Most of us know what it feels like to be frustrated with the US health care system, but much needed change is happening as the industry is working hard to move away from outdated payment models to a system that pays providers for the quality of health care, not the quantity. Called Accountable Care, this new approach prioritizes better patient outcomes and expanded access to care. Accountable for Health is a non-partisan organization working with policymakers to accelerate this movement. To learn more, visit accountableforhealth. Org. I'm Dr. Laura Santos, host of The Happiness Lab podcast. As the US elections approach, it can feel like we're angrier and more divided than ever. Please stick to policy. Don't get personal. But in a new hopeful season of my podcast, I'll share what the science really shows, that we're surprisingly more united than most people think.

We all know something is wrong in our culture, in our politics, and that we need to do better and that we can do better.

Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Lemonada. Hey, it's Gloria. It's been a minute since we last talked, and a lot has happened for reproductive justice. We've had some losses. The court said, no, there is no constitutional right to an abortion in Florida. People are going to have to travel, obviously, hundreds of miles now.

The horror stories have been building up. Terrible cases of abortions being prevented, even when the woman's life is in danger.

But we've also made some progress. This is a definitive statement from the Supreme Court, unanimous, nine to nothing, that the abortion pill will remain available throughout the United States. A major milestone today for the campaign to put the right to an abortion in the Arizona State Constitution. Amid all the headlines, one thing remains the same. The fight for reproductive justice on. That's why we're back with Season 2 of The Defenders, a show about the fight for freedom in a post-Roe America. I'm your host, Gloria Rivera. If you're like me, it can sometimes be hard to keep my hope alive as anti-abortion organizers continue to chip away at our rights. I have been angry since last season, since Roe fell, and even before that, too. But you know what always helps? Looking to the people on the front lines of this battle for reproductive justice. Like last season, we are going to spotlight the defenders across this country, fighting the good fight. Only this time, in case you haven't heard, it's a presidential election year, and so much is at stake, from ballot measures to control of Congress to democracy itself. That's why it's more important than ever that we uplift the defenders on the front lines, working tirelessly to expand, maintain, and restore our rights.

People in their community need to be able to get the care that they need when they need it.

They need to be able to afford it. It needs to be accessible to them. And we can actually dream and fight for that reality. Part of how we all get free is by building our power in our states and using states as laboratories for democracy and laboratories for the sorts of progressive policies that we want.

People will be voting to protect their reproductive freedom at the ballot box, from the White House all the way down to your local city council. Abortions on the ballot this year all across the country.

That last voice you just heard is Athena Salmon of Arizona. She's the Director of Arizona Campaign for Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly named Naira. Before Athena took on this role, she was an Arizona state representative for seven years, and she is a fierce advocate for reproductive justice. This election season, Athena knows all eyes are watching Arizona. Control of the US Senate and the fate of the White House could rest on what happens in this battleground state. Voters there also have the opportunity to flip the state legislature blue, which, with a Democratic governor already in place, could mark the first time since 1966 that the party has total control of the state government. In Impacting every one of these races is a ballot measure to enshrine abortion in the Constitution. Arizona currently has a 15-week abortion ban. Passing the measure would make abortion accessible up to around 24 weeks. I talked with Athena about all of this. But first, our conversation started at the very beginning. What was your path to your work in Reproductive Justice?

The path really started with my mom. I am raised by a very strong feminist. She was very intentional about talking about bodily autonomy and the right to abortion care pretty early in life. I come from the family that talked about current relations and current events and political affairs over the dinner table, whether it was with my parents, we would have my grandparents over, they would get into fierce debates. I don't think it's a coincidence I ended up being a state legislator and debating for a a full-time job. In 2004, when I was 14 years old, it was towards the end of my freshman year in high school, and a lot of organizations were organizing the National March for Women's Lives. My mom saw it and spoke with my aunt and asked all three of us, I have two brothers, and asked all three of us if we wanted to go. I was like, Yeah, I want to go. I want to protest and demonstrate and support my fundamental freedoms. The three of us went, my mom, my aunt, and me. It was just really... It was very powerful. There was over a million people at that march.

The stories were incredible. The march was incredible. It was our first time in Washington, DC. That was incredible. I remember just feeling like, okay, I'm in this conservative bubble at the time that is Arizona. But there are so many people that are passionate and feel deeply connected to reproductive rights and freedom. I think that was my first entryway.

I've covered those marches in Washington for a long time. I'm in Washington right now, and it was always very impactful to see multi-generational groups marching together, grandmother, mother, daughter, granddaughter, even. I can just imagine what that was like for you at such an impressionable young age to go from Arizona to Washington, DC, to take part in that. You have a big smile on your face, and I I feel like that's just from remembering that experience.

Well, they gave out these banners that said Marshall Women's Lives and Have The Date. I've kept that on my wall. I love that.

What a memento. And did you have it in your office when you were in the House of Representatives?

Yeah, I took it over.

Athena first ran for the Arizona House of Representatives when she was 26, only a few years after she graduated college.

I was not planning on running when I was 26 years old. I mean, you look at representation, both female representation and just diversity in ages and ethnicities of people. Elected representatives don't typically look like me or come from my demographic. But then the opportunity just was there. I ran. It was a competitive primary. I won the primary, and the rest is history. It was the honor of a lifetime to be a representative and to be on the front lines defending reproductive especially the endless onslaught on abortion.

That onslaught eventually led to the Arizona Supreme Court in April reviving a Civil War era abortion ban from 1864. 1864 This near total ban seemingly came out of nowhere. But as a legislator, Athena had actively worked to repeal it for years. Tell me how the 1864 ban, when did that first get on your radar? And what did you do about it?

Yeah. Our current governor, she was in the state Senate, and I was in the state house, and I was running the mirror bill to her bill, which was to repeal the over 40 restrictions on abortion that currently exists in Arizona law. That was in 2018, so we were both carrying that bill. Then if you recall, in the fall of that year, it began the nomination process of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. That was the pick that Donald Trump had put forward. We all saw the writing on the wall. We all knew where this was going to end. It was going to end with the fall and overturning of Roe v Wade. That's when we realized and really started talking about, Oh, in addition to these restrictions, there's also bans on abortion on the books that were currently under federal injunction because of Roe v Wade. That if things were to change, it would come back to life and just put pregnant people in Arizona in a very dire circumstance. That was the fall of 2018. I announced with partners at a press conference that we're sounding the alarms that we have a ban from 1864 in Arizona law.

And next session, we're going to start our efforts to repeal it. And so every year since 2019, there has been a bill sponsored by me to repeal the total ban on abortion that almost went into effect again this year.

And, Athena, when you started talking about that 1864 ban, did it feel like you were the lone voice in the room, or did you have people across the country that were also saying, Oh, my gosh, this could happen here, too?

In that moment, no, we only got local press. And the response from local reporters was just this bit of skepticism of like, Well, no, this is settled law. I can't tell you how many times we heard, Oh, no, this is settled law. Rose, the law of the land. This is settled. Why does it matter? Because it's not being enforced. It was this sentiment of the sky is falling, stopping chicken little, when in reality it was like, no, these things exist. They've been enforced in the past. The court is getting more and more extreme, and we need to take it off the books now.

Let's zoom a little bit because I want to know why when it comes to abortion access in the November election, why are all eyes, I feel like, on Arizona, and I know I'm not alone. Why is that from your perspective?

It's very, very competitive, the state right now. But that is a pathway for either nominee to secure the White House. It is also the pathway for either party to secure the Senate and get a majority in the Senate. And we have a Senate race up this year. It's the pathway for a majority in the United States House of Representatives. We currently have a Democratic governor. Our state legislature, so two seats were to flip in each chamber. Then you also have a pathway to a democratic trifecta. Then, of course, there's the very exciting feat of amending our state constitution to protect the legal right to abortion in perpetuity, at least in Arizona. And that's also in play here, too. So it's really exciting, but it's also just like there's so much at stake for everybody happening in one state.

After this quick break, we'll hear how the stakes got even higher this past spring. This year in November, voters showed up for critical elections in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, where big issues from abortion access to Supreme Court seats to fair voting districts were on the ballot. Next year, there will be thousands of races happening, from new ballot initiatives to primaries and the general election, and every one of these races will have an impact on reproductive justice. We're talking everything, from autonomy over our bodies to freedom and democracy. To learn about the issues in candidates in every race and on every ticket, visit www. Vote411. Org. Work. To learn more about how to register and cast your ballot, go to www. Vote411. Org. That's www. Vote411. Org. Make sure you vote in every race on your ballot, because if you vote and you get your friends and family to vote, you're a defender, too. The Levi Strauss Foundation outfits the movements and leaders, pushing us towards a more just and abundant world through investments in worker rights and well-being. Democracy, reproductive justice, and immigrant rights. For more information, visit levistraussfoundation. Org. That's levistraussfoundation. Org.

We're back. This Last spring, there was a lot of whiplash for Arizonans. Within just one month, right when things were starting to feel really hopeful, Arizona came close to losing almost all access to abortion. First, in early April, the coalition behind the Ballet Initiative announced it had collected more than half a million signatures. Arizona for Abortion Access needs about 300,000 signatures to put their question on the ballot. But today, this group said they have more than 500,000 signatures on their petition, and they still have more than three months left until the deadline. Things were looking up. Then, just a week later, the Arizona Supreme Court revived the 1864 near total ban on abortion. You know, the one we talked about earlier that Athena had been trying to repeal for years as a legislator. Arizona's highest court today backing a law that bans nearly all abortions and carries up to five years in prison for doctors who perform one. Immediately, there was confusion.

The legal ramifications of all of this.

A lot of questions there.

The political consequences of all of this. A lot of questions there. A lot is up in the air right now.

And in an election year, the court ruling set off a political storm, with even anti-abortion state legislators calling for the man's repeal. But it still took a few attempts before the Arizona legislature narrowly voted to repeal it a few weeks later.

The repeal passes by a 16 to 14 vote here in the state Senate with Republicans helping out Democrats to cross the finish line. They've gotten to that 16, the magic number of 16, to repeal the 1864 abortion ban.

The eyes of the nation are on the State House in Phoenix today. I imagine that that month was quite something for you. I would love for you to just tell me, what were you thinking? How were you doing?

I was among the people that just was not anticipating that the court was going to resurrect a total ban on abortion from 160 years ago. It was a shock. After the news came out, I didn't really take a second to actually feel it. I was just like, No, not going to feel that. We're just going to go straight to the legislature and do the work to repeal this. We are going to push so hard and hold their feet to the fire. We knew we were starting with 29 votes and 14 votes, and we just had to find two more in the House and then the Senate. It was interesting because the pressure in the moment and having the entire country watching what would happen next in Arizona, I think, really laid the groundwork to finally get this law off the books. Thank goodness, we have a governor that is unapologetically supportive of reproductive freedom and an attorney general, attorney general Mays, who has just done a phenomenal job to make sure that this law doesn't take effect. It's fundamental that we not only lock this right into the Constitution to prevent further interference by the state legislature, but we also have to flip the legislature to a reproductive freedom majority to then defend that right instead of passing laws that are intended to go to the courts that are not reflective of the American people that are also stacked with extremists and try to erode the rights that we just secured.

I think it all goes hand in hand and it all connects to one another.

I'm curious, can you tell me what it was like to be with Governor Katie Hobbes when she signed the repeal? What was going through your head at that time?

I was standing there behind the governor with Allied organizations and with the legislators, and I was just beaming I felt like a mom in that moment. I was like, We did it. I was just getting teary-eared. I was like, Oh, my gosh. Look how far we come. There's never been in Arizona that has not had the 1864 ban. 1864 was the first year Year that a legislature convened. I really just soaked in the historical nature of that moment and these women that led the way. Then a reporter from CBS News saw me being the most emotional person up there. She was like, Adina, can we get your remarks? And then I just started bawling. I was like, What? I'm sorry I did not come preparing to speak today. I can't stop thinking about my daughters and how they will have a future. As we continue to go into the future and protect and enshrine the constitutional right to abortion and reproductive freedom, that future generations will not have to live under the restrictions and the interference that we've had to experience. So this has just been an incredible moment, and I'm going to turn it back over to folks.

It was just very nice to be recognized in that moment. I wasn't expecting it, hence the bawling. Hence the tears.

Yeah. Well, it also makes me think that it's a moment where you let yourself feel like all that hard work that you had done to carry that bill for so long, finally, in one moment, came to fruition, right?

It came to fruition, and I really let my guard down.

With the 1864 before abortion ban finally repealed, Athena could shift her efforts to door knocking for the abortion ballot measure. Let's move out again and look at the ballot initiative. So your organization, Reproductive Freedom for All, that's part of a larger coalition to pass the Arizona Abortion Access Act. Walk us through what the ballot initiative proposes and what it will do if it passes.

It makes abortion a fundamental right in the Constitution. It guarantees the right abortion up to fetal viability. Then after that, those decisions can occur with the consultation of your health care provider. The really good news, and we see this at the doors, we're knocking on doors, we're talking to voters across political affiliations. Is nine out of 10 Arizonans support the legal right to abortion? It's actually higher than the national average. Now, actually, it's eight out of 10 Americans. I think that the people are with us. I think that's part of the reason why you saw one out of five Arizona voters sign the petition to refer this to the ballot so that they would have an opportunity to secure and lock this right in the Constitution.

I know that July third was the deadline, right, to turn in the signatures for the ballot initiative. How many signatures can you tell me, did it end up getting? And what did it feel like to have those submitted and in? It's like, okay, dust off your hands. That's done.

Yeah. We turned in over 823,000 signatures. It was a historic number of signatures. The most signatures ever submitted by a Citizens Initiative.

To put that into context, that means one out of every five Arizona voters signed this petition.

It really is incredible, the grassroots effort that went mobilizing for the Arizona 4 Abortion Access Act. So it felt really good. It felt like we made history. And it's also a relief because just with any citizen initiative effort, the signature phase is just so grueling. You said it's July third. I mean, to put it into context for your listeners, it's like 115, 117 degrees that time of year. We were collecting signatures all the way up until the very, very end.

I'm curious what you're hearing from organizers who are door knocking and phone banking. Are there any stories that stick with you and empower you in this fight?

There are so many stories that empower me. I love door knocking. I'm out there door knocking, organizers out there door knocking. We've received feedback where people were very closed-minded and very Black and white about what access to abortion care was about. Then once conversations happened about, Oh, this also includes miscarriage management and helping people navigate through unviable pregnancies. This is health care. We talk about how it's health care. People walk away from those conversations being like, Oh, I didn't realize that that was also included in a part of abortion rights. Yeah, I support that. I do support that. There's really meaningful important conversations that have been happening on the ground that challenge people to think. Overwhelmingly, people are supportive of the issue. So always door knocking and talking to voters. It always gives me a lot of hope because when you actually talk to people, People are aligned with our values, and people are with us on this issue.

Here's Arizona state organizer with Reproductive Freedom for All, Jamila Rahim, who sent us this voice memo about door knocking.

We faced all kinds of voters at the doors, from enthusiastic reproductive freedom voters to voters who literally wince at the mention of the word abortion. There is one thing that remained constant, however, and it was that the American people seemed tired and exhausted, too, of the political vitriol, the extremist political agendas put forth before them, and in general, political fatigue. But right now in Arizona, there is a another shift in energy starting to take place. People don't just seem tired, they seem angry. Whether it was a young woman in the professional space, or an elder woman who does not want to relive the past, or even a father who simply cares for his daughter's future, I had conversations on the front porch of countless neighbors recounting over and over at how angry they had become that something like this could even happen in our state, that an 1864 abortion ban could even be thought of, let alone materialize, that they would have to vote again for the autonomy of their own bodies.

Organizer Jamila feels hope as well that voters will remember.

I have been a state organizer for many years for many different causes, and I know that this exhaustion and anger will not just fade away and be forgotten about. Voters will remember in November, and they will show up just as they have for the historic Arizona Abortion Access ballot measure the most signatures ever collected for a ballot measure in Arizona history. And I know we will make history again.

We need to take a quick break. When we come back, a thinest push to make history in a different way. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation believes everyone should have a meaningful opportunity to thrive, no matter who they are or where they come from. But right now, people in the US and across the world are confronted by enormous challenges, from catastrophic climate change and pervasive inequities to attacks on democracy itself. Institutions at every level are struggling to provide solutions that work for all people. There's a growing lack of faith in each other and even in the possibility that progress is possible. That's why the Hewlett Foundation supports a diverse set of creative thinkers and problem solvers who engage across differences, advance constructive dialog, and address institutional failures. Whether through its work in gender equity, democracy, environment, education, or the arts, the Hewlett Foundation seeks to harness our collective capacity to build a world where all people have the opportunity to thrive. Learn more at hewlett. Org. Women's bodies are at the center of today's cultural conversations. We face overt regulations that dominate the headlines, but we also face quiet regulations. They are so entrenched in our everyday lives that decisions around our bodies and how we feel about them are no longer ours alone to make.

Because so much of what women experience is shrouded in secrecy, treated as an afterthought or just blatantly ruled by societal expectations and norms, the simple act of exchanging stories becomes the most powerful tool we can use to stay informed. Introducing Unruly, an eight-part podcast from Flamingo, highlighting the not often discussed ways women's bodies are subjected to needless oversight. Hosted by writer, curator, and activist Kimberly Drew, Unruly tackles conversations around body neutrality, wellness, illness capitalism, menopause, and more. Because information is power, and your body is your business. Unruly is available wherever you get your podcast. Learn more at shopflamingo. Com/unruly. Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the Arizona legislature. With a Democratic governor, Democrats need to flip just two seats in the House and two seats in the Senate to fundamentally change abortion access in Arizona.

What's happening and what we see in this cycle, in this election, is really like a once in a generation opportunity to flip to a reproductive freedom trifecta, having those reproductive freedom champions in the the governor's office, in the AG's office. If we flip that majority, if we amend the Constitution to protect abortion rights, then we can see some incredible things happen to not just support the right to abortion, but to affirmatively protect and expand the right to contraception, to protect and secure the right to do in-vito fertilization or the right to decide and have an option to a surrogate pregnancy. Reproductive health Health care is such a broad spectrum. What I saw when I was in the legislature by the anti-abortion movement is that the end goal is not only to end the federal right to abortion. You look at Project 2025, they are coming after birth control. They are coming after IVF, surrogacy and pregnancy, and just so much broader than just our reproductive rights. That is being borne out, and those fights are being had in state legislatures like Arizona. If we were to flip that, we not only stop that from happening, but we should be expecting and reproductive freedom for all, we are pushing our lawmakers to actually defend these rights by changing the laws.

What we saw in Michigan, where they repealed their restrictions on abortion care and brought in and expand in access to reproductive health care. That's the opportunity that we have here.

Can you talk a little bit about the US Senate race, Republican Kerry Lake versus Ruben Gallegher? I mean, the outcome of that election will have an incredible impact on determining control in the next Congress.

We know that Ruben's with us on the issue. He was a sponsor of the Women's Health Protection Act and voted in favor of that. Even back when he was in the legislature, he was also very vocal in defending our rights to our bodily autonomy. We know that Ruben's with us on the issue. When it comes to Carrie Lake, when the Supreme Court Roe v Wade, she said the 1864 law was a great law, and she wanted to see a total ban on abortion inflicted upon women and pregnant people in Arizona. She's extreme, but she, similar to Donald Trump, will also say whatever she thinks she needs to say in order to get elected.

Let's just be very clear, what can people in Arizona do at the ballot box in November?

They can vote. And this is not just Arizona. This is for everyone throughout the entire country. Vote your entire ballot. There are so many races. I was talking to my counterpart in Georgia, and they could have flipped their legislature last cycle If they didn't see such a big drop off down ballot where when you go down further and further down in your ballot, people just stop voting in those elections. The concept and the idea every single vote counts could not be more apparent than last year when we saw Chris Mays, our attorney general, win by 287 votes, a statewide race. Not a lot. Not a lot. And literally, and just to be so clear to people, that made the difference right now to us not being under an 1864 ban. Had her opponent won, he would have been on the opposite side, fighting for the total ban to take effect in Arizona. 287 votes. I think that in Arizona and throughout the country, really making sure that you fill out your whole ballot and vote in every race. This is why, Gloria, I mentioned that candidates have to be clear on where they stand on abortion rights because that continues to be one of the top issues that people will be voting for this year.

They will be voting to protect their reproductive freedom at the ballot box. There are so many positions, from the White House all the way down to your local city council. If you're lucky enough, like Arizona, to have a proposition on the ballot to change the Constitution, abortion is on the ballot this year all across the country.

Voting all the way down your ballot is crucial for reproductive freedom. Don't give up after just voting for president. Vote in every race, including state and local elections. It could end up making the on whether an outdated law from the Civil War era still applies to us today. What about people outside of Arizona? What can they do?

Reproductive Freedom for All, we have members in every single state in the country, volunteers all across the country, and we will be mobilizing members to support efforts to flip the US Senate seat, to flip the US House seat, to pass the initiative, to flip the legislature. We're mobilizing our members, regardless of where they're at in the country, to help our efforts in Arizona. Even if you live in another state, sign up as a volunteer with us, and we'll get you plugged in, and you can help remotely from home. If you want to volunteer in your own community, you can reach out to a local candidate that's running for state legislature or city council or school board. They're always looking for volunteers, too. There's so many ways to get involved. When we look at movements, movements are just a collection of many individuals doing their part and making a difference together. For folks who are on the fence and haven't volunteered in a long time or at all, get involved. It's never too late. And you really can make a big difference this election.

I have a big smile on my face because listening to you just now, it felt very empowering. It's like, Okay, this is over there in Arizona, but I can help. There's a way that I can do something to make my voice heard. As we wrap up, I had mentioned that I have three children. My youngest is a girl, but for all of my children, it's been a very fraught couple of years. It's been rough. But I was thinking about my little girl, and she learned to ride a bike on the same day that Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader-Ginsberg, died. When her body was lying in state, we took my daughter to say goodbye. But I can see it so clearly now in my mind, the image of my little girl telling her big brother, I got this, I got this. Let go. I got this. I was feeling all the feels. But one of them was, she's not going to grow up in the world that I grew up in. I was born in 1974. The enormity of the work ahead of us for all my kids, but really looking at my little girl on that bike, it just got me.

I will always carry that image with me.

Thank you for sharing that story. Definitely made me a little teary-eyed. When we talk about what's happened now that we lost Roe v Wade and just what's happening to women across the country and with our rights being rolled back, it made me think about my mom because she spent her whole life arguing with people that this was happening and that our rights were being taken away. I think for her, it's very devastating because she has me, her daughter, and now she has granddaughters. I have a two and a half year old, and my daughter's turning one next week. I'm just so... I think that's how I cope with it all. I'm like, No, we're just going to go, go, go. Focus, focus. We're We're going to push, we're going to build. We're going to win. But I grieve not only for my daughters and not only for myself, but I grieve for my mom because she's witnessed it all. I know that this, Collectively, there's a lot of women who feel this way. But I think for me, personally, especially with my girls being so young, I'm hoping that I have the gifted time. That's where my hope is right now, and that's how I'm coping with what's happening is, okay, 16 years, my daughter will be 18.

So go, go, go.

Athena made me think of my own mom, who's also witnessed all of this from start to finish to start again. So many mothers and grandmothers are in this boat, hoping and fighting for more for their daughters and granddaughters. I am so grateful for Athena and the work she's doing. She is deep in starting again. It's empowering and it's inspiring to hear her talk about what's possible. We each have a part to play. Like Athena says, it's not too late to get involved. Together, We'll push, we'll build, and we'll win. There's more of The Defenders with Lemonada Premium. Subscribers get exclusive access to bonus content like extended interviews with organizers, abortion providers, and experts. Subscribe now in Apple podcast. The Defenders is a production of Lemonada Media. I'm your host, Gloria Rivera. Muna Danish is our supervising producer. Anna Boomershine and Lisa Fou are our producers. Isara Aceves is our associate producer. Bobby Woody is our audio engineer. Music by Hannah Brown with additional music by Natasha Jacobs. Story editing by Jackie Danzinger, our VP of Narrative Content. Executive producers are Jessica Cordova-Kramer and Stephanie Wittelswax. 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 podcast or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your prime membership. Why, hello there. It's your old pal, Sara Silverman, and I'm back with a brand new season of the Sara Silverman podcast. On my podcast, I am talking about everything, politics. Yeah, we get into it. Favorite sandwich shop in LA? I know a few spots, and I'm going to tell you about them. I'm also going to be talking to you. I will be reacting and responding to listener voicemails in real time. Let me tell you, things can get weird, and I love every second of it. Weird is my comfort zone. The newest season of the Sarah Silverman podcast This podcast is out now wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, everyone. Gloria Rivera here, and we are back for another season of No One is Coming to Save Us, a podcast about America's Childcare Crisis. This season, we're delving deep into five critical issues facing our country through the lens of childcare: poverty, mental health, housing, climate change, and the public school system. By exploring these connections, we aim to highlight is not an isolated issue, but one that influences all facets of American life.

Season 4 of No One is Coming to Save Us is out now wherever you get your podcast.