President Trump's budget plan proposes eliminating federal funding to the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. To discuss, we FEATURE Pat Mitchell, who was the first woman President and CEO of PBS. Pat is chair of the Sundance Institute and co-chair of the Women’s Media Center. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the International Women’s Forum. As president of Turner Original Productions and later CNN Productions, Mitchell was the executive producer of hundreds of hours of documentaries and specials, many of which were awarded Emmy’s and Peabody Awards for Excellence; several were nominated for Academy Awards for best documentary. Media includes: TIME, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC.

President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have proposed a plan that cuts the Education Department's budget and directs more money towards private school vouchers. To discuss, we FEATURE Emma Garcia. Emma is an economist at the Economic Policy Institute. She specializes in the economics of education and education policy. Her areas of research include analysis of the production of education (cognitive and noncognitive skills); returns to education; evaluation of educational interventions (early childhood, K-12, and higher education); educational equity; human development; international comparative education; and cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis in education. Extensive media experience.

DACA and immigration are the topic of an unusual open debate in the Senate this week. To discuss, we FEATURE Lourdes Guadalupe Martinez. Lourdes is the Political Director of Mujeres Unidas y Activas, or MUA, a grassroots organization of Latina immigrant women in the San Francisco Bay Area with a double mission of promoting personal transformation and building community power for social and economic justice. MUA’s focus issue areas are Immigrant Rights; Domestic Worker Rights; and Violence Against Women.  Before joining MUA, Lourdes was an immigration attorney, working as an immigration legal educator with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) in San Francisco. Media includes: Univision, Telemundo, NBC, KQED News.

Two Baltimore police officers have been convicted in a corruption case that includes racketeering and robbery. To discuss, we FEATURE Debbie Hines. Debbie is a Washington, D.C.-based trial attorney, legal analyst, former Baltimore prosecutor and member of the Supreme Court bar. Debbie is an expert in criminal law, high profile criminal cases, gun control and gun laws, police brutality, death penalty, domestic violence and Supreme Court cases.  She often addresses legal/political issues at the intersection of gender, race and class.  As a former felony prosecutor, she tried homicides, attempted murders, rapes, burglaries, robberies, narcotics and economic crimes. Media includes: Al Jazeera, BET, C-SPAN, CBS, CCTV, MSNBC, PBS, Sky News, Fox 5 News, NPR.

In South Africa, the African National Congress (ANC) have asked President Jacob Zuma to resign. To discuss, we FEATURE Emira Woods. Emira is a member of the International Working Group for Africans Rising, a network of African social movements working to build peace, seek justice and manifest dignity. She is Associate Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, Trustee of the Wallace Global Fund, and board member of Action Aid International. Prior to ThoughtWorks, Ms. Woods worked at the D.C. based think-tank, Institute for Policy Studies, as Director of Foreign Policy In Focus. Her focus was on research, analysis, advocacy and communications/media regarding U.S. foreign policy, with a particular expertise in US-Africa policy. Media includes: Al Jazeera, NPR, PBS NewsHour, CGTN and Voice of America.

Oxfam is being investigated by the UK charity commission for its handling of sexual abuse allegations against its staff in Haiti and Chad in 2011. To discuss, we FEATURE Erika Guevara-Rosas. Erika is a feminist lawyer and human rights activist, who currently serves as the Americas Programme Director at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International.  She is responsible for leading the organization’s human rights work across the region.  Erika has more than fifteen years of international experience in the fields of human rights and social justice philanthropy. For the past several years, Erika has advised diverse philanthropic institutions on how to implement a more gender-focused and social justice approach to their international programming. Media includes: UNHCR Website, Foreign Policy in Focus, York University.

With the Winter Olympics currently underway in PyeongChang, South Korea, there have been many discussions about U.S. and South Korean relations with North Korea. To discuss, we FEATURE Christine Ahn. Christine is the founder and international coordinator of Women Cross DMZ, a global movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War, reunite families, and ensure women’s leadership in peacebuilding. In 2015, on the 70th anniversary of Korea’s division by Cold War powers, she led 30 international women peacemakers across the De-Militarized Zone, the world’s most fortified border, from North Korea to South Korea. She is also co-founder of the Korea Policy Institute, Global Campaign to Save Jeju Island, the National Campaign to End the Korean War, and the Korea Peace Network. Media includes: Aljazeera, Anderson Cooper’s 360, BBC, Democracy Now!, NBC Today Show, NPR.

Black Panther will open nationwide Friday. This is the first Marvel film to be led by a black superhero and features a mostly black cast. To discuss the importance of representation, we FEATURE April Reign. April, the creator of the viral #OscarsSoWhite, is an influential and sought-after media presence, having built an organic following of over 100,000 worldwide. April’s worldwide campaign to increase inclusion of marginalized communities in entertainment helped to usher in the most systemic changes to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 80 years. Studios and production companies are following suit, taking into consideration Reign’s 10-point plan to increase diversity as reported in the Guardian. Media includes: CNN, Huffington Post, The Guardian, Forbes, News One Now, The Today Show, BBC, Al Jazeera America.