PLI Bulletin

Transparency, Misogyny, Social Media and More

Posted on October 1, 2025

Financial Transparency Act: More than 2,600 unregulated pregnancy clinics (UPCs, also called crisis pregnancy centers) operate in all 50 states. The Financial Transparency Act requires that, in order to receive grants from the state, a UPC must provide information to prove it is capable of spending the grant in accordance with its stated purposes and subsequently report on how taxpayer dollars were actually spent.

Require UPCs to disclose their spending: There are more UPCs in your state than you think. Nineteen states subsidize them, and yet, they need no subsidies. They are already spending far more than they provide clients in goods and services. How is their money actually used? Read about it in the latest IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

How misogyny fuels political violence: Right-wing political extremism is exploding across the nation. In this Democracy Works Podcast, Professor Cynthia Miller-Idress discusses her research showing that gender-based violence has become a gateway for political violence.

Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda: Although the Trump Administration has violated federal law over and over, court enforcement has been slow or ineffective. This New York Times compilation discusses the issues and status case-by-case.

Who consumes news on social media? More than half of Americans get some news from social media. Facebook and YouTube have the largest share but TikTok provides news to one in five Americans, according to Pew Research.

16 new model bills in our UPC Playbook: PLI recently published Unregulated Pregnancy Clinics: The Policy Playbook to serve as a practical resource for policymakers, advocates and community leaders. UPCs, also known as crisis pregnancy centers, operate in every state and most violate basic rules of medical supervision, fail to keep clients’ health records private, and knowingly deceive their clients.