Politics

New York Times’ Shameful Reporting on Planned Parenthood Bolsters Right-Wing Attacks on Reproductive Healthcare Access

PUBLISHED 2/21/2025 by and

The New York Times recently published a 3,000-word investigative report claiming to have found “scores of allegations” against Planned Parenthood for misconduct, medical malpractice, mismanagement and labor violations. Released within a month of Trump’s inauguration, the article appears timed to provide ammunition for the ongoing right-wing attack on reproductive rights. 

The NYT could have invested its significant resources into investigating how Planned Parenthood plays a unique and irreplaceable role in the U.S. healthcare system as the nation’s leading provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare and largest sex educator. By choosing to publish what reads as a hit job on Planned Parenthood at this political moment, while failing to devote any resources to investigating the opaque and unregulated antiabortion industry vying to defund and replace Planned Parenthood, the NYT has done a grave disservice to readers, especially women and girls who need reproductive healthcare.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Is Effective and Popular—So Why Do Trump and Musk Want to Shut It Down?

PUBLISHED 2/19/2025 by

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are targeting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which is the government oversight agency charged with protecting consumers from unfair and unethical practices like predatory lending rates for everything from home mortgages to used cars, junk charges such as “resort” fees at fleabag hotels and surprise “processing fees” or “closing fees” that weren’t disclosed upfront for loans.

And it’s no mystery why; the CFPB has been effective. It has obtained nearly $20 billion in financial relief for U.S. consumers in the form of canceled debts, compensation and reduced loans since its founding.

Weaponizing Aid: How U.S. Policies Undermine Reproductive Health in Humanitarian Crises

PUBLISHED 2/18/2025 by

U.S. policies like the global gag rule (GGR) have long restricted access to reproductive healthcare worldwide, but their impact on refugee women and girls in humanitarian crises is often overlooked. By cutting funding to NGOs that provide or even discuss abortion care, the GGR limits essential services such as contraception, post-abortion care, and maternal health support for millions of displaced women. In conflict zones and refugee camps, where healthcare is already scarce, these restrictions leave women without options, increasing the risks of unsafe abortions, maternal mortality and gender-based violence.

As the U.S. continues to wield foreign aid as a political tool, the lives of the world’s most vulnerable women hang in the balance.

Trump Administration Actions Are Sparking Nationwide Protests. Here’s How to Join the Next One.

PUBLISHED 2/18/2025 by

Less than a month into Trump’s second term, tens of thousands across the country have taken to the streets to protest his administration’s anti-democratic policies. From major cities to small towns, demonstrators are rallying against mass layoffs in government watchdog agencies, the implementation of Project 2025, and pardons for Jan. 6 participants. The protests, largely organized by the grassroots group 50501, began on Reddit and have rapidly gained momentum, with more marches planned in the coming weeks. Here’s how you can get involved.

Presidents’ Day and the Legacy of Exclusion: Why Women Still Struggle for the Oval Office

PUBLISHED 2/16/2025 by

Presidents’ Day often conjures images of our founding fathers, men whose legacies in history books portray them as heroic figures. Yet, these white men confined themselves to rooms of power, shutting the doors behind them and leaving the majority of society—women, marginalized groups and nonconforming individuals—without a seat at the table, effectively denying them power and influence.

Let us move forward with purpose, amplifying the voices of women, demanding equality and working toward a future where the presidency is no longer an unattainable dream but a reality.

‘Thank You, Mike Johnson’ Campaign Donates Emergency Contraception—in the House Speaker’s Name

PUBLISHED 2/15/2025 by

Less than a month into the new Trump administration, Republicans have already come for repro rights, removing reproductiverights.gov and reintroducing a bill to repeal the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

Now, it’s more important than ever to call out antiabortion extremism while supporting birth control access—and Cadence OTC’s new donation drive “Thank You, Mike Johnson” accomplishes both. Cadence OTC is a California-based public benefits company. They are currently working to make their birth control pills and emergency contraception available over the counter, including in states facing legal pushback to contraception access. In their new campaign, whenever House Speaker Mike Johnson or another political figure spreads misinformation or anti-contraception rhetoric, Cadence OTC donates emergency contraception to U.S. women—including in Johnson’s home state of Louisiana—in his name.

Don’t Let Donald Trump and Elon Musk Talk Us Out of Democracy

PUBLISHED 2/14/2025 by

Trump and Musk are testing the limits, trying to sell America on being an authoritarian state—but they can’t do it unless we allow them to do so.

When Justice Department lawyers go to court, trying to defend many of Trump and Musk’s actions, DOJ has regularly lost—and often face tense moments in court before being dealt those losses.

On Monday, for example, Judge John Bates, a George W. Bush appointee, heard arguments over a group of doctors’ lawsuit challenging the removal of webpages and datasets by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Department for Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the government-wide censorship purge put into effect following Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order defining “sex” to exclude transgender people.

‘We Will Not Surrender’: How to Stand Up to Trump Administration Attacks on LGBTQ+ Health Research

PUBLISHED 2/14/2025 by

The Trump administration is waging an aggressive campaign to censor and dismantle LGBTQ+ health research, erasing critical data, banning key terms and suppressing scientific inquiry. These unprecedented attacks threaten not only academic freedom but also the health and lives of LGBTQ+ people. In response, researchers, medical organizations, and advocates must take bold action—filing lawsuits, protecting data and refusing to be silenced. The fight for scientific integrity and LGBTQ+ health equity has never been more urgent.

‘Money, Lies, and God’: The Rise of Christian Nationalism and the Battle for American Democracy

PUBLISHED 2/14/2025 by

Katherine Stewart’s Money, Lies, and God exposes the alarming rise of Christian nationalism as a well-coordinated, anti-democratic movement seeking not just power, but the destruction of democracy itself. She describes this movement as “more political pathology than political program,” with its leaders intent on “burning down the house.” Stewart reveals how right-wing religious and political forces use disinformation, authoritarian alliances and targeted outreach—particularly through churches and media—to gain influence.

Despite internal contradictions, she warns that their strategy is effective: “A fractured and ill-informed public is easier to control than a well-informed one.”

However, she argues that a broad, pro-democracy coalition can push back, emphasizing the need to expose dark money, defend public education and strengthen the separation of church and state.

‘They’re Coming After Birth Control’: Rep. Lizzie Fletcher on the Fight for Contraceptive Rights

PUBLISHED 2/14/2025 by

Despite overwhelming public support for contraception access, Republicans continue to block legislation protecting it. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher explains why the fight for birth control rights is more urgent than ever.

“The same people who have been crusading against abortion rights for decades aren’t stopping there. They have their eyes set on contraception and birth control.”