Tuesday, Senators from both parties voiced concerns over President Trump's plans to accept a luxury jet from Qatar. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Ciara Torres-Spelliscy. Torres-Spelliscy is a professor, teaching courses in election law, corporate governance, business entities, and constitutional law at Stetson University College of Law. She is also a board member of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Prior to joining Stetson's faculty, Torres-Spelliscy was counsel in the Democracy Program of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law where she provided guidance on the issues of money in politics and the judiciary to state and federal lawmakers. She is the author of the book Corporate Citizen? An Argument for the Separation of Corporation and State and the book Political Brands. Professor Torres-Spelliscy has testified before Congress, and state and local legislative bodies as an expert on campaign finance reform. She has also helped draft legislation and Supreme Court briefs. Media includes: The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The New York Times, Time, Bloomberg, Mother Jones, Newsweek, CSPAN, DNA TV, NY1.

Today, Donald Trump met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Prior to the meeting, Trump announced plans to lift sanctions on Syria. To discuss, we FEATURE Frances Z. Brown. Brown is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endownment for International Peace. She previously worked at the White House, USAID, and in non-governmental organizations. She writes on conflict, governance, and U.S. foreign policy. In her last role before leaving government, Brown served as special assistant to the president and senior director for African affairs on the White House National Security Council (NSC) staff, where she helped manage policy processes on democracy support, key political transitions, and post-conflict stabilization efforts. Serving under the Biden, Obama and Trump administrations, she also convened a fragile states interagency committee, aimed at elevating comparative insights on conflict into policy deliberations. She has published field research projects on Afghanistan stabilization and subnational governance with the U.S. Institute of Peace, on Syria stabilization with Carnegie, and shorter analyses in the American Interest, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post,The Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, International Herald Tribune, and elsewhere.

A United Nations backed report warns that one in five people in Gaza are facing starvation after Israel’s blockade has prevented humanitarian food from being delivered over the last three months. To discuss, we FEATURE Johanna Mendelson Forman. Forman is a distinguished practitioner in residence at American University’s School of International Service. She is also a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center, where she heads the Food Security Program. Her frontline experience as a policy maker on conflict and stabilization efforts drove her interest in connecting the role of food in conflict, resulting in the creation of Conflict Cuisine®: An Introduction to War and Peace Around the Dinner Table, an interdisciplinary course she teaches at the School of International Service at American University in Washington, DC. As a professor leading this innovative curriculum, Forman challenges her students to explore new ways of looking at diplomacy, conflict resolution, and civic engagement to understand how food, as a form of Soft Power, can drive these issues in the 21st Century. In establishing this link between food and conflict, Forman developed a new interdisciplinary platform examining why food is central to survival and resilience in conflict zones. Her groundbreaking work on food in conflict zones is derived from her distinguished career as a practitioner and policymaker in the United States government, the United Nations and the World Bank. Media includes: Miami Herald, The Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, Americas Quarterly, The Globalist, World Politics Review, VOXXI, Estadao, El Universal, CNN, NPR.

Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex-trafficking and racketeering trial is currently underway. According to prosecutors, the former hip-hop mogul “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” To discuss, we FEATURE Emerald Christopher. Christopher is a professor, keynote speaker, and local government official with over 20 years of experience in academia and government. Her research and advocacy focus on the socio-political position of women of color in the U.S., particularly examining their representation in popular culture and how these portrayals influence political institutions and policies. Christopher’s current research, "The Manifestations of Jane Crow: Gender-Based Violence and Black Women’s Experience," delves into gender-based violence, with a focus on how Black women experience unique forms of violence shaped by the intersection of racial and gender injustice. Christopher has also written research papers "Popular Music and Misogyny" in Misogyny in American Culture, Causes, Trends, and Solutions and "Feminism and Hip-Hop" in The St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture. Extensive media experience.

FDA commissioner, Marty Makary, stated that he had no plans to impose tighter restrictions on abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol but that he would reconsider if new data finds safety concerns. Following this announcement, conservative think tank the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) released a report claiming serious complications related to abortion pills. Reproductive health experts have pointed out the report's flawed methodology. To discuss, we FEATURE Carrie N. Baker. Baker is the Sylvia Dlugasch Bauman professor of American studies and chair of the Program for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She is an expert on women's rights law and policy, specializing in sexual harassment, sex trafficking, and reproductive rights and justice. Baker was a co-founder and former co-director of the Five College Certificate in Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice. Her most recent book is Abortion Pills: US History and Politics. Media includes: Ms. Magazine, The New York Times, Slate, NPR.

A group of small businesses have asked the U.S. Court of International Trade to block President Trump’s trade tariffs, stating that they are an “unprecedented and unlawful expansion” of executive power. To discuss, we FEATURE Nicole Cober. As a trailblazer in the small business community for nearly a decade, Nicole Cober is an advocate for the small business community. Cober is the principal managing partner of Cober Johnson & Romney, an award-winning legal & business consulting firm. She is an executive coach & business strategist who specializes in developing management, legal, & branding strategies for leaders in the business world. For eight years, Cober owned and operated a day spa and hair salon chain that served as a revitalization catalyst in a developing area of the nation's capital. Cober blends both her legal and business skills together to offer a uniquely powerful list of services for clients. Affectionately known as "The Lawyer-preneur," she now seeks to empower start-ups and local small businesses with by creating effective business, branding and growth strategies. Media includes: People, Essence, Allure, Entrepreneur, The Washingtonian, The Washington Post, Upscale, Black Enterprise, CBS, BET.

Donald Trump has signed an executive order to lower drug prices to match prices in other developed countries. To discuss, we FEATURE Gloria Tavera. Tavera is a gastroenterology fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. She holds an MD, PhD and Masters of Science degree from Case Western Reserve University. She was recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 Healthcare in 2017 for her work with Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), a global group of university students and academics organizing for public control over medicine and its pricing. She firmly believes all universities have a stronger role to play in making medicines affordable and accessible. Extensive media experience.

May is Asian American Heritage Month. To discuss, we FEATURE Nellie Tran. Tran is associate professor of counseling at San Diego State University. She studies subtle gender biases within the educational context for students and faculty, especially women and people of color. She holds a Ph.D. in Community and Prevention Psychology, is a funded National Science Foundation researcher, has held multiple national elected positions (including President) in the Asian American Psychological Association and the Society for Community Research and Action, and has developed and runs several leadership and empowerment programs for students and early career professionals nation-wide. As a professor at SDSU, she trains master's level multicultural community counseling students and serves as the faculty advisor to the Asian Pacific Student Alliance. Extensive media experience.