Over the weekend, The New York Times released Donald Trump's financial records, reporting that he only paid $750 in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency despite being a billionaire. To discuss, we FEATURE Annette Nellen. Nellen is a professor at San José State University teaching graduate-level tax courses. Her tax policy work focuses on modernizing tax systems while respecting the principles of good tax policy. Her work looks at how tax systems can be brought into the 21st century ways of living and doing business, and how doing so will better serve governments, businesses and society.

 Nellen is a frequent speaker and author on tax policy matters, tax reform, e-commerce taxation and high technology tax issues. She is an active member of the tax sections of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and American Bar Association (ABA). Media includes: San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, San Jose Business Journal, San Jose Mercury News.

The U.S. presidential election is in 33 days and, because of the ongoing pandemic, mail-in voting has become essential this year. To discuss, we FEATURE Maya Contreras. 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. Contreras deconstructs these narratives exposing their origins and purpose in order to dismantle their power for her audiences. As a political strategist, Maya 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). Media includes: DAME Magazine, PBS.

The recording of the Breonna Taylor grand jury proceedings is set to be released tomorrow. Last week, the officers that shot and killed Breonna Taylor were not charged with her death, causing demonstrators to protest in the streets of Louisville, Kentucky. To discuss, we FEATURE Debbie Hines. Hines is a Washington, DC based trial attorney, legal analyst, former Baltimore prosecutor and member of the Supreme Court bar. She 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. As a former felony prosecutor, she tried homicides, attempted murders, rapes, burglaries, robberies, narcotics and economic crimes. Presently, she maintains a boutique law practice focused on civil and criminal litigation. Hines is also a former Maryland Assistant Attorney General. Media includes: The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, The Hill, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Leader of the House of Representative Nancy Pelosi met on Tuesday to discuss a Covid relief plan, but were unable to reach agreement. To discuss continued Covid talks, we FEATURE Alejandra Y. Castillo. Castillo is the CEO of YWCA USA which serves 2.3 million women and girls around the country with a network of over 200 associations. She has over two decades of professional experience in Washington, D.C., having served in senior leadership in two presidential administrations. Given her policy, legal and business expertise, she has worked in various public, private and non-profit settings. In 2014, Alejandra was appointed by the Obama Administration to serve as the national director of the Minority Business Development Agency, becoming the first Hispanic American woman to lead the agency. In that role, she helped secure financing and capital in excess of $19 billion and created or retained over 33,000 jobs. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The New Yorker, NBC News, CNN.

The COVID-19 death toll has reached more than a million worldwide. To discuss, we FEATURE Donna A. Patterson, PhD. Patterson is chair of the Department of History, Political Science, and Philosophy at Delaware State University. She also directs the Africana Studies Program. She regularly participates in meetings in the U.S. and abroad on global health, epidemics, security, African and African American studies, and African politics. For instance, Dr. Patterson moderated a panel on African Diaspora Equity in Nairobi, Kenya for UNFPA. In addition, she has talked about the implications of emerging COVID-19 policy and response in events hosted by Arizona State University and the University of London. Her forthcoming publications include articles on “Women in Senegal” for the Oxford Encyclopedia of African Women’s History, “Small State, Big Impact: Delaware’s COVID-19 Response,” for the World Medical and Health Policy Journal, and an article on Asian investment in African pharmaceutical markets. Media includes: Slate, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Foreign Policy, The Appeal.

On Tuesday, Disney announced that it will lay off 28,000 employees from across their parks due to prolonged closures and low attendance. To discuss, we FEATURE Erica Smiley, the Executive Director of Jobs with Justice. A long-time organizer and movement leader, Smiley has been spearheading strategic organizing and policy interventions for Jobs With Justice for nearly 15 years. Prior to taking up her current position with the organization, Smiley served as organizing director for Jobs With Justice developing campaigns that resulted in transformative changes to how working people organize and are civically engaged at their workplaces and in their communities. During her tenure at Jobs With Justice, Smiley has served in numerous leadership capacities including as campaigns director and as senior field organizer for the southern region. Media includes: Chicago Tribune, The Washington Free Beacon, Reuters, MSNBC.

Donald Trump has nominated Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court. To discuss how her appointment could affect the Affordable Care Act case that is scheduled for November 10, we FEATURE Laura Packard. Packard founded a non-profit, Health Care Voices, to organize adults with serious medical conditions. She shared her personal health care story with Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention, day 2. Laura also serves as co-chair of Health Care Voter, and runs the pharma accountability campaign for Hero Action Fund, working to make sure any future coronavirus vaccines and COVID-19 treatments are available to all. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, US News & World Report, MSNBC.

In the past week, immigrants detained by ICE have been speaking up about feeling coerced into undergoing unneeded gynecological procedures. To discuss, we FEATURE Anu Joshi. Joshi is the Senior Director of Immigrant Rights Policy at the New York Immigration Coalition, an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 member organizations statewide. Anu leads the organization's work on issues relating to immigration status and enforcement on both the state and federal level. Recently, her work has focused on federal appropriations, Dream Act and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) negotiations, the proposed public charge rule change, access to drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants in New York, and broad statewide sanctuary policies. Media includes: Newsweek, Newsday, The Guardian, Associated Press, WNYC.

During the debate, Donald Trump was asked to denounce the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, instead he told them to “stand back and stand by”. Republicans are attempting to distance themselves from the comment. To discuss, we FEATURE Kelly J. Baker, an editor and writer. Baker has a PhD (2008) in American religious history from Florida State University and her academic scholarship included 14 articles, 39 conference presentations, and two books on religious and racial hatred, apocalypticism, religion and gender, religion and popular culture, and horror. She’s been researching and writing about white supremacy, white nationalism, racism, and religious intolerance for over 11 years. Her award-winning book, Gospel According to the Klan: The KKK’s Appeal to Protestant America, 1915-1930 (University Press of Kansas, 2011), is the first to analyze the white religious nationalism of the 1920s Klan and the continued legacy of their particular form of white nationalism today. Media includes: The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Revealer.

Three House Democrats have proposed legislation that would strengthen anti-sexual harassment, assault and retaliation protocols at the State Department. The legislation, which has been named the State Harassment and Assault Prevention and Eradication (SHAPE) Act of 2020, comes three years after over 200 women working in national security spoke up against sexual harassment. To discuss, we FEATURE Justine Andronici. Andronici is a feminist lawyer and victim’s rights and women’s rights advocate. Her work focuses on gender based violence, discrimination, and progressive politics. Justine has represented thousands of survivors of violence and abuse in her 18 year legal career, including several high profile survivors of Jerry Sandusky’s child sexual abuse. Now, in addition to representing survivors in very select civil cases, Justine works as a trainer and strategic consultant for non-profit women’s rights and victim’s advocacy organizations. Media includes: MSNBC, CNN.

On Wednesday, Chrissy Teigen shared on social media that she and her husband, John Legend, had lost their child following pregnancy complications. Many women experience pregnancy loss, but it is rarely talked about due to social taboo. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Hedwig "Didi" St. Louis, MD, MPH. Dr. Didi is an Assistant Professor at Morehouse School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She consults women on personal health and in various stages of mothering. She created Healthy Mommy, Happy Baby so moms of color would have access to credible information addressing the issues unique to them. Her experience as a private practitioner and public health advocate has shown her how critical the early stages of motherhood are for setting a firm foundation for mom and child, as well as for the entire family. Media includes: Essence Magazine, The Grio, Jennifer Krett Show.