Amanda’s back this week and we’re so happy to have the gang all back together again. We’re less happy about the news… from Republican governor Kristi Noem killing her family’s puppy to the Supreme Court debating whether hospitals are obligated to save pregnant women’s lives, it’s been a rough week. But it’s not all doom and gloom, because after that, Jasmine shares an inspirational conversation with Jotaka Eaddy. Jotaka is the founder of the movement Win With Black Women, an intergenerational...

This week, we’re talking about repro. Again. Because somehow politicians and pundits still don’t understand that it’s not just about abortion – although abortion rights are critical. It’s also about birth control, IVF, and all of the other potentially life-saving procedures that are on the chopping block this year. Some of us may have been surprised when Roe v Wade was overturned but we refuse to be surprised again. We can’t stop talking to everyone we know about it in this pivotal election y...

*Content warning: pregnancy loss* The Suburban Women Problem is back! We've missed catching up about the news and sharing our conversations with amazing guests, so we're so excited to be back with you for Season 5. This week, Red Wine & Blue Founder Katie Paris is filling in for Amanda Weinstein. Katie, Jasmine and Rachel chat about all the news from the past 6 weeks, including some truly disheartening abortion bans in Arizona and Florida, and what Red Wine & Blue is doing to help....

Last month, Heather Cox Richardson appeared live at the City Club of Cleveland to speak about her new book, Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. With her was Katie Paris, the founder of Red Wine & Blue.  As Heather reminds us, the past doesn't repeat itself; it rhymes. To understand today's political landscape, we must understand how we got here. This fascinating live chat between Heather and Katie explores the state of our democracy, how we got here, and what we do...

As Season 2 of The Cost of Extremism draws to a close, we're excited to bring you a final bonus episode. Today, we're joined by @JoJoFromJerz for an in-depth conversation about three stories that are particularly relevant today. First, we have author Seyward Darby from episode 5, The Crunchy Mom to Alt-Right Pipeline. During our interview about white women’s role in the alt-right supremacy movement, Seyward discussed the historical portrayal of white women as martyrs. From literature to...

Crunchy moms and trad wife online content may seem innocent, but when you take a closer look, you start to see evidence of white-power ideology and conservative radicalization. So what happens when you go so far left that you end up alt-right? In this episode of The Cost of Extremism, we’ll take a deep dive into the crunchy mom to alt-right pipeline, its ties to extremism, and the role social media plays in the radicalization of women. For a transcript of this episode, please email...

On college campuses across the country, Turning Point USA is radicalizing a new generation of conservative extremists in an attempt to mobilize young Republican voters and build an alt-right movement backed by billionaire donors and political insiders. These alt-right extremists are wrapped in a neat package, presented as polished frat boys wearing chinos and boat shoes, making them digestible for a wider audience and more dangerous than ever. In this episode of The Cost of Extremism, we’ll...

Across the country, conservatives are looking to overhaul K-12 public education with right-wing curriculums that contain misleading and inaccurate claims about slavery, racism, immigration, and LGBTQ+ history.  In this episode of The Cost of Extremism, we’ll take a deep dive into the impact these curriculums have on public education, the harm they inflict on our children, and where they could be heading next.  For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected]. You can...

In recent years, book banning has become an organized movement backed by right-wing organizations, politicians, and conservative donors. Under the guise of ‘parental rights,’ books centering on LGBTQ+ characters and people of color are being disproportionately targeted, putting both our democracy and free speech at risk. In this episode of ‘The Cost of Extremism,' we’ll take a deep dive into the leading forces behind these book bans, the impact they have on our kids, and what we can do to...

Crisis pregnancy centers present themselves as genuine healthcare facilities; however, their main goal is to discourage individuals from accessing certain healthcare options like abortion and contraceptives. These centers, a well-supported arm of the global anti-abortion movement, are rapidly expanding by using deceptive tactics, medical disinformation, and public funding. Currently, crisis pregnancy centers outnumber abortion clinics by an average of 3-to-1. In this episode of 'The Cost of...

Today we were honored to be joined by Karine Jean-Pierre! She’s the current White House Press Secretary, and she’s the first Black and the first openly LGBTQ person to hold that position. She chatted with us about reproductive rights, what it’s been like to break so many glass ceilings, and the wins (so many wins!) from the Biden-Harris administration that we can share with our friends. We also dreamed up a collab between Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and Tracy Chapman - just manifesting that into...

We know from both statistics and personal stories that representation matters. Whether it’s people of color, LGBTQ folks, or young women running for office, it’s crucial to our democracy that everyone’s voice is heard. And fighting for our values doesn’t mean we don’t "go high when they go low," it means we fight disinformation and fear with facts and love. One place you can fight disinformation is around the myth that people often regret transitioning; this week we referenced the largest...

Lately there’s been a surge of attacks on diversity - affirmative action was overturned by the Supreme Court, Harvard president Claudine Gay was forced out of her seat with people calling her “a diversity hire,” and anti-DEI bills are popping up all over the country. So this week, as we start Black History Month, we’re talking about attacks on diversity programs. We got the chance to chat with Sophia Danner-Okotie, a small business owner in Atlanta, to talk about how difficult it is to get...

We’re only a month into 2024 but we already know that this November, our democracy depends on everyone coming together- all ages, all races, all genders. And just like other recent elections, we know we especially need young people to join in the fight. So this week, we’re talking to a young woman who uprooted her life in 2022 and started traveling around Texas in a van, registering voters. Tayhlor Coleman shares how the events of January 6th inspired her to add voter registration to her...

This week is the 51st anniversary of Roe v Wade and it’s so disheartening to think that there are women alive today who celebrated that victory only to have it taken away from them. But although clearly the fight is never really over, we won those rights in the past and we can win them again in the future. Then we explore a little-known aspect of consent and bodily autonomy with documentary director A’magine Goddard: the prevalence of pelvic exams on women under anesthesia who haven’t...

We have an exciting announcement this week: The Suburban Women Problem just launched a Substack newsletter! It’s an opportunity for a deeper dive into each week’s topic and to share news, Troublemaker stories, pod videos, and more. To subscribe to our Substack, click here or search for “The Suburban Women Problem” on Substack.com. Our guest this week is journalist and transgender rights activist Erin Reed, who has a popular Substack of her own called Erin In The Morning. She also happens to...

We’re officially back in the swing of things here after the holidays and we’re jumping right into it with an interview about public schools. But first, our hosts Rachel Vindman, Amanda Weinstein, and Jasmine Clark catch up about the news. We recently passed the 3-year anniversary of the January 6th insurrection and it’s upsetting to see how so many Americans have shifted their views from condemning it to explaining it away. It’s so important to have accurate journalism so narratives like “Jan...

Happy New Year, everyone! 2024 is a big year but we are ready to go, inspired by the victories and amazing conversations we had in 2023. In this special New Year’s episode, the hosts are joined by Red Wine & Blue story producer Jill Jonassen to discuss the best guests and conversations we had last year, how we’re feeling about this year, and what gives us hope. Suburban women know how to multitask, and this year we’re gonna need to walk, chew gum, AND save democracy! For a transcript of...

This week we’re feeling inspired by the organizing work that women have done in the past, and ready to keep fighting for ourselves and the future. Our hosts shared their heartache over what’s happening to Brittany Watts in Ohio - a young Black woman who suffered a miscarriage at home and is now charged with a felony. These laws are terrifying and seek to turn an already tragic situation into a nightmare. The Dobbs decision criminalized abortion and now they’re trying to criminalize...

We’ve been feeling heartsick this week over the woman in Texas who couldn’t get the abortion care she needed; first it was good news when a judge approved her request, then it was horrible news when the TX Attorney General threatened to prosecute her doctor and hospital. The same AG who has been accused of bribery and admitted to an extramarital affair! We have a clear message to him and every other hypocritical extremist: worry about yourself! Then we’re thrilled to be joined by Florida...

This week, we’re celebrating everyday superheroes. From our podcast hosts to our Red Wine & Blue community to you, our listeners, we are blessed and grateful to have so many superheroes on our side. But as the holiday season gets underway, even superheroes are feeling the stress. As moms, so much of the planning and decorating and gift shopping falls on our shoulders, which can turn a meaningful holiday into a stressful to-do list. So this week, we’re joined by Julie and Adrienne from...

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving week and were able to take some time to relax and recharge. We all worked so hard in the past few months to get the election results that we did, and it’s important to take some time to rest. This week, the hosts catch up about their holiday week and talk about the passing of Rosalynn Carter and, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the troubling reasons that Moms for Liberty have been in the news lately. Then Jasmine gets the chance to sit down with...

This week is Thanksgiving and we’re talking about how to survive the political conversations that come up during the holidays. Amanda, Jasmine and Rachel share their own personal experiences with those tricky holiday conversations, which can be even trickier when you’re a mom. It’s important to listen and figure out what values you have in common with your relatives, but it’s also important to know when to stop the conversation and pass the mashed potatoes.  We hope you’re having a safe and...

It’s been a week since the election and we’re still smiling about the results! Republicans used scare tactics and misinformation about reproductive freedom, and it didn't work. So today we’re talking about another issue that becomes more about fear than facts… immigration. We got a chance to talk to Dr. Leah Boustan, a rockstar economist who studies immigration, and she shared some real facts and data with us. She recently published a book called “Streets of Gold: America's Untold Story of...

Today we are celebrating big wins! We were all holding our breath for Tuesday’s election results because there was so much on the line, from the ballot measure in Ohio to the Virginia legislature to school board races across the country. And we are so excited to say that last night, democracy won! We’re joined for this special election recap episode by one of our favorite guests, Jess McIntosh. Jess helps us celebrate the wins (Issue 1 in Ohio! We kept the State Senate and flipped the House...