Iran has announced a partial withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, a year after the President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal and following the U.S. moving an aircraft carrier to the Middle East and imposing sanctions on buyers of Iranian oil. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, 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. Extensive media experience.
The New York Times reported that President Trump reported losses of $1.17 billion to the IRS between 1985 and 1994, resuting in him paying no taxes for 8 of those 10 years. For an explanation of how the tax system works, we FEATURE Tax Professor, Annette Nellen, CPA, CGMA, Esq. a professor at San José State University who teaches graduate-level tax courses. Professor Nellen is a frequent speaker and author on tax policy matters, tax reform, e-commerce taxation and high technology tax issues. She is an active member of the tax sections of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and American Bar Association (ABA) and a recipient of the 2013 Arthur J. Dixon Memorial Award given by the Tax Division of the AICPA, the highest award given by the accounting profession in the area of taxation. Media includes: CBS, WSJ, San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times.
Georgia governor signed the state's anti-abortion "heartbeat' bill into law. To discuss the implications of the bill, we FEATURE Shivana Jorawar - a lawyer and policy advocate who serves as the State Legislative Counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights. Jorawar manages their defensive state advocacy initiatives by identifying and analyzing harmful restrictions, implementing strategies to fight back, and delivering advocacy support to the Center’s clients and state partners. Media experience: Associated Press, RHReality Check, THe Nation, The Prospect, KPFA.
Following the release of the Mueller report, more than 370 federal prosecutors believe that President Trump would've been charged with obstruction of justice if he were not president. To discuss, we FEATURE Nomiki Konst. Konst is former Executive Director of The Accountability Project, an investigative news start-up centered on political corruption, and correspondent at The Young Turks network. Media includes: The Hill, The Daily Beast, NY Daily News, The Huffington Post, Politico, The AZ Republic, City & State, The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, NY 1, ABC, CBC.
A trade war between China and the U.S. could be likely following President Trump's threats of putting more tariffs on Chinese goods. To discuss, we FEATURE Ann Lee. Lee is an internationally recognized leading authority on China’s economic relations and an adjunct professor of economics and finance at New York University. She consults with policymakers from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the U.S. about U.S.-China relations, international finance and trade, and China’s political economy. Lee is also the author of What the U.S. Can Learn from China, an award winning international bestseller. Media includes: MSNBC, Bloomberg, ABC, CBS, CNN, CNBC, Fox Business, NPR, CCTV, BBC.
A recent report was released by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosytem Services (IPBES) that states that humans threaten one million animal and plant species with extinction. To discuss, we FEATURE Shana M. McDermott, PhD. Dr. McDermott is an environmental and natural resource economist whose research is primarily interdisciplinary and requires working directly with field and theoretical ecologists. Trained as an applied microeconomist, her research focuses on jointly determined human and natural systems, and developing policies that will enable humans to manage natural resources better. Extensive media experience.
With the presidential election cycle beginnng, we FEATURE Gayle Alberda. Dr. Alberda is the assistant professor of politics and public administration at Fairfield University. Her prior work experience in the political field includes lobbying in Washington D.C. as well as the state and local levels, working on numerous campaigns including state house, city council, governor, president, and U.S. Senate races in multiple states. Alberda’s research focuses on election laws, political participation and civic engagement, and election administration. Media includes: The Daily Iowan, Times-Delphic, Al Jazeera America, The Washington Post, Associated Press, NPR.
Today, labor groups have organized a strike against Uber and Lyft to protest the ride-sharing companies' payment and labor policies. The strike will take place across major cities in the U.S. To discuss, we FEATURE Erica Smiley. As the co-Executive Director of Jobs With Justice, Smiley is known for developing innovative strategies to expand collective bargaining power—including strategies that position working people to negotiate directly with the corporate actors that impact all aspects of their lives. She also teaches a class on Contemporary Labor Studies at the City University of New York (CUNY) via the Joseph S. Murphy Institute. Media includes: The Chicago Tribune, Bill Moyers, Reuters, MSNBC.
The trial for cult leader Keith Raniere has begun. Raniere was the leader of Nxivm, and has been accused of racketeering conspiracy, identity theft, extortion, forced labor, money laundering, wire fraud and sex trafficking. To discuss, we FEATURE Taina Bien-Aimé. Bien-Aimé is the Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. CATW is the first and oldest international non-governmental organization dedicated to ending trafficking in women and girls and related forms of commercial sexual exploitation as practices of gender-based violence. Media includes: Salon, Bloomberg News, The Economist, Time, ABC, CNN, BBC.
The small town of Reserve, Louisiana has been found to have the most toxic air in America. Residents are 50 times more likely to get cancer due to the chemical plants that surround the area. To discuss, we FEATURE Heather McTeer Toney, who is based in Oxford, Mississippi. 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. Media includes: Washington Post, Jet Magazine, Essence Magazine, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC.
Brunei has suspended its death penalty after receiving backlash after announcing a new law that would make gay sex and adultery punishable by death by stoning. To discuss, we FEATURE Cristina M. Finch. Finch is currently the head of the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Formerly, she served as the policy director for women’s human rights at Amnesty International USA (AIUSA). At AIUSA, Ms. Finch focuses on women’s and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights; economic, social and cultural rights; and multilateral issues. Media includes: Associated Press, Bloomberg News, The Guardian, Reuters, NPR, CNN, CBS.
Alicia White
Liz Theran
