The death toll in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria has been estimated to be around 4,600 people, which is significantly larger than the government's tally of 64. To discuss, we FEATURE Erica Gonzalez. Erica, who is the Deputy Director of Power4PuertoRico, is a lifelong advocate for social justice and Latino issues. With expertise in news media, government and digital engagement, Erica is a leader in strategic and transformational work. At the New York City Council, she led the development and implementation of the Council’s first-ever digital inclusion and innovation plan. As the former executive editor of El Diario/La Prensa, Erica conceptualized “Sept.11 – the Latino experience,” a 10th anniversary, ground-breaking, multiplatform project that focused on the implications of this devastating event on Latino workers, immigration policy, the New York City mayoral race, and gentrification. Media includes: CNN, NY1, Fox. 

Former head of North Korean military intelligence Kim Yong Chol is due to visit New York to further discuss a meeting between President Trump and and Kim Jong Un. To discuss, we FEATURE Bonnie Glaser. Bonnie is a senior adviser for Asia and the director of the China Power Project at CSIS, where she works on issues related to Asia-Pacific security with a focus on Chinese foreign and security policy, U.S. China relations and North Korea. Ms. Glaser has worked for more than three decades at the intersection of Asia-Pacific geopolitics and U.S. policy. From 2008 to mid-2015, she was a senior adviser with the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies, and from 2003 to 2008, she was a senior associate in the CSIS International Security Program. Prior to joining CSIS, she served as a consultant for various U.S. government offices, including the Departments of Defense and State. Media includes: The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, CNN, PBS News Hour, BBC, NPR. 

The Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant children from their parents at the border, and the story of over 1,400 children that the authorities have been unable to track are both in the news. To discuss, we FEATURE Maria Echaveste. Maria is the Policy and Program Development Director at the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy. Maria Echaveste joined University of California’s Berkeley School of Law as a Lecturer after co-founding a strategic and policy consulting group, serving as a senior White House and U.S. Department of Labor official. Ms Echaveste is also a non-resident fellow of the Center for American Progress working on issues such as immigration, civil rights, education and Latin America. Extensive media experience. 

The 2018 midterm elections are this November and multiple state primaries will be coming up next week. To discuss, we FEATURE Melanie L. Campbell. Melanie is an expert and passionate advocate on issues impacting African Americans, women, immigrants and youth and the intersection of how politics, public policy, race, gender, class and age impacts quality life for all Americans. Ms. Campbell has a strong knowledge base in Black voter participation, civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights, election reform, Katrina-Rita Gulf Coast recovery and rebuilding, Census Count, youth leadership development, non-profit management and cross-cultural coalition building. Media includes: The Washington Post, Black Enterprise, The New York Times, Philadelphia Tribune, CNN, BET, NPR. 

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge to an Arkansas abortion law. The case was brought by Planned Parenthood as the law would block medicine-induced abortions, which can be used in the first nine weeks of pregnancy. To discuss, we FEATURE Renee Bracey Sherman. Renee is an award-winning reproductive justice activist and the author of Saying Abortion Aloud: Research and Recommendations for Public Abortion Storytellers and Organizations. She is a writer with Echoing Ida, a project of Forward Together that amplifies the voices of Black women around critical social justice issues. In 2015, she was named one of Planned Parenthood’s 99 Dream Keepers in honor of Black History Month. Bracey Sherman holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Cornell University and currently sits on the board of NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation.  Media includes: BBC, The Guardian, EBONY, Salon, Fusion, TIME, The Atlantic.

ABC sitcom Roseanne has been cancelled following titular star Roseanne Barr's racist comments on Twitter. While the star has been openly racist before, this is the first time that the network has commented on it. To discuss, we FEATURE Jennifer L. Pozner. A widely published feminist journalist, media critic and public speaker, Jennifer is the founder and Executive Director of Women In Media & News (WIMN). Pozner created WIMN in 2002 to pursue a multi-platform approach to feminist media reform. WIMN works to increase women’s presence in the public debate, emphasizing those who are least often heard, including women of color, low-income women, lesbians, youth and older women. Media includes: ABC News, Comedy Central, Fox, The Chicago Tribune, Newsday, Salon.com. 

Yesterday morning, mortar shells were fired into southern Israel and there were Israeli airstrikes into Gaza. To discuss, we FEATURE Noura Erakat. Noura is a human rights attorney and writer. She is currently the Freedman Teaching Fellow at Temple Law School and the US-based Legal Advocacy Consultant for the Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Refugee and Residency Rights. Noura is a frequent commentator on the Palestinian-Israel conflict, US Middle East foreign policy, and international human rights in the Middle East. She has lived and worked throughout the Middle East including as part of a legal fact-finding delegation to the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of Israel’s Winter 2008/09 offensive and spent the Spring 2010 academic semester in Beirut, Lebanon as a Visiting Scholar at the American University in Beirut. Media includes: Foreign Policy, Al Jazeerea, the Hill.com, The Interdependent, the Huffington Post, NBC, Fox. 

This past weekend, Italian President Sergio Mattarella blocked the formation of an anti-European government. If the decision leads to a referendum on the Euro, many are worried it might cause a ripple across the global economy. To discuss, we FEATURE Valerie Rouxel-Laxton. Most recently, Valerie was Head of Economics and Finance for the EU delegation in the U.S. and prior to that she was Head of Sector, Countries of the G20, for the European Commission. She is an international economic affairs specialist, specialised in European integration and global economic trends. She strives to comprehend complex economic matters, communicate clearly to explain technical issues, and to advise on policies when appropriate. In her latest professional role the main goal was to reach out to diverse audiences in the United States and convey analysis and views about the Transatlantic economy. Extensive media experience. 

June is LGBTQ Pride Month and, to commemorate, we FEATURE Kierra Johnson. Kierra is the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Deputy Executive Director. Formerly she was the Executive Director of URGE, the leading pro-choice organization working to mobilize and provide support for the diverse, upcoming generation of leaders. Through her leadership, she promoted the organization’s values of shared power and authority; youth-controlled agendas; collaboration and partnership; constituent-specific strategies; learning; and diversity and inclusion. Kierra speaks clearly and powerfully about the need to engage young people and surface young leaders across progressive movements. Media includes: The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Nation, U.S. News & World Report, Feministing