This weekend, President Trump sent an all-caps threat via Twitter to Iran's President Rouhani. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Firoozeh Kashani Sabet. Sabet is the Robert I. Williams Term Professor of History and director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a scholar of modern Iran, the Ottoman Empire, and the Persian Gulf, having published extensively on these topics. She is also an expert on boundary disputes and politics in the Middle East, as well as an established scholar on the history of U.S.—Iranian relaitons. Media includes: NBC, Voice of America, NPR, Newsday.
Carter Page, a former junior policy aide to the Trump campaign, was under surveillence by the FBI under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillence Act. It has caused a debate over whether Page's rights were violated. To discuss, we FEATURE Lisa A. Hayes, Esq. Hayes is Vice President, Strategy & General Counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), working to champion individual rights and liberties in the digital age. Before joining CDT, Lisa was on the leadership teams of the American Constitution Society and the Alliance for Justice, where her legal focus centered on constitutional law and policy. Media includes: The Washington Post, Fox News, NPR.
There have been multiples shootings across North America-- including a mass shooting in downtown Toronto, a shooting in a Los Angeles Trader Joe's, and a shooting in a Mormon church in Nevada. To discuss, we FEATURE Kristin Goss. Goss is the co-author (with Philip J. Cook) of The Gun Debate: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, 2014) and author of Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America (Princeton University Press, 2006, 2009), which examines the strategic and political barriers to mass mobilization for stricter firearms regulation. Media includes: Raleigh News & Observer, Atlanta Journal, Newark Star Ledger.
The Trump Administration is looking to go ahead with plans to shrink national monuments in order to make room for logging and drilling. To discuss, we FEATURE Simone N. Sneed. Sneed is a writer, donor organizer and professor whose work centers on environmental conservation, racial justice and gender equity in the arts. Currently, Sneed is the Board Liaison for the Environmental Defense Fund where she ensures the effective governance, engagement and strategic relationship management of the c3 and c4 boards. Media includes: The Huffington Post, The Advocate Magazine, Ebony Magazine.
Maria Butina, a Russian citizen in the U.S., has been accused of being a spy that was paid by a Russian billionaire to infiltrate U.S. political organizations. 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 U.S. foreign policy. DeGennaro capitalizes on over fifteen years of experience as an international security and geopolitical consultant. Media includes: CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, Fox News, BBC, RT Television.
Lawmakers, lobbyists, and the administration are looking to overhaul the Endangered Species Act in order to open up land that is blocked from logging and oil drilling. To discuss, we FEATURE Terry L. Root. Root is a Senior Fellow/University Faculty Emerita at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Professor Emerita by courtesy in Biology at Stanford University, and a Fellow at the California Academy of Science. In 1992 she was selected as a Pew Scholar in Conservation and the Environment, an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow in 1999, and co-awardee with Stephen H. Schneider in 2002 of the Conservation Achievement Award from National Wildlife Federation, and in 2006 of the Banksia International Award from the Australian Banksia Environmental Foundation. Media includes: ABC, NBC, PBS, The New York Times.
Areas across the country have been facing extreme weather conditions, including flooding and wildfires. To discuss, we FEATURE Rossana G. D'Antonio. D'Antonio is an Assistant Deputy Director for Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, the largest department of public works in the nation. She is responsible for directing the technical design of all public infrastructure facilities including highway, flood control and bridge structures. Media includes: Pasadena Now 92.3 FM, The Beat Radio Show.
R. Kelly has released a song called "I Admit" in response to the multiple sexual misconduct accusations that he faces. To discuss, we FEATUREShanon Lee. As an official member of the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) Speakers Bureau and the National Speakers Bureau for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), Lee advocates for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. She is the writer, producer and director of Marital Rape Is Real. Media includes: National Geographic, HuffPost Live, The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Playboy, Good Housekeeping, ELLE, Marie Claire, Woman's Day.
On July 27, the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century will be visible across most of the world. To discuss, we FEATURE Emily Lakdawalla. Lakdawalla has been writing and editing the Planetary Society Blog since 2005, reporting on space news, explaining planetary science, and sharing beautiful space photos. Media includes: BBC America, Planetary Radio.
Liz Theran
