Today in Afghanistan, public squares and sports stadiums have become sites of fear, humiliation, and state-enforced cruelty. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have revived one of their most archaic and oppressive tools of control– public flogging. Men and women alike are whipped in front of crowds, often accused of “moral crimes” or […]
$9.7 Million in Contraceptives Set for Destruction as Aid Freeze Continues
The U.S. government is preparing to destroy a $9.7 million stockpile of USAID-purchased contraceptives originally intended for global aid. The contraceptives in the stockpile could provide at least one year of coverage to over 650,000 women and longer-term protection for even more. The State Department has confirmed these plans, which would cost $167,000 of taxpayer […]
Funding Delay Disrupts Head Start Access for Low-Income Families
On July 23, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report that the current administration violated federal law earlier this year by delaying and withholding nearly $825 million in Head Start funding. This jeopardized access to early childhood education and care for hundreds of thousands of low-income families across the United States. The GAO […]
Judge Blocks Latest Attempts to Defund Planned Parenthood
A federal judge blocked the enforcement of a provision in the current administration’s recent tax and spending bill that would cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood and its members, ruling it was likely unconstitutional. This ruling follows a preliminary injunction specifically blocking Medicaid cuts to Planned Parenthood issued by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani […]
How AI is Fueling a New Wave of Environmental Racism
With the rapid expansion of data centers driven by artificial intelligence, the tech economy is repeating historical patterns of environmental racism. Once again, marginalized communities are left to bear the costs of America’s “progress.” Civil rights leader Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. defines environmental racism as the deliberate targeting of predominantly BIPOC and low-income communities […]
Bipartisan Group of Congresswomen Call for Funding of American Women’s History Museum
Female congresswomen across the aisle came together on Monday, July 21 to strongly urge for the financial support of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. In 2020, the House passed a bill with bipartisan support to establish the museum, but funding has remained stalled for the past five years. Multiple attempts to move new bills […]
DEI’s Collapse and the Cost to Black Women
The war on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), fueled by two of the current administration’s Executive Orders, has sharply increased unemployment among Black women. A Financial Times commentary from mid-2025 warns of a steadily declining U.S. job market, citing slowing job growth and shrinking labor force participation. While the national unemployment rate hovered around 4.2% […]
Taliban Intensifies Gender Apartheid with Arrests and Abductions of Afghan Women
In the latest crackdown on Afghan women’s basic freedoms, the Taliban have launched a sweeping campaign of arrests, abductions, and abuse across Kabul—targeting women and girls for their clothing, visibility, and defiance. Human rights defenders are calling the campaign a calculated assault on dignity and a defining feature of Afghanistan’s entrenched system of gender apartheid. […]
Why the EACH Act Matters
In the United States, whether or not you can access abortion often comes down to one question: can you afford it? The Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act aims to fix that. Introduced by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), the bill would end decades of federal restrictions […]
Senate Approves Trump Administration’s $9 Billion in Cuts to Foreign Aid and Public Broadcasting
In a move that has sparked sharp criticism from public interest advocates, the U.S. Senate this week approved a White House request to cancel approximately $8 billion in foreign aid and $1 billion in funding for public broadcasting, including public media staples like PBS and NPR. The vote of 216-to-213 included all but two Republicans […]
Oklahoma Funnels Millions to Anti-Abortion Nonprofits
An Oklahoma anti-abortion nonprofit received a lucrative payout from the State Department of Health in 2024 and is now reporting its impact. The Oklahoma Life Foundation (OKLF) advocates for anti-abortion policies and services. Supporting crisis pregnancy centers, also known to abortion rights activists as “fake clinics,” OKLF perpetuates misinformation about pregnancy and contraception. Oklahoma’s Choosing […]
U.S. Eliminates Afghan Relocation Office, Cutting Essential Lifeline for Afghans at Risk
In a deeply troubling move, the U.S. Department of State has notified Congress that it will eliminate the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE), which is the only dedicated office tasked with supporting Afghans left behind following the Afghan evacuation in 2021. This change is set to take effect July 1, 2025, unless Congress intervenes. […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down 1849 Abortion Ban
Wisconsin’s Supreme Court has struck down one of the country’s oldest abortion bans, a major win for reproductive rights in a state where access has been under legal threat for years. In a 4–3 decision released July 2, the court’s liberal majority ruled that the 1849 statute banning nearly all abortions is no longer enforceable. […]
The End of Nationwide Injunctions: How Trump v. CASA Could Undermine Democracy
In a decision that will profoundly reshape the federal judiciary, the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. CASA de Maryland (2025) that district court judges can no longer issue nationwide injunctions, orders that stop a federal policy from being enforced across the entire country. The 6–3 ruling, authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, dramatically curtails […]
UVA President Jim Ryan’s Resignation and the Cost to Academic Freedom
On June 27, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan resigned under direct political pressure. One president’s resignation might sound like local drama, but it reveals a dangerous shift that should have all of us paying closer attention. Jim Ryan announced his resignation on June 27 after sustained pressure from members of the Virginia Board of […]
ICC Charges Taliban Leaders with Crimes Against Humanity Over Gender Apartheid
In a landmark decision that reinforces international pressure on the Taliban, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has publicly disclosed arrest warrants for two of the regime’s top leaders, Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, on charges of gender persecution, a crime against humanity under Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute. This […]
What’s at Stake for Families as Education Funds Remain Frozen
Across the United States, families are braced for a loss they never expected. For years, after-school and summer programs had given kids a safe place to go when the final bell rang or when school let out for the summer, a lifeline for hard working Americans juggling multiple jobs just to keep food on the […]
Supreme Court Sides with Parents in LGBTQ+ Curriculum Opt-Out Case
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority handed a victory to parents’ religious rights in Mahmoud v. Taylor on Friday, June 27, ruling that Montgomery County Public Schools violated their rights by barring parents from opting their children out of LGBTQ+ curriculum. In late 2022, the Montgomery County Board of Education adopted a new curriculum that included […]
Alligator Alcatraz Raises Legal and Environmental Concerns
In a new development in the current administration’s federal immigration enforcement, a new detention facility has been constructed in Florida’s swampy Everglades. Nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” by Florida attorney general James Uthmeier, the facility has been established at a decommissioned airport spanning 39 square miles of the Florida Everglades. Detainees will be surveilled by more than […]
Russia Becomes First Major Country to Recognize Taliban Regime
In a landmark move with sweeping implications for human rights and diplomacy, Russia has officially recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. The announcements, made by the Russian and the Taliban Foreign Ministries on Thursday, July 3, mark the first time a major global power has extended formal recognition to the Taliban since […]