World Refugee Day was yesterday. This is especially important since 500 refugees from Syria, Egypt and Pakistan are still missing after a fishing boat carrying them capsized off the coast of Greece last week. To discuss, we FEATURE Lamis Abdelaaty. Abdelaaty is associate professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Her research focuses on refugees in international relations. Her book, Discrimination and Delegation: Explaining State Responses to Refugees, asks why countries open their borders to some refugees while blocking others, and why a number of countries have given the United Nations control of asylum procedures and refugee camps on their territory. Abdelaaty's research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the American Philosophical Society. Media includes: The Washington Post, Mother Jones, Vox, CNN.

More than one million people have been dropped from Medicaid after states began removing people who did not filli out eligibility paperwork following the pandemic. To discuss, we FEATURE Laura Packard. Packard is a health care advocate and stage 4 cancer survivor. She founded a non-profit, Health Care Voices, to organize adults with serious medical conditions for affordable comprehensive health care. Packard is executive director of Health Care Voter, a national campaign to hold elected officials accountable for their votes on health care, and support those who fight to protect our care. She also hosts CareTalk, a weekly consumer call-in TV show on act.tv and podcast, tackling health care and health insurance questions and topics. Media includes: NowThis, USA Today, US News & World Repor, People, Newsweek, The Guardian, MSNBC.

The Housing First policy, which provides homeless people with permanent housing and access to treatment for mental illness and drug abuse, has recently been targeted by Republican lawmakers who want to require sobriety and employment. To discuss, we FEATURE Leah Goodridge. Goodridge is a nationally renowned movement lawyer and visionary thought leader with over a decade of experience in housing rights and racial justice. She serves in two important roles which shape housing policy in New York City. Goodridge is the managing attorney for housing policy at Mobilization for Justice where she leads a team of attorneys who provide tenants with legal representation in eviction court proceedings. Leah is also a Commissioner on the New York City Planning Commission, appointed in 2021 by NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Media includes: The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, City Limits, WNYC.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act, which gives preference to tribal families when it comes to the foster care and adoption of Native American children. 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. She is currently teaching a course on Indigenous law at Syracuse University College of Law. Her expertise draws on 40+ years of experience as a traditional member of the On^yota’:aka Oneida Nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy as well as her roles as Founder of the nonprofit Rematriation; and Co-Founder, with her husband Neal Powless, of Indigenous Concepts Consulting. 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. Media includes: Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Neha Magazine, PBS.

WMC SheSource has a list of experts on the Indian Child Welfare Act.

The federal judge presiding over Donald Trump's classified documents case has set the trial to begin in August. To discuss, we FEATURE Lenese Herbert. Herbert is a professor of law at Howard University School of Law, where she teaches evidence, criminal procedure, criminal law, social media and the law, and administrative law. She co-authors Constitutional Criminal Procedure, a problem-based casebook adopted in a number of law schools across the U.S., as well as Criminal Law: Skills and Values. Prior to entering law teaching, Herbert practiced extensively as agency counsel for the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions under former U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Eric Holder. Media includes: Voice of America, Al-Jazeera English, The Washington Post, NBC.

A year after Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States, research by the National Institute for Reproductive Health shows that while some states have been restricting access to abortion, other states have increased funding for abortion and reproductive health services. To discuss, we FEATURE Jennifer Driver. Driver is the Senior Director of Reproductive Rights with the State Innovation Exchange. She is a reproductive health, rights, and justice policy and advocacy leader with nearly 15 years in the field. Her work centers on addressing systems that add burdens or barriers to accessing full reproductive health information and services— paying particular attention to communities of color, immigrants, system involved youth, and LGBTQ communities. Prior to joining SiX, Driver served as the vice president of Policy and Strategic Partnerships with SIECUS (the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States), where she provided leadership to drive the organization’s federal and state policy and advocacy efforts. Media includes: The Washington Post, Vogue, The New York Times, Rewire, The Hill, Politico, MSNBC, CNN.

Andrew Tate has been arrested and charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania. To discuss, we FEATURE Rochelle Keyhan. Keyhan is the chief executive officer of Collective Liberty, where she develops and executes the organization's strategic direction and collaborations focused on disrupting specific types of human trafficking, including recruiting and maintaining robust collaborative networks of law enforcement, agency stakeholders, and service providers. She is called on as an expert on combatting human trafficking for government officials, financial institutions, and other for-profit and non-profit corporations across the United States. She has also provided technical assistance to organizations across Europe and the Middle East. Before starting Collective Liberty, Keyhan spent six years as a prosecutor of gender-based violence crimes in Philadelphia, where she is bar certified to practice law. She has a proven record prosecuting 20 felony jury trials; more than 100 rape, human trafficking, and domestic violence felony bench trials, and over 10,000 domestic violence misdemeanor hearings. Media includes: The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, NBC, CBS, ABC, NPR.

Chinese and U.S. officials have met with the hopes of stabilizing the relationship between the two countries. To discuss, we FEATURE Susan Shirk. Shirk is research professor and founding chair of the 21st Century China Center, UC-San Diego. She is one of the most influential experts working on U.S.-China relations and Chinese politics. She is also director emeritus of the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC). Her current book is Overreach: How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise." Other books include China: Fragile Superpower, that helped frame the policy debate on China in the U.S. and other countries. Her other publications include "The Political Logic of Economic Reform in China"; "How China Opened its Door"; "Competitive Comrades: Career Incentives and Student Strategies in China"; and her edited book, Changing Media, Changing China. Shirk co-chairs a task force of China experts that issued its second report “Course Correction: Toward an Effective and Sustainable China Policy,” in February 2019. She is also co-chair of the UC San Diego Forum on U.S.-China Relations, the first ongoing high-level forum focused entirely on the U.S.-China relationship. Media includes: The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, San Diego Union Tribune.

June is LGBTQ Pride Month, which is even more important to remember and celebrate this year as LGBTQ rights and protections have been targetted. To discuss, we FEATURE Emily A. Greytak. Greytak (pronouns: she/her) is the ACLU’s director of research. She leads the ACLU’s policy research work – partnering with national staff, affiliates, and outside partners to develop, execute, and disseminate rigorous research that drives our policy and advocacy agenda. Greytak has been an applied researcher for two decades, working with a variety of organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, Family Justice, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Prior to joining the ACLU in 2019, she served as research director at GLSEN, the leading organization focused on LGBTQ issues in education. During her tenure there, she ran the biennial National School Climate Survey and spearheaded a diverse array of projects, including the first national study of transgender youth experiences, an assessment of the bullying policies of all U.S. school districts, and examination of LGBTQ youth in the school-to-prison pipeline. Media includes: The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Mother Jones, Mashable, CNN.