Right now, most of us are feeling stress and anxiety. On top of everything else in our lives, the political chaos seems too much to bear. A 2024 survey from the American Psychological Association found that over 70% of adults consider the country’s future a significant source of stress — and even though we’re only four months into 2025, if our group chats are any indication, we’re struggling now more than ever.

At the same time, there’s an epidemic of loneliness. Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an official advisory about loneliness in 2023… turns out, it’s not just bad for our mood, it’s bad for our physical health too. People who are disconnected and lonely are twice as likely to die as people who have strong communities.

The good news is, community connection can help with both of these problems! Not only do social bonds make us healthier and happier, political action is far more effective when done as a group. We all have different strengths and perspectives, and our friends can fill in the gaps when we need a break.

In these chaotic and stressful times, community is more important than ever. It isn’t just good for our hearts and minds, it’s good for democracy. When women with shared values get together, there’s no stopping us.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

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This week, Red Wine & Blue held a virtual event with two inspiring women: Heather Cox Richardson and Representative Jasmine Crockett. More than 45,000 people joined us on Zoom and hundreds of thousands watched the livestream!

Heather and Jasmine talked about so much — Project 2025, the power of local organizing, and what it’ll take for us to rebuild a healthy United States of America. If you missed the event, you can listen right here!

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

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Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

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Social security is an American institution. After decades of working hard, we expect to retire with a well-earned safety net to help us with our monthly expenses.

Trump and Elon Musk claim that Social Security is rife with corruption and fraud. Musk told podcaster Joe Rogan that it’s “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.” But whenever unbiased, nonpartisan groups study the numbers, they find very little fraud. Instead, they find millions of people who rely on those payments for their very survival. (And, it should be noted, exactly zero 150-year-olds receiving benefits.)

So... why is Social Security at risk? This episode breaks down the facts and corrects the disinformation about the agency, who's receiving payments, and what's really happening.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

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When Trump was running for office last year, he promised to “lower prices on day one.” So… why are eggs still so expensive? And why are other groceries still so expensive too?

Sure, bird flu is one factor - but it’s actually having less of an impact than you’ve been told. A lot of other factors are at play too, from tariffs to corporate profits to immigration policies that target our agricultural workers. Just this week, Trump is set to announce a new round of tariffs in what he’s ironically calling “liberation day.”

All of this would be bad enough, but in the meantime, Republicans are cutting funding and programs that help struggling families put food on the table. The USDA has stopped $500 million in deliveries to food banks and slashed a billion dollars from programs that helped schools purchase fresh local food. And SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps) is likely to experience major cuts too.

You can’t find a more “kitchen table issue” than what families can afford to put on their literal kitchen tables. Extremists want us to think the economy is too complicated to understand, but it’s actually quite simple: we need leaders who prioritize families over profits.

Access to food is a basic human right and we need them to treat it that way.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

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With breaking news and shocking headlines still happening on a weekly basis, sometimes it's hard to believe that the current war in Ukraine has been going on for more than three years. You may have heard a neighbor or family member asking… why should the United States be involved at all? With so many problems here at home, why should we care about a war on the other side of the world?

Well, there’s two different ways to answer that question: the humanitarian crisis, and our national security. In this episode, we dive into both.

Trump still says he’s committed to ending the war. But will he end it in a way that’s good for Ukraine and democracy? Or will he end it in a way that’s good for Vladimir Putin... and himself? This war is already tragically close to home for kids in Ukraine, and it could be other kids across the world – including ours – that feel it next.

So the next time you hear someone ask why the United States should care about this war, you can share this episode and tell them exactly why we should support Ukraine.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

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Public education is a cornerstone of our democracy. But Donald Trump and his new Secretary of Education Linda McMahon haven’t exactly made it a secret that they want to shut down the Department of Education. Phrases like “parental choice” and “school choice” might make this sound good for families, but in reality, it leaves far too many kids behind.

Before we had a Department of Ed, students who weren’t white, were disabled, or living in poverty had little access to a good education. Some, like Native American children sent to abusive “Indian schools,” were actively harmed or even died. But since its founding in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, the department has made sure that every kid has an equal opportunity to learn.

That’s what the Department of Education does. It doesn’t write curriculum for teachers or choose books for librarians - it just makes sure that every child has access to a great public education.

We know that Trump and McMahon are breaking things they don’t understand. So it’s up to us to make sure that we do — and that we share that knowledge with everyone we know.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

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In this first episode of our limited series "Okay, But Why?", we're taking a deep dive into voting rights.

We all want free and fair elections where everyone who’s legally able to vote can make their voice heard. But every time the experts study voter fraud, they find almost zero evidence that undocumented immigrants or anyone else is voting illegally. So then… why are there so many new voting laws out there?

Today, we're examining the history of voting rights and taking a closer look at why politicians are trying so hard to keep some Americans from voting.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

We knew it was coming, but it's still hard to believe that this is our last episode of The Suburban Women Problem. We have appreciated this community of listeners so much over the past 4 years, and we're so grateful to Jasmine, Rachel and Amanda for continuing to bring their whole selves to 5 seasons of great conversations.

This week, RWB founder Katie Paris sends us off - but she's also here to share a little bit about what's coming next! Red Wine & Blue's work is more important than ever in this difficult political time, and we've been hearing two things from our community: women have questions, and we're burned out.

Starting next week, we'll run a series of short shareable episodes called "Okay But Why," where we answer some of the questions we've been hearing. Katie also teased a show we'll be producing later this spring about political burnout. The struggle is real and we want to meet our listeners where they're at!

So don't go anywhere - unlike many federal departments right now, you will not have an interruption in service! And if you have any questions or thoughts about what podcasts might help you right now, please feel free to reach out.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA