The United States Supreme Court will be making important decisions before the session finishes later this month-. Yesterday, the court made a decision on partisan gerrymandering, and they are expected to make decisions on the travel ban, digital privacy, crisis pregnancy centers, and unions. To discuss, we FEATURE Debbie Hines. Debbie is a Washington, DC based trial attorney, legal analyst, former Baltimore prosecutor and member of the Supreme Court bar. Debbie is an expert in criminal law, high profile criminal cases, gun control and gun laws, police brutality, death penalty, domestic violence and Supreme Court cases.  She often addresses legal/political issues at the intersection of gender, race and class. Media includes: Al Jazeera, BET, C-SPAN, CBS, CCTV, MSNBC, PBS, Sky News, Fox 5 News, NPR.

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to allow partisan gerrymandering to continue, a setback for critics, but left the door open for further challenges. To discuss, we FEATURE Liz Kennedy. Liz is the Director of Democracy and Government Reform at the Center for American Progress. Previously, she served as counsel and campaign strategist at Demos, working on voting rights, money in politics, and corporate accountability. She worked to expand political participation by eliminating barriers to voting and empowering voters; to increase transparency and accountability for money in politics to fight corruption of democratic government; and to fulfill America’s promise of political equality.  Media includes: MSNBC, Al Jazeera, CBS, The American Prospect, Salon, U.S. News & World Report, Guernica magazine, BillMoyers.com, The Huffington Post.

The U.S. Supreme Court will be making a decision on whether government workers who opt out of joining a union should be required to pay "agency fees" in recognition of the benefits they gain because of union negotiations. To discuss, we FEATURE Sarita Gupta. Sarita is the executive director of Jobs With Justice. She is a nationally recognized expert on the economic and political issues affecting working people across all industries, particularly low-wage workers. Under Sarita’s direction, Jobs With Justice is leading the fight for workers’ rights and an economy that benefits everyone by anchoring strategic campaigns and shaping the public discourse to build power for working people. Jobs With Justice brings together labor, community, student, and faith voices at the national and local levels to create innovative solutions to the problems workers face today. Media includes: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Politico, The Hill, MSNBC, Fox News.

The World Health Organization has added "gaming disorder," or an addiction to video games, to a new draft of their International Classification of Diseases. To discuss, we FEATURE Marilyn Freimuth, PhD. Marilyn is an author, consultant, and psychotherapist as well as professor of clinical psychology at Fielding Graduate University where she specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of addictions. She received her PhD from Clark University and completed her clinical training at Yale University. Educated as a generalist in the field of psychology, she brings an integrated perspective to her work on addiction. She is the author of two groundbreaking books that provide tools for recognizing substance and behavioral addictions (e.g. gambling, Internet use, sex, shopping, etc.) in their early stages. Media includes: Journal of Groups in Addiction and Recovery, The Addictions Newsletter, Kansas Public Radio.

President Trump has recently criticized Germany's open-door refugee policy, falsely citing that it has caused a rise of violence in the country. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Ruth Priscilla Kirstein. Ruth is an expert on anti-Muslim, anti-Jewish and anti-refugee violence in Germany. She holds an MD and a PhD in Medical Ethics from the University of Freiburg. Her PhD dissertation investigates the early days of the controversial German neuropsychiatrist Alfred Erich Hoche (1865-1943), often accused of having laid the intellectual groundwork for euthanasia during WWII, in Strasbourg. At the German Mission to the United Nations, she moderated the medical symposium "Rethinking Trauma as a Global Challenge." Media includes: France 24, NYC’s French Morning, The New York Times, TV7, Die Presse, 24heures, Süddeutsche Zeitung.

This past Sunday, Iván Duque was elected as Colombia's new president. To discuss, we FEATURE Erika Guevara Rosas. Erika is a feminist lawyer and human rights activist, who currently serves as the Americas Programme Director at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International.  She is responsible for leading the organization’s human rights work across the region.  Erika has more than fifteen years of international experience in the fields of human rights and social justice philanthropy. Before joining Amnesty International, Erika was the Regional Director for the Americas at the Global Fund for Women (GFW). At GFW, Erika managed to secure and mobilize more than $15 million in support to women’s rights movements. Erika also served as Legal/Protection Officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), managing complex operations in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Panama andVenezuela, mainly in border areas with war-affected populations. Extensive media experience. 

A new study has shown that rising sea levels, caused by climate change, threaten many U.S. coastal communities. To discuss, we FEATURE Kimberly Duong, MS. Kimberly is a civil engineering PhD student at UC Irvine. Her research focuses on drought management in southern California. She received a bachelor's degree from UCLA, where she studied atmospheric sciences/operational meteorology and volunteered as an intern at the National Weather Service. She is also co-founder and Executive Board member for Climatepedia, a climate communications nonprofit. Climatepedia created the Tyndall Petition, a statement that says climate change is real, urgent, and requires immediate attention. Over 600 U.S. climate change experts have signed. Media includes: Earth and Space Science News, The National Academies Press, Sierra Club Magazine, "Ask a Leader" podcast.

Today is Juneteenth, which is remembered as the day to celebrate the end of slavery in America. To discuss, we FEATURE Celeste Faison. Celeste is the Black Organizer Cordinator at National Domestic Workers Alliance and co-founder of the Blackout Collective. She is a community organizer and direct action trainer. Cutting her teeth as a youth organizer, she was the lead organizer at Youth together and  the co-director of Project Fame, an in-school, and after school program that taught Black history, literature, algebra, organizing and the arts, in Alabama public schools. Media includes: KPFS, NBC News, Alternet, USA Today, San Francisco Bay View.   

Today is International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. To discuss, we FEATURE Lauren Wolfe. Lauren is Director of WMC Women Under Siege which investigates how sexualized violence is used as a weapon in conflict and beyond.  She is an award-winning journalist who has written for publications from The Atlantic to The New York Times. She is also a columnist at Foreign Policy magazine and on the advisory committee of the International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict. Media includes: NPR, BBC World Service, The Atlantic, The New York Times, CNN International.