Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has been named the next supreme leader of Iran after his father, the former supreme leader, was killed by the U.S. and Israel last week. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Firoozeh Kashani-Sabe. Kashani-Sabet is the Robert I. Williams Term Professor of History and director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a scholar of modern Iran, the Ottoman Empire, and the Persian Gulf, having published extensively on these topics. She has studied Arab/Persian relations, as well as Sunni/Shia conflicts. She is also an expert on boundary disputes and politics in the Middle East, as well as an established scholar on the history of US—Iranian relaitons. Media includes: Voice of America, Newsday, NPR.
Oil prices have surged during the first week of the U.S.-Irael war against Iran with traded halting at the Strait of Hormuz. To discuss, we FEATURE Irina Tsukerman. Tsukerman is a human rights and national security lawyer based in New York. She runs a boutique national security law practice. She is a member of the American Bar Association's Energy and Environment and Science and Technology Sections. She is the Program Vice Chair in the Oil and Gas Subcommittee. She is also a member of the New York City Bar Association's Middle East and North African Affairs Committee and an affiliate member of the Foreign & Comparative Law Committee. Tsukerman specializes in information warfare; she has written and spoken extensively on active measures by Russia, China, and Iran and influence campaigns by Middle Eastern state actors, as well as on the impact of active measures and influence campaigns on the human rights and NGO world; she has also published on a wide range of global issues touching on energy, geostrategy, strategical alliances, Great Power competition and its impact on geopolitics, domestic policy, and business, information security and digital rights/cybersecurity, big tech, terrorism and extremism, as well as issues in intelligence and counterintelligence. Media includes: Al Jazeera, The Epoch Times, CyberNews.
During the February 28th strike on Iran, investigations show that it is likely that a U.S. Tomahawk missile struck a school and killed at least 165 people. To discuss, we FEATURE Sarah (Holewinski) Yager. Yager is the Washington Director at Human Rights Watch, and leads the organization’s engagement with the United States government on global human rights issues, with a particular focus on national security and foreign policy. Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, she was the first senior advisor on human rights in the Chairman’s Office at The Joint Staff of the U.S. Department of Defense and, prior to that, served as deputy chief of staff for policy at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations under Ambassador Samantha Power. For nearly a decade Sarah was executive director of Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), leading efforts to advise warring parties on civilian protection and responsible use of force. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, NPR.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs in February, bringing the unemployment rate to 4.4%. To discuss, we FEATURE Angela Hanks. Hanks is chief of policy programs at The Century Foundation. Angela has extensive experience developing and advancing policies and narratives that promote an inclusive and expansive vision for the economy. Hanks most recently served as the associate director of external affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where she led the bureau’s external engagement strategy to ensure its policy agenda was informed by experts, industry stakeholders, and consumers across the country. Hanks also served in the Biden-Harris Administration as acting assistant secretary of the Employment and Training Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor, where she worked to advance worker-centered policies that lead to quality jobs for all workers, particularly those who are marginalized. Media includes: The New York Times, The/ Washington Post, The Atlantic.
Over the last few weeks, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been buying commercial warehouses with plans to use them as detention centers. To discuss, we FEATURE Christine Neumann-Ortiz. Neumann-Ortiz is the founding Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera and Voces de la Frontera Action. She is recognized as a national leader in the immigrant rights movement. Neumann-Ortiz serves on the board of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM). FIRM is a national coalition comprising 47 grassroots organizations in 35 states, which work together to fight for immigrant rights at the local, state, and federal levels. Through her leadership, Voces has grown from a small, grassroots worker center to a state and national leader in the immigrant rights movement. Media includes: The Nation, Telemundo, CNN, NPR.
Live Nation and the Justice Department have reached a settlement in the Ticketmaster antitrust lawsuit which alleged that the company had an illegal monopoly on live events. To discuss, we FEATURE Angelique Kaounis. Kaounis is partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher where she practices in the firm’s Litigation Department, with a focus on intellectual property and technology-related issues. She is a member of the firm’s Antitrust and Trade Regulation, Media and Entertainment, and Intellectual Property Practice Groups. Kaounis has successfully represented clients in a broad range of litigation matters, including trade secret misappropriation cases, antitrust and unfair competition matters, business tort cases, and contractual disputes in a number of areas, including the high-tech and entertainment industries. Extensive media experience.
AI company Anthropic has sued the Pentagon after the company was designated a “supply chain risk” claiming that it goes against First Amendment rights. The designation comes after Anthropic's refusal to allow the federal government to use their AI tools for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. To discuss, we FEATURE Joycelyn Tate. Tate is a leading voice and advocate for fairness, accountability and transparency in the development and use of AI and addressing algorithmic bias and online privacy. As the founder and CEO of TS Strategies, Tate leads advocacy and initiatives for organizations seeking to advance access to broadband and technology in marginalized communities, and eradicate exploitative data practices, discriminatory algorithms, and invasions of privacy. She has been called upon by Congress to advise on the impact of artificial intelligence on marginalized communities. She is a requested speaker at conventions and conferences where she discusses accountability and transparency in the development and use of AI, algorithmic bias, online privacy, and importance of civil rights in technological innovation. Extensive media experience.
The 98th Academy Awards are this Sunday. To discuss, we FEATURE Carla Hay. Hay is the author of WMC Investigation 2026: Gender and Non-Acting Oscar Nominations. She is a Tomatometer-approved critic at Rotten Tomatoes and a member of the Critics Choice Association. She is editor-in-chief of Culture Mix. She has been a writer or editor for Paramount Media Networks, Women's Media Center, Shondaland, AXS.com, Examiner.com, Lifetime, People, and Billboard and has been interviewed on CNN, Access Hollywood, and CNBC, and has been a guest speaker at Columbia University and New York University.
March is Women's History Month. To discuss, we FEATURE Michelle Schenandoah. Schenandoah (Oneida Nation) is a trained lawyer, writer, producer and Founder of Rematriation, a nonprofit highlighting the untold stories and contributions of Indigenous Peoples in North America. As an in-demand keynote speaker, Schenandoah talks about the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s influence on the formation of U.S. democracy, the U.S. Constitution and women’s rights. She creates healing narratives about truth telling, racial justice and intergenerational trauma for public and private audiences to process harmful histories and inspire meaningful action. Schenandoah is an expert on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Native American Heritage Month, Constitution Day, President’s Day, and Women’s History Month. Media includes: Associated Press, Al Jazeera, PBS.















