Keeping Score: Renee Good Fatally Shot by ICE; Women Work Longer and Are Paid Less Worldwide; N.Y. Fights Back Against Federal Childcare Freeze
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
“We had whistles. They had guns.”
—Becca Good, wife of Renee Good, who was shot and killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis. Renee was an American mother of three, whose murder sparked protests against ICE in Minneapolis and cities across the country.
“If you have ever received healthcare in America, you have been cared for by a nurse. A federal proposal under review excludes graduate nursing education from consideration as a professional degree and therefore excludes nurses from some federal graduate student loan programs. Over time, this could impact both patient safety and access to healthcare services. A strong nursing workforce is critical to high-quality patient care.”
—Virginia Nurses Association president Dr. Kathy Baker, PhD, RN, NE-BC, FAAN. The Trump administration plans to remove graduate-level nursing programs from their list of “professional degrees,” which will greatly restrict the amount of federal student loan support available.
“In one night, the Sandy Creek flood wiped out everything my family had built over 36 years—three homes, our business, and our sense of safety. We lost neighbors, were stranded for days without help, and watched as FEMA response was delayed while families were left to survive on their own.
“More than five months later, many are still homeless, and only 36 percent of FEMA claims in our area have been approved. Disasters don’t care about politics, and emergency response shouldn’t either. FEMA must be independent, fully funded and strengthened—because when it fails to function, real families pay the price.”
— Brandy Gerstner, survivor of the Sandy Creek flooding in Texas. More than 80 disaster survivors shared their stories at the U.S. Capitol and warned of systemic failures under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“To my brown sisters and little brown girls watching tonight: Our softness is not a liability. Our depth is not too much. Our light does not need permission to shine. We belong in every room we walk into. Our voices matter, and our dreams deserve space.”
—Actor, singer and songwriter Teyana Taylor at the Golden Globes sent a powerful message after winning the award for Best Supporting Female Actor in a Motion Picture.
“Over the past several weeks, Republican members of Congress and local elected officials across the country have actively spread vile, anti-Muslim and xenophobic rhetoric that puts millions of innocent people at risk. Some have called for the ‘expulsion of Muslims from western nations;’ the ‘revocation of citizenship’ of Muslim Americans; and gone so far as to say that Islam is ‘incompatible with our culture and our governing system.’ These statements are deplorable, dangerous, and disqualifying for any elected official.
“Calls to target Muslims through deportation or denaturalization are as hateful as they are un-American. Normalizing Islamophobic behavior and rhetoric gives license to the racist fearmongering that has long endangered Muslim American and South Asian communities.”
—The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) warned about the normalization of anti-Muslim hate, amid a 238 percent increase in anti-Muslim and anti-South Asian slurs leading up to New York Mayor Mamdani’s election.
“Make no mistake, this new wave of ICE agents descending on American cities is a purposeful campaign of fear and intimidation by the administration meant to distract from Trump’s cruel policies that have tanked the economy and are impacting everyday Americans who can no longer afford basic needs like healthcare, rent, utilities, medicines and groceries.
“Violence like this does not exist in isolation—it undermines public safety and strikes at the very foundation of our democracy. It’s atrocious, it’s dangerous, and it’s un-American.”
—Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Milestones
+ Minneapolis woman Renee Good was killed by on-duty ICE agent Jonathan Ross while in her car observing ICE activity. A viral video shows Ross firing three times through the driver’s side window as Good attempted to turn away, and a male voice calling her “fucking bitch.” ICE refused to allow an onlooking doctor to provide first aid, delaying six minutes until EMS arrived.
+ Many members of the Trump administration immediately blamed Good, lied about her actions before the shooting and downplayed the horrific killing by claiming she was “disrespectful” and even a “domestic terrorist.”
+ Antiabortion lawyer March Bell was confirmed by the Senate as inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services. “March Bell is an antiabortion zealot whose record of extreme partisanship and ethical misconduct should have immediately disqualified him for this watchdog position. We are deeply concerned that he will use his new role to harass reproductive health care providers with endless audits and investigations and seek to block funding for this vital care,” warns Katie O’Connor, senior director of federal abortion policy at NWLC Action Fund.
+ A federal court temporarily blocked Trump’s attacks on DEI by deciding Head Start childcare programs can continue to use words like “women” and “race” on grant applications.
+ Jan. 6 was the five-year anniversary of the insurrection. Last year, President Trump granted clemency to nearly 1,600 insurrectionists. At least 33 people involved on Jan. 6 have been rearrested since 2021, with six charged with child sex crimes, two with rape and five with illegal possession of weapons.
+ A coalition of employers, medical providers and schools are suing the Trump administration over their unprecedented $100,000 fee on H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign professionals. In December, a judge ruled the fee was legal. An appeals court has now agreed to expedite the case, and will hear oral arguments in February.
+ The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will now block abortion care at all VA health facilities, with no exceptions for rape or serious health risks. They will also prohibit providers from offering abortion counseling or referrals.
+ A group of faith leaders and civil liberties organizations are challenging the Trump administration’s policy allowing immigration raids at houses of worship. In February, a federal court upheld 30 years of protections and barred immigration enforcement at or near those sensitive areas, but the government has appealed.
+ Tennessee state employee Monica Meeks was fired for criticizing Charlie Kirk on her personal Facebook account. Now, she’s suing for reinstatement and damages due to the illegal firing.
+ South Carolinians are working to stop their governor from deploying National Guard troops to police Washington, D.C. They argue it violates state law and is a politically-motivated misuse of power.
+ An appeals court allowed the Trump administration to continue “defunding” Planned Parenthood by stripping their Medicaid funding in 22 states and D.C. This policy puts the health of over a million patients at stake, and has already led to the closure of 20 health centers in the past few months. Recent polls show 65 percent of the publicoppose banning Medicaid funding for those clinics.
+ New York Gov. Hochul and NYC Mayor Mamdani announced a plan to expand free childcare for 2-year-olds in New York City, and make childcare more affordable for all children under age five.
+ This comes just after the Trump administration froze $10 billion in TANF and childcare subsidies in five blue states, including New York.
The Congressional Black Caucus emphasized: “For Republicans, cruelty is always the point. Donald Trump is wielding a politically vindictive agenda against blue states across the nation while sacrificing the well-being of women and children in his path of destruction. Not only are these assistance programs intended to make childcare more affordable for families struggling to make ends meet, but they also provide critical stability to the childcare economy. This loss of funding threatens the foundation of a job sector that operates on slim margins and is supported largely by women of color—specifically Black women.”
+ The Wyoming Supreme Court overturned two antiabortion laws, deciding that they violate a 2012 voter referendum stating “each competent adult shall have the right to make his or her own healthcare decisions.”
+ Almost a quarter of American adults provided care last year to someone with a medical condition or disability. The demand for at-home caregivers will continue to rise, but recent Medicaid cuts could threaten programs supporting at-home hospice and end-of-life care. Organizations like Wake and Compassion & Choices are teaching families how to care for their loved ones and act as death doulas.
+ The House of Representatives passed two bills criminalizing gender-affirming care for trans youth and banning their Medicaid coverage. If enacted, the laws would threaten medical providers with up to ten years in prison. Conversely, the bills actually endorse non-consensual surgery on intersex infants and children.
+ After two National Guard members were shot in D.C., the Trump administration immediately increased restrictions on Afghan refugees and froze the asylum process. ICE began specifically targeting 1,800 Afghans with past deportation orders.
+ The State Department has refused to provide information about their plans to destroy a $10 million contraception stockpile meant to go to low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The pills, implants and IUDs have been abandoned in Belgium since the Trump administration slashed USAID, which could lead to hundreds of thousands of unplanned pregnancies.
+ On Jan. 12, roughly 15,000 nurses went on strike at New York City hospitals. The nursing strike, now the largest in the city’s history, comes with demands for increased salaries and new contract provisions on AI and workplace violence.
+ Just minutes before he was set to be expelled from the Nebraska legislature on Jan. 13, now former Republican state Sen. Dan McKeon resigned following allegations that he inappropriately touched a legislative staffer. His expulsion—which is said to have had the 33 necessary votes needed to remove him—would have been the first expulsion of a lawmaker in Nebraska’s history, according to the National Women’s Defense League.
+ Claudette Colvin, a legend of the Civil Rights Movement, died on Jan. 13 at 86. At just 15 years old, Colvin was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white woman in Montgomery, Ala., inspiring the actions Rosa Parks 9 months later and eventually the Montgomery bus boycott beginning in 1955. Colvin went on to become a plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case Browder v. Gayle, which lead to the desegregation of Montgomery’s busses.
How We’re Doing
+ Since October, Meta has restricted or removed the Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp accounts of more than 50 reproductive health organizations and queer groups. Repro Uncensored reported more than 200 similar incidents this year worldwide, compared to 81 last year. Many accounts have been reinstated, but the increase in 2025 is concerning.
+ Worldwide, women work more hours than men and earn just a third of what men are paid per hour, when unpaid domestic labor is taken into account. When domestic work is not included, women earn just 61 percent of what men make. The largest gender gaps in hours worked is over 12 hours a week, while Europe, North America and Oceania see a gap of six to seven hours per week. But in all regions, women are employed less and earn less than men.
+ Sixty percent of Americans are buying cheaper or less groceries, and 28 percent have skipped meals to save money. Black and Latino adults are most affected, with almost 40 percent skipping meals.
Almost a quarter of American adults have been forced to get a second job or side work to make ends meet. Sixty-four percent of Black Americans and 55 percent of Latinos have more than $5,000 in non-mortgage debt, with almost half of Black adults carrying more than $10,000 in debt.
+ Politics along with healthcare and housing costs are fueling a mental health crisis in the U.S. Non-white adults are more likely than white adults to say their mental health is poor or only fair. Overall, 68 percent of Americans say the country is on the wrong track, and 80 percent believe the next generation will have it harder.
+ Just half of Americans have heard of mifepristone, and less than a quarter are aware it is used for most abortions in the U.S. About 40 percent say abortion pills are safe, but the same amount are unsure. This is a decrease since 2023, when 55 percent said they were safe and 35 percent unsure.
Over two-thirds of adults, including half of Republicans, oppose banning mifepristone nationwide or making mailing abortion pills a crime.
+ More than 91 percent of the top streaming shows in 2024 were created by a white person, with white men making up 79 percent of show creators. White actors were overrepresented, cast in 80 percent of all roles. This marks a troubling decrease in diversity from previous years.
