The Supreme Court has ruled that states can count mail-in ballots that were received late provided they are postmarked by Election Day. To discuss, we FEATURE Maya Contreras. Contreras is a political strategist, a narrative interpreter, and an advocate for anti-racist policy. As a lifelong advocate, Contreras’s focus has been on Voting Rights because all paths to policy begin with access to the ballot box. On the road to equity, dominant political narratives that stem from domestic policy inhibit civic participation. As a political strategist, Contreras bridges communication between political leaders and groups who have been deemed “hard to count” by the Census (e.g. BIPOC communities, those experiencing homelessness, low-income individuals, members of the disability community). One of Contreras’s voter outreach programs during the 2018 midterms was “Step up and Vote” which provided voter registration and voter education support to all 101 HBCUs. Media includes: DAME Magazine, France24, PBS.

The Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that President Trump cannot immediately fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, finding that she was entitled to statutory due process and reinforcing the Federal Reserve's independence from political interference. To discuss, we FEATURE Monique Morrissey. Morrissey's areas of interest include the Federal Reserve, social security, pensions and other employee benefits, household savings, tax expenditures, older workers, public employees, unions, and collective bargaining, Medicare, institutional investors, corporate governance, executive compensation, and financial markets. She is active in coalition efforts to reform our private retirement system to ensure an adequate, secure, and affordable retirement for all workers. Morrissey is an economist at the Economic Policy Institute. Media experience: The New York Times, Planet Money (NPR), The Washington Post, Fox, CNN.

Recent Supreme Court immigration rulings on temporary protected status could put an estimated 1.3 million immigrants at risk of deportation to places the U.S. have deemed unsafe, prompting calls for Congress to create permanent legal protections for affected migrants. To discuss, we FEATURE Amanda Baran. Baran is an attorney who engages in policy analysis and advocacy for immigrant and women's rights. She is a senior research fellow at the Immigration Lab and adjunct associate professor at the American University Washington College of Law. Previously, she worked at the Department of Homeland Security for almost ten years where she held a number of significant positions including chief of public engagement at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Prior, she was principal director of immigration policy for the Department's Office of Policy. Media includes: The Hill, Los Angeles Times, VOA Noticias, Rewire.News.

The U.S. and Iran have paused military strikes and are sending delegations to Qatar, but they remain at odds over whether formal peace talks are taking place and how to resolve key disputes. To discuss, we FEATURE Asha Castleberry-Hernandez. Castleberry-Hernandez is a U.S. national security and foreign policy expert with over ten years of experience working on U.S.– Middle East policy. For U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), she served as the Kuwait Desk Officer and worked as a Security Cooperation and Engagement Officer for Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. She also worked on U.S.–Middle East policy at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and was a member of the Executive Secretariat for Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State. Media includes: The Washington Post, Washington Times, The Hill, Al-Jazeera English, CNN, CBS.

Pakistan's air strikes inside Afghanistan have failed to curb a surge in militant attacks, with analysts warning that cross-border violence is likely to continue despite the military campaign. To discuss, we FEATURE Samina Ahmed. Ahmed oversees the International Crisis Group’s work in Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nepal. Together with analysts throughout the region, she prepares reports on the political, social, economic and military factors that increase the risks of extremism, internal conflict and war, and she makes policy recommendations to overcome these threats. In general, her team focuses on political, security and stability issues in South Asia, including problems of authoritarianism; Islamic extremism, domestic and regional terrorism; educational, judicial, and security sector reform; international involvement and intervention in the region, including US relations with authoritarian states; and domestic insurgencies and the risk of inter-state conflict. Extensive media experience.

The Supreme Court declined to hear President Trump's appeal of the $5 million civil verdict finding him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. To discuss, we FEATURE Anne Voigts. Voights leads Pillsbury’s appellate practice and has argued over 80 cases in federal and state appellate courts. She has represented clients before the U.S. Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court, state and federal appellate courts, and trial courts. In addition to her appellate practice, Voigts advises clients on critical motions and partners with trial teams on complex legal issues. She also frequently advises trial teams on legal issues and motion practice, before, during and after trial, and counsels clients on rapidly changing, complex legal issues. Extensive media experience.

The Senate Ethics Committee dismissed a misconduct complaint against Sen. Ruben Gallego after finding no evidence that he violated federal law, Senate rules, or congressional standards of conduct, clearing him of allegations involving sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations. 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 also a Brennan Center Fellow. Prior to joining Stetson's faculty, Professor 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. Media includes: The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The New York Times, Time, Bloomberg, Mother Jones, NPR, NY1.

Multiple World Cup players are facing sexual midconduct and rape allegations. To discuss, we FEATURE Jessica W. Luther. Luther is an investigative journalist who has written extensively on the intersection of sports and gendered violence. She is the author of two books, Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape and she co-authored, with Kavitha Davidson Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Sports Fan. Luther also co-hosts a weekly feminist sports podcast titled Burn It All Down. Each week, they bring an intersectional feminist lens to the biggest stories in sports, toss the most abominable people in athletics on the proverbial Burn Pile, celebrate some of the torchbearers leading the way in sports, and interview some of the most influential figures in the game. Media includes: ESPN Magazine, New York Times Magazine, The Texas Observer, Austin Woman, Bitch Magazine.