The Scholars' Circle

The Scholars' Circle
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Insight into Today's Most Pressing Issues

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  1. −2 d

    Scholars’ Circle – Pathways to End the War on Lebanon and Iran – June 14, 2026

    The War between Israel and the US on one side and Iran and Lebanon on the other is in its fourth month. Despite claims from the White House that a deal is imminent, the war and the destruction have continued. Indeed the concept of a cease fire is undermined with every attack. The global economy is struggling with the increased energy costs due to the closing of the Straits of Hormuz. And people continue to die. So on today’s show we update the news on the war, explore any potential pathways to end the war and examine the impact of the war particularly on both Iran and Lebanon. [ dur: 58mins. ] Yeghia Tashjian is the Regional and International Affairs Cluster Coordinator of Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy & International Affairs (IFI) and a part time Instructor at American University of Beirut. He is the author “The International North-South Transport Corridor and the Belt and Road Initiative in the South Caucasus,” published in the edited volume of Routledge Handbook of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Eurasia (2025). Ervand Abrahamian is Professor Emeritus at City University of New York. He is the author of A History of Modern Iran and Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran and Syria. Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco. He is the author of numerous publications including Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism, Western Sahara: War, Nationalism and Conflict Irresolution co-authored with Jacob Mundy. This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker and Sudd Dongre. Politics and Activism, War / Weapons, Middle East, Iran, Israel, Lebanon , US

    58 min

  2. 6 juni

    Scholars’ Circle – Ebola Outbreak, WHO and US CDC Policies on Infectious Diseases – June 7, 2026

    Africa once again has an Ebola outbreak. At this point, it is centered in the so-called Greak Lakes region, with the largest number of cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Uganda has also seen several cases. Sadly this is not new news. But it takes place in the context of a weakened World Health Organization, with the US withdrawal, and a stark memory of the Covid outbreaks. It also is exacerbated by the shuttering of USAID and severe cuts in health funding from the Trump Administration. The United States is insisting that any American that tests positive for the virus would be treated outside of the country, provoking protests in East Africa such as in Kenya. So is the Ebola outbreak a potential pandemic? What has been the most effective means to treat these kinds of outbreaks. And how does it influence the current intense discourses about health care delivery and wellness in the United States. [ dur: 58mins. ] Heather Wipfli is Professor and Clark Leadership Chair in Global Health at the University of Maryland. She is the co-author of Investigating global mental health: Contributions from political science and Network influences on policy implementation: Evidence from a global health treaty. And she has extensive experience in Uganda. Lawrence Gostin is Faculty Director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law and is the Founding O’Neill Chair in Global Health Law at Georgetown Law. He is the co-editor of Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future and Global Health Law & Policy: Ensuring Justice for a Healthier World (2023). And he is working with the WHO and the Intergovernmental Negotiation Body (INB) to draft a Pandemic Treaty. His opinion posted in Washington Post titled – “Don’t tell Trump, but the U.S. is still a WHO member” and in The Hill where he co-authored  “America’s wrong and unlawful response to Ebola must pivot“. Amesha Adalja, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is the author of Recognition and Management of Infectious Bio-threats and Emerging Pathogens and AI and the Future of Medical Countermeasures to Protect Against Biological Threats. He has served on US government panels tasked with developing guidelines for the treatment of plague, botulism, and anthrax in mass casualty settings, the system of care for infectious disease This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker and Sudd Dongre. Health, Infectious Diseases, Public Health and Safety, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    58 min

  3. 31 maj

    Scholars’ Circle – Issues and Candidates for California Governor and Los Angeles Mayoral Elections – May 31, 2026

    California has a state GDP of $4.25 trillion dollars. This is over $1 trillion more than the second largest state, Texas, with $2.9 trillion. If it were its own country, it would be the 4th largest GDP in the world (just past Japan and behind only Germany, China, and the US). It is the largest state by population, with just over 39 million. It’s over 12% of the total population. And it is holding a primary for state offices. Governor Gavin Newsom is term limited out and the field for Governor is vast. And California has a primary system where the top 2 in votes proceed to the general election regardless of party. On today’s show we will explore the Gubernatorial primary and the issues this state faces. [ dur: 28mins. ] Christian Grose is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Southern California. He is the Academic Director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. He is the co-author of Independent Redistricting Commissions Increase Voter Perceptions of Fairness and Local Election Administrators in the United States: The Frontline of Democracy. Los Angeles is the second largest city in America. It has a $14.8 billion budget. As an entertainment capital, its developments are often national news. It is an incredibly diverse city with a history of a disconnection between the power of City Hall and the needs of its population. And it has a primary election coming up to elect a mayor. Karen Bass, the current mayor, is running for re-election. She is leading in polls but has high disapproval ratings. A leftist critic of her administration is running. And a former reality show personality is also running. So today we examine the LA mayor race, and the history of the office as one of limited power. [ dur: 30mins. ] Matthew Barreto is Professor of Political Science and Chicana/o Studies at UCLA and the faculty director of the UCLA Voting Rights Project. He is the author of Ethnic Cues: The role of shared ethnicity in Latino political behavior and co-author of Race, Class, and Precinct Quality in American Cities with David Leal. Isaac Hale is Assistant Professor of Politics at Occidental College. He is co-author of “Interest Group Influence on Preferences for New Voting Rights Legislation in a Polarized Environment” and “Resentment & Democratic Politics: The Role of Racial Resentment in Motivating Electoral Participation.” This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker and Sudd Dongre. Economics, Politics and Activism, Homelessness, Elections, Califiornia, Los Angeles, affordability

    58 min

  4. 24 maj

    Scholars’ Circle – Trauma Experienced by Children from School Shootings – May 24, 2026

    Mass shootings in the Unites States are unprecedented in advanced industrial democracies. We explore the psychological impact of these shootings on the survivors and witnesses, with a particular attention to the children who experience this trauma. What are effective actions to confront the traumas experienced by the children who survive school shootings? Overwhelming the response of mass shootings is to “do something.” But what should we as a society and as an electorate do in response to these mass shootings? [ dur: 58mins. ] Karla Vermeulen is the Deputy Director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health and an Associate Professor of Psychology at SUNY New Paltz.She is the author of Generation Disaster: Coming of Age Post-9/11 and co-editor of Disaster Mental Health Case Studies: Lessons Learned from Counseling in Chaos. Robin Gurwitch is a Professor in the Duke University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and is Senior Advisor for the Terrorism and Disaster Program of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. She is the co-author of Children in Disasters and Trauma-Directed Interaction (TDI): An Adaptation to Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Families with a History of Trauma. Resource – National Child Traumatic Stress Network – Talking to children about shooting. Heather Littleton is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado, at Colorado Springs, and Research Director at the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience. She is the co-author of “PTSD near and far: Symptom networks from two to 12 months after the Virginia Tech campus shootings.” And “Can people benefit from acute stress? Social support, psychological improvement, and resilience after the Virginia Tech campus shootings” as well as numerous publications on sexual violence and the trauma of the LGBTQI+ community. More resources are available at: https://www.newpaltz.edu/idmh/ https://www.nctsn.org/resources/talking-children-about-shooting This panel was recorded on June, 2022. This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker, Melissa Chiprin and Sudd Dongre. Health, Society and Culture, Mental Health, Childhood, Schools

    58 min

  5. 18 maj

    Scholars’ Circle – SCOTUS Allows Access to Medication Abortion Pill Delivery by Mail – May 17, 2026

    In 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, which guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion. But previously the Court had allowed restrictions on abortions, making access quite challenging in a large part of the country. In response to these restrictions, women had gained access through prescription drugs, or what is called medication abortion. This involves two prescription drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol. Last week, a federal court issued an order disallowing mifepristone to be prescribed via telehealth and then distributed by mail. As we record today, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on this federal court order. So on today’s show, we take account to the status of access to medication abortion and what it means both for reproductive rights and health and for the law on this issue. [ dur: 58mins. ] Rachel Rebouché is Professor of Law at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of Abortion Rights as Human Rights and co-author of The New Abortion Battleground and Abortion Pills (with David S. Cohen and Greer Donley). Carole Joffe is Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. She is the author of Doctors of Conscience: The Struggle to Provide Abortion before and after Roe v. Wade and the co-author of After Dobbs: How the Supreme Court ended Roe but not Abortion with David Cohen. Natalie Fixmer-Oriaz, F Wendell Miller Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Gender, Woman’s the Sexuality Studies at the University of Iowa. She is author of Homeland Maternity: US Security Culture and the New Reproductive Regime (2019) and Doing Gender Justice: Queering Reproduction, Kin, and Care (2025; with Shui-yin Sharon Yam). This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre. Health, Medicine, Reproductive Health, Courts, Feminism, Mothers

    58 min

  6. 11 maj

    Scholars’ Circle – Why SCOTUS Ruined the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – May 10, 2026

    The Voting Rights Act, or VRA, is viewed as the most important piece of legislation advancing civil rights in the 1960s. Passed in 1965, it was intended to redress the dis-empowerment of African Americans whose voting rights had been restricted due to several states legislation, ranging from poll taxes to literacy tests and other restrictions on voting. Throughout the Roberts Court, the VRA has been restricted and its protections stripped away. In 2026, perhaps the last of these provisions have been overturned, in a decision in the case Louisiana v Callais. ©2026 Rob Rogers. Reprinted with permission On todays show, we will explore this decision and the impact it has on drawing Congressional districts, in an era of particularly aggressive gerrymandering. [ dur: 58mins. ] Eric J. Segall, Ashe Family Chair Professor of Law and the Executive Director of Emmet J. Bondurant Center for Constitutional Law, Practice and Democracy at Georgia State University. He is the author of Originalism as Faith and Supreme Myths: Why the Supreme Court Is Not a Court and Its Justices Are Not Judges. Seth C. McKee is a Professor of Political Science at Oklahoma State University. He is the author of The Dynamics of Southern Politics: Causes and Consequences and coauthor of Rural Republican Realignment in the Modern South: The Untold Story with MV Hood. Christian Grose is a Professor of Political Science & Public Policy  and the Academic Director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy at the University of Southern California.  He is the author of Independent Redistricting Commissions Increase Voter Perceptions of Fairness and co-author of Local Election Administrators in the United States: The Frontline of Democracy. This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre. Politics and Activism, Elections, Redistricting, Voting Rights, Congress, Courts, Democrats, Republicans

    58 min
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Insight into Today's Most Pressing Issues

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  • Skapad av
    The Scholars' Circle
  • Aktiva år
    2015 - 2026
  • Avsnitt
    6
  • Åldersgräns
    Barnvänligt
  • Copyright
    © copyright 2023- The Scholars' Circle
  • Programmets webbplats
    The Scholars' Circle

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