China's largest city, Shanghai, has imposed a lockdown and mandatory testing as COVID-19 surges in the city. To discuss, we FEATURE Jane Duckett. Duckett is Edward Caird Chair of Politics at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. She is an expert on contemporary Chinese politics, with a particular focus on social policy (poverty, welfare) and the Chinese health care system. She speaks and reads Chinese (Mandarin) and has lived for extended periods in China since 1984. Her books include: The Entrepreneurial State in China (1998), The Open Economy and Its Enemies (2006), and The Chinese State's Retreat from Health (2011). Media includes: The Washington Post, The New York Times, South China Morning Post, BBC.

The FDA has authorized a second coronavirus booster for people 50 and older. To discuss, we FEATURE Stephanie Morain. Morain is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy. Her research examines political and ethical issues concerning the scope of government authority in public health and the role of stakeholder opinion in shaping decision-making in public health policy. She has expertise in public opinion towards controversial public health laws including those targeting “lifestyle choices” like obesity, physical inactivity, and tobacco use. Media includes: The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, ABC, NPR.

President Biden has proposed a $5.8 trillion budget for 2023 that includes an increase in military and social spending as well as new taxes on wealthiest Americans. To discuss, we FEATURE Miriam Pemberton. Pemberton is currently a Research Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. Her research focuses on overall federal budget priorities and demilitarizing our foreign policy and our economy. Formerly she served first as editor and then as director of the National Commission for Economic Conversion and Disarmament. With Lawrence Korb of the Center for American Progress, she heads up a task force of security experts that produces the annual “Unified Security Budget for the United States.” She produces the comparison of federal spending on military and climate security. Media includes: The Baltimore Sun, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Richmond Times, The Nation, CNN, Fox News.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will soon vote for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. To discuss, we FEATURE Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza. Buckwalter-Poza serves as Senior Strategist at the Justice Collaborative, where she advocates for criminal justice reform. Previously, she covered the Supreme Court, judicial nominations, and legal developments, with a focus on civil rights, as Daily Kos Judicial Affairs Editor. Buckwalter-Poza brings heightened insights into judicial nominations, politics, and decision-making. Her experience—including two federal appellate clerkships, a U.S. Attorney's Office fellowship, and a stint in the White House Counsel's Office—is unique. Media includes: Democracy Journal, Washington Monthly, CNN, NPR, The Daily Beast, Pacific Standard, The Nation, The Atlantic, Politico, MSNBC, CNN, NPR.

The House January 6th committee has found that there is a seven-hour gap in logs of phone calls to and from Donald Trump that were turned over to the House for their investigation. To discuss, we FEATURE Lenese Herbert. Herbert is a Professor of Law at Howard University School of Law, where she teaches evidence, criminal procedure, criminal law, social media and the law, and administrative law. Prior, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions under former U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Eric Holder. Professor Herbert co-authors Constitutional Criminal Procedure, a problem-based casebook adopted in a number of law schools across the U.S., as well as Criminal Law: Skills and Values. Media includes: Voice of America, Al Jazeera, The Washington Post, NBC.

Ukrainian MP Maria Mezentseva declared in a TV interview that Russian soldiers are raping and assaulting women during the invasion. To discuss, we FEATURE Marla B. Keenan. Keenan is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center. Her areas of expertise focus on issues relating to international security, including human rights in armed conflict, protection of civilians, civilian harm tracking and analysis, and civil-military relations in armed conflict. Keenan was senior director of policy and advocacy and previously senior director of programs at Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), a Washington, DC-based NGO working on armed conflict and the protection of civilians. Media includes: Rolling Stone, Reuters, Buzzfeed, Christian Science Monitor.

President Biden is expected to sign The Emmett Till Antilynching Act, legislation that would make lynching a federal hate crime. To discuss, we FEATURE Laboni Hoq. Hoq is an experienced civil rights lawyer who founded Hoq Law in 2020. Her practice draws from her over twenty-year career successfully litigating high-profile cases on behalf of workers, immigrants and those seeking government accountability. Hoq is lead counsel in James v. City of South Pasadena, a case against a police department that violated the Constitutional rights of peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters when it acted in complicity with White supremacist vigilantes who perpetrated hate crimes against them. She has also litigated several cases demanding government transparency about controversial policies. Media includes: Los Angeles Times, OC Register, The Sacramento Bee, NBC News.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law the "Parental Rights in Education" bill, dubbed by critics as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which bans discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms. To discuss, we FEATURE Stephanie Pineiro. Pineiro is an award-winning reproductive justice advocate, abortion storyteller, clinical social worker, columnist, radio producer, and host, born in Puerto Rico, now residing in Central Florida. She is the Co-Executive Director of Florida Access Network (formerly Central Florida Women’s Emergency Fund), an abortion fund dedicated to providing financial support and advocacy to Floridians seeking abortion care. Pineiro is also the Producer and Co-Host of Jevas Combativas; the only Spanish-language Feminist Commercial Radio Show in the United States. Media includes: Teen Vogue, Univision, Rewire, NPR.

There were big wins for diversity at Sunday's 94th Academy Awards with Jane Campion becoming the third woman to win Best Director, Siân Héder winning for Adapted Screenplay, Riz Ahmed becoming the first Muslim to win Live Action Short, and Questlove winning for Best Documentary Feature. To discuss, we FEATURE April Reign. As the creator of the viral hashtag-turned-movement, #OscarsSoWhite, April has been challenging the lack of representation of marginalized communities in Hollywood and beyond since 2015. Reign sustains a movement that has resulted in the most permanent systemic change ever seen in the over 80-year history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her name continues to be synonymous with this historic change, the results of which are reverberating throughout the entertainment industry and will do so for decades to come. Media includes: The Guardian, Forbes, Huffington Post, Al Jazeera, The Today Show, CNN, BBC.

For more information on diversity in this year's Oscars nominations, WMC has a report on Gender and Non-Acting Oscar Nominations.

Tax Day is coming up! Have you done your taxes? To discuss, we FEATURE Anita R Johnson, a financial psychologist. Johnson has over 30 years of experience in accounting, taxation, and finance, helping entrepreneurs find their financial voice. After settling into entrepreneurship in 1998 with Anita R Johnson & Associates as the parent company, she quickly founded Money Wisdom for Women to help women upgrade their unhealthy financial habits to healthy habits, helping them make sound financial decisions. Johnson takes a holistic approach to money, focusing on enhancing financial well-being, while understanding emotional behavior around money. Media includes: Essense, Eton Magazine, Fox.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. To discuss, we FEATURE Nancy Chi Cantalupo. Cantalupo is assistant professor of law at the Wayne State University Law School. She joined the faculty in 2021. Prior to becoming a professor, she practiced with the firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, and served as assistant dean for clinical programs at Georgetown Law, as an associate vice president for equity, inclusion & violence prevention at a higher education professional association, and as a research fellow with the Victim Rights Law Center. Cantalupo is a nationally-recognized scholar and expert on Title IX, sexual harassment, and gender-based violence in education. Her scholarship draws from her over 25 years of anti-campus sexual harassment and gender-based violence work as a researcher, campus administrator, victims’ advocate, attorney, and policymaker and focuses on the use of law to combat discriminatory violence. Media includes: The Washington Post, TIME, USA Today.