It’s been a harrowing year for many families. The Trump administration’s budget cuts are giving tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of funding healthy meals for students experiencing food insecurity; legislatures are banning books and attacking LGBTQ+ students; and immigration crackdowns are leaving many students afraid to go to school at all. Families have had a lot to be worried about—more than just tests and grades—this year. What are students, parents, and teachers worried about—and what policies are advocates watching?

Helping us to sort out these questions and set the record straight is our very special guest, 

Becky Pringle: Becky Pringle is president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union. Becky is a middle school science teacher with more than three decades of classroom experience and has distinguished herself as a fierce social justice warrior and defender of educator rights.

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In the year since the Trump administration returned to office, there have been hundreds of executive orders, many of which district courts have ruled unconstitutional and illegal. As judges have noted, these actions have caused direct harm to Americans all across the country. And hard-hitting attorneys general have fought back. There are now over 450 lawsuits against the Trump administration, and in many of them district courts have ruled that the administration acted unconstitutionally. In this episode, recorded earlier this year, I’m joined by two Attorneys General who are leading this resistance: Massachusetts’s Andrea Campbell, and Michigan’s Dana Nessel. 

Joining me to discuss these important issues are two very special guests: 

Attorney General Andrea Campbell: Andrea Joy Campbell has been Attorney General for the state of Massachusetts since 2023. Prior to being elected AG, Campbell practiced law as a legal services attorney for the EdLaw project, defending the rights of children and their families; and at Proskauer LLP as an employment attorney. In her public service career, she has served as General Counsel at the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission and legal counsel to Governor Deval Patrick. In 2015, she became the first woman to represent District 4 on the Boston City, Council, and in 2018, she was unanimously elected City Council President – the first Black woman to hold the title.

Attorney General Dana Nessel: Dana Nessel has been Attorney General for the state of Michigan since 2019. Prior to being elected Michigan Attorney General, Dana Nessel served as a Wayne County Prosecutor for over a decade. In her private practice, she was lead attorney for the plaintiffs in DeBoer v. Snyder, a precursor to the landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which codified same-sex marriage and granted adoption rights to same-sex couples nationwide.

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Trump has been in office for 200 days. In those 200 days, important institutions core to democracy have been dismantled. The rule of law has been challenged in countless ways—increasingly violent ICE raids and disappearances, dismantling of important agencies, canceling of funding for public broadcasts, significant rollbacks of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)  initiatives, draconian cuts to healthcare and social services, executive orders singling out queer and trans people, and much more.

But we’ve also seen a coordinated effort to resist him, with millions across the country taking to the streets again and again to protest on behalf of the rights of their neighbors, their families, and themselves. Attorneys and advocates are also stepping up, demanding courts to defend our rights. Two hundred days in, what have we learned—and what’s  the playbook for the next four years?

Helping us to sort out these questions and set the record straight is our very special guest, 

Skye Perryman: Skye L. Perryman is President and CEO of Democracy Forward, a nonpartisan, national legal organization that promotes democracy and progress through litigation, regulatory engagement, policy education, and research. She previously served as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 

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"Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women.” 

—Professor Jessica Calarco

In this episode, we're focusing on moms, child care, single parenting and teen parenting. We know that women have been hit hard by COVID—causing many to dub the economic downturn a “she-cession.” And as it stands, current U.S. laws and policies are woefully inadequate—leaving mothers, particularly mothers living with low incomes, behind. Luckily, women-led organizations are helping moms by filling in the gaps.  

How are moms making it through the pandemic? And, how do single moms fit in, especially teenage moms? What should parents generally, and mothers in particular, be demanding of lawmakers and the Biden administration? What are the best ways for the U.S. to 'build back better' after pandemic? 

We also hear from some of our listeners who are giving shoutouts to the mothers–and stand-in moms—in their lives!

 Joining us for this very special Mother’s Day episode are special guests: 

• Representative Katie Porter represents the 45th congressional district in Orange County, Calif. She is a member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, the House Natural Resources Committee, and chair of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. As a single working mom, Rep. Porter knows firsthand about the challenges that families face. She’s introduced bipartisan legislation that would more than double the amount families can set aside pre-tax to help pay for pre-school, summer day camp, before or after school programs, and child or adult day care.
• Nicole Lynn Lewis, founder of Generation Hope, which works with teen parents to apply to, enter and stay in college. She is a former teen mother herself, who put herself through the College of William & Mary with her three-month old daughter in tow. Lewis has been featured on major news outlets including Good Morning America, CNN, NBC Nightly News and The Washington Post. Nicole also serves as an Ascend national advisor with the Aspen Institute and a nationally known author and speaker. Her newest book, Pregnant Girl, was released on May 4, 2021 by Beacon Press. 
• Dr. Aisha Nyandoro, CEO of Springboard To Opportunities and director of Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which this year will give $1,000 per month for 12 months to 100 families headed by Black women living in federally subsidized housing. Nyandoro has more than a decade of experience developing, implementing and evaluating programs aimed at improving the quality of life for individuals with limited resources. She has worked in various capacities—as an academic, evaluator, philanthropist and nonprofit executive. Prior to serving with Springboard, Aisha served as a program officer with the Foundation for the Mid-South. 
• Tamara Ware, a caregiver and the mother of three beautiful girls. Ware was in Springboard To Opportunities’ second cohort of the Magnolia Mother’s Trust. 

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On March 31, the Biden administration released the American Jobs Plan, which establishes broad goals for achieving a cleaner and more equitable future, including significant investments in green jobs like caregiving and clean energy infrastructure. On April 22—Earth Day—Biden further raised the stakes, committing the U.S. to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. Even still, there are legislators at local, state and federal levels that continue to deny climate change as real.

Meanwhile, in Flint, Michigan, after a five-year water crisis, reports say the water is now clean—but many locals still refuse to drink it to this day, due to a loss of trust.

How do global warming and other environmental concerns affect the lives of listeners in coastal areas, or those who live near waste sites, or in areas where environmental concerns are hidden? What does environmental and climate justice look like? 

Now that the U.S. has reentered the Paris Climate Agreement, what next steps must be taken to address climate change and environmental injustice here at home? What can we expect from the Biden-Harris administration? 
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and more are very special guests:

• Nourbese Flint, a program manager with Black Women for Wellness, where she directs environmental and reproductive health work, organizes community advocacy and works on policy. In addition, Nourbese serves as the head of civic engagement with Californians for a Healthy and Green Economy, is founding member of Trust Black Women, and an active member of the Women’s Intercultural Network. 
• Osprey Orielle Lake, founder and executive director of the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International. She is co-director of the Indigenous Women's Divestment Delegations, was the visionary behind the International Women’s Earth and Climate Summit, and co-founded the International Women’s Earth and Climate Initiative, the precursor initiative of WECAN International. She is the author of the award-winning book, Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature.

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In this episode, we confront the question at the center of Derek Chauvin’s trial: Who killed George Floyd? Our guests unpack that question as an issue central to police and societal violence. Examining who killed George Floyd means taking stock of legacies of racism in the Twin Cities, including redlining, school segregation, policies that undermine equality, and disparate rates of policing and mass incarceration.   
 
As attention has turned to the horrors of the old South, has racism of the new North been overlooked? And at what cost to Black lives? Have liberal allies made a difference or exacerbated harms in the Twin Cities?  
 
We also explore the trauma associated with George Floyd’s death and other officer-involved killings.  Experts on our show explain how racism produce physical and psychological health harms. 
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and how we should think about these issues and more are very special guests:

• Judge Pamela Alexander, a Fourth Judicial District judge for Hennepin County, Minnesota. She began her legal career as a criminal defense attorney with the Legal Rights Center and then moved to the Hennepin County attorney’s office as a prosecutor in the criminal division. Since 1983, she has been a Hennepin County district court judge where she presided over the juvenile division and served as assistant chief judge for the court as a whole. 
• Dr. Patricia Jones Blessman, a licensed clinical psychologist with over three decades of experience as a clinician and administrator of mental health programs. Jones Blessman is the founder and former president of the Institute for Psychodiagnostic Interventions and Services—one of only a few minority-owned, private sector psychological service corporations nationwide. 
• Tasha R. Green Cruzat, executive director of Voices for Illinois Children, an independent child advocacy group that champions strong public policies and investments for all Illinois children and their families. A U.S. Navy veteran, she brings more than 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors of education, business and government. Prior to joining Voices, Cruzat first served as deputy chief of staff then chief of staff to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. 
• Dr. Roderick A. Ferguson, professor of women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Yale University. An interdisciplinary scholar, his work traverses such fields as American studies, gender studies, queer studies, cultural studies, African American Studies, sociology, literature and education. Most recently, he is the author of One-Dimensional Queer (Polity, 2019). He is currently working on two monographs—In View of the Tradition: Art and Black Radicalism and The Bookshop of Black Queer Diaspora. Ferguson is the 2020 recipient of the Kessler Award from the Center for LGBTQ Studies. 
• T. Mychael Rambo, a regional Emmy Award-winning actor, vocalist, arts educator and community organizer.  He also an accomplished residency artist and professor in the College of Liberal Arts, Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota. 
• Dr. George Woods, a practicing physician, specializing in neuropsychiatry. His private practice focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders, acquired neurocognitive disorders, cognitive impairments secondary to neuropsychiatric disorders, traumatic brain injury, ethnopsychopharmacology and workplace safety. In addition to his clinical practice, Woods consults with legal teams dealing with complex criminal and civil litigation. 

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It's tax season! It’s time to talk race, taxation and D.C. statehood. The U.S. tax system raises serious questions about equity and inclusion and—according to our guests—taxation is at the root of many social and economic injustices. 

So, who does the U.S. tax code benefit? Who does it leave behind? How does racism manifest in the U.S. tax system? What role does D.C. statehood play in all of this? What roles can we expect the Biden administration to play in the fight for D.C. statehood and the larger fight for racial and economic justice? 
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and more are special guests:
 

• Dorothy A. Brown, an Asa Griggs Candler professor of law at Emory University School of Law and an advocate for economic and social justice. Most recently, she is the author of The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans—and How We Can Fix It (Crown, March 2021). She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC and Bloomberg, and has written numerous opinion pieces addressing current events in the New York Times, The Atlantic, CNN Opinion, Washington Post, Forbes, National Law Journal and Bloomberg View, to name a few. 
• Maura Quint, co-founder and executive director of Tax March, an organization that fights for an economy that works for everyone. She can be found talking taxes in publications such as the Hill, Ms. and Vox and can be heard on programs such as Pitchfork Economics and Stand Up with Pete Dominick. Quint also writes comedy and contributes to the Onion, The New Yorker, McSweeneys and other humor publications. She lives in Pennsylvania with her children and various part-time dogs.  
• Demi Stratmon, lead organizer with 51 for 51, a grassroots coalition to make D.C. the 51st state with 51 votes in the Senate. She works to combine the power of young advocates and national organizations to fight for representation for over 700,000 Washingtonians. In 2019, Demi traveled the country to make D.C. statehood a national issue, earning endorsements of 51 for 51's mission from leaders including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Demi Stratmon is a recent graduate of Dartmouth College, majoring in government and minoring in Middle Eastern studies. 

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Brooke Baldwin is a renowned CNN anchor and author of a new book, HUDDLE: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power, out this month. Huddle examines the phenomenon of "huddling,” or what happens when women lean on one another—in the arts, activism, politics, Hollywood and everyday friendships—to lift up each other and to provide empowerment, support, inspiration and the creativity and courage to enact change and solve problems.

Brooke Baldwin is a veteran journalist and Peabody Award finalist who has served as an anchor on CNN and in its newsroom for more than a decade. She played a major role in anchoring coverage of the Obama and Trump administrations and has also reported on stories from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. She has covered gun violence, including the tragedies in Sandy Hook and too many others. As the creator and host of CNN’s digital series American Woman, she has dedicated the latest chapter of her career to shining a light on trailblazing women in politics and culture. She is the author of HUDDLE: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power—her first book.

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Gender-based and sexual violence are pervasive symptoms of a larger violence issue in this country. This reality is exemplified by recent reports that some insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on January 6 have histories of violence against women, including domestic violence and sexual assault. Of course, we also remain in mourning for the lives lost to gun violence in America—most recently the horrific killings of eight people, including six women of Asian descent, in Atlanta, and 10 people at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.
 
What do these events convey about the U.S. and our culture of sexual violence? What connections can we make from gender-based violence and sexual violence to a broader culture of violence in the U.S.? How does gender-based violence intersect with race and racism? What can we do to begin to disrupt this culture? 
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and more are very special guests:

• Carmen Vasilio Balentine has spent 25 years working in the public sector to empower youth and to help them tell their stories.  He is the founder of CVB Wellness, which promotes wellness, equity and healing in underserved communities.  Most recently, he served as major gifts officer at American Foundation for AIDS Research.   
• Dr. Terrion Williamson, associate professor of African American and African studies with appointments in gender, women and sexuality studies and American studies at the University of Minnesota, as well as a Ms. contributor. Her research has tracked the serial killings of Black women. Her current book project, which builds upon work started in the last chapter of her first book, Scandalize My Name: Black Feminist Practice and the Making of Black Social Life, is a victim-centered study of the more than 60 cases throughout the U.S. in which Black women have been the sole or primary targets of serial killers since the 1970s. 

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The 2020 election revealed the deep fractures in U.S. democracy and its electoral system. Many were already there, but this past election truly pushed our voting system to its limits. 
 
“Many of the familiar procedures for translating the people’s will into the choice of a president depend on norms of behavior, not laws,” guest Rick Hasen put it—evident from the significant efforts undertaken to undermine and interfere with the results of the election. 

Part of this dysfunction played out in the Senate, where the institution itself protects arcane rules and undemocratic processes. Is the Senate truly representative? Is the electoral system fair? Is it time to eliminate the electoral college? What other electoral reforms should we be considering? What does contemporary voter suppression look like? 
 
One of the important Senate rules at issue today is the filibuster, which has been weaponized at various times to defeat important legislation. What purpose does the filibuster serve? Is it a barrier to real progress? 
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and more are very special guests:

• Rick Hasen, chancellor’s professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine and a nationally recognized expert in election law and campaign finance regulation. He is co-author of leading casebooks in election law and remedies, and served in 2020 as a CNN election law analyst. He has authored over 100 articles on election law issues, published in numerous journals including the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review and Supreme Court Review. 
• Barbara R. Arnwine, president and founder of the Transformative Justice Coalition. She also served as the executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law from 1989 until 2015. Arnwine is internationally renowned for contributions on critical justice issues, including the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1991 and the 2006 reauthorization of provisions of the Voting Rights Act. She also serves as co-chair and facilitator of the National Commission for Voter Justice, the Millennial Votes Matters Convenings and the Voting Rights Alliance. She is the radio host of Igniting Change and is a regular presence in the national media.
• Cynthia Richie Terrell, founder and executive director of RepresentWomen (formerly Representation2020), a regular Ms. contributor and an outspoken advocate for rules and systems reforms to advance women’s representation and leadership in the United States. Terrell has been published in numerous print journals; appeared on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal; and has participated in numerous radio shows and panel discussions on the topics of electoral reform and structural strategies to elect more women.  

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"Women’s rights are human rights," proclaimed then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in September 1995 at the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. This groundbreaking speech marked a turning point for feminism and international efforts toward gender equality, articulating women’s rights as a basic fundamental concept of civil rights, human rights and dignity. During the conference, 189 countries unanimously adopted the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action for women’s equality.   

In this show we consider the impact of the U.N. agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Where has there been progress?  What are the setbacks? What comes next in the global agenda on women’s rights?
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and more is our very special guest:
 
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations under-secretary-general and executive director of U.N. Women. Sworn into office on August 19, 2013, Mlambo-Ngcuka brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this position, having devoted her career to issues of human rights, equality and social justice. Mlambo-Ngcuka has worked in government and civil society, as well as within the private sector, and was actively involved in the struggle to end apartheid in her home country of South Africa.

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As women continue to be hit by job loss, increased home responsibilities, family caretaking, unaccounted for invisible labor, homelessness and domestic violence, it’s clear the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed underlying institutional and infrastructural inequalities in our society. 

It’s time to check in on and reimagine the international status of women and girls. What would a feminist foreign policy agenda look like in the United States? How does it look globally? How does it take into account vulnerable women and girls? What hope exists for ending inequality based on race, sex and gender? What differences do women and girls make as social, political and economic motivators for change? 
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and more are very special guests:
 

• Karen Greenberg, director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law, an international studies fellow at New America, and a permanent member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is the host of "Vital Interests Podcast," the editor-in-chief of three online publications, and has written and edited numerous books including Rogue Justice: The Making of the Security State. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the L.A. Times, the Nation, the Atlantic and many other major news outlets. 
• Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, author of the New York Times bestsellers Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield (2015)—currently being developed into a major motion picture at Universal—and The Dressmaker of Khair Khana (2011). Her newest book, The Daughters of Kobani, was published in February 2021. Lemmon serves as an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, along with private sector leadership roles in emerging technology and national security. 
• Pardis Mahdavi, dean of social sciences and director of the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University (ASU) and former acting dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. She has published five single-authored books and one edited volume in addition to numerous journal and news articles. She has been a fellow at the Social Sciences Research Council, the American Council on Learned Societies, Google Ideas and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.  
• Lyric Thompson, senior director of policy and advocacy at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) and frequent Ms. contributor. She is an adjunct professor at the George Washington University, where she teaches a graduate level course on women’s rights advocacy. Thompson is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations Advisory Committee on Advancing Gender Equality in Foreign Affairs and a member of the Civil Society Strategic Planning and Leadership Group for the Global Forum for Gender Equality. 

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In this special bonus episode, we remember our friend and advocate for women in prison, Sue Ellen Allen, who died this week on February 24, 2021.  In the latter part of her life, she became an internationally renowned advocate for incarcerated women and girls.  She championed banning the box, promoting reentry, and protecting the integrity and dignity of people tethered to the criminal justice system. She was a reformer.  She spoke with tremendous grace and power about being formerly incarcerated.   

Take a listen as we revisit Sue Ellen Allen’s final interview—a wide-ranging and intimate conversation with her long-time friend, Michele Goodwin. 

Rest in power, Sue Ellen.

Sue Ellen Allen is the founder and executive director of Reinventing Reentry. A University of Texas grad, educator, community leader, former inmate at Arizona State Prison and current activist, she found her purpose from serving time in prison. She is the author of The Slumber Party from Hell, a memoir about prison life, and the recipient of the Dawson Prize in Memoir in the 2009 Prison Writing Contest for PEN American Center.

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Not even a year into the second Trump administration, it’s clear that people are struggling for hope. But there’s hope to be found in so many places, including in the wisdom of the women who took on Trump—and won. 

E. Jean Carroll and her lawyer Roberta “Robbie” Kaplan made headlines in 2023 and 2024 for winning a significant legal battle against Trump, with a jury finding him guilty of sexual abuse and defamation, and awarding Carroll $5 and then later an $83.3 million verdict. What can we learn from E. Jean Carroll’s case to fuel our fight forward?

Helping us to sort out these questions and set the record straight are our very special guests, 

E. Jean Carroll: E. Jean Carroll is an American journalist and author. In 2023, she won a legal battle against Donald Trump after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Her latest book, Not My Type: One Woman Against a President, was released in June of 2025. 

Roberta Kaplan: Roberta “Robbie” Kaplan is a renowned civil litigator and trial lawyer. On behalf of her client, E. Jean Carroll, she became the only lawyer to have taken the deposition of President Donald J. Trump twice, and to have obtained two separate unanimous jury verdicts against him of $5 and later $83.3 million. She is the author of the book Then Comes Marriage: United States v. Windsor and the Defeat of DOMA. 

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On January 16, 2021, the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dustin Higgs became the 13th and final person executed by the Trump administration—just days before Inauguration Day for President Joe Biden, the first sitting president to openly oppose the death penalty. 

President Trump’s spate of executions began six months before Biden's inauguration, with six executions occurring in the period after he lost the election. Overall, the former president oversaw “the most consecutive civilian executions by the federal government or any state in the 244-year history of the United States” and “ended a 17-year bipartisan federal moratorium” on executions, according to this week’s guest Stephen Rohde.
 
What purpose does the death penalty serve? How have race and racism marked the implementation of the death penalty? Is there ever a humane way to kill another person? With public support for the death penalty waning in the U.S. and across the world, how can the U.S. continue to justify it, both federally and in individual states?
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and more is a very special guest: Stephen Rohde, a constitutional scholar, lecturer, writer, political activist and retired civil rights lawyer who serves on the board of Death Penalty Focus. Rohde has represented two inmates on California’s death row. He is a founder and chair of Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, past president of the ACLU of Southern California, and past chair of Bend the Arc: a Jewish Partnership for Justice. Rohde is the author of two books and has written for Ms., the Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, Truthout and American Prospect and is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Review of Books. 

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Women make up the fastest growing incarcerated population in the U.S—yet, politicians and the media frequently frame incarceration as an issue that affects only boys and men.  Why is so little attention paid to women and mass incarceration?  What does the failure to include women in the analysis on mass incarceration mean for communities, families and the women themselves? What are the unique challenges women and girls face behind bars and after they are released? 
 
Helping us sort out these questions and more are very special guests:
 

• Sue Ellen Allen, founder and executive director of Reinventing Reentry. A University of Texas grad, educator, community leader, former inmate at Arizona State Prison and current activist, she found her purpose from serving time in prison. She is the author of The Slumber Party from Hell, a memoir about prison life, and the recipient of the Dawson Prize in Memoir in the 2009 Prison Writing Contest for PEN American Center. 
• Piper Kerman, author of the memoir Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison. The book has been adapted by Jenji Kohan into an Emmy Award-winning original series for Netflix, which ran for seven seasons. Piper collaborates with nonprofits, philanthropies and other organizations working in the public interest and serves on the board of directors of the Women’s Prison Association and the advisory boards of the PEN America Writing For Justice Fellowship, InsideOUT Writers, Healing Broken Circles and JustLeadershipUSA. 
• Kamilah Newton, a writer for Yahoo Lifestyle and associate producer for MAKERS. Her background is in advocacy, activism and social justice reform. She has been featured on CNN, Career Contessa, Miss Grass and Hello Beautiful among other publications. Most recently, she participated in a virtual reality piece directed by Al Jazeera called Still Here, which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this year. 

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Friday, January 22 marked the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court’s landmark decision affirming a constitutional right to abortion. Yet, decades later, reproductive health care access remains illusory for many women and people of birthing capacity. 

Is the constitutional right to abortion a reality today? If so, for whom? How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted women’s health and exacerbated existing disparities? What can we expect from the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris administration? What is the status of reproductive health, rights and justice—48 years after Roe? 
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and and more are special guests:
 

• Carrie Baker, a frequent Ms. contributor, lawyer, professor and director of the program for the study of women and gender at Smith College. Dr. Baker was a co-founder and former co-director of the Five College Certificate in Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice, a certificate available to undergraduate students at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
• Joia Crear-Perry, founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative. Dr. Crear-Perry is a thought leader around racism as a root cause of health inequities, as well as a speaker, trainer, advocate, policy expert and fighter for justice. Recently, Dr. Crear-Perry addressed the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to urge a human rights framework to improve maternal mortality. 
• Julia Kaye, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project, Kaye leads the ACLU’s litigation challenging the FDA’s unjustified restrictions on medication abortion, as well as the project’s advocacy efforts to remove outdated laws banning nurse practitioners and other qualified clinicians from providing abortion care. 
• Leah Litman, assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School, where she teaches and writes on constitutional law, federal post-conviction review and federal sentencing. She is co-founder of Women Also Know Law and is one of the co-hosts and creators of Strict Scrutiny, a podcast about the U.S. Supreme Court. 

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Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

Tips, suggestions, pitches? Get in touch with us at ontheissues@msmagazine.com. 

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On today’s show, we planned to introduce listeners to the new feminists in Congress—and we do.  But, in the period since our team at Ms. curated the design and content of this episode, another shoe has dropped in American politics: the insurrection.  

We examine what the Jan. 6 riot and insurrection at the U.S. Capitol signify for our nation, including what we can learn from it. Why did it happen? Will the president be impeached?  And what does this atmosphere mean for the new feminists in Congress? 

Helping us to sort out these questions and more are very special guests:
 

• Rep-Elect Carolyn Bourdeaux: Carolyn Bourdeaux is a representative-elect of the U.S. House, representing Georgia's 7th Congressional District. She is an associate professor of public management and policy at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta, as well as the director of the Center for State and Local Finance. From 2007-2010, Rep-Elect Bourdeaux was on leave from the university to serve as director of Georgia’s Senate Budget and Evaluation Office. 
• Rep-Elect Teresa Leger Fernandez: Teresa Leger Fernandez is a representative-elect of the U.S. House, representing New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District. She was counsel and strategist at Leger Law & Strategy and worked for 30 years as counsel for tribes and their business entities, as well as with community leaders on affordable housing, Hispanic civil rights and community development. From 2013 to 2016, Rep-Elect Leger Fernandez was appointed by President Obama to serve as vice chair of the Council on Historic Preservation in the Obama administration. 
• Rep-Elect Marie Newman: Marie Newman is a representative-elect of the U.S. House, representing Illinois’s 3rd Congressional District. After founding her own anti-bullying non-profit, she founded a national non-profit program called “Team Up To Stop Bullying” with her partner, Sears, to address the problem—ultimately expanding it to a coalition of 70 anti-bullying groups working nationwide. Rep-Elect Newman become a partner in one of the largest ad agencies in the U.S. before leaving to start her own successful consulting business, Marie Newman & Associates. 
• Jennifer Steinhauer: Jennifer Steinhauer has been a New York Times journalist for more than 30 years, covering Congress, the West Coast, politics, business and health care. She has worked on the Metro, Business and National desk, and served as City Hall bureau chief and Los Angeles bureau chief before moving to Washington in 2010. She is the author of a novel, two cookbooks, and her most recent book, The Firsts: The Inside Story of the Women Reshaping Congress—the story of the women of the 116th Congress who changed Congress and Washington. 

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This year has been defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, a reckoning on racism and policing in America, the 2020 election, and the ongoing fight for justice.   
 
What does the 2020 election and the Biden/Harris win mean for our democracy? How important is the outcome of the Georgia runoff for the incoming administration? Where are we on immigration? How are we to undo the damage to our federal courts and address the legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court? How do we reckon with the racial unrest that exists in our country—especially when it comes to police violence? What hope lies ahead in the realm of reproductive health, rights and justice? 
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and more are very special guests:

• Russ Feingold, president of the American Constitution Society, and a former U.S. senator from Wisconsin, as well as a state senator.  The author of While America Sleeps: A Wake-Up Call for the Post-9/11 Era, Feingold contributes regularly to various publications, and appears frequently on MSNBC and CNN. 
• Deirdre Fishel, a producer/director whose films have premiered in 35 countries worldwide. She just finished “Women in Blue,” a feature documentary that follows women officers of the Minneapolis Police Department and explores the intersection of gender, power and violence in American policing, which will broadcast on PBS’s Independent Lens Series on Feb 8, 2021.   
• Stephen Vladeck, a nationally recognized expert on the federal courts, constitutional law, national security law, and military justice and the A. Dalton Cross Professor in Law at the University of Texas School of Law. Vladeck has argued multiple cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Texas Supreme Court and the lower federal courts. He is also the co-host of the award-winning National Security Law Podcast.  
• Andrea Young, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. Young is the former vice president for external affairs for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, as well as the former vice president of the National Black Child Development Institute. 

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Government leaders worldwide met the election of President-Elect Joe Biden with a collective sigh of relief. But while many celebrate Biden’s win, many still wonder if the possibility of another presidency that devalues global treaties and relationships related to protecting global health, the environment, and stemming nuclear proliferation is in America’s future. 

How is the U.S. viewed abroad? What are the opportunities and challenges ahead for the next administration? Where are the biggest tensions in U.S. foreign relationships and diplomacy? Does the U.S. have an international legitimacy problem? The world has witnessed amazing leadership from women in other nations, especially during COVID — so what can the U.S. learn from that? 
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and more are special guests:  
 

• Penelope Andrews is the president of the Law and Society Association and a professor of law at New York Law School, where she co-directs their Racial Justice Project. Andrews is a trainer for the Judicial Institute for Africa, and has served as an acting judge of the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, as well as being an arbitrator in hearings on racial discrimination in South Africa. From 2016 to 2018, she served as the first Black dean of the University of Cape Town faculty of law and, from 2012 to 2015, she served as the first female dean of Albany Law School. 
• David Kaye, former United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and the independent board chair of the Global Network Initiative. He is the author of Speech Police: The Global Struggle to Govern the Internet and a professor of law at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). 
• Gregory Shaffer, chancellor’s professor of law at UCI, and director of the UCI Center on Globalization, Law and Society. He is former vice president of the American Society of International Law and a member of the board of editors of the American Journal of International Law, the Journal of International Economic Law, and Transnational Environmental Law. Shaffer is among the world’s leading scholars on international economic law and the World Trade Organization. His forthcoming book is called Emerging Powers and the World Trading System. 
• Lyric Thompson, senior director of policy and advocacy at the International Center for Research on Women.  Thompson leads the institution’s formulation of evidence-based policy recommendations and oversees her organization’s advocacy efforts with the U.S. government and internationally. Thompson is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations Advisory Committee on Advancing Gender Equality in Foreign Affairs and a member of the Civil Society Strategic Planning and Leadership Group for the  Global Forum for Gender Equality. 

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COVID-19 has had an undeniable negative impact on the economy—an impact felt most deeply by women, especially women of color. Women are being pushed out of their jobs and there are significant barriers to pursuing new ones—from an imbalance in the division of household responsibilities, to stagnancy and job loss in women-dominated industries like retail, dining and the government sector. 
 
What should be at the top of the economic agenda for the Biden-Harris administration? How should women fend for themselves in a COVID economy?  What are the keys to negotiating for what women deserve? 
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and more are very special guests:
 

• Sandra Finley, president and CEO of the League of Black Women, a national organization that provides strategic leadership research to communicate the collective voices of Black Women with attention toward sustaining joyful living in families, communities and workplaces. Finley is also president of Praxis Leadership Institute and has lectured nationwide for Fortune 100 companies.  
• Dr. Patricia Jones-Blessman, a licensed clinical psychologist with over three decades of experience as a clinician and administrator of mental health programs. Dr. Jones was the founder and president for the Institute for Psychodiagnostic Interventions and Services—one of only a few minority-owned, private sector psychological service corporations nationwide. 
• Jennifer “JJ” Justice, an entertainment and live-experience executive known for her expertise in building artists’ careers and business portfolios by marrying art with commerce. The former attorney for Jay-Z, in 2019, JJ founded The Justice Dept, a management, strategy and legal firm that works with female entrepreneurs, executives, talent, brands and creatives to build and maximize their value focusing in the areas of tech, consumer product, finance, media, entertainment and fashion. 
• Rachel Payne, managing director and head of innovation and technology at FullCycle and a technology executive, entrepreneur, investor, inventor and philanthropist. She is the CEO of FEM Inc. and a former executive at Google, as well as a startup mentor for Techstars and the University of California Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator. 

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On Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. was elected the 46th president of the United States. Vice President-Elect Kamala Devi Harris made history becoming the first woman, the first Black person, and the first South Asian person to ever hold the office. This news resulted in widespread celebrations throughout the country and all across the world. Additionally, a significant number of down-ballot victories also mark historic milestones in U.S. politics—including countless firsts for people of color, LGBTQ+ candidates and women.
 
But while there is cause for celebration, there is more work to be done and more questions to be asked. Was the election free and fair across the nation? What did we learn from this election? Where and how did democracy flourish? What does the 2020 election mean for our democracy, our courts, and our state and federal agencies?
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and more is a very special guest: Vanita Gupta. 

Gupta is president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. She is an experienced leader and litigator who has devoted her career to civil rights work. From 2014 to 2017, she served as acting assistant attorney general and head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Under her leadership, the division engaged in critical work in a number of areas, including advancing constitutional policing and criminal justice reform; prosecuting hate crimes and human trafficking; promoting disability rights; protecting the rights of LGBTQ individuals; ensuring voting rights for all; and combating discrimination in education, housing, employment, lending and religious exercise. 

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Dr. Goodwin and her guests answer some of your pressing election questions—and have a bit of fun. Let them keep you company (and keep you calm!) while you wait for results.

Joining host Michele Goodwin to keep you company, and to reflect on what this election means for our nation, are very special guests: 

• Sandra Bernhard is a performer, actor, singer and author. She is currently starring as Nurse Judy in the Emmy nominated and Peabody Award winning show POSE on FX Networks. She is also the host of “Sandyland," a daily radio show on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy channel 102, for which she won a Gracie Award. 
• Russ Feingold is the president of the American Constitution Society. He served as a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, as well as a state senator. He is the author of While America Sleeps: A Wake-Up Call for the Post-9/11 Era, contributes regularly to various publications, and appears frequently on MSNBC and CNN. 
• Lizz Winstead is the co-creator and former head writer of "The Daily Show" and Air America Radio co-founder. She now dedicates her life not only to important comedic commentary, but also forging new ground as the founder of the Abortion Access Front, a NYC-based reproductive rights organization that she launched in 2015, which uses humor and outrage to expose anti-choice hypocrisy and to mobilize people across all 50 states. 

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At the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, voting activist and civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer described the violent injustice she and others had endured while living under the South's Jim Crow rules and fighting for the right to vote: "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired!”

Over 50 years later, ahead of the 2020 election, we see record early voting across the country. Even so, serious efforts aimed at voter suppression persist, including curbing access to mail-in voting and shutting down polling locations.  

So, what are the biggest threats to voting rights today? How is voter suppression showing up in the 2020 election? What can we do to ensure that our elections remain free and fair? 

Helping us to sort out these questions and more are very special guests:

• Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Clarke leads one of the nation’s most important national civil rights organizations in the pursuit of equal justice for all. She is the author of Barack Obama and African American Empowerment: The Rise of Black America’s New Leadership.
• Judge Glenda Hatchett, who served as senior attorney at Delta Airlines before becoming the chief presiding judge of Fulton County Georgia Juvenile Court in Atlanta.  Her law firm, the Hatchett Firm, represented Philando Castille’s estate in the wake of his tragic death. She presides over the two-time Emmy-nominated courtroom series, Judge Hatchett, now in its 16th season. Most recently, she has returned to TV in her new television court series, The Verdict with Judge Hatchett.   
• Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, executive director of the Highlander Research and Education Center—and the first Black woman to hold that title.  She is an active participant on the governance council of the Southern Movement Assembly, and an organizer with Concerned Citizens for Justice. She has served on the National Council of the Student Environmental Action Coalition. 

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Everyone’s been asking: what’s up with men these days? From high rates of gun violence and domestic violence, to the “manosphere,” Andrew Tate, and the "male loneliness epidemic," it’s clear that (white) men are hurting. But why is this happening—and what can be done to change things?

Joining me to discuss these important issues are our special guests: 

Jackson Katz: Jackson Katz, Ph.D., is a regular Ms. contributor and creator of the 2024 film The Man Card: 50 Years of Gender, Power, and the American Presidency. He is also a member of the Young Men Research Initiative working group and founder of Men for Democracy. Katz’s new book, Every Man: Why Violence Against Women is a Men’s Issue, was published Feb. 20, 2025 by Penguin Random House U.K.

Gary Barker: Gary Barker, PhD is the CEO and co-founder of Equimundo Center for Masculinities and Social Justice, a major contributor to international activism on male allyship in gender equality. He was the first Executive Director of Instituto Promundo in Brazil and led its pioneering work on healthy masculinities. He is co-founder of MenCare, a global campaign in more than 50 countries to promote men’s involvement as caregivers, and co-founder of MenEngage, a global alliance of more than 700 NGOs. He co-created the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), the largest survey of men’s attitudes and behaviors related to violence, fatherhood, and gender equality. He leads Equimundo’s State of the World’s Fathers reports, which has become a major advocacy platform for the global care economy. He advises the UN, the World Bank, national governments, international foundations and corporations on strategies to engage men and boys in promoting gender equality.

Cody Thompson: Cody Thompson is a program coordinator with the Center on Addiction and Public Policy (CAPP) and the Center for Community Health Innovation (CCHI) at the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. Thompson is committed to contributing to and supporting work that serves people, especially communities disproportionately affected by chronic diseases, including but not limited to HIV/AIDS, substance use disorders, and mental disorders. Prior to joining the O’Neill Institute, Thompson interned for Faces and Voices of Recovery, supporting their advocacy team and planning for National Recovery Month. 

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

(Get Ms.’s Special Report on Men—guest edited by Jackson Katz—for just $5!)

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Recently, Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Samuel Alito, lashed out at the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which guaranteed marriage equality, calling it ruinous for religious liberty.  In response, the New Yorker posed a sobering question: “Does Clarence Thomas now speak for the majority of the Supreme Court on LGBTQ Rights?"

The use of religious liberty to discriminate against LGBTQ people is nothing new. And marriage is not the only issue on the line. Among other things, the Trump administration has worked to discriminate against gay parents in foster care and adoption, take away vital healthcare under the ACA, and prevent transgender people from serving in the military. 

The attacks are not limited to the federal government either: This year alone, there have been clear, coordinated efforts at the state level to legalize discrimination against people based on their LGBTQ identity. 

What is the current legal landscape for LGBTQ rights and justice? What is the significance of the impending election for the rights of the LGBTQ community? What's at stake? 
 
Helping us to sort out these questions and more are very special guests:
 

• Jessica Clarke, professor of law, FedEx research professor and co-director of the George Barrett Social Justice Program at Vanderbilt University Law School. She studies constitutional and statutory guarantees of non-discrimination based on traits such as race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and disability.   
• T. Mychael Rambo, a regional Emmy Award winning actor, vocalist, arts educator and community organizer.  He also an accomplished residency artist and professor in the College of Liberal Arts, Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota.   
• Chase Strangio, deputy director for transgender justice with the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project and a nationally recognized expert on transgender rights. Strangio's work includes impact litigation, as well as legislative and administrative advocacy, on behalf of LGBTQ people and people living with HIV across the United States. Chase was counsel in the case of Aimee Stephens, a transgender woman whose historic lawsuit resulted in the landmark Supreme Court decision that federal civil rights law protects LGBTQ workers.

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On January 15, 2020, Virginia became the critical 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, or ERA—a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that reads: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”  Virginia’s ratification raised important questions about the viability of an amendment that had been stymied for decades. 

What does the promise of the ERA hold in the continued battle for equality and freedom? What roles have women of color played to secure the ERA? In the wake of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, what is the modern platform for women’s equality? 

 
Helping us to sort out these questions (and more) are very special guests:
 

• Jennifer Carroll Foy, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates who is running for governor in the state of Virginia. She joined the Virginia House of Delegates in 2017 where she led Virginia’s effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, passed legislation to combat Virginia’s teacher shortage, and voted to expand Medicaid to 400,000 Virginians. She established the Virginia for Everyone PAC to help elect women, people of color and millennials to the Virginia General Assembly and was one of the first African American women to graduate from Virginia Military Institute. 
• Ellie Smeal, the co-founder and president of the Feminist Majority and the Feminist Majority Foundation and former president of the National Organization for Women. She has led efforts for the economic, political and social equality and empowerment of women worldwide for over three decades.   
• Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, the 48th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. She leads the Justice, Equity and Opportunity Initiative, and chairs the Illinois Council on Women and Girls, the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, the Military Economic Development Council and the Illinois River Coordinating Council.  Previously, she represented the 5th District in the Illinois House of Representatives.   
• Julie Suk, a Florence Rogatz visiting professor of law at Yale Law School and professor of sociology, political science and liberal studies at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). She most recently published, "We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment" and is a frequent commentator in the media on legal issues affecting women. 

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President Trump has appointed and confirmed a near record number of judges to the federal bench in four years. In fact, nearly one-third of all active federal judges on the U.S. appeals courts have been appointed by Trump.  On the federal courts of appeal, the president has not appointed one African American and only one Latino judge. 
 
These issues are magnified by Trump’s recent nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court left by the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg—a nomination made 38 days before the Election Day, during a time in which some voters across the country are already in the process of voting. The passing of Justice Ginsburg and the promise of confirmation hearing, even during COVID and while the president is under medical surveillance, has now caused an uproar. 

How did we get here? And what can we do to bring balance back to the U.S. judicial system?

Helping us to sort out these questions are very special guests:

• Nan Aron, the founder and president of Alliance for Justice, the foremost progressive organization providing research and resources on federal judicial nominees. She is the author of Liberty and Justice for All: Public Interest Law in the 1980s and Beyond.
• Joan Biskupic, a full-time CNN legal analyst who has covered the Supreme Court for 25 years and is the author of several books on the judiciary. Before joining CNN in 2017, she was an editor-in-charge for legal affairs at Reuters, and the Supreme Court correspondent for the Washington Post and USA Today. She most recently published a biography of Chief Justice John Roberts (The Chief: The Life and Turbulent Times of Chief Justice John Roberts, spring 2019). 
• Rick Perlstein, the author of the recent release Reaganland: America's Right Turn 1976-1980.   He is a contributing writer at The Nation, former chief national correspondent for the Village Voice, and a former online columnist for the New Republic and Rolling Stone. His journalism and essays have appeared in Newsweek, The New York Times, and many other publications.   

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On today’s show, we focus on the question: Can the president suspend the elections? The short answer: No. But while the law is clear, President Trump’s efforts to delay the elections, sow distrust in our democratic processes, and wreak havoc on the U.S. electoral process are already well underway.  

On July 30, President Trump tweeted mail-in voting will make this year’s elections “the most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history.” (In reality, mail-in voter fraud averages 0.0025 percent.) This, just months after he and others dismissed as ridiculous Democratic presidential nominee Joseph Biden’s warnings in April that Trump might “try to kick back the election somehow” or “come up with some rationale why it can’t be held.” 

The president’s tweets and public comments raise serious questions about the integrity of the upcoming elections. For example, what are the ramifications of Trump suggestions that we suspend the election? Will access to mail-in ballots (or lack thereof) impact voter turnout? Can Trump invoke martial law if he loses the election? What are the possible threats to our democracy come November?  

Helping us to sort out these questions are special guests:

• Karen J. Greenberg, the director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law and a permanent member of the Council on Foreign Relations, specializing in the intersection between national security policy, the rule of law and human rights. She is the host of "Vital Interests Podcast," the editor-in-chief of three online publications and has written and edited numerous books including: "Rogue Justice: The Making of the Security State.” 
• Prof. Rick Hasen, chancellor’s professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine and a nationally recognized expert in election law and campaign finance regulation. He is a CNN election 2020 analyst and co-author of leading casebooks in election law.  He has authored over 100 articles on election law issues, published in numerous journals including the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review and Supreme Court Review. 
• Rep. Mikie Sherrill represents New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. Congresswoman Sherrill serves as freshman whip for the New Democrat Coalition and sits on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. She is the chairwoman of the Environment Subcommittee for the Science, Space and Technology Committee.   
• Prof. Stephen Vladeck, the A. Dalton Cross professor in law at the University of Texas School of Law and a nationally recognized expert on the federal courts, constitutional law, national security law and military justice. He is also the co-host of the popular and award-winning “National Security Law Podcast.” He is a CNN Supreme Court analyst and a co-author of Aspen Publishers’ leading national security law and counterterrorism law casebooks. 

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On today’s show, we focus on going back to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The beginning of the 2020 school year is nothing like before. The word “difficult” is an understatement—and it’s difficult for all: for teachers, for students, for parents, (especially mothers) and for our colleges and universities too. Meanwhile, economic strains on families are sky-high as many families face eviction, and affordable child care is out of reach. 

Helping us to sort out questions related to schooling during pandemic and how we should think about these issues and more:

• Randi Weingarten is the president of the 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO; and creator of AFT Innovation Fund, a groundbreaking initiative to support sustainable, innovative and collaborative education reform projects developed by members and their local unions. 
• Rep. Katherine Clark represents the Fifth District of Massachusetts; her career in public service is driven by her commitment to helping children and families succeed; in Congress, she brings her experience as a former state senator, state representative and general counsel for the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services, and policy chief for the state attorney general. 
• Fatima Goss Graves is the CEO of the National Women’s Law Center; co-founder of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund; author of many articles and reports, including We Must Deal with K-12 Sexual Assault, and Unlocking Opportunity for African American Girls: A Call to Action for Educational Equity. 

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From a frozen asylum system, huge camps on the Mexico border and family separation policies, to the worsening lack of healthcare and the aftereffects of COVID-19, Latinx communities are at a disadvantage both inside and outside U.S. borders. In this episode, we focus on events over the last few years greatly impacting Latinx communities: socially, economically and politically—as Trump administration immigration policies have resulted in child separation,huge camps on the Southern border, stalled immigration and much more. 

 
Meanwhile, those held in detention centers face an added layer of challenges—ranging from lost children, to an increased risk of COVID infections. Are detainees seeking self-deportation to avoid contracting COVID? And what about sexual abuse? Despite numerous lawsuits and thousands of complaints filed against detention facilities staff, this staggering pattern of sexual abuse seems to continue in immigration detention centers.   
 
Guests: 

• Kevin Johnson, dean and Mabie-Apallas professor of public interest law at the University of California, Davis, School of Law. He is also the author of "How Did You Get to Be Mexican" and "Opening the Floodgates: Why America Needs to Rethink its Borders and Immigration Laws.” 
• Domingo Garcia, attorney and national president of The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). 
• Mary Giovagnoli, senior counsel for legal strategy for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) and the former executive director of Refugee Council USA. She served as deputy assistant secretary for immigration policy in the Department of Homeland Security from January 2016 to January 2018.  

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Tune in on September 8, 2020 for an important episode on immigration in the United States.

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In this episode, in the midst of the centennial anniversary of women's securing the right to vote, we focus on the 19th Amendment. The perpetual struggle for U.S. voting rights has been fraught with conflict, and the fight for women’s suffrage was no exception. Even after the 19th Amendment was passed, women of color were denied the opportunity to vote: Black women were kept from voting through insidious practices like poll taxes and long wait times (some which still exist today); Indigenous women, many of whom inspired the initial Euro-American push for women’s rights and suffrage, were not considered citizens; and Asian women could not naturalize for citizenship. In fact, until the mid-1950s, laws enacted by Congress—including the Page Act—made it very difficult for Asian women who immigrated to the U.S. to become citizens.  
 
Because voting rights are central to our democracy, we devote this episode to the 19th Amendment, its history and the road ahead.  

Helping us to understand the power and the promise of the vote and what this means for women’s empowerment are two very special guests:  

• Sally Roesch Wagner is a writer, historian and director of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Center.  She was awarded one of the first doctorates in the country for work in women’s studies (UC Santa Cruz).  She is author of "The Women's Suffrage Movement”; "Sisters in Spirit: Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Influence on Early American Feminists"; and "We Want Equal Rights: How Suffragists Were Influenced by Native American Women.” 
• Melanie Campbell is the executive director and CEO for the National Coalition on Black Voter Participation and a nationally recognized expert in civic engagement, election reform and coalition building.  She is a convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable Intergenerational Public Policy Network. 

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In this episode, we focus on why #WeHaveHerBack.  You heard it recently in the wake of Sen. Kamala Harris’s selection as the vice presidential candidate for the Democratic ticket. #WeHaveHerBack is as a powerful challenge to newsrooms to avoid sexism in media representation. Tina Tchen, president and CEO of Time’s Up Now, joins host Dr. Michele Goodwin to talk the importance of having Harris’s back—and other women candidates’ backs, too. 
  
 Today’s episode also focuses on women’s political leadership, starting with the urgent need to repeal the Helms Amendment. Dr. Goodwin is joined by two pathbreaking members of Congress—Representatives Jan Schakowsky and Barbara Lee—to discuss why women’s leadership has been central to forging political representation, equality and fighting for reproductive health, rights and justice—at home and abroad. Their leadership helps to put in context why the #WeHaveHerBack campaign is so important, and why women’s leadership matters.    
  
 This week, on the issues: 
 
• Representative Barbara Lee represents California’s 13th district, which serves Oakland and the East Bay.  She is the highest-ranking Black woman in Congress. She is also a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, serves as co-chair of the majority leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity, co-chair of the Pro Choice Caucus, and is former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus. 

• Representative Jan Schakowsky represents Illinois's 9th congressional district, which includes Chicago's North Side. She is the House senior chief deputy whip, chair of the Energy and Commerce Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, and chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus Providers and Clinics Task Force.   

• Tina Tchen is president and CEO of Time’s Up Now.   She is the former assistant to President Barack Obama and served as chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama. She was also the executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls.

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On this episode of On the Issues with Michele Goodwin, we review the 2019-2020 Supreme Court term. Since 1790, of the 113 individuals who have served on the Supreme Court, only four have been women.  Similarly, in over 230 years, only three justices have been persons of color—two of whom presently serve on the Court.  Under Trump, the vast majority of judges confirmed to the nation’s federal courts are white men.  Thus, in over two hundred years, very little has changed in terms of the Court’s composition.  

Where do women fit in?  How can the Court evolve in recognizing the rights of women and marginalized groups when it doesn't reflect the actual makeup of the U.S.?

On this episode, we review the 2019-2020 Supreme Court term—which has been a roller coaster, leaving many to wonder about the Court’s commitment to equality, inclusion and nondiscrimination—despite decisions that appeared to be wins for vulnerable communities. For example, despite a win in June Medical on abortion rights, the Trump administration has gutted reproductive health policies put in place during the Nixon administration—such as Title X, which provides reproductive healthcare for the poorest Americans.   As well, many concerned about racial equality view the Court as slipping in its regard for equal opportunity and the protection of due process for people of color. 

Joining Dr. Michele Goodwin as we try to understand these issues are: 

• Brigitte Amiri, deputy director at the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project. 
• Erwin Chemerinsky, dean and Jesse H. Choper distinguished professor of law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law 
• Leah Litman, assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School and co-host of the "Strict Scrutiny" podcast. 
• Franita Tolson, vice dean for faculty and academic affairs, and professor of law at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. 

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This is a preview of the first episode of Looking Back, Moving Forward, the latest podcast from Ms. Studios. The full first episode is out now—subscribe to Looking Back, Moving Forward wherever you get your podcasts, or head to MsMagazine.com to learn more!

What would a truly representative democracy look like — and why don’t we have one?

Looking Back, Moving Forward launches with a focus on women’s growing political power and how feminists can, and must, shape the future of government, policy, and lawmaking. 

Our democracy is under attack, and a more representative democracy is the answer. This week, Carmen explores how we can strengthen our democracy by lifting up women and other marginalized groups in politics, and why representation in politics and power matters so much. Featuring Celinda Lake, Aimee Allison, Angel Charley, Julie C. Suk, Cynthia Richie Terrell, and Jennifer M. Piscopo.

Since its founding, Ms. has named the difference women can make as voters and in the halls of political power — and demanded a more representative democracy. This episode traces the history of women’s fight for political representation and participation, including how Ms. has shifted the electoral and political landscape — and showcases how much work is left for a fully equitable democracy to take shape in the US.

Looking Back, Moving Forward is produced by Ms. Studios. Executive producers are Michele Goodwin and Kathy Spillar. Supervising Producer, Writer, and Host is Carmen Rios. Episode producers are Roxy Szal and Oliver Haug. Every episode is edited by Natalie Hadland. Art and design are by Brandi Phipps.

Stay in touch with Ms. at msmagazine.com and on Facebook @msmagazine, Instagram and Threads @ms_magazine, and @msmagazine.comon BlueSky.

Stay in touch with Carmen at carmenfuckingrios.com and @carmenriosss on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, BlueSky, and Threads.

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On this special episode, we focus on toxic masculinity in the U.S., including online misogyny, and how it translates into real-world violence—highlighted most recently in the horrific murder of Daniel Anderl, the son of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, and the shooting of her husband Mark Anderl.  The person assumed responsible for those tragedies is Roy Den Hollander, a self-proclaimed “men’s rights” activist—part of a growing movement of men who describe themselves as frustrated by women.  Some members of this movement are also known as “incels.” 
 
We also turn to the everyday harassment women experience—even in Congress, like in the case of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who was accosted by Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.).  Representative Yoho called her “disgusting,” “a “f***ing bitch,” and at first denied it.  Rep. Yoho claimed his “passion” got the better of him and offered what many would describe as a rambling floor speech in which his daughters and wife were centered.  However, he did not apologize.  For some women, this looked like typical workplace misogyny they endure all the time. 
 
What lessons can be drawn from these incidents and others?  Has toxic masculinity gone too far? 
 
Joining me to talk about incels, the ways in which racism intersect with misogyny in the U.S. and on the internet and the antifeminist movement are three special guests.   

• Jill Filipovic is a columnist for CNN, a contributor to the New York Times, a lawyer and the author of the forthcoming "OK BOOMER, LET'S TALK: How My Generation Got Left Behind,” as well as "The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness."

• Saida Grundy, PhD., is an assistant professor of sociology and African American studies at Boston University. Her research explores the intersection of race with masculinity, rape culture and campus sexual assault. Professor Grundy is author of the forthcoming book "Manhood Within the Margins: Promise, Peril and Paradox at the Historically Black College for Men." 

• Jackson Katz, Ph.D., is an internationally acclaimed educator, author and scholar-activist on issues of gender, race and violence. Through his books, documentaries, public speaking and articles, Katz has tackled issues of masculinity, racism and violence. 

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On today’s show, we focus on June Medical v. Russo and the future of abortion rights—a case where the Supreme Court struck down a challenge to abortion rights in Louisiana, a state in which reproductive health care access is already fraught. The law would have required all doctors performing abortions to obtain hospital admitting privileges. Even though this case has put such challenges to rest, lawmakers in Louisiana have effectively undercut women’s access to reproductive healthcare, causing clinic closures and more.  As our guests make clear, Roe is not enough.   

However, it’s not just abortion rights or pregnancy at stake, with regard to women’s health.  Reproductive justice matters, and bringing that lens into these conversations is urgent. The rise in criminalization of pregnant women for failing to comport to the state’s standards for behavior during pregnancy is alarming.  Women have been threatened with arrest for refusing C-sections, falling down steps and attempting suicide during pregnancy.  Where does this end?  What should we be concerned about?  What’s the future of Americans being able to exercise control their own reproductive futures, given the aggressive attacks at the state and federal levels?  We close considering how organizations, doctors, lawyers and activists are fighting back.

Joining us for this episode are:

-Yamani Hernandez, executive director of the National Network of Abortion Funds.

-Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights.

-Kathaleen Pittman, administrator of Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, La., the main plaintiff in June Medical v. Russo.

-Mary Ziegler, a Stearns Weaver Miller professor at Florida State University College of Law specializing in the legal history of reproduction, the family, sexuality and the Constitution

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On today’s show, we focus on rebuilding America from the ground up.   What will it take?  What issues should we be concerned about, which are not making the news?  For example, despite what appear to be recent triumphs at the Supreme Court with regard to LGBTQ equality, reproductive rights and DACA, many argue those victories are thin and fragile. Beyond that, as we know, underlying challenges persist, including pay inequality between men and women; Americans living beneath the poverty line without a living wage; lack of access to affordable health care; and a warming planet.  Most painfully, our democracy is at stake—clearly evidenced by voter suppression.
  
Helping us sort out how we rebuild America and should think about these issues (and more) are two very special guests: Congresswoman Katie Porter and Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun. 

Congresswoman Porter represents California’s 45th Congressional district, which includes Orange County.  An expert in business and consumer law, she is also a law professor (on leave) at the University of California, Irvine. 

Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun was the first African American woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate, where she served from 1993-1999.  During the 20th century, she was one of only two African Americans to serve in the Senate. Subsequently, she was appointed and confirmed as ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. 

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On Today’s inaugural show, we focus on policing in America, examining race, sex, and violence.  We specifically take up women and policing, elevating the stories and experiences of women.  It is a perspective often absent from mainstream conversation.  Even in recent weeks as the nation has erupted in protests related to the tragic murder of George Floyd, some might argue that the killing of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, an emergency medical technician in Louisville, Kentucky was an afterthought, even though her death too was no less inhumane, violent, and preventable.

Deirdre Fishel, Independent Film Maker, Women In Blue (2020)

Laura Goodman Retired Deputy Chief of Police (Minnesota) and former Ombudsman for Crime Victims for the State of Minnesota 

Anne Li Kringen, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Assistant Dean Department of Criminal Justice, University of New Haven, Member, International Association of Chiefs of Police Research Advisory Committee 

L. Song Richardson, Criminal law expert and Dean, University California, Irvine School of Law

It will be an episode you will not want to miss!

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TEASER: Why are women being left out of the conversations regarding policing in America?  Why are they sidelined as the victims of police violence, including Breonna Taylor?  In law enforcement, why are women not recruited and retained?  How has this influenced policing and violence in America?  Let's fill in the story.  Tune in and join us for our first episode, airing Tuesday, June 30, 2020.  We will be joined by:

Deirdre Fishel, Independent Film Maker, Women In Blue (2020)

Laura Goodman Retired Deputy Chief of Police (Minnesota) and former Ombudsman for Crime Victims for the State of Minnesota 

Anne Li Kringen, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Assistant Dean Department of Criminal Justice, University of New Haven, Member, International Association of Chiefs of Police Research Advisory Committee 

L. Song Richardson, Criminal law expert and Dean, University California, Irvine School of Law

It will be an episode you will not want to miss!

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On The Issues With Michele Goodwin at Ms. magazine is a show where we report, rebel, and tell it like it is.  On this show, we center your concerns about rebuilding our nation and advancing the promise of equality.  Join Michele Goodwin as she and guests tackle the most compelling issues of our times.

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A new podcast from Ms. Studios, hosted by feminist superstar and Ms. consulting editor Carmen Rios, will trace the intertwined history of Ms. magazine and the feminist movement it has given voice to for over 50 years — and explore where the fight for gender equality must go next. 

By examining the legacy of America’s longest-running feminist magazine, Looking Back, Moving Forward explores how we got to where we are now — and how our shared histories illuminate the path forward, toward an intersectional feminist future.

Subscribe to Looking Back, Moving Forward today wherever you get podcasts so you won’t miss a second of the conversations and revelations to come! The first episode launches on the Fourth of July. 

Looking Back, Moving Forward is produced by Ms. Studios. Executive producers are Michele Goodwin and Kathy Spillar. Supervising Producer, Writer, and Host is Carmen Rios. Episode producers are Roxy Szal and Oliver Haug. Every episode is edited by Natalie Hadland. Art and design are by Brandi Phipps.

Stay in touch with Ms. at msmagazine.com and on Facebook and Twitter @msmagazine, Instagram and Threads @ms_magazine, and @msmagazine.com on BlueSky.

Stay in touch with Carmen at carmenfuckingrios.com and @carmenriosss on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, BlueSky, and Threads.

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Welcome to “The Magazine,” our mini-pod, which gives a peek into Ms. magazine’s forthcoming and current issues. In this episode, take a glimpse inside our Summer 2025 issue, which includes a special report on the state of American manhood—from the "bro-casts" and the silence around men's mental health, to the clinicians and scholars challenging toxic masculinity with a feminist lens. Get the magazine delivered right to your mailbox!

Joining us to discuss is our very special guest: 

• Kathy Spillar is the executive director and a founder of the Feminist Majority Foundation, a national organization working for women’s equality, empowerment and non-violence, and the publisher of Ms. since 2001. She has been a driving force in executing the organizations’ diverse programs securing women’s rights both domestically and globally since its inception in 1987. She is also the executive editor of Ms. where she oversees editorial content and the Ms. in the Classroom program, and editor and contributor to 50 Years of Ms: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine that Ignited a Revolution.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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In this emergency episode, we're ringing the alarm bells: We just learned that in the state of Georgia, a woman named Adriana Smith who was declared brain-dead in February, is being forcibly kept on a ventilator due to the state’s strict abortion ban, against her family's wishes. It's been over 90 days. Her mother, April Newkirk has said, “It’s torture for me."

Dr. Michele Goodwin breaks down Adriana Smith's case, and the cases of other women who, like Smith, have been disrespected and desecrated in death thanks to abortion bans and pregnancy exclusion laws. 

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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Over the past few years, many of us have noticed some (bad) vibes coming from the Supreme Court: sketchy decisions on a number of fronts, from presidential immunity to abortion, agency authority, and more. Today, we take a look at those vibes with one of our favorite guests: Professor Leah Litman, who is the author of the new book Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes. Professor Litman joins us to talk about the Court’s “Ken-surrection,” what another Trump term means for the Court, and her fabulous new book. 

Joining us is our very special guest: 

Leah Litman: Leah Litman is a professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School, where she teaches and writes on constitutional law, federal post-conviction review and federal sentencing. She is the co-founder of “Women Also Know Law”—a searchable database of women and nonbinary people who have academic appointments in law—and is one of the co-hosts and creators of the popular Strict Scrutiny podcast, which focuses on the Supreme Court.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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Despite persistent obstacles—from intergenerational pay inequity and earning just 63.7 cents for every dollar made by a white guy for the same work, to constant surveillance and doubt—Black women consistently excel in their chosen fields and rise to leadership positions. In this episode, we’re joined by powerful Black women in leadership to discuss the glass ceilings, glass cliffs, pink ghettos, and other obstacles they’ve faced—and the strategies they’ve used to triumph against the odds.

Joining me to discuss these crucial issues are our very special guests: 

Verna Williams: Verna Williams is the CEO of Equal Justice Works. In her role as CEO, Verna has continued to advance the mission of Equal Justice Works to create opportunities for leaders to transform their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service. Verna previously served as the dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Law, and founded and co-directed the Judge Nathaniel Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice at the University of Cincinnati. She was also the vice president and director of educational opportunities at the National Women’s Law Center, where she focused on gender disparity in education.

Lynell Cadray: Lynell Cadray is University Ombuds and Senior Adviser to the President at Emory University. Since arriving at Emory in 1994, Cadray has served in numerous roles, including vice provost of equity and inclusion; associate dean of enrollment and student services and chief diversity officer at Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing; and dean of admission and financial aid and chief diversity officer at Emory University School of Law. 

Dr. Rachel Westerfield: Dr. Rachel Westerfield is the Director of Solution Design at Slack. Dr. Westerfield’s Professional Services team is responsible for driving digital growth and large-scale, enterprise-wide transformation for Slack’s most complex and strategic customers across industries on a global scale. Before joining Slack in 2019, she was a Strategy and Business Process Transformation leader at Accenture and a Management Consultant in Organizational Leadership and Development at Nestle Purina.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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Welcome to The Magazine, our mini-pod, which gives a peek into Ms. magazine's forthcoming and current issues. In this episode, take a glimpse inside our Spring 2025 issue—which delves into the story behind anti-abortion extremists’ successful attempt to shut down a Beverly Hills clinic. Get the Spring issue here!

Featuring: 

• Kathy Spillar is the Executive Director and a founder of the Feminist Majority Foundation, a national organization working for women’s equality, empowerment and non-violence. She has been a driving force in executing the organizations’ diverse programs securing women’s rights both domestically and globally since its inception in 1987. She is also the Executive Editor of Ms. where she oversees editorial content and the Ms. in the Classroom program, and the editor and contributor to 50 Years of Ms: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine that Ignited a Revolution.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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Content warning: this episode contains discussions of sexual assault. 

In July, the Justice Department released a controversial report about Jeffrey Epstein. Now with the release of over 23,000 files associated with Epstein, questions are being raised about the scope and scale of this sex trafficking ring and its connections to power. The House Oversight Committee has yet to hear testimony from Epstein survivors, despite urging by Rep. Ayanna Presley and others. In this episode, Dr. Goodwin is joined by journalist Moira Donegan to discuss the implications of the files, and what needs to be done in order for his victims to receive justice.

This episode is part of our ongoing series on the Epstein Files. We unpack the record, combing through the various emails, speaking with reporters, and ask the fundamental question: what will it take for men in power to treat women and girls with dignity and respect? 

Joining us to discuss these important issues is a very special guest: 

Moira Donegan: Moira Donegan: Moira Donegan is a feminist writer and opinion columnist with the Guardian U.S., as well as a writer in residence for the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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This week, we’re joined by Yamani Hernandez, the chief executive officer of the Groundswell Fund, to discuss the importance of grassroots organizing and reproductive justice in this moment. Ms. has joined forces with Groundswell Fund and Groundswell Action Fund to create a special Gender & Democracy site dedicated to the work of Groundswell partners to highlight their efforts to champion inclusive democracy. You’ll hear their reflections and learn about the accomplishments of grassroots and local leaders, women of color, Indigenous women, and trans and gender-expansive people whose organizing and work is supported by Groundswell.

Joining us to discuss these issues is our very special guest: 

Yamani Hernandez is the chief executive officer of the Groundswell Fund. She has been working in the nonprofit space since she was 16 years old and doing that at the neighborhood level, city level, national and international levels. This has led her to the Groundwell Fund, which has funded nearly 200 million dollars for grassroots, organizing for reproductive and gender justice led by women and gender expansive people of color.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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