The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear in-person arguments in a case that will look at the FDA's approval of abortion pill mifepristone and limit access to it. To discuss, we FEATURE Jennifer Driver, the Senior Director of Reproductive Rights with the State Innovation Exchange. Jennifer 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. A dynamic trainer, presenter, and spokesperson on reproductive health, rights, and justice, Jennifer has been featured and quoted in national media, including The Washington Post, Vogue, The New York Times, Rewire, The Hill, The Harvard Political Review, and Politico, MSNBC, CNN.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike continues with no end in sight. Hollywood screenwriters have been calling for better pay and improved working conditions. To discuss, we FEATURE Vicki Shabo. Shabo is an expert on workplace gender equity and work/family policies in the United States, including paid family and medical leave and equal pay. Over the last decade, Shabo has been deeply involved in the development and enactment of federal, state and local workplace policies affecting tens of millions of working people. She interacts regularly with federal and state policymakers, business and industry leaders, advocates and researchers who share her interest in promoting more equitable workplaces. Shabo is currently Senior Fellow for Paid Leave Policy and Strategy at New America, a Washington, D.C. think and action tank, where she is focused on charting a path to winning paid family and medical leave for every working person in the United States, no matter where they live or work or the job they hold. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, MSNBC, CNN, NPR.

OpenAI tech executive Sam Altman testified before the Senate today and urged regulation on AI technology. AI has been under a lot of ethical scrutiny as the technology advances. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Ilke Demir. In the overlap of computer vision and machine learning, Dr. Demir's research focuses on generative models for digitizing the real world, deep fake detection and generation techniques, analysis and synthesis approaches in geospatial machine learning, and computational geometry for synthesis and fabrication. Currently, she is a Senior Research Scientist at Intel, leading the research in the world's largest volumetric capture stage, revolutionizing the entertainment industry. Previously, Dr. Demir joined Facebook as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist working with Ramesh Raskar, where their team developed the breakthrough innovation on generative street addresses. Her research further included deep learning approaches for human behavior understanding in virtual reality, geospatial machine learning for map creation, and 3D reconstruction at scale. Media includes: The Independent, VentureBeat, TRT.

Turkey's presidential election is headed to a runoff election when neither Recep Tayyip Erdoğan or Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu were able to surpass 50% of the votes. To discuss, we FEATURE Kristina Wilfore. Wilfore, who resides part-time in Turkey, is a seasoned international development, elections and civic advocacy professional who has worked in over 25 countries for more inclusive and responsive democratic movements. She has been on the ground in hotspots such as Ukraine, Russia, Kenya, Turkey, Kosovo and Afghanistan. She has worked hand-in-hand with hundreds of women on their campaigns for higher office and to help break systemic barriers to political participation, designing large-scale election integrity, political party, civil society and counter disinformation programs across the globe. Media includes: The Washington Post, The New York Times, MSNBC, CNN.

Vice Media Group has filed for bankruptcy. This comes just after Buzzfeed News and MTV news announced plans to shut down and as layoffs continue in many digital media spaces. To discuss, we FEATURE Elisa Tinsley. Tinsley, Senior Vice President - Programs at Emerging Markets Communications (EMC), has more than three decades of professional journalism and media-management experience. Her focus has been on international reporting, editing, media management and media innovation. From 2007 to 2013, Tinsley led ICFJ’s flagship program, the Knight International Journalism Fellowships. The Fellowships make lasting, tangible changes that improve the free flow of news and information in the public interest around the world – in the digital age. Media includes: USA Today, Time, Newsweek, ABC.

Migrants in Texas were reportedly told to cross the border before the end of Title 42, an emergency health authority that that was put in place at the beginning of the pandemic and allowed U.S. officials to turn away migrants at the border to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While the policy made it difficult for migrants to cross the border, it allowed them try multiple times. With the lifting of Title 42, migrants are able to seek asylum, but if they are unsuccessful they will face criminal charges if they try to cross the border again. To discuss, we FEATURE Lorella Praeli. Praeli is the Co-President of Community Change and Community Change Action. Before Community Change, Praeli directed the national immigration program at the American Civil Liberties Union, serving as the Deputy National Political Director and Director of Immigration Policy & Campaigns. She is available to speak on immigration issues such as path to citizenship, inclusion in economic policies, immigrant voters, DACA, TPS, immigration enforcement, immigrant rights movement. Media includes: The Washington Post, Associated Press, The New York Times.

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Victoria Reyes. Dr. Reyes is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Riverside. She is the author of Global Borderlands: Fantasy, Violence, and Empire in Subic Bay, Philippines. Dr. Reyes studies how culture shapes global inequality, with a particular focus on borders, empires, and meaning-making. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, she has examined globalized travel, World Heritage sites, ships, and legally plural, foreign-controlled places she calls “global borderlands.” Media includes: The Conversation, The Washington Post, Inside Higher Ed.