cloud computing.  She is an adjunct research scientist at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and advises the Environmental & Climate Sciences Department of Brookhaven National Laboratory. Dr. Pullen's expertise spans climate, weather and hydroscience with a particular focus on high resolution coastal urban prediction for flooding, heatwaves and other perils. Dr. Pullen currently serves on the Steering Committee of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Commission on the Weather, Water, and Climate Enterprise. Media includes: Scientific American, Wired, CBS, NBC. 

The Environmental Integrity Project recently released an analysis that shows that coal-fueled power plants have been contaminating groundwater and releasing dangerous pollutants. To discuss, we FEATURE Heather McTeer Toney. McTeer Toney is the National Field Director at Moms Clean Air Force, an organization of over 1 million moms and dads committed to fighting climate change and protecting children from the dangers of air pollution. In 2014, she was appointed by President Barack Obama as Regional Administrator for Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Southeast Region. Known for her energetic and genuine commitment to people, her work has made her a national figure in the area of public service, environmental justice and community engagement. Media includes:  CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Democracy Now!  

The U.S. has decided to shut down its Jerusalem consulate. The move is being condemned by Palestinian officials who say the closing of the consulate will cut ties between Palestinians and Washington. To discuss, we FEATURE Noura Erakat. Erakat is a human rights attorney and writer. She is currently the Freedman Teaching Fellow at Temple Law School and the US-based Legal Advocacy Consultant for the Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Refugee and Residency Rights. Erakat is a frquent commentator on the Palestinian-Israel conflict, US Middle East foreign policy, and international human rights in the Middle East. She has lived and worked throughout the Middle East including as part of a legal fact-finding delegation to the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of Israel’s Winter 2008/09 offensive and spent the Spring 2010 academic semester in Beirut, Lebanon as a Visiting Scholar at the American University in Beirut. Media includes: Fox, MSNBC, NBC, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeerea, The Hill, The Interdependent.

Student loan debt is causing millennials to hold back on important financial decisions and life milestones, according to a Bankrate survey. This includes home ownership, marriage, starting a family, paying off credit card debt, amongst other things. To discuss, we FEATURE Jackie Beck. Beck specializes in paying off debt and money management, including budgeting, spending, and the emotional aspect of money. She is the creator of the app store hit "Pay Off Debt by Jackie Beck", an award-winning smart phone app that was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine. Jackie and her husband paid off over $147,000 (including their house) while also traveling the world. She understands the importance of mindset changes in debt repayment, as well as the stress that having debt can bring. Media includes: NBC News, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes.  

Protests occurred in Sacramento on Monday following news that the two police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark would not be facing criminal charges. To discuss, we FEATURE Judy Lubin, PhD, MPH. Lubin is a policy analyst, sociologist and president of Public Square Communications, a Washington, D.C. area boutique research, communications and public policy consulting firm. Dr. Lubin is also co-founder of Sociologists for Justice, an independent collective of nearly 2000 experts, researchers and distinguished scholars organized in response to the epidemic of police brutality in communities of color, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology at Howard University and is a researcher and lecturer on health policy and health disparities. Media includes: The Wall Street Journal, NBC, PBS, Baltimore Sun,Ebony Magazine, The Root, Chicago Sun Times. 

SpaceX has successfully docked its Crew Dragon capsule onto the Internal Space Station. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Edythe E. Weeks, Esq. Weeks, a professor, space law scholar and author, is working to raise pre-awareness and stimulate knowledge inclusion for a broad range of people throughout the global general public about outer space development. She has been developing and teaching space themed courses to social and behavioral sciences students and has been sharing her knowledge through public talks to the general public. Weeks teaches at Washington University, Webster University and Northern Arizona University on International Law and Politics of Outer Space; The New Space Rush; Introduction to International Relations; African Americans and the Law; and Diversity, Politics and Law. Media includes: AZ Daily Sun, PR Newswire, Channel 2 Arizona, Channel 12 Arizona.

HBO's Leaving Neverland was released recently. The documentary follows two men who allege that they were sexually abused by Michael Jackson when they were young boys. To discuss, we FEATURE Elizabeth L. Jeglic, PhD. Jeglic is a Professor of Psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. She is an internationally renowned expert on criminal justice reform, sexual violence prevention, child abuse prevention, sexual offenders and sex offender legislation as well as suicide and suicide prevention.  She has published over 100 journal articles and book chapters on evidence based treatment within the criminal justice system sexual violence prevention and topics related to suicide prevention. She co-edited the book Sexual Violence: Evidence Based Policy and Prevention (Springer, 2016) and is the co-author of the book Protecting Your Child from Sexual Abuse: What you Need to Know to Keep your Kids Safe (Skyhorse Publishing, 2017). Media includes: Fox News, Associated Press, The New York Times, The Guardian.   

A teen who was vaccinated against his parents' wishes will be testifying before Congress to advocate for vaccinations following measles outbreaks in states that allow vaccination exemptions for philosophical reasons. To discuss, we FEATURE Stephanie Morain. Morain is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy. Her research examines political and ethical issues concerning the scope of government authority in public health and the role of stakeholder opinion in shaping decision-making in public health policy.  She has expertise in public opinion towards controversial public health laws including those targeting “lifestyle choices” like obesity, physical inactivity, and tobacco use. Media includes: The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, ABC.