Rex Tillerson has been fired as Secretary of State and been replaced by Mike Pompeo, the Director of the CIA. To discuss, we FEATURE Juliette Kayyem. Juliette is on the faculty at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She most recently served for President Obama as Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.  She has spent over 15 years in senior positions in state and federal government, including as Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s homeland security advisor and a legal advisor to US Attorney General Janet Reno. Media includes: CNN, MSNBC, NPR, The Boston Globe, The New York Times.

President Trump has been on the fence about whether to back raising the age limit for gun buyers. To discuss, we FEATURE Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action. The day after the Sandy Hook tragedy, Shannon started a Facebook group with the message that all Americans can and should do more to reduce gun violence. The online conversation turned into grassroots movement of American mothers fighting for public safety measures that respect the Second Amendment and protect people from gun violence. Moms Demand Action has established a chapter in every state of the country and is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country, with more than three million supporters. Media includes: MSNBC, CNN, NPR, Time, The Washington Post. 

Pennsylvania's race for the 18th district seat between Democratic contender Conor Lamb and Republican candidate Rick Saccone ends today. A win for Lamb could mean a big shift in the political landscape. To discuss, we FEATURE Philadelphia based Kelly Dittmar. Kelly is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University–Camden and Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. She is the author of Navigating Gendered Terrain: Stereotypes and Strategy in Political Campaigns (Temple University Press, 2015), as well as multiple book chapters on gender and American politics. Dittmar’s research focuses on gender and American political institutions, including Congress, with a particular focus on how gender informs campaigns and the impact of gender diversity among elites in policy and political decisions, priorities, and processes. Media includes: MSNBC, NPR, Huffington Post, The Washington Post.

Elon Musk has announced that SpaceX will be ready to test its Mars spaceship in 2019. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Edythe E. Weeks, Esq. Dr. Weeks is a professor, space law scholar and author, and is working to raise pre-awareness and stimulate knowledge inclusion for a broad range of people throughout the global general public about outer space development. Dr. Weeks was named as a Fubright Specialist on International Affairs and International Space Law for the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education’s Council for International Exchange Scholars (2014-2019). Weeks is the lead co-author on the International Study on Global Space Governance at McGill University’s Institute of Air and Space Law on the topic of Mining and Utilization of Space Natural Resources. Media includes: PR Newswire, AZ Daily Sun, Channel 2 News Arizona. 

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has spoken to the UN Security Council recently to address U.S. plans to take military action in Syria if there was no immediate ceasefire in the country. To discuss, we FEATURE Patricia DeGennaro. Patricia is an adjunct professor at New York University’s Department of Politics where she teaches courses on international security, civilian and military relations and US foreign policy.  In addition to her work as a professor, she is a Senior Fellow at the World Policy Institute and a professional service provider and a subject matter expert on Afghanistan, the Middle East, the Arab Gulf States, Pakistan and Iran for the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command. She spends considerable time on field research in the Middle East, notably Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and the Occupied Territories. Media includes: CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, Fox News, BBC, RT Television. 

Stormy Daniels has alleged that she had an affair with President Trump in 2006, while he was married and his son Barron was a baby, and that she was paid $130,000 after signing a nondisclosure agreement. She is stating that she will return the money in order to talk about the affair freely. To discuss, we FEATURE Amy Epstein Gluck. Amy has represented individuals and corporate clients in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and various federal district courts for almost twenty years. Ms. Epstein Gluck’s current practice areas include employment law—advising on and drafting employment agreements; handling employment negotiations, severance agreements, noncompete and nondisclosure agreements, “wrongful terminations” and other EEO matters; representation at the EEOC level; advising employers about discrimination laws and how to remain in compliance, and employment negotiations. Media includes: The Washington Post, Virginia Business Litigation Lawyer, Lexology.  

The Senate is passing a bill that will weaken the government's ability to enforce fair-lending requirements and make it easier to discriminate against minority mortgage applicants. To discuss, we FEATURE Karen Murrell. Karen is a Senior Research Fellow in the Asset Building Program of the New America Foundation and the founder and president of Higher Heights Consulting and Training, a privately held firm located in Silver Spring, Maryland. In her role as Senior Research Fellow, Ms. Murrell explores innovations in financial services and asset building. In her capacity as president of Higher Heights Consulting and Training, Ms. Murrell works with the financial services industry to develop programs and products to improve the financial well-being of lower-income consumers. Media includes: CBS Marketwatch, Oprah and Friends Radio Show, Forbes, Investment News, Globe and Mail.

Bill Cosby's retrial is set to begin this Thursday. The case is reopening because Cosby claim's that his accuser, who has charged him with sexually assaulting her, provided documents that contradict her testimony. To discuss, we FEATURE Jaclyn Friedman. Jaclyn's work has redefined the concept of “healthy sexuality” and popularized the “yes means yes” standard of sexual consent that is quickly becoming law on many US campuses. Her first book, Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape  was named one of Publishers’ Weekly’s Top 100 Books of 2009, and ranked #11 on Ms. Magazine’s Top 100 Feminist Nonfiction of All Time list. Her second book, What You Really Really Want: The Smart Girl’s Shame-Free Guide to Sex & Safety, was a finalist for ForeWord’s Book of the Year Award in Women’s Issues.Unscrewed, her latest book, explores women, sex, power, and how to stop the system screwing us all. Media includes: CNN, The Washington Post, The Today Show, Nightline, Time, BBC, Huffington Post. 

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, known as March Madness, is set to begin today. To discuss we FEATURE Kavitha A. Davidson. Kavitha is the sports columnist at Bloomberg View covering the intersection of sports and society, culture, politics, race, gender, and business. She previously edited the World News page at The Huffington Post. She has appeared on various media outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, ESPN, CBS, and Fox Sports. She studied Urban Studies at Columbia University.