On The Issues With Michele Goodwin

As we reckon with an administration hostile to equal rights, feminists will continue to fight. To help keep hope, we must remember and celebrate recent wins.
 
One of those wins is the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which took effect on June 27, 2023. This is a landmark piece of legislation that prohibits discrimination and ensures workplace accommodations related to pregnancy for workers. But is the PWFA safe, or will it b...

In this episode, Dr. Michele Goodwin reflects on Trump v. United States.  As Americans adjust to the myriad executive orders, firings of government employees, the gutting of  the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), plane crashes, threats to dismantle the Department of Education, and so much more under the Trump Administration, what can be learned about the Supreme Court's case granting Donald Trump abso...

As part of our Black History Month Rewind at Ms. Studios, we’re revisiting some of our favorite past episodes. In our final Rewind, we're revisiting an episode we recorded in 2021, celebrating Juneteenth with Fritz and Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters. 

In this joyous episode, host Michele Goodwin is joined by music icon Anita Pointer of the three-time Grammy Award-winning R&B group the Pointer Sisters and her brother F...

As part of our Black History Month Rewind at Ms. Studios, we’re revisiting some of our favorite past episodes. Today, we're revisiting an episode exploring racism and police brutality, featuring a cast of all-star guests. 

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 ki...

As part of our Black History Month Rewind at Ms. Studios, we're revisiting some of our favorite past episodes. First up, we're taking a look of voting rights and voter suppression, revisiting an episode recorded ahead of the 2020 presidential election. 

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 end...

We begin 2025 on 'On the Issues' with special guest Dr. Anthony Fauci. In this episode we discuss some of the most important issues currently confronting the health of our nation and the world—from vaccine skepticism, COVID denialism, and health misinformation and disinformation to the rising tide of violence aimed at medical providers. Dr. Fauci joins us to express his hope for the future, offer insights on the pushback ...

In this episode, we continue to assess and reckon with the 2024 election results.  How did abortion rights prevail, while anti-abortion lawmakers were elected in the very same states? What will a Trump administration mean for women's rights, federal courts, agencies and throughout government?  Are there any safeguards left as a check or restraint on abuse of office?  And, what silver linings can we find among the election resu...

Election administration continues to be one of the most compelling, challenging, and increasingly dangerous jobs at the federal, state, and local levels. A recent survey by the Brennan Center revealed that over a third of election officials have experienced threats, harassment, or abuse just for doing their jobs.

In the face of these fundamental challenges to our democracy and an environment that has increasingly been char...

This week, we’re continuing our coverage of the lead-up to November’s elections by looking at an institution that has become increasingly contentious over the past four years: the U.S. Supreme Court. The specter of the Court has loomed over these elections like never before—from former President Trump repeatedly taking credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade and thanking the Justices he appointed for doing so, to the next preside...

In the wake of Vice President Kamala Harris replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee, the role that women are playing in this election is clearer than ever. Now under two weeks out from election day, we’re aware that so much is at stake for the entire nation, and for women in particular.

This week, as we continue our coverage of the lead-up to the November elections, we’re exploring the role of women and ge...

This week, we’re bringing back a very good friend of ‘On the Issues’ to talk about a topic that will profoundly influence the outcome of this fall’s elections: voter suppression. As voters head to the polls, officials and activists on the ground in states like Georgia are sounding the alarm about rules and voting restrictions that could significantly impact peoples’ ability to vote. What are the biggest threats to voting rights tod...

In this episode, we dive into a topic that’s more relevant than ever this election season: masculinity. White men are mobilizing to support Kamala Harris and we unpack why.  Polls are showing a growing gender gap, this election season—with women favoring Harris, while men favor Trump—but is the polling accurate? If so, what can we learn from this? How have the election’s gender politics changed, in the wake of Vice President Kamala...

On this week’s episode, we’re thinking about the return to school and Congress with Michigan Rep. Hilary Scholten. As we return to both, many things are top of mind: issues like gun safety, policies that benefit mothers and families, and much more are all things that matter at home, in schools, and in Congress. These are also major issues this election season. How can we ensure that our children and families aren’t just safe—but ca...

Every year on On the Issues, we bring you a Supreme Court term in review with a live studio audience. This year, for the first time we’re bringing you one from Washington, DC—we’re going to discuss the most important rulings of the 2023-2024 term, unpacking issues from abortion rights to presidential immunity—while we prepare for what’s coming next as the Supreme Court begins its new term this week.

Joining us to discuss the term ar...

In this episode, we unpack the chaos of the Trump years.  Breaking news took on  new meaning during Donald Trump’s term in the White House—one that was quite different from prior presidential administrations.  A ban on Muslims from entering the United States, known as the “Muslim Ban” quickly went into effect after his inauguration.  The world saw the United States lock children in cages at the border and defend its policy to deny ...

In this episode, we continue our series: The Trump Indictments.  On May 30, 2024, Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts by a New York jury.  In this episode we unpack the criminal charges that Donald Trump engaged in illegal business, electoral, and campaign activities. This week, we’re rejoined by Moira Donegan to discuss why the New York trial was about more than about “hush money" and how the case marks the first t...

In this episode, taped in front of a live audience at Georgetown Law in Washington, D.C., a panel of health and legal experts unpack what's happening around the world—from Gaza, to Afghanistan and beyond. How can governments and NGOs best act to preserve health, enforce legal norms, and protect humanity in times of conflict, and what can we learn from the doctors and human rights advocates who have been on the ground in these ...

In this episode,  we're joined by the indomitable Lizz Winstead with a live studio in Washington,  D.C.  She bares all as we talk about the new documentary featuring her and Abortion Access Front (AAF), No One Asked You.  From her childhood to her own abortion story,  she tells it all, including what led her to found AAF. 

In a time when the news is increasingly dire—especially with regard to reproductive health care—...