Last week, President Trump threatened to unleash immigration raids nationwide over the weekend. While undocumented immigrant families stayed home for fear of getting arrested, many immigration activists took to the streets to protest the raids. To discuss, we FEATURE Lourdes Guadalupe Martinez. Martinez is the Political Director of Mujeres Unidas y Activas, or MUA, a grassroots organization of Latina immigrant women in the San Francisco Bay Area with a double mission of promoting personal transformation and building community power for social and economic justice. Before joining MUA, Lourdes was an immigration attorney, working as an immigration legal educator with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) in San Francisco. Media includes: Univision, Telemundo, NBC.

The Trump administration, in an effort to limit migration from Central America, has announced new rules for asylum seekers. To discuss, we FEATURE Jessica Therkelsen. Therkelsen is a strategist and human rights lawyer who advocates for the rights of immigrants, minorities, women, and children. As the Director of the Pro Bono Justice Program at OneJustice, she organized life changing legal services for travelers trapped by the 2017 travel bans, DACA recipients losing status, and immigrants seeking defense from deportation. As Global Director of Advocacy and Communications at Asylum Access, an international refugee rights nonprofit, Jessica worked closely with leaders in refugee response at the UN - and in the US, Ecuador, Tanzania, Thailand and Malaysia - to advocate for systems, laws and policies that help refugees build a new life. Media includes: Courthouse News, Bustle, Time Magazine, NPR. 

China has announced that they will cut ties with U.S. firms selling arms to Taiwan, a move that will likely worsen U.S.-China relations. To discuss, we FEATURE Lotta A.C. Danielsson. Danielsson  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. She 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. Media includes: South China Morning Post, Jane's Defense Weekly, The Washingtonian.

Amazon workers are currently on strike during Prime Day, July 15th and 16th, to call for the company to improve working conditions and have requested the public to avoid using Amazon during the strike. To discuss, we FEATURE Sarita Gupta. Gupta 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. Media includes: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Politico, The Hill, CNN, Fox News.

Jeffrey Epstein, who has been accused of child sex trafficking, is currently awaiting trial. At his bail hearing yesterday, two of his victims urged the judge to deny him bail. The judge will rule on Thursday. To discuss, we FEATURE Lekeisha Sumner, PhD. Dr. Sumner, who is an expert on childhood sex abuse, is a licensed clinical psychologist with board-certification in Clinical Health Psychology. Her research, which examines the role of cultural, bio-behavioral, and psycho-social factors in health and well-being among women and ethnic minorities, has been supported by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Sumner has authored or co-authored more than fifty publications, book chapters, and professional conference presentations, largely on women's health, trauma, behavioral health, chronic illness, and African American mental health. Media includes: Los Angeles Times, Ebony Magazine, WedMD, KJLH Radio, Think Progress, Prevention.

Lashana Lynch will be taking on the 007 role in the next James Bond film. To discuss, we FEATURE Brandale Mills. Mills is currently Assistant Professor at Norfolk State University (Norfolk, VA) in the Mass Communications and Journalism department. In this role, she teaches Film Criticism, Media and Society and Communications. Dr. Mills’ research examines trends in the media as it relates to communities of color and Black female representation in the media, specifically examining Black female relationship portrayals in the media. Extensive media experience.  

Congo has confirmed that the Ebola virus has spread to one of it's major cities, Goma. To discuss, we FEATURE Solomé Lemma. Lemma is the Executive Director of Thousand Currents, a grantmaker that supports grassroots movements focused on food, climate, and economic justice in the Global South and shifting philanthropy towards justice and equity. She is the co-founder of Africans in the Diaspora (AiD), an initiative she led for four years before its merger with Thousand Currents. As co-founder of Africa Responds, Solomé also led a diaspora-led humanitarian effort to galvanize fundraising for grassroots organizations fighting the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Media includes: Forbes, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Inside Philanthropy, NPR, BBC. 

On July 20, 1969, the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission landed on the moon. To commemorate this moment in history, we FEATURE Lisa Ruth Rand, PhD. Rand is an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research explores the histories of science, technology, and the environment during the Cold War, and she holds particular expertise in space history with additional training in gender and sexuality studies. Through her research, Rand focuses on “space junk” – human-made artifacts designed for use in space that no longer serve a designated purpose. She also studies the history of planetary analog habitats, the history of astronomy, extraterrestrial futurism, and frontiers across American history. Media includes: The Atlantic, Popular Mechanics, Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective.

The redistricting trial in North Carolina began on Monday. The case will argue whether or not district lines in North Carolina should be redrawn. To discuss, we FEATURE Brenda Wright. Wright is the Vice President of Legal Strategies at Demos. She has led many progressive legal and policy initiatives on voting rights, campaign finance reform, redistricting, election administration and other democracy and electoral reform issues and is a nationally known expert in these areas. She has argued two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court:  Randall v. Sorrell (campaign finance) and Young v. Fordice (voting rights). Extensive media experience. 

Ken Burns, CEO of e-cigarette company Juul Labs, has apologized to parents of teens addicted to the company's vaping products. The FDA recently released data that 21% of high schoolers vaped last year. To discuss, we FEATURE Helen Redmond. Redmond is an expert in substance use, legal and illegal. She is a founder of Nicotine Harm Reduction Consultants and provides training and consultation on mental health, nicotine use, electronic cigarettes and the politics of vaping. For over a decade, Redmond has worked as a licensed clinical social worker with drug users in medical and community mental health settings. Media includes: Al Jazeera, AlterNet, Harpers, The Influence.