Recently, the United States Supreme Court deemed it illegal for employers to discriminate against employees for sexual orientation or transgender status. In this episode, Kyle Velte, associate professor of law, explains why the SCOTUS ruling is a “landmark case that will transform the American workplace.” She also recounts her own experiences at the Supreme Court and tells us how the highest court in the land conducts its business in the age of COVID-19.

Many people underestimate just how much contact African-Americans and other communities of color have had with the criminal-justice system. We see news about protests now and some think it’s only a result of George Floyd’s murder or other recent examples police brutality, but in fact frustration has been building for decades. For individuals and families of color, carceral contact has long-lasting effects well after a traffic stop, arrest, conviction or prison sentence ends.

 What are people getting wrong about coronavirus closing schools? Several things. You can’t just assume you can put a child in front of a computer and they will learn. Similarly, some students who don’t normally do well in school may do better in a new environment. Also, social and socioeconomic backgrounds of a student have always been important, but they are especially crucial now.

In the second part of our discussion with KU associate professor of psychology Stephen Ilardi, he advises how we can continue therapy remotely, maintain healthy relationships under quarantine and look to help other people so that we uphold our own psychological health in the era of COVID-19.

People assume news should be free and that it’s not as important as hand sanitizer or toilet paper in the Coronavirus pandemic. In this episode, journalism professor Scott Reinardy argues paying for reliable news is just as important as paying for household supplies. He also points out while layoffs at media outlets are already happening, this crisis could be good for newspapers in the long run, bringing in more readers and badly needed revenue.