Ukraine has asked NATO for more air defense systems following Russian airstrikes. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Nina L. Khrushcheva. Khrushcheva is a professor in the Graduate Program of International Affairs at the New School, where she teaches courses on International Media, Comparative Propaganda, Culture and Capitalism, Film and Empire, and Russia’s Contemporary Politics and History. She is also a senior fellow of the World Policy Institute, where she heads the Russia Projects, which examines the contours of the current national identity of Russians and its impact on Russian politics. She is the author of Imagining Nabokov: Russia Between Art and Politics, and The Lost Khrushchev: A Journey into the Gulag of the Russian Mind. Media includes: Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Nation, Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, Financial Times, BBC, CNN, NPR.
Harvey Weinstein's second trial for rape and sexual assault charges began this week in Los Angeles. Weinstein has already been found guilty for rape and sexual assault in New York. To discuss, we FEATURE Dina Doll. Doll is an attorney, television legal analyst and certified mediator. She has provided countless hours of live commentary for the Law & Crime Network involving all aspects of criminal trials including unpredictable witness testimony, pre-trial hearings and sentencing hearings. She has provided legal analysis on almost all the high-profile cases including those involving: Prince Andrew, George Floyd, Kyle Rittenhouse, Britney Spears, the Texas abortion law, Smartmatic, Dominion and Harvey Weinstein. Doll is the co-founder of the firm Doll Amir & Eley LLP where she consults on numerous civil litigation matters, including high-stakes jury trials. She is also a certified mediator, having mediated about one hundred cases in the Los Angeles Superior Court. Media includes: Spectrum News, Access Hollywood, NewsNation, KCRW All Things Considered, CNN, HLN, BNC.
Protests in Iran continue a month after the death of Mahsa Amini, with human rights groups saying that at least 185 people have been killed during demonstrations. To discuss, we FEATURE Nina Ansary. Ansary is an award-winning Iranian American author, historian and women’s rights activist. Her books include Anonymous Is a Woman: A Global Chronicle of Gender Inequality and Jewels of Allah: The Untold Story of Women in Iran. She is the Director of the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) Global Women’s Lecture Series and the Director of the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum Women’s Leadership Initiative at the University of Cambridge. Ansary also serves on the International Advisory Board of the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum (MENAF); a think-tank based at the University of Cambridge, the Board of Trustees of the Iranian American Women Foundation (IAWF), and the Board of Directors of My Stealthy Freedom (MSF); an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of Iranian women’s actions to secure their rights. Media includes: Time, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Teen Vogue, The Hill, Glamour, CNN, BBC, Fox News.
Haiti are encountering road blockades and violence, with anti-government protests sweeping the nation along with calls for the resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, after he asked for international assistance to control gang violence. Henry was sworn in without an election after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. To discuss, we FEATURE Sarah Petrin. Petrin has served as a professor of Peace Operations and Human Security for the U.S. military and a Senior Civilian Advisor to NATO on the protection of civilians in conflict zones. She is the author of a book, Bring Rain: Helping Humanity in Crisis, which describes her work in over 20 countries in conflict and disaster including the Haiti earthquake, Afghanistan war, Tsunami in Southeast Asia, and refugee crises along the Thailand-Myanmar, Kenya-Somalia, and Ukraine-Russia border. She is the founder of an organization called Protect the People that conducted cvil-military training on complex operations. She is the author of a new U.S. Army report on Human Security in U.S. Military Operations, released in June 2021. Media includes: New Atlantacist, BBC America, CNN.
Columbia University has reached a $165 million settlement with 147 patients of Robert A. Hadden, a former gynecologist who sexually abused his patients. To discuss, we FEATURE Marissa Hoechstetter, who herself is a former patient of Hadden's. Hoechstetter writes and speaks about sexually abusive doctors, enabling institutions, and corrupt politicians. She has been fighting for change since her own reports of assault by Hadden received totally inadequate responses from the medical system and law enforcement. Marissa spearheaded a successful campaign in the New York City Council to allow patients to remove the names of abusive doctors from birth certificates, and her advocacy has led four bills to be introduced in the New York state legislature with the goals of curbing doctor sex abuse and holding enablers accountable. She has given testimony on medical abuse to lawmakers and medical boards, and she founded Reform the Sex Crimes Unit, a campaign for increased transparency and accountability within the Manhattan DA’s Sex Crimes Unit. Media includes: The New York Times, Buzzfeed News, Politco, USA Today, Bustle, Ms. Magazine, CBS.
Midterm elections are a month away. To discuss, we FEATURE Arianna Genis. Genis is a xicana organizer, political campaigner, digital strategist, and storyteller. For over 10 years, she's dedicated her organizing to advancing racial, gender, and economic justice via campaigns, leadership development, and content creation. Each effort becomes an opportunity to captivate the political imagination of communities who've been left out and many times undermined, to claim the power they deserve in our democracy. Since 2020, she has dedicated her time to building the political power of the Latinxs with Mijente, leading efforts in the battleground state of North Carolina as part of Fuera Trump, a successful nationwide campaign dedicated to mobilizing the Latinx vote against Trump. As the NC State Director, Genis built a statewide team in a region where the number of Latinxs involved in electoral politics is minimal. Guided by a shared commitment, Arianna launched an innovative canvassing model that prioritized the safety of people and developed it into the largest Latinx voter mobilization campaign in the state. Since 2020, Genis has been Mijente’s Director of Local Partnerships, based in Minneapolis. Media includes: The Lily, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, re:power.
Erick Cantu, a 17-year old, was shot by a San Antonio police rookie while eating a burger in a McDonald's parking lot. To discuss, we FEATURE Jonni Redick, a retired Assistant Chief with California’s Highway Patrol. In a multi-billion-dollar law enforcement organization, Redick oversaw large-scale civil disturbance, natural disaster response coordination, and oversight, and managed hundreds of personnel within daily operations. A 29-year veteran, rising through the ranks of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) from county clerical worker to breaking through the “less-than-one-percent” ceiling for women of color in executive leadership in law enforcement. Her progression from front-line police work to executive leadership generated her passion for cultivating trust and legitimacy in organizational cultures. She now builds 21st Century leaders as the founder and CEO of JLConsulting Solutions (JLCS) where she works with police executives in law enforcement and public safety, CEOs in corporate, government, and nonprofit businesses. Media includes: Authority Magazine, ShoutOutLA, Urban Voice.
The Supreme Court will hear a case which looks at the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 12, which will ban the sale of meat and eggs from animals that are raised in extreme confinement. To discuss, we FEATURE Diane May. May is Vice President of Public Engagement for Mercy For Animals, the world’s leading farmed animal protection organization. The organization is dedicated to eradicating cruel food systems and replacing it with one that is not just kind to animals but essential for the future of the planet. A passionate advocate of rights for all beings, societal equity has been an enduring concern and focus in her personal and professional life. Before joining Mercy For Animals, Diane served as director of communications for Our Revolution, the grassroots organization founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders. Her accomplishments include changing public opinion in support of the senator’s Medicare for All policy. Media includes: Rewire.News, Huffington Post, Civil Eats.
October 11 was International Day of the Girl. To discuss, we FEATURE Viviana Waisman. Waisman is the Founder and Director Emeritus of Women's Link Worldwide, an international non-profit organization that uses the power of the law to promote social change that advances the human rights of women and girls, especially those facing multiple inequalities. She is an expert in women’s rights and international human rights law. Waisman has led the litigation strategy in numerous emblematic human rights cases before national, regional and international bodies. Historic decisions include the case of Ángela González before the CEDAW Committee, Beauty Solomon before the European Court of Human Rights and Rosalind Williams before the UN Human Rights Committee. Media includes: Huffington Post, Reuters, The New York Times.
September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month. We FEATRE Liz Rebecca Alarcón. Alarcón is a communicator and social entrepreneur. She's the Founder & Executive Director of Pulso, a non-profit digital media startup that reaches more than 2 million Latinos in the US with the mission of increasing this community's political power. Alarcón comments and writes on Latino issues in the US, US-Latin American relations and the state of democracy around the world. She is a former Fulbright Scholar who spent a year working with a woman's cooperative on the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Media includes: The New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, Time, The Miami Herald.
WMC SheSource has a list of more Hispanic experts to discuss a variety of topics.















