The Headlines - MAHA Moms Turn Against Trump, and More States Rush to Limit Transgender Rights

Episode Date: February 20, 2026

Plus, your Friday news quiz.  Here’s what we’re covering: With New Momentum, Republican States Push Broader Limits for Trans Americans, by Amy Harmon In 2025, Trade Deficit in Goods Reached Record High, by Ben Casselman and Ana Swanson MAHA Moms Turn Against Trump: ‘Women Feel Like They Were Lied To’, by Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Hiroko Tabuchi January’s Winter Storm Was Brutal. So Are the Heating Bills., by Dorie Chevlen Some Reese’s Treats Drop the Milk Chocolate. Mr. Reese Disapproves., by Claire Brown Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Friday, February 20th. Here's what we're covering. The societal norm that we're talking about is that men go in men's rooms and women go in women's rooms. That's a societal norm that needs to stand. In state houses across the country, the Times is tracking how Republican lawmakers are pushing a wave of hundreds of new bills aimed at limiting transgender rights. The highly controversial transgender rights.

transgender bathroom bill will now become law in Kansas. In Kansas this week, lawmakers passed a law allowing people to sue transgender individuals who use public bathrooms that don't match their sex assigned at birth. Florida's workers should not be forced to choose between their conscience and their jobs. Some Florida lawmakers are trying to ensure public employees cannot be required to use their co-workers preferred pronouns. House Bill 404, sex designated housing amendments by representatives. And in Utah, bills are moving forward that would remove protections against discrimination in housing and employment for transgender people.

The moves are in line with the Trump administration's push at the national level to limit trans rights. They also reflect a shift in focus. While many of the restrictions and court fights in recent years have centered on minors, whether they can receive gender-affirming treatment or play on gender. different sports teams, these new bills mostly apply to adults. In some cases, they question whether, for the purposes of state law, a person can be trans at all. The Kansas bill, for example, would also invalidate people's driver's licenses if they've ever changed their gender in the state's ID system. Advocates pushing for these bills argue they are necessary to protect women and say they

reject the idea of a trans identity, with one Utah lawmaker saying, quote, there is a is no such thing as gender. It's a made-up word and term. It's actually just two sexes. There's male and female. Supporters of trans rights, however, say the efforts are discriminatory, and that even debating them makes it harder for people to openly identify as trans. In recent years, polling shows Americans have become more supportive of restrictions like barring trans athletes from women's sports, though a majority still want trans people to have protections from discrimination in jobs, housing, and public spaces. New data released this week by the government shows that overall, in 2025, the country's

trade deficit in goods hit a record high. Essentially, the gap between the huge amount of physical products the U.S. imports and the smaller amount it exports has never been wider. President Trump has repeatedly promised his steep tariffs would shrink that deficit by boosting U.S. manufacturing and turning people off overseas goods. But the data shows that's not happening yet. In some cases, the tariffs actually caused imports to spike as companies went into stockpiling mode, trying to bring in as much as they could before the surcharges kicked in. And while Americans have notably bought less from China, they bought more from the rest of the world. Vietnam, Mexico, India. That's raised questions about whether the U.S. is becoming less dependent on imports or just shuffling around where it gets them from. The latest numbers are consistent with other data that shows companies have so far not brought production back to the U.S. in mass. In the past year,

American manufacturers cut 80,000 jobs. The president could soon need to overhaul his trade policy. the Supreme Court is expected to rule as soon as this morning on the legality of many of the tariffs he's put in place. This week, a small but vocal slice of President Trump's supporters, the self-described Maha moms, have accused the president of betraying them. They backed Trump in 2024 after he got the endorsement of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They were galvanized by Kennedy's pledge to make America healthy again, by taking on things like toxins, artificial dyes, and pesticides. But there's now been a sudden split after President Trump signed an executive order to boost production of a weed killer, often marketed as Roundup, saying it's crucial for the country's food supply. The pesticide, which is used on a wide variety of crops and in home gardens,

has been a key concern of the Maha movement and a key target for Kennedy himself. Before becoming the health secretary, Kennedy helped win a nearly $300 million jury. award against the company that makes Roundup, claiming it knew it was carcinogenic. Just this week, its parent company said it reached a roughly $7 billion agreement to settle tens of thousands of lawsuits, claiming the product caused non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The company maintains the weed killer is safe, but the Maha movement's concerns about it are clashing with the administration's embrace of it. One conservative health and wellness podcaster told the times, quote,

women feel like they were lied to. And another prominent health influencer with millions of followers on social media said, there is a level of anger and frustration like I've never witnessed before. It's unclear whether or not Kennedy was consulted before Trump signed the executive order. But an influential maha activist said the situation pointed to what she called a widening disconnect between voters who want to reduce pesticides and the White House, which has appointed former chemical industry executives and lobbyists to oversee regulations. Okay, you guys, my power bill is here, my electric bill. Let's see what it is together.

After a massive, bitterly cold winter storm hit most of the U.S. last month, Americans are now starting to open their energy bills. $475 for a gas bill, one month. And they're finding eye-popping numbers. I can't pay this. $741.98. One energy company in Virginia said that since people had used more energy for home heating this winter than they had in several decades, customers are going to see bills that match that.

But the record low temperatures are not the only factor driving up bills. By some estimates, the price of natural gas has risen 50% from last year. And electricity is also getting more expensive, a trend that's only expected to become a bigger issue as more and more massive data centers pop up across the country. Even as prices rise, the federal government is offering states less money to help low-income residents through the winter. The budget for one program that subsidizes heating costs has been cut by about a third. Americans who rely on firewood for heating aren't immune from the scramble either. Suppliers across the U.S. say they've seen a surge in demand, leading to weeks-long delivery delays for wood or even having to turn customers away altogether. And finally, a few days ago, a man took to the Internet to complain that he just ripped into a bag of Valentine's Day Reese's mini-hearts and found they were not good.

They weren't covered in milk chocolate, but instead in a chocolate-flavored coating that cannot legally be called milk chocolate. The man actually threw the bag away. The first time in his life, he said that he'd thrown away a Reese's. It was kind of a big deal because the man's name is Brad Reese. He's the grandson of the inventor of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, though the candies are now manufactured by Hershey's. The recipe change is part of a recent trend in the candy business. As prices for cocoa have climbed, due to drought, labor shortages, and other factors,

companies have been moving away from milk chocolate. Other Hershey's products like Rollo's, Mr. Goodbar, Almond Joy, no longer list it in their ingredients. In response to questions, Hershey said that classic peanut butter cups are still being made the way they always have been, milk chocolate, present, and accounted for. But if you check the ingredient list for the seasonal varieties, hearts, Easter eggs, it's gone. You'll see sugar and vegetable oil listed first. One thing to look for as more companies make this pivot, does the pack of the package? describe it as chocolate-e candy. That Y could be doing a lot of work.

Those are the headlines. If you'd like to play the Friday News Quiz, it is just after these credits. This show is made by Will Jarvis, Jan Stewart, and me, Tracy Mumford. Original theme by Dan Powell. Special thanks to Isabella Anderson, Larissa Anderson, Miles McKinley,

Zoe Murphy, and Paula Schumann. Now, time for the quiz. Every week, we have a few questions for you about stories the Times has been covering. Can you get them all? Here we go. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 62nd Munich Security Conference. In Germany this past weekend, world leaders gathered for the annual Munich Security Conference,

where the big topic was, what does diplomacy look like in the age of President Trump? Notably, a number of prominent Democrats, who all have a lot of buzz around them potentially running for President. themselves made the trip to pitch their own vision for American foreign policy. We're going to play you three clips of Democrats' appearances in Munich. See if you can ID who these potential 2028 hopefuls are. Ready? I'm here in many respects to remind everyone that Trump is temporary. He'll be gone in a matter of years.

States like California are permanent. We're reliable, stable partners had a chance. Next one. The two that I am on the panel with are much more. steeped in foreign policy than a governor is. But, you know, I do think that Ukraine's independence, keeping their landmass is the goal. And we have to have a working class-centered politics. If we are going to succeed and also if we are going to stave off, the scourges of authoritarianism.

One more time real quick. I'm here in many respects to remind everyone that Trump is temporary. The two that I am on the panel with are much more steeped in foreign policy than a governor is. We have to have a working class-centered politics. That was in order. California governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and New York Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. At the conference, there were actually so many, maybe, possibly, will they, won't-they candidates, that one political strategist joked, Munich is the new Iowa.

Next question. Let's just call this what it is. Donald Trump's administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV because all Trump does is watch TV. This week, Stephen Colbert said his network, CBS, was too nervous about angering the FCC with its newly revived equal airtime rule to let him broadcast an interview with a Democrat running for Senate. Under Trump, the FCC's taken aim at not only late-night shows to tackle perceived bias against conservatives. Your question, what daytime show did the FCC just confirm its investigating?

The answer? It's the View! Oh, yes. The View, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, among others. It is under investigation for interviewing the same Texas lawmaker, James Tolariko, that Colbert said he couldn't broadcast. The administration's crackdown seems to have actually been good for Talarico. Colbert put the segment up on YouTube instead, where it's gotten way more views than it ever would have on the late show. And Talariko's campaign said he raised over $2.5 million in the 24 hours after it was posted.

Okay, last question. A finish! That is really impressive. The Olympics will wrap up this Sunday with the closing ceremony, so we are here with one last Olympics question for you. Some of the competitions at the games don't actually have that many countries in the mix. Women's hockey, for example, only had 10 teams vying for the medals. But some events are more egalitarian. What sport at this year's winter games had athletes from the most countries competing? The answer?

Cross-country skiing. with nearly 300 athletes from 65 different nations. Some of them, like the skiers from Nigeria, Venezuela, and Colombia, are actually the only athlete representing their whole country at the games. That is it for this week's news quiz. I'm Tracy Mumford. The headlines will be back on Monday.