Jury selection has begun for the trial of five Proud Boys. The trial will determine whether or not they incited violence at the January 6 Capitol riots. To discuss, we FEATURE Adele M. Stan, who was the editor of Right Wing Watch, a project of People for the American Way, for three years until late 2021 and a weekly columnist at The American Prospect. She is a winner of the Hillman Prize in Opinion and Analysis Journalism. She began her magazine career at Ms. magazine, where she served both on staff and as a contributing editor. Along the way, Stan developed expertise in covering the intersection of religion and politics, in addition to her lifelong specialty in covering women's issues. Her Mother Jones cover story on the religious right is considered by many to be a definitive primer on the movement. Media includes: The New Republic, The Nation, Salon, The Washington Blade, Mother Jones.

Last year Tatiana Spottiswoode, a former employee of AI startup Afiniti, testified before Congress on being sexually assaulted by her former employer, Zia Chishti. Chishti is now suing her for defamation after losing his job. To discuss, we FEATURE Renee Knake Jefferson. Jefferson is a law professor and an award-winning author who regularly speaks about issues related to legal ethics, gender equality, and the judicial system, especially the United States Supreme Court. She holds the Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics at the University of Houston Law Center where she teaches ethics, constitutional law, and a seminar on gender, power, law, and leadership. Jefferson was appointed to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019 following the resignation of a trustee over the university’s handling of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case. She testified in 2018 before a federal judiciary committee about reforms to workplace sexual harassment and misconduct rules. Media includes: The New York Times, Associated Press, Bloomberg Law, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, CNN, MSNBC.

The U.N.'s COP15 biodiversity summit has ended with almost 200 countries pledging to protect the world's land and oceans by the end of the decade. To discuss, we FEATURE Lyne Morissette. Morissette has a world-renown expertise in marine mammal ecology, conservation, and biodiversity and published her work in the most prestigious journals such as Science. She owns a B.Sc. degree in biological sciences from Université de Montréal (QC Canada), a M.Sc. in Wildlife Management from Université du Québec à Rimouski (QC Canada), and a Ph.D. in Zoology (specialized in marine ecology and ecosystem functioning) from the Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia (BC Canada). She did a postdoc in conservation biology & marine mammal ecology at the Arizona State University with Dr. Leah Gerber, and another one in theoretical ecology with the Canadian Research Chair in Biodiversity at University of Guelph, under the supervision of Dr. Kevin McCann. Extensive media experience.

As people begin their holiday travels, there is concern over the spread of COVID-19, the flu, and other sicknesses. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Valda Crowder. Dr. Crowder is a medical expert on the front line of the gun violence and mental health crises, four pandemics, natural disasters and the fallout of health disparities. As a board-certified emergency medicine physician for more than three decades, she has treated victims of violence, category four hurricanes and patients infected with COVID-19, H1N1, HIV and tuberculosis. To improve medical care and reduce health disparities, Dr. Crowder has re-engineer large health care systems, such as Cooper Hospital/UMDNJ Health Care System in Camden, New Jersey, and Corizon Health, which provides health care to incarcerated inmates nationwide. As a graduate of Cornell University and University of Cincinnati Medical School, Dr. Crowder completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. Media includes: The Baltimore Times, New York Amsterdam News, The Dallas Examiner, NPR.

Food and gathering are often associated with holiday celebrations, but for some, that is not possible due to homelessness. This year, many are struggling more due to rising prices caused by inflation. To discuss, we FEATURE Mary Gable. Gable is a Public Policy Analyst at the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME). She is a policy analyst, advocate, researcher, and editor with two decades of experience helping labor-based and anti-poverty organizations to increase working-class power. Gable has expertise in poverty, social services and welfare policy, child care, low-wage work, and homelessness. She also has personal and professional experience living and working in communities affected by—and banding together to end—obscene levels of inequality. Before AFSCME, Gable was the Policy Analyst at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and prior to that at AFL-CIO. Extensive media experience.

While the holiday season is often associated with cheer and time with family, for some it can be stress. To discuss mental health during this time, we FEATURE Dr. Tarra Bates-Duford. Dr. Bates-Duford is the CEO and founder of Family Matters Counseling Group in Raleigh, NC & Orlando, FL. She has engaged in extensive work and research on familial relationships, family trauma, and dysfunctions. She is known for her work with traumatic experience and symptom re-emergence. With nearly 20 years in the field of behavioral sciences, she has been instrumental in her work with stabilizing families, helping individuals and families navigate the challenges of mental illness, as well as victims of abuse/ trauma, reprocess the memory of the trauma in a manners that no longer paralyzes nor interferes with daily functioning. Dr. Bates-Duford has a PhD in Forensic Psychology, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Certified Relationship Expert (APA #15221), and a Certified Master Forensic Social Worker. Media includes: A&E TV, Sun Times, Parents.com, Divorce Magazine.