The first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29. To discuss, we FEATURE Jennifer Mercieca. Mercieca is an historian of American political discourse, especially discourses about citizenship, democracy, and the presidency. Her scholarship combines American history with rhetorical and political theory in an effort to understand democratic practices. Her presidency research argues that we have heroic expectations for the presidency that are both unrealistic and unconstitutional and that these expectations burden the presidency. She is the author of Founding Fictions and the co-Editor of The Rhetoric of Heroic Expectations: Establishing the Obama Presidency. Media includes: The New York Times, Huffington Post, BBC, WPR.

This past week, COVID-19 cases have risen an average of 41,000 each day in the U.S. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Valda C. Crowder. Dr. Crowder is a board-certified emergency medicine physician who uniquely blends clinical knowledge with public health and business acumen. Dr. Crowder has worked nationally and developed policy that is presently a part of today’s Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act legislation and Affordable Health Care Act. In addition, she has worked in clinical, business and community settings to implement strategies that have improved the quality of care, workplace health/culture, compliance/quality review, and community wellness measures. Outside of her medical practice, Dr. Crowder holds webinars to answer the public's questions about COVID-19. Media includes: The Baltimore Times, The Dallas Examiner, NPR.

Early voting has begun in some states as the election approaches. To discuss, we FEATURE Jeralyn Cave. Cave is a Senior Communications Associate with Advancement Project's Power & Democracy Campaign. In this role she provides strategic communications support to grassroots organizations to remove barriers to voting. As a political organizer, Cave has worked on numerous issue and candidate campaigns, leading direct voter contact programs and successfully electing candidates at the state, local, and federal level. Media includes: Extensive media experience.

Following Daniel Prude's death from suffocation after he was held by police officers, New York has made changes to its body camera policy that aim to expedite the release of the videos. To discuss, we FEATURE Andrea Ritchie, Esq. Through research, writing, legal services, and organizing, Ritchie has dedicated the past two decades to challenging racial profiling, police violence, criminalization and mass incarceration, with a particular focus on the experiences of women, girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people of color. She is the author of Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color (Beacon Press 2017) and co-author of Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women (African American Policy Forum 2015). Media includes: The New York Times, Washington Post, Teen Vogue, MSNBC, C-Span, NBC, NPR.

Twitter has accepted it didn't go far enough when testing its image cropping algorithm after public tests conducted on the platform revealed that is was racially biased. To discuss, we FEATURE Marcia Alesan Dawkins. Dawkins is a tech-loving, diversity-oriented intellectual entrepreneur from New York City and communication professor and consultant in Los Angeles and San Francisco. An award-winning author, speaker, and educator, Dawkins is a leading authority on how diversity, technology and creative storytelling are changing everything. Her first book, Clearly Invisible: Racial Passing and the Color of Cultural Identity, was released in August 2012 to rave reviews. Most notable among these is Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, who wrote that "Clearly Invisible is a thought-provoking analysis... that challenges the way we view race and culture in our society." Media includes: TIME Magazine, The New York Times, NPR.

Amy Coney Barrett, who is rumored to be Donald Trump's first contender to replace Justice Ginsberg on the Supreme Court, was one of the writers of an influential appellate decision that would make it easier for students accused of sexual assault to challenge their universities' handling of their cases. To discuss, we FEATURE Nancy Chi Cantalupo. Cantalupo is an Associate Professor at Barry University School of Law. Prior to joining Barry Law, she held positions as Associate Vice President for Equity, Inclusion & Violence Prevention at a higher education association; Assistant Dean for Clinical Programs and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown Law; a Research Fellow with the Victim Rights Law Center; and an attorney with Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. Cantalupo is a nationally-recognized expert on gender-based violence in education, and her scholarship focuses on the use of law to combat discriminatory violence, particularly gender-based violence, and includes numerous articles. Media includes: The Washington Post, USA Today, TIME.

Amy Doris, a former model, has accused Donald Trump of sexual assault. Dorris alleges that the president grabbed her inappropriately at the 1997 U.S. Open. To discuss, we FEATURE Deborah Tuerkheimer. Tuerkheimer is a Professor of Law at Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law. Her book, Flawed Convictions: “Shaken Baby Syndrome” and the Inertia of Injustice, was published by Oxford University Press in 2014. She is also a co-author of the casebook Feminist Jurisprudence: Cases and Materials and the author of numerous articles on sexual violence and domestic violence. Media includes: The Washington Post, The Economist, The New York Times, The Guardian, CBS, CNN.

Demonstrations in Belarus continue as protestors call for the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko following his reelection, which the opposition has claimed to be fraudulent. To discuss, we FEATURE Nina Jankowicz. Jankowicz is a Global Fellow at the Kennan Institute currently working on a book about the evolution of modern Russian influence campaigns in Eastern Europe. Prior to her Fulbright grant in Ukraine, Jankowicz managed democracy assistance programs to Russia and Belarus at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed News, Foreign Policy, The Wilson Quarterly, CNN.

The 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards were this past weekend. To discuss who won and who didn't, we FEATURE Carla Hay, who is the author of the Women's Media Center's 2020 Investigation of Primetime Emmy Nominations. Hay has been a writer or editor for ViacomCBS Media Networks, Women's Media Center, Culture Mix, AXS.com, Examiner.com, Lifetime, People, and Billboard. In addition, Hay has booked panelists and speakers for conferences presented by Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter. She is also a Tomatometer-approved critic at Rotten Tomatoes and a straight ally to the LGBTQ community.