Dear John,

Weeks past the deadline mandated by law, the Department of Justice has released 3 million new files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. The DOJ claims the delay was due to having to redact the files, out of concern for survivors—but survivors argue that the latest release does anything but protect them.

Multiple survivors are speaking out, saying that that their sensitive information was not redacted in the recent release—including full names, addresses and phone numbers, as well as nude images in some cases—while the names of Epstein’s enablers were redacted in many places. “Mistakes were made,” said United States Deputy Attorney General and former personal attorney for Donald Trump Todd Blanche, who went on to still defend the release. Really, Todd?

The survivors are calling for the released records to be taken down and reviewed again, and all sensitive details related to survivors redacted. “It’s hard to believe this was anything other than intentional,” said Annie Farmer, who says she was sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell when she was 16 years old, speaking about the unredacted information. “Until I see [other names mentioned in the files being investigated], I will be very confused about why no one else is being pursued in this case.” 

“I want people to know that we will not be intimidated and we will not back down,” she continued. “The types of connections you’re seeing that are being brought up in these files, the ways that power protected power, is why we have chosen to push forward together so hard, because we believe people need to understand that and these people need to be held accountable.”

I would encourage you to read more from the Epstein survivors in their own words—which we have compiled in the piece below. The more the Trump administration tries to talk over them, the more we at Ms. commit to lifting them up. 

Speaking of the Department of Justice’s failures, the DOJ is now leveraging the FACE Act, a law designed to protect clinics and providers against antiabortion extremists, to arrest and prosecute journalists covering protests against ICE in Minneapolis. Trump’s DOJ has criminally charged nine people including journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort under the FACE Act for entering a church to cover protestors speaking out against the pastor who is reportedly the acting field director for ICE in Minneapolis. You can read more from Ms.’s Teresa Cisneros Burton below. 

The Winter Olympics begin this week—and they’re set to be the most gender-balanced Winter games in history. Women will make up 47 percent of athletes, and the Games will feature 50 women’s events—both breaking records for the Winter Games. Out of 16 sports disciplines, 12 will have full gender parity. This is all thanks to the work of feminists (of course)—both athletes themselves and advocates. As we watch the Games this year, we’ll be reporting on their achievements. 

For Equality,

Kathy Spillar

Executive Editor

P.S. — If you want to learn more about the new misogyny behind the rise in violent extremism on the right, join us on February 18 for a discussion about Miller-Idriss’s new book Man Up: The New Misogyny & the Rise of Violent Extremism at the Ms. HQ. The discussion is free and open to the public, RSVP to join us in person here or sign up to join the livestream. 

Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin, at MsMagazine.com, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Pregnancy loss is devastating. Yet despite how common it is, the grief experienced after pregnancy loss remains largely unspoken, shrouded in silence and shame. How do you support someone who’s gone through such an unimaginable loss? In this episode, Dr. Goodwin is joined by two special guests to delve specifically into how creative expression and clinical care can offer support to those affected by pregnancy loss.

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 over 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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