Last week, a building near Miami partially collapsed and 55 condos were destroyed. So far, 11 people have been found dead and 150 are still missing. To discuss, we FEATURE Suman Sorg. Sorg is the founding principal and chief designer of Sorg Architects located in Washington, DC and New Delhi, India. She is an expert in architecture, building design, urban developments, and historic preservation and renovations. Established in 1986, the Sorg Architects’ extensive international portfolio includes multi-family residential, commercial, educational, institutional and civic projects. Media includes: Washington Business Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR.

The COVID-19 Delta variant has made it to the U.S. and experts are saying that the areas that will experience the harshest outbreaks will likely be places with low vaccination rates like rural and southern areas. To discuss, we FEATURE Mana Kasongo. Kasongo is board-certified emergency physician with a particular focus on rural health, who has been on the front line of the fight against Covid since early 2020. She received her medical degree from Rush Medical School and completed her residency in emergency medicine from New York University in 2006. Some of the topics she has written on include the importance of having ethnically diverse physicians to improve communication between doctors and patients in hospitals. Media includes: Newsweek, Real Health Magazine, ABC.

KQED and NPR's recent analysis of sexual misconduct police cases from across California revealed a pattern of abuse and lack of accountability in police departments. To discuss, we FEATURE Andrea J. Ritchie. Ritchie is currently Researcher-in-Residence on Race, Gender, Sexuality and Criminalization at the Social Justice Institute of the Barnard Center for Research on Women. Through research, writing, legal services, and organizing, Ritchie has dedicated the past two decades to challenging racial profiling, police violence, criminalization and mass incarceration, with a particular focus on the experiences of women, girls, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people of color. Media includes: The New York Times, Washington Post, Teen Vogue, MSNBC, C-Span, NBC, NPR.

Leaked membership data from the neo-Confederate organization Sons of the Confederate has revealed that members include military officers and elected officials. To discuss, we FEATURE Kelly J. Baker. Baker is author of Gospel According to the Klan: The KKK’s Appeal to Protestant America, 1915-1930 (University Press of Kansas, 2011), the first book to analyze the white religious nationalism of the 1920s Klan and the continued legacy of their particular form of white nationalism today. She’s been researching and writing about white supremacy, white nationalism, racism, and religious intolerance for over 11 years. Media includes: The New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post.

The U.S. Pacific Northwest and Canada are experiencing a heat wave, both reaching record temperature highs for the region. To discuss, we FEATURE Kim Knowlton. Knowlton is a senior scientist with Natural Resources Defense Council in New York City. Her work focuses on the health effects of climate change; advocating for strategies to prepare for and prevent these impacts, especially for our most vulnerable communities; and making health a more central feature of national, state, and local climate change adaptation plans. She has researched heat- and ozone-related mortality and illnesses; connections between climate change, pollen, allergies and asthma, as well as infectious diseases like dengue fever; the health costs of climate change; and domestic and international climate-health preparedness strategies. Media includes: Bloomberg, Reuters, NBC, NPR.

Talks continue on a bipartisan infrastructure bill. To discuss, we FEATURE Lisa Gilbert. Gilbert is the director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch division. She advocates for government transparency, campaign finance reform, financial regulation, civil justice, and consumer protection. Previously, Gilbert was the Democracy Advocate for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, where she focused on good government, ethics, and campaign finance reform. Prior to U.S. PIRG, Gilbert was a campaign director who organized outreach campaigns to pass legislation on social justice and environmental issues for organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, Sierra Club and Environment Washington. Media includes: The New York Times, The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, NPR.