Over 150 university presidents have signed a letter against the Trump administration's “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” in higher education. To discuss, we SPOTLIGHT Nicole Siegel, the senior program officer of postsecondary communications at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Siegel has always maintained the belief that quality education is a human right and is dedicated to helping transform and improve our nation’s educational system. She was previously the deputy director of education at Third Way where she elevated Third Way’s efforts to focus the national higher education conversation on improving outcomes, particularly for low-income students, and worked to expand that discussion beyond the higher ed wonks in our nation’s capital to the people it impacts every day across the country. She managed and executed a multi-faceted advocacy effort to persuade policymakers and those who influence them that students and taxpayers deserve a better return on their investment. Media includes: The Well News, The Washington Post, Inside Higher Ed, NPR.
In a report recently released by the Guttmacher Institute, research found that around 155,000 people crossed state lines for abortions in 2024, more than double the numbers in 2020. To discuss, we FEATURE Jennifer Driver. Driver is the senior director of reproductive rights with the State Innovation Exchange. She is a reproductive health, rights, and justice policy and advocacy leader with nearly 15 years in the field. Her work centers on addressing systems that add burdens or barriers to accessing full reproductive health information and services— paying particular attention to communities of color, immigrants, system involved youth, and LGBTQ communities. Media includes: The Washington Post, Vogue, The New York Times, Rewire, The Hill, CNN.
On Monday, Pope Francis died at 88 years old. To discuss, we FEATURE Gina Messina. Messina is recognized as an expert on Catholicism and Pope Francis. She is the author of Rape Culture and Spiritual Violence, and co-editor of the highly acclaimed Faithfully Feminist: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Feminists on Why We Stay and Feminism and Religion in the 21st Century. She has given serious attention to issues faced by women in relation to religion, politics and social justice. Messina was assistant professor of religion and gender studies at Ursuline College where she formerly served as Dean. She has taught at multiple universities and is also Co-founder of Feminism and Religion, the global project that explores the “F-word” in religion and the intersection between scholarship, activism, and community; now with readers in 181 countries. Media includes: The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Tavis Smiley, MSNBC.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of requiring that schools allow opt-outs for parents that do not want LGBTQ+ books to be read in elementary schools. To discuss, we FEATURE Emily J.M. Knox. Knox is interim dean designate and a professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is the author of Book Banning in 21st Century America and Foundations of Intellectual Freedom. Knox also serves on the board of National Coalition Against Censorship and is the editor of the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy. Her research interests include information access, intellectual freedom and censorship, information ethics and policy, and the intersection of print culture and reading practices. Media includes: USA Today, The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, NPR's All Things Considered, CBS 2.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced a reorganization of the State Department, which could see a cut of over 700 positions and eliminate 132 of 734 offices. To discuss, we FEATURE Marine Ragnet. Ragnet is a public affairs advisor and research fellow. She is a French-American international affairs professional that has previously worked at the intersection of diplomacy, public policy and research across the public, private, and NGO sectors on issues relating to international relations, peace-building and technology. She has held positions for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European External Action Service, the United Nations and the U.S. State Department in India, France, the United States, the Central African Republic, the UAE, and Jordan. Media includes: The Diplomat, Chinese Digital Times.
The White House is denying that it the process of finding a replacement for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following revelations that Hegseth shared classified information on his private cell phone using messaging app Signal. To discuss, we FEATURE Judith H. Germano. Germano advises public and privately-held companies on cybersecurity and privacy matters, and represents companies and individuals on complex white-collar criminal and regulatory-compliance issues. As the founding member of GermanoLawLLC, Germano has counseled clients on matters of cybersecurity governance and risk management, internal investigations, and criminal as well as civil defense. Germano also serves as a senior fellow on cybersecurity, and adjunct professor of law, at New York University School of Law, focusing on critical cybersecurity and privacy issues, and leading the Center on Law & Security’s cybersecurity task force of corporate executives and senior government officials. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New Jersey Star Ledger.
On Tuesday, Karen Read murder retrial began. Read is accused of murdering her police officer boyfriend in 2022. Her first trial in 2024 was declared a mistrial. To discuss, we FEATURE Dina Doll. Doll is an experienced attorney and legal analyst. She is a regular MeidasTouch contributor, an official legal analyst for the Law & Crime Network. She has provided countless hours of live commentary on high-profile true-crime and legal-political cases over the past years, including those involving George Floyd, Kyle Rittenhouse, Trump’s numerous civil and criminal cases, major Supreme Court decisions regarding abortion and immigration, Smartmatic, Dominion and Harvey Weinstein, to name a few. Doll is co-founder of the firm Doll Amir & Eley LLP where she consults on numerous civil litigation matters, including high-stakes jury trials and is a certified mediator. Media includes: NewsNation, Access Hollywood, Spectrum News, NewsMax, CNN.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. To discuss, we FEATURE Karla Altmayer. Altmayer is an activist, attorney, and community organizer working at the intersection of poverty, racial, health, and gender equity to address the root causes of gender-based violence. As the co-founder and co-director of Healing to Action, Altmayer organizes with survivor leaders to achieve gender liberation in their communities. In her community organizing, she practices healing justice and emergent strategy to build the political power of survivor-leaders. Her expertise is rooted in her work representing farmworker survivors in rural Illinois. Altmayer also co-founded the Coalition Against Workplace Sexual Violence (CAWSV), a collaboration among sexual assault advocates, attorneys, and labor organizers in Chicago, and co-authored its popular education curriculum and legal guide. Media includes: Univision, TIME Magazine, Al Jazeera.
Liz Theran
