Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana are asking the Supreme Court to strike down abortion shield laws in California, Massachusetts and New York, which protect providers from out-of-state investigations or prosecution for legally prescribing and mailing abortion pills to patients in states where abortion is banned. To discuss, we FEATURE Emma Roth. Roth serves as Senior Counsel at Reproductive Futures, where she leads the organization's legislative advocacy to bolster nationwide protections for reproductive healthcare in the aftermath of Dobbs. Previously, she worked for five years as a senior attorney at Pregnancy Justice, where she engaged in impact litigation, policy advocacy, and public education to combat the criminalization of pregnancy throughout the U.S. South. She also served as an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the ACLU Women's Rights Project, where she brought litigation across the country to further the rights of women and girls. Roth clerked for Judge Ronnie Abrams on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, PBS, MSNBC.

Boulder, Colorado, is suing ExxonMobil and Suncor over climate-related damages. The Supreme Court’s ruling on whether the case can proceed in state court could affect dozens of similar climate lawsuits nationwide. To discuss, we FEATURE Dana R. Fisher. Fisher is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity and Professor in the School of International Service at American University. Her research focuses on questions related to democracy, civic engagement, activism, and climate politics. Media includes: The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Nation, Rolling Stone, Slate, The Hill, Politico, Business Insider, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC.

New polling shows Democrats leading several Republican-held governor’s races, including in Iowa, Ohio, Texas and Alaska. The results reflect voter dissatisfaction with the economy and President Trump, though the races remain subject to change. To discuss, we FEATURE Margie Omero. Omero is a principal at the Democratic polling firm GBAO with nearly 30 years of experience providing strategic advice and qualitative and quantitative research to candidates, organizations, and brands. She’s led polling efforts for Governors and US Senators, studied some of the most challenging public opinion topics, and is a frequent speaker and commentator. Omero also co-leads the Navigator Research team—an ongoing regular investigation into public opinion of the country’s top issues—such as democratic reforms, “Trump regret,” news consumption, and the economy. She’s written about lessons drawn from focus groups here and here. Media includes: Bloomberg, The New York Times, Politico, Huffington Post, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, PBS, NPR.

A new PBS report examines why bystanders often fail to intervene in sexual assaults, finding that people may underestimate others’ willingness to step in. Researchers say correcting these misperceptions could encourage more bystander intervention. To discuss, we FEATURE Nancy Chi Cantalupo. 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. She is an associate professor of law and associate dean for diversity, equity and belonging at the Wayne State University Law School. 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 Media includes: USA Today, TIME, The Washington Post, CQ Researcher.

A Russian lab worker died after a suspected accident at a Siberian anti-plague institute, prompting quarantines and monitoring of nearly 200 people. To discuss, we FEATURE Céline Gounder. Trained at Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Washington, and Harvard University, Céline Gounder is an internist, infectious disease specialist, and epidemiologist. She is a Senior Fellow Kaiser Family Foundation, and Editor-at-Large for Public Health at KFF Health News. Gounder is also a clinical associate professor of medicine and infectious diseases at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. She is one of the world’s leading experts in science, medicine, and public health communication. Gounder is best known for her coverage of health inequities and the COVID, Ebola, Zika, mental health, opioid overdose, gun violence, and disinformation epidemics. Media includes: The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, MSNBC, CNN.

Brazil’s presidential election is headed to a runoff after Flávio Bolsonaro narrowly led incumbent Lula in the first round, 47% to 45%. The two will face off again on October 25. To discuss, we FEATURE Heloisa Pait. Pait is an expert of current affairs in Brazil, recent Brazilian history, media and censorship in Brazil, and development and social issues in Brazil. She is part of the advisory board of Open Knowledge Foundation Brazil and takes active part of debates on Brazilian current affairs, contributing to specialized blogs and to the press. Media includes: TV Cultura, Estadão Noite, The Christian Science Monitor, GuerrillaReads, Isto É.

Christa Pike’s lawyers warned Tennessee officials in court proceedings that her medical condition could make a lethal injection difficult. After two doses failed to kill her, Pike remains critically ill, while the state investigates the botched execution. To discuss, we FEATURE Sara Totonchi. Totonchi is a transformational leader whose career has focused on human rights and social justice for people in the Deep South, especially those impacted by the criminal legal system. For more than twenty years, Sara’s advocacy home was the Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR), a public interest law firm that works for equality, dignity, and justice for people impacted by the criminal legal system in the Deep South. Totonchi joined SCHR in 2001 as the Public Policy Director and became the organization’s Executive Director in 2010. For 11 years as executive director, Totonchi led the SCHR team in carrying out its mission to end the death penalty, mass incarceration, the criminalization of poverty, and racial injustice. Media includes: The Economist, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Daily Report, Al-Jazeera America.

September 15–October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month. To commemorate, we FEATURE Sofia Quintero. Quintero is a Gen-X Afro-Latina screenwriter and novelist. Raised in a working-class Puerto Rican-Dominican family in the Bronx, the self-proclaimed “Ivy League homegirl” graduated from Columbia University and began her first career as a policy analyst and advocate working for various nonprofit organizations and government agencies including the Vera Institute of Justice and the Hispanic AIDS Forum. After years of working on diverse policy issues, Sofia turned to cultural work with the intention to meet audiences where they are yet take them someplace better. Extensive media experience.