Dear John,

Well, it’s certainly been a week. Between the non-stop stream of executive orders—over 20 on Inauguration Day alone—and his dangerous Cabinet appointees heading for approval one by one, Trump’s first week in office has been just as harmful as we thought it would be.

In one executive order announced Tuesday, Trump called for all federal employees working on DEI initiatives to be put on leave effective the following day, and called for the elimination of these "dangerous, demeaning and immoral" programs. He also overturned the long-standing Executive Order 11246, issued under president Lyndon Johnson that prohibited both race discrimination and sex discrimination by government contractors. 

While the pace at which it’s happening might be a surprise, we can’t say that we’re surprised by the actions themselves—because so many of them were outlined in Project 2025. The Heritage Project’s far-right playbook is more than just a road map, now—it’s being implemented, at a breakneck pace.

And it's a playbook they’re going to leverage against women every chance they get. On Thursday, Trump pardoned 23 antiabortion extremists who had been convicted of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and felony “conspiracy against [civil] rights.” Far from the “peaceful protestors” the right maintains them to be, many of these extremists were convicted for events including the 2020 invasion of a Washington, D.C., Surgi-Clinic, in which a group of extremists entered the clinic, injuring a nurse, and barricading themselves inside, all while terrorizing staff and patients. “The move is a symbol of Trump’s genuflecting to the right, and right-wing antiabortion groups are continuing to beat the drum for Congress to abolish the FACE Act,” writes Teresa Cisneros Burton for Ms. 

This week also marked a somber occasion—what would have been the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, had it not been overturned. In Ms. this week, contributor Felicia Kornbluh explores the coalition of doctors, lawyers, activists and justices that made the incredible landmark ruling possible in 1973. Roe was, in no small part, a project of shifting the fundamental national narrative around abortion. “Advocates for liberal abortion laws had built a mass base that created opportunities for women to tell the stories of their lives,” Kornbluh writes. “They engaged in effective grassroots and insider tactics to earn legislative support, and they shifted overall public opinion and the elite opinion that mattered most in Supreme Court councils.”

This spirit of coalition will be more necessary in the weeks, months and years to come. Our stories are more powerful—and we are more powerful—when we work together. 

Onward,

Kathy Spillar

Executive Editor

Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin on

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We begin 2025 on ‘On the Issues’ with special guest Dr. Anthony Fauci. In this episode we discuss some of the most important issues currently confronting the health of our nation and the world—from vaccine skepticism, COVID denialism, and health misinformation and disinformation to the rising tide of violence aimed at medical providers. Dr. Fauci joins us to express his hope for the future, offer insights on the pushback against vaccines, and speak candidly about how his life changed after being in the public spotlight at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the toll it took on him and his family.

We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!

U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation. For 50 years, Ms. has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines, championing the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most impacted. With all that’s at stake for equality, we are redoubling our commitment for the next 50 years. In turn, we need your help, Support Ms. today with a donation—any amount that is meaningful to you. We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity.

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