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.

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.