The Defenders

We hope you have been enjoying the incredible guests and stories from this season of The Defenders. Now, we want to hear from you. We’re conducting a survey with three simple questions: Did you learn something, has your opinion changed, and do you feel empowered to put these new ideas into action? You can complete this simple, three question survey at bit.ly/defenderssurvey We appreciate you! 

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Across the country, reproductive freedom is popular – 63 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. So why don’t our laws reflect the will of the people? As the Executive Director of Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity (URGE), Kimberly Inez McGuire breaks down how opponents of abortion access have targeted voting rights and democracy to advance their agenda – and how we can all fight back at the polls and beyond. 

Learn more about the work happening at URGE to protect democracy by visiting urge.org. 

This series is supported by Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Levi Strauss Foundation.

Follow The Defenders wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership.

You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

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Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

State Supreme Courts are crucial to abortion rights, yet most people have no idea what these courts do. Or that in many states we actually vote for these judges. Thirty-three states will have supreme court seats on the ballot this November. Alicia Bannon of State Court Report tells us why these courts matter to abortion rights and how to be better informed going to the ballot box. We’ll also zoom in on Texas, where the Find Out PAC is trying to unseat three Republican justices on the Texas Supreme Court. 

Read coverage on State Supreme Courts at statecourtreport.org and learn more about the 2024 Election at statecourtreport.org/election-2024. Another great resource is Bolts’ Guide to the 2024 Supreme Court Elections. Learn more about the Find Out PAC at findoutpac.com. 

This series is supported by Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Levi Strauss Foundation.

Follow The Defenders wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership.

You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since the Dobbs decision, activists, organizers, and leaders are turning to state legislatures to protect and expand reproductive rights. This November, 44 states will hold legislative elections, and these races are often won or lost by tiny margins. Two champions of state power, Gaby Goldstein from Sister District and Jennifer Driver from the State Innovation Exchange, share what’s in store for state races across the country this November, and which ones we need to keep an eye on when it comes to our reproductive freedom.

Find out who your state legislators are at stateinnovation.org. 

To take action with Sister District, go to sisterdistrict.com. 

Visit vote411.org to find out more about the candidates and choices that will be on your ballot. 

This series is supported by Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Levi Strauss Foundation.

Follow The Defenders wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership.

You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In May 2024, a six-week abortion ban went into effect in Florida, dramatically limiting access for women across the South. While Floridians are living with this new reality, they’re also gearing up to change it. Gloria talks with Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for Floridians Protecting Freedom / Yes on 4, who is fighting for the November ballot measure that would protect abortion access in the state constitution and reverse the 6-week ban.

Learn more about Florida’s Amendment 4 ballot initiative at floridiansprotectingfreedom.com.

This series is supported by Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Levi Strauss Foundation.

Follow The Defenders wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership.

You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We start Season 2 of The Defenders in Arizona, where abortion rights have been in turmoil since the overturn of Roe. Now, a citizen-led effort is trying to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution through a ballot measure. November’s election may not only change the fate of abortion in this crucial swing state; it could also flip the state legislature and impact control of the U.S. Senate and the fate of the White House.

Learn more about Arizona’s abortion ballot measure at arizonaforabortionaccess.org, and Reproductive Freedom For All’s work in Arizona at reproductivefreedomforall.org/state/arizona.  

This series is supported by Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Levi Strauss Foundation.

Follow The Defenders wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership.

You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Defenders is back. This season, all roads lead to Nov. 5, because abortion is on the ballot this Election Day and the stakes are higher than ever. Host Gloria Riviera interviews organizers, activists, and experts from Arizona to Florida to Texas – the people on the front lines of this fight. From building state power to voting for judges, we’ll arm you with everything you need to know to stand up for reproductive freedom this election. Coming September 12. 

This series is supported by Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Levi Strauss Foundation.

Follow The Defenders wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership.

You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts. 

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. 

Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.  

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re excited to drop in your feed today to tell you about a new Lemonada Media series called The Pink House with Sam Smith. Hosted by five-time Grammy winner Sam Smith, The Pink House is about the people and places that make us who we are. One of those places was Sam’s childhood home in the English village of Great Chishill, literally called The Pink House. It was a space of total warmth and love where Sam felt safe enough to find their voice. Each week, join Sam in conversation with icons and friends like Trixie Mattel, Gloria Estefan, Elliot Page, Joel Kim Booster, Ben Platt, Rebecca Sugar and Michelle Visage as they explore their own “Pink Houses” and how they navigated early struggles and ultimately found their place in the world. 

You’re about to hear a preview of the first episode of The Pink House, where Sam chats with Elliot Page about his upbringing in Canada, his breakout role in the film Juno, and how seeking time away from it all has helped him embrace a whole new, exhilarating life. 

To hear more of The Pink House head to: https://lemonada.lnk.to/thepinkhousefd

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We are dropping in your feed today to share a new series that we know you will enjoy. Pack One Bag is epic true story of an Italian family, split apart by love, fascism and war. Through shocking discoveries - and Stanley Tucci’s artistry - an enthralling personal history comes to life. 

When documentarian David Modigliani was a kid, his grandfather, Franco, won the Nobel Prize. But, David’s always been more fascinated by the love story that made it possible -- his grandparents' romance on the run from Fascist Italy. When he digs into their story, he uncovers a darker side to their fairytale escape: a brother left behind to face the Nazi occupation - and startling personal connections between his family and Benito Mussolini. In the Tribeca-winning podcast, PACK ONE BAG, he returns to Italy to investigate his family's past, carrying a pressing question: if Fascism takes over your country, do you stay, or do you try to flee? And what happens if you can’t? 

You’re about to hear a preview of the first episode of Pack One Bag. After you listen, head to https://lemonada.lnk.to/packonebagfd to hear more. 

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We’re dropping in your feed to let you know that Julia Louis-Dreyfus has returned for Season 2 of her award-winning podcast, Wiser Than Me™! Each week, she has funny, touching, personal conversations with iconic older women who are brimming with the kind of unapologetic attitude and wisdom that only comes with age. Julia sits at the feet of some extraordinary teachers this season (discover who in this trailer), and of course her 90-year-old mom, Judy. Tune in to laugh, cry and get wise. All Hail Old Women! 

To hear more of Wiser Than Me, head to: https://lemonada.lnk.to/wiserthanmefd

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