In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

Lest We Forget

“The president and his policy team continue to look at options on how to reduce the size of the Department of Education, if not abolish it completely. You heard the president say half jokingly but also serious, he wants Linda McMahon, who will lead that agency, to put herself out of a job.”

—White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Linda McMahon was confirmed to lead the Education Department on Monday.

Linda McMahon, the former head of World Wrestling Entertainment, testifies during her Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing on Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee / Getty Images)

“Thousands of people across our state have lost a fundamental constitutional right. … Extremist organizations, driven by their ideological agenda, used bizarre, procedural maneuvers—lacking any scientific merit—designed solely to shut down Wellspring Health Access and impose a de facto statewide abortion ban.

“Make no mistake—this law directly targets our clinic with the explicit goal of forcing us out of business. By doing so, it limits healthcare options, increases costs, and puts countless individuals at risk. Despite this, we remain steadfast in our mission. Our commitment to providing reproductive healthcare remains unwavering.”

—Julie Burkhart, the president of Wellspring Health Access in Casper, Wyo. Gov. Mark Gordon signed a TRAP bill into law, designed to shut down abortion clinics in the state. Burkhart vowed to sue to stop the law from being enacted.

“Today I am finally free! They may have imprisoned me but they never took my spirit! Thank you to all my supporters throughout the world who fought for my freedom.

“We are not going to give up. We’re going to win. We’ve been winning. We’re going to continue to win. We’re going to stick together. We’re going to unite. As it is right now, we’ve been united all through Indigenous countries. And we’re going to fight back. We’re going to continue ’til we are a free nation. I gave 50 years for that. And I’m going to give the rest of my life. They haven’t broken me. I am not broken.”

—Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier was released from prison after President Joe Biden commuted his life sentence in his final days as president. Peltier was accused of killing two FBI officers in 1975, but has maintained his innocence. Now, Peltier will remain on house arrest in the Turtle Mountain community in North Dakota. 

“The FBI is a fully now corrupt organization. This agency serves no good purpose anymore. The only thing that is going to stop the FBI from doing what they’re doing now, which is become full-time activists and bouncers, in many cases, thugs for the Democrat Party, is imposing real material losses on them. Fire everyone involved in this stuff. Everyone—no excuses. Disband the entity. It is the only way at this point.”

—Dan Bongino in 2022. Bongino is a former Secret Service agent and far-right podcaster that has now been named deputy director of the FBI.

“I’m complying with the state and federal laws. See you in court.”

—Maine Gov. Janet Mills standing up to direct attacks from Trump at the White House. He demanded she comply with an executive order banning trans girls from competing on girls’ sports teams, and threatened her state’s federal funding and her future in politics.

“Let’s be clear about who is to blame for threats to IVF access: Donald Trump, who ‘proudly’ overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door to these attacks in the first place. Trump has deep ties to anti-choice extremists, and his own vice president even voted to block legislation codifying basic protections for IVF. While Trump tries to cover his tracks and hide his record, his anti-IVF allies continue to attack reproductive freedoms nationwide.”

—DNC spokesperson Aida Ross, in response to Trump’s IVF executive order that doesn’t do anything to reduce IVF costs. All previous attempts by Congress to protect IVF access were blocked by Republicans.

“Americans deserve access to evidence-based healthcare, including abortion. Kennedy’s lack of respect for scientific data, and clear capitulation to Trump’s agenda, will create a dangerous situation for anyone who finds themselves pregnant when they don’t want to be.

“Despite Trump’s talk about states’ rights to regulate abortion access, any attempts to bring federal ‘consistency’ to the availability of abortion pills by mail are likely to build a legal or regulatory apparatus to prevent access to pills by mail, which science has shown are safe, effective, and convenient medical care.”

—Elisa Wells, co-founder of Plan C Pills, after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed by the Senate to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Black history is American history, and our education system needs to accurately reflect this nation’s history. Our voices cannot and will not be erased because when the value of the contributions of Black Americans is dismissed, it’s that much easier to dismiss the value of Black lives. I am introducing this legislation to preserve Black history and uplift our voice.”

—Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) introducing the Black History Matters Act, which would require a study of the quality and efforts of Black history education in public elementary and secondary schools.

“The systems of power are working as they always were intended to work. And it’s time to break down a system that has only been about white men. Too often this country has put the human aspect aside, and put profit and money over people.”

—WNBA champion Natasha Cloud, speaking out in support of DEI and social justice.

Milestones

+ Despite promising waivers for lifesaving programs, the Trump administration suddenly terminated over 90 percent of USAID programs. According to memos released by the acting assistant administrator for global health before he was placed on administrative leave, this will cause an additional 166,000 deaths from malaria and increase the spread of tuberculosis by 30 percent. It will also prevent 1 million children from receiving treatment for severe acute malnutrition.

+ House Republicans passed a budget resolution that signals their plan to cut hundreds of billions from SNAP, Medicaid and other anti-poverty policies. More than two in three Americans are concerned the tax plans will disproportionately benefit the rich and put Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid at risk. Musk recently called Social Security the “biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”

+ Trump continued his attacks on the trans community through executive orders:

  • All trans members of the military will be removed unless they are granted a waiver, and the Department of Defense will not cover gender-affirming healthcare. 
  • Trans, intersex and nonbinary people can no longer update their gender marker on passports, or choose a neutral X.
  • The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is moving to dismiss workplace discrimination cases filed on behalf of transgender employees.
  • Trans people in federal prisons will be moved to facilities that align with their sex assigned at birth. This will put them at high risk of violence and sexual assault, and could prevent them from being able to access hormones. The order is being challenged in court, but Biden’s protections for incarcerated trans people have been dismantled.

+ Actor Hunter Schafer shared that her new passport had the gender marker changed from female to male. Schafer was previously able to renew her passport with the correct gender marker, meaning the State Department may be cross-referencing birth certificates or records of gender marker changes to forcibly out trans people.

+ A federal judge blocked Trump’s executive order banning gender-affirming care for those under age 19. Hospitals in Virginia, Arizona and Michigan have announced they’ll resume providing care.

+ Over 100 measles cases have been detected in Texas, the largest outbreak in over 30 years. The vast majority of people infected were unvaccinated. During the 2023-2024 school year, 18 percent of kindergarten students had not received the MMR vaccine. Secretary of Health RFK Jr. originally downplayed the outbreak, but on Friday he framed it as a “call to action for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to public health” and explained the importance of vaccines and herd immunity.

However, Kennedy also vowed to investigate the childhood vaccine schedule. He has a history of anti-vaccine comments, including calling harm from vaccines a “holocaust” in 2015.

+ The White House has repeatedly banned Associated Press reporters from several Oval Office events because the outlet does not call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” Trump called the AP an organization of “radical left lunatics” and said: “We’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America.”

+ In an executive order Trump froze all government credit cards for 30 days. Now, any “critical services” must be approved by Musk’s DOGE. This has already stopped critical NIH research on cancer and Alzheimer’s.

+ The Department of the Interior issued a stop work order halting legal services for immigrant children in an Unaccompanied Children Program. The program helped immigrant and refugee children avoid unlawful deportation, but now 26,000 children have lost their legal representation. 

+ Federal agencies have shut down DEI programs and banned celebrations of Women’s History Month, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, Juneteenth, LGBTQ Pride Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day and more. Intelligence officials warn that this could reduce their diverse talent pool and discourage potential recruits.

+ Schools run by the Defense Department, which serve about 67,000 students on military bases, have cancelled affinity clubs, women in STEM groups and Black History Month events.

+ The Supreme Court declined to hear a case attempting to overturn “buffer zone” laws that limit how close protesters can get to abortion clinic entrances.

+ Sixteen massage therapists have accused Baltimore Ravens player Justin Tucker of sexual misconduct.

+ Women’s college basketball teams will finally be paid for March Madness games. Beginning in 2025, a total of $15 million will be awarded, increasing to $25 million by 2028. Men’s basketball teams have been paid for years, and their funding pool is over $200 million.

+ Google, Amazon, TikTok and Meta are blocking content related to women’s health: Sixty-four percent of women’s health businesses report unjust product removals on Amazon. Meta and TikTok frequently classify information on abortion, menopause, endometriosis and menstrual health as “adult” and remove it.

+ The #StopCensoringAbortion campaign is collecting stories of censorship incidents and demanding that companies increase transparency and stop silencing reproductive rights advocates. They also provide digital security guides for activists, patients and medical providers.

+ Trump nominated interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., Ed Martin for the permanent position. Martin is an election denier that was in the mob outside the Capitol on Jan. 6 and helped raise money for arrested rioters. He’s already demoted eight senior federal prosecutors who worked on the Jan. 6 cases, trying to force them to resign.

+ Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) was investigated by Washington, D.C., police for allegedly assaulting a woman in his home. But when they sent an arrest warrant for Mills to interim Ed Martin’s office, he refused to sign it.

+ Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law that removed gender identity from the list of protected groups that employers, businesses and landlords may not discriminate against. Gay and lesbian people will remain protected, but the state has now ended civil rights protections for transgender people. 

+ As a result of a Trump executive order stopping federal grants, families in Alabama saw their electricity bill rise by $100. “In just a matter of weeks, Trump has broken his signature campaign promise. He isn’t lowering costs; he’s making life more expensive for American families,” emphasized Climate Power communications director Alex Glass.

+ Reps. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) and Claudia Tenney (R-Tenn.) and Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced the Tax Fairness for Survivors Act, which would remove the tax penalty on settlements and judgments paid to survivors of sexual harassment and assault.

+ A District Court blocked ICE from raiding certain houses of worship, after Quakers, Baptists and Sikhs sued. Denver Public Schools are also suing to keep immigration enforcement out of schools.

+ Pianist and singer Roberta Flack died at age 88. The “Killing Me Softly With His Song” artist was the first artist to win consecutive Grammys for best record. She received a full scholarship to Howard at age 15, sang at the funeral of Jackie Robinson and was a guest performer on feminist children’s project “Free to Be … You and Me.”

+ The House passed a bill that would require citizens to show a passport or birth certificate matching their name to vote. This could prevent the almost 70 million women who changed their name after marriage and don’t have a passport from voting. 

+ MSNBC anchor Joy Reid, a staunch critic of Trump, was fired. Trump celebrated on Truth Social, while MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow said Reid’s firing is “unnerving” and “indefensible.”

+ Trump shut down the CDC’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). They have studied health data since 1988 to improve maternal and infant mortality. Workers at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) were also fired.

+ Two high school students in New Hampshire are challenging the executive order banning trans girls from girls’ sports teams. Their court filing argues that the order violates Title IX by discriminating on the basis of sex. It also targets a tiny segment of people: at the college level, fewer than 10 out of over 500,000 NCAA athletes are trans.

+ On Presidents’ Day, protesters took to the streets in Washington and across the country to oppose Trump’s efforts to dismantle the government. The grassroots 50501 movement organized the “No Kings’ Day” and “Not My Presidents’ Day” rallies.

+ The American Federation of Teachers is challenging the Trump administration’s threats to deny funding to schools and colleges that consider race in hiring, discipline policy, scholarships, prizes or any other aspect. They argue it violates antidiscrimination laws and infringes on free speech.

How We’re Doing

+ Almost 10 percent of American adults are part of the LGBTQ community. New polls found 5.2 percent identify as bisexual, 2 percent as gay, 1.4 percent as lesbian, and 1.3 percent as transgender. Women are almost twice as likely as men to identify as LGBTQ.

There are strong generational differences: Twenty-three percent of Generation Z adults identify as LGBTQ, including 4.1 percent who are trans. Another 23 percent of Gen Z women and 8 percent of Gen Z men are bisexual. Researchers believe these numbers are likely an underestimate.

+ LGBT Americans are five times more likely to experience violent victimization than non-LGBT people, and are more likely to suffer injuries as a result of violence. Black LGBT people have the highest rates of victimization.

+ A guaranteed income program in New York gave $1,000 monthly payments to artists for 18 months. They found that participating artists spent 19 opecent more hours on their art, 75 percent of caregiving artists reported improved work-life balance, and participants reported a 29 percent reduction in severe anxiety and depression. Matching other guaranteed income programs findings, the artists used the payments on basic needs, and experienced a 19 percent reduction in food insecurity.

“Artists represent a distinctive form of labor—often gig-based, undervalued, and precarious—yet their contributions are vital to our cultural and economic ecosystems. This study demonstrates that guaranteed income not only supports artists financially, but also enables this extremely diverse population to thrive creatively while enriching their communities,” explained Creatives Rebuild New York executive director Sarah Calderon. 

+ Patients who lost a second-trimester pregnancy in a Texas hospital have a higher risk of contracting sepsis since the state’s abortion ban went into effect. In 2022 and 2023, 120 women died in Texas while hospitalized during their pregnancy or within six weeks postpartum.

+One in five Americans planning to have children in the next ten years has moved, or knows someone who has moved, to another state to avoid abortion restrictions. Fifty-seven percent of future parents prioritize employers offering reproductive healthcare benefits. In total, over half of employed adults believe companies should speak out in support of reproductive rights.

“Workers are not willing to trade their health and autonomy for a paycheck,” said Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, president and CEO of IWPR. “Access to reproductive health care is a fundamental component of workplace equity, and businesses can no longer afford to ignore the impact of abortion restrictions on their workforce.”

+  Women’s spending and employment rates are accelerating more than men, meaning they’re participating more in the economy. However, they’re still earning less. In 2023, women in full-time salaried roles had weekly earnings of 83.6 percent of the male median. The pay gap is narrowing, likely due to more opportunities for higher-paying work.

+ About half of young voters believe Trumps’ economic policies will increase inflation, and only 38 percent expect them to help their financial situation. Just 18 percent believe tariffs provide any benefit.

+ The first year of raising a child costs over $20,000 and rising. Ninety percent of moms say their finances are taking a toll on their mental wellbeing, and half of moms are delaying or changing their plans to have more kids.

+ Childcare policies are incredibly popular. Seventy-nine percent of Republicans say they want Trump and Republicans in Congress to do more to help working parents afford quality childcare.

+ Just two out of five eligible parents used state paid parental leave in 2022. While men are 25 percent more likely to be eligible, they’re also 25 percent less likely to use it. But it has a real impact. A decade after childbirth, 82 percent of women who took paid leave remained in the labor force, compared with just 64 percent of those who quit after childbirth.

+  Publicly funded preschool enrollment hit a record high in 2022, helping children develop pre-literacy and pre-numeracy skills that may set them up for greater success in high school and college. One study found that universal preschool raised parents’ average earnings by 21.7 percent per year.

+ Without paid family and medical leave, the economy loses $22.5 billion in wages yearly because workers are forced to choose between their health and their jobs. Workers without paid leave are more than twice as likely to forgo medical care because they can’t afford to miss a paycheck.

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