The iReport roundtable will return next Thursday. We have a big week coming up, and a lot to  discuss.

We'll talk with you next week. See you then!

Supporters like Mary Helen Yarborough are a big reason why former House Speaker Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary back in January, and quite possibly why he continues to stay in the race for the Republican presidential nomination to this day.

However Yarborough – CNN iReport’s Pundit of the Week – is hardly a hardcore conservative Republican. The former journalist caught the attention of the iReport community with commentaries like “Women are fed up,” (see below) and “Reality check, candidates: It’s tough out there.”

The Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, resident recently told CNN iReport all about herself and her political background. She recently made calls for Gingrich during various primaries, and was considering doing so for today's vote in Maryland.

Affiliations: “I have voted Democrat and Republican. (My father was a county Democrat chair, and so he and my father’s side always was Democrat while my mother’s side always was Republican … except my cousin on my father’s side worked for George Bush, much to Uncle Hall’s disappointment.)”

When did you get interested in politics?

“Probably junior high. I used to sit up until wee hours watching the returns come in. Mama and Daddy went to Chicago in 1968 (Daddy was a delegate). So, I was 10 at the time. I used to go around with my father and uncle to stump meetings. (I am the fourth of five children, but the only one who went around with my father to various events. We used to have some interesting people for breakfast, like John Carl West … and Daddy used to talk to Fritz Hollings a good bit.)”

Why do you share your opinion on iReport?

“I know that I am an independent thinker and am inclined to voice opinions that most are afraid to express; so as long as y’all don’t mind, I like the chance to freely (and respectfully) voice my opinion."

Who is your political or journalistic hero?

“Of course, the [Bob] Woodward and [Carl] Bernstein team. Woodward actually worked for the same little paper in Montgomery County, Maryland, as I once did.”

What is going to be the defining issue of the 2012 election?

“Energy prices, cyber-security/stability and volatility in the Middle East. It stands to draw a lot of attention to how Obama is protecting this country and our interests, and I suspect he may act in a manner that is quite revealing.”

What’s something people might be interested in learning about you?

“I played first chair trumpet in what was a remarkable high school concert band (ahead of a dozen boys who were probably better than I was). I authored a book, ‘Disaster Planning Guide for Medical Facilities’ after I saw that hospitals are the least prepared for disasters.”  "I was a print journalist, having worked for small community papers (nondailies and dailies); was a stringer for Reuters years ago, and for the Post & Courier, etc. Then, I went to work for the specialty press (those expensive newsletters, including those for Platts, BPI and Thompson Publishing) in the Washington, DC, area and became a member of the Senate Periodical Press Gallery (I covered literally every issue except maybe finance, per se)."

Follow Yarborough here, to check out her commentary. And it’s not too late to join in the debate about the issues of the day, including the campaign. Click here to chime in.

Today is World Autism Awareness Day, and we’re asking people with autism and their loved ones to tell the world what it’s like.

We’ve gotten dozens of moving and personal stories from children and adults on the autism spectrum -- as well as their siblings and parents. Some families have seen their loved ones overcome the odds to great success, while others worry about what the future holds and say there's nothing positive about the diagnosis.

Cheri A. Smith’s 7-year-old son, Bobby, loves to jump, swim, play in the dirt and line up blocks. But, he “cannot tell us if something hurts, why he is upset or happy, where he would like to go, what happened at school today, what he would like to do for his birthday, what he would like Santa to bring him for Christmas or just basic things that we all take for granted.”

As a toddler, Anthony lost all his speech and regressed into autism "almost overnight," says mom Denna Rivera. "We were unable to hug or caress him in any way without him screaming like it hurt." But he has progressed “into a sweet 13-year-old with a zest for learning.”

Karen Michaela Willis, 20, was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when she was 4 years old. She represented Alabama in the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games in Lincoln, Nebraska, in swimming. She is also looking for employment. "I know that my future is bright even though I'll still have challenges to face, but it's not going to stop me from living my life."

Multi-platinum record producer Michael Buckholtz was 43 when he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. He went on to start the Aid for Autistic Children Foundation, to reduce the financial burden for families and caretakers. He was also homeless for a time.

“We, autistic adults, are invisible to many, unless we're savant or become billionaires because of inventing some cutting edge technology or science. We come in all flavors and levels of intellect,” he said. “We desire the same opportunity, as anyone: the pursuit of happiness and stable employment.”

You can see all the stories that have come in here and if you are affected by autism, we hope you will share your perspective with the world.

This week had iReporters grappling with some big questions: What's the meaning of the Trayvon Martin case? Should the Supreme Court overturn the national health care law? How would you spend $500 million?

But that doesn't mean they didn't have time for some lighter human interest stories, too. Read on to see iReporters take on the big issues - and meet a few fun characters.

Hoodies for Trayvon

iReporters from all walks of life weighed in on the Trayvon Martin case, discussing its implications for racial profiling and self-defense laws. Many, like Kevin Alexander, pictured here, shot self-portraits wearing hoodies to indicate their viewpoints. "I felt it was important for me to take this photo due to the racial profiling I have received during my lifetime," said Alexander.

Supreme Court considers health care law

This week, the Supreme Court heard arguments about the sweeping health care law championed by President Obama. Many Americans, including several iReporters, attended rallies to support or criticize the law and try to influence the court's decision about its constitutionality. Michael Kandel, who says that, overall, he thinks the health care law is "a good thing," went to this rally to hear its opponents' side of the story. While there, he captured images of Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and Senator Rand Paul speaking out against the law.

What would you do with $500 million?

Matt Sky used iReport as a platform to ask a provocative, open-ended question: What would you do with $500 million? The regular iReport contributor pegged his question to the Mega Millions jackpot of $540 million - a world-record amount that will be given away Friday night. His video garnered nearly 400 responses, with iReporters saying they'd do everything from pay off student loans to travel the world to give it all to charity.

The shoe cobbler

Meet Henry Linder. He's 92 years old, and he's a cobbler in Landrum, South Carolina. He's been fixing shoes since he was a teenager the 1930s, and has the passion and people skills that go along with spending 76 years in the business. iReporter Erik Olsen gives us a glimpse into a day in Linder's life in this brilliant example of video storytelling.

The master chefs of MasterChef

How did foul-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay get into cooking? What about his fellow MasterChef judges, Joe Bastianich and Graham Elliot? Regular iReporter Chris Morrow caught up with the trio to find out. She got three very different answers -- and a little dig at CNN's own Piers Morgan (from Ramsay, of course).

Is news happening where you are, or do you have an opinion you'd  like to share? You could be part of next week's Best of iReport. Share your story here.

Hello, iReporters! Please join us here in the blog for our weekly roundtable discussion. We are looking forward to talking with everyone about what's going on in the community. We'll be talking about the latest stories and assignments on the site.  If you have any thoughts or comments about iReport this week, let us know.

If you have questions, suggestions or concerns, this is a great time to share them. We'll open comments at 2:30 p.m. ET. If you can't make it then, feel free to private message anyone on the iReport Team or email contact@ireport.com.

We look forward to speaking with you soon!

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court took up the debate over the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act [ACA], the national health insurance coverage scheme dubbed "Obamacare" that was passed into law in 2010 by a slim margin, and only after much controversy and partisan debate. The nine Justices are debating different aspects of the law, and their verdict will ultimately decide whether or not one of Obama's signature legislative achievements will survive his presidency.

Both supporters and opponents of the law descended on Washington, D.C., this week to attend the various rallies taking place over the ACA. Conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity held a "Hands off My Healthcare" rally to drum up the Tea Party opposition; Obama supporters staged their own rally touting the benefits of the ACA in coverage of women's healthcare.

Naturally, iReporters were there as it all went down, and captured some great photographs and on-the-ground flavor of the dueling protests.

Conservative firebrands Rep. Michele Bachmann and Sen. Rand Paul were on-hand at the Americans for Prosperity rally across the street from the Senate yesterday. Photographer Michael Kandel said that their speechifying delivered plenty of the usual red meat and "Republican talking points about health care that we've all heard before." He also notes that Bachmann and Paul "made sure to mention that Obama was out of the country on the second anniversary of the ACA."

Armando Gallardo had a prime view of the dueling camps when they staged simultaneous protests on the steps of the Supreme Court yesterday. He estimates that around 150 people showed up in total, and that the pro-ACA protesters had a slight numerical edge over their conservative counterparts.

Despite the charged nature of the debate, Gallardo said there was plenty of good will to go around. "It really surprised me how respectful both camps were of each other, no one was nasty or called each other names, it was surprisingly positive," he said.

iReporter Felix Masi has a personal stake in the ongoing debate over health care in the U.S., which is why he showed up to document the protest at the Supreme Court yesterday: "We have a 13-year-old with sickle cell," he said. If the Supreme Court renders a verdict that strikes down the ACA, his child may no longer be covered by insurance.

"You come to Uncle Sam, who has over 40 million people without health insurance," he said. "That means if you have over 40 million people without medical cover, it’s like a country without security. To me, strong security for a country is to make sure the people are not hopeless. People have a solid ground in that if they are sick, they’re not just going to die on the streets."

While these protesters were out hitting the pavement, there was plenty more debate in the digital trenches of CNN's comments section, and right here on iReport.

Did you attend any of the pro- or anti-ACA protests this week? Or do you have an opinion on healthcare that you're burning to share with the world? Now's the time to get in on the debate.

[This photo was taken as part of iReport's Persona series in 2011. Read more about it here.]

IT guru Egberto Willies of Kingwood, Texas, is perhaps one of our most prolific iReport commentators. An active member of the community since 2008, he can be seen offering his thoughts on video – and following up with a deep-dive on the issue at hand in the comments section – almost every single day. In addition to commenting on the national debate of the moment, he also regularly reports on local events in his area, and even participated in a year-long iReport project in 2010 tracking the state of the economy.

Even those who strongly disagree with him respect his integrity and moxie, which is why he’s our pick for Pundit of the Week.

Affiliations: “I am registered as a Democrat, but I’ve never voted straight-ticket in my life. I vote [for] the person. … My most important issue, bar none, is healthcare. We are the only country in the industrialized world without some kind of universal healthcare. I think it’s a human right, and I can’t understand why there’s so much resistance to taking care of each other. I think it’s sad, and even morally reprehensible.”

When did you get interested in politics?
“From the time I was in college. I went to the University of Texas, Austin, and joined the South African Liberation Action Committee; we worked to have universities and businesses divest from trade with South Africa until apartheid ended. When I joined corporate America and started my family, I began to tone my real-life activism down a little bit and got involved in heavily in online blogging.”

Why do you share your opinion on iReport?
“When there’s real news going on in the world, the fly-by-night networks drop their coverage and everyone tunes in to see what CNN is doing. And CNN gives two things to the iReporter: The CNN name, the cred of being approved for use on CNN web or TV, and the environment for debate. Even though many users might disagree with me and beat up on me a little, most of them are pretty darn intelligent, and you get a lot of great debate.”

Who is your political or journalistic hero?
“For the old-school, definitely Walter Cronkite. He had such gravitas. When it comes to the newer guys, most of them aren’t on TV. When I look at the factual basis for the work of [newspaper columnists] Paul Krugman and E.J. Dionne, and the analysis that these guys do in a 750-word piece, you wonder how this country could end up so misinformed and confused on issues like healthcare.”

What is going to be the defining issue of the 2012 election?
“People are saying that it’s going to be all about numbers, like the economy and unemployment, but I think that this election is going to fool everybody.  I think this is going to be an ideological election about what kind of country we want for the future. The Occupy movement and the 99% are going to be the wildcard, if they manage to bring their issues to the discussion, maybe we’ll finally have a debate in this country about things like wealth disparity, and the structural defects in the way we define the economy.”

What’s something people might be interested in learning about you?
“When I was in college, making pizza helped put me through college; throwing the dough up in the air and spinning it, the real Italian way, just like the classic chefs do! I was a real pizza guy in the olden days.”

Follow Willies here, and watch your customizable homepage fill up with his smart, timely commentary. And if you’ve been hankering for a chance to add your voice to the mix and put your opinions out there, now’s your chance: Join the debate.

Thousands of atheists, agnostics and humanists gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. over the weekend for the 'Reason Rally,' an event touted as the largest gathering of non-theists in the history of the world. iReporters were part of the estimated 10,000 participants, capturing the sights and sounds of it all.

Navid Baraty, who shot several photos at the event, said he attended the Reason Rally because he wanted to be a part of something historic. "I think everyone felt like they were taking part in something not only great, but extremely important," said the New york City resident. "[The non-theists] were proud to be standing up for what they believe in, in a society that is often hostile or discriminatory towards their beliefs," Baraty said. He added that the overall message he got from the rally was to unite and empower all types of people from atheist to non-atheists to secularists and other non-believers.

Lulis Leal of New York said she wanted to attend the Reason Rally since she learned about it, and she was excited to finally witness it. The massive turnout was surprising because of the rain, she said, but she was thrilled to see so many people standing up for their rights to have alternative views.

"A lot of people are worried about coming out about their beliefs because they are afraid society will ostracize them, and they just go along with society. But this was a rally to support people with alternative beliefs, support and empower them and show them there are a lot of people with the same beliefs," she said.

The Reason Rally was just one of the many different rallies, protests and organized events that iReporters documented this weekend. We received stories from Trayvon Martin demonstrations across the country, Occupy Wall Street protests in Union Square, and, across the world, a protest against the recent killings of Shiites in Karachi, Pakistan.

News is happening everywhere. What about where you live? Share your story.

It was tough to narrow down this week's iReports to five favorites. From passionate discussions about the Trayvon Martin shooting, to gorgeous photos of cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C., to messages of hope for escaped slaves in Mauritania, our community was full of life.

These are our top picks for the week:

'Million Hoodie March'

New York photographer Joel Graham stood in the crowd on Wednesday when hundreds gathered to demand justice for the killing of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teenager shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Central Florida last month. Marchers at Manhattan’s Union Square wore hooded black sweatshirts in honor of the teen’s style of dress. While he went as a journalist, Graham says it was difficult not to feel emotionally connected to the crowd.

Thousands gather for almsgiving

Anita Amy Kittiudom shared some stunning images and video of tens of thousands of Buddhist monks gathering in the streets of Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday for an almsgiving ceremony to raise money for victims of last year's flooding. The scene, she said, was "magical." "Everyone that came out that day was amazed at the beauty and at the kindness that was taking place."

Earthquake rattles Mexico

Stephen P. Nichols Jr., a newspaper reporter in Mexico City, Mexico, was in his office on Tuesday when a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Southern Mexico. Workers in the country’s capital evacuated to the streets, where he said there were "hundreds, if not thousands of people, crowding the streets and sidewalks waiting for instructions on what to do." Pablo-Jorge Velandia also shot footage of the evacuations and said people are still waiting for another earthquake: "As we say in Mexico, 'Earthquakes never come alone.'"

River runs green

Begorrah! It took two weeks of preparation for Kumaran Alagesan to shoot a time-lapse video of the Chicago River turning emerald green for St. Patrick's Day. He stitched it all together from a sequence of 900 images shot from the bridge overlooking the river. Alagesan, a 28-year-old information technology consultant, says photography is his passion.

Police move in on Occupiers

Photographer Shameel Arafin has been covering the Occupy Wall  Street protests since they began last fall. He was at the six-month anniversary rally on Saturday, when protesters tried to re-occupy Zuccotti Park. Arafin said police moved in and began arresting people, and in response, the protesters linked arms and sat on the ground, resulting in dozens of arrests.

Is news happening where you are, or do you have an opinion you'd like to share? You could be part of next week's Best of iReport. Share your story here.

Picture this: a clear blue sky, a crystal lake and awe-inspiring monuments lined with pink and white bundles of blooms. Washington’s cherry blossoms are here, and they’re welcoming spring.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is held every year in Washington, D.C., to showcase the blooming of 3,000 cherry blossom trees that were presented to our nation’s capital by Tokyo, Japan. It also salutes the arrival of spring.

This year, the festival is extra special: It’s the five-week centennial celebration of the trees – and it’s here a few weeks early.  The blossoms, which are typically at their peak bloom around the first week of April, have already begun to flourish due to unusually warm temperatures this winter season. But no one is complaining.

iReporter Ian Dixon, of Arlington, Virginia, headed to the Tidal Basin early Sunday morning to see the first bloom in what he thought was perfect photography weather. “I was really pleased with how this particular shot turned out,” he said.

Capturing the cherry blossoms in front of an iconic backdrop of the city is not uncommon this time of year. Chris Rafford, of Frederick, Maryland, says he wanted to show two symbols of D.C. in one picture. He shot this picture outside the Washington Monument on Sunday evening with his wife and daughters.

Inga Lukaviciute, a Washington, D.C. resident, was also mesmerized by the early blooms. “I didn’t want to miss them, so I wanted to take these photos before they disappear,” she said.

If you’re at the Cherry Blossom Festival this year or are simply appreciating the signs of spring, share your best photos and videos with us!

Florida teen Trayvon Martin was shot by George Zimmerman, an armed community watch officer, in an Orlando suburb last month. The killing sparked an intense debate over whether racism was a motivation in the shooting.

Last night, demonstrators undertook a "Million Hoodie March" in New York City, calling for formal charges to be filed against Zimmerman. iReporters were on the scene filing photos and videos of the rally, and several sounded off on the topic with passionate commentary.

Robert Espier has made a name for himself on iReport photographing various Occupy events in New York City, so the convergence of an Occupy rally in Union Square with the Million Hoodie March afforded him the opportunity to catch these two groups of activists joining forces. He witnessed Martin's parents and several New York City councilmembers giving impassioned speeches on the shooting. "One of the council members said 'We aren't asking for different rights, we are asking for the very same rights as everyone else,'" he said.

Longtime iReporter Omekongo Dibinga believes that Zimmerman now has a responsibility to turn himself in to the police. “If he feels his good name is being tarnished, he should come forward now. I think that would make the most sense if he truly believes he’s innocent,” he said. “The longer he stays quiet, the situation can only get worse, for his situation and his safety.”

Filmmaker Rene Carson was documenting the Occupy rally in Union Park when he saw the marchers for Trayvon Martin join forces with the Occupiers. Intrigued by this development, he started snapping more photos as the protesters spilled into the nearby streets, blocking traffic.

“Overall, it was a very positive and peaceful experience,” he said. “There was lots of confusion because many of the people who came to the march didn't know the full details of the shooting, but people started coming up to the protesters and talking to them, and then more people started joining in the march.”

What's your take on the shooting of Trayvon Martin, and the intense debate that has ensued? Share your opinion with iReport.

Please join us here at 2:30 p.m. ET on Thursday for a special edition of our weekly roundtable discussion. CNN.com reporter John Sutter will be joining us to answer questions about his powerful series on slavery in Mauritania. In 1981, Mauritania was the last country to abolish slavery, but Sutter and video producer Edythe McNamee went there in December and found that slavery is still practiced.

Sutter will answer questions about how they got the story and we'll talk about what you can do to show your support for escaped slaves in Mauritania.

If you can’t make the roundtable, he is also hosting a hangout on Google+ at 1:30 p.m. ET today to talk about the project.

We'll also spend some time responding to any other questions, comments or suggestions you may have about iReport.

Comments will open at 2:30 p.m. ET. We'll talk with you then.

When we asked iReporters to send their questions for a CNN interview with Bill Gates last month, we received 121 videos – more than we’ve ever received for an iReport Interview! (Yes, that even includes Michelle Obama.)

Gates himself answered four questions, but there were so many passionate, knowledgeable ones left unanswered. We were so impressed with the questions about agricultural development in Africa that we shared them with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. And guess what? The Foundation agreed to answer some more!

Roy Steiner, a deputy director in the agricultural program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, responded to another round of questions in this in-depth video for iReport. He addresses: barriers to development, how to promote sustainability and other needs in Africa. Congratulations to all the iReporters who had their questions answered!

Thanks for the Gates Foundation and Steiner for personally answering these hard-hitting questions from iReporters LaCharles James, Noelle Bates, Girish Kotwal and Adrienne Lahr. If you are a curious soul brimming with questions, we invite you to check out the iReport Interview group for the latest assignments.

CNN iReporter (and former intern) James Brierton was honored on Tuesday at the University of Georgia, where he is currently a junior.

The Georgia Association of Broadcasters honored Brierton with the WSB Award, named after the Atlanta radio/television affiliate, at the DiGamma Kappa Banquet. The award, given by the University’s broadcasting society, salutes those committed to community service through radio broadcasting.

Brierton’s work on Smithtownradio.com was a big reason why he received the recognition.

“I founded the station as my high school radio station, and it’s now a privately run venture,” said Brierton. “We've always been focused on training our all-volunteer student staff in the field of broadcasting while also serving our community.”

Brierton added that he also contributes to the campus station, WUOG and Long Island, New York’s WALK, as well as iReport, of course.

Congratulations James!

Minnesota-bred photographer Jannet Walsh knows a good story when she hears it. It’s why she’s always eager to sound off on the news, from the recent controversy over working conditions at Apple’s Foxconn plant, to her own experiences with unemployment.

Her nose for news is part of the reason why she was tapped by HLN to speak with Clark Howard on the struggles facing unemployed workers in this country, and it’s also why she’s our pick for Pundit of the Week.

Issues and affiliations: “Any candidate who doesn’t think that the unemployed have real problems, they probably shouldn’t be running for office.”

How did you get interested in politics?

“In 1968, Hubert Humphrey got the presidential nomination for the Democratic Party. That year, he came to my hometown of Litchfield, Minnesota. He flew in, and I remember all of these people were lined up to see him, and my mother was so excited, telling me ‘Here he comes, here he comes!’ I didn’t quite get it, although I was only 4 or 5 at the time, but politics has always been a big part of my family.”

Why do you share your opinion on iReport?

“I live in a remote part of the country, [Murdock, MN, population 303] yet at the same time, with iReport, I’m not. I live about a two and a half hour car ride from the Twin Cities, but here, I can speak to the entire world. … I grew up with news junkies, but back at that time, no one could have ever predicted that people could directly respond to the news the way we can now.”

Who is your political or journalistic hero?

“Eddie Adams, the Vietnam War photographer. I got to meet him early on in my career, as part of the Eddie Adams Workshop. ... I had so many questions to ask him, but I was so starstruck that I completely choked up.”

What is going to be the defining issue of the 2012 election?

“It all comes down to the economy. Who is going to pull us up, and does that person, man or woman, have a plan to make us stronger economically? Does that person speak to people in need? There are so many people who can’t find jobs right now, and so many of them are just giving up.”

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

“When I lived in Europe, I was in the Netherlands. The only way I could work at the time was to start my own company, so I took a Dutch-language course so that I could interview for a freelance photography gig with a Dutch newspaper. The whole interview was in Dutch, and I struggled through it, and at the end of the two-hour conversation the editor said, ‘The next time you come, could you speak in English?’”

Follow Walsh here on iReport, or check out some of her excellent photography here. If you’d like to get in on the conversation and throw your hat into the ring for Pundit of the Week, now’s your chance: Join the debate.