Episodes

Pantsuit Politics is two years old! We celebrate, reflect, and discuss the week's news.  Thanks so much to all of you who financially support Pantsuit Politics. If you'd like to support our work, please visit our Patreon page. This month we're giving a shout-out to our international patrons!  Thanks to ModCloth and The Flex Company for sponsoring today's episode.  We are heartbroken about the deadly attack in New York this week. We discuss the President's response, immigration, and the Islamic State.  We also talk about Facebook and Twitter making an appearance during Senate hearings, the interference in our 2016 election, and Donna Brazile's Politico article about the DNC.  We respond to a listener's question about a friend who is changing her positions because of a new relationship (with an assist from Roxanne Gay's fantastic article about women's friendships).  Finally, we reflect on the past two years and on the future of Pantsuit Politics. 

Happy Halloween! Paul Manafort and Rick Gates surrendered to the FBI this week, and George Papadopoulos plead guilty to lying to the FBI. We discuss the news of the week and share our conversation with Gretchen Carlson about her book, Be Fierce.  Thanks to Virtue Labs and ModCloth for sponsoring today's episode. You can also support Pantsuit Politics through our Patreon page.  We review what we know so far about George Papadopoulos's guilty plea and the indictment issued against Paul Manafort and Rick Gates. To compliment the other side, Sarah compliments John Boehner for his post-office reflection, and Beth compliments Senator Claire McCaskill for her willingness to be moderate.  We had the privilege of talking with Gretchen Carlson during an event at the Taft law firm.  We share portions of her remarks and our discussion.  Finally, we share what's on our minds outside of politics. Sarah's still moving and thinking about Halloween. Beth shares another tip on approaching others with a little more compassion. 

Republican Senator Jeff Flake rebuked the tone of our politics on the Senate Floor this week. We discuss his remarks and the hard conversations we need to keep having to do real work in America.  Thanks so much to ModCloth for sponsoring this episode. Here's Beth's favorite new piece.  We begin by discussing the breaking news that five(+) women have described sexual harassment from Mark Halperin. We also talk about Senator Jeff Flake's speech on the Senate floor and the revolving doors of news related to the 2016 election.  We end with listener feedback from Liz on the Boy Scouts of America and Janice on end-of-life care. 

We received an overwhelming amount of discussion from listeners about sexual harassment and assault. We've learned a lot and continue the conversation in today’s episode.  Thank you to our sponsors for this episode: BaubleBar, Away, and ModCloth.  To support Pantsuit Politics, please visit our Patreon page and rate, subscribe, and review the podcast on the Apple Podcast Player.  We discuss the horrific ambush of US troops in Niger and try to provide some context to military engagement in western Africa. While details are still emerging about what took place, the President's team seems more engaged in a battle with Sgt. La David Johnson's family than in confronting the difficult intelligence and foreign policy questions implicated.  Next, we turn to the legislature. We talk about the bipartisan work Senators Murray and Alexander are doing on healthcare and the wholly partisan approach Congressional Republicans are taking to tax cuts and the federal budget.   For our compliments to the other party, Sarah compliments Former President George W. Bush for his recent remarks on civility in our discourse. Beth compliments Former President Jimmy Carter for his willingness to engage with North Korea in order to prevent escalating conflict.  Because of the overwhelming feedback we received in response to our discussion of Mayim Bialik's New York Times editorial, we resume the discussion of sexual assault and harassment, sharing the lessons we have learned over the past week. We also share a message from a listener who came to understand after the fact that he engaged in non-consensual sex with a woman in college and offered up his learnings from that experience about what men must do to stop the violence.  We end, as always, with what's on our minds outside of politics. Beth weighs in on personality types following Sarah's discussion with Anne Bogel, and Sarah is in the somewhat miserable process of trying to sell her house and move into a new one. 

Anne Bogel, author of Reading People: How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything, host of What Should I Read Next?, and the creator of Modern Mrs. Darcy, joins Sarah to discuss personalities. Thanks to ModCloth for sponsoring today's episode!

On Capitol Hill, it feels like the gap between parties is increasingly wide. But across America, Republicans and Democrats build lives, homes, and families together every day. Today, we’re talking about how houses don’t have to be divided when you’re in a nuanced relationship. 

While Sarah enjoys some time with family, Beth covers listener feedback on Harvey Weinstein and Class Dojo and shares an interview with Alana Jochum, Executive Director of Equality Ohio. Alana discusses advocacy for both legal and lived equality, the challenges presented by the Trump administration, and how she works to change hearts and minds to create a more inclusive society. 

Russian agents bought Facebook ads targeted to voters in crucial swing states in last years elections, and the implications of the attention economy on our democracy go far beyond 2016. We focus on Facebook, Twitter, and the devices we use to distract ourselves from discomfort.    Thanks so much to the sponsors for this episode: Baublebar, ModCloth, and Virtue Labs.    We start today's podcast discussing an article on why mass shootings tend to be committed by men. We also talk about the Harvey Weinstein story and the bizarrely partisan reactions to that story. We note that the transactional nature of masculine energy seems to be taking shape in the spat that Donald Trump is having with Senator Bob Corker.    To compliment the other party, Sarah commends Senator Dean Heller and other Republicans who have urged ATF to review standards on the sale of bump stocks. Beth compliments Senator Dianne Feinstein for her long-term service and work on gun safety measures.    For our feature topic, we discuss why Facebook, Twitter, and Google are so effectively and perhaps unintentionally transforming our politics and brains. In our discussion, we cite the following resources:    How Information Overload Robs Us of Our Creativity    Our Minds Can Be Hijacked   Mindful Resistance    The Attention Economy and the Demise of the Middle Ground    Pema Chodron on Dunzi  Realizd app   We end, as always, with what's on our minds outside of politics. Both of us are thinking about clearing space to make room for things that make us better.             

The Las Vegas shooting seems to be fueling rather than calming the culture wars. We talk about how God and guns do not have to tear America apart.  Thank you to ModCloth for sponsoring today's podcast.  We discuss listener feedback, why gun sales spike after mass shootings, and how "thoughts and prayers" has become a cultural lightning rod.  If you would like to help Las Vegas victims and their families, our listener Megan shared this link: https://www.gofundme.com/dr2ks2-las-vegas-victims-fund. 

We're heartbroken over the mass shooting in Las Vegas. We recorded this episode on Monday morning (October 2), so we share our initial thoughts. We also discuss the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, and we share Sarah's interview with Joshua Davis. Thanks so much to today's sponsors: Modcloth, Ellevest, and Wunder Capital.  The preliminary reports out of Las Vegas have confirmed that the shooting near Mandalay Bay is the worst mass shooting in American history. Since information is developing, we focus on our reactions to tragedy, the conversations in our country around gun violence and gun control, and how we interpret comments about "evil acts" and "thoughts and prayers."  We also react to President Trump's statements, actions, and tweets regarding the absolute horror unfolding in Puerto Rico.  As a continuation of our conversation about consumerism in American politics, we share Sarah's interview with Joshua Davis, author of From Head Shops to Whole Foods.  We end on a lighter note, discussing, as always, what's on our minds outside of politics. Beth needs everyone to know how good The Lazy Genius podcast is. Sarah is reading Hillary Clinton's book and working on her move. 

Pantsuit Politics Book Club: Tribe

If the Trump presidency is teaching us anything, it’s that Americans have some deep psychological issues to sort out. We continue working through our patriotic therapy in today’s episode.  Thanks so much to our sponsors, ModCloth and Ellevest.  We discuss intense listener feedback to our conversation about President Trump's remarks on NFL protestors. Why is this discussion so hard? What do our reactions say about race in America and our military?  We continue this conversation by reacting Oprah's recent 60 Minutes report from a Michigan focus group. 

America’s favorite sport has become the latest arena for partisan politics. We discuss the President’s statements on the NFL and the relationship between race, politics, and patriotism. We also talk about North Korean policy continuing to play out via Twitter and the incredible suffering Puerto Rico. We end the show with what's on our minds outside of politics--including Sarah's home purchase and an article on accidental killings that touched Beth.    Thanks so much to our sponsors for today's episode: ThirdLove and ModCloth.    North Korea has started referring to President Trump as "Mr. Evil President." Its foreign minister says that sending missiles to the US mainland is "inevitable," and the President tweeted that North Korea might not exist much longer if it continues this kind of rhetoric. Side note: we're grateful for professionals continuing to support this administration's foreign policy apparatus and concerned that they might exit around the one-year mark.    We wish we had the right words to express the angst we feel for our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico. Days after Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria destroyed 90% of Puerto Rican's homes, took down power lines and internet, and created floodwaters ten feet high. We also talk about continued recovery efforts in Texas and Florida. We're particularly inspired by The Lady General Foundation's efforts.    We send our thoughts to Nashville in the wake of a church shooting on Sunday.    We discuss President Trump's remarks in support of Luther Strange in Alabama over the weekend and how his comments on whipping votes might impact future negotiations.    To compliment the other side, Sarah highlights the work of Republican Puerto Rican Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon. Beth thanks Democratic Ohio Representative Nickie Antonio for sponsoring House Bill 160, making Ohio's non-discrimination laws more inclusive.    We discuss the President's comments about sports, race, and patriotism in depth. In our (not atypically!) wide-ranging discussion, we discuss what we know about football and concussions, how players responded to the President's words about Colin Kaepernick, our listener Mandy's blog post on how the White House belongs to the people, and how race influences our perspectives on protests and players.    We end by celebrating Sarah's home purchase (don't miss Sarah's home-buying, -selling, and -renovating journey on Patreon). We also discuss Alice Gregory's article on accidental killings.       

President Trump addressed the UN this week. We discuss his remarks, the continued debate on Graham-Cassidy as a last ditch effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and listener feedback.  First, we celebrate reaching our first Patreon goal that will allow us to produce The Nuanced Life series. We're so excited and extraordinarily grateful. If you'd like to support our work and access our secret garden of bonus content, visit our Patreon page. Thank you, thank you, thank you.  And thanks to Modcloth and VirtueLabs for sponsoring today's episode.  Before discussing foreign policy, we take a moment to acknowledge the devastating earthquakes in Mexico City. Unfortunately, Mexico City is uniquely positioned for more disasters.  We talk about the speech President Trump made to the UN, in which he promised to totally destroy North Korea if necessary and talked tough about Venezuela and US sovereignty. We discuss the contradictory mix of intervention and isolation the President promised as well as the tendency on the part of Americans to forget what we "get" in exchange for our global involvement.  Next, we discuss the Graham-Cassidy bill and the inexplicable inability of legislators to make a policy case for it.  Finally, we discuss listener feedback on our Title IX conversation and Erin's question on how we do it all (and whether that's a question that we should ask each other). 

Republicans have promised tax reform by the end of the year. We talk about tax policy, the Trump plan, and the goals of our tax code. We also discuss the tragic shooting at Freeman High School, the reactions to Jason Stockley's acquittal, and the healthcare plan proposed by Senators Graham and Cassidy. We end the show with thoughts on parenting and the Emmys.