Women Rule: Recent Episodes
POLITICO
Join POLITICO’s Anna Palmer on the Women Rule Podcast as she takes you backstage with women bosses for real talk on how they made it and what advice they have for women looking to lead. New episodes every other Wednesday. Women Rule is produced by POLITICO in partnership with our founding partners Google and the Tory Burch Foundation.
For our final episode of 2020, Anna is joined by Alicia Garza, the activist and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement. They look back at 2020 — a year when Americans endured crises from the pandemic to the economic recession, racial injustices and a highly contentious presidential election. Through it all, women have often taken the lead. And as we head into 2021, Alicia tells us how she’s looking to set the course in activism for the year to come.
For her final episode as host of "Women Rule," Anna Palmer is joined by POLITICO editor Carrie Budoff Brown and POLITICO Magazine deputy editor Elizabeth Ralph to talk about the strange year we’ve all lived through — from the presidential election to the global pandemic — and look forward to 2021 and beyond, and what all of it means for women.
Now that the 2020 campaign is over, Anna speaks with Parker Poling, the executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which made substantial gains this year. Parker's job is a big responsibility — working with hundreds of campaigns, candidates, members of congress, donors and campaign staffers as the clock ticks down to election day. But Parker herself seems to take it all in stride. She talks about the wisdom she's learned over the years that allows her to do that — and the importance of being kind to yourself along the way.
"Women Rule" brings you another special episode of POLITICO's new podcast "Global Translations": The pandemic and the rise of China are prompting Republicans and Democrats to turn to government power to grow industries important to America’s security and place in the world. “Industrial policy” is an idea long reviled among Washington policymakers. Hosts Luiza Savage and Ryan Heath talk to the people trying to make industrial policy cool again.
Luiza Savage is the host of "Global Translations". Ryan Heath is a host of "Global Translations". Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO Audio. Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO Audio. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio. Jennifer Harris is a sentior fellow at the Hewlett Foundation, formerly at the US State Department during the Obama administration. Mariana Mazzucato is an internationally recognized economist and professor at University College London (UCL), and Founder/Director of UCL's Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. Check out and subscribe to POLITICO's Global Translations, and China Watcher newsletters. Read Luiza Savage's article on the new industrial policy emerging in the US to counter China's ascent. Global Translations newsletter: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-translations China Watcher newsletter: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-china-watcher
POLITICO article: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/04/china-us-economy-industrial-policy-global-translation-433954
The 2020 race is finished. And while we don't know all the results yet, we know enough to say this: There was a big gap between what was expected and what ended up happening. Joining Anna to talk it all through is Ally Mutnick, a campaign reporter for POLITICO and expert on all things congressional elections.
Hosted by Anna Palmer
Produced by Zack Stanton
Executive Producer is Irene Noguchi
"Women Rule" brings you a special episode of POLITICO's new podcast series "Global Translations." From closed factories to closed borders, the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of our systems, creating a period of scarcity where demand skyrocketed — from freezers to PPE — and we couldn't supply items fast enough. In this episode of "Global Translations", POLITICO hosts Luiza Savage and Ryan Heath take a deep dive with experts into global supply chains and what "decoupling" and "reshoring" are all about when it comes to America’s reliance on China and the rest of the world. Luiza Savage is the host of "Global Translations". Ryan Heath is a host of "Global Translations". Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO Audio. Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO Audio. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO Audio. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.
Adegoke Oke is a professor of supply chain management at Arizona State University. Tom Duesterberg is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He is an expert on trade and foreign policy. David Wertime is POLITICO's editorial director for China and author of the China Watcher newsletter.
Check out and subscribe to POLITICO's Global Translations and China Watcher newsletters, and Luiza Savage's in-depth piece on how the pandemic is forging a new consensus on globalization.
Global Translations: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/global-translations China Watcher: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-china-watcher Supply chain tug-of-war article: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/21/pandemic-forging-new-consensus-globalization-430605
This year, J.Crew is closing all of its stores and offices on Election Day in an effort to encourage its workers to vote. It’s not a move you’d expect from a major corporation. But Jan Singer isn’t your typical CEO. In fact, she didn't even want to be a CEO when she started out — and her (mostly male) superiors were quick to say she couldn't be a CEO unless she changed who she was. She didn't. And now leads one of the most iconic fashion retailers in America. We talked about her journey as a leader, what she's learned from listening, and how the pandemic is shaping J.Crew's outlook.
Hosted by Anna Palmer
Produced by Zack Stanton
Executive Produced by Irene Noguchi
You may know her as the star of “Ugly Betty” and “Superstore,” but right now, America Ferrera is focused on the 2020 election. As the co-founder of She Se Puede, she's working to boost the political participation of Latinas throughout the country. We talked about that, her political awakening as a 9-year-old and her participation in the "Time's Up" movement in Hollywood.
Julie Conway is the executive director of VIEW PAC, a group dedicated to electing more Republican women to the House and Senate. She joined Anna to talk about the 2020 campaign, her tips on how to fundraise successfully, and how the wave of Democratic women elected in 2018 is making it easier to recruit Republican women this year.
Host: Anna Palmer
Producer: Zack Stanton
Executive Producer: Irene Noguchi
If you’re a fan of the show, please subscribe to Women Rule on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Rate us and leave a review. You can also join the Women Rule community by texting WOMEN to 66866.
Erin Hill is the executive director of ActBlue, the tech platform powerhouse behind most small-dollar online donations to Democrats. They've raised more than $6 billion since 2004 — including around $3 billion in the 2020 cycle alone — and have helped Dems solidify a lead in online contributions. We talked about all of that and more: How small-dollar donors are changing politics, how the pandemic is changing small-dollar donors, and what all of this could mean for the future of politics.
Anna Palmer is the host of "Women Rule."
Zack Stanton is the producer.
Irene Noguchi is executive producer of POLITICO Audio.
Jennifer Horn is the former chair of the New Hampshire GOP. But these days, she's better known for the Lincoln Project — the group of anti-Trump conservatives who support Joe Biden. She joins us to talk about 2020, her journey in politics and the barriers she's encountered in her own runs for office.
Hosted by Anna Palmer
Produced by Zack Stanton
Executive Produced by Irene Noguchi
Andrea Mitchell, the NBC News journalist and television icon, joins Anna to talk about what she's learned over five decades of political conventions, how life has changed for women reporters and where she sees things going from here.
Angela Duckworth, a Penn psychology professor and host of "No Stupid Questions" from Freakonomics Radio, on the coronavirus pandemic and the unseen psychological reasons that explain why we act the way we do.
Duckworth is known for her research on “grit” and self-control — both of which are important characteristics to have when you’re living through times like these. She’s aware that we’re all struggling with those traits right now. And she knows that understanding that — as well as having the self-control to extend empathy to those who, for instance, ignore expert advice in the middle of a global pandemic — will make life a little bit easier for everyone.
Our guest today: Nina Garcia, who in addition to being the editor-in-chief of ELLE Magazine, serves as a judge on “Project Runway.”
Her journey to fashion-icon status was an unlikely one: She was an immigrant who came to America to get an education, fell in love with the fashion world, and worked her way to the top after starting out at the very bottom.
"I didn’t know anybody here. I didn’t really have any contacts. I had no connections," Garcia tells Anna Palmer. "It was just a big, glamorous industry, and I didn’t really see myself — there were no other Latinas doing it."
Throughout her career, Garcia has shown an ability to adapt to new situations — whether that’s taking a chance on a new TV show that would later become a smash-hit, working in the publishing industry at a time of massive upheaval, or staying on top of a fashion world that is built upon the idea of constant change.
Anna talks to Nina Garcia about all of that and more on today's episode of "Women Rule."
POLITICO's "Women Rule" podcast is produced by Zack Stanton. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio. Special thanks to Bob Auld for helping us out with recording in New York.
If you’re a fan of the show, please subscribe to Women Rule on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Rate us and leave a review.
And please share our episodes on social media. You can also join the Women Rule community by texting WOMEN to 66866.
Anna's joined by Padma Lakshmi, the author, model and activist who hosts “Top Chef” on Bravo and whose new show, “Taste the Nation,” is now out on Hulu. Padma said she decided to do the show after thinking about what a central role food plays in American culture and everyday life — and how the people behind the food we love are so rarely given the chance to tell their own stories.
Padma’s work away from the culinary world has put her on the forefront of a host of issues: civil liberties, immigrant rights, and raising awareness for endometriosis — a medical condition that millions of American women have, and which has struggled to receive the funding and attention it deserves because of societal assumptions about women and health.
All that and more on the newest episode of "Women Rule." "Women Rule" is hosted by Anna Palmer and produced by Zack Stanton. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.
Bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld joins Anna to talk about her new novel, "Rodham," which imagines a world where a young Hillary Rodham decides not to marry Bill Clinton. Though this isn't Curtis's first book, it is her first book to be released during a global pandemic — which presents its own challenges. We get into all of that, and more.
Teresa Carlson, VP of Amazon Web Services, and Dionna Dorsey, the owner and designer behind District of Clothing, join to discuss how businesses are pivoting because of the coronavirus pandemic and how the fallout from the protests over the killing of George Floyd are impacting their companies.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal represents Seattle, one of the most hard-hit areas in the country during the coronavirus pandemic. Via Zoom, she and Anna talked about that, why she thinks the economy isn't quite ready to reopen, and what she wishes the Trump administration got wrong in its response. Beyond that, she discussed her history-making path to the Congress, why she often finds leadership lonely, and "the poor men who are so afraid of our talents as women."
In this special bonus episode, Melinda Gates, one of the world's most active philanthropists and public health advocates, joins Anna to talk about the coronavirus pandemic, what she wishes the Trump administration would do differently in its response and the things that keep her up at night.
Today, a break from all things “coronavirus,” as Anna Palmer talks with fashion legend Diane von Furtstenberg. They sat down back before the stay-at-home orders began, when she was in DC to present Ruth Bader Ginsburg with the annual DVF Awards' lifetime achievement prize. And though a whole lot has happened since then, Diane’s advice still rings true for how we can approach life and its challenges.
Fashion legend DVF on life, leadership, and why, even now, she feels imposter syndrome.
A conversation with Fidji Simo, head of the Facebook App, on tech, coronavirus and Facebook’s response to misinformation and anti-quarantine protests. Simo is the 34-year-old who is in charge of Facebook's app — which has 2.2 billion users. She joined to talk through not only how the company is responding to Covid-19, but her own unpredictable journey to the upper echelon of Silicon Valley, and what she's doing to open the door for more women to follow.
We talk coronavirus with Dr. Janis Orlowski, chief health care officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges, who explains, among other things, the huge shortage of N95 masks the U.S. now faces amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Joanne Kenen, the executive editor of POLITICO’s health care coverage, walks us through the COVID-19 outbreak, America’s slow response and what we should expect in the weeks and months to come.
She’s the co-founder and CEO of one of the biggest e-commerce subscription companies in the world. Katia Beauchamp joins us to talk about how she figured out what she wanted to do, the value of starting wherever you are, and what she does to declutter her thinking.
On this special "International Women's Day" episode, Anna is joined by Dr. Natalia Kanem, head of the UNFPA. Her job is to help protect and promote access to sexual and reproductive health and health education throughout the world — especially for girls and women.
The Fox News host gets real about #MeToo, the 2020 election and what it’s like as the only woman of color to anchor a weekday news show on any major cable network.
She’s a teacher, mental health advocate and part of one of America’s most famous political families. But does Amy Kennedy have what it takes to oust an incumbent Republican congressman in one of America’s most closely watched 2020 races?
Kathryn Murdoch opens up about her famous Fox News-owning in-laws, the existential threat of climate change, why politics is so broken — and why she plans on spending $100 million to fix it.
When you sit down at a restaurant to eat, there are so many things that need to happen that never occur to you. That’s where Kimberly Grant comes in. She’s the CEO of José Andrés’ company, and before that, one of the top executives at Ruby Tuesday. Kimberly joined Anna to talk about what makes a restaurant a success, the weird spat between her boss and Donald Trump, and why sterling credentials aren’t always a match for real-world experience.
Live from the Women Rule summit, Anna speaks with "One Day At a Time" star Isabella Gomez and showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett about TV, Trump, Latinx representation, the stereotypes they wish would disappear, and how Hollywood is changing for women.
She's the most powerful woman in America: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. At the Women Rule Summit, she sat down with Anna to talk about the impeachment of President Donald Trump, her decades-long effort to get more women elected to Congress, and why simply having a seat at the table isn’t enough.
Lolwah Al-Khater is the face of Qatari diplomacy. She’s also an introvert with a fear of public speaking, and the first woman ever to hold her position. We talked about how she manages all that — on top of the formidable portfolio of issues she deals with every day in the Middle East.
She flew 89 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. She was the first woman in the Marine Corps to fly an F-18 in a combat mission. Now, she’s home in Kentucky, hoping to beat the odds and bring down the most powerful man in the Senate. But to do that, Amy McGrath will need to convince a great many Trump-supporting Kentuckians to cross over and support her, too.
Amy Howe, the president and COO of Ticketmaster North America, joins Anna Palmer to discuss the “obligation to dissent” that makes her speak up in meetings, what her years as a business consultant taught her about being a successful manager and boss, and how we might be getting that whole “work-life balance” thing all wrong.
MJ Hegar doesn’t back down from a fight — whether in combat in Afghanistan, or pushing the Pentagon to revise old sexist rules, or being denied a meeting with her member of Congress, or running for U.S. Senate as a Democrat in deep-red Texas.
You know Susan Rice as President Obama's national security adviser and UN ambassador. But there's a lot about her you don't know — like the time Donald Trump hugged her and said she was treated unfairly about Benghazi; or the moment she, as a young Clinton administration official, flipped off Richard Holbrooke; or her time helping lead America's foreign policy despite being a 32-year-old with a baby on her hip; or what it was like having a dad who grew up in segregated South Carolina, and whose daughter was few black kids growing up in Washington DC's most elite schools.
A year after the death of her husband, Sen. John McCain, Cindy McCain joins us to talk about the value of civility, her struggle to be taken seriously as a woman in Washington, and the side of her that you probably don't know — ranging from her time as special education teacher working with the children of migrant farmworkers, to the critical role Jill and Joe Biden played at the start of John and Cindy's relationship.
It's an important skill to have. Just ask Jamie Jones Miller. She was a college athlete, then worked as a lobbyist before a career on Capitol Hill, where she rose to become a chief of staff. Now, as the top lobbyist for the Defense Department, she has to walk a fine line — being strong and forceful but also empathetic and congenial.
When you conjure up an image of a c-suite executive, you probably don’t envision a smiling, friendly person. At first, Kate Lewis didn’t either.
And that was a problem as Lewis started taking on jobs in the publishing world with greater and greater responsibilities: By nature, she has a smiling, friendly disposition. But she didn’t see very many people like that in the corridors of power.
“In the magazine industry, there are a lot of—there’s an image, right, that you need to be a high-fashion person, that you need to have been a journalist in the trenches,” said Lewis, the chief content officer for Hearst Magazines. As a young, ambitious woman, she emulated them—thinking doing so was key to her thriving in the notoriously fast-paced New York publishing world.
Instead, she had a realization that changed everything: What if being herself—that smiling, friendly person—actually made her a better leader?
“I found my success when I became who I am. And that’s hard,” Lewis said during an interview for POLITICO’s Women Rule podcast. “I became comfortable with just being Kate. And that enabled me to have more candid, more deep, more real conversations with the people who were either going to hire me or were going to manage me or who I was going to work with. And I think that has made me more successful.”
At Hearst, Lewis oversees some of the most enduring and recognized magazines in America, including Cosmopolitan, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Elle, Marie Claire, Popular Mechanics, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, to name a few.
“Even though wisdom may be, you know, not to be the goofball, and to … not openly question yourself or open yourself up for debate, I think that has worked out really well for me,” Lewis said. “I think it’s coupled with the fact that I am decisive, and when I see the path, I go after it, and that I am capable of being critical, and all those things.”
“To me, that is the best strategy,” said Lewis: “Just be yourself and trust that that’s enough.”
She started out as an intern and worked her way up to become the president of entertainment and chief marketing officer of Univision. But before all that, she was a girl growing up in the Bronx — the eldest daughter of two Spanish-speaking immigrants, which gave her a foot in two worlds. As a kid, she had to translate for her parents — especially after her father died suddenly when she was just 15. She says those responsibilities coming at such an early age are common — and where others simply see hurdles, she also sees the start of her trajectory as a business leader.
Now, Jessica Rodriguez is one of the most powerful Latinas in media. And she wants to help make the c-suite more diverse — which means, in part, making people see their own strengths.
She was the first woman to lead a diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia. She was the U.S. ambassador to Malta. Now, Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley is trying to open up the diplomatic world to more women and people of color.
In the 2018 elections, the number of GOP women in the House dropped to its lowest number in 25 years. That’s where Rebecca Schuller comes in: Her newly formed super PAC is aimed at increasing the number of Republican women in Congress.
How do you get to be one of the most powerful women in the tech world by the time you're in your mid-30s? Maher is the head of the Wikimedia Foundation, the group that runs the fifth most popular website in the world: Wikipedia. She joins to talk about women in tech, fake news and what she discovered when she became a boss.
She went from being a paralegal and receptionist to a CEO, self-made billionaire and member of the president’s cabinet. Linda McMahon, the former CEO of WWE, former head of the Small Business Administration and current chair of America First Action — a super PAC dedicated to supporting Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign — shares what she learned along the way.
Before joining Congress, Houlahan served in the Air Force, led a major sporting-goods company, taught high-school chemistry, and was a non-profit executive. She shares what she’s learned along the way — and how she became comfortable taking on totally new challenges, time and again.
Refinery29 co-founder and executive creative director Piera Gelardi on what she’s learned as a former art-school student who became a heavy hitter in the online publishing world — including how she got comfortable asking questions in business meetings, managing a work-life balance when you work with your husband and growing up in a family business.
Katie Sturino, the founder of Megababe and blogger behind “The 12ish Style,” opens up about pushing the fashion industry to become more size-inclusive.
It is, by now, folk wisdom on the Internet: Never read the comments beneath a news article. They can be filled with sexism, racism, cruel mockery and ad hominem attacks. Avoid them at all costs — especially if the article is about you, or you’re a woman, or you don’t fit a very narrow range of acceptable body types.
Katie Sturino ignored that advice. She doesn’t regret it. In fact, she credits it with inspiring her “a-ha” moment.
Four years ago, after being the subject of an article about personal style and “how to get dressed as a curvy woman,” Sturino took in readers’ reactions and was surprised by what she saw.
“I read the comments of women, and they said, ‘Oh, my god, I’ve never seen my body on a fashion blog.’ ‘Oh, my god, I’m a size 14, and I didn’t think I could wear shorts,” Sturino said in an interview for POLITICO’s Women Rule podcast. “It was this thing where I realized that it was my job, this was — I was being called to this.”
Since that realization, Sturino has become the serial entrepreneur behind a small style empire that focuses on the women who are often ignored by the fashion industry.
“I think that there’s this misconception with designers, where you’ve got 12 people sitting around a boardroom, none of them are over a size six, and they’re like, ‘We’re dressing all women,’” said Sturino. “That is how they think.”
Sturino wants them to think again.
As editor-in-chief of the Bustle Digital Group, Kate Ward oversees some of the web's most popular news outlets, including Romper, Elite Daily, and Mic — pretty amazing for a company that started out of a Brooklyn apartment. Ward shares what she's learned in the journey from start-up to major success — including why Bustle gives its employees a financial stake in the company.
Since founding Framebridge in 2014, Susan Tynan has raised more than $67 million in funding for her company. How did she do it? By learning at every step of the way and learning to trust her own instincts.
Anna sat down with Susan on stage to talk about the specific lessons she's learned from launching her own startup, how to get over the hump in starting your own business, and what it's like to be a professional woman pitching mostly wealthy, white, male investors.
The name Anna Wintour immediately calls to mind an image of a woman at once both cool and cold, her face framed by an perfect bob haircut, her eyes inscrutable, hidden behind oversized sunglasses. You imagine the mind behind those glasses — the mind behind VOGUE, the woman whose hard-charging leadership style was the basis for Meryl Streep’s titular character in “The Devil Wears Prada.”
But if you’re able to escape the gravitational pull of that image, you’ll find something else: A model of how women can lead, and a cautionary tale of the double-standards they face once they do.
“They’re caricatures, they’re stereotypes,” said Amy Astley in an interview for POLITICO’s Women Rule podcast. “This is a businessperson successfully running a business. It’s not easy. And some of those things that were heaped upon her, you don’t see it heaped upon men as much.”
Astley is the editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest and a longtime Wintour protege who has led AD through something of a renaissance — dramatically expanding its digital business, launching new products and rejuvenating the century-old magazine’s brand.
Working in the world of style and fashion journalism, Astley sees her role as reflecting on the culture and illuminating why certain things are important to society. And that makes politics an unavoidable topic — even if you’re not intentionally being political.
“I had Ricky Martin on the cover [of AD] with his husband and his two kids … in their house in LA. They were barefoot, casual. I didn’t really give it two thoughts because to me, they’re just a fabulous couple — beautiful family, great house,” said Astley. “I had a lot of letters thanking me for just presenting them as a gay couple without putting any politics around it or pointing it out in any way, and it didn’t really occur to me that we would single them out in any way; to me, they were a family. That’s political.”
She came to the job after 13 years as Teen Vogue’s founding editor-in-chief — a position she was hand-picked for after a decade spent at its parent publication, Vogue. Astley credits her success at the top of the publishing world to the lessons she learned from Wintour’s example.
“Anna is not only the hardcore businesswoman, but she is a person who works all the time … and I have tried to bring that to all my jobs,” said Astley. “You see that she’s in it with you working really, really hard. We all know of bosses who, like, don’t really come to work. And it’s not a positive.”
“I really learned watching her be relentless: Keep trying things; do new things. Don’t worry if people say negative things about you. If something fails, carry on,” said Astley.
For Astley, one of those “new things” was launching Teen Vogue in 2003 with a decidedly different perspective than other publications aimed at girls and young women.
“My thinking was feminist, to be honest. I wanted the magazine to be about the life and the well-being of the young woman,” said Astley. “It wasn’t about how to kiss or … silly quizzes or how to dress to attract boys. I didn’t want any of that. I didn’t want it to be about how you are in relation to men; how you attract them, how you make them happy, how you please them. [That’s] so dated, but that is still what teen magazines were largely doing at that point.
Young women responded, and the magazine quickly became one of the most-circulated in the publishing world and blazed a path for the rush of woman-positive media that followed — which Astley credits to the generation of people who followed her and “were able to deepen and continue that work.”
In that way, Astley herself became a model for young women pursuing leadership, much as Wintour was for her.
“I know what my staff thinks about me and they know what I think about them. I think they’re the best, and I support them and I feel that comes back to me, and that’s why I’ve had a good career and have been able to make good products,” said Astley. “My team that I built, they know that I’m working hand-in-hand with them, and they know that I respect them and care about them. … It’s that simple. Respect, it all comes to respect.”
Live from SXSW in Austin, Congresswomen Terri Sewell and Veronica Escobar tell us about the unsolicited advice they've received as women running for office, what it's really like to wage a campaign for Congress, the very real barriers that women face in politics, and the best advice they've ever received about raising money.
The longtime president & CEO of PBS describes how she psyches herself up to fundraise, what businesses can do to foster talented women and how PBS has responded to the #MeToo movement.
For 13 years, Paula Kerger has led PBS, making her one of the media industry's most powerful players — which is probably not something you expect to hear about someone who considers herself an introvert. In that time, she's led the organization through a lot — from the rise of online streaming services, to battles with the Trump administration over funding, to the “Me Too” movement, when sexual harassment allegations brought down one of PBS’s biggest stars: Charlie Rose.
Through it all, PBS has remained a place known in the industry for the number of women in meaningful leadership roles — both on-camera and off. That’s by design. And Kerger sees that diversity as a fundamental component of PBS fulfilling its mission.
The head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administers the health care plans of 130 million Americans and oversees around 26 percent of the federal budget. It's a big job. And for Seema Verma, it's one that requires a complicated balancing act with her family back in Indiana.
The star and showrunner of Netflix’s "One Day At a Time" — one of Hollywood's few series starring and led by women of color — talk Hollywood, sexism and the stereotypes they’re tired of hearing about Latinas.
It’s a TV show about a Cuban-American single mother who works as a nurse. She’s an Army veteran and her ex-husband is still a contractor overseas. She has post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety. Her teenage daughter is an out and proud lesbian in a world that isn’t always welcoming. Her son has been bullied by racists who tell him to “go back to Mexico,” even though he’s a third-generation American. Her mother, a devout Catholic and Cuban immigrant, and lives with them in a small apartment in a working-class Los Angeles neighborhood.
If you’re among those who read that and think the show isn’t for you, Machado is having none of it.
“We get this question a lot, like, ‘What does it have to do with me? Why should I watch it?’” Machado said in an interview for POLITICO’s Women Rule podcast. “And I’m saying personally, I grew up watching white people and I identified with them. And I didn’t have anything in common with ‘Growing Pains.’ I had nothing in common with Kirk Cameron. … They were telling universal stories about family, about love, about all of these things.”
“When I wake up in the morning, I don’t think, like, ‘Another day in the life of a Latina!’” chuckled Gloria Calderón Kellett, the series’ co-runner, who joined Machado on the podcast. “You just wake up, and you’re a human and you’re trying to go about your day.”
Over its three seasons, “One Day At a Time” has earned a devoted fan following, both for its sharp writing and for its perspective on the world. It’s one of relatively few TV shows in Hollywood both led by and starring women of color (Machado’s mother is portrayed by Rita Moreno, the legendary EGOT winner whose career has spanned from “Singin’ In the Rain” and “West Side Story” to the Netflix series).
Having strong women behind the camera makes a difference, too.
“Day One of our show, we sit down with our staff and we say, ‘Hey, listen. If you have something — your kid has something at their school, you get to go to that,’” said Calderón Kellett. “‘And for those of you who have chosen not to have children, but your dog or your mom or your best friend is the most important person in the world to you, they have something? You get to go to that. All of you get to live your lives. And we’re going to try very hard to get out of here so that you can have dinner and have a full life outside of this.’ The moment you say that to anybody, they will kill for you.”
Having worked a steady career in TV on series like “How I Met Your Mother” and “Rules of Engagement,” Calderón Kellett said she was moved to take the approach because she’s toiled away in so many toxic and unaccommodating male-dominated writers’ rooms.
“Here I am in Hollywood, and I’m suffering [because of] a guy who doesn’t want to go home because he doesn’t like his wife and kids, and he wants to hold me hostage here while he’s telling dick jokes,” she said. “The more I would be in rooms where there would be half women, or more and more women, the more that type of misogynistic behavior ended. It would just start to end.”
New York City first lady Chirlane McCray joins us to talk about the work she's been doing to expand access to mental health care, her experiences growing up as the only black student in her class from sixth grade through high school, the strangeness of being an introvert in a prominent public position in one of the most media-saturated cities in the world, and whether her husband (NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio) will run for president in 2020 — and why she's thinking about running for office herself.
Years before Heather Wilson was secretary of the Air Force or a member of Congress, she was a student in just the third class in Air Force Academy history that admitted women. She talks with us about how the national security world has changed for women over her career, the many different hats she's worn, and what it's like to be mentioned as potentially the first woman to become secretary of Defense.
Nan Whaley has always known she was a democrat. Her father was a union worker and her mother was a local official in their small Indiana town. She got into politics after going to Dayton for college, and she became the youngest woman elected to the Dayton City Commission, at age 29. She offers her perspective on how to get comfortable with asking for political donations -- "You’re asking people to invest in you and invest in the vision that you’re trying to move forward" -- and what she learned from her failed campaign to be Ohio's governor.
Earlier in her career, Jean Case was on the executive track at General Electric when she made a big leap -- into tech. She rose to be a senior executive at AOL in the 1990s. Later, she and her husband Steve founded the Case Foundation, which she now runs.
She speaks with Anna about taking risks, learning from failure, and how the culture at tech startups was different some 25 years ago.
Stacey Abrams says the surge of new voters in Georgia's 2018 gubernatorial election -- though it wasn't enough to propel her to victory -- means the state is a must-visit for Democrats running for president in 2020.
Abrams tells Anna Palmer about the discrimination she faced in the Georgia State House, what she learned in her run for governor, and how her first campaign job morphed from being a secretary to being the candidate's speechwriter.
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) is the first woman to chair the powerful House Appropriations committee since it was created in 1865. And she’s ready for the government to open back up.
Plus, a conversation with Patrina Clark, president and founder of the government consulting firm Pivotal Practices and a longtime federal worker, on the real-life impacts the shutdown is having on her and her business.
Katie Porter is a consumer advocate, law professor, parent, and — as of this week — a member of Congress.
She’s among the more than 100 women elected in the 2018 midterms, a Democrat representing once deeply conservative Orange County, California, in the House. Porter is one of several new members of Congress with young children. Hers are ages 12, 10 and seven.
Piper Perabo tells the story of her journey from actor to activist. This podcast was recorded live at the 6th Annual Women Rule Summit in Washington, D.C. in collaboration with Ana Marie Cox from the podcast “With Friends Like These”.
Live from the Women Rule 2018 Summit: President Donald Trump has made numerous derisive comments about female reporters, but White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders won’t say whether he crossed the line.
2018 was the "Year of the Woman" — except when it comes to Republican lawmakers.
“We’re falling way short. And the Democrats are outshining us, no doubt on that," Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said. Hear what she's planning to do about it, plus how she balanced her career with parenting and what she thinks of the future of the Republican party in West Virginia.
Deborah Rutter, the president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, spoke with Women Rule about how she deals with the political overtones that come with art, her mission to make sure all children in America have art as part of their school curriculum, and why she doesn’t find the fundraising that’s part of her job so difficult.
Gazelle Hashemian -- a successful IT executive whose latest venture is the wellness company Blue Flower -- said her deep sense of appreciation for opportunity in the United States comes from living through the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
In 2001, she became president of Paragon Technology Group, a company that her husband founded in 1997, which grew into a successful multi-million dollar business.
NHL executive vice president Kim Davis is diversifying the NHL. Women Rule talks with Davis about her work to grow the league’s fan base, how she’s drawn inspiration from her family, and about political controversies in sports in the Trump era.
It was a historic night for women in midterm races around the country. Women Rule's Anna Palmer talks with POLITICO editor Carrie Budoff Brown and campaign reporter Elena Schneider about the state of play for women legislators, governors, and voters after the midterm elections.
With a potential new wave of women legislators coming to Capitol Hill after this election, Women Rule asked the question: What about their staffers? They’re the backbone of Congressional offices – the legislative assistants, the communications directors, the chiefs of staff. And women’s representation in these offices matters too. Just before the midterms, we’re bringing you this bonus episode on the minority women staffing Capitol Hill offices.
In this live Women Rule podcast taping, which we recorded at The Wing’s D.C. offices, we talked to two minority women who serve as chiefs of staff: Natalie Armijo, chief of staff for Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, part of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Caren Street, chief of staff for Rep. Karen Bass, who’s also part of the Congressional Black Caucus. We asked them about their paths to Capitol Hill, what it took to get them there, and the challenges they’ve faced since.
To tee up that interview, we had Rhonda Foxx, chief of staff to Rep. Alma Adams, set the stage, while Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand gave opening remarks.
Fox News host Martha MacCallum will lead the network's coverage on election night. Women Rule talks with MacCallum about how she's prepping for the midterms, how she feels about the label of "fake news," and what it's like covering every twist and turn of the Trump White House.
Michelle Freeman, real estate magnate and partner at Monumental Sports and Entertainment (which owns the Washington Wizards, Capitals, and the WNBA Mystics), talks about women in sports team ownership, the equalizing power of sports, and Colin Kaepernick. Plus: A deeper look into how tragedy has shaped Freeman's personal and professional lives.
Best-selling author Jodi Picoult is out with a new book - and it has a lot of political implications about women's reproductive rights. Women Rule talks with Picoult about her literary successes (and failures), being labeled "chick lit," and what powerful men can learn from her books.
Cecile Richards, the former head of Planned Parenthood, opens up about the Supreme Court, her one "bizarre" meeting with Ivanka Trump, a childhood steeped in politics, and whether she'll ever run for elected office.
This Women Rule episode was taped live at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, documentary filmmaker and women's rights advocate, could be the next first lady of California. Women Rule talks with Siebel Newsom about the film career she never anticipated, her work on gender equality, and why she'd rather be called the First "Partner," if her husband, Gavin Newsom, wins in November.
Women Rule talks with actress Jane Fonda about political activism, "radical kinship" with Donald Trump and his supporters, and the latest documentary examining her extraordinary life in the public eye, HBO's "Jane Fonda in Five Acts." We also chat with Fonda and filmmaker Susan Lacy about the arc of their careers and the relationships we build with women.
The HBO documentary film "Jane Fonda in Five Acts" is available on HBO Now, HBO Go and on demand.
Dana Perino, the Fox News host of the afternoon “Daily Briefing” program and a co-panelist on “The Five,” had a life before cable news.
Perino came from a lengthy career in politics, including serving as the White House press secretary under President George W. Bush - only the second woman to serve in that role. Women Rule talked with Perino about her winding professional path – how she started off as a journalist, then left news to work for several prominent Republicans, first on Capitol Hill, and then in Bush’s administration. With Perino’s window into both worlds, we discussed the state of presidential politics today, how this current Republican White House differs from her time in the Bush White House, and whether she’d ever find herself back in the West Wing.
Labor union leaders Liz Shuler and Mary Kay Henry discuss how they rose up through the union ranks and what they’re trying to do to increase the number of women in the labor movement. Shuler, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, and Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, also weigh in on recent Supreme Court decisions, Brett Kavanaugh's nomination, and what that all means for the future of the labor movement.
Blogger, podcaster, and Conservative Review TV host Allie Beth Stuckey opens up about how being a conservative has marked her – wrongly – as someone who believes “sexism doesn’t exist.” Women Rule talks to Stuckey about her rise in right-leaning circles, who she looks up to in the Republican party, and what it means to be a conservative millennial in this day and age.
Ayanna Pressley could be the new face of an old-school Democratic district in Massachusetts.
In our final installment of our "Tracking the candidates" series, Women Rule follows Pressley – the first black woman elected to Boston's City Council – as she runs in the state's 7th Congressional District to unseat 10-term incumbent Rep. Mike Capuano. It's an historic Democratic primary election that the entire party is watching, especially in the wake of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's upset victory against a powerful congressman in New York. In this episode, you’ll hear about the intimate details of campaign life, its ups and downs – but you’ll also hear about what Pressley’s race means for the Democratic party, what its future looks like, and just how different that could be from the party’s past.
We're keeping tabs on the women running for office this year with our Women Rule Candidate Tracker. Make sure to check it out on POLITICO. Also: Ahead of our Washington summit, we're taking nominations for "Women of Impact" - women who have led in a divided era. Send us your thoughts on who we should feature by filling out this form.
Music in this episode by: Podington Bear.
With Donald Trump as president, it’s not easy to run for Congress as a Republican woman this year.
For Lea Márquez Peterson, who’s a GOP primary contender in Arizona’s second congressional district, that means she’s had to develop a strategy that both hugs the president’s policies – and distances herself from him.
On the second episode of our "Tracking the candidates" mini-series, we talk to Márquez Peterson about her pivot to politics from business, her powerhouse fundraising efforts, being the only Hispanic woman in the room, and her Republican primary campaign in the era of President Donald Trump.
In the first episode of our three-part "Women Rule: Tracking the candidates" mini-series: Lori Lightfoot.
Lightfoot is a Democrat running to unseat Chicago's current Democratic mayor, Rahm Emanuel. If she wins, she could be the city's first black female mayor (and its first openly gay mayor).
What is it really like for women hitting the campaign trail in 2018?
In a year that’s being billed as revolutionary for female political candidates, Women Rule’s three-part series, "Tracking the candidates," will focus on the gritty realities of running for office. Three women in three very different races across the country tell us why they’ve decided to run, what the challenges are on the ground (and in their personal lives), and what lessons other women can take from their campaigns.
We’re also following the numbers: our interactive Women Rule Candidate Tracker keeps tabs on the women running in state, federal, and gubernatorial races around the country.
Don't count Washington out when it comes to the nation's art centers.
Women Rule talks with two leading ladies of D.C.'s art scene: Melissa Chiu, the director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and Julie Kent, the artistic director for the Washington Ballet. Chiu discusses the rise of museums in the age of social media, her curation of Kusama's popular "Infinity Rooms" exhibit, and how she turned the Hirshhorn into an Instagram sensation. Kent reflects on her transition away from dancing and weighs what it means for women to lead in the art world.
At our live Women Rule taping, Priya Basu, the head of the World Bank's Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, looks back on one year of running the gender-equality “start-up."
As celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian lobby Capitol Hill for regulations around cosmetics products, the fight is getting another advocate for reform: beauty mogul Gregg Renfrew, the CEO of Beautycounter. Women Rule talks to Renfrew about her fight for natural beauty products, how she recovered after a public firing, and what's next for Beautycounter.
Tamara Mellon, now the founder and chief creative officer of her own eponymous shoe line, struggled with addiction, founded a luxury shoe empire, and sought to disrupt the fashion industry. Women Rule talked with Mellon about how she started Jimmy Choo - and what that company has to do with her advocacy in closing the gender pay gap.
Bellamy Young – known for her role on the hit TV series 'Scandal' as Mellie Grant, the former first lady-turned-president of the United States – reflects back on the Shonda Rhimes creation, weighs the show's politics, and imagines just how different 'Scandal' was because President Trump was in the White House.
Soccer star Hope Solo wants to “right the ship” for her sport, especially when it comes to wage equality for female athletes and access for young players. On Women Rule, the former goalkeeper for the U.S. Women's National Team talks about why she thinks "soccer in America has become the rich white kid’s sport" – and what she plans to do about it.
The Black Women’s Congressional Alliance looks to promote diverse voices to work in the staff offices of Congress – even against the odds. From wage gaps to micro-aggressions, Women Rule talks with three staffers - Jennifer DeCasper, Rhonda Foxx, and Meaghan Lynch - about their experiences as black women on Capitol Hill.
Jennifer DeCasper is the chief of staff to Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican representing South Carolina. Rhonda Foxx is the chief of staff to Congresswoman Alma Adams, a Democrat from North Carolina. And Meaghan Lynch is the communications director for Congressman GK Butterfield, a Democrat from North Carolina.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is calling President Donald Trump’s policy of separating migrant families at the border “cruel” and a “misallocation” of resources by the administration. Napolitano implied that the White House’s “zero-tolerance” policy along the southern border could even be against the law.
In this latest episode, Napolitano, who is now the president of the University of California school system, opens up about her old Homeland Security gig, her time in elected office in Arizona, and her battles with cancer.
Read about it here: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/19/janet-napolitano-family-separations-653306.
Former Fox News anchor Alisyn Camerota recounts her time under Roger Ailes’ rule and offers thoughts about the current #MeToo moment. Camerota – now a co-anchor on CNN's New Day program and the author of a new novel "Amanda Wakes Up" – also opens up about her journalism career, her dealings with Trump, and the book that was partly inspired by her time at Fox News.
We're bringing you a bonus special episode from our Women Rule summit in Los Angeles, where POLITICO editor Carrie Budoff Brown sat down with former BET chair and CEO Debra Lee earlier this week. Lee opens up about her political involvement, the art of saying "no," and BET Networks' transformation from a music video channel to what it is today.
Margaret Brennan, the moderator of CBS' "Face the Nation," is only the second female anchor in the show's lengthy history, and she's taken over after a massive shakeup at CBS. Here's her take on the #MeToo movement, how reporters have fallen short in their coverage of political news, and how she now handles her job asking questions of the most important political figures of our times.
Pastry chef and Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi brings an intensity to her work that's hard to match - and even as her dessert empire grows, she has no intention of slowing down. On Women Rule, Tosi talks about her first forays into the food industry, her hustle to raise cash for Milk Bar, and the unflinching enthusiasm that got her to where she is today.
Sally Kohn, an author and former Fox News political commentator, opens up to Women Rule about her last interaction with Roger Ailes, how she stumbled into the TV punditry business, and the findings of her new book, 'The Opposite of Hate: A Field Guide to Repairing our Humanity.'
Polina Veksler and Alex Waldman, the founders of the plus-size clothing brand Universal Standard, discuss how women face more than just a gender wage gap - they also face a size pay gap. Women Rule peaks into how the two built their business from scratch, how they attracted big-name investors like Gwyneth Paltrow, and how they're now trying to revolutionize the fashion industry.
Sarah Kauss, founder of the water bottle company, discusses how S'well got its name, how she grew her company to be a worldwide brand, and how she learned to ask for help along the way.
TheSkimm founders’ key to success meant ditching the ways of traditional media and embracing an audience-driven strategy. Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin discuss how they started their company from a couch, weigh the future of the brand, and dole out advice on how to raise capital for a new venture.
Susie Tompkins Buell, a prominent Democratic donor, isn’t happy with how Democrats have handled sexual misconduct allegations within their own party.
Buell, the founder of the Esprit clothing company, is widely known in left-leaning circles for cutting big political checks and through her close friendship with Hillary Clinton. Women Rule talks with her about the #MeToo movement and the Democratic party, Buell's longtime friendship with Hillary Clinton and how she built a clothing empire from scratch.
Women Rule talks to one of the most powerful women in financial services: Bank of America’s vice chairwoman, Anne Finucane. She’s most responsible for the bank’s investment into all its social causes, including billions of dollars pumped into environmental initiatives. But before her broad portfolio at the bank, she was most known for one thing: turning the company around after the 2008 financial crisis.
Women Rule spoke with Finucane about what she learned from it all, how Bank of America bounced back – and what women had to do with it.
As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg heads to Congress, one dogged tech reporter has some advice for Capitol Hill and the reporters who cover it: Take off the kid gloves when dealing with the Silicon Valley executive.
“He’s one of the richest people on earth. He’s an adult. He’s 30-some years old,” Kara Swisher, co-founder of Recode, said on the latest episode of the Women Rule podcast. “He can answer questions if he’s the CEO. He founded this company. Stop juvenilizing men here in Silicon Valley.”
When Rule spoke with Swisher in San Francisco, we learned a lot about how she views the tech industry, how she famously asks pointed, tough questions that make Silicon Valley executives sweat. And we also discussed what she’s learned from the startup culture that she’s applied to her own career – one that might take a political turn in the near future.
Margaret Spellings, President George W. Bush’s former education secretary, muses on the state of the cabinet under the current Republican White House and offers some praise for Betsy DeVos. Spellings also reflects back on her time as president of the University of North Carolina and her legacy on No Child Left Behind.
Just days after an emotional, nationwide movement demanding stricter gun control laws, North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp launched a staunch defense of the Second Amendment and pushed back at those calling for reforms. Heitkamp sat down with Women Rule for a live podcast taping in Los Angeles, explaining her views on guns, her tough midterm race, and her relationship with President Donald Trump.
Ronna Romney McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, is smashing fundraising records. In the latest Women Rule episode, she explains her fervor for bringing in the cash: “If you have money you have power. And if you have money, you have a seat at the table."
McDaniel also spoke candidly about her relatively low profile in Washington (despite her prominent political family), her punishing work schedule away from her two children, and the Republican prospects in this midterm election.
Kay Coles James is the new president of the Heritage Foundation, America's largest and arguably most influential conservative think thank. Her role is a groundbreaking one, in part because she’ll be the first African American woman to head up Heritage. Women Rule sits down with James to discuss the "true north" for conservatives, her attempt to work in the Trump administration (blocked, she says, by former "Apprentice" star Omarosa Manigault Newman), and her personal history - including the time she attended a segregated white high school as a young child in the '60s.
Women Rule heads to Austin for SXSW, where host Anna Palmer speaks with Wendy Davis about what Democrats are doing in Texas, lessons she learned from her failed gubernatorial run in 2014, and whether or not she plans on getting more involved with Planned Parenthood.
Sen. Tina Smith doesn’t want to talk about Al Franken.
When asked about her Democratic predecessor, who resigned the Minnesota seat amid allegations of sexual misconduct, she avoided even saying his name in this Women Rule interview. Instead, Smith is concentrating on the economic implications of the #MeToo movement, as she trains her eye on getting reelected this November.
Rachel Holt, vice president at Uber and general manager of the company’s U.S. and Washington operations, spoke with Women Rule about the new directions the company has taken since Dara Khosrowshahi took over - and what it means for its women employees.
Actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith, best known for her role as Dr. Nancy McNally on "The West Wing," has a new film focusing on incarceration among American youth. Women Rule sits down with her to discuss the critically acclaimed "Notes From the Field," Deavere Smith's social justice interests, art in the Trump era and her latest work with Shonda Rhimes.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth has a problem: How can a senator who needs to vote take time off to care for her newborn?
The Illinois Democrat and Iraq War veteran, who is expecting her second child this spring, will be the first sitting senator to give birth in office. She plans to take 12 weeks of paid leave – but she’s working with her party’s leadership and her staff to figure out how she can still take important votes while she’s out. In this episode, the senator opens up about her history-making pregnancy, Democratic prospects in the midterms and her not-so-affectionate nickname for President Trump.
Meghan McCain is not her father.
For one, she’s a daytime talk show host on ABC's "The View." And her father is Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a one-time presidential candidate and perennial thorn in Donald Trump’s side. But Meghan and her father are really close, and in this interview with Women Rule, the younger McCain opens up about some intensely personal topics, including her relationship with him. She also discusses his fight with brain cancer, how she feels (as a conservative) about the Trumps, and why she doesn't consider herself a feminist.
After several widely publicized mistakes by news outlets in reporting on President Donald Trump and his administration, Martha Raddatz, ABC News’ chief global affairs correspondent and co-anchor of “This Week,” is calling the experience a “good lesson” learned for journalists.
With Trump in the White House, “I think we’re watching each other a little more,” Raddatz told POLITICO’s Anna Palmer. “I think we’re more careful — and try to be more careful — in that we admit mistakes quickly and try to correct those mistakes. That’s a good thing.” In the interview, Raddatz also spoke about taking the "scenic route" in her career, the difficulties of reporting on foreign wars, and what she's proudest of in her career.
As Donald Trump prepares to deliver his first State of the Union address on the heels of reports he had an affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels, one former White House speechwriter offered up a lesson from what Bill Clinton did in 1998: Stick to policy." June Shih, one of the architects of that address – which Clinton delivered just four days after news broke of the scandal involving Monica Lewinsky – said focusing on his ideas made Clinton’s speech “a very triumphant moment.”
Women Rule spoke to four former presidential speechwriters – including Mary Kate Cary of the George HW Bush White House, Vinca LaFleur of the Clinton White House and Sarada Peri of the Obama White House – about their experiences writing the addresses, their advice for Trump’s speechwriting team and why there are so few women at the highest levels of the profession.
The former anti-Trump governor became one of the president’s favorite officials, giving her rare standing on the global stage. The U.N. ambassador explains how in this special episode of POLITICO’s Women Rule podcast with White House reporter Eliana Johnson.
As Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY's List puts it: "Someday, EMILY’s List will not be needed...because there will be women running in every election out there.”
From Schriock’s view, that day could be soon. The organization, which supports pro-choice Democratic women in their bids for public office, has seen a growth spurt in the months since the 2016 election. And going into the 2018 midterms, they've more than doubled their campaign operations. POLITICO's Anna Palmer talks with Schriock about winning back the House, Schriock's her early start in politics, her old boss Sen. Al Franken, and more.
Maria Trabocchi has built a Washington restaurant brand on hospitality and Italian fine dining — and for years, Sfoglina, Fiola, Fiola Mare and Casa Luca (and, most recently, Del Mar) have played host to D.C.’s A-list. The Obamas have feasted there, along with foreign heads of state, Hollywood stars like Meryl Streep, and the occasional Supreme Court justice.
But what's the secret to charming the VIPs of the nation’s capital? POLITICO's Anna Palmer sits down with Trabocchi to discuss the details of entertaining Washington's power brokers, how she got her start in the food industry, and what's next for her restaurant empire.
Before the viral hashtag #MeToo, before the revelations against Harvey Weinstein and other media giants… there was Gretchen Carlson.
Back in 2016, Carlson filed a landmark lawsuit against Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, beginning a wave of sexual harassment allegations at the network. Eventually Ailes was forced out, along with other Fox News big wigs, like Bill O’Reilly and Fox co-president Bill Shine. But at the time, Carlson was a solitary voice against one of the most powerful men in media.
In this interview with the former Fox News anchor, POLITICO's Anna Palmer talks with Carlson about that "lonely, fearful" time, her advice for women in the workplace, her winding career path, and what's next for the pageant queen-turned-journalist-turned-women's empowerment advocate.
Are women the survivors in Trump’s White House? What goes on behind the scenes when reporting on the presidency? POLITICO White House reporters Nancy Cook and Annie Karni sit down with Carrie Budoff Brown for the final Women Rule episode of 2017.
Last week, POLITICO hosted its fifth annual Women Rule summit, where we had several frank discussions about sexual harassment and assault. In this episode of the 'Women Rule' podcast, we hear some poignant moments from the summit: interviews with Elaine Chao and Kellyanne Conway about their "Me Too" moments, a discussion with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and the misconduct allegations sweeping Capitol Hill, and a talk with Tarana Burke, the woman who founded the "Me Too" movement over a decade ago.
It’s not easy being the lone woman at the top of the food chain, especially in all-male kitchens. But powerhouse chef and restaurateur Amy Brandwein — owner of the popular Italian eatery and market Centrolina in downtown Washington — has learned to deal with it. In this conversation with POLITICO's Anna Palmer, Brandwein talks about striking out on her own in the male-dominated food industry, what she's learned from politics, and how it's that much more difficult to raise money as a female entrepreneur.
What happens when the agriculture industry stays male-dominated? Will first lady Melania Trump continue Michelle Obama's legacy on healthy eating? In this food-themed post-Thanksgiving episode, POLITICO agriculture reporters Helena Bottemiller Evich, Jenny Hopkinson, and Catherine Boudreau sit down with Carrie Budoff Brown to discuss the latest in food and farm policies.
Cindi Leive’s 16th and final year at the helm of Glamour has been consumed with discussion of sexual misconduct, but she says the discussion would not continue to dominate news cycles today if Anita Hill had been handled differently 26 years ago. As she prepares to depart Glamour after a 16-year run at the magazine, Leive joined POLITICO’s Anna Palmer to discuss what’s changed for women during that time, what’s changed for the publication, and what she wishes she had done differently.
How does the net neutrality debate affect women? What are social media giants doing to combat the spread of fake news and harassment on their platforms? POLITICO technology reporters Margaret Harding McGill and Nancy Scola sit down with Carrie Budoff Brown to discuss the latest in tech news.
As Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost tells it, there is “no difference between female agents, male agents -- we’re all Border Patrol agents.” In this bonus episode, Provost, the agency’s first female head, sat down with Women Rule to discuss her history-making career, the Border Patrol’s vast gender gap, and why it matters to have more women in their ranks.
On the first anniversary of the 2016 election, we spoke to female political operatives from the Clinton, Cruz, Rubio, Sanders and Trump campaigns to hear their backstage stories from the campaign trail – what they learned, what they wish they had done differently, and when they foresee a woman in the White House.
Susan Glasser, host of the Global POLITICO podcast, takes over the Women Rule feed for this important episode. Six women with careers in national security sit down with Glasser to explore the specific challenges faced by women who step up to participate in the policy debates about America’s place in the world. Frequently, they find themselves so outnumbered that even offenses which would stir outrage in many other workplaces are still so commonplace they are hardly remarked on. Laura Rosenberger, Evelyn Farkas, Mieke Eoyang, Loren Schulman, Kathleen Hicks and Julianne Smith explore how they've handled uncomfortable situations, confronted sexism and succeeded in this male-dominated field.
Will we ever have a female president? The latest edition of POLITICO's magazine tackles that question - and a lot more. POLITICO magazine editors Margaret Slattery and Elizabeth Ralph sit down with Carrie Budoff Brown to discuss the print publication.
After the sexual harassment allegations leveled at Harvey Weinstein, New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is calling for legislative remedies – and a cultural shift.
Fitness mogul Melanie Whelan puts her spin on leadership, politics, and why women rule in the fitness space. Whelan also teases a possible expansion of the SoulCycle brand.
Iranian-born actress and activist Nazanin Boniadi, who was protesting at the United Nations last week while Trump denounced the nuclear deal in an address to the General Assembly, said that the focus on the nuclear deal distracts from another pressing issue – human rights violations in Iran. She details how the international agreement has affected her humanitarian work, minority representation in Hollywood and more.
Obama’s immigration architect, Cecilia Muñoz, advises lawmakers in her party to forget broader immigration reform and ‘stay focused on the DREAM Act.’ In the latest episode, Muñoz recalls the lengthy West Wing deliberations leading up to Obama’s executive action on DACA, and the political landmines it entailed for the Democratic Party. Muñoz also touches on her own journey from the world of immigration advocacy to the White House —-- and what advice she would give to women of color navigating Washington.
In early August, President Donald Trump vowed to formally dub the U.S. opioid crisis a “national emergency.” But nearly a month later, the president has yet to officially declare a state of emergency — a move that would enable the federal government to pump funds into addressing the drug epidemic. Two women on the front lines of the opioid fight — June Sivilli, the chief of the public health division in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and Dr. Cece McNamara Spitznas, ONDCP’s senior science policy adviser – try to explain why Trump still hasn’t made that formal declaration. Women Rule spoke to Sivilli and Spitznas about the administration's drug control priorities and how the opioid crisis has uniquely affected women.
On this episode of "Women Rule," two ambassadors to the U.S., Vlora Çitaku from Kosovo and Mathilde Mukantabana from Rwanda, tell their deeply personal stories about life after genocide. They explain what got them through those trying times and how they continued to live – and thrive – in the face of those devastating circumstances, and along the way, they point out how women were integral in rebuilding their societies after war.
After President Trump took to Twitter last week to announce a ban on transgender military personnel, one former Navy SEAL lobs a warning at the White House: “You just smacked the hornet’s nest with a baseball bat." In this episode, POLITICO's Luiza Savage interviews Kristin Beck - a transgender war veteran - and discusses this turning point for the LGBT community.
The mayors of Baltimore, Charlotte and Salt Lake City wrestle with some of the most contentious issues dominating national policy conversations, including health care and improving public school systems. These city leaders also all happen to be female – and are tired of having some of their cities’ most thorny issues singled out as “women’s issues.” Mayors Jennifer Roberts (of Charlotte), Catherine Pugh (of Baltimore) and Jackie Biskupski (of Salt Lake City) discuss critical policy areas and what it's like to be a local lady boss.
In the wake of the 2016 election, former vice presidential candidate and long-time Republican digital strategist Mindy Finn may be leaving the GOP –- and Washington -– altogether. In this episode of "Women Rule," Finn, who ran alongside independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin last year, delivers a harsh critique of her party, its leaders in Congress, and President Trump.
Actress Allison Williams says she doesn’t like to get political – a feature, she claims, of being the daughter of NBC News anchor Brian Williams. But she has some distinct opinions about how President Donald Trump would have knocked her hit HBO show “Girls” in a dramatically different direction. In the latest episode of "Women Rule," Williams talks politics, millennial activism, and women in Hollywood.
Women are more politically mobilized than ever before, but that hasn't been enough to get them into office. With women stalled at 20 percent of Congress and 1 in 4 elected offices nationwide, POLITICO investigates the causes of this persistent gender gap — and what’s really stopping women from breaking through. Luiza Savage talks with journalist Amanda Ripley and American University professor Jennifer Lawless about the findings of POLITICO's deep dive into women and the political pipeline.
While the GOP swept into control of both chambers on Capitol Hill, the number of Republican women in Congress actually decreased in the last election. Collectively, they make up only 9% of Republicans on the Hill. By comparison, women are about one third of all Democrats in the Congress. To discuss this gap -- and possible solutions to decrease it -- Women Rule brought together three experienced Republican strategists: Andrea Bozek, the communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee in the 2016 election cycle; Liesl Hickey, the executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee; and Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List. The conversation was moderated by POLITICO Live’s editorial director Luiza Savage and journalist Amanda Ripley, author of the Women Rule investigation into women and politics.
With President Trump confronting multiple Russia investigations, a stalled legislative agenda, and tense relationships with foreign allies, Carly Fiorina has some sharp words of advice: “Stop tweeting.” In the latest episode of Women Rule, the former Hewlett-Packard executive-turned-U.S. presidential candidate weighed in on a wide array of political topics, but also discussed some deeply personal stories: her first Washington meeting at a strip club in the ‘80s, how she felt responding to Trump’s campaign trail insults of her appearance, and why she abhors the female-centric discussion around the “fear of failure.”
The FBI has never had a female director. But Fran Townsend, the former homeland security adviser for President George W. Bush, could change that. She confirms that the Trump administration has approached her about the job and weighs in on what she believes is a historic candidacy. In this week's Women Rule podcast, Townsend joins two other prominent women from the Bush White House – Candi Wolff, former assistant for legislative affairs, and Julie Cram, former deputy assistant and director of the Public Liaison Office – to reflect on their stints in the executive branch and offer up advice for the current Republican administration.
Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada made history last year when she was elected the first Latina member of the U.S. Senate. She’s now working to become less of a novelty. The Nevada senator talks with Women Rule about her push for a more diverse legislative body, whether she could work with the Trump administration, and how women bond in the Senate. Plus: A reporters roundtable with two of POLITICO's star Capitol Hill journalists, Rachael Bade and Seung Min Kim.
In a special episode of "Women Rule," POLITICO's “Off Message” podcast takes over the feed with an interview featuring actress and political activist Sophia Bush. POLITICO editor Carrie Budoff Brown hands over the reins to her colleague Isaac Dovere for the bonus interview, where we hear Sophia Bush delve deep into issues Women Rule listeners are familiar with: women in politics and sexism in the workplace.
Hollywood stars who went all-in for Hillary Clinton say the next woman who tries to shatter that highest glass ceiling needs something that Clinton sorely lacked – authenticity. Actor Tony Goldwyn, actress Jaime King and the Clinton campaign's Adrienne Elrod talk about post-election emotions still raw nearly 100 days into President Trump’s first term.
Tina Tchen, the former assistant to President Barack Obama and former chief of staff to Michelle Obama, weighs in on Ivanka Trump, discusses her personal experience as a working single mother, and reflects on how the former first lady was as a boss.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao discusses the preparation gap, explores how her experiences as an immigrant have helped shape her long career in Washington, and weighs in on the number of women in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii discusses the challenges of running for office and offers insight into the battles she’s fighting in the U.S. Senate. Hirono also opens up about her experience being the country's first Buddhist senator and how her mother's brave journey from Japan shaped her life and career.
On the first episode of the Women Rule podcast, Sen. Deb Fischer discusses working with Ivanka Trump to get family leave legislation and Valerie Jarrett tells Kellyanne Conway: “It’s hard in the beginning.”
Whatever else can be said for the 2016 election, the highest glass ceiling was not broken and the number of women in the U.S. Congress stalled at a mere one-fifth of its members. Every month POLITICO Editor Carrie Budoff Brown will sit down with women leaders to talk power, politics and policy, and explore how dynamics shift when women have a seat at the table. Women Rule is produced by POLITICO in partnership with Google and the Tory Burch Foundation.