On The Issues With Michele Goodwin

Dr. Michele Goodwin
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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.

  1. Oct 27

    Vivek Ramaswamy Weaponized Childhood Rape as a Political Talking Point: Women Across The Country Are Responding (with Moira Donegan)

    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 child by her stepfather who was charged with rape and fled the state. The ad includes her estranged mother, claiming that Acton lied about the traumatic events in her childhood. What do attacks like these say about our current political climate, and how will they influence voters? How is our cultural climate around gender impacting the midterms? Moira Donegan joins Dr. Michele Goodwin to unpack these important questions, just one week out from the election.  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. Support the show

  2. Oct 16

    Fifteen Minutes of Feminism: Five Years of the Taliban's War on Women (with Dr. Sima Samar)

    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 and airlifts are still visible in the minds of many, the plight of the women and girls left behind has largely been forgotten. Joining Dr. Goodwin to unpack these issues is our very special guest:  Dr. Sima Samar is a physician and an outspoken advocate for women's and human rights in Afghanistan. She served as Afghanistan's first Minister of Women's Affairs and as Vice President/Deputy Chair of the Interim Administration. 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

  3. Sep 30

    Tradwives, Turning Point and the Business of Anti-Feminism (with Madeline Peltz)

    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's discontent, abuse and women who want out. Joining us to unpack the movement is a very special guest:  Madeline Peltz is a writer, journalist and researcher, born in Chicago. Over the last decade, her reporting has appeared on Media Matters for America, MS Now, Newsweek, and elsewhere. She is the author of Good Girls and Alpha Males: How the Conservative Media Is Recruiting Gen Z. 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

  4. Sep 4

    Rest In Power Gloria Steinem: An Enduring Legacy of Truth-Telling, Torch-Bearing, and Bringing Joy to the Resistance

    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 people who loved her, in peace at home in New York City on September 2, 2026.  In this episode, Dr. Goodwin recalls Steinem’s unwavering sense of justice and powerful truth-telling, which led to her co-founding Ms. magazine with Dorothy Pitman Hughes.  Unlike any popular magazine or publication before it, Ms. addresed women's social, economic, and political perspectives and reported on discrimination against them.  It took women seriously.  It spoke directly to their concerns and women were hungry for it.  The magazine sold out in its first week.  Gloria Steinem lit a  revolution. Support the show

  5. Aug 26

    Justices Sotomayor and Jackson Sound the Alarm on SCOTUS' Dangerous Deference to Trump on Mail-In Voting

    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 Republicans and also Democrats, what hot mess is next?    The 1965 Voting Rights Act was one that had been embraced over the years strongly by Republicans and Democrats.  As Dr. Goodwin discusses, it has been this Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, which has unraveled it, pulled the thread where it would knowingly make all of the fabric fall apart into what has been a disintegration of one of the most essential pieses of legislation in American history, which protected all Americans.   As she reminds, let us not forget that the very first suffragists in the United States were white men who had been dispossessed from the right to vote because they were not wealthy.  Sit back and take a listen. Support the show

  6. Aug 26

    Rest In Power Dolly Parton: A Champion For Women and Children

    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 know that a true hero has passed on. And we know that with all the glitter, silver, diamond, and golds that she wore on her sleeves and on her lapels, and that truly are reflected in her heart, they continue to shine on as an example for us all. May Dolly Parton rest in power.   Support the show

  7. Aug 19

    The Magazine: Reexamining America 250 Through a Feminist Lens

    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 governance and the overlooked contributions of enslaved women during the Revolution, to more than five decades of feminist organizing and journalism, Spillar argues that understanding women’s history is essential to understanding the country itself. Goodwin and Spillar also turn to the urgent challenges facing women today, including attacks on voting rights, cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, the lack of paid leave and affordable childcare, and the broader targeting of women under the Trump administration.  Looking ahead, they discuss bold proposals featured in the issue—from using the Equal Rights Amendment to advance reproductive and maternal health justice, to Supreme Court reform and LaTosha Brown’s proposal for a federal Department of Democracy—and what it will take to build a democracy grounded in equality and social justice. Support the show

  8. Jul 27

    The Undoing of American Democracy: The 2025-2026 Supreme Court Term in Review

    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 esteemed guests, including: -Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of Berkeley Law -Mark Joseph Stern, Senior Writer at Slate -Jamelle Bouie, columnist at the New York Times -Moira Donegan, a columnist at The Guardian - Sherrilyn Ifill, Professor of Law at Howard Law School and former CEO and President of the Legal Defense Fund -Chris Geidner, legal editor at Law Dork.   The acclaimed and award-winning orator H. Adam Harris opens this special episode.  Support the show

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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Michele Goodwin
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    154
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 On The Issues With Michele Goodwin
  • Show Website
    On The Issues With Michele Goodwin

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