Many of the Democratic candidates are going after school choice on the campaign trail. Why are school choice parent groups treated differently by the candidates and media than other advocacy groups, and what do Democratic voters really think about school choice?

Joining She Thinks pop-up episode to discuss these topics and more is Erika Sanzi, a mother of three and a former public school teacher in Massachusetts, California, and Rhode Island. Erika has served on her local school board is a senior visiting fellow at the Fordham Institute. She blogs about education at Good School Hunting and is the chief editor at Project Forever Free.

On this first She Thinks episode of 2020, we do something a little different. Instead of focusing on one policy issue, Hadley Heath Manning joins the podcast to give an overview of Independent Women’s Forum’s policy priorities for the New Year. We talk about how IWF determines what issues deserve their focus and the plan of attack for each.

Hadley Heath Manning is director of policy at Independent Women’s Forum and Independent Women’s Voice. She frequently comments on health care, entitlements, and economic policy and manages the organizations’ policy projects and publications. Hadley is also a senior fellow at the Steamboat Institute in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Hadley appears frequently in radio and TV outlets across the country and is a regular guest on Fox Business Network. Her work has been featured in publications including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, POLITICO, Roll Call, Real Clear Policy, National Review Online, and Huffington Post.

Dr. Everett Piper joins the show to explain the state of free speech in America, including censorship in academia and the dangers of our cancel culture.

Dr. Piper is the Author of the national best-seller, Not a Daycare: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth. He served as president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University for 17 years and presently serves as a contributing columnist for The Washington Times. His commentary on religion, education, leadership and politics is featured in local and national media outlets coast to coast. His viral op-ed, This Is Not a Day Care, it’s a University, which became his second book, was featured by NBC Today as one of its top ten news stories of 2015.

IWF president Carrie Lukas joins to talk about our policy focus on paid—leave. While most employers offer paid leave to full-time employees, many lack sufficient paid time off. The main question we’ll explore is whether policymakers can help employees earn more and save for time off without growing government or discouraging employers from offering their own benefits.

Carrie L. Lukas is president of Independent Women’s Forum and Vice President for Policy and Economics at Independent Women’s Voice. She is the author of Checking Progressive Privilege and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism. Carrie’s writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, and The New York Post. She contributes to the National Review and Forbes.com.

With public trust in the media at an all-time low, Carrie Sheffield joins the podcast to talk about media bias. We break down the causes and implications of “fake news,” the blurring of news reporting and opinion journalism, and name a few outlets that still present an unbiased view.

Carrie is a visiting fellow at IWF and serves as National Editor for Accuracy In Media, a citizens’ media watchdog whose mission is to promote accuracy, fairness and balance in news reporting. Carrie covered Congress for The Hill and served as a founding reporter at POLITICO. She won a Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship and has published in The Wall Street Journal, TIME, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, HuffPost, Bustle, American Spectator and Daily Caller.

On this week’s episode, the director of Save Our States Trent England joins to discuss the Electoral College. With November 2020 only a little over a year away, there’s a national debate heating up over whether the Electoral College is still relevant. Trent joins to defend the Electoral College and explain why switching to a popular vote to determine our leadership would cause great harm to America’s rural communities.

Trent England is the director of Save Our States, is an expert on the Electoral College, and regularly testifies against the National Popular Vote as bills come up in various state legislatures around the country. From NBC News to NPR affiliates to BuzzFeed News, Trent is a sought after commentator on presidential elections. He has written for the Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Daily Wire, and other publications, and is a contributor to two books—”The Heritage Guide to the Constitution” and “One Nation Under Arrest.” He previously hosted The Trent England Show and has guest hosted for Ben Shapiro.

Senator Marsha Blackburn joins the podcast this week to discuss the tough issue of Female Genital Mutilation, or what’s known as FGM. She and her colleagues in the Senate have made strides to protect young girls and women from FGM in the U.S., making it clear that Americans will not tolerate the abuse. Senator Blackburn gives an update on her legislation and recommends what else can be done to fully eradicate the practice. We also discuss her tenure in the Senate as well as her work as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Task Force where she’s tackling issues related to big tech.

Marsha Blackburn was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018, and is currently serving her first term representing the state of Tennessee. Before her election to the Senate, Senator Blackburn represented Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. Her public service is dedicated to promoting opportunities for women and making America a more prosperous place to live. Marsha’s leadership philosophy is based on her experiences in the private sector as a small business woman and author, as well as being a mother and grandmother.