An immigration attorney provides an update Ukrainians and Russians seeking asylum in Northern California. The CEO of WEAVE discusses Domestic Violence Action Month. A conversation with the new host of NPR’s “It’s Been a Minute” show and podcast.  

Russians and Ukrainians seeking refuge

It’s been more than seven months since Russia’s war in Ukraine and developments are continuing to unfold rapidly. This week, Russia claims more than 200,000 people have been drafted into their army, but the conscription has also sparked an exodus of hundreds of thousands of Russians from their homeland as well as protests. Many have escaped to neighboring countries. But we're learning some are also seeking asylum here in Northern California. Alex Tovarian is an immigration attorney who is active in the Russian, Ukrainian, and broader Slavic communities in California. He’s joined us on Insight a few times since the onset of the war to share the experiences of Ukrainians fleeing the conflict and provided an update on the ever-evolving asylum crisis. 

Domestic Violence Action Month

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been serious discussions about the unintended consequences of sheltering at home beyond COVID-19. The United Nations has called it a “shadow pandemic” a rise in domestic violence that is difficult to measure behind closed doors but one that the UN believes has risen to unprecedented levels. The Harvard Gazette reports an increase in the U.S. at about 8% / following the 2020 lockdowns, but finding an accurate number is difficult because calls to hotlines dropped at the beginning of the pandemic. But that doesn’t mean domestic violence dropped. Two and a half years in, we’re starting to get a better picture of the demand for domestic violence resources and support. WEAVE is leading the provider for domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking in Sacramento County and their CEO Beth Hassett joined us to discuss this issue as well as Domestic Violence Action Month.

NPR's new It's Been A Minute host

NPR’s “It’s Been a Minute” explores how pop culture shapes current events. But for the past several months, the search has been on for a new host to take the place of Sam Sanders. That search is over. Brittany Luse is the new host of NPR’s “It's Been a Minute” podcast.  Brittany is an award-winning journalist and cultural critic with a love for podcasting.  Most recently, she has been co-hosting the podcast “For Colored Nerds.”  Brittany’s work has been seen in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vulture, Harper's Bazaar as well as NPR’s “Planet Money” podcasts. Insight spoke with Brittany ahead of her weekend debut.