Hi John,

The other day I was in the elevator in my apartment and a weird robotic voice came on the intercom asking me if I was interested in joining a new health care plan. Why would an elevator try to sell me health insurance? Ultimately, I had to laugh, because how foolish was it for me to expect anything to be normal anymore?

We all have moments in our lives where we’re confused about the state of things and worried about drowning in despair, anxiety, or chaos. If you haven’t been living under a rock, then you may feel like these moments are more common than you'd like. I have spent all year panicking, crying, counting down to therapy sessions, and reminding myself to take slow, deep breaths. That all of the repeated madness is temporary, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
Boo! [[link removed]]
As I try to ground myself, I have been trying to lean into gratitude, which I know is corny, but definitely doesn’t hurt. At least once a week, I’ve been tasking myself to fill up a notebook page with a list of things I’m grateful for. Every time, I get to the end of the page and still have items to add to the list, it warms my heart to think about all that I’m grateful for. The air in my lungs, strong espresso, and a job where I get to write through all of the emotions are the first things that come to mind as I type out this newsletter, and there’s even more where that came from.
I'm grateful for super villains who can't help but brag about their evil plans 👿

The election results may have been jarring for gender justice, and it seems now what is unfolding is all according to their playbook . And by playbook , I mean Project 2025. As an avid cartoon consumer, it’s giving cartoon villains. The playbook for the upcoming Trump administration has been in our laps for months, and we have had time to prepare and unpack it in our report [[link removed] ] and blogs [[link removed]] . The next administration’s plans for abortion and contraception access, student safety, DEI initiatives, LGBTQI+ rights, and our democracy look bleak, to say the least, but we are going to keep on fighting.
I’m grateful that abortion wins ✊🏾
Abortion Saves Lives [[link removed]]

Across our country, people are reshaping the landscape—restoring, protecting, and expanding abortion rights in states across the country [[link removed]] . Abortion measures passed in seven of the 10 states where it was on the ballot (in Florida, 57 percent of voters approved the abortion access ballot measure). This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone: since the Dobbs decision, we have seen that abortion is popular [[link removed]] and wins when it’s on the ballot. Abortion access is something that the majority of people across the United States want, and we will not stop advocating for abortion access for all, no matter who’s in the White House.
I’m grateful to have things to do and read! (aka a Must Read and Must Dos) ✅📖
[[link removed]]

* BIG SHOES TO FILL 👩🏾‍⚖️ The Senate has the important opportunity to fill around 35 vacancies and confirm more than 10 nominations before the end of the year. Tell the Senate to take action to protect our democracy! [[link removed]]

* THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION 🎒 President-elect Trump continues to bombard us with cabinet nominees, including Linda McMahon, a billionaire who is being sued [[link removed]] for allegedly enabling sexual abuse of children while she was the president of the WWE, as his unqualified nominee to lead the Department of Education [[link removed]] . After an attack campaign on the Department of Education by right-wing extremists during the election, there’s been a lot of buzz about the future of the department and learning opportunities for all students. Read this article [[link removed]] from Word in Black about how educators are preparing for the fight.

* BLOCK THE NOMS ✖️ The nomination of Linda McMahon is not the only one we’re watching. We’re also working to block Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to the Department of Health and Human Services and Pete Hegseth’s nomination to the Department of Defense.
The Senate has a constitutional responsibility to independently weigh nominations and decide whether to confirm nominees. Tell the Senate: Show Some Self Respect. Refuse to Rubber Stamp Trump’s Dangerous Nominees. [[link removed]]

I’m grateful for the person that lived rent free in my head in November: my Mom 👭🏾💕
Ban Male Podcasts [[link removed]] [[link removed]]
If you haven’t gathered from my Mother’s Day blog [[link removed]] and our Hearsay episode [[link removed]] where I shouted her out, I relish every moment to hype my Mom up.
My Mom has always made everything look and sound easy. There has never been a challenge she hasn’t overcome, a person she hasn’t charmed, a project she hasn’t slayed, or a question she can’t answer (even if it’s not immediate.) As an adult, I now realize that just because it looks easy doesn’t mean it is easy. A lot of times, life is really, really hard, and we now talk about how complicated, frustrating, and tiring it is. But she always gives me a physical or virtual hug and reminds me that if something is easy, it probably isn’t worth doing. And once we’ve gotten to a stopping point in our work, we *must* celebrate with a sweet treat and dance party.
So more than anything I’ve listed thus far, I’m grateful for my Mom. I hope to be half the person she is in my lifetime.
And I’m grateful for you!
As we approach the giving season, I just wanted to take a moment to say how grateful we all are for your support. Your letters to Congress. Your donations. Your messages. Your advocacy. Writing to y’all is truly one of the highlights of my month and my job as a whole. We wouldn’t be able to keep pushing, working, or fighting for gender justice without your support. So, thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU!!!!!!
May your elevator rides be peaceful, your cry sessions be cathartic, and your heart be full.
With gratitude,
Jessica Baskerville
she/her/hers
Media Relations Manager
National Women’s Law Center
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