On The Issues With Michele Goodwin

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 epis...

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 go...

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 Write...

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 in many of them district courts have ruled that the administration acted unconstitutionally. In t...

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 Michaels, a sexual assault awareness advocate and Epstein survivor. Dr. Goodwin speaks wit...

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 Supreme Court Review: a conversation recorded at Georgetown Law this summer, mode...

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 very special guest: George Conway: George Conw...

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 accountability in a world that often forgets what those values actually ...