Shelling has continued near a nuclear complex in south Ukraine, with the Ukrainian company that runs the plant blaming Russia for the attacks. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Laura S. H. Holgate. Holgate was confirmed as Representative of the United States of America to the Vienna Office of the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador on December 18, 2021 and sworn in on January 4, 2022. Until then, she was the Vice President for Materials Risk Management at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a position she held since 2018. Prior to this, she served as the Representative of the United States of America to the Vienna Office of the United Nations, with rank of Ambassador and Representative of the United States of America to the Vienna Office of the United Nations, with rank of Ambassador from 2016-2017. Her broad threat reduction and nonproliferation experience in several government departments and agencies, as well as in non-governmental organizations and academic institutions, makes her very well qualified to represent the United States at the International Atomic Energy Agency. Previously, Ms. Holgate worked as Vice President for Russia and the Newly Independent States at the Nuclear Threat Initiative in Washington, D.C. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Voice of America, MSNBC, Fox News, C-SPAN.
Anti-abortion groups are targeting medicated at-home abortions, which is the most common way that pregnancies are terminated in the U.S. To discuss, we FEATURE Julie A. Jenkins. Jenkins speaks nationally on the role of advanced practice clinicians in abortion care and on abortion provision from in-clinic services to self-managed abortion and provides training on abortion care and options counseling. She is a sexual and reproductive health nurse practitioner and, previously, the lead plaintiff in ACLU litigation challenging Maine’s physician-only abortion law, as well as a declarant in Maine Family Planning’s litigation through the Center for Reproductive Rights to defend Title X. She has taught in nursing programs at UCSF, University of Maine, and MGH institute of Health Professions. Jenkins is a telehealth medication abortion provider for Choix, a clinician consultant for the National Abortion Federation, and a Co-Founder of Abortion Freedom Fund— a national abortion fund supporting accessible, affordable, evidence-based telehealth abortion care for all. Media includes: Al Jazeera, Mother Jones, Politico, HuffPost, Jezebel, Boston Globe.
WMC SheSource has a list of additional experts for the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
It has been 10 years since the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows undocumented immigrants who came at an early age to stay in the U.S. To discuss, we FEATURE Pamela Chomba. Chomba is a Dreamer and activist. While working in Texas (2014) for an electoral campaign, she realized she could not fix the electoral process if 11 million undocumented immigrants lived without status, including families with U.S. citizen family members, like her own. Through story-sharing trainings and advocacy, Chomba mobilized support for Dreamers in the Northeast to speak to Congress and demand a legislative process that will also grant her a pathway to citizenship. Born in Peru, Chomba came to the United States with her family members when she was 11 years old in 2001. She has a 13-year-old brother who is a U.S. citizen, while Pamela and her siblings are DACA recipients. Some of her family member remain in limbo, with no pathway to citizenship, and vulnerable to deportation. Chomba is the Director of State Immigration Campaigns at FWD.us where she works with Congressional advocacy and elevates grassroot-driven organizations to fight for legislation that would protect Dreamers like her. Media includes: ThinkProgress, Bustle, CUNY TV.
The FBI have seized documents from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, some of which were highly classified and meant to only be viewed in secure government facilities. To discuss, we FEATURE Lauren Anderson. An international security and crisis management expert, and former FBI Executive, Anderson had a distinguished FBI career, with many “firsts”, including being one of the first women selected for an FBI SWAT team. She was appointed to the position of Legal Attaché in Paris, France, the first woman to hold that position, where she directed the FBI’s engagement with, and operations in, twenty-four countries, twenty-two of which were in Francophone Africa. Anderson serves on the US Comptroller General’s Advisory Board at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Media includes: The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Take The Lead, Fox News Live.
R. Kelly is back in court, this time on federal charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice. To discuss, we FEATURE Lisalyn R. Jacobs. Jacobs is the CEO of Just Solutions: Bringing in justice to counteract injustice, and the former V.P. of Government Relations for Legal Momentum (formerly NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund). She has testified before congressional committees at both the state and federal levels. She has also fought for and secured needed protections for poor women and survivors of violence in a number of key federal laws including two reauthorizations of the Violence Against Women Act (2005 and 2013), the 2006 reauthorization of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and the 2009 amendments to the Stimulus law. Media includes: The New York Times, Huffington Post, NPR, MSNBC, CNN, Fox.
A new study shows that global warning will cause tempuratures to rise drastically in certain parts of the U.S., creating an "extreme heat belt"—which will mainly consist of states in the southwest and mid-atlantic regions of the U.S. To discuss, we FEATURE Heather McTeer Toney. Vice President of Community Engagement at the Environmental Defense Fund, Toney was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014 as Regional Administrator for Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Southeast Region. Known for her energetic and genuine commitment to people, her work has made her a national figure in the area of public service, environmental justice and community engagement. At EPA, Toney was responsible for protecting public health and the environment in the eight southeastern states, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, as well as six federally recognized tribes; making Region 4 the most populated and diverse of ten regions. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Marie Claire, Essence Magazine, CNN, Fox.
More U.S. lawmakers are visiting Taiwan to meet President Tsai Ing-wen and other Taiwanese officials 12 days after Nancy Pelosi's visit. To discuss, we FEATURE Lotta A.C. Danielsson. Danielsson is the Vice President of the US-Taiwan Business Council, a post she has held since 2003 after joining the Council as Director of Corporate Affairs in 2000. She conducts research on current U.S.-Taiwan policy issues and the needs of U.S. businesses in Taiwan. Her specialties include the triangular relationship between the U.S., Taiwan, and China in the technology supply chain; defense and national security issues in the U.S.-Taiwan relationship; U.S. business operations in the Taiwan market; and government policies and their impact on the business environment. Media includes: The Washingtonian, South China Morning Post, Jane's Defence Weekly.
Brittney Griner's defense team has filed an appeal against the Russian court's verdict that sentenced her to nine years in prison for smuggling drugs into Russia. To discuss, we FEATURE Adrienne Lawrence. As an award-winning on-air legal commentator and workplace inclusivity advocate, Lawrence is a former big law litigator that is passionate about connecting with audiences through informative, thought-provoking conversation—particularly on matters impacting marginalized people in the professional world and in legal arenas. She is engaging audiences while speaking at large forums like SXSW and sharing nuanced insight as the legal analyst for The Young Turks, where she also hosts a segment titled “Overruled” that garners millions of views on Facebook and YouTube. Media includes: The Young Turks, Buzzfeed, The Undefeated, ESPN, CBS.
The U.K. has become the first country to approve a COVID vaccine that tackles the Omicron strain of the virus. To discuss, we FEATURE Donna A. Patterson. Patterson is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of History, Political Science, and Philosophy at Delaware State University. She also directs the Africana Studies program. Patterson is the author of Pharmacy in Senegal: Gender, Healing, and Entrepreneurship. She has published scholarly articles on COVID-19, pharmaceutical markets, Senegal, women, pharmacists, and Ebola. She is currently working on projects on Ebola, COVID-19, and on drug trafficking and consumption. Most recently she has provided counsel on COVID-19 pandemic response and to medical professionals working in West Africa during the Ebola epidemic. Media includes: Slate, The Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Al Jazeera, Globe and Mail, South China Morning Post, San Diego Union Tribune.
This month marks the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Armed Forces withdrawing from Aghanistan, leading to the Taliban takeover of Kabul. To discuss, we FEATURE Lina AbiRafeh. AbiRafeh completed her doctoral work from the London School of Economics and published Gender and International Aid in Afghanistan: The Politics and Effects of Intervention in 2009, based on her PhD research. Her second book Freedom on the Frontlines: Afghan Women and the Fallacy of Liberation was released in February 2022. AbiRafeh has worked for over 20 years in development and humanitarian contexts in Afghanistan, Haiti, Central African Republic, Papua New Guinea, and others. Her experience spans global organizations such as the World Bank and various United Nations agencies. She is also the Senior Advisor for Global Women’s Rights at the Arab Institute for Women at the Lebanese American University, where she served as Executive Director for seven years. Lina is also the founder of Yalla, Feminists! an online space dedicated to amplifying women’s voices worldwide. Media includes: Al Jazeera, France 24, The Conversation, CNN.
Alicia White
Liz Theran
