A nationwide physicians’ group hailed the reintroduction of a popular federal bill that would quickly upgrade the Medicare program and expand it to cover the entire population. Dr. Margaret Flowers tells why this is a cost effective approach. Later, Stephanie Staal explores the significance of classic tales by and of women, highlighting the relevance these ideas still have today in Reading Women.

Some women in America are now choosing to be childless but is society more or less accepting of the trend? Lisa Hymas, with Grist.org tells us why she’s child free and proud. Then what would happen to international politics if the dead rose from the grave and started to eat the living? In Theories of International Politics and Zombies, author,  Daniel Drezner answers the question that other scholars have been too scared to ask.

Liz Seccuro, an activist for victims of sexual assault and author of the memoir, Crash Into Me, wrote about the story of her rape and the court case that followed years later. It is a brave account of the realities of the legal system, outright lies from university officials and a systemic lack of concern and care given to the victims.

Women today are inundated with conflicting messages from the mass media: they must either be strong leaders in complete command or sex kittens obsessed with finding and pleasing a man. In The Rise of Enlightened Sexism, Susan J. Douglas, takes readers on a spirited journey through the television programs, popular songs, movies, and news coverage of recent years telling a story that is nothing less than the cultural biography of a new generation of American women.

American Rose is Karen Abbott’s story of a turbulent nation and the ambitious woman who became Gypsy Rose Lee, the queen of burlesque. The biography of the celebrated stripper, who died in 1970 at age 59, looks at the evolution of musical theater in the early 20th century.

Randy Susan Meyers is the author of  The Murderer’s Daughters and is passionate about domestic violence awareness and prevention. The book sheds light on the forgotten victims of domestic abuse—children—in its portrayal of two sisters on a path to overcome the collateral damage of family violence.

Abortion policy in this country does not treat all women equally and the Hyde Amendment prohibits Medicaid from covering abortion care in almost all circumstances. Jessica Arons with the Center for American Progress talks about the impact the amendment has on women of color. Later, columnist, author and retired USAF Lt.Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski tells us what should be done to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

In No Excuses, feminist icon Gloria Feldt asserts that nobody is keeping women from parity—except themselves. She argues that there’s no excuse for women today not to own their power and lead an unlimited life.

Jessica Stern is one of the nation’s foremost experts on terrorism and post-traumatic stress disorder and she recounts her moments of terror in Denial when she and her younger sister were raped at gunpoint.  In doing so, she examines the horrors of trauma an denial. Later Jacob Weisberg, chairman and editor-in-chief of the Slate group with Palinisms. You betcha!

Taking Woodstock is the funny, touching, and true story of Elliot Tiber, the man who helped the celebrated music festival take place. It is also Tiber’s personal story of how he took stock of his life, his lifestyle, and his future. At the half, Bill Ryerson, President of the Population Media Center talks about their new video game, breakawaygame.com, that is aimed at preventing violence against women.