We’re officially back in the swing of things here after the holidays and we’re jumping right into it with an interview about public schools. But first, our hosts Rachel Vindman, Amanda Weinstein, and Jasmine Clark catch up about the news. We recently passed the 3-year anniversary of the January 6th insurrection and it’s upsetting to see how so many Americans have shifted their views from condemning it to explaining it away. It’s so important to have accurate journalism so narratives like “Jan 6 wasn’t a big deal” don’t catch on. The hosts also discuss the scapegoating and resignation of Harvard president Claudine Gay and the bill in OH that would ban gender-affirming care.

Then we dive into the importance of education and the role that deeply involved “school moms” can play in saving our public schools with journalist Laura Pappano. We were so excited to talk to Laura about her new book, “School Moms: Parent Activism, Partisan Politics and the Battle for Public Education.” She shares what it was like to attend a Moms for Liberty conference, why inclusion is so crucial, and even that she listens to The Suburban Women Problem while she does Peloton. “School Moms” will be available on January 30th and you can read Laura’s Vanity Fair article here.

Finally, Rachel, Amanda and Jasmine raise a glass to new Akron mayor Shammas Malik, to Jasmine’s fantastic fundraising event earlier this month, and to high hopes for a new legislative session in this episode’s “Toast to Joy.”

This week, Amanda mentioned the bill in Ohio that would ban critical gender affirming care - if you're in Ohio, please call your state reps and tell them to vote no on overturning Gov. Dewine's veto of HB68.
And speaking of supporting the LGBTQ community, we're also hosting a live virtual event with author and former pod guest Lesléa Newman to talk about her new book "Always Matt: A Tribute To Matthew Shepard.” The event is on Tues 1/16 at 7:30 Eastern - you can learn more and RSVP here.

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

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