Keeping Score: ‘I Will Not Whitewash the White Supremacist That Was Charlie Kirk’; 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.
Lest We Forget
“I will not whitewash the white supremacist that was Charlie Kirk. For someone so young, what an embarrassment of hatreds he left us to excoriate him with. … Kirk took the most repugnant white Christian nationalist zealotry from the places it festered in the odious margins and moved it to the Trumpian mainstream, becoming a millionaire who moved into a $4.75 million estate in the process. Speak ill of him. It is the truth.“
—Mona Eltahawy, writer
“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 of Charlie Kirk—exercising restraint even as I condemned hatred and violence. … My only direct reference to Kirk was one post—his own words on record. … And yet, the Post accused my measured Bluesky posts of being “unacceptable”, “gross misconduct” and of endangering the physical safety of colleagues—charges without evidence, which I reject completely as false. They rushed to fire me without even a conversation—claiming disparagement on race. This was not only a hasty overreach, but a violation of the very standards of journalistic fairness and rigor the Post claims to uphold. …
“I was the last remaining Black full-time opinion columnist at the Post, in one of the nation’s most diverse regions.“
—Karen Attiah on Substack. A Washington Post columnist, she said she was fired over social media posts she made following the killing of Charlie Kirk.
“The impacts of abortion bans can be felt throughout our communities by friends, loved ones, and providers who navigate the challenging landscape left in the wake of the ‘Dobbs’ decision and the impacts of the spending package recently signed into law.
“Providers in states that ban or restrict abortion are forced to constantly weigh the risks of providing essential care to a patient or being fined or imprisoned for administering that care. Husbands watch their wives’ and kids watch their mothers’ health decline to the brink of death before they can receive necessary and often lifesaving healthcare. Friends and families are forced to witness their loved ones suffer through impossible circumstances because laws in their state deprive them of the right to make decisions about what happens to their own bodies and lives. These abortion bans are being pushed by extreme politicians who have worked diligently to implement elements of their anti-abortion playbook and played the long game toward chipping away at our rights and freedoms.”
—Over 130 advocates from 35 states signed a letter urging Congress to defend reproductive freedom.
“Mr. Kennedy and the rest of the Trump administration tell us, over and over, that they want to Make America Healthy Again. That’s a great slogan. I agree with it. The problem is that since coming into office, President Trump and Mr. Kennedy have done exactly the opposite.
“The reality is that Mr. Kennedy has profited from and built a career on sowing mistrust in vaccines. Now, as head of H.H.S., he is using his authority to launch a full-blown war on science, on public health and on truth itself.”
—Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote an editorial demanding RFK Jr. be removed from HHS as he continues pushing anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. Other lawmakers, including Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) agree.
“I would like people to know that all women should have a choice about their bodies. And I think I want people to know that [Smith] was a nurse, an RN. The same field that she worked in is the same people who failed her. I’m her mother. I shouldn’t be burying my daughter. I wish he could smell his mother just one time. You know, lay on her chest, skin to skin. That’s not possible.”
—The mom of Adriana Smith, who was kept on life support because she was nine weeks pregnant, shared that Adriana’s infant son is still in the NICU, and warned of the harm of Georgia’s abortion ban.
“Veterans should never have to question whether they can get the care they need when it matters most. This rule would strip away our protections, put our care at risk, and betray the very people this nation has promised to protect. It is especially chilling given there are an estimated two to three incidents of sexual violence in VA facilities every day—the same institutions that would turn away veterans who become pregnant as a result. For veterans who experience sexual violence and pregnancy complications, the stakes could not be more urgent. To deny veterans abortion care is an institutional betrayal, and our community won’t stop fighting until the protections are restored.”
—Lindsay Church, executive director of Minority Veterans of America, responding to a proposed Trump administration rule that would restrict coverage of abortion care for veterans in almost all circumstances.
“There is no justice for survivors until there is full transparency and accountability for all who participated in or enabled Jeffrey Epstein’s and Ghislaine Maxwell’s serial sexual predation and abuse. If the Trump administration fails to release the full Epstein files with survivors’ names redacted, it means the president and Attorney General Pam Bondi are protecting predators.“
—Elisa Batista, campaign director for UltraViolet Action.
“Millions of families rely on SNAP to put food on the table and make ends meet. I know firsthand the difference that SNAP can make for kids. My family struggled when I was young, and programs like SNAP helped us get through tough times—just like the tough times Donald Trump has created with his imploding economy. Now, Trump’s budget cuts mean that more families will have to choose between paying for groceries, gas, rent, and the medicine that they need. It’s pretty damn clear that Trump and his rubber-stamp Republicans will never hesitate to sell out working families if it means that his billionaire buddies and donors will make an extra buck.”
—DNC Chair Ken Martin spoke out against the cuts to SNAP in the OBBB that will begin to take effect this week, impacting more than 22 million families.
Milestones
+ A proposed Department of Education rule would revoke Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) from employers not aligned with Trump’s agenda. Employees for organizations providing gender-affirming care or legal support to immigrants could lose access to student loan forgiveness. State and city government workers would also be punished, in places that are “sanctuary” locations for immigrants and the LGBTQ community. Until Sept. 17, you can submit a public comment, which must be read and could delay implementation of the proposed rule.
+ Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) held a press conference on Capitol Hill with Epstein-Maxwell survivors, and are pushing for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would force the government to release the full files.
+ A birthday book to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 was released by the House Oversight Committee, containing a card with a drawing of a naked woman or girl seemingly signed by Trump. The administration has denied it’s his signature, but the book also includes a picture of Epstein with a novelty check and joke that it was for Trump purchasing a “fully depreciated” woman.
+ Far-right activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. Kirk was a Christian nationalist, antiabortion, anti-LGBTQ and opposed gun control.
+ Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law ensuring public college students can access medication abortion and contraception at campus health services.
“This legislation is a critical step in ensuring that Illinois students can access medication abortion care when they need it—without leaving campus or facing delays that increase costs and complexity. Abortion is common and essential healthcare, and students deserve the same access on campus as they do to any other form of basic medical care,” said Alicia Hurtado, advocacy and communications director at the Chicago Abortion Fund.
+ Conservation Christian leader James Dobson died at age 89. He founded Focus on the Family and Family Research Council, and advocated strongly against abortion rights and LGBTQ rights.
+ Late disability justice activist Stacey Park Milbern became the first woman in a wheelchair on U.S. currency, and the first person whose wheelchair is shown. She was chosen as one of the 20 women highlighted by the American Women in Quarters program.
+ Texas passed a bill banning trans people from using public bathrooms and locker rooms, with fines starting at $25,000 for a first offense. The law also prevents trans people from being incarcerated in facilities matching their genders.
+ A federal appeals court allowed the Trump administration to temporarily “defund” Planned Parenthood by blocking them from Medicaid funding.
+ Texas and Florida have asked to join a lawsuit targeting mifepristone that claims the FDA shouldn’t have approved access to the medicine. Kansas, Missouri and Idaho originally brought the case in Texas under antiabortion judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. So, if Texas joins as a plaintiff, they will have much better standing to move the case forward.
+ Missouri state Reps. Ray Reed, Jeremy Dean and Elizabeth Fuchs held a sit-in, refusing to leave the chamber for over 120 hours to protest a special session to gerrymander the state’s districts.
+ Texas’s new congressional redistricting map discriminates against Black and Latino voters, by gerrymandering them into fewer districts. The state’s plan aims to flip five seats for Republicans, and is already being challenged in court under the Voting Right Act.
+ RFK Jr. conflated abortion and birth control, falsely claiming that the CDC lists abortion as a top 10 medical innovation. In reality, they praise “family planning and contraceptive services.” This dangerous confusion follows the Republican strategy to make it easier to ban contraception in the future.
+ California, Washington and Oregon created the West Coast Health Alliance to provide evidence-based vaccine recommendations and information, in a rebuke to RFK Jr.’s antivax CDC takeover.
“President Trump’s mass firing of CDC doctors and scientists—and his blatant politicization of the agency—is a direct assault on the health and safety of the American people. The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences,” wrote the three governors.
+ Texas passed two bills into law to strengthen emergency response to natural disasters by youth camps, after flooding killed over 130 people in July. At least 27 campers and counselors from the all-girls Camp Mystic died.
+ Brittany Watts, who was charged with “abuse of a corpse” after a miscarriage, is now suing for the violation of her rights, after a grand jury declined to indict her. She is suing the city of Warren, the hospital, two police officers, a doctor and three nurses. She alleges that the nurses conspired with the hospital and city police to fabricate evidence against her.
+ Trump fired Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the board of governors of the Federal Reserve. This follows a pattern of firing Black leaders. In a recent picture of Trump with his Cabinet and officials in the Oval Office, only one out of 24 was Black.
+ The Trump administration is threatening to revoke sex ed funding in 46 states and territories, unless they remove all references to sexual orientation and gender identity. Even mentions of “gender,” “heterosexuality” or “respecting diversity” will be banned.
+ After Texans and activists successfully derailed a ban on recreational THC products during the state’s regular legislative session, Texas lawmakers quietly banned the sale of vapes containing THC and other cannabinoids. The misdemeanor penalty is up to one year in jail and a fine up to $4,000.
+ Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin explained that they plan to pressure Senate Republicans to attach the SAVE Act to must-pass funding legislation in September. The SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship to vote, blocking millions of eligible voters.
+ After a coalition of AmericCorps grantees challenged the Trump administration, their funding was restored. Programs providing public health support, disaster relief, tutoring and more will now be able to continue their work.
+ Colleges and universities, even in blue states, are being affected by the Trump administration’s attack on diversity, equity and inclusion. Professors fear that the administration is working to control what is taught or researched, and could move to cut funding or accreditation for schools teaching gender studies.
+ Some universities, like Harvard, have already weakened their DEI offices and told faculty that “Black Lives Matter” signs must be taken down. This “chilling effect” on private institutions is concerning. Antidiscrimination policies may be caught in the crossfire as well.
How We’re Doing
+ Mifepristone has the potential to prevent breast cancer. But legal and access restrictions and stigma caused by its association with medication abortion is preventing further research and development.
+ More than 2.8 million Americans are transgender, including an estimated 724,000 youth; 2.72 percent of young adults identify as trans, compared to 0.42 percent of those aged 25 to 64. The trans population is almost evenly split between trans women, trans men and non-binary people. The race and ethnicity of trans people is similar to broader U.S. demographics, and is fairly consistent across region.
+ Women who have been stalked are 41 percent more likely to develop heart disease. Women who have to get a restraining order have a 70 percent higher risk.The chronic stress may impair the nervous system, blood vessels and other biological mechanisms.
“These preventable, common, non-contact forms of violence against women are health hazards and need to be considered as such, just like we consider smoking or poor diet. In health care settings, we need to improve screening for stalking and other forms of violence and provide resources for women to protect themselves. And on a broad public health level, we need to do better in addressing and preventing the root causes of violence against women,” said senior author Karestan Koenen.
+ Depo-Provera users face a 243 percent increased risk of meningiomas, a type of brain tumor. Long-term users have an increased risk of 390 percent. No other contraceptives have an increased risk. Nearly 1,000 women have filed lawsuits against Pfizer for failing to warn users about the potential risk.
+ Forty-two percent of single women renters are “severely cost burdened” and spend more than 50 percent of their income on rent, compared to 34 percent of men. Over half of disabled women are severely cost-burdened, including 55 percent of disabled Latinas. Single moms are also much more likely to be cost-burdened than single dads, with disabled moms disproportionately affected.
+ Tariffs and new legislation will lead to the highest median proposed healthcare premium increase in five years, 18 percent. A drop in tax credits in January will also be devastating.
Rural communities will be most affected, with an increase of out-of-pocket healthcare premiums by 107 percent. Rural residents’ average cost increase for health care will be 28 percent higher than urban residents. 2.8 million HealthCare.gov enrollees live in rural counties and are at risk of losing coverage.
+ Women in their 20s and 30s are more likely to be working than older generations were, with an employment rate of about 78 percent. On the other hand, young men have a lower employment rate than previous generations, at 88 percent. Flexible workplace policies like teleworking and paid family leave help keep women in the workplace, and also help men take on more caregiving responsibilities.
+ A quarter of Latinos who voted for Trump are disappointed or regret voting for him. They cite his focus on mass deportations and lack of action on the economy as the main reasons. Eleven percent of 2024 Latino Trump voters say they would vote for a Democrat in 2026, and overall 53 percent of Latino voters support a generic Democratic congressional candidate, compared to 29 percent support for Republicans.
