The Ms. Must-Read

Trump Officials Wage War on Women, Immigrants and Accountability

PUBLISHED 8/4/2025 by

A dozen Democrats in Congress sued the Trump administration last week for limiting their access to ICE detention centers. The lawmakers argue that the DHS, which oversees ICE, has inhibited lawmakers’ oversight responsibilities and violated federal law in denying members of Congress access to the facilities.

And the cruelty we’ve seen over the past several months extends far beyond this country’s borders. The U.S. is still on track to destroy over $13 million worth of contraceptives, paid for with U.S. taxpayer dollars, and intended for women in poor nations—a move that itself will cost an additional $167,000. Trump officials have also turned down offers from multiple aid agencies to distribute the supplies at no cost.

Trump’s Support Erodes as Women, Workers and Even Republicans Push Back

PUBLISHED 7/28/2025 by

It seems like with each week, Trump just keeps getting more and more unpopular—even among those who are most primed to like him. Trump’s approval rating is currently the lowest it’s been this term, seeing a significant decline among Independents and even some decline among Republicans.

And the “Big Beautiful Bill” has played no small role: Polling shows that majorities of voters continue to disapprove of the Republican economic plan. Seventy percent are concerned about cuts to Medicaid (which, by the way, remains overwhelmingly popular in the polls), regardless of when those cuts go into effect—indicating that the Republican strategy of delaying the cuts’ implementation till after the midterm elections might not be working.

Regardless of how dark things feel, there are countless feminist battles in our past, both near and far, that we can draw hope and strength from.

What’s Up With Men?

PUBLISHED 7/14/2025 by

What the hell is up with men these days? It’s clearer than ever that (mostly white) men are hurting—but why is this happening, and what can be done to change things?

We go in search of the answers to these questions on the latest episode of On the Issues, where host Michele Goodwin is joined by Jackson Katz, Gary Barker and Cody Thompson to talk about the issues facing men—and how we can address them, in order to get our democracy back on track.

If you want to go even deeper, Katz also guest-edited a special “Report on Men” for our Summer issue (which you can get right now as a standalone for just $5)—including pieces that delve into the rise of the “bro-casts,” the clinicians combating the “male loneliness epidemic,” JD Vance and the performance of masculinity, and so much more.

If you’ve been enjoying the recently-released documentary Dear Ms. on HBO, and want to go deeper into the history and legacy of Ms., you’re in luck! Our latest podcast Looking Back, Moving Forward explores through the lens of Ms. not only how we got to where we are now, but how our shared histories illuminate the path toward an intersectional feminist future

As Support for Abortion Grows, the Court Doubles Down on Restricting Care

PUBLISHED 6/30/2025 by

In its Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic ruling last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a devastating blow to reproductive health clinics across the nation. A substantial slate of decisions issued by the Court Friday dealt several more severe blows to the rule of law and our constitutional rights—though a silver lining was the Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act’s preventive-care mandate.

In a Summer of Protest, We Find Our Power

PUBLISHED 6/23/2025 by

There’s a lot worth protesting right now.

Last week, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti affirming that Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth is constitutional. (ICYMI Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented “in sadness.”)

There’s the ongoing battle to save Medicaid, Medicare and SNAP in Congress—where Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” continues to threaten programs that so many lives depend on.

The same day as the No Kings protests, news broke of the assassination of Melissa Hortman, a Democratic Minnesota state legislator and former speaker. Since then, media accounts of the shootings have increasingly failed to mention the potential role of abortion in motivating the alleged shooter’s actions.

Trump’s Vanity Parades, Immigration Raids and Cuts to Medicaid Face a Feminist Wall

PUBLISHED 6/17/2025 by

This weekend, while Trump paraded tanks through D.C. in a $45 million display of ego, tens of thousands of peaceful protesters flooded streets across the country to say: No more kings. In cities like Los Angeles, we saw communities come together to defend their neighbors from the cruel realities of immigration raids, family separation and attacks on basic healthcare. The protests made one thing clear—especially among women, who overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump’s actions: We reject this vision of America. And we’re not backing down.

This Is Not Just a Budget. It’s a War on Women.

PUBLISHED 5/31/2025 by

They didn’t just vote to gut programs. They voted to gut women’s lives.

Last week, in the dark of night, House Republicans passed a budget bill that slashes billions in federal spending on Medicaid, SNAP (food assistance), childcare, home energy assistance and disability support. The budget bill will cut direct support to tens of millions of working-class families—and, according to the Congressional Budget Office, millions more will lose their health insurance through changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. This is not just cruel. It’s calculated. And it will hit women hardest.

We have one month to stop these devastating cuts.

Trump’s Second Term: A Month In, And Americans Are Already Fed Up

PUBLISHED 2/24/2025 by

We’re just over a month into the second Trump administration, and the reviews from the American public are in. Across four major polls this week, Trump’s approval ratings have dropped to the mid-40’s, down from closer to 50 in January.

A headline from CNN proclaims that “pessimism [is] on the rise” among Americans. We’re not surprised. Many of the initiatives and departments Trump’s targeted for downsizing or tried to shut down are actually quite popular with the American public—like the Department of Education, which he’s been gearing up to obliterate. Or take the case of the Consumer Federal Protection Bureau (CFPB)—the oversight agency that’s responsible for protecting consumers like you or I from things like predatory lending rates, excessive credit card fees, and other unfair and undisclosed fees and practices. 

As long as the administration keeps acting against Americans’ best interest, Americans will keep fighting back—from the courts to the streets, and from coast to coast.