Nicholas Kristof: I Stand with the 'She-Devils'

Women's progress requires us all View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, February 1, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Kristof »]( [I Stand with the ‘She-Devils’]( [Women, as well as men and children, at a women’s rights march in Oregon in January.]( Women, as well as men and children, at a women’s rights march in Oregon in January. Leah Nash for The New York Times President Trump has galvanized the women’s movement, but he has also empowered a backlash. One of his acolytes, a U.S. Senate candidate in Missouri, has denounced feminists as “banshees” and “she-devils” with “snake-filled heads.” [My column]( tells that story and argues that the empowerment of women may be the most important historical trend of our time — and if we want to stay on the right side of history, we’ll stick with the banshees and she-devils. [Read!]( I offered a pretty brutal fact-check of President Trump’s State of the Union address, and it’s a useful exploration of many of the issues of our time, from guns to immigration. [Check it out.]( I disagree with President Trump on almost everything and certainly on his immigration proposal, but I find myself agreeing in one area: He’s right that we should reduce family-based and lottery immigration and increase merit-based immigration (and, I think, refugee intake). That’s what Canada does, and it’s very successful and tends to increase support for immigration generally. Canadians have convinced me that it’s a better approach. It’s extraordinary that the United States still doesn’t have an ambassador to South Korea at such a sensitive time. We all knew that the Trump administration had picked Victor Cha, a long-time Korea expert who worked in the Bush White House and was regarded as a sensible foreign affairs expert… too sensible, apparently. [The Washington Post reports]( that the Trump administration will not nominate him after all, because he objected to the idea of a military strike on North Korea, warning of the risks of all-out war. Good for Professor Cha, and I’m sorry if his willingness to speak truth to power costs him the job. At a time when journalism is often criticized, sometimes deservedly, it’s inspiring to see [the finalists]( for the Harvard Goldsmith awards. The Asbury Park Press did heroic work on awful conditions in government-supported housing, leading the authorities to issue 1,800 violations. The Miami Herald did great work on abuse in juvenile justice systems. And so on (including a citation for the Times’s coverage of sexual misconduct by Harvey Weinstein, Bill O’Reilly and others), underscoring how great journalism even by small papers is a critical part of civil society. And now [here’s my column]( about the backlash against women, and why all of us — men included — should stand with the “she-devils” on the right side of history. [Read!]( ADVERTISEMENT I welcome suggestions for what to include in this newsletter. You can connect with me on [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google]( [Instagram]( and [Pinterest](. If you have friends who might enjoy this newsletter, forward this email; they can [sign up here](. Send feedback or tech questions to newsletters@nytimes.com. Recent Columns [A Brutal Fact-Check of President Trump]( A play-by-play assessment of the president’s speech. [Trump Leads the World, Backward]( Our president isn’t a leader but a cheerleader. For the past. [Several hundred protesters outside the White House on Wednesday chanted, “No hate, no fear, trans students are welcome here.”]( Nicole Sganga [My Blog]( My blog, On the Ground, expands on my twice-weekly columns, sharing thoughts that shape the writing but don’t always make it into the 800-word text. It also features contributions from other writers. [Several hundred protesters outside the White House on Wednesday chanted, “No hate, no fear, trans students are welcome here.”](  [My Columns]( Explore a searchable collection of my previous columns dating back to 2001. ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW NICHOLAS KRISTOF [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nickkristof]( [Instagram] [nickkristof]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »]( | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Nicholas Kristof newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2018 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018