European governments, the chief of NATO, and U.S. allies have denounced Russia’s arrest of American journalist Evan Gershkovich who works for The Wall Street Journal. To discuss, we FEATURE Brianne Todd. Brianne is a Professor of Practice at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University, where her areas of expertise include transnational threats and regional security issues in Central Asia, Russia, and the Caucasus. Professor Todd regularly lectures on Central Asia and advises U.S. and foreign government officials and military officers on issues related to the region. Before joining the NESA Center in January 2010, she worked at the Center for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute, where she analyzed U.S. and foreign defense, intelligence, and homeland security and counter-terrorism policies; and the Eurasian Strategy Project, where she focused on Eurasian political and security issues. Extensive media experience.

Twitter removed the blue check verification badge from The New York Times on Sunday, going against the company's reported plans to allow the 10,000 most-followed organizations to keep their badges. Several news organizations had already refused to pay for the badge. To discuss, we FEATURE Michelle A. Amazeen. Amazeen is Director of the Communication Research Center and an associate professor in the Department of Mass Communication, Advertising and Public Relations at Boston University. The focus of her research involves mediated persuasion and misinformation, investigating the factors that influence recognition of persuasion and resistance to it. She examines how situational message factors (source, text, visuals, disclosure labels) interact with individual characteristics (demographics, media use motivations, ideology, information literacy) to affect persuasion knowledge, cognitive coping responses, attitudes, and intentions. More broadly, she has examined how media practices (such as political fact-checking and native advertising) facilitate and challenge public perceptions of society. Media includes: The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Christian Science Monitor, Salon.

Today, Finland joined NATO becoming the 31st member of the world’s biggest military alliance. To discuss, we FEATURE Sally Painter. Painter is Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Blue Star Strategies, LLC. She provides corporate, institutional, and public sector clients with external affairs, foreign and security policy guidance, and global business development strategies. Painter also serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Council and as a senior advisor to its Future Europe Initiative. She is a key leader and trusted advisor in the European space, representing global businesses and governments on their most important investment and foreign policy issues, including NATO, EU, and OECD accession and the historic legislation passed by the U.S. Congress allowing their citizens to enter the U.S. visa-free. Media includes: The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Politico, Fox News.

The Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections are coming up in May and might lead to the ushering out of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğa, who has been in power for 20 years. To discuss, we FEATURE Kristina Wilfore. Kristina is a seasoned international development, elections and civic advocacy professional who has worked in over 25 countries for more inclusive and responsive democratic movements. She has been on the ground in hotspots such as Ukraine, Russia, Kenya, Turkey, Kosovo and Afghanistan. She has worked hand-in-hand with hundreds of women on their campaigns for higher office and to help break systemic barriers to political participation, designing large-scale election integrity, political party, civil society and counter disinformation programs across the globe. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen is transitting the U.S. this week, on her way to Central America to raise Taiwan’s international profile. Her U.S. stop overs have caused China to accuse the U.S. of supporting Taiwan's independence. To discuss, we FEATURE Lotta Danielsson. Lotta 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. Lotta 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. Lotta also serves as chief editor for the Council’s reports and publications, including “The Balance of Air Power in the Taiwan Strait” (2010), “Chinese Reactions to Taiwan Arms Sales” (2012), and “The Looming Taiwan Fighter Gap” (2012). Media includes: South China Morning Post, The Washingtonian.

Oil prices have surged after OPEC+, a group of the world's largest oil producers, announced production cuts. To discuss, we FEATURE Irina Tsukerman. Irina is a human rights and national security lawyer based in New York. She is a member of the American Bar Association's Energy and Environment and Science and Technology Sections. She is the Program Vice Chair in the Oil and Gas Subcommittee. She is also a member of the New York City Bar Association's Middle East and North African Affairs Committee and an affiliate member of the Foreign & Comparative Law Committee. Irina specializes in information warfare; she has written and spoken extensively on active measures by Russia, China, and Iran and influence campaigns by Middle Eastern state actors, as well as on the impact of active measures and influence campaigns on the human rights and NGO world; she has also published on a wide range of global issues touching on energy, geostrategy, strategical alliances, Great Power competition and its impact on geopolitics, domestic policy, and business, information security and digital rights/cybersecurity, big tech, terrorism and extremism, as well as issues in intelligence and counterintelligence. Media includes: Al Jazeera, NY Post, Jerusalem Post, International Business Times.

As storms rip through the South and Midwest, the death toll has reached 32. Storms are expected to continue. To discuss, we FEATURE Sarah Dawn Petrin. Petrin is the Senior Director of Consulting at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. She builds relationships and leads the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s work with clients and partners, providing them with strategic analysis and technical assistance on disaster philanthropy. Sarah has advised United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and non-governmental organizations in over 20 countries. She has managed emergency programs for refugees along the borders of Afghanistan-Pakistan, Kenya-Somalia, Thailand-Myanmar, Ukraine-Russia, and responded to disasters such as the global Ebola response, Southeast Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake. Media includes: For the War Room Podcast, BBC, CNN.

On Sunday, the Louisiana State University Tigers won the NCAA Women’s Title. To discuss, we FEATURE Kavitha A. Davidson. Kavitha is a sports writer based in New York, currently working as a correspondent on HBO's Real Sport with Bryant Gumbel. She was previously co-host of The Lead, The Athletic's daily podcast. Before that, she was a columnist at ESPN and Bloomberg, focusing on the intersection of sports and business, culture, race, and gender. Her work has also been published in Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and NBC News THINK, and has been noted in Best American Sports Writing. She has appeared attempting to sound smart on SportsCenter, Outside the Lines, CBS, CNN, and MSNBC. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Yogi Berra Museum.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. To discuss, we FEATURE Karla Altmayer. Altmayer is an activist, attorney, and community organizer working at the intersection of poverty, racial, health, and gender equity to address the root causes of gender-based violence. As the co-founder and co-director of Healing to Action, Karla organizes with survivor leaders to achieve gender liberation in their communities. In her community organizing, she practices healing justice and emergent strategy to build the political power of survivor-leaders. Karla’s expertise is rooted in her work representing farmworker survivors in rural Illinois. As an Equal Justice Works Fellow in 2012, Karla launched a new project at Legal Aid Chicago (formerly LAF Chicago) to represent farmworker women who experienced workplace sexual violence. As a fellow, she trained hundreds of attorneys, government officials, and community organizations across the Midwest on trauma-informed representation and protections for survivors. Media includes: Univision, TIME, Al Jazeera, Chicago Sun-Times, Ms. Magazine.