Donald Trump is working with Republicans on one "big, beautiful bill" that would that would include providing more funding for border control and ICE, increasing military spending, and cutting taxes. To discuss, we FEATURE Lorella Praeli, co-president of Community Change & Community Change Action. Praeli is passionate about building collective power to win transformative policy change at all levels of government, so that people can thrive. Until she joined CC/A in 2019, she was a deputy national political director at the ACLU, where she fought to defend and expand the rights of immigrants and refugees. Media includes: The Washington Post, The New York Times, Univision, Telemundo, CNN.

Early on New Year's Day, a man inspired by the Islamic State, drove a truck into a crowd on New Orlean's Bourbon Street, killing 14 people. The driver, a former army officer, had previously been awarded the Global War on Terrorism Medal. To offer an insight into why someone might become radicalized, we FEATURE Nichole Argo, a social psychologist who works at the intersection of science and practice. She is currently the founder and director of research at the TogetherUp Institute, a consulting firm that leverages the science of social and behavioral psychology to support nonprofits, philanthropy, municipalities, and private companies with research, diagnostic tools, design strategies, and impact frameworks for building cultures of belonging and innovative local models of democracy. Argo spent several years doing field work on political violence and is one of the few experts on terrorism and political violence to have interviewed and lived with militants. Extensive media experience, including Fox News and NPR.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has resigned after nine years after growing pressure from the Liberal Party. To discuss, we FEATURE Heidi Tworek. Tworek is associate professor of history and public policy at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Tworek is committed to bringing a historical sensibility to policy discussions. She has testified before several Canadian and international parliamentary committees on hate speech, democracy, and the digital economy. She was a member of the steering committee of the Transatlantic High-Level Working Group on Online Content Moderation and Freedom of Expression and has also studied online harassment of political candidates during elections. Media includes: The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, Financial Times, CBC.

The first bird flu death in the U.S. has been reported in Louisiana. While the risk of contracting the bird flu is low, the risk is higher for those who work with livestock such as poultry. To discuss, we FEATURE Leah Kelly. Kelly is the food and agriculture policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity, where she works to develop and implement policies that will foster a just and sustainable food system. She is an expert on animal agriculture and the current food system on the environment, public health, local communities, antibiotic resistance, zoonotic diseases, the economy, biodiversity, worker rights, etc. Kelly has previously worked to advance food systems, animal welfare, and environmental reforms at organizations including the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Mercy For Animals, the Good Food Institute, and Conservation Strategy Group. Extensive media experience.

Tuesday, a New York appellate court denied Donald Trump's appeal to halt his criminal sentencing that is scheduled for Friday. To discuss, we FEATURE Lenese Herbert. Herbert is a professor of law at Howard University School of Law, where she teaches evidence, criminal procedure, criminal law, social media and the law, and administrative law. Prior to entering law teaching, Herbert practiced extensively as agency counsel for the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions under former U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Eric Holder. She co-authors Constitutional Criminal Procedure, a problem-based casebook adopted in a number of law schools across the U.S., as well as Criminal Law: Skills and Values. Media includes: Voice of America, Al-Jazeera English, The Washington Post, NBC News Channel 4 (Washington, DC), WTTG Fox 5 (Washington, DC).

Pope Francis has named Cardinal Robert McElroy as the next archbishop of Washington, DC. Cardinal McElroy has been an outspoken advocate for refugees and other progressive issues. To discuss, we FEATURE Maureen Day. Day is the associate professor of religion and society and a research fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture as well as the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California. She is an award-winning author, with her writings on American Catholic life appearing in both Catholic and academic publications, including Catholicism at a Crossroads: The Present and Future of America’s Largest Church; Cultural Catholics: Who They Are, How to Respond; Catholic Activism Today: Individual Transformation and the Struggle for Social Justice and Young Adult American Catholics: Explaining Vocation in Their Own Words. Media includes: National Catholic Reporter, Wall Street Journal, The Southern Cross, On a Mission.

Academy Award nominations come out on January 17th. The Golden Globes ceremony was this past weekend and provided a glimpse of which films might be expected to receive an Oscar nomination. To discuss, we FEATURE Carla Hay, who wrote the Women's Media Center 2024 Report: Gender & Non-Acting Emmy Nominations. Hay is an expert on film and television and is a writer or editor for Paramount Media Networks, Women's Media Center, Shondaland, AXS.com, Examiner.com, Lifetime, People, and Billboard. She has been interviewed on CNN, Access Hollywood, and CNBC, and has been a guest speaker at Columbia University and New York University. In addition, Hay has booked panelists and speakers for conferences presented by Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter. She is also a Tomatometer-approved critic at Rotten Tomatoes and a member of the Critics Choice Association.