News has come out that President Trump might have attempted to pressure Ukrainian leaders to help him find information on a political opponent. Many Democratic leaders to rethink their stance on impeachment. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Lisa Graves. Graves, Executive Director of the Center for Media and Democracy, has served as a senior advisor in all three branches of the federal government and other posts. She has also worked as a leading strategist on civil liberties advocacy in the area of national security and as an adjunct law professor at one of the top law schools in the country. Graves has testified as an expert witness on national security/homeland security and transparency issues before both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNBC, BBC.
Climate activists on Monday blocked streets in Washington, DC, in order to support climate activist Greta Thunberg in pressuring world leaders to put together tougher policies to combat climate change. To discuss, we FEATURE Cassady Craighill. Craighill manages communications and media for Greenpeace USA focusing on energy and climate change. She once led the communications for Greenpeace’s daring “Resist” banner outside the White House after Trump’s Inauguration. Prior to that, she helped manage much of the communications strategy for Greenpeace's initiative to protect the Arctic from Shell’s offshore drilling plans which culminated in 2015 with a bridge protest in Portland. An expert in rapid response communications, she is regularly quoted in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Associated Press along with live television interviews.
Today, world leaders will be convening during a UN Summit to discuss actions to slow global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To discuss, we FEATURE Dr. Achala Abeysinghe. Dr. Abeysinghe is a Principal Researcher and Team Leader of Climate Law, Policy and Governance Programme at International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), London. Dr. Abeysinghe also works as the legal advisor to the Chair of the Least Developed Countries Group- a group of 48 countries, in the UN climate change negotiations. She is a lawyer by training and a life member of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka. Her research interests are in legal issues in the UN climate change negotiations, issues related to equity and fairness, adaptation to climate change and finance for climate change adaptation. Media includes: The Conversation, Inside Climate News, Dhaka Tribune.
Germany, France, UK and U.S.A have blamed Iran for attacking Saudi Arabia's oil reserves. To discuss, we FEATURE Patricia DeGennaro. DeGennaro is an adjunct professor at New York University’s Department of Politics where she teaches courses on international security, civilian and military relations and US foreign policy. In addition to her work as a professor, she is a Senior Fellow at the World Policy Institute and a professional service provider and a subject matter expert on Afghanistan, the Middle East, the Arab Gulf States, Pakistan and Iran for the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command. Media includes: CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, Fox News, BBC.
Charlie Rose is facing a new lawsuit from makeup artist Gina Riggi that says he made the PBS set a "sexual hunting ground." In 2017, Charlie Rose was fired from PBS following sexual misconduct allegations. To discuss, we FEATURE Linda Seabrook. Seabrook is General Counsel at Futures Without Violence, where she leads a number of programs aimed at reducing violence against women and children. Prior to that she was at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, a national top-tier labor and employment law firm where she focused on employment discrimination and sexual harassment cases, and occupational safety and health law. In 2010, Linda joined the U.S. Department of Justice serving as the subject matter expert for the Department on all statutes, regulations and policies relating to victims of federal criminal offenses. Media includes: Post & Courier, USA Today, NPR.
A leaked letter that was released to the public revealed that the Trump administration sent letters to UN member states to urge them to start a coalition against abortion. To discuss, we FEATURE Françoise Girard. Girard is President of the International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC). She collaborates closely with women’s groups in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to advance national policies on issues such as preventing child, early, and forced marriage, promoting comprehensive sexuality education, and ensuring access to safe and legal abortion. Her other publications include “Negotiating Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights at the UN: A Long and Winding Road” in The Remaking of Social Contracts: Feminists in a Fierce New World (2014); Global Implications of U.S. Domestic and International Policies on Sexuality (2004); “Negotiating Sexual Rights and Sexual Orientation at the United Nations” in SexPolitics: Reports from the Front Lines (2007); and “Advocacy for Sexuality and Women’s Rights: Continuities, Discontinuities and Strategies since ICPD” in Reproductive Health and Human Rights: The Way Forward (2009). Media includes: New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Boston Globe, Reuters, BBC Radio, NPR.
It is currently Hispanic Heritage Month and to discuss, we FEATURE Michelle Rivera, PhD. Dr. Rivera is a champion for equity and inclusion across multiple public sectors. Trained as a qualitative researcher and communications practitioner, Dr. Rivera has taught and mentored communications, PR, advertising, media, and Latina/o studies students at the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan. Her work sheds light on the complexities of Latinidad—challenging outmoded and static representations of authenticity that often circulate through Latin(x) popular culture, and which increasingly demand intervention in a global and digital age. Her published work on global Latin(x) media and popular culture appears in Anti-fandom: Dislike and Hate in the Digital Age; 50 Events that Shaped Latino History: An Encyclopedia of the American Mosaic; The Routledge Companion to Latina/o Media; and Seeing in Spanish: From Don Quixote to Daddy Yankee. Media includes: RazeTV, Billboard Magazine, Remezcla, Fusion.
Liz Theran
