Ali Velshi
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Monday, May 7, 2018
11:45 AM
 - 1:30 PM

Ali Velshi

MSNBC Anchor and Business Correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC
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Tales from the Anchor Desk in the Trump Era

Join Ali Velshi in conversation with Heather Hiscox as they discuss topics ranging from the weaponization of culture through identity politics, how fake news grows in a post-fact world and other tales from the anchor desk in the Trump era.

 Ali Velshi

Ali Velshi is an MSNBC Anchor and Business Correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC. Velshi has covered a wide range of breaking news events and global affairs throughout his career, including U.S. presidential elections, ISIL and the Syrian refugee crisis, the Iran nuclear deal from Tehran, the tensions between Russia and NATO from Eastern Europe and the High Arctic, the debt crisis in Greece, the funeral of Nelson Mandela, and the global financial crisis. Before joining NBC News and MSNBC, Velshi hosted “Ali Velshi On Target,” a nightly primetime show on Al Jazeera America. Before that, he served as CNN’s Chief Business Correspondent, anchor of CNN International’s “World Business Today” and host of CNN’s weekly business roundtable “Your Money.” Velshi also co-hosted CNN’s morning show, “American Morning.”An award-winning journalist, Velshi was honored with a National Headliner Award for Business & Consumer Reporting for “How the Wheels Came Off,” a special on the near collapse of the American auto industry. His work on disabled workers and Chicago’s red-light camera scandal in 2016 earned him two News and Documentary Emmy Award nominations, adding to a nomination in 2010 for his terrorism coverage. Additionally, Velshi has taken his economic analysis to “Oprah,”“The View,” and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”Velshi is the author of Gimme My Money Back (Sterling and Ross, 2008) and co-author with CNN’s Christine Romans of How to Speak Money (Wiley, 2010). Born in Kenya and raised in Canada, Velshi graduated from Queen’s University in Canada, which bestowed an honorary Doctorate of Laws upon him in 2016. Velshi splits his time between New York City and Philadelphia. Active in the community, Velshi serves on the Board of Trustees of the Chicago History Museum, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He also volunteers with New York’s Center for Urban Community Services homeless outreach program.

Heather Hiscox

Heather Hiscox is in her 13th season answering the 2:30 a.m. alarm to begin the news day as the host of “Morning Live” on CBC News Network, bringing viewers all the information they need to start their day. What has changed in the world overnight? What are the stories that are going to become important today? It’s an exciting, dynamic program and Hiscox is thrilled to be at the centre of it, telling the important stories, talking to the newsmakers, and, when events warrant, taking the show to where the story is happening.

Hiscox did just that for the Humboldt bus crash; the mosque attack in Quebec City; the terror attacks in Paris and Ottawa; the shooting deaths of three RCMP officers in Moncton, NB; the nursing home fire in l’Isle Verte, QC; the historic presidential election in the United States that put Barack Obama in office; the deadly Cougar helicopter crash in the Atlantic off St. John’s, NL; the Royal Wedding of Will and Kate; the Diamond Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II, among others, and she will again for the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meaghan Markle in May.

On stories like those, Hiscox is able to draw from her prior extensive and varied experience as a network reporter. Before she moved into the morning studio, Hiscox was out in the field. She was based in Toronto for three years as a reporter for CBC News: The National and also travelled abroad, covering international stories for the program. She has worked extensively out of CBC’s bureaus in Washington and London, England and has been part of CBC’s coverage team at eight consecutive Olympic Games, in Athens, Turin, Beijing, Vancouver, London, Sochi, Rio and Pyeongchang.

Hiscox began her broadcasting career in 1982. Her first job was as a disc jockey at the radio station in her hometown of Owen Sound, Ont. She worked in radio throughout university and for the first few years after graduation, before moving into television in 1991. She has worked both as a reporter and anchor in Southwestern Ontario, Toronto, Halifax and Montreal.

In March, 2018, Hiscox won the Canadian Screen Award for Best National News Anchor. She has been nominated in the same category on three previous occasions, and is also a three-time Gemini nominee as Best Host and Best News Anchor.

As well, Hiscox co-hosted coverage in St. John’s, NL of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beaumont Hamel, which won the Gordon Sinclair Live Special Events Award at the 2016 RTDNA Awards.

Hiscox graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in French language, literature and translation — she is bilingual — and holds a Master’s degree in journalism from the University of Western Ontario.

In October, 2011, she received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Western Ontario.