North Carolina's congressional districts have once again been declared unconstitutional gerrymandering. To discuss, we FEATURE Kat Calvin. Calvin is the founder of Spread The Vote. A lawyer and social entrepreneur, she started STV after observing the results of local, state, and national elections without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act, and especially the many new voter ID laws that prevented millions of Americans from voting. Her work is fueled by the knowledge that the IDs Spread The Vote obtains will also help these voters have access to jobs, housing, medical care, and much more. Media includes: PBS, BET, Black Enterprise, Al Jazeera, Sirius XM. 

An archbishop has accused Pope Francis of being complicit in covering up sex abuse allegations within the Catholic Church. To discuss, we FEATURE Gina Messina-Dysert. Messina-Dysert is Assistant Professor of Religion and Gender Studies at Ursuline College where she formerly served as Dean. She is the author of Rape Culture and Spiritual Violence (Routledge, 2014), and co-editor of the highly acclaimedFaithfully Feminist: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Feminists on Why We Stay (White Cloud Press, 2015) and Feminism and Religion in the 21st Century (Routledge, 2014). She has given serious attention to issues faced by women in relation to religion, politics and social justice and is also recognized as an expert on Catholicism and Pope Francis. Media includes: Tavis Smiley, MSNBC, Boston Public Radio, TEDx.

On Sunday, a gunman opened fire at a Jacksonville gaming tournament. The shooting left three dead, including the gunman, and injured eleven others. To discuss, we FEATURE Emma Davidson Tribbs. Davidson Tribbs is a Regional Director for State Affairs at Everytown for Gun Safety, developing, directing and implementing state legislative, ballot initiative, and other campaigns in select states to encourage gun violence prevention. Media includes: ABC, NBC, FOX.

President Trump has reached a NAFTA deal with Mexico, though the President has said he is looking to rename it the United States Mexico Trade Agreement as a threat to cut Canada out. To discuss, we FEATURE Laura Carlsen. Carlsen is Director of the Americas Program in Mexico City, a program of the Center for International Policy based in Washington DC. She publishes numerous articles and chapters on social, economic and political aspects of Mexico, co-edited Confronting Globalization: Economic Integration and Popular Resistance in Mexicoand is finishing a book called "Up Against the Wall: US-Mexico Relations from NAFTA to Trump." Media includes: NBC, CBC, BBC, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, InterPress Service, The Guardian, Christian Science Monitor.

Although Hurricane Lane has passed, Hawaii is facing heavy flooding in its aftermath, making it one of Hawaii's most costly hurricanes. To discuss, we FEATURE Junko Mochizuki. Mochizuki is a natural disaster risk expert at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria. Her research focuses on the linkages between risk management, economic growth, and changing risks from climate extremes in connection with socioeconomic change.  Her particular interest lies in the interface between policy and scientific knowledge, investigating how governments and researchers can work together to reduce the financial risk of disasters. Extensive media experience.

Primary elections in Arizona, Florida, and Oklahoma are this week. To discuss, we FEATURE Nichole M. Bauer. Bauer is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Alabama. She studies the challenges facing women in politics as candidate, lawmakers, and voters. Her current research investigates how and when voters rely on gender stereotypes to evaluate female candidates. She uses an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the dynamics of gender stereotypes in political campaigns by incorporating theories from psychology, mass communication, and political science. Extensive media experience. 

A recent UN report has stated that Myanmar military officials must be investigated for their role in the genocide of Rohingya Muslims. To discuss, we FEATURE Akila Radhakrishnan, Esq. Radhakrishnan is the Acting President of the Global Justice Center. She directs GJC’s strategies and efforts to establish legal precedents protecting human rights and ensuring gender equality. She also leads GJC’s Gender and Genocide project, including to ensure justice and accountability for the Yazidi genocide and is a key member of GJC’s Burma project team. Media includes: The New York Times, Time, The Atlantic, Women Under Siege, Ms. Magazine, Rewire.

Labor Day is coming up! The holiday was created to honor working people and, to discuss today's labor issues, we FEATURE Erica Smiley. Smiley oversees the organizing department at Jobs With Justice, which includes local and national campaign work and a team dedicated to developing innovative strategies to expand collective bargaining power. She has authored several articles highlighting some of the organization’s most exciting developments in the New Labor Forum, Dissent Magazine, the Journal on Class, Race and Corporate Power, and other publications. She has appeared in the Finance Times, the Nation Magazine and the Chicago Tribune. She is originally from Greensboro, N.C, and in the past has organized with community groups such as Progressive Maryland, the Tenants and Workers Support Committee (now Tenants and Workers United) in Virginia, and SEIU Local 500 in Baltimore.