Exclusive: new research from the National Women’s Defense League and shared first with The 19th, has tracked 30 allegations of workplace sexual misconduct against members of Congress made since 2006 — a number the report’s authors say is likely 3-4x higher in reality 19thnews.org/2026/04/sexu...
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is the third woman in two months to leave Trump’s Cabinet in the past two months 19thnews.org/2026/04/wome...
President Donald Trump’s second Cabinet was never exceptionally diverse from the start. And in the past two months, three women have been fired or resigned. @gracepanetta.bsky.social via @19thnews.org
STATEMENT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ETHICS REGARDING SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND WORKPLACE RIGHTS The Committee on Ethics (Committee) is dedicated to maintaining a congressional workplace free from sexual misconduct and ensuring that any individuals responsible for misconduct are held responsible for their behavior. There should be zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, harassment, or discrimination in the halls of Congress, or in any employment setting. The Committee is also dedicated to providing transparency for the American public. The Committee has a long history of investigating allegations of sexual misconduct by Members of the House, ranging from criminal sexual activity to behavior implicating civil employment discrimination laws and more general standards of conduct. The Committee has always made public its findings whenever allegations of sexual misconduct were substantiated. The Committee does not handle sexual harassment lawsuits or have any involvement in settlements of such claims. In 2018, the Committee championed the passage of the CAA Reform Act, which required automatic referrals to this Committee of Member reimbursement of sexual harassment awards or settlements paid out of a U.S. Treasury fund and publication of such awards or settlements (here). Since the enactment of that legislation, the Committee has not been notified of any awards or settlements relating to allegations of sexual harassment by a Member. Civil claims of sexual harassment can be filed with the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) (here), and the Office of Employee Advocacy (OEA) can assist House staffers in filing such claims and seeking restitution (here). Regardless of whether a claim is brought through formal channels, individuals who have been the victim of or who are otherwise aware of any sexual misconduct, regardless of whether they are a House employee, can submit a complaint with the Committee at any time through the Committee’s website (here). The Committee strongly en…
Inbox: the House Ethics Committee releases a notably lengthy statement on sexual misconduct & workplace rights in Congress
My team at @19thnews.org is hiring a contract LGBTQ+ reporter to join us for 6 months this year!
💻 Remote (US only)
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📆 32 hours a week
Apply by May 1!
19thnews.org/2026/04/cont...
Even with backlash to #MeToo & intense partisan divisions, sexual misconduct & assault are rare issues that cross party lines. Three Rs sided with Dems to compel release of the Epstein files. New revelations drew near-immediate recriminations across the political spectrum. @gracepanetta.bsky.social
“In an April 2025 exchange…Ms. Chavez-DeRemer’s father, Richard Chavez, wrote to a young female staff member: ‘Hearing u/r in town. Wishing you would let me know. I could have made some excuses to get out and show u around. Please keep this private.’” www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/u...
“Two congressmen are out... I am furious. Furious that it takes this long, furious we have a culture that silences those kinds of behaviors, and furious that these women have to come forward in shadow, sometimes for their own protection.”
@gracepanetta.bsky.social reports.
“This stuff has got to stop happening, and when it does happen, we’ve got to do something about it a lot quicker and not wait for victims to come forward to a reporter,” RAINN president Scott Berkowitz told me. “We’ve just got to change the way things are done here.”
19thnews.org/2026/04/cong...
They came to lobby against online sexual abuse and found lawmakers wrestling with abuse within their own ranks.
I spent time with RAINN experts + survivor advocates yesterday for their annual, and this year, pertinently timed Hill advocacy day: 19thnews.org/2026/04/cong...
Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund: “As President Trump’s allies in Congress try to permanently ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood and make it harder for everyone, everywhere to get an abortion, the fight for reproductive health care has never been more important. With so much at stake, Planned Parenthood Action Fund trusts Janet Mills and Juliana Stratton to be the champions that Maine and Illinois need. These candidates understand how essential it is that all people have affordable access to care like cancer screenings, birth control, and STI testing and treatment. They’re both already proven leaders in the fight to preserve that care in communities. Planned Parenthood Action Fund is proud to endorse these candidates as they take that fight head on in Washington.”
Inbox: Planned Parenthood Action Fund endorses @janetmillsforme.bsky.social for Senate in Maine and @julianastratton.bsky.social in Illinois
The specific allegations against Swalwell aside….this response reflects a very pervasive (but wrong) belief. Most sexual violence is relational and survivors keeping contact w/ their assailants is very common and not necessarily discrediting (esp when there’s a power imbalance)
everything is political, even reality shows (try as they might) and at @19thnews.org we're building quite the body of work around this 👀
see: 19thnews.org/2026/03/mano... from @jazzmyth.bsky.social @gracepanetta.bsky.social & @jennifergerson.bsky.social
Exciting news: @19thnews.org is hiring a full time contract climate reporter to join our team for a few months! ♻️🌎
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19thnews.org/2026/04/cont...
"She does Pilates" serves as shorthand for both a set of instructions and expectations for how a “good” and desirable woman should be.
with @gracepanetta.bsky.social @jennifergerson.bsky.social for @19thnews.org
19thnews.org/2026/03/mano...
Why are so many men on social media and reality TV talking about how they want a woman who does Pilates? @19thnews.org investigates: 19thnews.org/2026/03/mano...
Some women in both groups did express skepticism about medications, including the birth control pill. “I don’t think anything’s safe, any medicine,” said the 31-year-old Native American woman who voted for Harris. “If they have to label all of the things that could go wrong, it’s probably because it has affected women or whoever’s taking them and they’ve seen the negative effects and have to therefore warn you about it,” said a 30-year-old Hispanic woman in Georgia who also voted for Harris. “So yeah, it’s probably not safe.” A few of the women who voted for Trump said they were similarly concerned about the pill’s potential side effects. “I’ve never taken birth control, but I’ve always heard that birth control wasn’t the best thing for you,” said a 30-year-old Black woman in Nevada who voted for Trump. “I know a lot of people who took it so they could have a regular period and stuff, but I’ve always heard that it’s been bad. So that’s why I went the route of getting my tubes tied instead.”
Another fascinating takeaway: most women in the focus groups were not familiar with the acronym MAHA, but many have adopted skepticism about the birth control pill 19thnews.org/2026/03/youn...
“The gas prices is what’s currently bothering me because I drive a lot,” said a 31-year-old White woman in Arizona who voted for Trump. “I’m a little bit frustrated just because I didn’t think we were going to be getting into a war,” she added. “I guess it’s just an unexpected thing.” Several women in the focus groups said they were taking on side jobs and cutting back on spending by canceling subscriptions and driving less often to make ends meet. “I feel like the economy is getting a lot worse, and I feel like we’re worse off than we have been in a while. I wanted to sell my house and get into a new one, and the price of getting a new house is almost unattainable, especially for people like me that are in their mid to late 20s,” said a 29-year-old Hispanic woman from Pennsylvania who voted for Trump. “I have a lot of friends that have to pick and choose whether they go hungry or not have money to go to work.”
These focus groups were made up of soft-partisan women who don't strongly identify with one party, so it was fascinating to hear what's on their minds: the war w/ Iran, rising gas prices and housing are breaking through as sources of anxiety 19thnews.org/2026/03/youn...
The women "had some real things that they were grappling with and not feeling like they were getting the support that they needed from the government, that government was just not there for them,” said @margieomero.bsky.social, who led the two focus groups 19thnews.org/2026/03/youn...
Women in their 20s to early 30s said they feel left behind in the economy; are anxious and apprehensive about the future; and largely don’t think politicians, including Trump, understand their struggles.
Women in their 20s - 30s said they feel left behind in the economy; are anxious and apprehensive about the future; and largely don’t think politicians, including President Trump, understand their struggles. @gracepanetta.bsky.social reporting for @19thnews.org
It's not just young men — young women are struggling too. I sat in on two @navigatorsurvey.bsky.social focus groups of young women in battleground states who said they're pessimistic about the direction of the US and unhappy with the state of the economy 19thnews.org/2026/03/youn...
Earlier this month, I spent some time with Michigan gubernatorial candidate @jocelynbenson.bsky.social in Alabama, where she got her start working at the SPLC straight out of college and returns every year to mark the anniversary of Bloody Sunday 19thnews.org/2026/03/joce...
A young Grace, age 20, working from her laptop on her way back from a spring break trip to Puerto Rico when news broke that the DOJ delivered the Mueller report to Congress in March 2019
RIP Robert Mueller, who ran a notoriously tight, leak-free ship but always kept the press on our toes. There was no better education as a baby reporter/intern!
Happy Illinois primary day to all who celebrate! I’ll be live with the great folks @thehill.com & @decisiondeskhq.bsky.social most of the night breaking down the results 🍀🗳️ www.youtube.com/live/8zWgdkn...
Platner campaign response to this ad: "This is nothing more than a desperate attempt for relevance from the governor, who is trailing an oyster farmer in every recent poll."
YUSEF JACKSON ENDORSE JULIANA STRATTON The Jackson family shared the Reverend’s personal endorsements, made before his passing CHICAGO – Today, with just three days left before Election Day, the family of Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, announced that he had personally endorsed Juliana Stratton for United States Senate. The reverend made his final endorsements and shared those preferences with the family before his passing in February. He is joined by his son, Yusef Jackson in endorsing Stratton.
Inbox: Illinois Lt. Gov. & Senate candidate Julianna Stratton shares a posthumous endorsement from the late Rev. Jesse Jackson
Also here and speaking at the pre-march rally: Gov. JB Pritzker
Gov. Wes Moore makes the rounds following services at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma, AL
👋🏼 good morning from Selma, AL, where lots of civil rights advocates and Dems are gathered for the Selma Jubilee weekend marking the 61st anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Possible 2028 presidential hopefuls Sec. Pete Buttigieg & Gov. Wes Moore spoke this AM at a church service