On The Issues With Michele Goodwin

As the Supreme Court opens a new term this week, we take a step back to ask: What did the last term tell us about this Court? About its values, its power, and its vision for American democracy?

Because make no mistake: Every decision, every ruling, every case the Court chooses to hear—or not to hear—signals something about who we are becoming as a nation.

In this Ms. Studios special, we bring you our 2024-2025 Sup...

This last Supreme Court term was harrowing—from momentous merits decisions about the First Amendment, parental rights, trans rights and more, to the stream of shocking “shadow docket” decisions and its enabling of many of the Trump administration’s executive actions. What does the 2025-2026 term have in store for our nation? What do we think will advance through the Court? What do we think will come up, when it comes to the shadow ...

In this episode, at a time where unprecedented news stories break every day, we’re re-elevating the Jeffrey Epstein files. As victims continue to come forward, and new evidence continues to emerge, the questions and demands for justice grow louder. What can we learn from the information that has been released? What will it take for the full files to be released? And how will Trump respond?

 Joining us to discuss these issues is a ve...

As families prepare to send their kids back to school this year, some parents must face a new worry: will their children make it home safely, or will they be there to greet them, at the end of the day? 

Trump’s immigration crackdown is taking a toll on families across America, particularly under new guidance that allows ICE to arrest people in places where they were formerly prohibited from doing so—like schools, healthcar...

In this episode, host Michele Goodwin speaks directly to students, young scholars, and the next generation of leaders, and of course, the people who love them.  As she remarks, they are coming of age in a world that is complicated, challenging, and often unfair. This talk is about standing up when it's easier to look away, holding your ground when the crowd moves in a different direction, and acting with empathy and accountabi...

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, exe...

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 Carr...

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 cre...

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 fe...

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...

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 ...

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...

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. Profess...

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—an...

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...

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 r...

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...