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 twice-a-month roundup.

“Hi Shannon [Watts]. … I think Moms Demand Action is f*ucking stupid. Being a mother doesn’t make your opinion any more or less valid. Just because you let somebody creampie you doesn’t mean I have to give a sh*t about your political opinions. The fact that you kept your c*m trophy doesn’t make you any less wrong about the dumb sh*t that you say.”

—Brandon Herrera, a GOP candidate running for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, in a public response to Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts.

He has a history of vile comments to and about women:

“[The Justice Department is] working hand in hand [with federal health agencies and the White House] so that the Dobbs decision becomes permanent in every single state. We don’t have complete victory yet, but we will have victory, and victory will be soon and it will be permanent.”

—Attorney General Todd Blanche, on a call with faith leaders.

Blanche also suggested the Trump administration is planning restrictions on telehealth abortion care.

“Behind closed doors, Todd Blanche is bragging about his plans to ban abortion in every state across the country—even in places where it is currently protected under state law. The Attorney General has a duty to safeguard the rule of law and protect the integrity of the Department of Justice. Blanche’s comments confirm that he does not take these responsibilities seriously, and cannot serve in this critical role.”

—Veronica Ingham, managing director for Free & Just 

“No, I’m not going to pledge that [the Justice Department will always act independently of the White House]. And no attorney general should ever pledge that.“

—Blanche refused to commit acting independently of the White House, unlike all other modern attorneys general.

“It feels like the DOJ is weaponizing this case for political reasons, and it feels like we’re the pawns being used in that game. There’s no humanity. There was no ability to connect on a human level whatsoever. [Blanche] was impenetrable as far as having any amount of real compassion or understanding of our experience. We have tried countless times to engage the DOJ, and they’ve had absolutely no interest.

“Every attempt the Department of Justice has made to make us go away has not worked. We’re not going away.”

—Epstein survivor Liz Stein vowed not to back down despite Blanche’s confirmation being a major setback in her and others’ work towards justice.

“The obvious consequences of fetal personhood laws are they treat the individual carrying the fetus as something less than a full human, and the very moment you’re pregnant, you become merely a means to an end.” 

—Last Week Tonight host John Oliver covered the dangers of antiabortion fetal personhood laws.

“The biggest thing that’s changed [since Dobbs] outside of access is that people are afraid. They’re afraid to be pregnant, to have anything about pregnancy on their medical record. They’re afraid to access miscarriage care. The biggest thing is, people are just afraid to access care or have anyone know that they’re even pregnant.

“People often say, “The state I live in won’t take care of me,” so we’re the ones there giving them information and support. A lot of times we’re also correcting misinformation people get from anti-abortion websites or with the increasing use of AI and ChatGPT, correcting a lot of misinformation people find from online sources. That is really the mission of M+A, to support people no matter where they are, no matter their circumstances, because people know themselves best.”

—April Lockley, medical director of the Miscarriage and Abortion (M+A) Hotline.

“If I had $1 billion to invest in Mississippi, I would invest in families—specifically Black mothers with limited financial resources. Black mothers in Mississippi are among the most economically harmed because of inequities in pay, policy and systems that fail to recognize care as essential labor.

“I would invest directly in mothers, trusting that they know better than anyone what their families need to thrive. But I would also invest beyond cash assistance alone. I would build the narrative, leadership and community infrastructure needed for long-term change—ensuring mothers are not only supported but trusted as decision-makers, advocates, and architects of Mississippi’s future. That means investing in economic support, leadership development, childcare, housing stability, mental health, storytelling and community-rooted solutions that allow families to experience not just survival, but dignity, rest, joy and possibility.”

—Dr. Aisha Nyandoro, founding CEO of Springboard to Opportunities, whose Magnolia Mother’s Trust gives low-income Black mothers in Jackson, Miss.,  $1,000 per month for a year.

“For decades, Title IX has opened countless doors for women and girls in education and sports. Congress should be working to strengthen Title IX and the Education Department, expand opportunities for women and girls in our schools and protect them from harassment and assault. Instead, we are seeing the Trump administration utterly fail to protect women and girls—they will fearmonger about trans kids until the sun comes up, but the fact is this administration has all but decimated the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education, leaving egregious instances of sexual harassment and assault, and so much else, totally unaddressed.”

—Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.)

Sens. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Representative Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) introduced a resolution marking the 54th anniversary of the passage of Title IX.

“This ruling is a direct attack on Arizona voters, and Latino voters will bear the brunt of it. What we’re witnessing is an attempt to silence the fourth largest eligible Latino voter population in the country. Let’s be honest about who this ruling actually targets. Voters of color, students who’ve moved away for school and relocating retirees—all of whom now stand to face new obstacles at the ballot box. These are just some of the Arizonans this ruling puts at risk of disenfranchisement.”

—Voto Latino executive director Beatriz Lopez 

The 9th Circuit restored an Arizona law that allows local election officials to cancel voter registrations when people move. Provisions of the law were previously blocked in 2022.

“My hero and friend Gloria Steinem recently said, ‘Please tell your own story. The most important thing we can do for each other is to know each other through stories.’ I got to know my mother through telling the story. It’s a gift that’s indescribable. … It was such an extraordinary, extraordinary gift to tell this story and to tell it with experts. And I learned so much in the process and I got to know my mother, as I said. And so I just invite you all to tell your stories.”

—Mariska Hargitay in her acceptance speech after winning two Emmys for her 2025 directorial debut film “My Mom Jayne”

“Once upon a time—say, ten or even five years ago—a Liberated Woman was somebody who had sex before marriage and a job afterward. Once upon the same time, a Liberated Zone was any foreign place lucky enough to have an American army in it. Both ideas seem antiquated now, and for pretty much the same reason: Liberation isn’t exposure to the American values of Mom-and-apple-pie anymore (not even if Mom is allowed to work in an office and vote once in a while); it’s the escape from them. …

Women began to “rap” (talk, analyze, in radical-ese) about their essential second-classness, forming women’s caucuses inside the Movement in much the same way Black Power groups had done. And once together they made a lot of discoveries: that they shared more problems with women of different classes, for instance, than they did with men of their own; that they liked and respected each other…

There is plenty of opposition to this kind of thinking, from women as well as men. Having one’s traditional role questioned is not a very comfortable experience; perhaps especially for women, who have been able to remain children, and to benefit from work they did not and could not do. …

Because the idea is, in the long run, that women’s liberation will be men’s liberation, too.”

—Gloria Steinem in the April 7, 1969, issue of New York Magazine

“[Dolly] Parton knew that [Jane] Fonda was being strategic by casting her in ‘9 to 5,’ in the hopes of bringing in a Southern audience. Fonda has been even more explicit that she viewed the movie’s humor as a vehicle for delivering a strong feminist message in a palatable way. … The rage and revenge on display in the film might have seemed unhinged or ugly—the stuff of violent radicals—but somehow, with Parton at the center, their actions seemed almost plucky: You could push a sweet, smiling flower of a human only so far before she’d show you what she was made of.

“Like Parton herself, the song ‘9 to 5’ is unexpected as a feminist symbol—it’s playful, unlike many of the most important feminist anthems of the ’70s, which demanded respect, talked of survival, of being petrified. … She also helped reframe feminism’s image to emphasize more universally relatable demands for an egalitarian, humane workplace—better pay, better conditions, more respect. Getting ahead, getting the raise, getting the credit: It’s a song every American can hum along to.”

—Susan Dominus for The New York Times Magazine

+ Journalist, cofounder of Ms. and feminist organizer Gloria Steinem died on Sept. 2 at age 92. After graduating from Smith College, Steinem made a name for herself in journalism through her undercover work at the Playboy Club and her essay “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation.” In 1969, she covered an abortion speak-out group, and cofounded Ms. in 1972. For more than 50 years, Steinem was a feminist leader, activist and visionary. 

+ Poet, feminist journalist and outgoing global editor of Ms. Robin Morgan died on Sept. 5 at age 85. She was a cofounder of the Women’s Media Center alongside Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda, and a frequent contributor to Ms. since 1979. She published more than 20 books, including eight collections of poetry and her influential anthology Sisterhood is Powerful.

Morgan wrote in Lady of the Beasts:

“We will grow old, and older,

One of us will die, and then the other.

The earth itself will be impaled

by sunspokes.

It doesn’t matter.

We have been imprinted on the protons

of energy herself.”

+ The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s emergency request to enforce new restrictions on mail-in voting, leaving the rules blocked for the 2026 midterm elections. The rules would have required states to submit voter lists to the U.S. Postal Service and use federally approved, barcoded ballot envelopes—or risk having ballots go undelivered. Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred with the Court’s decision; Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.

+ On Aug. 28, the March on Washington brought together thousands of advocates from across the country to mobilize in support of voting rights, economic dignity and affordability.

+ Dolly Parton died at age 80. She was an iconic singer, songwriter and philanthropist. In 1995, she created her Imagination Library, which grew to a massive international literacy program that mails free books to children from birth to age 5. Parton also donated to and promoted cancer programs, coronavirus vaccine research and much more.

+ Five-year old Liam Tadeo and his father were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Austin, Texas on their way to soccer practice. Liam’s mother pleaded “My son is only five years old; he was supposed to start kindergarten this week, and instead he is being held in an immigration detention center. He should be in school, playing soccer and at home with his family.” Liam and his father Victor Martinez Nieto were deported to Mexico, and his mother was not given the option to claim custody of Liam.

+ Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields festival raised $10 million for charities focused on women and girls. Melinda French Gates matched the donations for a total of $20 million across 10 charities.

+ The Trump administration proposed a rule that would eliminate quality standards for the Head Start preschool program. It would revoke limits on class sizes and staff ratios, and require all instruction to be done in English only. In addition, it will limit immigrant families’ access and no longer require health insurance be provided to staff.

+ A year after Karen Attiah was wrongfully fired by The Washington Post for posting about race and gender on social media, the newspaper was found to have violated their Guild’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. They were ordered to reinstate Attiah immediately, with full back pay.

+ Massachusetts joined nine other states and D.C. in removing abortion restrictions based on gestational age. The new protections ensure patients will be able to get medically-needed abortion care even after 24 weeks.

“We believe that healthcare decisions should be made between women and families and their doctors, not politicians. Abortion will remain safe, it will remain legal and it will remain accessible here in Massachusetts,” emphasized Governor Maura Healey.

+ Pierre Damas Bel, a Haitian college student from Ohio, died by suicide due to the shame of being forced to wear an ankle monitor by immigration officials. He struggled mentally with the bullying and humiliation that came from having to wear the device. He was only 20 years old.

+ The United Nations Security Council began the process of selecting the next secretary general. Preliminary straw polls suggest Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has a small lead over Rebeca Grynspan, but both are still below the threshold needed to secure the role. If one wins they would be the first woman secretary general.

+ Actor Anne Hathaway, currently pregnant with her third child at age 43, faced social media hate and rumors that she faked her pregnancy, after showing her bump on a red carpet.

+ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stepped down, but will continue to advise President Trump. 

+ Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker died at 94. The former U.S. senator was the first woman senator from Kansas and was known for her bipartisanship. She supported the Equal Rights Amendment, abortion rights and gun control. 

+ A federal court refused to allow the Trump administration access to the medical records of trans youth in New York.

+ A New Jersey “shield law” strengthens protections for reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare by criminalizing those who block access to facilities or intimidate patients. It also expands confidentiality protections and protects people facing out-of-state investigations over abortion care.

+ Multiple plaintiffs continue to challenge the Trump administration’s proposed “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and immunity order shielding Trump and his family from audits on taxes prior to May 2026. The administration claimed the fund has been rescinded, but defends the tax investigation protections.

“It is unprecedented and unlawful for the IRS to allow the president and his family to be exempt from review. … The acting attorney general cannot tell the public the slush fund is dead while preserving every legal mechanism necessary to resurrect it at a moment’s notice,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward.

+ Florida professor Vinita Prabhakar was fired for assigning a “political” short story in a freshman English class. The story “Bettering Myself” focuses on an alcoholic teacher at a Catholic school and is commonly taught at colleges across the country. Prabhakar is now suing to uphold her First Amendment rights.

“For 20 years, I’ve taught students how to engage with stories that excite them, challenge them and broaden their experience of what it means to be human,” said Prabhakar. “I don’t plan on stopping now. If what happened to me becomes the norm, colleges across America will become less curious, less vibrant and less free” she said.

+ For the first time, the class of Goldman Environmental Prize recipients was all women. Iroro Tanshi, Borim Kim, Sarah Finch, Theonila Roka Matbob, Alannah Acaq Hurley and Yuvelis Morales Blanco were honored for their environmental activism.

+ A suit in Texas is challenging the criminalization of organizations and individuals who help Texans access legal abortion care out of state. “Abortion care saves lives. We all deserve to live in communities where we can seek the care we need for our pregnancies without fear, stigma or criminalization,” said Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi, an OB-GYN.

+ Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) lost his reelection campaign, amid allegations of domestic violence and revenge porn.

+ Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) ended his reelection bid and was formally censured in the House for sexually harassing female staffers.

+ A federal prosecutor is suing after being fired by the Trump administration. Sunita Doddamani alleges she was retaliated against for prosecuting people who violated the FACE Act by blocking access to abortion clinics. At least two other prosecutors who previously worked on FACE Act prosecutions were also fired on the same day.

+ Senate Republicans released an antiabortion “report” on mifepristone that ignores scientific evidence to try to increase distrust in the safe and effective medication. 

+ Aisha Wahab won the special election to replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who resigned after sexual assault allegations. Rep. Wahab is the first Afghan American elected to Congress, and will be on the ballot for a full term in November.

+ Keshia Golden accepted a plea deal after admitting to accidentally killing her boyfriend in self-defense. If she had gone to trial, she could have been imprisoned for over 20 years, despite significant documentation of him abusing her. She warned other domestic abuse survivors: “That first sign that y’all see that someone is aggressive, please get out of the relationship. Please leave. Please don’t be like me.”

+ The Justice Department is planning to send federal election monitors to polling places. One, David Michael Levin, pled guilty to illegally accessing Florida election websites in 2016. 

+ The Trump administration is using a legal loophole to strip thousands of wild mustangs of federal protections and sell them, potentially for slaughter.

+ A new federal rule would prevent Medicaid and CHIP funding for gender-affirming healthcare for transgender teenagers and youth. A coalition of 21 states have sued the administration for overstepping their authority and preventing medically necessary treatment.

+ Emma Bonino, the trailblazing Italian feminist and civil-rights campaigner whose own illegal abortion in 1974 launched a five-decade political fight for reproductive freedom, gender equality and human rights, died Sept. 11 at 78. Elected to Italy’s Parliament eight times, Bonino nevertheless remained clear-eyed about women’s exclusion from leadership: “Power is always negotiated by the usual group of men.”

+ Annie Dillard, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author who carved out space for women in the male-dominated tradition of wilderness writing, died Sept. 15 at 81. Reflecting on the attention and intention that defined her work, Dillard wrote, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

+ Almost half of voters in battleground states say a candidate supporting a national abortion ban is a total dealbreaker, and 80 percent say it’s important that lawmakers protect access to reproductive healthcare. Only 22 percent want more restrictive abortion laws, and 50 percent want to increase access nationwide.

+ More than two-thirds of American adults oppose constructing data centers for AI. 55 percent of women, compared to 43 percent of men, strongly oppose data centers. The study’s author attributed the gap to women favoring policies that protect the environment and public health. 

“I’ve been organizing for 15 years, and it’s always been the case that women are leading our fights,” said MediaJustice campaign specialist Danny Cendejas. “We are definitely seeing everyone join the fight, but we have to recognize the truth, and it’s women, trans, queer and nonbinary people leading the work.”

+ The Ohio Immigrant Alliance found 152 ICE and CBP agents with records of disciplinary action or criminal penalties for violent crimes. Seventy-three percent were charged or convicted with sexual offenses and 50 percent were charged or sentenced for crimes against minors.

+ Almost 60 percent of parents say their child wouldn’t have enough to eat without school meals. 70 percent report concerns about having to choose between paying bills and buying healthy food for their kids. In addition, 67 percent of parents say their children have a hard time concentrating due to a lack of nutritious meals.

“Our research underscores the urgency to protect the nutrition programs that provide kids with the reliable food they need to help them focus in the classroom while giving parents one less impossible choice to make,” said Anne Filipic, CEO of Share Our Strength.

+ Inflation in July was 3.7 percent, close to a three-year high. Nearly 80 percent of Americans believe Trump is not focused enough on lowering prices, and 70 percent disapprove of Trump’s handling of the cost of living.

+ Women made up 35 percent of those nominated for Emmy Awards in non-acting categories, matching the record high. Women’s representation increased by 4 percentage points in producing, directing, writing and editing, but six categories remain where no women are nominated. 

“While the increase in nominations is encouraging, the Primetime Emmys continue to be a male-majority club where men receive the largest share of the nominations and, ultimately, the awards,” said Julie Burton, President and CEO of the Women’s Media Center.

+ 400,000 children are estimated to be on the waitlist for federal childcare assistance. The amount has more than tripled over the past two years, due in part to Congress not appropriating enough funding for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).

+ New surveys show transgender and nonbinary students report higher grades, school participation and sense of belonging when they are supported by teachers and inclusive school policies and able to connect with LGBTQ+ peers. Affirming a student’s name and pronouns, including LGBTQ+ representation in curriculums and supporting LGBTQ+ student groups can help students feel safer.

Unfortunately, more than half of respondents say their school has implemented anti-LGBTQ+ policies, and 60 percent have experienced verbal harassment or other negative events at school. Nine percent were mistreated so badly they were forced to leave their school.