On The Issues With Michele Goodwin

In this episode, we're looking at the upcoming midterm elections, the role of women playing in national politics, and the attacks on the women who are running for office. In Ohio, we recently saw an example of this—an unreasonably cruel and debasing attack ad from gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, directed at his Democratic opponent Amy Acton, who has said she was sexually abused as a...

It's been five since the United States exited Afghanistan. How are women doing? The exit process followed the a 2020 Doha Agreement signed by the Trump administration and the Taliban. The Afghan government collapsed as the Taliban seized Kabul five years ago, on August 15, 2021. In the aftermath, gains for women's rights were immediately under attack. While the drama of the mass exodus a...

What's the deal with tradwives? From Turning Point to Instagram, the movement has found a strong following—and built a commercial empire. It's even hit the runways, marketing "traditional" clothing to women as the next wave of what's fashion forward. But what's behind the curtain? Beyond the idyllic images of returning to the prairie and a slower pace of life, there&a...

In this special episode, Dr. Michele Goodwin, host of Ms. magazine’s flagship podcast, On the Issues, reflects on Gloria Steinem’s courageous life and enduring legacy, including her fight for contraception and abortion rights, women’s political power and participation, equal pay for equal work, and ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Steinem passed away at the age of 92, surrounded by many...

In this episode, Dr. Goodwin breaks down what the latest Supreme Court ruling on voting rights actually says and what it doesn't, and of course, it means everyone's hair is on fire.  Given that this Supreme Court has tried in every way possible to make it more difficult for people to vote, dismantling the Voting Rights Act, an act that had been supported over the years by both Republican...

Today, we take a moment to pause to recognize the incredible life the indefatigable, beautiful, talented, wise Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, who passed away on August 25th, 2026, at the age of 80. She was a philanthropist, singer, songwriter, actress. Good person. And a person who stood for the civil liberties and civil rights of others, the most vulnerable of Americans. For us at Ms . magazine, we k...

In this special episode of On the Issues: The Magazine, host Dr. Michele Bratcher Goodwin and Ms . executive editor Kathy Spillar preview Ms .’ latest issue.  The Summer 2026 features Ms .' FEMINIST 250 project—an ambitious effort to reclaim women’s place in America’s history and imagine what a truly inclusive democracy could look like.  From indigenous women’s early models of democratic gove...

In this special episode of On The Issues, Dr. Michele Goodwin records live before a packed audience in Washington, D.C. at Georgetown University to review and analyze the Supreme Court's 2025-2026 term.  This Supreme Court's term included major decisions related to birthright citizenship, immigration, tariffs, voting rights, and the reach of presidential authority.  She is joined by este...

At Ms. Studios and Ms. Magazine, we have long recognized that reproductive justice is not a matter that begins and ends with pregnancy.  Rather the call for reproductive justice endures after birth, into childhood, and teenage years for so many mothers, especially Black mothers.  Mamie Till Mobley comes to mind—the mother of Emmett Till.  Emmett was murdered just after his 14th birthday in drew, M...

In this episode of On The Issues , we confront American democracy on fire.  How did we get here and who lit the match? In a 6-3 decision in Louisiana v. Callais , the United States Supreme Court gutted a fundamental provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA), landmark legislation enacted by Congress at the height of the civil rights movement to eradicate entrenched patterns of voter suppression...

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 2026 issue, which explores how U.S. federal immigration agencies have become the enforcement arm of the nation’s racism and misogyny. Also in the Winter issue: a renowned women’s rights lawyer on Iran’s deadly crackdown, how the Trump adm...

Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara— a landmark case that seeks to fundamentally rewrite the substance and meaning of one of the most important provisions of the Constitution: birthright citizenship. In this special episode of On the Issues, Dr. Goodwin unpacks Trump’s attack on birthright citizenship, which is widely recognized as one of the Constitution’s most f...

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a small group of men declared that “all men are created equal,” casting a vision of liberty that has shaped the American imagination ever since. But even as they debated freedom in Philadelphia, women were writing, organizing, governing, resisting and insisting on their place within the nation taking form.  As Ms. launches a new series on our country's Foundin...

In this special episode, Dr. Michele Goodwin pays homage to the life of Rev. Jesse Lewis Jackson, Sr.—civil rights leader, faith leader, political leader and advocate.  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. Support the show

Menopause will affect most women during their lifetime—but until fairly recently, it was a topic largely relegated to the shadows. More and more, advocates are calling for the spotlight to be put on menopause—highlighting not just the important health issues at play, but the ways in which they affect diverse populations, from Black and brown women to queer and trans people to incarcerated people a...

Pregnancy loss is devastating. Yet despite how common it is, the grief experienced after pregnancy loss remains largely unspoken, shrouded in silence and shame. How do you support someone who’s gone through such an unimaginable loss? In this episode, Dr. Goodwin is joined by two special guests to delve specifically into how creative expression and clinical care can offer support to those affected...

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 Winter 2026 issue, which delves into the promise and potential of the abortion medication Mifepristone—which has been shown to treat a striking range of diseases and conditions including fibroids, breast cancer, depression, endometriosis and mo...

Mifepristone, one of the drugs in the two-pill medication abortion regimen approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is an extremely versatile drug. It has the potential to treat a striking range of diseases and conditions—from fibroids, breast cancer, depression, and endometriosis, to autoimmune diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis, according to scientists. Researc...

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...

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...

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 Ep...

Content warning: this episode contains discussions of sexual assault.  Over the past several months, the Epstein files have been extensively covered by the media. But too often,  the voices of actual survivors are missing. In this episode, we’re filling that gap and shifting the focus to where it belongs: to the survivors and what justice means to them. Dr. Michele Goodwin is joined by Jessica Mic...

As we mark Domestic Violence Awareness month this October, we know there’s a long way to go when it comes to addressing the domestic violence crisis in our country. From pandemic-era spikes in violence to the Trump administration’s recent budget cuts and their impact on support for women and girls experiencing domestic violence, how are advocates and policy experts addressing the ongoing crisis? ...

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...

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 co...