Women Rule

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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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