Donald Trump and the Trump Administration

Letter From the Editor: Welcome to 2026! Women Are Shaping What Comes Next.

PUBLISHED 1/1/2026 by

Welcome to 2026!

Here at Ms., we’re looking forward to the new year, and are prepared for the battles that are in store for us, from Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court to statehouses and ballot boxes, workplaces and classrooms and in our day-to-day lives.

And if 2025 taught us anything, it’s that women will play a decisive role in the outcomes of these decisions—whether in their roles as lawmakers on Capitol Hill, in statehouses and mayors’ offices across the country; in media and in newsrooms; or as a powerful voting block.

As we enter this new year, with so much at stake, know that you can depend on Ms. to keep providing the thoughtful feminist reporting and analysis you count on to stay informed—and ready to fight back.

Here’s to another year of reporting, rebelling and truth-telling. We’re so glad you’re with us!

It’s Been a Hell of a Year for Feminists

PUBLISHED 12/24/2025 by

Since Trump’s inauguration in January, we’ve seen a barrage of attacks on the rights of women, immigrants and undocumented people, people of color and LGBTQ+ people. The cruelty that the administration has shown has been astounding to witness.

But the resistance to this cruelty has been just as astounding. Millions taking to the streets, again and again. Neighbors stepping in and preventing ICE from kidnapping neighbors they may not even know. Democracy defenders taking to the courts, fighting the onslaught of unconstitutional executive actions. Courageous networks of doctors, nurses, midwives and regular people distributing abortion pills into red states and ensuring women have access to safe abortion no matter where they live. And of course, the major feminist victories in November’s elections—in which women made a decisive difference for our democracy. 

A Very Bad Year for Women’s Health

PUBLISHED 12/24/2025 by

When I started writing for The Contrarian, a funny-not-funny inside joke was whether there would be enough fodder for a weekly democracy column that overtly centers gender. I think you already know the punchline. Suffice it to say, I did not miss a single Wednesday in all of 2025.

For my final entry of the year, we thought it worthwhile to offer a snapshot—a year’s worth of reporting on the depth of damage this administration has wreaked on women’s health, with real-time Contrarian reporting noted.

The Best and Worst Quotes of 2025, By and About Women

PUBLISHED 12/23/2025 by and

A collection of this year’s most inspiring and infuriating things said by and about women. Some quotes hit like a shot, others a palate cleanser. Here they are in alternating fashion. 

“Let me just tell you, you are an obnoxious—a terrible, actually a terrible reporter.”

“Yes, this work will break your heart. Some days, it will exhaust you, and still, you must continue, because here’s what the research ultimately shows: When younger people lead, democracy doesn’t just survive, it thrives.”

“We are initiated into a sisterhood. We’re in a sorority that none of us asked to join, but we all stand here today, stronger together, because our collective voice is powerful.” 

Congress Went on Recess. Americans Got Higher Healthcare Bills.

PUBLISHED 12/22/2025 by

Congressional discussions on extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, which are set to expire Dec. 31, remain deadlocked as Congress begins its winter recess. Now, millions will see their premiums increase as a result: Payments will more than double on average—some even quadrupling—for enrollees who were eligible for the tax credits.

Without the extension, more and more ACA marketplace enrollees will drop their increasingly costly health insurance plans. This comes at a time when the ACA is more popular than ever—recent polls show that across the political spectrum, three quarters of voters support extending the tax credits.

Could the administration’s latest attack on transgender young people be the administration’s way of deflecting attention from the disaster unfolding in real time for millions of families in need of healthcare?  

How the Trump Administration Used a National Guard Tragedy to Accelerate Its Anti-Immigrant Agenda

PUBLISHED 12/20/2025 by

Months before the lives of West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Berkstrom and Afghan asylee Rahmanullah Lakanwal collided, the Trump administration planned to bring immigration to a halt from countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, and other nations that supposedly threaten American values. When Lakanwal was charged with first-degree murder in Berkstrom’s Nov. 26 death, the administration seized on this tragedy to redouble its rhetoric against Afghans and others and to usher in the next round of immigration restrictions.

As Spojmie Nasiri, an Afghan American immigration attorney points out, “They are using the tragedy to enact the agenda that they already had.”