With Ken Paxton’s win in the Texas Senate runoff, the MAGA talking heads have unleashed a bizarre flood of hate, misogyny, and smears to defend a man who was charged with felonies and impeached by his own party. For many women watching it all unfold, they are nodding along, knowing that women have faced these attacks for centuries. Every woman who steps into the spotlight faces backlash and attacks far beyond the moment. Fred sits down with two women for this week’s show on the moment we face in our democracy. Allison Butler, a Senior Lecturer, Associate Chair, and the Director of the Media Literacy Certificate Program in the Department of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, joins the conversation. In her new book, THE JUDGMENT OF GENDER: HOW WOMEN ARE CENTERED AND SILENCED IN POP CULTURE, she offers a searing critique of how media and popular culture dehumanize women — even as they expand their coverage of them. He is also joined by Danni Eickenhorst, a St. Louis restaurant owner, passionate advocate, and, most of all, a community builder hoping to leave the St. Louis region a little better than she found it. She owns several restaurants, but her primary day-to-day focus is on two iconic local spots: The Fountain on Locust and Steve’s Hot Dogs. Both guests offer unique perspectives on the challenges faced by women who step out of line — and how we can fight back as participants in our democracy. Learn more about Allison’s work at https://www.projectcensored.org/allison-butler/ Learn more about Danni’s work at https://www.hustl.group/