Medicaid Cuts Will Raise Costs for Millions of Women

Over 70 million people, including 13 million women of reproductive age, are enrolled in Medicaid—America’s biggest single health insurance program. Now, congressional Republicans are ready to take an axe to it.

Proposed Republican cuts to Medicaid would strip millions of women of affordable access to birth control, prenatal care, STI treatment and other essential healthcare services.

How Trump’s America Is Normalizing Violence Against Women

Under Trump’s America, violence against women isn’t just ignored—it’s become a deliberate political strategy. Powerful men accused of abuse are actively protected and celebrated by the Trump administration, while survivors and those who stand up for them are punished and silenced. (Just look at the attacks and public shaming Christine Blasey Ford had to endure after courageously coming forward with her sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh.) From legal interventions and judicial appointments to funding cuts, Trump has systematically dismantled protections for women and emboldened those who harm them.

‘Companion’ Unmasks the Horror Beneath the Tradwife Fantasy

Companion starts with a dreamy tradwife fantasy and ends in a blood-soaked feminist reckoning. Writer-director Drew Hancock’s film may nod to Scream, Ex Machina and Black Mirror, but it carves out its own smart, brutal allegory for waking up from the fantasy of obedience. Sophie Thatcher’s performance anchors the story as Iris evolves from Stepford-perfect to gloriously feral, reminding us that when women start asking questions, the whole system bleeds.

U.S. Citizen Children Are the Latest Casualty in Trump’s Immigration War

On Friday, a 2-year-old U.S. citizen was deported with “no meaningful process,” according to a federal judge. She’s one of several U.S. citizen children being torn from their home, sent to foreign countries without due process, and stripped of their rights and protection.

This little girl—and all U.S. citizen children of immigrant parents—deserves to be safe from deportation. She needs to know that the people around her love her and want to do what’s best for her. She needs to grow up in a country that wants her to thrive and succeed. She needs to believe that her family and everyone else will be able to count on the government to protect them from harm, and when necessary, to protect her from the government itself. In this moment, that may seem like a tall order, but only if we stand by while abuses like this happen. 

The government has the power to find and return these families. As a former DHS official, I know that deportation planes can be held, individuals can be taken off the manifest, and that officials can find and return people who have been wrongfully deported. It is not a question of resources, or logistics, or diplomatic niceties, or court orders. It’s a question of returning to the idea that immigration law is not a vehicle for expelling one’s enemies, but a set of laws that replicate the fundamental principles of dignity, justice and a fair day in court.

‘Rape Club’: Trial Set for Prison Guard Accused of Sexual Abuse in Notorious California Women’s Prison

Earlier this month, a jury of ten men and two women was unable to come to a unanimous decision after a week’s deliberation. They were judging the trial of former correctional officer Darrell Wayne Smith, nicknamed “Dirty Dick,” accused of 15 counts of sexual misconduct. Smith was the last correctional officer to be charged with abuse at the now-shut-down FCI Dublin, as part of a sprawling federal investigation that convicted seven officers, including the prison’s warden and chaplain.

‘Barrage of Harassment, Intimidation and Violent Attacks’ on Abortion Clinics, Says National Abortion Federation

The National Abortion Federation (NAF) this week released their Violence and Disruption Report for 2023 and 2024, documenting widespread antiabortion terrorism against abortion clinics.

The report revealed that there were 1,199 violent incidents at abortion clinics in 2023 and 2024. The report also documented extensive disruption of services. (The actual number of incidents of harassment and violence targeting abortion providers is likely much higher than NAF’s reported numbers.)

“Let me be clear: There is nothing peaceful about the kind of protesting behavior we see at our clinic,” said Julie Burkhart, president of Wellspring Health Access in Casper, Wyo., and co-owner of Hope Clinic in Washington, D.C. “We have seen extremists try to invade our clinic multiple times in 2023 and 2024, intent on harassing our staff and intimidating our patients.”

This Week in Women’s Representation: Earth Day 2025; Barbara Lee Wins Oakland Mayor Race with Ranked-Choice Voting; Group of All Men Negotiate Ukraine War

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: The official theme of Earth Day 2025 is “Our Power, Our Planet,” calling for individuals to advocate for climate solutions and renewable energy at every level of government; former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee won a convincing win in a ranked-choice voting election to become the fourth consecutive woman elected as mayor and the first-ever Black woman mayor; zero women were included in the Ukraine-Russia peace talks; a woman Democrat could replace Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat in Illinois; and more.