A group of Ukrainian civilians have been evacuated from Mariupol steelworks, though hundreds more remain trapped in the bunkers and tunnels as they attempt to resist Russian invasion. To discuss, we FEATURE Sarah Dawn Petrin. Petrin has served as a professor of Peace Operations and Human Security for the U.S. military and a Senior Civilian Advisor to NATO on the protection of civilians in conflict zones. She is the author of a book, Bring Rain: Helping Humanity in Crisis, which describes her work in over 20 countries in conflict and disaster including the Haiti earthquake, Afghanistan war, Tsunami in Southeast Asia, and refugee crises along the Thailand-Myanmar, Kenya-Somalia, and Ukraine-Russia border. Petrin has also advised many humanitarian agencies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and nongovernmental organizations working to resettle refugees and assist victims of human trafficking including the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Media includes: The War Room, BBC, CNN.

As the weather warms up and restrictions are lifted, more people are going out and traveling. With a potential COVID surge, we FEATURE Susan Blumenthal. Blumenthal is the Founder and Public Health Director of Beat the Virus.org, a social media campaign and resource hub of information on COVID-19. She served as U.S. Assistant Surgeon General, Senior Global Health Advisor and the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of Women’s Health in the US Department of Health and Human Services and was a White House Advisor on Health. She is currently a Senior Fellow in Health Policy at the New America and Senior Policy and Medical Advisor at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research where her work focuses on a broad range of public health and science issues facing the nation and world. Media includes: The Washington Post, Boston Globe, The Hill, The Huffington Post.

A federal judge has ruled that the Republican National Committee cannot block the House panel investigating the January 6 Capitol riot from gaining access to RNC emails and fundraising data. To discuss, we FEATURE 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 the author of the book Corporate Citizen? An Argument for the Separation of Corporation and State (Carolina Academic Press, 2016) and the book Political Brands (Edward Elgar forthcoming 2019). Professor Torres-Spelliscy has testified before Congress, and state and local legislative bodies as an expert on campaign finance reform. Media includes: The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The New York Times, Time, Bloomberg, Mother Jones, Newsweek, NBC, Fox.

A judge allows for a lawsuit seeking reparations for survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre to move forward in court after defendants sought to dismiss the case. To discuss, we FEATURE Jennifer Epps-Addison. Epps-Addison serves as the President and Co-Executive Director of the Center for Popular Democracy and CPD Action's network of 49 partner organizations in 33 states. As President, she leads CPD’s racial justice campaigns, and works closely with its network of local affiliates. Epps-Addison, a leader who has deep experience building power in communities from the ground up, joined the Center for Popular Democracy at a time when local community voices matter more than ever in creating a nation-wide movement to fight for dignity and opportunity for all people. She has a commitment to supporting and growing black-led organizations, strengthening investments in power-building efforts in communities of color, and deepening organizing strategies that build power with the white working class by addressing racism head-on and building authentic alliances based on shared interests and shared values. Media includes: The Washington Post, The Guardian, International Business Times, Politico, MSNBC, NPR.

The NFL told a federal judge at a hearing on Monday that it wants to move a race discrimination lawsuit filed by Brian Flores, head coach of the Miami Dolphins, to arbitration. Flores wants the suit to continue in court. To discuss, we FEATURE Kalpana Kotagal. Kotagal is a Partner at Cohen Milstein, and a member of the firm’s Civil Rights & Employment practice and Chair of the firm’s Hiring and Diversity Committee. She is also the co-author of the "Inclusion Rider," referenced by Oscar-winning actress Frances McDormand in her 2018 Best Actress acceptance speech. Kotagal focuses almost exclusively on employment class actions involving allegations of discrimination. She represents a class of female sales employees in a Title VII and Equal Pay Act case against one of the nation's largest jewelry chains in Jock, et al. v Sterling Jewelers Inc. Her clients have alleged a pattern of sex discrimination in compensation and promotions. Kotagal also played an instrumental role in representing Wal-Mart employees in the landmark Supreme Court case Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., a case establishing new rules governing class certification. Media includes: The Washington Post, The National Law Journal, Bloomberg, The Hill, Variety.

An investigation by NBC News found that while the U.S. Olympic Committee has been investigating and banning coaches for abuse and sexual misconduct accusations, these same coaches are allowed to work with minors outside of Olympic events. To discuss, we FEATURE Jill Pilgrim, Founder and President of The Center for the Protection of Athletes' Rights, Inc., a sports advocacy and education organization. As an educator on the sports industry, Pilgrim has taught sports law at New York University’s Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management, the University of Miami School of Law, and the Columbia University School of Professional Studies & Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía (ISDE) Companion Masters in Sports Management & Masters in Sports Law Program. Media includes: NBC, CNN, NPR, BBC, ESPN.

In an effort to curb smoking deaths in the U.S., the FDA has banned the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. To discuss, we FEATURE Helen Redmond. Redmond is the founder of Nicotine Harm Reduction Consultants and provides training and consultation on mental health, nicotine use, electronic cigarettes and the politics of vaping. She has facilitated tobacco harm reduction/vaping groups at New York Harm Reduction Educators in East Harlem, NY. In 2016, Redmond organized and was a keynote speaker at the first Tobacco Harm Reduction Conference in the United States to focus on smoking among vulnerable populations. She is an expert in substance use. For two decades, Redmond has worked as a licensed clinical social worker with people who use drugs in medical, community mental health settings, and in harm reduction-based, supportive housing. Media includes: Filter Magazine, Harper's Magazine, The Influence.

Mother's Day is Sunday! As mothers are celebrated, paid family and medical leave are still being fought for especially after the collapse of Biden's social spending bill. 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. She 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. As a strategist and analyst, Shabo is steeped in both policy details and the political dynamics that typically surround policymakers’ consideration of these policies. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, CNN.

May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and today is Equal Pay Day for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Women. To commemorate, we FEATURE Seema Agnani. Agnani is the Executive Director of the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD) – a coalition of more than 100 community-based organizations in 19 states and the Pacific Islands. Collectively the coalition improves the lives of over two-million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who live in poverty by providing voice, tools, and shared knowledge to drive change. Currently, she serves on the Community Advisory Board, Consumer Financial Protections Bureau and is an officer of the board of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT). She was originally from the Chicago metro area, her parents emigrated to the US from India. Media includes: The Nation, The New York Times, WNYC.