Keeping Score: Charlie Kirk’s ‘Professor Watchlist’ Put Educators at Risk; Epstein Survivors on Capitol Hill; Lawmakers Condemn RFK’s ‘War on Science’

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.

This week:.
—Karen Attiah, a Washington Post columnist, said she was fired over social media posts she made following the killing of Charlie Kirk. “I did my journalistic duty, reminding people that despite President Trump’s partisan rushes to judgement, no suspect or motive had been identified in the killing…”
—Epstein survivors spoke out in support of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
—Missouri state lawmakers held a sit-in to protest redistricting.
—Texas banned trans people from using public bathrooms.
—Senators pushed back against RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine views.
—Colleges and universities experience a chilling effect of Trump’s war on DEI.
—Being stalked increases the risk of heart disease.
—Tea Party Patriots co-founder said they plan to pressure Senate Republicans to attach the SAVE Act to must-pass funding legislation in September.

… and more.

Women’s Equality Day: Celebrate the Victories. Confront the Backlash.

Tuesday, Aug. 26, marks 104 years since the 19th Amendment was certified, recognizing women’s constitutional right to vote. But anniversaries like Women’s Equality Day are not just about looking back. They remind us of unfinished business.

The proposed SAVE Act threatens to make voting harder for students, married women, low-income voters and communities of color. Dark money is flooding state races aimed at rolling back abortion access, LGBTQ+ protections and civil rights. And without congressional recognition of the ERA, gender equality remains absent from the Constitution.

But wins are possible.

Of Course Trump Threatened Ballot Access on the 19th Amendment’s Anniversary

The 19th Amendment turned 105 this week. Instead of marking progress, we’re watching Trump officials entertain the idea that women’s right to vote is negotiable. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amplified a pastor calling for repeal of the amendment, and when pressed, his office issued a half-hearted “of course” women should vote. We’ve seen this playbook before: Roe was safe, contraception wasn’t at risk—until both were.

Trump himself piled on this week, vowing to eliminate mail-in ballots and voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterms. He can’t legally do it, but the threat is the point. Combined with the SAVE Act, which could disenfranchise married women who changed their names, the message is clear.

The anniversary of women’s suffrage is not just history—it’s a warning flare. The right to vote is under attack, and the fight this time is for all the marbles.