Podcasts about presidential task force

Jerome Walker, co-chair of the Presidential Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies, leads a discussion on President Trump's January 23, 2025 executive order: Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence. The episode features insights from Nikhil Aggarwal, Harut Minasian, and Nichole Sterling on the implications of reversing President Biden's AI policies. Key discussions include the roles of federal and state regulations, the balance between innovation and safety, and the international landscape of AI regulations. Nikhil, Harut and Nichole also explain foundational principles like explainability, transparency, and fairness in AI models, and assess how stakeholders should navigate these regulatory changes. Additionally, the episode delves into practical examples of AI applications in national security and offers strategic advice for market participants over the next four years. If you're interested in learning more about cryptocurrency and regulatory treatment of digital financial technology, join us for the City Bar's Crypto Institute on March 11 (https://services.nycbar.org/Institute/ and available thereafter on-demand). Visit nycbar.org/events to find all of the most up-to-date information about our upcoming programs and events. Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/removing-barriers-to-american-leadership-in-artificial-intelligence/ 00:22 Overview of President Trump's Executive Order on AI 02:34 Panelist Introductions 05:47 Understanding AI Models 08:01 AI in National Security 10:13 Impact of Executive Orders on AI Stakeholders 14:24 Legal Advice for AI Stakeholders 30:59 State Responses to Federal AI Policies 35:00 International AI Regulations and US Leadership 56:11 AI Action Plan and Key Principles 01:00:48 Conclusion and Closing Remarks

Our latest episode from the Presidential Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies surveys an emerging landscape of legislation around AI liabilities and remedies. David Lisson (Davis Polk), Clint Morrison (Patterson Belknap), Shayne O'Reilly (Meta), Matt Bacal (Davis Polk), and Rama Elluru ( Special Competitive Studies Project) unpack regulations from state, federal and international bodies covering topics such as disclosure and transparency, kids' safety, deep fakes, non-consensual intimate imagery, and intellectual property. They also touch upon the significant penalties under the EU AI Act and the broader themes emerging from these legislative efforts, emphasizing the balance between innovation and regulation. If you're interested in learning more about how artificial intelligence will affect the legal world, check out the City Bar's Artificial Intelligence Institute, available on-demand. Visit nycbar.org/events to find all of the most up-to-date information about our upcoming programs and events. 01:20 Federal AI Laws and Regulations 03:06 Pending AI Bills in the U.S. 14:35 State-Level AI Legislation 32:21 International AI Regulations: The EU AI Act 41:06 Closing Thoughts and Future Outlook 45:15 Outro and Additional Resources

Presidential Task Force on AI and Digital Technologies members Wendy Butler Curtis and Robert Mahari are joined by Cai GoGwilt, founder of Ironclad, to discuss the power and potential of Agentic AI. Their conversation explores the definitions, capabilities, and notable limitations of the emerging Large Language Models. Building on Forbes' “intern” analogy, the co-hosts highlight the ways in which Agentic AI can enhance productivity across several fields with its hyperintelligence and adaptability to complex tasks. Curtis, Mahari and GoGwilt conclude with thoughts on its future development, ethical considerations of its usage, and anecdotes of their most interesting encounters with these tools. If you're interested in learning more about artificial intelligence, join us for related programs at the City Bar, including the UN Summit of the Future: International Regulation of AI on November 4 (https://services.nycbar.org/EventDetail?EventKey=TFDT110424) and the Artificial Intelligence in Health Care: An Overview of Laws, Policy, and Practices webinar CLE on November 6 (https://services.nycbar.org/EventDetail?EventKey=_WEB110624). Visit nycbar.org/events to find all of the most up-to-date information about our upcoming programs and events. 00:00 Introduction to Agentic AI 05:14 Defining Agentic AI 08:11 Rapid Fire Q&A 09:07 Capabilities and Limitations of Agentic AI 13:55 Open Source and Future Prospects 21:26 AI's Limitations in Legal Contexts 22:01 Debating AI's Reasoning Capabilities 26:02 Practical Applications of AI in Various Industries 28:24 AI in Legal Practice: Current and Future Uses 31:47 Ethical Considerations and Professional Responsibility 32:34 Optimism and Concerns About AI's Future 40:10 Engaging with Generative AI: Practical Tips 41:56 Best and Worst Uses of Generative AI 45:47 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The Presidential Task Force on AI and Digital Technologies' Bob Schwinger hosts a discussion with fellow Task Force members Don Irwin and Tyler Yagman. They identify the key takeaways from the House Financial Services Committee's June 5th congressional hearing about the tokenization of real-world assets, its relation to cryptocurrency, and its potential to improve market efficiency and transparency. Bob, Don, and Tyler also discuss the importance of regulatory compliance, the differences between permissioned and permissionless blockchains, and tokenization's implications for future financial inclusion. Access a transcript of this episode here: https://bit.ly/3ZxikWG Want to learn more about emerging digital technologies and their development? Join us at the City Bar's upcoming program: Guidelines for Users and Developers of AI Powered Technologies on October 10 (https://bit.ly/GUDAI) and view our catalogue of similar on-demand CLEs (https://bit.ly/BarCTFDT). Visit nycbar.org/events to find all of the most up-to-date information about our upcoming programs and events. 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Today's Topic 01:21 Overview of Tokenization and Congressional Hearing 02:21 Detailed Explanation of Tokenization 05:09 Legislative Proposals and Industry Perspectives 07:33 Distinguishing Tokenization from Cryptocurrency 10:26 Goals and Benefits of Tokenization 16:41 Use Cases and Practical Applications 24:30 Fundamental Principles and Regulatory Concerns 33:38 Permissioned vs. Permissionless Blockchains 39:31 Tokenizing Securities and Technological Challenges 43:22 Stable Coins, CBDCs, and Financial Inclusion 48:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

 Ever wondered what an "8X" in contracting really means? Contracting in the Medical Service Corps? LTC Owen Roberts II joins us to unravel this mystery and shed light on the pivotal role of contracting within the realm of Army medicine.LTC Roberts, with his vast experience and knowledge, navigates us through the intricacies of procurement processes, highlighting the critical importance of efficient and effective contracting in ensuring that our medical services remain top-notch.LTC Owen L. Roberts II is the Joint Product Manager for Chemical Defense Pharmaceuticals. In this role, he is responsible for providing the research, development, acquisition management, and joint service integration for products transitioning from the technology base through full life cycle management of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medical countermeasures against chemical, radiological, and nuclear threats. Previously, LTC Roberts served as the Product Lead for Vaccines, Therapeutics, and Enablers for the Joint Program Executive Of­ficer for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND), Joint Assisted Acquisition (JA2). In this capacity, LTC Roberts was responsible for domestic and global vaccine requirements, and the $56 billion joint Department of Defense (DOD) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) program ensured the President's COVID-19 response effort was capable of developing and producing more than one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, 19 million therapeutics doses, and over two billion needles and syringes. His work resulted in nearly 600 million doses being safely administered in the United States, and more than 200 million doses donated around the globe. LTC Roberts has served in the U.S. Army for 21 years in various command and staff level positions within the military health system, medical logistics, and acquisition communities. In the Republic of Korea with the U.S. Army, his various roles included Battalion Medical Platoon Leader, HHC, 2/72 Regiment, and Deputy SPO, 16th Medical Logistics Battalion. Upon completing his tour, he was assigned to the 45th Sustainment Brigade Schofi­eld Barracks, Hawaii, where he served as a Medical Operations Planner and later deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following deployment, LTC Roberts was assigned to Scho­field Barracks Health Clinic, serving as Chief of Logistics and subsequently selected to command, B Company, Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii. Following command, LTC Roberts attended the United States Army Medical Department's Acquisition and Procurement Internship Program (APIP) at Joint Base San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas, and was assigned to serve as the first-ever Chief of Contracting for the Defense Health Agency's National Capital Region. He has completed Command and General Staff College and is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act-trained in Contracting and Program Management. LTC Roberts is also the Deputy Consultant for Medical Acquisitions to the Army Surgeon General. In 2020, he was selected by the Secretary of Defense to serve on the COVID-19 Presidential Task Force, formerly called “Operation Warp Speed.”Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are the guests and host's alone and do not reflect the official position of the Medical Service Corps, the Department of Defense, or the US Government. All information discussed is unclassified approved for public release and found on open cleared sources.For more episodes listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube @ Be All You Can Be MSC For more information, suggestions, or questions please contact: beallyoucanbemsc@gmail.com

Why is anti-immigration rhetoric an attractive topic to white supremacists?  What types of laws are currently targeting free speech and critical thinking? In this series on healthcare and social disparities, Dr. Jill Wener, a board-certified Internal Medicine specialist, anti-racism educator, meditation expert, and tapping practitioner, interviews experts and gives her own insights into multiple fields relating to social justice and anti-racism. In this episode, Jill interviews Juliet Hooker, a Brown University professor. They discuss her new book, Black Grief/White Grievance: The Politics of Loss. Listen as they examine the pattern between progress for marginalized groups and increased resistance towards them. Hooker explains the need to move away from zero-sum thinking when it comes to human and civil rights. Professor Hooker is a political theorist specializing in racial justice, Black political thought, Latin American political thought, democratic theory, and contemporary political theory. She has also written on racism and Afro-descendant and indigenous politics in Latin America. She served as co-Chair of the American Political Science Association's Presidential Task Force on Racial and Social Class Inequalities in the Americas (2014-2015) and as Associate Director of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin (2009-2014). LINKS Instagram: @creoleprof www.juliethooker.com ** Our website www.consciousantiracism.com You can learn more about Dr. Wener and her online meditation and tapping courses at www.jillwener.com, and you can learn more about her online social justice course, Conscious Anti Racism: Tools for Self-Discovery, Accountability, and Meaningful Change at https://theresttechnique.com/courses/conscious-anti-racism. If you're a healthcare worker looking for a CME-accredited course, check out Conscious Anti-Racism: Tools for Self-Discovery, Accountability, and Meaningful Change in Healthcare at www.theresttechnique.com/courses/conscious-anti-racism-healthcare Join her Conscious Anti-Racism facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/307196473283408 Follow her on: Instagram at jillwenerMD LinkedIn at jillwenermd

Today on The Aid Market Podcast, Mike Shanley is joined by Catalina Escobar, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of MAKAIA and Awele Okigbo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Credo Advisory. Today's discussion focuses on the concept of localization in development work, particularly in the context of USAID partnerships. Catalina Escobar and Awele Okigbo, share their perspectives on what localization means to them, the role of local partners, and the importance of empowering local actors in driving change and development interventions. Tune in today to hear from local partners with their perspective on USAID's localization initiative, locally-led development, and how to best work with local partners. IN THIS EPISODE: [01:12] Awele and Catalina share their thoughts and perspective on localization and the importance of when and how local partners are involved in the project's development and implementation.  [05:30] Catalina shares what being a local partner means.  [07:45] Awele believes that a local partner has a vested interest in the project because it is their community. [12:45] Catalina explains why it is critical to know the local systems and local policies, which can take years.  [16:45] Awele discusses areas of USAID's success and areas for growth in their localization efforts. How can other donors successfully incorporate this growth into their programs? [18:37] Catalina touches on strategy vs implementation. On paper, implementation can look straightforward, however the act of implementation can be more challenging.  [27:28] Catalina breaks down the 5 principles of the Paris Declaration, which she believes are crucial for local development. She then explains how localization is measured and reported and what she will  be looking at in 2024 to monitor and see how the conversation around localization is evolving. [30:37] Awele shares what she will be looking at to see how the localization conversation and priorities are evolving throughout 2024.  KEY TAKEAWAYS:  Localization is leveraging local actors and experts to become leaders. Localization involves recognizing and incorporating local knowledge, expertise, systems, and politics in project design and implementation. Nobody knows the community more than the members of the community and it is paramount that USAID includes local partners in the early stages of planning and implementation.  Localization is meant to foster the empowerment of communities while building capacity and leveraging their social systems and structure to equip them with the resources and ability to become leaders. This is why it is crucial to increase the percentage of funds going to local organizations and ensure diversity in the organizations receiving international funding to avoid concentration of resources in a few entities. There is a need to measure the impact of development efforts not just in terms of successful project delivery but also in terms of how the local economy and talent pool have improved over time, highlighting the importance of local expertise and knowledge building. RESOURCES: Aid Market Podcast Aid Market Podcast YouTube Mike Shanley - LinkedIn Catalina Escobar - LinkedIn Awele Okigbo - LinkedIn BIOGRAPHIES:  Catalina Escobar, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, MAKAIA is a Civil society leader and social entrepreneur with more than 23 years of experience in social sector, digital development and international cooperation. During six years, Catalina worked with the World Bank managing web related projects that promote collaboration and knowledge sharing. She has led MAKAIA since its inception in 2006 and during 11 years, transforming an idea into an organization that has served thousands of people, non-profits and social projects in Latin America. Since June 2017, Catalina has held a different role in MAKAIA, as Chief Strategy Officer with the objective of designing the long term strategy of the organization. She has a Mechanical Engineering degree, an MBA, a specialization in International Cooperation for Development, and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management.  MAKAIA (www.MAKAIA.org) is a not-for-profit organization that promotes capacities for social development through cooperation, technology and innovation. MAKAIA´s work is implemented based on two pillars: (1) Technology for Social Change, (2) International Cooperation and Partnerships. In 2013 MAKAIA developed www.nodoka.co, a data and information driven initiative to promote resource mobilization, knowledge sharing and effectiveness in social sector. MAKAIA has worked with thousands of social organizations and people in Colombia and Latin America. Awele Okigbo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Credo Advisory is a leading strategic and development communications consultancy based in Abuja and Washington, DC. She is also the Host of Credo Voices, a podcast that highlights inspiring stories of everyday heroes – ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The podcast is a growing global community of change agents driving the Sustainable Development Goals. For over 25 years, she has led communications teams to raise awareness, build trust and effect change for institutions, including the United Nations, the United States Agency for International Development, the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. As a World Bank consultant, Awele has experience working in Nigeria, Jordan, Sudan, Zambia, Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania and Kazakhstan, delivering reform communications programmes. In 2012, she was appointed as a Technical Advisor to the Presidential Task Force on Power and, in 2020, to the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 by the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Before her consultancy work, she spent seven years with the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, supporting the launch of strategic operations in over 90 countries through communications and stakeholder engagement. In 2022, Awele was nominated and inducted into the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeepers Community in recognition of being a changemaker catalysing action toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. She is a regular industry speaker and a board member of the Thacher School, a co-educational boarding school in California that fosters academic excellence, character development, and community culture. Married with four children, Awele is an avid cyclist, a culinary enthusiast, and fluent in French. She is passionate about women's and children's rights.  

EPISODE 1838: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Juliet Hooker, author of BLACK GRIEF/WHITE GRIEVANCE, about why American democracy is in desperate need of an radical expansion of its political imaginationJuliet Hooker is Professor of Political Science at Brown University. She is a political theorist specializing in racial justice, Latin American political thought, Black political thought, and Afro-descendant and indigenous politics in Latin America. Before coming to Brown, she was a faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of Race and the Politics of Solidarity (Oxford, 2009); Theorizing Race in the Americas: Douglass, Sarmiento, Du Bois, and Vasconcelos (Oxford, 2017); and editor of Black and Indigenous Resistance in the Americas: From Multiculturalism to Racist Backlash (Lexington Books, 2020). Theorizing Race in the Americas was awarded the American Political Science Association's 2018 Ralph Bunche Book Award for the best work in ethnic and cultural pluralism and the 2018 Best Book Award of the Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association. Her current book, Black Grief/White Grievance: Democracy and the Problem of Political Loss, is forthcoming in 2023 from Princeton University Press. Prof. Hooker served as co-Chair of the American Political Science Association's Presidential Task Force on Racial and Social Class Inequalities in the Americas (2014-2015), and as Associate Director of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin (2009-2014). She has been the recipient of fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the DuBois Institute for African American Research at Harvard, and the Advanced Research Collaborative at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

In this week's episode of Politics In Question, Julia considers social movements and political parties with Marcus Board Jr. Board is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Howard University. His research engages social movements, radical Black feminist theories of power, and public opinion. He is the author of Invisible Weapons: Infiltrating Resistance and Defeating Movements (Oxford University Press, 2022). Board most recently co-authored a chapter on social movements and political parties in the American Political Science Association's Presidential Task Force on Political Parties report, “More Than Red and Blue: Political Parties and American Democracy” (July 2023).What is a social movement? How do they differ from political parties and interest groups? Can social movements benefit from joining forces with political parties? What are the implications for political parties when social movements try to transform our political institutions? And what can gumbo teach us about grappling with complicated political questions? These are some of the questions Marcus and Julia ask in this week's episode.

In May, the White House released its U.S. National Strategy for Countering Antisemitism. As students return to campus, hear from two student leaders who are working to share and implement the strategy's recommendations at their colleges and beyond: Sabrina Soffer, a rising junior at George Washington University and the head of the school's Presidential Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, and Abe Baker-Butler, a rising junior at Yale University and the president of the AJC Campus Global Board.  *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC.  Episode Lineup:  (0:40) Abe Baker-Butler and Sabrina Soffer Show Notes: Learn: AJC Campus Library: Resources for Becoming a Strong Jewish Student Advocate Listen: IsraAID CEO on Sharing Israel's Expertise With the World's Most Vulnerable Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us. __ Transcript of Interview with Abe Baker-Butler and Sabrina Soffer: Manya Brachear Pashman:   At the end of May, weeks after most college students headed home, abroad, or to summer internships, the White House released its US National Strategy for Countering Antisemitism. But given the timing, it's unclear how many students know it exists. With me are two student leaders who not only know, they've shared it with other students with the intention of helping to implement its recommendations for college campuses, when in a few weeks they go back to school.  Sabrina Soffer, a rising junior at George Washington University is the Commissioner of the Presidential Task Force to Combat Antisemitism at GW, and Abe Baker-Butler, a rising junior at Yale University is the president of the AJC Campus Global Board. Abe, Sabrina, welcome to People of the Pod. Abe Baker-Butler:  Thank you for having us, Manya. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So I will ask you both, when did you hear about the US national strategy?  Abe Baker-Butler:   So I heard about the national strategy when it was in the headlines initially. But with school ending and finals, I didn't have the time to actually sit down and read it in full until we got to AJC Global Forum. And what really stuck with me was how there are real action items in there for students, and not only Jewish students, but all students to take action to combat antisemitism. And I was very excited that as the campus global board, we had the opportunity to spend some real quality time brainstorming how we could play a meaningful role in implementing this National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. Sabrina Soffer:   So yeah, that's really interesting, I took very similar tidbits away from the strategy. But the first time that I heard about it was actually the same day that I was giving a talk to a group of women in San Diego, which is my hometown, in California. And it gave a lot of hope to the women who were listening to what I was saying, especially because the talk was about my experience on campus, which I think I'll get into a little bit later. But similar to Abe, the time I read it on the plane, actually on the way to Israel. So I had quite a bit of time to do that. And the thing that really stuck with me was exactly what Abe said, how all students, not just Jewish students, can take action and also the interfaith component. I think that having other students stand up for the Jewish community is essential and spreading awareness that way can really help in the fight to combat antisemitism. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So yes, Sabrina, I do want to talk to you a little bit more about the Taskforce. But first, Abe, can you tell us about the AJC Campus Global Board? It was formed last year, but who makes up its membership? And why? Why are they on this board? Abe Baker-Butler:   We're a group of 30 students, I believe, there are 20 of us from the United States, 10 of us from the rest of the world. And when I say the rest of the world, truly the whole rest of the world, Australia, to South Africa, to Europe, you name it. And our mission that we're working to pursue, is to support AJC's work on campus, and also to really ensure that AJC's work is informed from a student leader and young person's perspective. I think it's a real testament to AJC that they are taking this tangible step to prioritize us as young people and to say, you know, we want to hear you, and we want your perspectives to inform our advocacy. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So what schools do students hail from? Are they all East Coast schools? Or is there geographic diversity? Abe Baker-Butler:   Certainly not all East Coast schools, we have people from all over ranging from the University of Florida University of Southern California, University of Tennessee, Northwestern, and that's just in the United States. Our goal is really to ensure that we are incorporating a broad array of perspectives from across our country, from across also all parts of the Jewish community. We care deeply on the Campus Global Board about ensuring that we're embracing a pluralistic Judaism, that we have people from all denominations, all backgrounds, and we believe that by doing that we can best inform AJC's work. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And what have you done so far?  Abe Baker-Butler:   So in the past year, we've really been building our structure and integrating ourselves into the AJC institution. A few highlights that I can think of from the past year that have been particularly meaningful to me, are well I guess this is one of the biggest ones in my mind during the development and prior to the announcement of the National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism, Holly Huffnagle, AJC's US director for combating antisemitism, her and other AJC content experts and staff took the time to meet with a contingent of our Campus Global Board members to hear their thoughts in a listening session of sorts. And then what Holly and those staff members did is they took those thoughts and used them as they were giving feedback to the White House, as it developed the National Strategy. To me that's extremely meaningful.  Some other events we did is we had an event with Ted at University of Pennsylvania, which received really diverse audience in terms of Jewish denominations and observance, which I was very happy about.  We also held an event with Richie Torres, at Harvard, which was also much needed, given the situation on campus there. And beyond those sorts of headline events, we've also been doing more-- we've started a mentorship program between our campus full board and ACCESS. And there's a lot more in the pipeline, too, that I can also talk about. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Can you talk a little bit more about what was going on at Harvard? Is the campus global board, is the primary responsibility to respond to situations? Abe Baker-Butler:   Yes, so the reason I made that remark is because I think there's often a perception that you can't be both progressive and Zionist, and I think Ritchie Torres, who was our speaker there, really cuts that misconception straight through. But in terms of us responding to what's going on on campus, another really interesting part of our work that I'm proud of is our antisemitic incident response. Whenever there is an antisemitic incident on a campus, we the leadership of the campus global board, try and reach out to the Jewish leaders on that campus, whether it be the presidents of Hillel, or the head of the Chabad board. And we come saying, Hey, we're not here looking to get any kind of headlines, or press coverage, or to meet with your university administrators. You tell us what you need. And we're here as a group of 30 committed individuals to provide it to you.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Sabrina, tell us about GW's task force to combat anti semitism and who makes up that group? Sabrina Soffer:   Yeah, so GW's task force came about after the Lara Sheehi incident that happened in December. So basically, there was a professor who was teaching a mandatory diversity class at the grad school level. Everybody had to introduce where they were coming from. And there was a group of students from Tel Aviv. And the professor responded, it's not your fault you were born in Israel. And to make a long story short, that class became increasingly about imperialism and settler colonialism and more anti-Israel over time, and the students became more and more uncomfortable, and even after they reported it to the dean, there was no accountability. And then there was a title six complaint. And after that, there was an investigation conducted by the University, I guess, the university hired a law firm. And they found that there was not only no antisemitism, but no discrimination, because it fell within the lines of free speech, what was going on in the classroom, which I don't necessarily agree with, I think that it created a really hostile environment. Because the students did report that they couldn't sleep well, they couldn't eat because they had to turn in assignments to that professor who they couldn't trust because obviously, she disrespected them because of their identity.  So something I'm trying to do with the taskforce is trying to create trust between all members of the GW community, whether they agree or disagree, and no matter their identity groups, but I'll put that aside for now. So after that incident happened, there was a student in the student government, I think he's the former legislator General. And he was friends with the president of Chabad. And I'm the vice president. So they were speaking about it. And I guess the president, who's a good friend of mine, said, Oh, I have a friend who's very much involved in the Jewish world. And she would definitely like to take on an initiative like this one, and create a taskforce to deal with these issues on campus, because we've had quite a few of them that are either similar or radically different than the Lara Sheehi incident. So you know, I took the task upon myself I, they gave me some parameters of what to do, like it had to be 10 students, which I've now expanded to 15, because I couldn't reject people who seriously sounded amazing in their interviews, and then it had to be tied to the student government in some sort. So from there, I had to pass it through three different committees on the task force, and I really wanted it to be an all encompassing group. For example, I didn't want it all Jews, like the White House National Strategy says. And I think at the back of my mind, my mom raised me with this principle of like, you can't solve a problem without making people who are a part of the problem, a part of the solution. So I said, You know what, let's go for it, Yallah, and it'll be better this way. And we'll figure out these issues together. So then it came about, it was voted on unanimously. And then we've kind of started doing some work during the summer, we started collecting data. I've gotten the whole team organized, and I'm really, really pleased. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You know, I'm sure there are Jewish students who are listening, who are heading to campus as freshmen this year, perhaps their parents or their grandparents are listening. And Sabrina, I'm curious, what should they expect? And how can they prepare to be a Jewish student on an American college campus? Sabrina Soffer:   So I think that every campus is different. And I want to preface this by saying that no, the campuses themselves, besides a few, like, you can't label the campus as an antisemitic University, I think that's really important to note. For me, from what I've seen in conversations with administrators, with faculty and other students, is that there's a problem of systemic ignorance that breeds antisemitism, not so much a problem of systemic antisemitism. Because really, people don't have that, the majority of people don't have that much hate in their heart, you know, to like, go out and say tropes and demonize, you know, another, another person's identity for no reason.  I think it really comes from people trying to advocate for something else, but they don't know how it makes other people feel, or they just don't care. And I think we have to do a better job of explaining how we feel. So that was just a little bit of a preface, but the backstory is that I came into college not having any idea what this would be like. I tried to look for a campus with a great Jewish community, which GW absolutely has. Not all campuses have it. But I'm lucky, I actually don't believe that we do have a Chabad, Hillel, Meor, GW for Israel. So groups that I really identify with, and I thought that I would have no problem. However, in some of the classes that I was taking, I would openly share my ties to Israel, where my family was from, where I got my principles and my ethics. And over time, I came to realize that my ideas were being tarnished, they were being called racist and xenophobic. This was just a quick story. We were trying to talk about Holocaust education and slavery education, and one girl told me, Oh, the Holocaust is a lot more sensitized than slavery in school, because Jews are white. And that's like, I took that very, you know, did not sit well with me. But it was a problem of ignorance. I had a conversation with the girl afterward. And you know, we reconcile the differences, but like, I think that happens a lot on campus where there's so much ignorance, that it just comes out in ways that they shouldn't.  So, from then on, I really took it upon myself to become an educator, no matter what people would think of me. I would always try to spread my truth and do it in a loving way.  So I would just encourage all Jewish students before they get to campus to find their community because this whole time that I was experiencing this difficulty, I was really leaning on my Chabad friends, my Hillel friends, and of course, my family back home. Always talk to your parents. I think that's a really important point. And find the people who are going to support you no matter what. So that's just my my big piece of advice as well as get yourself educated. Know your history. Know your facts, know your identity, and never stop being who you are.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Abe, what about you? What advice do you have for incoming freshmen? Abe Baker-Butler:   Yeah, well, I think Sabrina really hit the nail on the head here by talking about ignorance. The stories I've heard from my friends and what I've experienced on campus, I've seen that a lot of the antisemitism we see is really driven by ignorance. I've heard multiple times on my campus. ideas such as the Jews are white and privileged. Why do the Jews have so many resources in the form of their lovely Hillel building? Look how rich the Jews are-they have security guards. These kinds of ideas, these kinds of comments. I think they're not coming from. Yeah, I don't think there's such a thing as informed hatred, right. I think that's an oxymoron. But they're coming out of ignorance. And I think because these sorts of antisemitic sentiments are coming out of ignorance. It makes the work that people like Sabrina and I, like Sabrina's taskforce and our campus global board, I think it makes the work that we're doing, ever more important, extremely important.  Abe Baker-Butler:   In terms of my advice for Jewish students coming to campus, I would say, you should keep in mind that while you can have an extremely meaningful impact by teaching those who may be ignorant about antisemitism, you also should remember that it is not only your responsibility to fight antisemitism, it is the entire community's responsibility to fight antisemitism. That includes it, should and must include allies. And then the other advice I would give is exactly what Sabrina said, you should know that as a Jewish student, there is a community behind you both on your campus, whether it's Hillel or Chabad, or anything else. And also, nationally, there are students like Sabrina and I, who are here to support you. There are organizations like Jewish on Campus, for example, of students that have ambassador's programs on campus. So you should never feel alone as a Jewish student on campus. Because there's so many people out there who care about you and support you. And you have the facts behind you. Sabrina Soffer:   I also just something that's really important for students to know is like know your rights on campus, both in the campus realm and the legal realm. Because what happened with the Lara Sheehi incident, those students, they knew how to report the incident. But there was no accountability. So it's like, where do I go from there? I've had students, I've had friends who've given up after they've had incidents, and they didn't know to go to groups, like AJC or Hillel International, maybe to help them out. So I think that knowing your rights before you get to campus is imperative. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You know, I was going to add, thank you so much, Sabrina, for that. I was also going to add to what Abe said, you know, I went to a very small school. For undergraduate. I was one of two Jews on campus that I know of. There might have been more. So there was no Hillel. It was a very small, tiny Jewish community. But like you said, there are organizations like AJC, there are national organizations. Now there's a national action plan that applies to every school. Not just these larger schools that have Hillels or Chabads on campus. So we talked about engaging different points of view, and different perspectives. These are all young people, your age, still learning. I also think it's very important to build and find allies on campus. I think that right there is a potential for education. And Abe, I am curious what kind of thought the campus global board has given to engaging different points of view and finding allies? Abe Baker-Butler: So we care deeply about finding allies. One thing I do want to highlight is the AJC curriculum that we've been developing with Dr. Sara Coodin that we look to use on campuses. And in terms of finding allies. That is key if it's central to our work on the campus global board. Some ideas that we have that we're working on include collaboration, brotherhood and sisterhood events, with Black and Jewish fraternities and sororities, reading groups between black and Jewish groups on campus to understand each other's shared perspectives. Joint interfaith seders and events between Muslim and Jewish groups on campuses. We really have a responsibility to create shared communities of goodwill, who can be our allies on campus, because in addition to having the national strategy and having national organizations like AJC on campuses, like the one you attended Manya, having allies like that is perhaps the most important because they can be that community that supports you.  And the other thing that I wanted to add to what we were discussing before, in terms of advice for Jewish students that I neglected to say was, you should always be proud of your Jewish identity. Always, always, always. You're the heir to an extremely rich intellectual and cultural tradition. And anyone who tries to make you feel ashamed of that or to slander that is wrong, and you should not heed what they say. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I am curious if you could share how you have celebrated, enjoyed being Jewish on campus? Sabrina Soffer:   This past April it was Yom Ha'atzmaut and we had Israel fest. It's a GW for Israel organized, we put Israeli flags in Cogan Plaza, the main plaza, we had loud music, falafel, shawarma, everything, and we were just dancing. And it was just the most amazing experiences not only feel like, for me, a lot of my Jewish identity comes from, like Zionism and my Israeli background. So just being able to celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut with a bunch of my Jewish friends who also support Israel. And it was just amazing. And also like a lot of the music that I grew up with, and that I'm familiar with, that was very fun to like, have in public on campus, and also having non Jews join us in that celebration. And this was all while SJP and JVP, were sitting right in front of us for literally two hours with posters with very hostile messages about Israel. And we didn't pay any attention, we kept dancing, and they just it's like, you know, we will do our thing, we'll be proud, we block out the noise, block out the hate. So that felt pretty great.  And then another experience I had was on Pesach, my parents come and visit me a lot. I brought them to Chabad for Pesach, and it was just like they fit in so nicely with all my friends, all the students and the whole GW community. Chabad was really the organization that ushered me in at the beginning, they really made me feel like home away from home, and having my parents who like literally made my home amazing, very Jewish. Like they brought me up in a Jewish home, having them in my new kind of home in college just was very rewarding. So those are two experiences. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Both sound beautiful, both sound really, really lovely. And I just want to clarify for listeners, JVP stands for Jewish Voice for Peace, and SJP is Students for Justice in Palestine, which are two groups on college campuses that have engaged in a lot of anti-Israel rhetoric. Abe, I want to turn back to you for one last question. And that is, I asked you what the Campus Global Board has done and it's one year of existence, but what will it do in the year ahead? What do you envision accomplishing? Abe Baker-Butler:   Probably the most central part of our plans for this year, I want to highlight is implementing the White House national strategy on combating anti semitism on campus. One idea that we're working on, not finalized yet, but that I'm hoping will become a reality is an incubator of sorts, where we'll put out a call for proposals from not only Jewish but non Jewish groups about how to fight antisemitism on campus, in line with the plan. And then our goal is that the campus goal board will sift through the proposals that we receive and figure out how we can best support, financially and otherwise, these organizations on campus in conducting activities that will help implement the plan and stem antisemitism. Some other ideas we have are, we want to bring diplomats from Abraham Accords countries to campuses to help stem the ignorance that I was talking about. And then also, we want to ensure to, the point I was making earlier about integrating young people, and really walking to talk with young people as part of AJC's advocacy. We want to ensure that young people, members of the campus cohort and others aren't as many AJC advocacy meetings and settings as possible, because we believe, and AJC believes as well, that when our voices are there, it provides for an even more persuasive advocacy, and an even more full representation of the interests of the Jewish community. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Can you give examples of where that advocacy takes place? Where would these young people go? Abe Baker-Butler:   Certainly. So we're planning to do it at all levels. One example would be Diplomatic Marathon alongside the UN General Assembly, meetings with diplomats there but also at the local level with legislators and others, at the regional office level. There are a lot of opportunities for young people to get involved in AJC's work. And we want to ensure that young voices are represented in all of these meetings, whether it be domestic legislators or diplomats or anyone else.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Sabrina, Abe, thank you so much for joining us and discussing what your plans are for this year. I wish you both a lot of luck and I hope you most of all enjoy your junior years in college.  Sabrina Soffer:   Thank you so much for having us.  Abe Baker-Butler:   Thank you, Manya. Shabbat shalom.  Sabrina Soffer:   Shabbat shalom. 

In this episode: the Beyond Teaching podcast welcomes special guest Jess Hartnett from Gannon University from the 2022 STP Task Force on Statistical Literacy, Reasoning, and Thinking

In this episode: the Beyond teaching podcast welcomes special guests Arlen Garcia from Miami Dade College and Millie Cordaro from Texas State University from the 2022 Task Force on the Integration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and International Initiatives Across STP.

In this episode: the Beyond Teaching podcast welcomes special guests Jenel Cavazos from the University of Oklahoma and Chris Hakala from Springfield College. Both served in 2022 on the STP Presidential Task Force on Pivot Teaching.

Robert Ferguson is a nationally recognized certified nutritionist; fitness expert; television host; motivational speaker; author; creator of the Diet Free Life program; and America's Fat Loss Coach™. He has written three books on nutrition and fitness, authored three evidence based and clinically proven studies on weight loss and improving overall health; he currently serves on the Presidential Task Force on Obesity for the National Medical Association; he serves as the Health Ambassador for Stayhealthy, Inc. and co-founded the Show Me Better Health initiative with Aetna, which is an evidence based practice that has been implemented to under-resourced communities. For more than 20 years Robert has helped thousands lose weight and improve overall health with his methodology of losing weight and improving body composition while eating foods you love in fat burning combinations. Visit www.DietFreeLife.com to learn more.

In this episode, Helen Neville speaks with Iranian American scholar-activists Dr. Mehrgol Tiv and Amir Maghsoodi about the current uprisings in Iran. We cover the nationwide protests and state responses since the murder of Mahsa Jina Amini on September 22, 2022. The guests provide context for the roots of the woman-led liberation struggle, and the goals and hopes for Iran and her people.   This episode was recorded on Nov 29, 2022. Since then, the Islamic Republic government has executed two young men for taking part in protests: Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard. As of late-December, Amnesty International and others fear more individuals are at imminent risk of execution by the government.  ABOUT THE GUESTS  Dr. Mehrgol Tiv, PhD (website) (Twitter: @mehrgoltiv) earned her PhD in experimental psychology at McGill University in 2021, where she examined how diverse linguistic experiences related to cognitive processes. Now as a postdoctoral researcher, she further probes the social determinants of cognitive adaptation by assessing the psychological impacts of context diversity and racial identity formation, including among Middle Eastern and North African communities. Mehrgol was born in Tehran, Iran and moved to the United States at the age of six with her family. She grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now lives in Washington D.C. with her partner and cat.    Amir Maghsoodi, MS (website) (Twitter and IG: @soori_breeze) is a doctoral candidate in his fifth year in the Counseling Psychology Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His interests in psychology center on health and well-being, sense of belonging, and radical healing & liberation of BIPOC folx, with a particular focus on those of MENA/SWANA descent. His mixed-methods dissertation research explores the psychological impacts of racial identity invalidation on MENA Americans (e.g., our legal classification as “white” in the U.S.). He enjoys service to the community and currently serves on the advocacy committee of the American Arab, Middle Eastern, & North African Psychological Association (AMENA-Psy) and on Dr. Kevin Cokley's Division 45 Presidential Task Force on Cross-Racial/Ethnic Solidarity.  RESOURCES   News and Editorials  BBC reporting of first known execution of Iranian protestors   CNN coverage of human rights abuses in political prisons   Hamed Esmaeilion memoir in Toronto Life magazine Association of Families of PS752 Victims   CBC Interview with dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi the day before his kidnapping by Islamic Republic police forces  Washington Post documents Islamic Republic's tactics of repression  Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) Daily Update on Iran Protest  Videos  VICE documentary, part 1   VICE documentary, part 2  Protest Songs  Baraye (“For”) by Shervin Hajipour (turn on English subtitles)  Amir Maghsoodi's cover of Baraye  Soroode Zan (“Women's Anthem”) by Mehdi Yarrahi and Mona Borzouie (Translated lyrics) YouTube page of dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi, who was kidnapped, tortured, and faces execution in Iran  Farsi rendition of Italian protest song, Bella Ciao, played in many global protests and rallies  Relevant Social Media Accounts (mostly Twitter) to Follow  Twitter  https://twitter.com/1500tasvir_en  https://twitter.com/Vahid   https://twitter.com/BlackIranians  https://twitter.com/PriscilliaK  https://twitter.com/sinafazelpour  https://twitter.com/NazaninNour  https://twitter.com/maasalan  https://twitter.com/esmaeilion  https://twitter.com/ps752justice  https://twitter.com/me_too_iran  https://twitter.com/MEMOrganization   https://twitter.com/HRANA_English   Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/1500tasvir_en/  https://www.instagram.com/collectiveforblackiranians/  https://www.instagram.com/from____iran/  https://www.instagram.com/centerforhumanrights/  https://www.instagram.com/middleeastmatters/  https://www.instagram.com/localbrownbaby/  https://www.instagram.com/womanlifefreedom.art/   Academic Statements and Correspondences  AMENA-Psy statement of solidarity with the people of Iran  SPSSI statement of solidarity with the people of Iran  Psychology Coalition at the UN (PCUN) letter to Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC) of the UN  American Psychological Association's letter to UN High Commissioner of Human Rights  American Psychiatric Association's letter to the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights  Correspondence to Nature by Iranian scholars calling for support of persecuted academic  STAY IN TOUCH!  #LiberationNowPodcast Email: liberationlab.uiuc@gmail.com | Instagram & Twitter: @liberationlab_     EPISODE CREDITS  Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams   Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi  Episode Intro: Mahogany Monette  Episode Outro: B. Andi Lee  Episode Editing: Helen Neville and Amir Maghsoodi  Episode Transcript: bit.ly/LibNowEp12 

In an economy where intangibles increasingly drive economic growth, reporting to shareholders, lenders, and the market more generally on substantial intellectual property (IP) assets, IP management, and IP strategies have become an expectation for any company – whether young or established.Consequently, IP reporting is increasingly impacting the practice of IP professionals across all industries and can constitute a competitive advantage for businesses and their IP departments. However, IP reporting goes way beyond IP inventory and legal management and extends into matters including asset valuation and accounting procedures, among many others, and necessitates cooperation across departments, alignment on objectives, and the design and implementation of internal processes to support IP reporting through time.To discuss this topic and related trends on IP management, our guest is INTA 2022 President Zeeger Vink (MF Brands Group, Switzerland). Over the past year, Mr. Vink has served as the chair of INTA's Planning Committee and Advocacy Group, and as a member of the Executive and Finance Committees. He has been a member of INTA's Board since 2015, and actively engaged in many Association initiatives through his tenure. Notably, and as it relates to this month's podcast, Mr. Vink convened a Presidential Task Force on IP Reporting for Brands at the start of the year, which is preparing a report on the topic due for publication in early 2023.Based in Geneva, Switzerland, he is the IP Director at MF Brands Group, the Swiss group that owns fashion and lifestyle brands LACOSTE, GANT, AIGLE, TECNIFIBRE and THE KOOPLES. In this role with MF Brands Group, he oversees the organization's global IP and brand protection function. Prior joining MF Brands Group in 2010, Mr. Vink was in-house IP counsel at L'OREAL in Paris, France, where he oversaw global IP protection for several brands. He started his career as attorney, practicing in Amsterdam and London. Brand & New is a production of the International Trademark AssociationHosted by Audrey Dauvet - Contribution of M. Halle & S. Lagedamond - Music by JD BeatsFOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT INTA.ORGTo go further: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeegervink/?originalSubdomain=chAlso of interest:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/quantifying-financial-value-intellectual-property-assets-broughan/?trk=articles_directoryhttps://www.iam-media.com/article/how-outsourcing-ip-reporting-might-be-key-successful-ip-strategyhttps://www.inta.org/wp-content/uploads/public-files/advocacy/board-resolutions/20220518_INTA-Board-Resolution-on-International-IP-Accounting-Standards.pdfINTA Releases ‘Report on the Taxation of Trademarks and Complementary Rights in Europe'

The mental health treatment field is disproportionately white. What barriers do people of color face while trying to find care? And how important is it to find a provider that can identify with a person's race, culture and experiences? MPR News shares “Searching for Providers of Color,” a broadcast special from Call to Mind, American Public Media's initiative to foster conversations about mental health. Through in-depth interviews and reported stories, this hour-long program examines the barriers to diversify the mental health treatment field and how communities of color are getting the care they need. Call to Mind specials are hosted by Kimberly Adams, senior correspondent for APM's Marketplace who covers mental health, politics, business and the economy from Washington, D.C. Guests: Christine Catipon is vice president of the Asian American Psychological Association and a psychologist at Stanford University Counseling and Psychological Services. James Rodriguez is senior director of clinical initiatives at New York University's McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research. Ruth Shim is a professor in cultural psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and an associate dean at University of California, Davis School of Medicine. Cheryl D. Wills is a member of the Presidential Task Force on Structural Racism, of the American Psychiatric Association. She's also vice chair of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity and chief of child psychiatry at The MetroHealth System in Cleveland and associate professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University.

Dieu M. Truong will be conferred with the PhD in School Psychology in August 2022 from the APA-Accredited, NASP-certified School Psychology doctoral program at the University of Houston (Main Campus). She is completing her APA-Accredited Psychology Internship Training Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) as the psychology intern on the program's autism spectrum disorder track. Dieu will continue her specialty training in serving autistic children, adults, and families as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Autism Research at CHOP. Twitter: @truongdm Pooja Mamidanna, M.A, M.S., LMFT, graduated from the California School of Professional Psychology with her M.A in Marriage and Family Therapy and M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Christ University (Bangalore, India). Pooja is a Board Member of the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA). Pooja was Chair (2019-2021) of the Division of South Asian Americans (DoSAA) within AAPA. Pooja is Co-Chair Campus Representative of Division 45 within the American Psychological Association (APA) and is part of the Division 45 Dr. Kevin Cokley's Presidential Task Force. Dr. Cokley's presidential theme for his term is, Fighting Racism with Cross-Racial/Ethnic Solidarity: Toward Being an Accomplice. With the Task Force, Pooja leads their Social Media Communications and is Co-host and producer of the Task Force Podcast called: Strength in solidarity. Pooja currently is a third-year Ph.D. Clinical Psychology Student at the California School of Professional Psychology. Pooja currently works at a private practice in San Francisco (Therapy Now SF). Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourmindandme/ https://www.instagram.com/apadiv45_presidentialtaskforce/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/PoojaMamidanna Resources: https://www.neurodiversityhub.org/what-is-neurodiversity https://counseling.online.wfu.edu/blog/what-is-neurodiversity/ https://themighty.com/2021/11/adhd-behaviors-masking-mirroring-meaning https://neuroqueer.com/neurodiversity-terms-and-definitions/ https://www.nccj.org/neurodiversity https://www.chalk.com/resources/avoid-these-pitfalls-when-teaching-neurodivergent-students/ *Note: As always, this psych related podcast is for educational purposes only, so please rely upon and seek relevant professional help in your community if needed. How to support the podcast: - Please share, follow/subscribe, and rate/review in your favorite podcast app. - Buy the Doc a cup of coffee! Join our Discord Community for great Psych conversations! Email: PsychExplained@duck.com Twitter: @PSYCH_EXPLAINED Video Lectures --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/psychexplained/support

The Senate and House of Representatives have intervened in the diplomatic row between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. They said the situation is having a negative impact on Nigerians amid the work permit restriction and other challenges they face in the Arabian country. The Senate mandated its Committees on Foreign Affairs, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, National Security, as well as Intelligence and Interior respectively, to interface with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Intelligence Agency on best ways of resolving the dispute and report back to the lawmakers within two weeks. The House of Representatives, on its part, set up an ad-hoc committee to liaise with relevant government agencies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the treatment of Nigerians by the UAE authorities.

The Senate and House of Representatives have intervened in the diplomatic row between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. They said the situation is having a negative impact on Nigerians amid the work permit restriction and other challenges they face in the Arabian country. The Senate mandated its Committees on Foreign Affairs, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, National Security, as well as Intelligence and Interior respectively, to interface with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Intelligence Agency on best ways of resolving the dispute and report back to the lawmakers within two weeks. The House of Representatives, on its part, set up an ad-hoc committee to liaise with relevant government agencies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the treatment of Nigerians by the UAE authorities.

The Senate and House of Representatives have intervened in the diplomatic row between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. They said the situation is having a negative impact on Nigerians amid the work permit restriction and other challenges they face in the Arabian country. The Senate mandated its Committees on Foreign Affairs, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, National Security, as well as Intelligence and Interior respectively, to interface with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Intelligence Agency on best ways of resolving the dispute and report back to the lawmakers within two weeks. The House of Representatives, on its part, set up an ad-hoc committee to liaise with relevant government agencies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the treatment of Nigerians by the UAE authorities.

Southasiasphere is our monthly roundup of news events and analysis of regional affairs. If you are a member, you will automatically receive links to the new episodes in your inbox. If you are not yet a member, you can still get it for free by signing up here: bit.ly/2QgmtwW In this episode, we discuss the bold new pledges made by Southasian leaders at the COP26 UN climate summit versus the realities on the ground. In Around Southasia in 5 minutes, we look at Pakistan's agreement with the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), communal violence in Bangladesh, political prisoners in Bhutan, and the appointment of a new Presidential Task Force in Sri Lanka. Plus, in our culture section Bookmarked, we discuss an essay exploring the politics of listening, ‘Other People's Shoes: Let's not demand that people tell us stories' written and read by Sunila Galappatti, and our monthly recommendations for reading and watching.

The Sri Lankan Army, Navy and Air Force have jointly enforced travel restrictions between provinces through roadblocks. The move comes under the guidance of General Shavendra Silva, head of the National Operations Center to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and chief of defense forces and army commander. So far, vehicles attempting to cross the road in violation of the existing inter-provincial traffic ban have been seized and handed over to the police for further action. Military sources say entry into and out of one province will only be allowed if it falls within the category of "essential services" specified by the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 control. Health workers and civil servants who are engaged in essential services invited by the company leaders are thus allowed to travel between the provinces. The military says it is examining security forces, official identification cards, written documents inviting a person to work, valid electronic documents, or any other evidence of eligibility to travel between provinces at those checkpoints.

Regenerative cell therapy may one day help us all grow our own replacement parts. People with heart failure could get a transplant for an entirely new heart, made out of their own cells. Burn victims, or people who just want wrinkle-free skin, could grow new sheets of the stuff — from their own tissues. Younger cells may provide better raw material for these therapies than older versions, and so a commercial cell banking industry has sprung up to provide the required cryogenic storage for about the price of a Netflix subscription. But is it worth it? To help listeners decide, Medcan Director of Genetics Allison Hazell interviews Drew Taylor of Acorn Biolabs, a Toronto commercial cell banking start-up, with a dissenting opinion from Aaron Levine of the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy.  https://www.eatmovethinkpodcast.com/podcast/ep-67-cell-banking   Links Visit the Acorn Biolabs website to learn more about regenerative cell therapies and commercial cell banking.   Hazell and Taylor discussed platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and other regenerative therapies for sports injury. A good explainer on PRP. An Acorn Biolabs blog post on PRP and future therapies for sports injuries. A Mayo Clinic primer on stem cell-based therapies.   Learn more about Tel Aviv University 3-D printing that human heart.   Find Acorn Biolabs CEO Drew Taylor on Twitter and LinkedIn.    Here’s a good profile of Drew Taylor. Plus a good synopsis of Taylor’s baseball career. In this episode, Hazell mentions the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy’s Statement of Concern speculative commercial cell banking services. Here’s the statement in full.    The ISCT rep who gave the dissenting opinion is Aaron Levine. He’s an associate professor at Georgia Tech. Learn more about his career. Follow him on Twitter.    Want to learn more about your genetic background and gain insight about future disease risk? Allison Hazell’s Medcan Genetics team has many different services for you.    INSIGHTS    Revolution is right around the corner Regenerative cell therapy and commercial cell banking services are growing more popular, but they’re based on technology that’s been around for decades. So why now? According to Taylor, more than 1,000 clinical trials are happening in the field of cell and gene-based therapies. The Acorn Biolabs founder likes to compare it to the Wright brothers. They successfully flew the first powered aircraft in 1903. An aeronautics industry and commercial flight took decades longer to develop. Stem cell science is undergoing a similar curve. [Time code: 7:10]    PRP and 3D printing of human replacement parts Currently, a goal of regenerative cell technology is to concentrate the growth factors and nutrients in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and put it at the site of an injury. The idea is that this will enhance the inflammatory response in the surrounding cells and encourage healing. It’s used in soft-tissue sports injuries as well as skin-rejuvenation in dermatology. Another potential use for commercial cell banking is the 3D printing of replacement parts for the human body. For example, at Tel Aviv University, they took a biopsy of skin cells, multiplied them and were able to 3D-print a miniature human heart. “It was a major milestone,” Taylor says. [Time code: 9:30]   Taylor’s argument that young cells are better for cell therapies “We need to be thinking about strategies that we could deploy to allow people to actually secure a better cell population to use as a starting material,” Taylor says of his work at Acorn Biolabs. In the past, what he’s found is that adults who are in pain will start looking at regenerative cell therapy. The problem? At that point, the cells and tissues in that area already are in a diseased state. What Taylor wants to help people do is get ahead of these problems by collecting younger, healthy cell samples and storing them for potential further use. “We really need to be thinking about this in advance,” Taylor says. “To be thinking about strategies we [can] do to allow people to secure a better cell population to use as a starting material.” [Time code: 13:55]   Counterpoint Aaron Levine is an associate professor at Georgia Tech and a member of the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy, where he was a Vice Chair on the Presidential Task Force on the Use of Unproven and/or Unethical Cell and Gene Therapies. The taskforce concluded that “these companies — that will take your cells and freeze them today for potential use sometime in the future — are too far ahead of the science.” Basically, in Levine’s view, the science is not yet there to justify cell storage. “These companies may be over promising to their customers,” Levine says. “The reality is that the vast majority of these cells will remain frozen indefinitely and never used clinically.” [Time code: 23:15]   Critical thinking Taylor disagrees with Levine's point that cell banking is speculative — he argues that the science is there and will continue to advance. Not all cell-banking services are created equal, Taylor says. Levine’s investigation also was completed before Acorn Biolabs was founded. “There is a massive difference between companies that offer cell-banking services,” Taylor says, adding that it’s likely that certain organizations probably are over-promising. “Personally, I would be mortified to be grouped in with some of them.” [Time code: 26:47] Practical applications Although you can never make guarantees in science, regenerative cell therapy is already showing real-world results, Taylor says. This type of therapy could help heal athletic injuries, or be used as an aesthetic skincare treatment. But there are bigger potential uses, too. For example, he says, in Canada 24 patients have had keratinocyte and fibroblast cells harvested and leveraged to create sheets of skin, which were then used to treat severe burns. There are also about a dozen people in North Carolina who have had 3D bladders created using their own cells and implanted in their bodies. “We’re already seeing cells being leveraged in some of these therapeutics,” Taylor says. “So I’d push back a little bit” on Levine’s points. [Time code: 27:40]

In 1981, during his first few months as President, Ronald Reagan was working towards his goal of limiting government spending and cutting budgets where needed.  But on May 6, 1981, he established a Presidential Task Force on the Arts and Humanities, saying, “I am naming this Task Force because of my deep concern for the arts and humanities in America. Our cultural institutions are an essential national resource; they must be kept strong. While I believe firmly that the Federal Government must reduce its spending, I am nevertheless sympathetic to the very real needs of our cultural organizations and hope the Task Force will deliver to my desk by Labor Day a plan to make better use of existing Federal resources and to increase the support for the arts and humanities by the private sector.”On October 14, 1981, President and Mrs. Reagan held a White House Luncheon for members of the task force. Following the luncheon, he gave remarks. Let’s listen:

The Federal Government says an additional 100,000 doses of the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine has been received from India.Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha says the vaccines, donated by the government of India to Nigeria, will help boost the number of Nigerians be vaccinated by about 50,000.Mr Mustapha also announced that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the transitioning of the PTF to the Presidential Steering Committee on Covid-19, effective from April 1, 2021.

The Federal Government has evacuated 255 Nigerians stranded in Saudi Arabia. This was announced on Monday by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).In a post on Twitter sharing pictures of the returnees, NIDCOM said the 255 stranded Nigerians arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja via Saudi Air Flight SV3405 at about 1:00 pm local time today Monday, 29th, March 2021.This according to the agency is the first batch of returnees while the arrival of other returnees is expected in subsequent days.The returnees will proceed on quarantine at the Federal Capital Territory Hajj camp for 14 days in line with the reversed COVID-19 protocols by the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.

1. Beks' career shift from the private sector to the public sector 2. Beks' leadership on the Presidential Task Force on Power 3. The Nigerian energy landscape and current energy challenges in Nigeria 4. Opportunities for growth and innovation in the Nigerian energy sector

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Chairman Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, and members of the PTF will on Monday in Abuja receive doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.The Director Press, Office of the SGF, Willie Bassey, said this in a notice on Sunday night.The development about 48 hours after the President, Major General The SGF and the PTF members would received theirs on Monday after it got a clearance from the Executive Director National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib.Bassey said that the vaccination will be held at the OSGF during the weekly live joint national briefing of the taskforce.

The NAFDAC-approved Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, around noon on Tuesday, via an Emirates airline.Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha says that Nigeria will receive its first tranche of about 4 million doses of the coronavirus vaccines.The Health Minister had noted that also noted that once the vaccines arrive in the country, about 70% of the population is expected to be inoculated within two years.

The Federal Government has confirmed that Nigeria will receive the first tranche of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021. The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha explained that the first shipment of 3,924,000 million doses of covid-19 vaccines is coming from COVAX, a World Health Organization backed initiative set up to procure and ensure equitable distribution of vaccines for free among countries across the globe.He says the vaccines are coming and they are coming very quickly barring any change in the delivery plan that has been released to them by UNICEF.

Grit & Grace Ep. 3: Featuring Special Guest Robert FergusonRobert Ferguson is a nationally recognized certified nutritionist; fitness expert; television host; motivational speaker; author; creator of the Diet Free Life program; and America's Fat Loss Coach™. He has written three books on nutrition and fitness, authored three evidence based and clinically proven studies on weight loss and improving overall health; he currently serves on the Presidential Task Force on Obesity for the National Medical Association; he serves as the Health Ambassador for Stayhealthy, Inc. and co-founded the Show Me Better Health initiative with Aetna, which is an evidence based practice that has been implemented to under-resourced communities.For more than 20 years Robert has helped thousands lose weight and improve overall health with his methodology of losing weight and improving body composition while eating foods you love in fat burning combinations. Visit www.DietFreeLife.com to learn more.

Regina James, MD, tells her personal story and discusses how to understand health equity with guest host Carol A. Bernstein, MD. Dr. James is deputy medical director and chief of the division of diversity and health equity at the American Psychiatric Association. She also serves on the advisory board of The PACT group (Pan African Clinical Trials) and receives no income from the group. Dr. Bernstein, a past president of the APA, is vice chair for faculty development and well-being at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York. She has no disclosures. Take-home points The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation defines health equity as: “Everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, safe environments, and health care.” Equity embraces the idea of inclusiveness and evaluates a whole health care system instead of focusing only on individual marginalized communities. For example, it is essential to understand the social determinants that lead to groups being medically underserved and then to understand the impact of the medically underserved on the entire system. Dr. James led a 20-year career in research and leadership within the National Institutes of Health, including the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the Eunice Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She later transitioned to 2M, a research consulting agency, and then to the APA. Within the APA, Dr. James has developed a 5-point strategic plan with the vision that all APA members will be culturally competent and sensitive, and able to provide mental health care for any individual regardless of age, race, gender, or sexual orientation. The strategic plan focuses on raising awareness about mental health equity and destigmatization and leveraging the expertise of the APA membership in their communities. A cornerstone of the plan is an educational agenda, including materials on health equity in psychiatry and outreach to APA members and their community partners. In addition, Dr. James and her office partner with APA leadership to lobby the government for mental health equity and inclusion. Dr. James describes structural racism as current policies within an organization that lead to racial inequalities. Separate from the Office of Diversity and Health Equity, the APA established a Presidential Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry to identify the scope and targets of structural racism within organized psychiatry, including the APA. It also seeks to identify how structural racism affects practicing psychiatrists and their patients. References Braveman P et al. What is health equity? Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 2017 May 1. American Psychiatric Association. Diversity and health equity. American Psychiatric Association. Mental health disparities: Diverse populations. APA Presidential Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry. https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/structural-racism-task-force Rosenkranz KM et al. J Surg Education. 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2020.11.013. Simonsen KA and Shim RS. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2019 Sep;42(3):463-71. Alves-Bradford J-M et al. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2020 Sep;43(3):415-28. Aggarwal NK et al. Patient Educ Couns. 2016 Feb;99(2):198-209. *  *  * Show notes by Jacqueline Posada, MD, associate producer of the Psychcast; assistant clinical professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at George Washington University in Washington; and staff physician at George Washington Medical Faculty Associates, also in Washington. Dr. Posada has no conflicts of interest. For more MDedge Podcasts, go to mdedge.com/podcasts Email the show: podcasts@mdedge.com

The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has highlighted the factors that led to the increased figures of coronavirus recorded in the country since November 2020.

The Federal Government said there will be repercussions for Very Important Personalities (VIPs) and government officials who flout travel protocols.The Ministry of Information and Culture on Wednesday via Twitter, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, vowed to clamp down on officials for failing to obey travel protocols including undergoing compulsory COVID-19 tests after returning into the country.He said they want to change people’s behaviour and will continue to do it every week until things change.

Is Lagos prepared for the Second Wave? Has the Presidential Task Force indeed decongested Apapa and Tin Can ports? Has the War Against Corruption worked? Those are the Big 3, Lagos. Let's Talk. #NigeriainfoHF @sezekwesili

African Americans are Sick and Dying from Coronavirus at a Disproportionately High RateAn alarming reality is beginning to emerge from data collected by the CDC as COVID-19 infiltrates communities across America. African Americans are becoming infected and dying from COVID-19 at rates that shadow those of the rest of the population. A Washington Post analysis of data shows a rate of infection among African Americans in counties that are majority black that is 3x higher than counties that are majority white and a death rate that is 6x higher. In St Louis, Missouri every death from COVID-19 has been African American.Robert Ferguson is a nationally recognized certified nutritionist; fitness expert; speaker and author. Currently serving on the Presidential Task Force on Obesity for the National Medical Association, Ferguson has also worked with the NAACP, the UNCF, and several other organizations devoted to supporting health in under-served communities. Furthermore, he has authored two evidence-based studies on weight loss and reversing childhood obesity and has penned three books on nutrition and fitness. He co-founded the Show Me Better Health initiative with Aetna, an evidence-based “better health” practice that was implemented to under-served communities. Ferguson is proud to be Stayhealthy’s Health Ambassador and America’s Fat Loss CoachFor more than 20 years Robert has helped thousands lose weight and improve overall health with the Diet Free Life methodology. He continues to work closely with Fortune 500 companies (e.g., Aetna, Anthem, United Healthcare, McDonald’s Corp) as a speaker and consultant, as well as a growing list of celebrities and professional athletes to include Chaka Khan, Katie Maloney, Toni Braxton, Daniel Baldwin, Ricki Lake, Chuck D of Public Enemy, La Toya Jackson, Fernando Vargas, Sergio Mora, Bobbi Bonilla, and Indy race car driver Pippa Mann, to name a few. Robert also currently hosts The Stayhealthy Experience (podcast/show) with actor Daniel Baldwin and fitness professional Barbara Kris. www.DietFreeLife.comLearn more about Deborah here:  www.lovebyintuition.com

Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 say nothing less than 39,070 passengers, wey enter the country no pay for coronavirus test. Chairman of the PTF, Boss Mustapha, say some travellers carry fake documents on COVID-19 tests and other information,he say some of the pipol wey pay for post-arrival test no show up for the tests. Mustapha, say PTF dey look the complain of Nigerians with the protocols for testing by in-bound and out-bound travellers.

The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 says Nigerian authorities are working closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to access vaccines as soon as they are available.

In this Bell Work Talks Michael Nance discusses Missing and Unidentified Persons -"Our Nation's Silent Mass Disaster." If someone you love disappeared what would you do to find them how would you be affected? On any given day there are approximately 90,000 people reported missing to the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC). There are approximately 40,000 unidentified persons in coroner and medical examiner offices nationwide. Learn how the National Institute of Justice developed the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) to provide resources, paid for through federal taxes and are no cost, to families, law enforcement, coroners, and medical examiners. Find out how NamUs is working with the Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives in Operation Lady Justice. Learn how families are impacted by the debilitating affects of "ambiguous loss" and NamUs resources to help. Michael Nance retired from the Tulsa Police Department in 2010 after thirty-eight years. Nance's last assignment was as a Homicide Detective in Tulsa's Homicide Unit. Nance worked as a missing person/cold case investigator for the Oklahoma District 27 District Attorney's Office after retirement before joining NamUs in December 2012. Nance also works with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children(NCMEC) as a Team Adam Consultant (TAC) and Project Alert volunteer. Nance has been NamUs' Regional Program Specialist for Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma for the past eight years. Resources: National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) www.namus.gov Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains: The Nation’s Silent Mass Disaster https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/missing-persons-and-unidentified-remains-nationssilent-mass-disaster Operation Lady Justice https://operationladyjustice.usdoj.gov/? fbclid=IwAR0wtcqPNNZC6hPJgJOgtGf_pmHdxVCH_DL8584a2HdU2BFKeOYL0bRWKw National Center for Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NCMEC) https://www.missingkids.org/ National Crime Information Center (NCIC) https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ncic Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) https://www.fbi.gov/services/laboratory/biometric-analysis/codis/codis-and-ndis-factsheet#:~:text=CODIS%20is%20the %20acronym%20for,used%20to%20run%20these%20databases. Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) https://www.swgdam.org/ Ambiguous loss in families of the missing https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(02)11815-0/fulltext

The Presidential Task Force, PTF, on COVID-19 has implored Nigerians abroad to Suspend plans of coming home for the Christmas festivities.Dr Sani Aliyu, the National Coordinator of the task force, made this known during the weekly media briefing of the task force on Friday.According to him, this was one of the safety measures to prevent the second wave spread of the virus in the country.“We know that we are going into the Christmas period and we are looking at steps to minimize the number of people we see during this period.“If you do not need to travel, remain in the country during the period.“If you are outside the country, now is not the time to start coming in on holiday.“If you do have to come into the country on holiday, be aware that you have to do the mandatory seven days isolation and you have to be tested and confirmed to be negative.“We will not be relaxing the rules simply because it is holiday s

Ivy Winfrey gives new information on new COVID-19 restrictions specific to Larimer county and CSU Spur, and then speaks to Julia Rosenwald of the Presidential Task Force on Jewish Inclusion and the Prevention of Antisemitism about Dr. Abdullah's keynote speech for the Diversity Symposium. Dixon Lawson updates listeners on sports, and then Kota Babcock tells listeners about Amy Coney Barnett's confirmation, voter turnout, and (potentially) water found on the moon.

Federal Government say dem hand over COVID-19 palliatives from the nation's reserve and other sources to the state governments for onward distribution to the citizens. Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, say them hijack #EndSARS protests to inflict great economic costs through destruction, looting of warehouses, plus to enter private homes, shopping malls, jail breaks.

The Federal Government said all prospective corps members will undergo mandatory COVID-19 tests ahead of the reopening of orientation camps nationwide.The FG said all National Youth Service Corps orientation camps would reopen effective November 10, 2020.Mr. Sani Aliyu, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, stated this during a briefing in Abuja on Thursday.He said guidelines have been developed with the NCDC (Nigeria Centre for Disease Control) and the NYSC in the preparation for the reopening of the orientation camps on the 10th of November, 2020.--- This episode is sponsored by · Afrolit Podcast: Hosted by Ekua PM, Afrolit shares the stories of multi-faceted Africans one episode at a time. https://open.spotify.com/show/2nJxiiYRyfMQlDEXXpzlZS?si=mmgODX3NQ-yfQvR0JRH-WASupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Katie Sullivan speaks with Wyn Hornbuckle, Deputy Director of the Office of Public Affairs, about Operation Lady Justice, the Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Marie: This is Minnesota Native News, I'm Marie Rock.In the U.S. there are more than 1400 unresolved American Indian and Alaska Native missing person cases… 136 of those cases are in Minnesota. That's according to the FBI's National Crime Information Center.Several top federal officials were in Bloomington, on July 27th to announce the creation of a new office dedicated to solving these cold cases. Minnesota's office will be the first of seven across the country.Officials on hand for the announcement included David Bernhardt, who is the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Tara Katuk Sweeney, who is the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, and Ivanka Trump, a Senior Advisor and daughter of the President.But the announcement was a surprise to Native leaders in MN who have been working tirelessly for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives.Here's reporter Leah Lemm with the story.STORY: MMIW SURPRISE OFFICE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVTMinnesota has long stood with families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Songs, prayers, powwows, events, and marches have brought awareness to the vast and deeply painful reality of what is recognized as an epidemic… all the while supporting and building community.Minnesota has a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force, lead by strong MN Native Voices, that has been bearing the responsibility for doing this difficult work. Which is why leaders were surprised and concerned when this announcement came:Tara Sweeney: I want to welcome all of you to the official and long awaited opening of the missing and murdered cold case office here in Bloomington, Minnesota.Reporter: Tara Sweeney, who is Alaskan Native, is the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior.This new Cold Case office grew out of The Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives, also known as Operation Lady Justice, which was formed under Executive Order signed in November 2019.Tara Sweeney: The mandate of operation Lady Justice is to enhance the operation of the criminal justice system and address the legitimate concerns of American Indian and Alaska native communities regarding missing and murdered people.Reporter: The goal of solving cold cases is widely supported. Yet, what raised alarms was how the administration left out voices from the communities it's supposed to serve when announcing a Cold Case office in the Twin Cities.State Representative, and descendant of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Mary Kunesh-Podein is the chair of MN's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's taskforce. She spoke at the rally held near the Bureau of Indian Affairs, expressing concerns about the administration's sudden actions.Speaker 1: It was the first time I heard about it. I reached out to other elected officials and other people that were working on our task force and nobody knew anything about it.We want to work with the federal government, but when the federal government creates these kind of bureaucratic departments without the collaboration, without the voices of the people they are supposed to be protecting that they are investing in. That gives us a question. What is the mission of this department? We cannot find any information anywhere.Reporter: Rep Mary Kunesh Podein has listed several ways a real difference can be made. Including passing the 2020 Violence Against Women Act.Mary Kunesh Podein: That is the first thing they need to do, because that provides those extra protections for our women and our children, especially on reservation.Reporter: Bois Forte Elder Sharon Day was also at the rally.Sharon Day: It's just really kind of a slap in the face to people who've been doing the work for so long.Reporter: Sharon and I talked about Ivanka Trump's speech which stressed that her father's administration is committed to pushing forward policies empowering tribal communities.Sharon Day: We know it's not true. He's been trying to push through environmental policies that will hurt us. He's fought to get these pipelines and he's undone everything that's been done to protect the environment.Reporter: In my conversation with Sharon Day the red flags keep adding up that show the inconsistency of the administration's commitment to protecting Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.Another voice expressing concern is State Representative and Anishinaabekwe, Jamie Becker Finn. She posted this statement to social media.Rep Jamie Becker Finn: Donald Trump repeatedly uses derogatory slurs and phrases to refer to Native people. And in particular Native women, as early as this spring as administration dragged their feet and getting needed COVID relief funds out to tribal nations.Donald Trump's decades of hostility towards indigenous people can not be undone with one cheap political stunt.Reporter: Again, Representative Mary Kunesh Podein:Mary Kunesh Podein: Once again have been left out of that conversation, we're once again are being told, “we're going to do this for you,” but they are not saying we're going to do this with you. And so at the end, it leads to the question, why are you doing this? And our response to that is that our women are not for show. They're not a photo opportunity.For Minnesota Native News, I'm Leah Lemm.

Kathryn interviews Clinical Forensic Psychologist & Chairman for Mainstream Mental Health Dr. John Huber. In a recent Gallup poll, 68% of Americans said they can continue following social distancing guidelines for as long as is necessary before their physical health suffers. But fewer say their mental health will hold out as long. Dr. Huber offers strategies for bolstering our mental health during the global pandemic and has been featured on ABC, NBC and CBS. Kathryn also interviews Author, Nutritionist & Member of Presidential Task Force on Obesity Robert Ferguson MS, CN. A Washington Post analysis of data shows a rate of infection among African Americans in counties that are majority black that's 3x higher than counties that are majority white and a death rate that's 6x higher. Ferguson discusses what the African American community can do to improve their health. He works closely with Fortune 500 companies as well as celebrities including Chaka Khan, Toni Braxton and Ricki Lake.

Kathryn interviews Clinical Forensic Psychologist & Chairman for Mainstream Mental Health Dr. John Huber. In a recent Gallup poll, 68% of Americans said they can continue following social distancing guidelines for as long as is necessary before their physical health suffers. But fewer say their mental health will hold out as long. Dr. Huber offers strategies for bolstering our mental health during the global pandemic and has been featured on ABC, NBC and CBS. Kathryn also interviews Author, Nutritionist & Member of Presidential Task Force on Obesity Robert Ferguson MS, CN. A Washington Post analysis of data shows a rate of infection among African Americans in counties that are majority black that's 3x higher than counties that are majority white and a death rate that's 6x higher. Ferguson discusses what the African American community can do to improve their health. He works closely with Fortune 500 companies as well as celebrities including Chaka Khan, Toni Braxton and Ricki Lake.

Former Cache Valley resident, Ann Norman, is Chairman of the Board for Shine On Sierra Leone, a non-profit organization which builds and rebuilds schools in Sierra Leone. She has been appointed to the Presidential Task Force there, and is involved in the education campaign for people in rural areas in Sierra Leone to combat Ebola.

As we celebrate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 2012, Joyce welcomes Becky Ogle, Disability Rights Advocate and former executive director of the Presidential Task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities. Becky will discuss her work in the disability community and what the ADA has meant to all people with disabilities.